Airbrushed Fridays: 1975 Topps #289

I have an interesting reaction to 1975 Topps cards. 1975 was my birth year, so you would think that this set might hold a special place in my collecting heart. Mostly, my reaction to this set is "oh, this is what baseball cards looked back then." Did they cost a nickel a pack? A dime? For the low, low price of $15, I guess I could own a wrapper from a pack of the mini version of this set. I don't see a price on it, though. For the most part, I think the team name looks ridiculous, like the opening title sequence of quasi-3D '70s action TV show. The photos aren't always great. But these cards are pliable and warm and my scanner loves them. It must be those bold borders.

Who is this week's victim, and why do we care? Ken Rudolph was a journeyman catcher throughout the '70s, with the stats and games logged that would suggest that he was simply a catch-and-throw guy. Maybe he offered some sort of sagely advice or wizardly baseball knowledge that other players with a .540 career OPS could not provide. Perhaps he was just hilarious in the locker room.

Why is this a thing? After 5 seasons with the Cubs and a single season with the Giants, Rudolph's wacky antics and penchant for playing extreme hot foot just didn't play in the Bay Area. The Cardinals picked him up in a three player deal a couple of weeks after the 1974 season was over. They must have missed the big lug, though, because a few years later he would be sold back to the Giants. Also, check out that cartoon on the back. You would think "Swish" would be Steve Swisher, but you would be wrong. So terribly wrong.

Airbrushed Fridays is a 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 Tyler Greene, but you never know!