Airbrushed Fridays: 2010 Topps #458

The Cardinals have officially hit the skids. Their recent examples of play on the baseball field harken back to the days where the team was doing crazy things like converting scrap heap relievers to starters and batting the pitcher eighth. Which reminds me...

Who is this week's victim, and why do we care? Todd Wellemeyer is a repeat offender and was one of Dave Duncan's pet projects. He was a hard thrower, but not very deceptive. His results in his time in St. Louis were mixed. He lead the dreadful 2008 club in some pitching categories but by 2010 he was someone else's Colonel.

Why is this a thing? Wellemeyer became the Cardinals weakest link in the 2009 rotation (others who took a stab at this included Brad Thompson, Mitchell Boggs, the recently released P.J. Walters and even John Smoltz) and signed with the Giants in the offseason. After a dozen or so starts, he tried again with the Cubs before retiring in 2011.

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 a Kentucky Colonel designation, but you never know!

Airbrushed Fridays: 2007 Topps Updates & Highlights #UH294

How can you just leave me standing alone in a world that's so cold? Maybe I'm just too demanding. Maybe I'm just like my father: too bold. Maybe you're just like my mother (she's never satisfied.) Why do we scream at each other? This is what it sounds like when doves cry.

Todd Wellemeyer was a right-handed reliever that the Cardinals scooped up off the scrapheap (er, Royals system) and tried to perform the Dave Duncan Conversion Project magic on him. He had some success, especially in 2008, but was mostly a league average (if not below) pitcher as a starter in St. Louis. He's also a Colonel, however.

Why did Topps airbrush Todd's photo? As mentioned, Wellemeyer was an early season waiver claim from Kansas City. That being said, this card is from the Updates & Highlights set and he had been on the team since May, so there's really no excuse.

What's wrong with this picture, anyway? This is just an awful example of Photoshop work. You can barely even see what are supposed to be the Cardinals cap and jersey logos.

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.