Marty Cordova, 2003 Donruss #92

One of the things that's a real treat about action shots taken at Oriole Park at Camden Yards is that you sometimes get a giant hot dog lurking in the distance. That blurry weiner behind Marty Cordova is of course the Esskay ad on the left side of the right field out-of-town scoreboard. Of course, scoreboards are getting more and more advanced all the time, and we now have full-color, high-definition video boards all over stadiums. Some teams put scoreboards directly on the outfield fence...like the Milwaukee Brewers. Today I was putting my 2010 Topps set in its binder when something struck me about Ryan Braun's card. Does that disembodied grinning face looming behind the Brew Crew's left fielder look familiar?It's Brian Roberts, don'tcha know. That's gotta be the most unique player cameo I've ever seen on someone else's card. This picture must have been taken the weekend of June 20-22, 2008, which was the last time that the Orioles and Brewers met in interleague play. By checking the box scores, I can narrow it down to the last two games of that series, as B-Rob didn't hit any balls to left field in Friday night's game. If anyone can narrow it down further, feel free. In the meantime, I'll be here wondering whether Braun made that catch under the watchful gaze of MechaRoberts.

Rodrigo Lopez, 2003 Donruss #91

This photo of Rodrigo Lopez is shot from a low angle that's not very common in baseball cards, but has sort of a throwback feel to it. He seems to be warming up on the side of the field prior to a road start, but I suppose he could just be posing for the Donruss paparazzi. The most visually arresting aspect of the picture, though, is the bright, impossibly blue sky rising up from the upper deck of the stadium. When it comes to digital manipulation of images you can never put anything past the brain trust at baseball card companies, but I would really like to think that Donruss played it straight here. After all, why bother with such shenanigans on a base card of a decent (but not extraordinary) rookie pitcher? Sometimes, the sky is blue and that's enough.

Jay Gibbons, 2003 Donruss #85

Because of my bizarre compulsion to follow the Jay Gibbons Story to the bitter end, I feel obligated to report that the former Orioles outfielder/designated hitter/first baseman/unfortunate-looking fellow is a Long Island Duck no longer. After hitting .280 with 5 home runs and 19 RBI in 27 games in the independent Atlantic League, Jay signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers last week. He's expected to spend a few weeks working out the kinks in AA Huntsville before being bumped up to AAA Nashville. After that...who knows? But Gibbons has gotten that second chance that he so desperately wanted, and I'm interested to see what he does with it. The Brewers are in the fight of their life with the Cubs and Cardinals at the top of the National League Central, which would seem to limit Jay's chances at cracking the big league lineup in 2008. But he's back in affiliated baseball, and I certainly don't wish him any ill will. Look at that card up there...how can you hold a grudge against a man who wears his socks high?