what the f?

mookie betts has had a pretty good start to the 2024 season. had clayton kershaw not committed to returning to the dodgers, betts would have become my favorite dodger, and there are certainly no shortage of cards of him to collect. as a team collector, i "need" them all, but i will say that i prioritze kershaw and betts cards when filling out a sportlots order or digging through bargain boxes.

i was able to acquire his 2024 topps 2023 all topps team insert recently

and, even though by now i am immune to the oddity of the cut off text on these cards, i was left wondering about the font used for the "f" in "of". i get that a lowercase "f" drops down from the top, but these cards use uppercase letters. it's very strange. i also wonder if the cut off text is just "outfield" or "outfielder". topps used the latter on betts' 2023 topps series 2 1988 35th anniversary card

this is all in the past, however, as betts has transitioned to the infield full-time in 2024. he's playing mostly shortstop but has filled in at second base on days that gavin lux doesn't start.

here are a couple more betts inserts from 2024 - 2023 greatest hits

i was surprised to see one player with two cards in this set, but i am ok with it, obviously

1989 35th anniversary

i think we need more cards featuring photos taken up the third base line

and here's my newest betts card - his 2024 topps aqua parallel

this is the 300th betts card in my collection, putting him at number 20 among all players that are part of what i've logged in tcdb so far. he knocked andre ethier out of the top 20, and should eclipse corey seager (i have 312 of his cards) once series 2 is out.