Airbrushed Fridays: 2008 Topps #290

These next four days will determine the true fate of the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals. It's been a long, strange year - mostly strange - and the Cards sitting 4.5 games back in the wild card race and 5.5 games behind in the NL Central has to feel like a disappointment compared to how the season began. The health news surrounding Matt Holliday is less than encouraging. Four games against the Phillies, on the road against the team with the best record in baseball should seem like an impossible task. I just don't think that playing up to the competition has ever been the Cardinals problem. If anything, that Astros series finale looms large as the scariest one to me if we're still talking about magic numbers by late September.

Edgar Renteria is a shortstop who has manned the shortstop position for three World Series clubs, winning two. He was both a walk-off World Series winner (Florida, 1997) and the final out of the season (St. Louis, 2004). And last season, of course, he was the World Series MVP with San Francisco. Throughout his long career, he's provided above average offense for a middle infielder to go with mostly above board defense. To date, he's won two gold gloves and appeared in five All-Star games. To no one's surprise, he's important to me for his six seasons with the Cardinals, the most time he's logged with any club.

Why did Topps airbrush Edgar's photo? Renteria was with Atlanta in 2007 when Yunel Escobar was starting to gain traction in the Braves system. Edgar was shipped off to Detroit for a package that included Jair Jurrjens following the season, which precluded his appearance in a current uniform in 2008 Series 1.

What's wrong with this picture, anyway? I think whoever applied the Detroit logo to Edgar's shirt was intoxicated, as each letter seems to be aligned at a slightly different angle.

If you are interested in obtaining a card featured here, please send me an e-mail. If you have a card you would like to nominate for Airbrushed Fridays, please get in touch as well. I will require that I am able to see the card in person, either on loan or as a donation, so that I can examine the card and experience it in all its cruddiness.