Once again, Tom Bartsch pinch-hits for T.S. O'Connell:

When it comes to Bernie Madoff, one of the last things I would
have associated him with is baseball cards. Unless, of course, he
managed to steal those, too and sell them for his own gain.

But then comes this subject line in my e-mail: "Topps Issues a Trading Card of the Swindler as Part of the New 2009 Topps Allen & Ginter Product Out in June"

I get the whole social scene inclusion in Allen & Ginter but the only thing I want to do with a Madoff card is burn it.

The
Madoff card will be a part of Topps' Allen & Ginter inserts of
cards that feature the "world's biggest hoaxes, hoodwinks and
bamboozles," including disgraced ponzi schemer Madoff. The cards
feature 20 perpetrators of some of the most notorious pranks, dubious
claims and outright frauds of the last two centuries. Other notables in
the set will include: Charles Ponzi, Enron, D.B. Cooper and The Run
Away Bride, found in 1:12 packs.

According to the release,
Topps originally developed the idea of "world's biggest hoaxes,
hoodwinks and bamboozles," inserts earlier this year prior to the
Madoff scandal.

And I suppose he's the icing on that cake.

2009
Topps Allen & Ginter includes a 350-card set featuring Major League
Baseball players and champions from other sports. Along with the
"Hoaxes, Hoodwinks and Bamboozles" insert set, collectors can also find
subsets featuring "Creatures of Legend, Myth and Terror" and "National
Heroes" from around the world.

So who do you want in your first pack of Allen & Ginter – Madoff or David Ortiz?