Airbrushed Fridays: 1989 Topps Traded #69T

Who else is ready for baseball to start? I actually put in for a vacation day from work for Opening Day this year, as well as the day after. I plan to revel in the beginning of the 2010 season. Who knows, perhaps I'll even be inspired to do some sort of contest. I don't want to get ahead of myself here, though.

Terry Leach was a little known but surprisingly effective reliever and spot starter throughout his career. He spent nearly all of the '80s in the Mets system and would have earned a World Series ring with the 1986 Championship team had he been around the big league club for more than his allotted 6 2/3 innings pitched. He finally got his ring with the Twins in 1991 after making two World Series appearances.

Why did Topps airbrush Terry's photo? Leach was a midseason trade piece in 1989, when the Mets acquired one Aquedo Vasquez. Vasquez was out of baseball two years later, having never made a major league appearance. Leach actually made 30 appearances including 3 starts with KC in 1989, so I'm not sure why Topps dropped the ball on this one.

What's wrong with this picture, anyway? It looks like the "artist" decided to use the sky background as some sort of template for painting/brushing/whatever over Leach's cap and uniform. If this really represents Royal Blue, then I'm afraid someone needs to reevaluate Kansas City's color scheme.

(If you are interested in obtaining a card featured here - but not this one - please send me an e-mail. If you have a card you would like to nominate for Airbrushed Fridays, please get in touch as well. I will require that I am able to see the card in person, either on loan or as a donation, so that I can examine the card and experience it in all its cruddiness.)

And on one final note - Happy Anniversary to my wonderful girlfriend, Erin. Today is our day.