#78T - Billy Martin

What a card: Billy Martin returned to manage the Yankees for the fourth time, replacing Yogi Berra who was fired a month into the 1985 season. But by the time this card came out, Martin had been fired again and replaced by Lou Piniella.

My observation on the front: It's an interesting dugout shot although there's a lot of dead space at the top. I guessed that the person next to Martin was Jeff Torborg, not even knowing whether Torborg was a coach during the 1985 season. Sure enough, he was.

More opinion from me: I experienced all of Martin's hirings and firings with the Yankees. It was all very bizarre and by the time Martin was hired a third time by the Yankees, I couldn't take the team seriously anymore. When George Steinbrenner hired Martin a fourth time, well it was certain: the Yankees' owner was insane.

Something you might know: Martin managed the Yankees during five separate stints, his final one coming in 1988. He was rumored to be returning for a sixth time in 1990 but died after a car accident on Christmas afternoon in 1989.

Something you might not know: Martin died in a hospital (Wilson Memorial) in Johnson City, N.Y., where both of my brothers were born.

My observation on the back: Martin is listed as taller than I thought he was. I thought he was no more than 5-9.

The blog wants to speak now: The Music category is updated.

#77T - Fred Lynn

What a card: Fred Lynn came to the Orioles as a free agent, signing with Baltimore on Dec. 11, 1984.

How'd that go: Lynn lasted three-plus years with Baltimore but the steady decline that began when he came to the Angels from Boston continued with the Orioles. He'd later wind up with the Tigers (wut?), his fourth team, which was pretty strange for someone I thought would stay with the Red Sox for his career. Then he went to the Padres and nothing made sense.

Backatya: Lynn made the most of his walk year in 1984, appearing in more games than he had in over five years.

Back-to-back: Lynn's flagship card is No. 220 in the set and was originally blogged on Oct. 3, 2013. You'll notice how similar uniforms were among teams in the 1980s.

The blog wants to speak now: The Pop Culture tab is updated.

#76T - Tim Lollar

What a card: Tim Lollar came to the White Sox in a trade with the Padres that sent pitcher LaMarr Hoyt to San Diego. The Padres also shipped infielder Luis Salazar, pitcher Bill Long and a young Ozzie Guillen to the White Sox in that Dec. 6, 1984 trade.

How'd that go: Lollar appeared in just 18 games for the White Sox in 1985 before he was dealt to the Red Sox in mid July for outfielder Reid Nichols.

Backatya: If those 1887 rules were still in effect in 2004, Barry Bonds would've had 367 hits that year.

Back-to-back: Lollar's flagship and Traded cards showcase his mustache, which debuted in 1984.

The flagship card is No. 13 in the set and was originally blogged on Feb. 7, 2012.

The blog wants to speak now: The Pop Culture tab is updated.

#75T - Sixto Lezcano

What a card: Sixto Lezcano signed as a free agent with the Pirates on Jan. 22, 1985 after two seasons with the Phillies.

How'd that go: Uh ... Lezcano came to bat just 116 times in 1985 and batted .207. He was released by the Pirates in April 1986 and that was it for his 12-year MLB career.

Backatya: Lezcano's 1980 season is a shame because I think if he did as well that year as he done the previous three seasons, he could have stayed with the Brewers his whole career.

Back-to-back: On his Traded card, Lezcano appears to be displaying the wood-chopping motion that he used prior to the pitcher delivering the pitch.

Also, this is the second straight Pirates card featured, the third in the last nine posts and the sixth in the Traded set. The Pirates were plenty busy in 1985, not that it helped them much.

The flagship card in No. 556 and was originally blogged on July 21, 2016.

The blog wants to speak now: The Pop Culture tab is updated.

#74T - Johnnie LeMaster

What a card: Johnnie LeMaster was traded from the Giants to the Indians on May 7, 1985. But he lasted just 11 games with the Indians before being dealt to the Pirates on May 30, 1985.

How'd that go: He batted a combined .128 for the 1985 season among three teams -- an average even lousy for him, a career .222 hitter.

Backatya: I owned a couple of Frank LeMaster football cards when I was a kid (1977 and 1979 sets) and had no idea he was related to Johnnie LeMaster.

Back-to-back: The Traded LeMaster card is a super-tight shot that would have been right at home on this post.

The flagship card is No. 772 in the set and was originally blogged on March 29, 2018.

The blog wants to speak now: The Music category is updated.

#73T - Vance Law

What a card: Vance Law was traded from the White Sox to the Expos on Dec. 7, 1984 for pitcher Bob James, who was featured just a dozen cards ago.

How'd that go: Law achieved his most productive season to date in his first year with the Expos in 1985, delivering 138 hits in 519 at-bats.

Backatya: I'm going to assume Munson still holds the consecutive hits over two World Series record. Billy Hatcher delivered seven consecutive hits in a single World Series in 1990.

Back-to-back: Two quality cards from Law, who is actually on three cards in this set as he also appears in the Father-Son subset. You can see Topps committed to one position for Law's Traded card.

The flagship card is No. 413 and was originally blogged on May 20, 2015.

The blog wants to speak now: The wifi is not cooperating and I'm really tired. Next time.

#72T - Gary Lavelle

What a card: Gary Lavelle departed the Giants after 11 seasons in a deal with the Blue Jays that landed San Francisco reliever Jim Gott on Jan. 26, 1985.

How'd that go: Lavelle finally made the postseason in his first year with Toronto in 1985. But he missed all of 1986 with an elbow injury.

Backatya: Several major leaguers have called Scranton, Pa., home but there hasn't been one for a long time. Lavelle is the most recent Scranton native to reach the bigs.

Back-to-back: The flagship card is No. 462 and was originally blogged on Oct. 13, 2015. For whatever reason, it looks like Lavelle dyed his hair on his Traded card.

The blog wants to speak now: The Pop Culture tab is updated.

#71T - Dave LaPoint

What a card: Dave LaPoint moved from the Cardinals to the Giants in the Jack Clark deal on Feb. 1, 1985 that also sent David Green, Gary Rajsich and Jose Uribe to the Giants.

How'd that go: Well ...  in 1985 with the Giants, LaPoint set a career high for innings pitched (206.2). His ERA was 3.57. But the Giants were a bad, bad team, LaPoint lost a career-high 17 games and he was dealt to the Tigers after the season.

Backatya: I'm no closer to figuring out the youngest pitcher in big league history to gain a win in each league than I was when I blogged his flagship card. But I do know that they could have put an "A" and an "L" in "Glens Falls" in the vital stats. We Upstate folks need proper credit!

Back-to-back: It is totally appropriate that LaPoint is laughing on his Traded card. He was known for being a chatty cut-up, almost as much as he was known for his love of food (his nickname is "Snacks"). He also was once removed from a game because he couldn't stop laughing after hitting good friend Tim Wallach on the foot with one of his "slow balls".

The flagship card is No. 229 and was originally blogged on Nov. 1, 2013.

The blog wants to speak now: The Music tab is updated.

#70T - Lee Lacy

What a card: Lee Lacy took advantage of arguably the best season of his major league career in 1984 by signing a free agent contract with the Orioles on Dec. 7, 1984.

How'd that go: Lacy maintained his late-career success with Baltimore in 1985 and 1986 before running out of gas in his final season in 1987.

Backatya: Other McClymonds High School graduates include 1930s catching great Ernie Lombardi, NBA legend Bill Russell and MC Hammer.

Back-to-back: Lee Lacy is demonstrating the 1979 World Series on his flagship and Traded cards.

Lacy's flagship card was originally blogged on June 12, 2017. It's card No. 669. I prefer it to the Traded card. Must be the nostalgia for the Pirates uniforms.

The blog wants to speak now: The Pop Culture tab is updated.

#69T - Mike LaCoss

What a card: Mike LaCoss signed with the Royals as a free agent on Feb. 19, 1985.

How'd that go: Lousy. LaCoss pitched just 40 innings for the Royals in 1985, posting an above-5 ERA, and he was released by K.C. after the season. He didn't even get into any of the Royals' postseason games in '85. Another free-agent try before the 1986 season worked better as he hooked on with the Giants for a few seasons.

Backatya: What sounds better, Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome or Target Field? I'm not a fan of either. But I don't suppose Minnesota's field can be called "Twins Park" as I wish.

Back-to-back: LaCoss offers quite an intense look on several of his cards. These are two of them. At least it seems a little warmer on his Traded card.

The flagship card is No. 666 and was originally blogged on June 2, 2017.

The blog wants to speak now: The News category is updated.

#68T - Alan Knicely

What a card: This is the fourth card in the 1985 Traded set of a player who didn't receive a card in the '85 flagship set but had received a card in past sets. Knicely appeared in just 10 games for the Reds in 1984.

My observation on the front: It's a little mean showing the backup catcher running. That's about the last reason a team puts a backup catcher in the lineup, at least it was during the 1980s.

More opinion from me: Knicely's Reds cards come out quite dorky with the prescription shades and such. But that's because of the Reds' anti-facial hair rules. Knicely looks much better during his days with the Astros and Phillies when he could get that beard going.

Something you might know: Knicely played eight seasons in the majors as a backup catcher. His most successful season was in 1985 when he hit .253 in 158 at-bats for the Reds (thus the traded card).

Something you might not know: Knicely started out in pro ball as a pitcher and you can find a few different minor league cards of him as a pitcher.

My observation on the back: The Yankees have now won 27 World Series. Bastards.

The blog wants to speak now: The TV category is updated.

#67T - Bruce Kison

What a card: Bruce Kison signed as a free agent with the Red Sox on Jan. 14, 1985.

How'd that go: Kison, who just passed away last June, pitched one season for the Red Sox, appearing in 22 games. That was his final season in a 15-year major league career.

Backatya: The word "scoot" isn't used enough.

Back-to-back: Another case where I like both photos. The flagship card might be more appropriate for someone at the end of his career, but Kison would have one more Topps card, in the 1986 set.

The flagship card is No. 544 and was originally blogged on June 17, 2016.

The blog wants to speak now: The Movie category is updated.

#66T - Steve Kemp

What a card: Steve Kemp moved from the Yankees to the Pirates on Dec. 20, 1984 in the deal that sent Dale Berra and Jay Buhner to the Yankees.

How'd that go: Almost the end of the line for Kemp. He generated one season in 1985 that was much like his dismal show with the Yankees except without the power. The Pirates released him in 1986. He played in a handful of games for Texas in 1988.

Backatya: When I posted Kemp's flagship card with this trivia question, 16 players had formed the four-homer club. That total is now 18 with Scooter Gennett and J.D. Martinez joining in 2017. 

Back-to-back: In the world of hatless Steve Kemp cards, his '85 Traded card cannot compare to his '82 Traded card.

The flagship card is way off center and card No. 120 and was originally blogged on Dec. 4, 2012. 

The blog wants to speak now: The Music category is updated with the final Top 5 chart of the year.

#65T - Ruppert Jones

What a card: Ruppert Jones joined what would be his sixth and final team when he signed as a free agent with the California Angels on Jan. 30, 1985.

How'd that go: Jones rediscovered his power stroke in 1985, hitting 21 homers for his most in a season since 1979 when he also hit 21, but in 37 more games. But the rest of his offense struggled during three years with the Angels and his career ended after the 1987 season.

Backatya: The Mariners and the Yankees trade constantly -- there was just a deal between the two teams earlier this month -- and the relationship goes back to 1979 when in the first trade between the two teams, the Yankees acquired Jones from Seattle in a deal for four players. The trade backfired on New York as Jones struggled in just one year with the team.

Back-to-back: Two solid cards for Ruppert, although I'd give his flagship card an edge.

The flagship card is No. 126 and originally blogged on Dec. 19, 2012.

The blog wants to speak now: Nope, the blog and I are done tonight. I drove eight hours today. Going to call it a night.