Chris Hoiles, 1994 Bowman #131

With Christmas just three weeks away, it's easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle. Buying gifts, cleaning and decorating the house, attending parties, making travel plans...you might feel like the holiday season ambushed you. But I think we should all take a moment to stop, breathe deeply, and pay attention to the smaller details in life. For instance, take this Chris Hoiles card. The two things that jump out at me are as follows:

1) Chris has his last name printed in black marker on the strap of his batting glove. You see this a lot on cards - player names, nicknames, or initials scrawled on a piece of equipment. It makes sense; with 25 guys in the clubhouse, and six months of in-season travel, you don't want to get caps and gloves mixed up. There's still something endearing about the haphazard and informal personalization, though.

2) Not only does Hoiles have the Orioles' 1993 All-Star Game host patch on the left sleeve of his jersey, but All-Star is the brand of his chest protector. That's a nice bit of synchronicity.