Airbrushed Fridays: 1990 Topps Traded #121T

Life is short and cruel. Sometimes life is shorter and crueler.

Who is he? Russ Swan was a lefty reliever and occasional closer who spent the majority of his major league service time with the Seattle Mariners. Swan was a Washington native, but he was drafted by the Giants with whom he'd reach the bigs the first time in 1989. I don't know how one could verify this, but according to his Baseball-Reference page, Swan donned three different uniforms in four appearances as a Giant.

How did he get here? Early in the 1990 season, Swan was traded to the Mariners for seldom used starter Gary Eave. In Seattle, Swan became a bullpen staple for much of the early '90s. Cleveland signed Swan for the ill-fated 1994 season after he struggled mightily the previous year. That shortened season would find Swan saddled with a double-digit ERA and proved to be his last in the majors. Little information seems to be available about the former big leaguer, who sadly died in 2006 due to complications from a head injury suffered from a fall.

Repeat offender? No

Other versions of this card: None

Airbrushed Score: 6

Comments: The 'S' is a bit fat. Considering what we know about Russ Swan now, the whole photo is a bit eerie and Highway to Heaven-like.