1981 Topps Rod Scurry

The front: Second straight Fu-Manchu mustache. This is a more standard pose though.

The back: It’s rare to see even a hint of negativity on one of these write-ups.

The player: Reliever Rod Scurry pitched eight seasons in the major leagues, mostly for the Pirates. His best season was 1982, when he went 4-5 with 14 saves and a 1.74 ERA. Overall in 332 games he went 19-32 with 39 saves and a 3.24 ERA.

The man: The first player directly named in the Pittsburgh Drug Trials, Scurry’s career and then his life were destroyed by cocaine. He died of a cocaine-induced heart attack at the age of 36 in 1992.

My collection: I have 20 of his cards, from 1981 to 1989. I would be interested in trading for 1988 ProCards #779.