#90T - Rob Picciolo

What a card: Rob Picciolo was released by the Angels in January 1985 and signed with the A's the following month, returning to the team for which he spent the first six years of his career.

How'd that go: 1985 was Picciolo's final big league season but he put together one of his more efficient seasons, batting .275 with a .612 OPS, both far above his career averages.

Backatya: That 1977 season, man. 419 at-bats, 84 hits, 17 extra base hits and 9 walks. Yeesh.

Back-to-back: Picciolo decided to scrap the mustache for his Traded card. Also, he moved from shortstop to third base. Also, flip sunglasses!

The flagship card is No. 756 and was blogged originally on Feb. 19, 2018.

The blog wants to speak now: It's been a late night. Tune in next time.

#89T - Joe Orsulak

What a card: This is the 21st rookie card in the 1985 Topps Traded set. Joe Orsulak played in 121 games for the Pirates in 1985 and finished sixth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.

My observation on the front: I see a Mets fan in the stands, rooting for Orsulak to be retired, no doubt.

More opinion from me: Major leaguers with a last name beginning in "O" is something of rarity. The first "O" players I remember were from the 1974 and 1975 Topps sets: Bob Oliver, Claude Osteen, Johnny Oates, John "Blue Moon" Odom and Steve Ontiveros. I definitely took note when Joe Orsulak started appearing on cards.

Something you might know: Orsulak played right field in the first game played at Camden Yards in 1992 and made the first putout at the park, catching a fly ball by the Indians' Kenny Lofton (The Orioles won 2-0 and both starting pitchers, Rick Sutcliffe for the O's and Charles Nagy for the Indians, pitched complete games).

Something you might not know: Orsulak, at 14 seasons played, is in the top 60 all-time of major leaguers who played the longest without appearing in the postseason. Orsulak's absence is even more notable as he played during a time of expanded playoffs.

My observation on the back: I'm not sure how many trivia questions in this set have been about the Championship Series, but it has to be the leading source for Championship Series trivia. I can't find half of this stuff online.

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

#88T - Al Oliver

What a card: Al Oliver arrived with the Dodgers after a trade with the Phillies on Feb. 9, 1985 in which L.A. sent reliever Pat Zachry to Philadelphia.

How'd that go: Oliver, in the final season of his 18-year major league career, played in just 32 games for the Dodgers in 1985 before he was traded to the Blue Jays in July. That allowed him to get into his first postseason series in 10 years in which he hit .375 in five games of the ALCS.

Backatya: I've already written about the cologne reference so let's mention that I enjoy that Topps abbreviated Ohio as "O." so we may continue the theme started on the front as Oliver's uniform number is "0".

Back-to-back: Good timing with this card as reliever Adam Ottavino made news yesterday by becoming the first Yankee player to wear the number 0 on his uniform. Oliver is believed to be the first major leaguer to wear the number 0, which he started while a member of the Texas Rangers in the late 1970s.

The flagship card is No. 130 and was originally blogged on Jan. 3, 2013.

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

#87T - Steve Nicosia

What a card: Steve Nicosia signed with the Expos as a free agent on February 15, 1985.

How'd that go: Nicosia played in 42 games for Montreal in 1985 as a backup at catcher for Mike Fitzgerald (the Expos were coping with the loss of Gary Carter to the Mets) but was released in August after batting .169. The Blue Jays picked him up on Sept. 1 for the stretch run. Nicosia appeared in six games and his MLB career was over.

Backatya: Those 63 games with the Giants really enhanced Nicosia's career. He never hit above .300 anywhere other than San Francisco.

Back-to-back: Nicosia's Update card makes for a fitting final card. Nice, reflective image.

Nicosia's flagship card is No. 191 and was originally blogged on July 9, 2013.

The blog wants to speak now: The News category 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.

#85T - Donnie Moore

What a card: Donnie Moore came to the Angels under the old free agent compensation system. Teams who lost a "Type A" free agent were allowed to pick from a group of unprotected major league players as compensation. Moore was selected by the Angels on Jan. 24, 1985 as compensation for losing Fred Lynn to the Orioles. This was the final year of the compensation system, which lasted just four years.

How'd that go: Fantastic. For both Moore and the Angels. Moore's old team, the Braves, made a mistake leaving Moore unprotected and he set career highs in a bunch of categories in 1985, posting 31 saves and a 1.92 ERA. However, Moore's career would take a fateful turn the following year with the Angels (there have been a lot of references to the 1986 postseason on this blog lately).

Backatya: Moore's save total in 1985 eclipsed his entire career total for the first nine years.

Back-to-back: Moore's Traded card is rather awesome. I don't remember many cards showing the "pitcher-looks-in-for-the-sign" from such close proximity.

Moore's flagship card is No. 699 and was originally blogged on Sept. 5, 2017.

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

#84T - John McNamara

What a card: John McNamara was named the Red Sox's manager mere days after Ralph Houk stepped down from the Red Sox and announced his retirement from managing. McNamara resigned his job as manager of the Angels to take the Red Sox job.

How'd that go: Well, on the good side, his Red Sox faced his old team, the Angels, in the 1986 ALCS and the Red Sox won. On the bad side, McNamara is forever remembered for the things he didn't do in the Red Sox's loss in the World Series that year.

Backatya: Exactly two years after McNamara was named manager of the Red Sox, Boston won Game 1 of the 1986 World Series, 1-0, over the Mets. 

 
Back-to-back: Well that's certainly a difference in demeanor between the two cards.

The flagship card is No. 732 in the set and was originally blogged on Dec. 6, 2017.

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

#83T - Roger McDowell

What a card: This is the 20th rookie card in the '85 Topps Traded set. McDowell burst upon the scene after appearing in just three games for Double A Jackson to start the 1984 season. He saved 17 games for the Mets, striking out 70 in 127.1 innings.

My observation on the front: Anybody else think the Mets should still have the racing stripes on the shoulders?

More opinion from me: McDowell's goofiness was played up quite a bit on cards in the '90s. Since he played for the Dodgers then, I have quite a few examples. It started to get a bit old.

Something you might know: McDowell was the winning pitcher in Game 7 of the 1986 World Series.

Something you might not know: McDowell's appearance on Seinfeld as the famed "second-spitter" lands him a royalty check of $13.52 every time "The Boyfriend" episode airs.

My observation on the back: Bring back the Expos!

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

#82T - Oddibe McDowell

What a card: I believe this is the 19th rookie card in the Traded set. I'll explain my hesitation in a minute. Oddibe McDowell played in 31 games in Triple A in 1985 before joining the Rangers for the rest of the season.

How'd that go: McDowell finished fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting in 1985. He appeared in 111 games, hitting 18 home runs as part of his 97 hits in 406 at-bats.

Backatya: That is a freaky card back. NO PROFESSIONAL RECORD. McDowell was drafted by the Rangers in June of 1984 but then participated in the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics as baseball was a demonstration event that year. He didn't start his pro career until 1985. 

Back-to-back: Here is the confusion about his rookie situation. McDowell actually appeared in the 1985 flagship set, in the U.S. Olympic team subset. He is the only player in that subset to get a card in the Traded set, too. I know that the rookie card is a player's first appearance with a major league team, but it does make things a bit muddled, don't it?

The McDowell flagship card is #400 in the set. It was originally blogged on April 14, 2015.

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

#81T - Gene Mauch

What a card: Gene Mauch returned to manage the Angels for the 1985 season, replacing the guy who replaced him, John McNamara. Mauch was let go by the Angels after the 1982 season, despite the franchise reaching the playoffs, and was replaced by McNamara.

My observation on the front: I love super-close portrait shots like this. I wish they'd return to some modern sets. Heritage would be a good fit for them.

More opinion from me: Mauch has quite a few manager cards (Phillies in '60s, Expos and Twins in the '70s, Angels in the '80s). They're all very interesting. And in going through them, I began to grow sad that managers are disappearing from modern card sets.

Something you might know: Mauch was at the helm of two famous doomed squads. He is blamed to this day for the epic late-season collapse of the 1964 Phillies. And he had a front-row seat for the Angels' crushing defeat in the memorable 1986 ALCS.

Something you might not know: Mauch was known to overturn the postgame food table after a difficult loss a time or two. He had such a reputation that on his first day with Angels in 1981 slugger Don Baylor asked, "Will the food be served on the floor?"

My observation on the back: Mauch also managed Smalley's father, Roy Smalley Sr., who played in the big leagues. Mauch's sister, Jolene, was married to Smalley Sr. and is and Roy Smalley III's mother.

The blog wants to speak now: The News tab has been updated.

#80T - Len Matuszek

What a card: Len Matuszek came to the Blue Jays in an April 1, 1985 deal with the Phillies. Toronto sent Philadelphia three players I have never heard of, who collectively played in 36 major league games.

How'd that go: Matuszek played in 62 games for the Blue Jays in 1985, batting .212, before getting shipped to the Dodgers on July 9 of that season in exchange for Al Oliver. To this day, Matuszek can tell people he was traded one-up for Al Oliver.

Backatya: I always enjoy when a player's games played grow progressively each year. Matuszek would continue this trend in 1985 when he appeared in 105 games. But then in 1986, the string was broken as he recorded just 91.

Back-to-back: Matuszek grew a beard with his new team. Also, by moving from the National League to the American League, he was able to add the designated hitter to his position repertoire. 1985 is the only season in his seven year career that Matuszek was used as a DH.

Matuszek's flagship card is No. 688 in the set and was originally blogged on Aug. 4, 2017.

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

#79T - Ron Mathis

What a card: This is the 18th rookie card in the 1985 Topps Traded set. Ron Mathis made his major league debut in 1985 and appeared in 23 games for the Astros, posting a 3-5 mark and 6.04 ERA.

My observation on the front: It's a clear-blue, sunny day in Philadelphia as Mathis has his picture snapped in Veterans Stadium. I like the activity in the background. That's the kind of stuff you saw in cards from the '70s and '80s.

More opinion from me: Here is one of those rare 1980s players that I do not know at all. I tend to get fascinated over these players.

Something you might know: Mathis' only full season was in 1985. He didn't play in the majors in '86, unfortunate as Houston made the playoffs that year. He managed only eight more games in his big league career, in 1987. He has just one Topps flagship card, in the 1986 set.

Something you might not know: Mathis has been involved in Nations Baseball, a youth baseball tournament-organizing organization. He is a partner and director in the organization and based in Texas.

My observation on the back: That's a somewhat slow progression to the big leagues there, but he made it!

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