Airbrushed Fridays: 1986 Topps Traded #71T

I went the easy route this week and decided to pick up my old traded sets binder. Topps Traded sets are easy pickins, as Mr. McClure will regrettably admit here.

Bob McClure was a lefty reliever who dabbled in starting a bit in the first half of the '80s decade. He played a prominent role on both sides of the coin in the 1982 World Series, and eventually went on to pitch for the Cardinals in the dark days of the early '90s. He is currently a pitching coach for the Royals, the team he first broke in with.

Why did Topps airbrush Bob's photo? Because it's a Traded set, you nut! Topps can do anything they want! Actually, it's probably because Bob didn't join the Expos until June, and I think the deadlines for these sorts of sets back then were much more restrictive than they are now.

What's wrong with this picture, anyway? I suppose the cap isn't the worst thing I've seen. If you're quickly flipping through a binder like I was and you see Bob's card next to fellow Expo Andy McGaffigan, you might not even give it a second glance. I won't give them a complete pass on the pointy looking cap, however, nor will I on the jersey shoulder stripes. What really grabbed my attention was the really sad looking attempt at a button on Bob's shirt. Come on, guys. Bob McClure doesn't mess around when it comes to buttons. And now that I've stared at this card long enough, I can't help but notice the odd outline/haloing effect that surrounds Bob's head: a dead giveaway in detecting strangely airbrushed photos.