Airbrushed Fridays: 1989 Topps Traded #46T

Technically it is still Friday in my part of the world, and currently I'm "enjoying" some playoff baseball between the Atlanta team and the San Francisco team. I came to the conclusion that I like a lot more Atlanta players, but I just have a real hard time rooting for them in the playoffs.

Gene Harris was a right-handed reliever who divided his time during his seven year career among six franchises. Current Atlanta GM Frank Wren was credited with drafting Harris on the back of his rookie baseball card here while he worked in scouting for the Montreal Expos.

Why did Topps airbrush Gene's photo? Harris didn't make his major league debut until the season this card came out. Why didn't they use a spring training photo, perhaps? Harris, like a number of others, fell victim to the whims of the airbrusher by virtue of being part of the Randy Johnson for Mark Langston deal that went down in late May. Oddly enough, Randy himself escaped the photo doctoring somehow.

What's wrong with this picture, anyway? Aside from the fact that Harris looks a little like a much shorter and much skinnier Shaquille O'Neal, this one has all of the classic tell-tale signs: goofy colored hat with matching jersey, strangely tilted logo and that weird haloing effect around the player. Actually, scratch that last one. I think Gene is just lined up perfectly with the background to make him look a little unearthly.

(If you are interested in obtaining a card featured here - but not this one - 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 Topps Traded #63T

Today's Airbrushed Fridays post comes with a poll at the end. Don't fret - it's a fun one.

John Kruk was a former all-star first baseman that has become something of an even bigger figure far removed from his big league career. You can see him on Baseball Tonight, of course, and of all of the legendary stories the lasting one is probably his scared antics versus Randy Johnson in the 1993 All-Star Game. He was a prolific hitter despite (or because of?) his size, but he supposedly retired in the middle of a game in 1995, only 10 years into his MLB career.

Why did Topps airbrush John's photo? Kruk was dealt to the Phillies in early June (or May if you believe Wikipedia) and would find his career really take off after that point. Topps had enough problems catching up to players who were dealt in the offseason, so it's not surprising that they weren't all over an in-season deal.

What's wrong with this picture, anyway? Here's where I turn it over to you, the readers. Tell me what's going on with Krukky here:

a. This is actually a mugshot, and they had to airbrush an entire baseball cap and uniform on him.

b. Clearly, this is a blackmail photo. The camera is practically shoved far up his nose.

c. "Please don't kill me, Randy Johnson!"

d. That look of anguish on Kruk's face is because he's trying to protect his stash... of food, guys. Food.

e. I just can't stop staring at that mullet!

Of course, feel free to leave a comment if you have a better suggestion.

Airbrushed Fridays: 1989 Topps Traded #69T

Who else is ready for baseball to start? I actually put in for a vacation day from work for Opening Day this year, as well as the day after. I plan to revel in the beginning of the 2010 season. Who knows, perhaps I'll even be inspired to do some sort of contest. I don't want to get ahead of myself here, though.

Terry Leach was a little known but surprisingly effective reliever and spot starter throughout his career. He spent nearly all of the '80s in the Mets system and would have earned a World Series ring with the 1986 Championship team had he been around the big league club for more than his allotted 6 2/3 innings pitched. He finally got his ring with the Twins in 1991 after making two World Series appearances.

Why did Topps airbrush Terry's photo? Leach was a midseason trade piece in 1989, when the Mets acquired one Aquedo Vasquez. Vasquez was out of baseball two years later, having never made a major league appearance. Leach actually made 30 appearances including 3 starts with KC in 1989, so I'm not sure why Topps dropped the ball on this one.

What's wrong with this picture, anyway? It looks like the "artist" decided to use the sky background as some sort of template for painting/brushing/whatever over Leach's cap and uniform. If this really represents Royal Blue, then I'm afraid someone needs to reevaluate Kansas City's color scheme.

(If you are interested in obtaining a card featured here - but not this one - 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.)

And on one final note - Happy Anniversary to my wonderful girlfriend, Erin. Today is our day.

Airbrushed Fridays: 1989 Topps Traded #79T

My new challenge is to find the last year in which Topps put out an obviously airbrushed card. I think it's going to be tricky, because these things start to become more and more subtle the closer we get to the '90s. I'd say that the airbrusher(s) was just getting better at his or her job, but that's like saying a killer is getting better at cleaning up the crime scene. Well, something like that, anyway.

Roger McDowell was an accomplished short reliever for the Mets of the late '80s, but perhaps was best known for his clubhouse hijinks. He was a regular on This Week in Baseball (back when it was good) and also usually found a way to do something wacky on camera during the national game of the week whenever his team was playing. He took over for Leo Mazzone (the guy that rocks back and forth in the dugout) as Braves pitching coach a few years back.

Why did Topps airbrush Roger's photo? McDowell was a key component in the trade that brought Lenny Dykstra to Philadelphia for Juan Samuel. Dykstra became a cult hero in Philly and later helped bring a title to the team in 1993, while Samuel was anything but in New York. The trade went down in June, so it was probably a little too close to Topps' deadline. My memory is pretty fuzzy, but I actually think this traded set came out much earlier than ones in years past, perhaps trying to capitalize on the sales of the 1988 Traded set.

What's wrong with this picture, anyway? Like I was saying, it's getting a little more subtle. But the P, man. It's all wrong. This one might be a little more obvious if you were holding the card in your hand. But as someone who was subjected to a lot of Phillies logos growing up, I can tell right away that this isn't right. The Portland Beavers were the Phillies AAA affiliates for a healthy chunk of the '80s and adopted both the P logo and an upside-down P that turned into a lower case 'b'. In fact, it's sad to say, but Juan Samuel was one of the most popular Beavers of all-time.