A Venerable Old Card Part 26

"I KNOW IT WAS YOU WILSON.  YOU BROKE MY HEART.  YOU BROKE MY HEART!"   -Michael Corleone 

I was doing a little straightening out with a few boxes this past week when I  ran into a few old Bowman autographs from the early 2000s.  Amongst the stack of graphs were a few of the 2002 Bowman Futures Game signed jerseys.  These were really sweet cards back in the day, with some good prospect names from the time, but the cards have generally aged poorly.  

A few years back when Ryan Ludwick was on the Cardinals I had scooped up quite a few of these cards.  The signatures on the cards have rubbed off due to the finish on the front of the cards.  A few of my other Bowman autographs from this set have faired a little better including the signature of one time Durham Bull Wilson Betemit.  

The two loops at the end of his signature has had a little fading, but this is a pretty nice card still.  The backs of these cards are also pretty nice looking.  Topps used the format they had used on the relic cards in the Topps HD set in 2001 which featured clear backings letting the front and back of the relic been seen.  Kind of a cool look that Topps stopped using sometime after the mid 2000s....

I bought this card before Wilson Betemit was on the Bulls and the card has remained in my collection for that reason.  Although, somewhat reluctantly.  While he was in Durham in 2014, Betemit served as the teams utility player.  Wilson also managed to secure a spot in the Triple A All-Star Game which was played at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park that summer.   Over the course of the season Wilson Betemit ended up pacing the Bulls in home runs and lead them to within a game of the International League Championship.  

So, what was wrong with Wilson's time as a Bulls player?  This.  

Always a little disappointing to see players with your favorite teams end their seasons with a suspension.  In the case of Wilson, it was also pretty much the end of his career at the age of 32.  Even if he had failed to reach the Majors again, there are plenty of veterans who hang out in Triple A and do quite well.  Wilson could have made a nice Dan Johnson type of player for a few years, but I guess not.  

If I have a Kip Wells card because he was on the Cardinals, I suppose I can have a Wilson Betemit card because he was on the Durham Bulls.