Rafael Palmeiro, 2004 Upper Deck Power Up #22

It's Christmas Eve, so I'll pass along a quick link and get back to my family. If you've got some free time over the weekend, read Oriole fan Tom Scocca's essay about Rafael Palmeiro and his slim Hall of Fame chances. It's been eight years since Raffy flunked his steroid test and disappeared from baseball in a near-instant. I still haven't come any closer to making sense of the entire situation.

Sidney Ponson, 2004 Upper Deck Power Up #40

So what's the most terrifying thing about this card? Is it the giant bulbous head that Upper Deck pasted onto Sidney Ponson's body? Or is it the visual reminder that the Orioles once had the sense and good fortune to trade the immature Aruban righty away, only to immediately reacquire him at a significantly higher salary mere months later? For my two cents, it's option B. The O's weren't a bad team for 14 years by accident.