1977 dave laroche

dave laroche's 1977 o-pee-chee card is a variation.  here it is, see if you can find the difference:

here's the topps front:

now the o-pee-chee back:

and the topps back:

in the smallest of ways, this is an autograph placement variation.  see how the auto on the o-pee-chee card just touches his shadow, while on the topps card it is slightly above it?  that's the difference.  the only reason i can think of for this change is that o-pee-chee wanted to get the end of laroche's auto out of the black of his stirrup.

laroche did switch teams in 1977, although it was too late for a team variation card.  he was traded to the angels in may of the '77 season, and remained with the halos until just before the start of the 1981 season when they released him.  he signed with the yankees and made it all the way to the world series with them, although they lost to the dodgers that year.  he did make an appearance in the fall classic, though, pitching the last inning in the final game with the dodgers about to clinch the series with a 9-2 lead.  i remember davey lopes being over anxious at the plate, either because he wanted to get the game over with so the celebration could begin, or because he couldn't believe laroche was serving up 'la-lob'.  at any rate, laroche struck lopes out with what had to have been a 35 mph pitch.

voici à vous, 1977 dave laroche!