Helmar’s “This Great Game” card #29 showcases Jim Gentile, the powerful first baseman
whose bat helped define Baltimore’s offense in the early 1960s. Captured mid-reach, glove
extended toward the viewer, Gentile’s presence dominates the composition—an embodiment
of focus and readiness. Sanjay Verma’s palette balances the warm tones of the ballfield with
the soft greens and natural depth of the outfield trees, giving the card an inviting, almost
cinematic quality. The subtle tongue-between-teeth expression adds human immediacy,
turning a standard baseball pose into a portrait of engagement and athletic precision.

The reverse design transforms the familiar into the electrifying. Against a backdrop of vivid
magenta and indigo, Gentile’s figure reappears in halftone pop-art treatment—his
achievements emblazoned overhead: “46 homers. 141 RBI.” The stylized lighting evokes the
drama of night baseball, while the glowing numbers underscore his breakout 1961 season.
Card No. 29 stands as both homage and reinvention—bridging baseball’s golden era with the
visual pulse of 1960s American art.

Original gouache painting by Sanjay Verma.