Word

Greetings!

This blog is a tribute to the 1985 Topps set, one of the last sets released before the baseball card boom of the late 1980s/early 1990s.

Whether you're a fan of the blocky, geometric shapes that make up the '85 design or the Olympic subset that produced the famed Mark McGwire card, or the popular rookies that dot this set, I hope you enjoy what you find here.

This set arrived in the middle of one of the most interesting sports and pop culture years of the '80s and it's all contained in this one, little blog.

Hope you like it.

#132T - Checklist, Cards 1T-132T

What a card: Welcome to the final card in the 1985 Topps Traded set, the final card of this blog.

My observation on the front: For the Traded sets of this time, Topps dispensed with its tradition of awarding stars and semi-stars card numbers ending in "0" or "5" because the Traded sets were alphabetized by card number. You see that illustrated here. No way in the world Tim Hulett should be getting a card number ending in zero.

More opinion from me: Confession time: I am glad I've reached the last card in the set.

Something you might know: Don Aase is listed fourth alphabetically among all major leaguers behind only pitcher David Aardsma and Hank and Tommie Aaron.

Something you might not know: The player listed on the front with a birthday closest to this date is Rick Cerone, whose birthday was yesterday. Ed Whitson, shown on the back, was also born on May 19.

My observation on the back: The last card listed says "Checklist: 1-132" but it's actually "1T-132T" as it says on the front.

The blog wants to speak now: The blog would like to say, this blog has concluded! Thanks for reading!

#131T - Herm Winningham

What a card: This is the 32nd-and-final rookie card in the 1985 Topps Traded set. Herm Winningham played in 125 games for the Expos in his rookie year of '85 after being traded from the Mets in the Gary Carter deal.

My observation on the front: This is the 10th and final card in the Traded set featuring a player without a cap. 

More opinion from me: A dugout photo is always acceptable for a player's rookie card.

Something you might know: Winningham scored the decisive run in the final game of the 1990 World Series. With the Reds trailing the A's 1-0 in the eighth inning, Winningham followed Barry Larkin's inning-opening single with a single of his own. Paul O'Neill then loaded the bases as Dave Stewart made an error on O'Neill's bunt. Glenn Braggs followed with a groundout that scored Larkin with the tying run and then Hal Morris hit a sacrifice fly that scored Winningham and put the Reds up 2-1.

Something you might not know: Winningham coached baseball at his alma mater, Orangeburg-Wilkinson, until 2018. He is the second Orangeburg, S.C., native in the Traded set. Nate Snell is the other.

My observation on the back: Take a good look at the trivia question, it's the last one in the set.

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

#130T - Eddie Whitson

What a card: Eddie "Ed" Whitson signed a five-year, $4.4 million free agent contract with the Yankees on Dec. 27, 1984 after enjoying the best season of his career with the Padres.

How'd that go: A nightmare. Whitson did win 10 games for the Yankees in 1985 but he struggled from the beginning with his new team and ended up feuding with fans and his own manager. By mid-1986, the Yankees dealt him back to the Padres. He's now the poster-child for bad Yankees free agent signings.

Backatya: The 1984 season produced several career highs for Whitson, but he would bounce back from his Yankee experiment to exceed those career bests during his second tour with the Padres in the late 1980s.

Back-to-back: I cannot think of two bigger opposites in terms of MLB uniforms than the Yankee pinstripes and the Padres uniforms of the late 70s to mid 80s.

The flagship card is No. 762 in the set and was originally blogged on March 5, 2018.

The blog wants to speak now: The Other Cards category is updated.

#129T - Earl Weaver

What a card: Earl Weaver returned to managing on June 14, 1985 as Orioles owner Edward Bennett Williams coaxed him out of retirement.

My observation on the front: I never saw this card in '85, but I'm sure I would have been thrilled to see Weaver back in packs.

More opinion from me: I can't say there were many times when I rooted for Weaver's O's. I always seemed to be rooting against him. But the more time passes, the more I am a fan.

Something you might know: Weaver lasted a season-and-half with the Orioles in his second term. The 1986 season would be the only full season under Weaver in which the Orioles had a losing record, and take it from me, that was bizarre. Weaver never managed losers.

Something you might not know: Weaver joked that the reason he returned to managing was to fund his cigarette habit:  "I came back because, quite frankly, Raleighs have gone from $6.50 a carton to $8.00 in the time I've been away and I've been on a fixed income."

My observation on the back: Weaver would end up finishing a mere 20 victories short of 1,500 for his managerial career.

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

#128T - U.L. Washington

What a card: U.L. Washington arrived with Montreal after a Jan. 7, 1985 trade in which Kansas City sent him to the Expos for pitcher Mike Kinnunen and a minor leaguer.

How'd that go: Washington's starting days were behind him at this point. He appeared in 68 games with the Expos in 1985 in his only year with the team. Meanwhile, his old team won the World Series.

Backatya: Kind of a shame that U.L. didn't spend his entire career with the Royals. I identify him so much with Kansas City that I have no memory of him with the Expos or the Pirates, where he played in '86 and '87.

Back-to-back: Two marvelous cards of a guy who just naturally made for great cards.

The flagship card is No. 431 and was originally blogged on July 10, 2015.

The blog wants to speak now: The blog may want to speak now, but the blogger has been up for 17 straight hours and isn't equipped to update any of the tabs. Sorry.

#127T - Dave Von Ohlen

What a card: Dave Von Ohlen was signed as a free agent by the Indians on Jan. 3, 1985 after being released by the Cardinals in November, 1984.

How'd that go: Von Ohlen delivered his last solid season in 1985 with his one year with Cleveland. He appeared in 26 games and 43 innings as a middle-innings reliever but was limited by forearm and knee injuries. The Indians released him during spring training of 1986. He was picked up by Oakland but played only sparingly for the A's in '86 and '87.

Backatya: A little sad looking at this knowing that Von Ohlen was a Flushing, N.Y., native, drafted by the Mets, yet never played for his hometown team. Look at all those attempts to get there: Marion, Wausau, Lynchburg, Jackson, Tidewater.

Back-to-back: The flagship card is action-oriented, which was always welcome in the 1980s, but the Traded card presents some chest-hair scruff, so it breaks out even, right?

Anyway, the flagship card is No. 177 in the set and was originally blogged on May 17, 2013.

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

#126T - Bobby Valentine

What a card: This card marks the beginning of Bobby Valentine's managerial career. He took over for the dismissed Doug Rader after the Rangers started the 1985 season 9-23.

My observation on the front: Valentine is one of the guys who I've seen age on cardboard through the 1970s, '80s, '90s and '00s. He looks relatively young here.

More opinion from me: I remember when Valentine received his first managerial opportunity. It was a big deal, probably because he was coaching for the Mets and everything is a big deal in New York.

Something you might know: Valentine made his first World Series (and postseason) in his 13th year as a manager when he led the Mets to the 2000 Series against the Yankees.

Something you might not know: Valentine managed more games (1,186) with one team (the Rangers) without winning a title in major league history.

My observation on the back: Valentine lost his first game as Rangers manager, 4-2, to the White Sox. Carlton Fisk hit the big blow, a two-run home run in the fourth inning that gave Chicago a 3-1 lead.

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

#125T - Jose Uribe

What a card: This is the 31st rookie card in the 1985 Topps Traded set. Jose Uribe became the Giants' starting shortstop in 1985, appearing in 147 games but batting .237. Uribe's weak hitting stats would not prevent the Giants from maintaining his starting role for the next five seasons.

My observation on the front: Those orange Giants uniforms remind me of pumpkin pie without the spices added. Yuck.

More opinion from me: I never knew Jose Uribe and Juan Uribe were cousins until researching this post. I guess I should've figured that out already.

Something you might know: Uribe is most famous in the card collecting community for a few goofs who are selling his 1990 Fleer card on ebay for exorbitant amounts of money. A fast check turns up entries that are selling the card for $300, $1,575, $12,000 and $20,000. Really people, if you pay more than 30 cents for the '90 Fleer card, you've overpaid.

Something you might not know: Uribe ran for mayor of Juan Baron, Dominican Republic, in 2006 but did not win. He died later that year in a car accident.

My observation on the back: Uribe changed his name from Gonzalez in part because there was already a Jose Gonzalez playing in the Dodgers organization.

Also, it's interesting that Topps didn't just omit those years from 1978-80 when Uribe didn't play. Guess it needed to fill space.

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

#124T - John Tudor

What a card: John Tudor was traded to the Cardinals in a deal with the Pirates on Dec. 12, 1984. The Pirates sent Tudor and Brian Harper to St. Louis for outfielder George Hendrick and a minor leaguer.

How'd that go: Stellar ... until the World Series. Tudor went 21-8 with a 1.93 ERA and 10 shutouts in 1985 for the Cardinals, finishing second in the Cy Young Award voting. He started Game 7 of the World Series that year, but failed spectacularly in an 11-0 defeat to the Royals.

Backatya: As an upstate New York guy I hoped that Tudor did some of his high school pitching in Schenectady. But he went to high school in Peabody, Mass.

Back-to-back: The blurry-hand effect on the Traded card is very '70s/'80s. But it is definitely more interesting (aside from the Pirates pillbox hat) than the flagship card, which is No. 214 in the set and was originally blogged on Sept. 17, 2013.

The blog wants to speak now: The Other Cards tab is updated.

#123T - Alex Trevino

What a card: Alex Trevino arrived with the Giants on April 17, 1985 in a trade with the Braves, who received catcher John Rabb in exchange.

How'd that go: Trevino batted just .217 in 57 games with the Giants. He was dealt to the Dodgers after the season as he continued to tour what was then the NL West. Between 1984-88, he played for the Reds, Braves, Giants, Dodgers and Astros -- everyone except the Padres in that division.

Backatya: Trevino was signed out of the Mexican League. Major League Baseball recently ended a brief ban on transactions with the Mexican League, enacted in 2018, by signing a new agreement in March.

Back-to-back: The flagship Braves card is more interesting. It was originally blogged on Jan. 24, 2018.

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

#122T - Rich Thompson

What a card: This is the 30th rookie card in the 1985 Topps Traded set. Rich Thompson pitched in 57 games for the Indians in 1985, his first year in the major leagues.

My observation on the front: Thompson appears to be quite pleased he's made it to the majors.

More opinion from me: Thompson is one of the players in the 1986 Topps set that convinced me that I no longer knew as much about major league baseball as I once did. Thompson's '86 Topps card is quite memorable, yet the only thing I could focus on is that I had no idea who he was.

Something you might know: Thompson's rookie season was his busiest. Even though he posted a 6.30 ERA that year, the last-place Indians kept putting him out there. He wouldn't return to the majors until 1989 when he was with the Expos.

Something you might not know: After his playing career, Thompson became a lawyer.

My observation on the back: I've never described my baseball card collection as "a fine collection." I wonder what a "fine collection" looks like and whether he still has it.

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

#121T - Derrel Thomas

What a card: Derrel Thomas was purchased by the Phillies on May 15, 1985 after playing for both the Expos and the Angels in 1984. (Interestingly, he was purchased from the Miami Marlins, who were a Class A team in the Florida State League at the time and had signed several former major leaguers as the basement-dwelling club attempted to attract fans).

How'd that go: Thomas, known for being a super-sub, appeared in 63 games with just 92 at-bats in 1985, batting a mere .207. That was the end of his major league career.

Backatya: Derrel Thomas wore No. 18 while with the Phillies. No. 30 was worn by infielder Steve Jeltz and No. 3 was worn by pitching coach Claude Osteen.

Back-to-back: As mentioned on the post for Derrel Thomas' flagship card, which is No. 448 in the set and was blogged on Sept. 3, 2015, there is a no Angels card for Thomas. He played 14 games for the Angels between his stay with the Expos and the Phillies.

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

#120T - Mickey Tettleton

What a card: This is the 29th rookie card in the 1985 Topps Traded set. Tettleton played in 78 games for the A's in 1985, but the future power-hitter hit just three home runs in 211 at-bats.

My observation on the front: That appears to be the back of a scoreboard in the background of the photo. You don't see that a lot on cards.

More opinion from me: It's just now occurring to me that if this design was made today, the "A's" would be spelled out as "ATHLETICS" and how terrible that would look.

Something you might know: Tettleton was fond of Fruit Loops cereal and his food choice became so popular that fans would send him boxes of the cereal to sign.

Something you might not know: Tettleton once held the record for most strikeouts in a season by a switch hitter with 160 in 1990. That record is now 217, set just last year by the White Sox's Yoan Moncada.

My observation on the back: Tettleton was named after Mickey Mantle. Both are Oklahoma natives. Maybe pick a Mantle trivia question?

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

#119T - Walt Terrell

What a card: Walt Terrell arrived with the team that won the World Series two months prior in a trade that sent third baseman Howard Johnson from the Tigers to the Mets on Dec. 7, 1984.

How'd that go: Terrell would post double-figure wins for the Tigers for three straight years between 1985-87.

Backatya: You can see why the Mets called up Terrell from Tidewater in 1983 -- 10 wins in 12 starts.

Back-to-back: The color scheme is essentially reversed for Terrell's traded and flagship cards.

The flagship card is No. 287 in the set and was originally blogged on April 29, 2014.

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

#118T - Tom Tellmann

What a card: Tom Tellmann was signed as a free agent by the Oakland A's on April 11, 1985, two weeks after being released by the Brewers.

How'd that go: Tellmann's MLB career ended in 1985 with just 11 games pitched for Oakland and a 5.06 ERA. In fact, I'm a bit surprised Topps made a Traded card of Tellmann as he didn't have an appearance for the A's in '85 beyond June 2.

Backatya: Fernando Valenzuela tied the rookie shutout record set by Ewell Russell of the 1913 Chicago White Sox. Valenzuela's feat is all the more amazing considering he accomplished it during a strike-shortened season.

Back-to-back: You be the judge: Tellmann's Traded card is better because that hairstyle is best viewed at a distance or Tellmann's flagship card is better because of the mustache significance.

The flagship card is No. 112 in the set and was originally blogged on Nov. 8, 2012.

The blog wants to speak now: How about that? The last post I didn't know when I'd get back to this blog and now I post on the regular pattern! I don't know if I'll keep this up though. We'll see.

Also on the good side, I caught my spelling mistakes on Tellmann's name on the original post.

#117T - Kent Tekulve

What a card: Kent Tekulve parted with the Pirates when Pittsburgh traded him to Philadelphia for pitcher Al Holland and a minor leaguer on April 20, 1985.

How'd that go: Tekulve enjoyed four more years of successful relieving with the Phillies, although the save rate went way down.

Backatya: Tekulve completed his career with the Reds, which was his hometown team.

Back-to-back: Two Kent Tekulve cards back-to-back is a whole lot of fun.

I prefer the flagship card (No. 125 in the set and originally blogged on Dec. 17, 2012), but the traded one is cool, too. That's a nice look at old Veterans Stadium with the Marlboro sign in the distance.

The blog wants to speak now: Unfortunately, this blog will be taking a break for a little bit. I'm not sure how long. Could be a few days, could be a couple weeks. But we'll get back at it for the grand finish.