Airbrushed Fridays: 1989 Bowman #448

There is perhaps nothing more frustating to me in terms of baseball cards than cards that are larger than the modern standard size of 3 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches. I can handle smaller cards, and I'm even drawn to the tobacco sized minis that we see in current products. Oversized cards can and often do look awesome, but they're really frustrating to store. At this time, there's hardly any 1989 Bowman cards worth keeping (I think I sold or traded off my Griffey rookie card long ago) but I'm still left with a stack of these stashed in a half-filled box that also contains a long neglected Cubs mini batting helmet that I got from a Dairy Queen when I was a kid. Don't fret - I had no choice in the matter. But rather than deface the thing, I put it to good use: as a bookend prop for a set full of suck. If I had been a more enterprising child, I might have even shaved an eighth of an inch or so off of these cards to make them conform to my standards.

Andy Benes was a right-handed starting pitcher, college star, Olympian and one-time Major League All-Star (1993) who pitched in two separate post-All-Star stints with the Cardinals. He spent the majority of his career with the Padres, but came to the Cardinals for their playoff season (Tony La Russa's first) of 1996. He became a free agent after the 1997 season and was signed just moments after midnight - just past the free agent deadline. His contract was voided and I remember being very upset as Benes had become one of the strongest pieces in the Cardinals rotation at the time. He could have sat out the first month of the 1998 season before resigning with the Cardinals legitimately, but instead opted to play right away by signing a 2-year deal with the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks. This is when despicable agent Scott Boras first came on to my radar.

Why did Topps airbrush Andy's photo? The back of the card says it all. Andy was fresh out of college and had not yet pitched for the Padres or even in the farm system at the time of the set's release. He was on the 1988 Olympic team so he presumably got the rest of the summer off after being drafted by San Diego.

What's wrong with this picture, anyway? Topps/Bowman was clever and used a photo where Andy's cap was obscuring at least half of the logo, so they would only have to airbrush half of a logo. Unfortunately, half of an airbrushed logo is no less obvious than an entire airbrushed logo. Add in the wavy uniform pinstripes of an unsteady hand and the little button and you have an airbrushed winner.

(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. I will require that I am able to see the card in person, either on loan or as a donation, so that I can examine the card and experience it in all its cruddiness.)

Airbrushed Fridays: 1989 Bowman #65

1989 is the year that Topps revived the Bowman name, and I had high hopes for the set. They tried to remain true to the original Bowman designs by using a non-standard card size, but I think this kept the set from being fully appreciated by kids my age who couldn't quite fit these cards into your standard 9-pocket sheets or even most of the cardboard storage boxes. A lot of the cards that I have seen from this set, past and present, seem to be damaged a little more than you'd expect from something of the junk wax era. The same thing goes for the late-'80s Topps Big sets, which are slightly larger and more flimsy.

Robin Ventura was a star third baseman who won six Gold Gloves and made two All-Star appearances. He was highly touted coming out of college, and while he never reached the level of play someone like Chipper Jones has, he had a very long and successful career. He also foolishly charged the mound and came after Nolan Ryan and became a highlight film staple for decades to follow.

Why did Topps airbrush Robin's photo? The "comeback" set for Bowman was the first widely available major league set that I can recall which included minor league prospects in a major league uniform. However, it seems that Topps either did not have the resources to go and find these guys wearing their hopeful major league caps or they just didn't care. In either case, you end up with a lot of airbrushed cards instead of the awkward high school yearbook photos that adorn some of the Topps draft pick cards of this era.

What's wrong with this picture, anyway? Ventura almost appears to be in some sort of underwater tank with a limitless expanse, floating about before a background of aquamarine. Something like that, anyway. The cap logo is laughably bad. There's not much else that needs to be said. I do want to state that I don't understand what they were thinking when they developed the card backs. Sure, the color scheme is fine and the card number wouldn't even make Mr. Magoo squint to read. I can't stand the team-by-team breakdown of stats rather than the traditional look, though. I loved Bowman (before it got expensive in 1992) for its minimalist design and break from the traditional player selection, but their card backs were useless. Does anyone need to know how their favorite player fared against the Detroit Tigers last season? Small sample sizes, people! And guys like Robin here are completely ignored if they haven't cracked the majors yet.