Melvin Mora, 2009 Topps Orioles Team Set #BAL9

Last week, I treated myself to a trip to the hobby shop on the other side of town, because it had been too long since I'd gorged on their vintage dollar bins. As I proceeded to the register with entirely too many dog-eared and moderately creased 1956 and 1959 Topps singles, a blister-packed 2009 Orioles team set from Topps caught my eye. Since at least the mid-2000s, Topps has put out yearly team sets for each club that are only partially identical to their base cards. As near as I can tell from this set, all of the Series One cards are reproduced in the team issue, and the other players receive cards with that year's design but with a photo that differs from their eventual base card. Some players that didn't get a base card might sneak into the team set, as was the case with Cla Meredith in 2010. The distinct photos and the possibility of relatively obscure Orioles was incentive enough to pick up this set, but as I flipped through the cards when I got home, I found other selling points. The recent additions to the team (Cesar Izturis, Ryan Freel, Felix Pie) were Photoshopped into their new uniforms in hilariously slipshod fashion. There was a bonus card spotlighting Oriole Park at Camden Yards. And last but definitely not least, there was this silly picture of Melvin Mora discarding his bat and looking like he just realized that it's covered in manure. I defy you to find a card featuring a more entertaining bat flip moment.