If This is His Topps Card, Then What Card is This?: Todd Helton

Okay, so last week's edition of What Card is This? was too easy. I hope our next subject will help make what is becoming my favorite posts of the blog a little bit more challenging.

This week's subject is has been the face of the Colorado Rockies for the last ten seasons. Even though he played in a little more than half of the Rockies games this year, he still is their franchise player, and since being drafted by the team in 1995, he has been the Rockies...well, Rock. The steady hand at first base. And while being out for half the year could be one of the reasons why the Rockies fell from NL champion to a third place finish in 2008, hope springs eternal for a better 2009 campaign. I'm talking about none other than Todd Helton.

From 2000-2004, Todd Helton was an NL All-Star, and an MVP candidate. In 2000, arguably his best season, he led the National League with a batting average of .372, 147 RBI's, 216 hits, 59 doubles, a slugging percentage of .692, on base percentage of .463, which also means he lead in OPS with 1.162, and on and on and on.

This week, I am including two cards with the now famous 2005 Topps design. Here is his regular card, #385:

Probably not one of the best pictures to use. He looks like he just woke up here, and underneath that cap and pair of sunglasses is a squished mullet, waiting to pop out. So now that every 2005 Topps card of Helton looks like the one above, here is card number two:

Now this actually looks a lot better. It's an action shot, and he's swinging and watching as a ball sails out of whatever ball park he's in (if this card was taken in Denver, then the ball maybe outside the stadium.

So now fellow readers, I leave you to ponder,

What Card Is This?

Answer to be given tomorrow night. Make your guesses now. I'm going to turn in early.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

UPDATE: Monday, October 6, 2008.

As Night Owl correctly answered, the second card does come from the 2006 Topps WalMart set. I do agree with him when he says that the second card does look better than the one in the eponymous set. Thanks for playing. This was apparently too easy.

jba