the 1980 topps andy messersmith final tribute card that should have been!

after posting back-to-back andy messersmith o-pee-chee cards highlighting the vagrancy of his final seasons on my 'oh my o-pee-chee' blog, i figured i would give the free agent trailblazer a proper send off with the 1980 topps final tribute card that should have been:

a great photo from one of his few starts in 1979 at dodger stadium.  it came from the april 17th game, in which messersmith pitched 6 innings and left with a 6-4 lead.  jerry reuss relieved and blew the save with a couple of two-out walks followed by two run scoring singles.  the dodgers scored a few in the bottom of the 8th and reuss finished the game to earn his first win as a dodger.

back to messersmith, though.  he made his final career start on june 1, 1979 in saint louis.  he lasted just 1 inning, giving up 3 runs on 4 hits, including a 2-run home run to keith hernandez.  the final batter he faced in his career was ken reitz who grounded into a force out.

messersmith had 3 great years for the dodgers in the mid-70's, and despite his final three seasons (all sub-par), he finished his career with a .568 winning percentage (130-99) and an era of 2.86.  pretty darn good.

here's to you andy messersmith, and your 1980 topps card that should have been!