HOUSTON — Many baseball cards of Astros players are worth big bucks. The one featured here is not one of them.
The story behind the photo is priceless, however.
In 1966, The Topps Company issued trading card number 586 of Houston Astros relief pitcher Claude Raymond. The photo shows Claude with his pants unzipped.
It's remarkable that photo was used. It's also remarkable Claude's 1967 Topps card also showed Raymond with his zipper undone.
Did Raymond's pose happen by accident or by design?
Raymond, the first baseball player from Quebec selected to play in a major-league All-Star Game, is now 83 and living in Canada. He told KHOU 11's Jason Bristol what happened.
“It was kind of a joke, because the (Topps) photographer was a real friendly old man from New York," Raymond said. "You know, some of us, we tried to make fun and stuff like that but nothing vulgar."
Claude Raymond posing with his fly open? It’s another strange but true Houston sports story.