Fernando Valenzuela was an Oriole... Wha...?

What on earth is this?

I'm confused, bewildered and perplexed.  I just can't get my head around the idea (no... the reality) that the great Fernando Valenzuela once played for a club that was not the Dodgers, let alone the Orioles.

I know that previous sentence is silly.  After all, he was only 30-years old when he was released by the Dodgers, and his career was from over then.  Still, the notion that Fernando played for other clubs is something I'd rather forget, and certainly it's the last thing I want to be reminded of on cardboard.

Featured above is a 2015 Topps Tier One Autographed Relic card of El Toro as a Baltimore Oriole.  This set was just released a couple of days ago, so I should have pics of most of the Dodger cards some time next week.  In the meantime, I am going to force you to stare at the card above.

How does the card make you feel?  Are you as dumbfounded as I am?  Or angry that Topps would dare make this card?

This is the first modern day Baseball card I've seen, or noticed, that features Fernando in a uniform other than Dodger Blue, and I wonder if there are any more.  Does anybody out there know of one?  Please pass that knowledge along.

As for Valenzuela's career after Los Angeles, I do remember him playing for the Angels and Padres, and I recall how weird it looked to see him in those uniforms.  For whatever reason, though, I have no recollection of the other three clubs he pitched for - Phillies, Orioles and Cardinals.  I wonder why that is.  Did I just block that out?

BTW, I ran into the above card on eBay.  You can check out the auction here.  Also, a complete checklist of the set can be found here.

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