#44T - Eddie Haas

What a card: Another mid-1980s manager hire that disappeared almost as quickly as he arrived, Eddie Haas appears on his first Topps card since showing up in the 1959 set as a Sporting News rookie all-star.

My observation on the front: Haas already has gray hair and he hasn't even managed the 1985 Braves yet.

More opinion from me: My baseball Haas has a Moose in front of it.

Something you might know: Haas was hired after the 1984 offseason to replace Joe Torre who was fired by Ted Turner. Haas didn't last the full 1985 season, getting replaced by Bobby Wine after 121 games.

Something you might not know: Haas' son, Danny, is special assistant to the general manager for the Baltimore Orioles and his daughter-in-law, Katie, was VP of Florida baseball operations for the Boston Red Sox for 20 years until recently taking a job as CEO of the Western and Southern Open, a U.S. Tennis Association Tournament.

My observation on the back: I believe that's a roundabout way of saying Haas is a baseball lifer.

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

#43T - Ozzie Guillen

What a card: This is the 12th rookie card in the 1985 Topps Traded set. Ozzie Guillen would appear in 159 games for the White Sox his rookie year and win the AL Rookie of the Year honors.

My observation on the front: There you see the White Sox's mid-1980s uniform in all its splendor from head-to-nearly-toe.

More opinion from me: I've mentioned this before but in the mid-'80s, the Buffalo Bisons were the Triple A team for the White Sox. I bought a Bison sweatshirt that was styled like the White Sox uniform you see here: A great big BISONS stripped across the chest with red stripes above and below. It was not a good look and I didn't wear it much.

Something you might know: Guillen played 13 of his 16 MLB seasons with the White Sox and later became the team's manager, guiding the team to a World Series title in 2005.

Something you might not know: Guillen acted in several television mini-series in his native Venezuela when he was a player.

My observation on the back: "Switch-hitter" is hyphenated.

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

#42T - Alfredo Griffin

What a card: Alfredo Griffin arrived in Oakland thanks to deal on Dec. 8, 1984 in which the Blue Jays acquired pitcher Bill Caudill for Griffin and outfielder Dave Collins.

How'd that go: Pretty good. Griffin returned to his 162-games-a-season routine in 1985 and won his only Gold Glove Award that year.

Backatya: Johnny Bench is now in third place in this category behind Mike Piazza and Carlton Fisk.

Back-to-back: I like the flagship card a lot more but look how happy Griffin is on the Traded card. It's probably because he knows this is his route to a World Series ring. He'd be traded from the A's to the Dodgers just in time for L.A. to win the 1988 World Series.

The flagship card was originally blogged on Dec. 19, 2014.

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

#41T - David Green

What a card: David Green was one of the players who came over to the Giants in the trade with the Cardinals for Jack Clark on Feb. 1, 1985.

How'd that go: The Giants had hoped that Green would help make up some of the power lost from Clark as Green hit 15 home runs in 1984. Green hit five in 1985 and the Giants shipped him to Milwaukee after the season.

Backatya: I have my doubts about the 165 pounds listed on the back here. Maybe early in his career.

Back-to-back: The Traded card is no match for the flagship card.

We do see the Giants' pumpkin uniforms for the second card in a row (they sure were busy with the transactions in '85).

The flagship card was blogged on Aug. 28, 2012.

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

#40T - Jim Gott

What a card: Jim Gott arrived with the Giants after a trade in January 1985 with the Blue Jays. The Giants got Gott (heh) and two minor leaguers in exchange for pitcher Gary Lavelle.

How'd that go: Gott's 1985 season was memorable in that it's really the only season in his 14-year career in which he could say he was a full-time starter. He started all 26 of his appearances, pitching in 148-plus innings with a 3.88 ERA.

Backatya: Clenice (who is now Gott's ex-wife) played on a softball team when Gott was pitching for the Blue Jays. Her father was a minor league pitcher.

Back-to-back: The Traded card is the set's first look at the Giants' distinctive pumpkin softball tops. We won't have to wait long to see them again.

The flagship card is No. 311 and was blogged on July 18, 2014.

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

#39T - Bob Gibson

What a card: Here is the first card of a player in the Traded set that did not appear in the flagship set but is not a rookie card. Gibson, who appeared in the 1984 Topps set, was deemed not worthy of a 1985 flagship card despite 18 appearances in '84.

My observation on the front: The internet is striking out in informing me who No. 54 is in the background. Nobody on the Brewers' roster in 1984 or 1985 wore No. 54. I'm assuming it's a minor league player playing with the big boys in spring training.

More opinion from me: Photographer is almost getting the side-eye from Gibson.

Something you might know: This is the "other Bob Gibson pitcher." Guys like this are a pain to research online. No fault of Mr. Gibson here, it's just that the internet always thinks it knows better.

Something you might not know: Gibson pitched his entire MLB career for the Brewers except for one inning with the Mets in 1987. In the eighth inning of a game against the Astros, he caught a liner by Glenn Davis, walked Alan Ashby, then struck out Kevin Bass and Ken Caminiti to end the inning and his MLB career.

My observation on the back: The 245th strikeout is significant because that was the strikeout that tied the rookie record for Dwight Gooden. Herb Score had held the mark with 245 until Gooden surpassed him.

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

#38T - Scott Garrelts

What a card: This is the 11th rookie card in the 1985 Traded set although Scott Garrelts appeared in the 1984 Donruss set and probably should have shown up in the 1985 Topps flagship set after pitching in 21 games in 1984. Garrelts was enjoying a 74-appearance season in 1985.

My observation on the front: Garrelts is just beaming through those 1980s-style frames.

More opinion from me: Garrelts dispensed with the glasses after the 1986 season. Kind of a shame.

Something you might know: Garrelts was an often-used reliever for the Giants until 1989 when he became a starter and won 14 games and led the National League in earned-run average.

Something you might not know: Garrelts nearly pitched a no-hitter in 1990, giving up a base hit to the Reds' Paul O'Neill with two outs in the ninth inning. Garrelts has said he considered walking O'Neill to get to Eric Davis on deck because Garrelts owned Davis. But Garrelts had already walked Todd Benzinger in the inning and didn't want to jeopardize a 4-0 lead.

My observation on the back: I guess it's fitting that Topps posted a Cubs question on the back of card of an Illinois native.

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

#37T - Oscar Gamble

What a card: Oscar Gamble signed as a free agent with the White Sox on March 23, 1985. It marked his return to the team that he spent one memorable year with 1977 in which he hit a career-high 31 home runs.

How'd that go: It was the end for Gamble. He barely exceeded his abysmal numbers with the Yankees in 1984, batting .203 in 148 at-bats in '85. Chicago, in a pennant race, released Gamble in mid-August. His MLB career was over.

Backatya: "She sung National Anthem ..." is not proper English. It should be "she sang National Anthem."

Back-to-back: Gamble is kind of chilling in each photo. You'll notice that Topps removed the "OF" position designation on his Traded card.

The flagship card is No. 724 and was blogged on Nov. 14, 2017.

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

#36T - Greg Gagne

What a card: This is the 10th rookie card in the Traded set. Greg Gagne would bat a mere .225 in 114 games his rookie year in 1985.

My observation on the front: What a wonderful scene on this card! What bright colors! It's spring training at its best.

More opinion from me: Some of the Traded cards in this set are cut like the O-Pee-Chee cards from this time period. The bottom edge of this card is rough, although you can't tell by the way I've cropped it.

Something you might know: Gagne played 10 seasons for the Twins at shortstop. He was a regular on Minnesota's title teams in 1987 and 1991.

Something you might not know: Gagne is the most recent player to hit two inside-the-park home runs in one game, which happened on Oct. 4, 1986. It's happened just two other times in the last 70 years.

My observation on the back: Reggie Jackson had the last laugh by the time his career was over. He finished with 11 grand slams to Yogi's nine.

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

#35T - Ray Fontenot

What a card: Ray Fontenot was dealt from the Yankees to the Cubs on Dec. 4, 1984. I just documented this trade six cards ago, so I'm not doing it again.

How'd that go: Not very well. Fontenot won just six games in 1985 (against 10 losses). His ERA was the highest of his career at 4.36 (it'd get higher) and he gave up 23 home runs in 154.2 innings. It would be his last year as a starter.

Backatya: The trivia question isn't getting any less lame the second time around.

Back-to-back: That's two action-packed cards. I looked it up, this is the fifth time in the traded set that a player's flagship card and traded card are each action cards.

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