Far too rare is the intersection of art and sports.  Sports is a haven for meatheaded extroverts who yearn for brute force to entertain them, while art is typically reserved for those more introspective and refined personalities, so refined in fact that they know what the word "introspective" means.

While these two worlds traditionally remain on opposite ends of the spectrum, one company was bold enough to bring them together for a most unlikely pairing in the 80's and 90's.  The company? Donruss.  The product? The "Diamond King" baseball cards, where the premier athletes of the day were captured in paintings that would have been perfectly at home on a velvet canvas.

Join us today as we take a trip through the Diamond King art gallery to critique these one-of-a-kind masterpieces.



Mike Piazza
The artist of this piece rose to the challenge of capturing the manly aura of a powerful slugger while intricately weaving in the innate homoerotic tendencies present with a player who spent a vast sum of his fortune at the hair salon.

---



Andres Galarraga
Until this piece was released to the public, art critics never fully appreciated the haunting similarities between the color-splashed Colorado sky at sunset and Andres Galarraga's face. 

---



Kirby Puckett
It takes a uniquely talented artist to recognize that a modernized variation on Picasso's Analytic Cubism phase is the best way to depict chunky centerfielders from Minnesota on a baseball card.

---



Dave Winfield
A seamless integration of a Hall of Famer's boyish smile, freakishly large hat and Tetris.

---



Mark McGwire
Even more symbolic than the steely glare or his auburn perm is the streak of white rolling down his right cheek.  Perhaps a single tear of regret for the questionable transgressions in pursuit of legendary status? That or the painter ran out of tan paint.

---



Dan Haren
In what can only be viewed as an interpretation of his perceived throwback style on the mound, this artist felt it necessary to offer a glimpse of what Dan Haren would look like with a 1930's era wispy mustache.

---



Chris Sabo
Rec Specs or windows to Chris Sabo's soul?  For you to decide.

---



Pete Rose
In spite of his nickname of "Charlie Hustle", this depiction attempts to capture Pete Rose's more intuitive side showing him quietly pondering the thousands of dollars lost after last night's misjudgement of the over/under.

---



Cory Snyder
Even though they are nearly identical in color, this painter is able to deftly express the subtle changes in depth between Cory Snyder's skin and his blonde upper lip.

---



Dwight Gooden
The purple overtones effectively embody Gooden's intense focus on the teammate who he suspected was stealing coke out of his locker.

---



Jose Canseco
Not satisfied with simply recreating the actual features of his subject, this painter chose to make a brilliant statement about the effects of performance enhancers on the sport by showing the world what would have happened had Jose Canseco's steroids backfired and made him 150 pounds heavier.  Powerful stuff.

---



Kirk Gibson
If Vincent Van Gogh was tasked with creating a portrait of a unibrowed All Star from Detroit, it would undoubtedly look something like this piece.