ON-CARD ALL-STAR: 1974 CHRIS SPEIER

On the blog today we go and give San Francisco Giants shortstop Chris Speier a blazing "All-Star" banner on his 1974 base card, as part of my on-going "On-Card All-Star" thread:

 

Speier really started his career in fine form, making the All-Star team three of his first four seasons, even getting some MVP consideration in 1972 after hitting 15 homers with 72 runs batted in with 151 hits at the age of 22.

Though he couldn't keep up the production of his early years in the league, he did eventually put in 19 seasons in the Big Leagues, retiring after the 1989 season with 1759 hits, a .246 batting average and 770 runs scored.

Will always remember that he was a staple of my childhood baseball card packs growing up in the late-70's/early-80's, pulling what seemed to be DOZENS of Chris Speier cards out of packs in 1981 when he was a member of the Montreal Expos.

1975 CHRIS SPEIER: A BEAUTY EVEN WITH THE "SMUDGE"

Here's a card I always loved: Topps 1975 Chris Speier:

What a nice card with a great photo!

But there IS something "off" about it, and that's the strange "smudge" or smokey blob immediately in front of his face-shoulder-bat, obscuring a bit of the background.

What exactly is that?

Strange. My first impression was a film smudge, but it almost looks like the "smudging" stops right when it gets to Speier, as if it's behind him in the photo.

But this card represents to me what the 1975 and 1976 sets were all about: actions shots bursting with border colors of the players I first got into as a kid getting infatuated with the sport.

Just love those sets!

As for Speier, he forged a nice 19-year career spanning 1971 to 1989, playing for the Giants, Expos, Cardinals, Twins and Cubs.

His first five years in the Big Leagues were his best, making three All-Star teams and even getting a bit of M.V.P. support in 1972.

Pretty much a baseball lifer, Speier continued with a Major League career after his playing days in various coaching jobs up until 2012 with the Reds.

He even filled in for Dusty Baker as Manager of Cincinnati when baker fell ill for a spell, eventually finding himself as Special Assistant to G.M. Walt Jocketty.