do you remember when...

...the guy who led the national league in batting average in 2004 decided not to sign a contract with topps, so they couldn't use his image?  i remember thinking at the time that it was a bonehead manuever, although i suppose he could have signed exclusively with upper deck like alex rodriguez did early in his career or like nomar did late in his.  anyway, i became pretty happy about it because it meant that a dodger got to be featured on a league leader card

still, it looks weird to not have the number 1 guy featured on a leader card.  beltre, of course, also appeared on the home run leader card in the top dog position

thanks to his monster walk year, which must have really irked that slugger from san francisco.  these cards were bittersweet for me because i like beltre and appreciated the stability he was bringing to the dodgers' hot corner.  greener pastures (to the tune of $64 million) awaited beltre in seattle, and so he went for 5 years.  then, after a one-year stopover in boston, beltre is back in the al west this year as a member of the texas rangers. 

i will admit that i had hoped he would find his way back to la when he first hit free agency, and after he signed with the red sox i, on a lark, sent a card to beltre c/o the team's spring training facility in march of 2010.  i was not suprised when months passed and there was no return.  i was surprised, however, when the other day i went to the mailbox and found this

along with the card i had sent to him.  it's a pre-print for sure, but i appreciate the rangers sending something back (just as they did for vladdy and clint hurdle) and i appreciate beltre (or his people) holding on to my request even as he changed teams.  it's a bit strange that they did so, however.