Airbrushed Fridays: 1976 Topps #265

I'll be in Seattle this weekend for some actual live baseball games. The idea was pretty exciting a month ago when both the Mariners and the Rays were actually in contention, but it will still be fun to see some baseball under sunny skies and the not-at-all-oppressive Seattle heat. Garlic fries and nine dollar beers await.

Smilin' Willie Davis was the Dodgers' center fielder throughout the '60s and early part of the '70s, helping L.A. win two world series crowns while picking up a few Gold Gloves along the way. He was a two-time All-Star. He took over for one Duke Snider and certainly had some tall shoes to fill. He stole nearly 400 bases in his impressive career. Sadly, he passed away last year.

Why did Topps airbrush Willie's photo? Willie bounced around quite a bit in his waning years after 14 seasons with the Dodgers. He came over to the Cardinals in a midseason swap with the Rangers in 1975 before being flipped to the Padres in the offseason for someone named Dick Sharon.

What's wrong with this picture, anyway? Someone didn't quite master the art of the interlocking SD logo. They also got a bit carried away with the yellow triangle, which clearly extends beyond the actual hat and is threatening to bleed into the card border.

If you are interested in obtaining a card featured here, 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. If you're still reading this boiler plate nonsense that I post every week for some reason, congratulations. E-mail me the name of your favorite team or players and I will send you a couple of team bags of free cards. Offer stands for the first five people that actually fall for this.