This week's airbrushed wonder comes highly recommended from reader Scott once again. I honestly don't know how I've overlooked this card up until this point. Since this has left me nearly speechless, I thought I'd open up this forum to you, the reader.
As you may well know, each week I ask myself and answer the following questions: Why did Topps airbrush [Player]'s photo? What's wrong with this picture, anyway?Your mission is to answer those questions in the most creative, hilarious, informative and/or interesting way possible. Whoever leaves a comment with the "best" answers will be the proud recipient of a prize that I have yet to determine. You can expect it to contain a healthy stack of baseball cards from the winner's favorite team as well as a memorabilia-related card from the winner's favorite team or player. (I reserve the right, of course, to not attempt to deliver a jersey card of a player that retired before I was born. Likewise, you may be out of luck if you request someone who spent 15 years at AAA or if you say "Stephen Strasburg" at any point.)
Here are two disclaimers: One, obviously no amount of math, sabrmetrics or spoonful of liquid sorcery will be able to produce an objective winner. I will, however, consult with my girlfriend Erin for input during the judging process. Secondly, any attempt to bribe me with baseball cards will not factor into my decision whatsoever... although I certainly won't turn any spare Cardinals away.
I will be out of town for the duration of the weekend, so I am setting a deadline of 9:00 PM PDT on Sunday night, June 20th. Any entries received after the deadline will not eligible for anything but possible ridicule.
Topps had 26 perfectly good photos of Honeycutt in an A's uni from the end of the previous season, unfortunately, in EVERY SINGLE ONE he had his eyes closed!
ReplyDeleteSince no one had recorded his eyecolor, they couldn't airbrush his eyes open, therefore they grudgingly ended up airbrushing an A's uni onto an older photo.
And there you go.
After Topps went Gaga for Laga they wanted to make this real Honey a Cutt above
ReplyDeleteI wanted him out of a Dodger uniform so badly after he went 2-12 with a 4.59 ERA in 1987 that I airbrushed a photo of Honeycutt into an A's uniform myself (I was in a rage, that's why it looks so awful).
ReplyDeleteSomehow it made its way into the Topps set. I think a bribe was involved.
I think he's secretly a Conehead or something. In fact, all of his other cards are altered to remove the Conehead effect, whereas Topps messed up on this one and forgot to do it.
ReplyDeleteInside Topps Secret HQ...
ReplyDelete"So let's see what photos you got us for the Honeycutt card..."
"Of course, sir. Here they are"
"Um. All these photos... he's wearing a ten gallon hat"
"A ten gallon hat, sir?"
"Yes, see. That's not a baseball cap, it's a ten gallon hat".
"Hrm, I knew something was off...."
"Do you have ANY other pictures of Honeycutt?"
"Just this one..."
"Why is he wearing a pope hat?!"
"He insisted. Thought it was quirky".
"It's not quirky. And Hey, is that a "TOPPS SUCKS" t-shirt?"
"Yes, sir"
"..."
"I asked him to remove it and when he did, his chest hair was shaved to say: 'UPPER DECK WILL RULE'. I have no idea what that's supposed to mean...."
"Well."
"I'm sorry, sir."
"This isn't the first time"
"No, sir, it isn't"
"I guess there is only one thing to do"
"Yes, sir. We should re-shoot the photo."
"IT'S AIRBRUSHIN' TIME!"
I figure that the son of a Topps executive was playing with the airbrush kit his father bought him for his birthday.
ReplyDeleteSome parents display their kids' artwork on the refrigerator...others put them on little pieces of cardboard.