1977 tommy smith

i guess o-pee-chee thought that they could do better with tommy smith's airbrushed image in 1977, and so they chose a completely different photo for this, his 1977 o-pee-chee card:

they also tilted the facsimile autograph

here's the topps front:

o-pee-chee may have done a better job with the trident, but they blew the collar when compared to topps.

now the o-pee-chee back:

pay close attention to that cartoon on the back.  i think i have answered the question about the checklist variations and their cartoons.

and the topps back:

acquired from cleveland in the expansion draft, smith made his mariners debut as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 9th in their 7th game of existence.  he hit a game-tying rbi single off of the twins' dave goltz, sending the game to extra innings where the m's won in 13.  smith hit an rbi pinch hit single against the twins again the next day, this time breaking a 1-1 tie and giving the mariners the lead for good in the 7th inning.  smith got his first start of the season a few days later, and was 1 for 2 in 4 innings of work.

he held a batting average of .350 in the middle of may with limited playing time, but was given only 7 at bats (all hitless) over the remainder of the season.  as it turned out, 1977 was the final big league season of smith's career.

voici à vous, 1977 tommy smith!