Jim Palmer, 2005 Upper Deck Classics #49

Last night I was thumbing through a brick of cards from yet another overstuffed envelope courtesy of reader Max. When I got to this Jim Palmer card, I had the following progression of thoughts:

1) "He's hatless again. What do you know?

2) "Look at his pinky sticking out, like he's drinking tea. That's odd."

3) "What a tiny glove - it's hanging halfway off of his hand."

4) "Wait a minute...he must be playing pepper! Cool!"

As you can see, I didn't even get around to the backdrop, which I believe to be Fenway Park. I've never played pepper myself, but it was recently explained in one of those in-studio demonstrations on the MLB Network by Harold Reynolds, Dan Plesac, and somebody else. Let's say Mitch Williams. I'll cut and paste from Wikipedia because I'm lazy:

"Pepper is a common pre-game exercise in baseball, where one player hits brisk ground balls and line drives to a group of fielders who are standing close by. The fielders try to make a play on the ball, and throw it back as quickly as possible. The batter then attempts to hit the return throw, and so on.

Some ballparks have banned pepper games because of the danger of balls landing in the stands and injuring spectators. Some of these stadiums may display a "NO PEPPER" warning on the edges of the field near the stands. Major League Baseball has also discouraged pepper because it damages the infield grass."

The way the ex-players described it, you wanted a glove that was as hard and small as possible, making it more so a paddle than a glove. In recent years, Upper Deck has been using one particular photo of "Cakes" over and over again, so it's nice to see a really creative action shot like the one on this card. Can you think of any other cards you've seen that depict a game of pepper?

Dave McNally, 2005 Upper Deck Classics #24

Most educated fans know that pitcher Andy Messersmith was the first free agent in baseball; after playing the 1975 season for the Dodgers without a contract, the righthander insisted that he was no longer bound by the reserve clause. Arbitrator Peter Seitz ruled in favor of Andy and declared him a free agent, he subsequently signed with the Braves, and the rest was history. But I'd wager that there aren't nearly as many fans who realize that Dave McNally was a part of that landmark case as well.

In December of 1974, Orioles GM Frank Cashen made one of his craftier trades, sending a still-effective McNally, young outfielder Rich Coggins, and minor league pitcher Bill Kirkpatrick to the Expos for pitcher Mike Torrez and outfielder Ken Singleton. McNally soon injured his arm, started out 3-6 with a 5.24 ERA, and effectively retired that June at age 32. But the players' union asked him to add his name to the Messersmith grievance and he complied. Sensing the danger a little too late, Montreal president John McHale offered the ex-Oriole a new contract with a $25,000 signing bonus and a guarantee of another $125,000 if he made the club in 1976. It was more than Dave had made at any point in his career, but he unselfishly rejected the team's transparent overture for the greater good of the other players, present and future. As a result, McNally too was declared a free agent. However, he did not come back to baseball.

Much like Dave McNally, I am free. I just wrapped up my last day at a job that I held for four years and four months. It paid the bills and I wasn't treated poorly, but there was no opportunity for advancement and it paid just well enough that I was often complacent. Despite intermittent worries that I would never improve myself, I finally did find a new job...but it won't start for two more weeks. In the meantime, I answer to no man. I'm going to soak that up.