Airbrushed Fridays: 1974 Topps #631

With the Reds loss last night, the Cardinals moved to within 1.5 games of first place in the NL Central. Let's face it: it's been a dismal year for the entire division, and it's been especially disappointing for St. Louis given their hot start to the season. They embark on a 10 game homestand leading up to the All-Star break starting tonight. Let's hope they play like home field advantage is a real thing.

Who is this week's victim, and why do we care? Steve Barber was a standout lefty hurler who made two All-Star teams, appearing in 7 different Major League uniforms over the course of his 15 year career. A Brewers uniform wasn't one of them, despite having twice been a member of the franchise. Barber's heyday was as a member of the Orioles, where he became Baltimore's first 20-game winner.

Why does this card exist? While Barber was a Seattle Pilot, he was dealt before the franchise would take the field as the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970. Barber spent the better part of a couple of seasons later in his career with the Angels, who then traded him back to Milwaukee in 1973. Determined not to ever where the Brew Crew's duds, Barber was released by the team a second time before the regular season would begin in 1974. He'd eventually land with the Giants where he'd toss his last big league innings.

Airbrushed Fridays is a regular, weekly feature as the name seems to imply. If you know of a card with an altered photograph that you'd like to see featured, please contact me. You probably won't win anything other than a hyperlink and some used foam packing peanuts, but you never know!