#45 Dave Fleming

About the Front: Rookie Cup! That's the second one we've seen, following Eric Karros. I sure hope that Dave Fleming is just taking his warmup throws, because his infielder is staring down at the ground. That's a good way to catch a line drive in the throat.

About the Back: Topps provides nearly a complete listing of all of Fleming's career shutouts; after finishing tied for second in the American League with four whitewashes in 1992 (Roger Clemens led with five), the young lefty threw one in 1993 and none for the rest of his abbreviated career.

Triple Play:

1. Per Dave's 1992 Pinnacle Rookie Idols card, he grew up rooting for the Yankees and his favorite player was Bobby Murcer.

2. Fleming missed the start of the 1993 season with tendonitis and wound up with a 12-5 record, a 4.36 ERA, and a 1.53 WHIP. It got worse from there: 7-11 with a 6.46 ERA in 1994, and 1-6 with a 5.96 ERA in 1995, his last season in the big leagues. A torn rotator cuff ended up doing him in.

3. Per this 2008 Jeff Pearlman article, Dave is a fifth-grade math teacher in Connecticut.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Fleming made some the weirdest faces when he was pitching, which is the kind of thing that sticks with you when you own a card with this unfortunate photo on it.

Bill James Said: "Righthanded hitters hit .298 against him, and he doesn't have the control or ground ball ratio to get by with that."

On This Date in 1993: July 29. The Israeli Supreme Court acquits accused Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk, aged 73, of all charges and he is set free. Demjanjuk had a long and complicated legal history.