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What? Giuliani in a Red Sox baseball card?

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

February 6, 2008

Yankees fans won't like it, Red Sox fans won't like it and Rudy Giuliani certainly won't like it.

When Topps baseball cards hit the stores this week, about one in every 70 packs will include a picture of Giuliani, fist raised in victory, celebrating with the Sox on the field after their World Series win.

Giuliani wasn't really there, of course. For years, the former New York City mayor has been known as a die-hard Yankees fan. But he did alienate some Yankees fans by declaring in October that he was rooting for the Sox in the Series - "I'm an American League fan," he said - and Topps ran with the idea.

"We took that and thought it would make for a funny card, since the Red Sox won," said Clay Luraschi, baseball brand manager for The Topps Co. "We thought, let's put him in the championship dog pile."

He said Giuliani's withdrawal from the presidential race didn't dampen his enthusiasm for the card.

Giuliani - who also appeared, by himself, on a 2004 Topps card - was not consulted about the new card, Luraschi said. Messages left yesterday at Giuliani's campaign and work numbers were not immediately returned.

Topps did something similar a year ago, inserting George Bush into the stands and Mickey Mantle into the dugout in the background of Derek Jeter's card.