Even divine intervention won’t rescue the 2015 Phillies — they were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs this past Tuesday when they lost 5-4 to the San Diego Padres. Still, this didn’t prevent Philadelphia from issuing a rookie baseball card for Pope Francis ahead of his visit to the city next weekend.
While it can’t hurt to curry the pope’s good graces, it’s doubtful the 78-year-old would provide much value as a fielder. His baseball experience is limited to a botched bare-handed catch attempt last year at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.
[fusion_title size=”4″]POPE FRANCIS SOCCER CARD[/fusion_title]
Tim Sullivan, an enterprising Pope Francis fan from Maryland, produced a trading card in anticipation of His Holiness’ visit to the United States. Unlike the Phillies, he honored the pope’s stated sporting preference in making a retro soccer card complete with a cartoon and bio data on the backside.
Francis has met personally with a who’s who of the soccer world since being named Pope Benedict XVI’s successor in 2013. Naturally, the Buenos Aires-born pope has made time for Argentine stars Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona, but he’s also met with Italian greats Gianluigi Buffon and Mario Balotelli.
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