Mike Kinkade, 2002 Fleer Tradition #346

Does anyone remember Mike Kinkade? Knowing some of the dedicated baseball fans that read this blog, that's probably a silly question. But there's a good chance that you're a true diehard if you have some recollection of this journeyman. Kinkade played for nine organizations in a fourteen-year pro career. He also played five defensive positions (right field, left field, first base, third base, and catcher) and served as designated hitter in his limited swings through the big leagues. He arrived in Baltimore during the fire sale of 2000, as he, Melvin Mora, and two shlubs were the booty extracted from the Mets in exchange for shortstop Mike Bordick. But beyond his glorious season-plus in Charm City (.281 in 64 games with four homers - one of them against Mike Mussina), Mike was also something of an American hero during his baseball career.

At the ripe age of 27, Kinkade was a member of the United States baseball team that shocked the world by winning the gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He saw action in nine games in all, playing first and third base. Eight years later, he played for Team USA again, but only during the qualifiers for the Beijing Olympics. He acquitted himself well at least, hitting .333. Maybe if they'd kept him on the team when they got to China, they would've done better than a lousy bronze medal.