Danielle Solzman
The Diamond King is a beautifully made documentary and celebration of the life and career of former Baseball Hall of Fame artist Dick Perez. Perez is no longer the official artist for the Hall of Fame, a position he held for 25 years. He continued painting new Hall of Fame members afterwards. If you’ve ever bought a Perez-Steele postcard, you are familiar with his work.
Tom Hanks once said that there is no crying in baseball. I’m sorry to disappoint the iconic actor but if you’re anything like me, you’re probably going to be crying by the end of this film. Maybe it’s something about baseball being such a romantic sport? Or maybe it’s just beautiful editing in how they frame the narrative in The Diamond King.
I grew up collecting baseball cards and yes, I’ve probably seen many of the Donruss Diamond Kings painted by Dick Perez through the years. They were part of the base set of Donruss during their 1982-1991 runs before becoming an insert card in later seasons. Perez kept painting them through 1996–a total of 400 cards in all. During the middle of the season, Perez and the late Frank Steele would meet and start discussing which players would be on a Diamond King card the next season. As a baseball card collector, it’s fascinating to learn this aspect of the business. Card collectors might not have thought anything of them while opening packs but grew to appreciate them later in life. Case in point: people were able to thank Perez at the 2023 National Sports Collectors Convention in Rosemont, Illinois.
The Diamond King is an appreciation of Dick Perez in as much as it is the game of baseball itself.
To read the rest of my review, please visit Dugout Dirt.
DIRECTOR/WRITER: Marq Evans
NARRATION WRITER: Joe Posnanski
NARRATION PERFORMED BY: John Ortiz
FEATURING: Dick Perez, John Thorn, Mary Louise Perez, Peggy Steele, Bill Madden, Bob Kendrick
