#30T - Ivan DeJesus

What a card: Ivan DeJesus came to the Cardinals from the Phillies, traveling to St. Louis with reliever Bill Campbell in exchange for pitcher David Rucker.

How'd that go: DeJesus got into just 59 games with the Cardinals in 1985, his fewest games in a season since 1976. It also began an end-of-career pattern in which he played for a different team in each of his final five seasons.

Backatya: DeJesus began his career with the Dodgers (just like his son, Ivan Jr.) and was dealt to the Cubs in the trade that sent Bill Buckner to Chicago for Rick Monday.

Back-to-back: I've always liked the DeJesus Traded card because the close cropping reminds me of similar treatment with some 1970s favorites. Also the bright red cap drew me in. However, the closer I look, the more it appears that the hat is airbrushed. The "S" in the logo looks off-kilter.

The flagship card is No. 791 (second-to-last card in the set). It appeared on this blog on May 23, 2018.

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

#733 - Tony Scott

What a card: Tony Scott split the 1984 season between the Astros and Expos. He was released by Houston in June after batting .190 for the club. The Expos signed Scott a week later.

My observation on the front: This is the fourth Expos player in this set to be airbrushed. Topps must've had a heck of a time finding photographers to shoot new Expos. Maybe problems getting through customs?

More opinion from me: Scott, like Dan Driessen, seems very happy to be airbrushed.

Something you might know: Unable to find his mark in the majors until coming to the Cardinals, he did well enough for St. Louis that the team traded him to the Astros in exchange for pitcher Joaquin Andujar.

Something you might not know: Check out this classic image of Scott with good buddy Garry Templeton in the Dodger dugout.

My observation on the back: That's a lot of info to digest in the write-up! Race cars! Clothing store! The Hammer!

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

#577 - Chris Speier

What a card: Chris Speier spent all of 12 games with the Twins in 1984 after being traded from the Cardinals in August. He was with the Cardinals for only just over a month after they acquired him from the Expos.

My observation on the front: The airbrushing is appropriate given that the player he was traded for in the Expos-Cardinals deal also was airbrushed. It makes me assume that even if Speier stayed with the Cardinals, he'd still be airbrushed (only as a Cardinal). It also makes me wonder whether Topps had Speier airbrushed as a Cardinal and then had to paint him into a Twins uniform and helmet.

More opinion from me: I've said this before, but the background and airbrushing makes it appear as if Speier stuck his head into a large mural of scenery with a hole cut out in it.

Something you might know: Speier, the No. 2 pick in the amateur draft in 1970, was the Giants' starting shortstop in the early 1970s and enjoyed a rejuvenated career in his second stint with the Giants in the late '80s. His MLB career spanned 19 years.

Something you might not know: Speier's son, Justin, pitched in the major leagues from 1998-2009 with several teams. He was 10 when his father was traded from the Expos to the Cardinals. Chris Speier was having a difficult time in Montreal under manager Bill Virdon at the time. Justin's comment on his father being traded and the family moving was: "I'm going to miss all my friends, the house and school. I'm not going to miss Bill Virdon."

My observation on the back: Erika sang the Canadian National Anthem when she was 7 years old.

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

#573 - Jay Tibbs

What a card: For his rookie card, Jay Tibbs is airbrushed into a Reds uniform after being dealt from the Mets in June of 1984. Apparently nobody could get their hands on a photo of Tibbs for the final three months of the season.

My observation the back: The art job on the cap and the logo isn't bad. The jersey, though, needs some work.

More opinion from me: Tibbs never pitched for the Mets prior to his trade to the Reds, unless perhaps in spring training. So I'm wondering if the uniform Tibbs is actually wearing is from a Mets minor league team.

Something you might know: Tibbs enjoyed a solid 1985 season as a starter for the Reds, following Tom Browning and Mario Soto in the rotation. He had less success in subsequent years with the Expos and Orioles, suffering a miserable 4-15, 5.39 ERA for the miserable 1988 Orioles.

Something you might not know: Tibbs went 456 major league innings pitched before he hit a batter. The first was Jim Morrison of the Pirates on Aug. 4, 1986. He'd hit just six batters in 862 2/3 career innings.

My observation on the back: That season for Lynchburg in 1983 really stands out.

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

#535 - Pat Putnam

What a card: Pat Putnam split his 1984 season between the Mariners and the Twins. He was dealt to Minnesota at the end of August as the Twins tried to catch the Royals in the AL West.

My observation on the front: It's been a long time since our last airbrushed card, more than 200 cards have passed! If you can get past the vast acreage of jersey without any lettering, take a look at the fakish shading on the cap.

More opinion from me: This is the last card of Putnam issued during his playing career, unfortunately. Fleer, however, managed to get Putnam in an actual Twins uniform.

Something you might know: Putnam started his career with promise, belting 18 home runs in his rookie season with Texas in 1979 and finishing fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting.

Something you might not know: Putnam's fondness for dog biscuits was kind of well-known, but I found it interesting that he once played an exhibition game with a dead frog in his pocket.

My observation on the back: This is probably the most mystifying player choice for a card number ending in "5" in the entire set. At the time, card numbers ending in "5" were reserved for minor stars. Putnam never previously received a "hero number" of "5" or "0" from Topps, and after batting a combined .176 in his final season, this was an odd time to award it.

The blog wants to speak now: The Ballgames category is updated. We have a World Series champion.

#323 - Andy McGaffigan

What a card: Andy McGaffigan played just nine games for the Reds in 1984, as he was traded from Montreal in late July 1984, necessitating this particular look.

My observation on the front: That is a fake-looking airbrush job. However, it is not as gloriously awful as the one on the card of the man for whom McGaffigan was traded.

More opinion from me: I have more 1984 Topps Andy McGaffigan cards than any non-Dodger player in my collection. It is how I keep McGaffigan alive in my memory.

Something you might know: An often-traded relief pitcher, McGaffigan is probably best known as the set-up man for closer Tim Burke for the Montreal Expos teams of the late 1980s. He's also known for faking out Shawon Dunston in this clip.

Something you might not know: McGaffigan hit just .048 for his career, getting six hits in 126 at-bats, one of the lowest averages for a pitcher ever.

My observation on the back: I've been noticing the marriage dates that are listed on the backs of some of these cards and that a few of them are in January. My first instinct is to think "January -- how odd for a wedding." But, of course, a ballplayer couldn't get married in June. Little busy.

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

#285 - Dan Driessen

What a card: Last post I said it wouldn't take us nearly as long to find the next airbrushed card. That's because it is the very next card. This is Dan Driessen's first Topps card as an Expo, although as you can see he's not really an Expo in the photo. He was traded from the Reds to the Expos on July 26, 1984, and Topps didn't have a chance to find him in an Expos uniform.

My observation on the front: This is the third Expos card in the set that is airbrushed and it's pretty brutal execution. Driessen looks like he stuck his face in a hole of a cardboard cutout Expos player.

More opinion from me: What struck me about this card when I first saw it in 1985 was how pleased Driessen looked. It was very disorienting because most of Driessen's cards show him either hard at work or somewhat grumpy.

Something you might know: Driessen was the first designated hitter for a National League team in World Series history. It happened in 1976 when Driessen's Reds played the Yankees. He hit .357 in that Series, but he started out 0-for-4 in Game 1, hitting a ball to deep center field in his first at-bat.

Something you might not know: Driessen never played high school baseball. Neither of the high schools he attended had baseball teams. He was signed by the Reds after a tryout.

My observation on the back: That's some complete family information there, right down to his kids' birthdates.

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

#284 - Marty Bystrom

What a card: This is Marty Bystrom's first card as a Yankee ... well, he's listed as a Yankee, anyway. He was traded from the Phillies in the deal that brought Shane Rawley to Philadelphia on June 30, 1984.

My observation on the front: This is obviously an airbrushed job. It's been awhile since there's been an airbrushed card featured in this set. It won't take nearly as long to see the next one.

More opinion from me: That's a brutal painting. The "NY" looks like ghost letters. The pinstripes are two different colors. It doesn't help that Bystrom's portrait shot is off-center.

Something you might know: Bystrom made an instant impact in his first year in the majors. A September call-up by the Phillies in 1980, he pitched a shutout against the Mets in his first start and would start in the League Championship Series and World Series during Philadelphia's trip to the championship.

Something you might not know: Bystrom was a replacement player during spring training of 1995, leaving his job of selling swimming pools at age 36 to wear a big-league uniform again. He drew a lot of wrath from unionized players who had staged a strike in 1994 that led to the cancellation of the World Series.

 My observation on the back: So, Marty played American Legion ball. I'm guessing you could put that on 98 percent of card backs in 1985.

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

#62 - Mike Ramsey

What a card: This is the second airbrushed card in the set and also the second Expo in the set! Damn, the Expos are getting screwed.

My observation on the front: With the blurred-out background that looks almost like a painting, the only thing that appears real in the photo is Mike Ramsey's face.

More opinion from me: Ramsey was airbrushed into an Expos uniform because he was traded from the Cardinals to the Expos on July 1, 1984 for Chris Speier. But by April of 1985, he had signed with the Dodgers, making the Expo airbrushing pointless.

This is also Ramsey's final card. He was released by the Dodgers in June, and signed by the Orioles, but wouldn't return to the majors.

Something you might know: Ramsey was known for his versatility, as you can see by the 3B-SS-2B notation on the card. He played a variety of positions for the 1982 Cardinals, who won the World Series.

Something you might not know: The Dodgers had two players named Mike Ramsey in their organization in 1985. Ramsey, the infielder, and Ramsey, the outfielder. Ramsey, the outfielder, was African-American and playing in Double A in 1985. He'd play briefly with the Dodgers in 1987.

My observation on the back: As the first player to hit a home run in a night game, Floyd Herman is my hero. But Floyd  is better known as Babe Herman, a standout outfielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers -- who drove in 130 runs in 1930 -- and for the Chicago Cubs.

The blog wants to speak now: The Pop Culture and News categories are updated. A point-shaving scandal breaks and one of the beautiful people is born.

#36 - Fred Breining

What a card: This is a classic. There aren't a lot of airbrushed photos in the 1985 Topps set, but the few that exist are flat-out gems.

My observation on the front: Fred Breining wears some terrific glasses on most of his cards, but these are the most striking for me just because of the close-up photograph, the airbrushed greatness, and the terrific "I'm lost" look on Breining's face.

More opinion from me: Breining played most of his career with the Giants, so obviously he was airbrushed out of a Giants uniform in a photo that was taken in Candlestick Park. The 1985 Fleer card of Breining is to be applauded as it's the only one of Breining actually in an Expos uniform.

Something you might know: Breining played just four games for the Expos in 1984. He underwent shoulder surgery during the season, sidelining him for the rest of the year. He never returned to the major leagues.

Something you might not know: After his career, Breining landed a job tending bar at an Elks Club in downtown San Francisco.

My observation on the back: I wonder if he participated in his hobby while working at the Elks?

The blog wants to speak now: The "pop culture" tab has now been rearranged so the latest information is first. I hope to be adding updated info to all of the tabs in the next few days.