This is a 1947 JDM 11 menko card of Giichiro Shiraki of the Flyers. I've been wondering ever since I first saw this card what the deal with the duck or goose was. I think I finally have an answer now.
Rob Fitts is currently selling a card of Kaoru Betto on Ebay from 1948 that shows him holding a large fish. In the auction description, Rob says that "high quality food was hard to get in post-war Japan so prizes given to players during the all-star game often included food." Now technically there weren't any all star games like what happens now as prior to 1950 there was only the one league (and the current All Star games didn't start until 1951) but there were other "all star" exhibitions in the late 40's. So I don't think it's unreasonable to guess that this is a representation of Shiraki getting a prize at one of these games.
Or someone getting a prize at one of these games. I'm not entirely convinced that the player pictured on the front of the JDM 11 cards is the same as the player described on the back of the cards. The only other JDM 11 card that I have is for (according to its back) Masataka Tsuchiya of Hosei University. The front, however, depicts a player from Meiji. I asked Gary Engel about it and he said that that's the way his card is as well. So maybe it's the same for this card.
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