Card Of The Week August 24

So that didn't go the way anyone expected, did it? While I'm disappointed in the results for both the US and Japan, I'm impressed with South Korea coming from nowhere to win the Gold. I caught the last inning of the game this morning and it was very exciting. To celebrate, I thought this 2000 Teleca Korean card of Lee Seung-Yeop (who homered in the first inning of the Gold Medal game) and Sadaharu Oh should be Card Of The Week:


I have to say that I'm not entirely sure what the story is with this card. Teleca did produce cards in Korea in 1999 and 2000. I got this card on eBay from Thomas St. John, who's a journalist in South Korea (or at least was in 2000 or so) and was the South Korean correspondent for Baseball America. St. John has the photo credit on the back of the card. I suppose it could have been an insert for the 2000 regular set or Teleca could have done a set for the Korea-Japan Super Game (I'm guessing the 1999 champs of NPB and Korea played a game or series of games, kind of an ancestor to the Asia Series. Except that the Hanhwa Eagles won the KBO in 1999, not the Samsung Lions). What's odd is that the back is completely in English (I don't have any other Teleca cards that have English on their back - except for a Chin-Feng Chen Taiwanese National Team card that I also bought from St. John and have the same questions about) and it has no card number.

Well, regardless of where the card really came from, it's a pretty cool card.