For today's "1976 Project" card, we have a guy who was all over the place as far as Topps goes: former catcher Tim Blackwell.
Check out the card first:
Blackwell was actually "missing" from both the 1976 AND 1975 sets (I'll be tackling that one in the future).
The guy posted over 135 plate appearances both seasons, yet Topps
didn't have him on a card until the 1978 set, which is ALSO strange
since in 1977 he only appeared in 17 games, good for only 25 plate
appearances (???).
So weird…
For the 1975 season, (relating to the card here), Blackwell played
in 59 games, good for 157 plate appearances, which saw him hit .197 with
26 hits, 15 runs scored and six runs batted in while filling in for
Carlton Fisk and the Red Sox.
We'd soon get familiar with Blackwell once he took his catching
gear over to Chicago's North-side, along with his "Macho-Man" mustache
that would have made ANY of the guys in the Village People proud.
Blackwell carved out a 10-year career in the Major Leagues, playing
for Boston, Philadelphia, Montreal and the Chicago Cubs, before
retiring after the 1983 season.
