Leon Washington, 2006 Bowman Signs of the Future (Football Friday No. 195)

Name: Leon Washington
Team: New York Jets
Position: Running back
Value of card: One VHS copy of "Boyz n the Hood," half taped over
Key 2006 stat: Two misinterpreted middle-finger salutes
Q-U-I-Z! Quiz! Quiz! Quiz!: What's Leon Washington doing in this photo?

A) Responding to New York fans who booed him and every other Jets pick at the draft
B) Mocking future Jets coach Rex Ryan's man boobs
C) Practicing for his future career as a South African sign language interpreter
D) East siiiiiide!
E) All of the above

Leon Washington, 2006 Bowman Signs of the Future (Football Friday No. 195)

Frank Zupo, 1958 Topps

Name: Frank Zupo
Team: Baltimore Orioles
Position: Catcher
Value of card: 6 ounces of Zupo-brand chew spit
Key 1957 stat: 16 guys made to, hey-oh, you know, disappear
A pretty good fella: The feds were on Frankie Zupo's trail. He was a hardened gangster whose body count was one of the highest in New York, and he didn't hide from attention. But when he clipped a dirty copper, see, and he knew his time was up, see, he made a bold move, see: He changed his name ever so slightly, moved to Baltimore and started playing baseball. Surprisingly, some of his nicknames from his life of crime stayed with him between the diamond's lines.
A few of Zupo's nicknames:

• Frankie "The Brow" Zupo
• Frankie "The Monobrow Murderer" Zupo
• Frankie "Two Mustaches in the Wrong Place" Zupo
• Frankie "A Cat Died on My Face" Zupo
• "Spanky" Frankie Zupo

Frank Zupo, 1958 Topps

Andre Reed, 1990 Topps (Football Friday No. 114)

Name: Andre "Dre Dog" Reed
Team: Buffalo Bills
Position: Wide receiver
Value of card: Six Old E' 40s
Key 1989 stat: Two slugs in da chamber
Reed n the Hood: Andre Reed was a well-known wide receiver for the Bills in the 1990s, but few fans know he played a small role in the hit 1991 coming-of-age-in-the-ghetto film, "Boyz n the Hood." Reed's performance, a photo from which is above, was left on the cutting-room floor, but here are five lessons learned by his character, Dre Dog.

(1) 14-pound beanies keep your head warm — in the hood
(2) Pencil-thin mustaches make you look good — in the hood
(3) Ya gots to hustle for the dollar-dollar Bills, y'all — in the hood
(4) Looking like Ice-T gets you small roles in movies about the hood — in the hood
(5) Top-tier high school running backs with scholarship offers to USC get gunned down — in the hood

Andre Reed, 1990 Topps (Football Friday No. 114)

Nick Leyva, 1989 Topps

Name: "Fat" Nick "The Tuna" Leyva

Teams: Philadelphia Phillies, Genovese Family

Positions: Manager, Capo

Value of card: "Hey, oh, who's askin', wiseguy?"
Key 1988 stat: 162 times the Phillies didn't cover the spread

The Legend of Fat Nick the Tuna: As a mid-level mafioso, "Fat" Nick "The Tuna" Leyva bungled orders and commanded little respect. His racket was gambling, but the bosses couldn't bet on his results. Fat Nick was a made guy, so whacking him wasn't in the cards. "Hey, oh, this Fat Nick, he's a strunzo. I need a bigger taste of the baseball business," one boss said to another over some gabagool. "In this thing of ours, ya know, a guy like Fat Nick can be valuable," the other boss said. "Let's send this jamoke to Philadelphia and get him in the game." Within weeks, Fat Nick the Tuna was reassigned from Brooklyn to Philadelphia, where he gave the Phillies' owner an offer he couldn't refuse. Fat Nick was named the manager in 1988, and the team fell short of the spread in every game that season. The Phillies' play suffered under the weight of Fat Nick's questionable decisions, but the family in New York raked in the dough. Fans said the team was in the dumps. Fat Nick agreed, somewhat: "My crew, we're in the waste management business."

Nick Leyva, 1989 Topps

Aaron Taylor, 1994 Skybox (Football Friday No. 18)

Name: Aaron "2Story" Taylor

Teams: Green Bay Packers, South Side Gangstarz

Positions: Offensive lineman, the muscle

Value of card: Break yo'self for that coin, son

Key 1993 stat: Two AR-15s, playa

From the hood to the tundra: Check yo'self, son. Aaron Taylor is a beast from da block. He been choppin' it up since he was knee-high to a butta'fly, and you know 'dis. This mo'fo ran with the South Side Gangstarz with his killa-cutteez, Ice Bone aka Sweet Toof and Lil' WetJesus. 2Story was the muscle for the South Side Gangstarz, and 'dis baby-faced brotha never hesitated to jack your chain or put some punk from 'round da way 6 feet deep. 'Den some suit with pretty teeth saw him in da hood and offered him a job north side, with Da Green Bay (Thumb) Packers, son. 2Story figured he could chop game with some straight green chronic in Da Green Bay, so he 'cepted the job and left the gat under the pilla at him momma's hout. He went up to Da Green Bay, brought some sticky-icky, and showed 'dem NFL playas what South Side be about, son.

Aaron Taylor, 1994 Skybox (Football Friday No. 18)