Claude Osteen---1974
Claude Osteen deserved better
airbrushing on his cap than what he
got on this card. Granted he was at
the end of a career that would net
him 196 wins, but just a .501 winning
percentage; Osteen was a
consummate professional.
At 5-foot-11, Osteen stood tall on the
mound pitching in the wake of Hall of
Famers Koufax, Drysdale and Sutton.
Ten consecutive years of 12 or more
victories ain’t too shabby.
In two World Series’ for the Dodgers
he posted a minuscule 0.86 ERA in
three starts, helping them defeat the
Twins in 1965, while falling to the
Orioles in 1966. Osteen even
grabbed three All-Star selections.
Almost predicting that he was going
to have a bad card in 1975, Osteen
has a dumbfounded look in this card.
Could be that he had a bad hair day
and the Topps folks gave the
“Osteen Project” to the intern of the
art director who was just learning to
airbrush. Or possibly it was a Monday
morning and the airbrush guy had a
hard weekend with Jack Daniels while
he airbrushed KC & The Sunshine
Band logos on T-shirts at the local
county fair.
Whatever the case may be, Osteen
deserved better.
(6/22/08)
airbrushing on his cap than what he
got on this card. Granted he was at
the end of a career that would net
him 196 wins, but just a .501 winning
percentage; Osteen was a
consummate professional.
At 5-foot-11, Osteen stood tall on the
mound pitching in the wake of Hall of
Famers Koufax, Drysdale and Sutton.
Ten consecutive years of 12 or more
victories ain’t too shabby.
In two World Series’ for the Dodgers
he posted a minuscule 0.86 ERA in
three starts, helping them defeat the
Twins in 1965, while falling to the
Orioles in 1966. Osteen even
grabbed three All-Star selections.
Almost predicting that he was going
to have a bad card in 1975, Osteen
has a dumbfounded look in this card.
Could be that he had a bad hair day
and the Topps folks gave the
“Osteen Project” to the intern of the
art director who was just learning to
airbrush. Or possibly it was a Monday
morning and the airbrush guy had a
hard weekend with Jack Daniels while
he airbrushed KC & The Sunshine
Band logos on T-shirts at the local
county fair.
Whatever the case may be, Osteen
deserved better.
(6/22/08)
