A BEAUTY FROM 1979...#340 JIM PALMER

I can't really put my finger on the "why" of it all, but this card has always looked like a masterpiece to me.

The king on the mound, looking in...

Here's Jim Palmer, arguably THE starting pitcher in the American League during the decade, looking like the "all-star" he is on the mound.
I just love the color, the photo that Topps used, and that bright beautiful "all-star" banner across the bottom of the card.
My only gripe would be the big ugly "Topps" logo they decided to slap on their cards that year. Odd since they didn't have any competition in 1979, unlike two years later with Donruss and Fleer.
Regardless, what a great card from my youth! For me, a classic!
As a kid growing up in the 1970's, Palmer was one of those guys that seemed to always be an all-star.
I remember when the 1979 set came out, I was ten years old, and I didn't yet realize that Topps used all the starters from the previous year's all-star game as their "all-stars" on baseball cards.
So of course, I was CONVINCED that the A.L. all-star card for this set would be Ron Guidry, right?
So when I saw THIS card, I was both pissed off AND psyched because I wanted Guidry as an all-star, but loved the way this card looked!
What else can you say about the dominance of Palmer in the '70's?
EIGHT 20-win seasons out of ten, 186 wins, three Cy Young awards, eight years of sub-3.00 E.R.A, and 44 shutouts!
Incredible run if there ever was one...