#102T - Luis Salazar

What a card: Luis Salazar came to the White Sox in the big trade that sent Ozzie Guillen, Tim Lollar and Bill Long to Chicago in exchange for LaMarr Hoyt coming to the Padres.

How'd that go: Well, Salazar received more playing time with the White Sox in 1985 than he was getting with the Padres. But the results were basically the same and the following year, Salazar returned to the Padres after getting released.

Backatya: Here is a nice picture of Luis Salazar with his wife before a game when he was managing in Lynchburg, Va., in 2011.

Back-to-back: Salazar's flagship card is No. 789 in the set and was originally blogged on May 17, 2018. It also shows that action photos aren't always the best choices.

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

#86T - Gene Nelson

What a card: This is the fifth card in the 1985 Traded set of a player who didn't get a card in the flagship set but had received cards in past Topps flagship sets. Despite appearing in 20 games and 74.2 innings for the White Sox in 1984, Gene Nelson wasn't deemed worthy of a card in '85 flagship.

My observation on the front: Nelson's chilling in the dugout. Pretty laid back for someone who probably deserved a card in flagship.

More opinion from me: Sometimes it's difficult for me to shed grudges against former Yankees. Nelson came up with the Yankees in the early '80s, a peak period for loathing that pinstripe team. He didn't last long with New York, but I could still smell that smell on his cards.

Something you might know: Nelson was a heavily used reliever with the A's in the late 1980s when Oakland reached the World Series three straight years.

Something you might not know: While with Oakland, Nelson once stole second base in a game against the Blue Jays. The hitter at the plate? Jose Canseco.

My observation on the back: If mom and dad had named David "Willie," not only would one of their sons be "Willie Nelson," but both of their sons would be "Wayland and Willie".

The blog wants to speak now: The Ballgames category 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.

#61T - Bob James

What a card: Bob James came to the White Sox in a deal that sent infielder Vance Law to the Expos on Dec. 7, 1984.

How'd that go: Another case of it working out fine if you don't go beyond the first year. James' first season with the White Sox was a career best as he saved 32 games in 69 appearances and posted a 2.13 ERA. Injuries would take over from there.

Backatya: Jogging and bowling are tried-and-true hobbies. They almost sound old-fashioned. 

Back-to-back: James appears to be signing an autograph in his Traded card, but for me it doesn't match the awesomeness of his flagship card.

The flagship card is No. 114 and was originally blogged on Nov. 14, 2012, a shade over six years ago.

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

#60T - Tim Hulett

What a card: This is the 16th rookie card in the 1985 Topps Traded set. Tim Hulett appeared in 141 games during his rookie year of 1985, although he came to the plate just 437 times.

My observation on the front: Seeing Hulett take batting practice in those wacky old White Sox duds in ancient old Tiger Stadium gives me all kinds of nostalgies.

More opinion from me: Hulett is 6-feet tall. He looks like a toothpick.

Something you might know: Hulett's son, Tug, played in 45 major league games for the Mariners and Royals as a utility player in 2008 and 2009.

Something you might not know: When Hulett was still playing, his 6-year-old son, Sam, was killed when he was struck by a car. Hulett was placed on the disabled list because Major League Baseball didn't have a rule in place for bereavement leave. The MLB bereavement list was established in 2007. Wikipedia says Hulett's situation helped lead to the establishment of the bereavement list, but I couldn't find a direct connection.

My observation on the back: Regarding the trivia question, I wrote a post on the other blog stating that the above achievement likely never happened.

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.

#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.

#8T - Daryl Boston

What a card: This is the first rookie card in the 1985 Topps Traded set. Daryl Boston's rookie season was in 1985. He appeared in 95 games for the White Sox, batting .228.

My observation on the front: It looks like Boston is sleeping standing up.

More opinion from me: There is a certain amount of cool attached to having the last name of a major American city.

Something you might know: Boston is the first base coach for the Chicago White Sox. He recently was involved in an on-field incident during a game against the Blue Jays. Boston uses a whistle to catch the attention of the team's outfielders during workouts, but also uses the whistle when a White Sox player makes a good fielding play. Boston found out that the whistle bothered the Blue Jays' Josh Donaldson, so Boston blew the whistle as Donaldson stepped to the plate during a game on April 3rd. Donaldson responded by hitting a home run and mimicking a whistle-blowing motion as he rounded the bases.

Something you might not know: Boston started wearing glasses after batting just .239 in Double A ball in 1983. He had shed the glasses by the 1990s.

My observation on the back: It really bugs me when "home run" is listed as one word.

The blog wants to speak now: Not today. It's been another long day in a long week.

#770 - Carlton Fisk

What a card: Carlton Fisk struggled through an injury-plagued season in 1984, appearing in just 102 games. The continued battle with injuries prompted him to overhaul his training routine and in '85 he reached career highs in home runs and RBIs at age 37.

My observation on the front: Fisk with the eternal pissed-off look on his baseball cards.

More opinion from me: I'm still not thrilled Fisk spent so much time with the White Sox. I associated Fisk so much with the Red Sox as a youngster that his appearance in a different uniform may have baffled me more than any other team switch.

Something you might know: Fisk hit one of the most memorable home runs in World Series history, his extra-inning shot off the foul pole in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. The highlight has remained in so many fans' minds because the camera remained on Fisk as he bounded down the first base line, waving the ball fair. The cameraman was interviewed years later and he said he kept the camera on Fisk instead of following the ball because he was distracted by a rat near him and couldn't move the camera toward the ball.

Something you might not know: At age 43, Fisk singled in the 1991 All-Star Game, becoming the oldest major leaguer to produce a hit in the All-Star Game.

My observation on the back: Fisk appears on the first card in the set, making me wonder if this is the greatest gap between two cards featuring the same player within the same set.

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

#749 - Julio Cruz

What a card: Julio Cruz played in 143 games for the White Sox in 1984 but batted just .222. It was the beginning of the end for Cruz, who would play part-time the rest of his career.

My observation on the front: Cruz is either really zeroing on the pitcher or struggling to hold up.

More opinion from me: Cruz was the favorite player of a former boss, who is a Mariners fan. It was the first time I knew a Mariners fan.

Something you might know: Cruz held the Mariners' record for career stolen bases until Ichiro Suzuki broke it.

Something you might not know: One of Cruz's high school basketball teammates was Brian Billick, the former coach of the Baltimore Ravens.

My observation on the back: The answer to this is interesting as Branch Rickey is often credited with formalizing and popularizing the farm system while with the St. Louis Cardinals beginning in the early 1920s. I didn't find any reference to the Reds being first.

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

#725 - Floyd Bannister

What a card: Floyd Bannister's 1984 season was not as successful as his first year with the White Sox in '83. He still managed 14 wins, but his ERA soared.

My observation on the front: Bannister appears to be toiling in the heat. I can see the sweat-soaked hair.

More opinion from me: What number is Bannister? ... Oh, let me look at his crotch!

Something you might know: Bannister was MLB's No. 1 draft pick by the Astros in 1976. His son, Brian, pitched for five years in the majors.

Something you might not know: Bannister now manages his son's photography studios in Phoenix, Loft 19 Studios, where they do shoots for famous athletes and celebrities.

My observation on the back: The trivia question answer appeared on the back of a card featured seven cards ago.

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

#670 - Tom Seaver

What a card: Tom Seaver enjoyed a revival with the White Sox in 1984. In his first season with Chicago, and in the American League, he won 15 games. He'd do even better in 1985, winning his 300th game in the process.

My observation on the front: This picture just says "old man" to me. I think older players should be shown out on the field. They're still in the game!

More opinion from me: There is almost nothing stranger than Seaver in a White Sox uniform. I was around when Seaver became a Cincinnati Red and that was weird, but I was also a kid then and relatively new to baseball. It wasn't quite the shock to me as it was for veteran fans. But "Seaver to the White Sox"? Whuuuuut?

Something you might know: Seaver was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1992 by a greater percentage than any Hall selection (98.84 percent) until  Ken Griffey Jr. surpassed it in 2016.

Something you might not know: Forty years ago today, Seaver contacted Mets general manager Joe McDonald to tell him to halt trade negotiations with the Reds because he was willing to accept an extension and remain a Met. Later, however, he read a column by the New York Daily News' Dick Young that enraged him so much that he demanded the trade that would become known as the Midnight Massacre, occurring on June 15, 1977.

My observation on the back: Seaver's book was published in 1984 and called "The Art of Pitching".

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

#650 - Greg Luzinski

What a card: This is Greg Luzinski's final Topps card. By the time it was issued he had already retired at the age of 34.

My observation on the front: There are several cards of Luzinski that say, "he's a big boy." This is one of them.

More opinion from me: Luzinski is kind of two different people in my mind: the clean-shaven Phillies left fielder and the bearded, bespectacled White Sox designated hitter. But there was also that awkward period when he first arrived with the White Sox when he had some giant glasses but no beard.

Something you might know: Luzinski knocked in at least 120 runs twice with the Phillies and was runner-up in the NL MVP voting twice, to Joe Morgan in 1975 and George Foster in 1977.

Something you might not know: The distance and height of Luzinski's blasts were legendary. White Sox teammate Ron Kittle once said about Luzinski: "They're going to have to start a separate record book: 'most home run, roof'."

My observation on the back: Luzinski started the "Bull Ring" in Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia in 1976.

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

#623 - Greg Walker

What a card: Greg Walker was coming off what would be the best season of his career when this card was issued. He hit 24 home runs in 136 games, batted .294 and recorded an OPS of .878 in 1984. In 1985, he would play in every one of the White Sox's 163 games.

My observation the front: Red practice jerseys! I miss the days when the White Sox were in color.

More opinion from me: That background of blue sky and white puffy clouds really hurts on Jan. 30th.

Something you might know: Walker was a power-hitting first baseman who later became the hitting coach for the White Sox when they won the World Series in 2005.

Something you might not know: Walker suffered an epileptic seizure during fielding practice before a game against the Angels in July 1988. He almost died from it and suffered two more seizures in the hospital before eventually recovering and returning to play in 1989. The seizures were believed to be viral in nature.

My observation on the back: The Red Sox were known as the Americans during the first World Series in 1903.

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

#596 - Jerry Hairston

What a card: Jerry Hairston had come off his second straight season as a productive role player and pinch-hitter with the White Sox when this card was released. He recorded 227 at-bats, which is the most for a single season in his 14-year major league career.

My observation on the front: I haven't done any research but you don't often see a baseball card photo of a player with his hands in his pockets. That's usually a pose reserved for the manager.

More opinion from me: Also, it looks cold there.

Something you might know: Hairston is part of a three-generation major league family, one of just five in big-league history.

Something you might not know: Hairston met his wife, Esperanza, who was a professor, while playing in the Mexican League from 1978-80. Wikipedia says his wife's name is "Calabaza." A calabaza is a tropical squash that looks like a pumpkin.

My observation on the back: Jerry's father and brother combined accounted for 7 major league games and 9 major league at-bats.

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

#572 - Tom Paciorek

What a card: This is Tom Paciorek's final card as a member of the White Sox. He would be traded in July of 1985 to the Mets.

My observation on the front: What do you think Paciorek hit here? Home run? Fly out?

More opinion from me: This is the third straight card of either a former Dodger (Paciorek, Charlie Hough) or future Dodger (Darryl Strawberry). The streak will end with the next card.

Something you might know: Paciorek started out as a top prospect in the Dodgers organization, but didn't blossom until he arrived with the Mariners in the late 1970s. His nickname was "Wimpy," which referred to the hamburger-loving character in the Popeye cartoons. Tom Lasorda supposedly gave him the nickname after a team dinner out in which Paciorek was the only one who ordered a hamburger instead of steak.

Something you might not know: Paciorek was once part of a video produced by MLB, called "Baseball Funnies and the Unofficial Baseball Handbook," on how to look cool when dressing for a game.

My observation on the back: Boy, that's a lot on John Paciorek on Tom's card. I also don't know how you can have "the best perfect batting average," although I know what it's trying to say. For a long time, the only card of John Paciorek was one of those Larry Fritsch One-Year-Winner cards. But he's since appeared in Obak, including an autographed card.

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

#543 - Mike Squires

What a card: This is the final Topps card issued of Mike Squires during his career. He would play in just two games for the White Sox in 1985, after being re-signed by Chicago in September. They had released him in March.

My observation on the front: Squires was known for his fielding, so it's appropriate that he's in the field on his final card.

More opinion from me: Not sure about that facial expression. Blowing a bubble, I hope?

Something you might know: Squires won a Gold Glove in 1981 and was used primarily as a defensive replacement, particularly later in his career. He was one of the few left-handed throwing catchers in modern times, appearing behind the plate on May 4, 1980. He also played third base several times, another rarity for lefties.

Something you might know: After his career, Squires would officiate high school basketball games regularly in his native Kalamazoo, Mich.

My observation on the back: The days of 70,000-plus baseball stadiums are long gone. The largest capacity baseball stadium now is Dodger Stadium at 56,000.

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

#520 - LaMarr Hoyt

What a card: LaMarr Hoyt's 1984 season for the White Sox didn't go nearly as well as his 1983 season. He went from winning the most games in the American League (24) in '83 to losing the most games (18) in '84.

My observation on the front: Pitching gut!

More opinion from me: Out of all the ridiculous uniforms of the '70s and '80s, this is the one that I felt the most sorry for the players who were wearing it, even worse than those silly shorts the White Sox wore.

Something you might know: Hoyt won the Cy Young Award in 1983, helping lead the White Sox to its first pennant since 1959. He was the All-Star Game MVP in 1985 while pitching for the Padres.

Something you might not know: When Pete Rose was going for the all-time career hit record in 1985, Hoyt wanted to be part of major league history and asked his catcher, Terry Kennedy, what kind of pitches Rose liked so he could throw one that Rose could deliver for the record-breaking hit. Hoyt grooved his pitches to Rose, but Rose went 0-for-4 and the Padres won 3-2. The next night, Rose got a hit on his first at-bat against Hoyt's pitching mate, Eric Show.

My observation on the back: Hoyt's pinpoint control was legendary. His 31 walks in 260 innings in 1983 came just four walks short of the all-time record for 250-plus innings, set by Cy Young in 1904.

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

#488 - Joel Skinner

What a card: This is Joel Skinner's first Topps solo card. But he also appears in a card in the set with his father.

My observation on the front: Skinner has been in baseball a long time now with his managerial career, so I've seen him around for awhile. He looks so young here.

More opinion from me: Skinner was a topic of a Brush With Greatness post on Night Owl Cards. I covered his team during his first season as a manager in 1995. He comes off pretty well in that post -- as well as a manager can in a write-up by a sports reporter.

Something you might know: Skinner was mostly a backup catcher for the White Sox, Yankees and Indians. He was named starting catcher for the White Sox in 1986, supplanting Carlton Fisk. But he didn't hit well and Fisk was returned to the starter's role.

Something you might not know: Skinner, the manager of the Triple A Charlotte Knights, celebrated his 250th victory for Charlotte this past season and the club gave away a Skinner bobblehead on Aug. 4th.

My observation on the back: Bob Skinner was the hitting coach for the 1984 Pirates.

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

#466 - Tony LaRussa

What a card: Tony LaRussa's White Sox finished below .500 in 1984 for the first time since LaRussa's first full season managing the team in 1980. But they'd bounce back in 1985, going 85-77.

My observation on the front: I guess LaRussa is giving us the official "manager look" on this card.

More opinion from me: As you may know, I'm not much of a fan of LaRussa, regarding his strategies, his demeanor, his attitude and a couple other things. I didn't really enjoy how he acted when I interviewed him either. But I can't argue with his success or the fact that he agreed to talk to me for 15 minutes or so.

Something you might know: LaRussa won three World Series titles and is third all-time in career managing victories.

Something you might not know: LaRussa's two daughters by a previous marriage sued him for $16 million in the mid-1990s for emotional distress for not being publicly recognized as LaRussa's children. The suit was dismissed and the sisters admitted years later that it wasn't the right way to deal with the situation, calling it a "plea for acknowledgement."

My observation on the back: This is the first time that Topps officially mentions that the White Sox won the AL West under LaRussa in 1983.

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