Like a lot of you, the peak of my card collecting coincided with the peak of the junk wax era. That said, despite the overproduced worthlessness of it all, there are a few players whose cards, even now, bring a smile to my face. They're my junk wax heroes.
Dudes like Oil Can Boyd. Sure he was colorful, sure he was league average, but he always looked happy to have turned up in your overpriced packs of UD. And let's be frank: this card is just plain goofy. In a way, the overabundant exuberance of the card reflects the actual subject in a way that few cards ever have. When you say "Oil Can Boyd," I think of this card.
Just two years ago the 'Can was "serious about a comeback," in ways only the 'Can could have imagined. Given that so many of our heroes turned out to be PED-aided wannabes, it makes me a little sad that guys like Oil Can didn't hang around longer. It would have been nice to see him turn up smiling in more packs so as to to break up the clouds of McGwire, Bonds, etc.
Have a good one everybody and goodnight Pumpsie Green, wherever you are!
This card was a bit of a legend in my house as well. I remember my brother and I being just incredulous to discover that there were a player named Oil Can (that card was the first we'd ever heard of him).
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