#120 - Steve Busby

Card fact: In one of the more famous photo gaffes in Topps' history, this is a picture of Royals catcher Fran Healy, not of Steve Busby.

Like me, you may be desensitized to mistakes like this, just because there have been so many through the years. But take a moment to think about how big a mistake this was. Busby had been in the majors for three years. He had just enjoyed the best season of his career in 1974, winning 22 games and throwing his second no-hitter in as many seasons. He was an emerging star. And Topps screwed up the photo. It would be akin to Topps using a photo of current backup Royals catcher John Buck on Zack Greinke's card. Can you image the criticism if that happened today?

The only photo of Busby in the 1975 set is in a highlights card.

What I thought about this card then: Someone -- I don't remember who -- had the mini card. My memories of Busby back then involved my friend from Kansas who moved into my neighborhood. He was a die-hard Royals fan and a big Busby fan. I knew my friend during the period when Busby was trying to recuperate from rotator cuff surgery. Busby didn't play a game in 1977, a summer that included many visits to my friend's house and many reassurings by my friend that Busby would be back better than ever.

Personally, I didn't care. I wasn't a Royals fan. But it's obvious my friend really, REALLY cared. A year later, he moved back to Kansas. Busby returned to pitch, but he was never the same. I always wondered how my friend handled that.

What I think about this card then: It's really a terrible photo, isn't it? I wonder what the process was that made Topps pick that photo -- the wrong photo. It hints at a rush job.

Other stuff: Since Busby was out of the game for almost two full years, and didn't appear on a card in the 1977 set, he was a bit of a novelty when he appeared in the '78 set. I don't know why he was in the 1978 set. He didn't pitch a single game in 1977.

Busby pitched until 1980, then retired after an eight-year career. He's worked as a Rangers broadcaster for quite awhile.

Back facts: How about those nearly 300 innings pitched in 1974?

Other blog stuff: I'll throw out a birthday: Livan Hernandez was born on this date in 1975. Although that's up for debate.

#7 - '74 Highlights, Busby/Bosman/Ryan

Card fact: This is the only card in the set to feature three individual photos on one card. Fascinating, huh?

What I thought about this card then: Never saw it. The interesting thing is that in 1975 I was more aware of Dick Bosman than I was of Steve Busby or Nolan Ryan. The reason for that is I received 100 percent of my baseball knowledge in 1975 from my baseball cards. And I owned a Dick Bosman card. I did not own the Busby or Ryan cards.

What I think about this card now: If you were a Steve Busby fan (and, surprisingly, I knew one when I was a kid), this was your only chance in 1975 to get a card featuring Busby, because Busby wasn't featured on his own card! (More on that when card #120 comes along).

Also, this is almost a throwaway "highlight." No-hitters are cool and all, but there are two or three no-hitters most years. You don't see them commemorated in card form every year.

Other stuff: This is the first of 57 horizontal cards in the set. All of the horizontal cards are either a team card or from a subset.

Back facts: Ending the top line of a headline with a preposition! Naughty, naughty, naughty.

Both Busby and Ryan threw no-hitters in back-to-back seasons. It was Bosman's first and only one.

Other blog stuff: We have reached the end of the highlights! New, pretty colors coming up!