Napoleon Calzado, 2002 Topps Heritage #347

I can find at least three things wrong with this card:

-Napoleon Calzado's first name is misspelled. I guess somebody at Topps doesn't know their French history.

-The card back lists his date of birth as February 9, 1980. According to Baseball Reference, he was actually born on that date in 1977. I assume that he was one of several Dominican players who was later found to have falsified his age so that he would be more desirable as an amateur free agent.

-The photo filter Topps used to give this card a "retro" feel has turned Napoleon into some sort of demented-looking Muppet.

Napoleon Calzado, 2002 Topps Gold Label #137

If there is any rule of thumb that I follow, it is this: always do what Night Owl says. This is especially true when it comes to rooting against the Yankees or begging people to trade you cards. So when Night Owl says, "get a 'most wanted' list on your blog'," I hop to it.

If you look to the sidebar on the left side of this page, you should see my list. It is the "Coveted Cluster", and it is eleven cards deep. Whenever someone trades me one or more of the cards on that list, I will add new desired cards in their place. Why the Coveted Cluster? Taking a page from Night Owl, I wanted something alliterative. I've noticed recently that Buck Showalter really likes to use the word "covet" in all of its forms, and I think that's hilarious in an anachronistic sort of way. So there we are. Why eleven? Ten seems too unoriginal, so this list goes to eleven.

The inaugural Coveted Cluster is comprised entirely of players who are not currently a part of my Orioles collection, to my great shame. I try to be as much of a completist as I can (hence today's cameo by Napoleon Calzado, he of the five career at-bats and one career hit), though I know the star-and-rookie-dogma of Topps will do its best to thwart me. If your face is on an Orioles card, I should have it, for the sake of this blog if nothing else, Even Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer would get pretty boring if you saw them day after day, right?

So if you come across any card on that list and you don't intend to keep it for yourself, email me (brotz13 AT gmail DOT com) and propose a trade. It'll be fun, or at least bloodless!