1977 & 1978 Topps Bob Forsch - a 2-fer?
 

Just noticed that the images on Forsch's 1977 and 1978 cards were snapped in the same session - just thought I'd point this out. Carry on.

Why is that cardinal green on the '78 card.

All of them on COMC are too. Maybe an editing choice for some reason by Topps.

First thing that caught my eye as well.

It's not easy bein' green...
 

FWIW, I checked my '78 Topps set. Like the others, my copy shows Forsch sporting a green Cardinal.

Ironic that the "Cardinals" script at bottom left is also green.

Threw two no hitters. First one was in ‘78. I was 11 years old in bleachers at Busch Stadium with my dad and 9 year old brother. It was awesome.

First thing I thought was that the Cardinals had a Spring game on St. Patrick's Day and changed up their unis for the occasion. But I doubt that was a thing back then as it sometimes is now, and that also would mean that the two cards are not from the same photo shoot, which seems unlikely.

Bob was a neighbor in St Louis. His wife and I served on the Highlands Way HOA. Very nice guy. Joe Magrane was also a neighbor there . Another nice guy. So was Danny Jackson. He was not.

Did any of you happen to look at the other cardinal on his shirt? I don't know about any of you, but that second cardinal sure as heck doesn't look to be the same cardinal, posed in the same way, on both cards. Also, look at the tail of the green cardinal, that sure doesn't look the same as the tail of the red cardinal on the other card.

I understand how the background makes it look like the exact same setting and weather, and thus the idea these photos were taken in the same shoot. But I think he either changed jerseys for some reason during that single photo session, or is it possible this is like a Spring training location and they just happened to take his picture both years at the exact same spot in the training compound/field? Something tells me the latter may be a plausible explanation.

Take this as an opinion - I believe the pictures were taken about three seconds apart .
Fiirst picture before he threw the ball - second picture after he threw it.
The cameraman went from standing to a squatting position to catch the follow through . The lower angle (on the 78 card) eliminated the white van but you can still see the green car and the top of the blue car next to it - The white car on the left was eliminated with cropping .
The small cloud to the left of his cap on the 77 card appears to still be there on the 78 card .
Some kind of print defect makes the 78 cardinal green

You're not insinuating that Topps would use photos from one year on another year's cards, are you??

I just can't go there.

The same cars are in the background.

That’s not me Al😂

You seem to be right. But the cardinals/birds on the front of his uniform in those pictures just look so different to me, and why the obvious change in color to the green cardinal on the later year card? And as others have stated, Topps using a photo from a different year for a card at that time doesn't seem to make sense either. Maybe much earlier from back in the 50's, but why do so in the late 70s? As for the cars looking to be similar, is it at all possible it could be the same staff/employees, parking in the same parking spots, and still driving the same vehicles a year apart? Something just doesn't add up.

Also, in looking more closely at the cars a second time, not so sure you can definitively say they are the exact same cars. The angle and distances are different in the two photos, easily seen by comparing the apparent size of the building in the background, and the location of the streetlight/lamp. In the later year card, you can really only see details for the one vehicle, but because of the somewhat different angle the photos are taken from, there is no way that would be a photo of exactly the same car as the multiple ones shown in the earlier year card photo, at least not to my eyes.

And even if both photos were found to be from the same session, because of the somewhat different angle, and possibly distance as well between the photographer and subject in the two photos, I don't automatically agree with the other posting speculating these photos were taken maybe three seconds apart. Why would the photographer be moving around that much, that quickly, just to get a single shot of a player to put on a baseball card. It wasn't a photo shoot for a glamour mag or anything like that.

If nothing else, an interesting conundrum!

There is a lime green car visible in both photos. Maybe a Mustang or Camaro.

77 and 78 were the years I bought more packs than any other years. I never noticed the green bird until now. It must be airbrushed in, or whatever the correct printing term is.

Have none of the Topps gurus mentioned this before? It would be really cool if someone could find a very rare corrected red bird version.

Perhaps my theory of the lone photographer is wrong , There could have been (gulp) ... TWO photographers !
(one standing one squatting)
There’s also a good chance Keith Hernandez was there spitting on people

Two photographers, now there's a possibility I didn't think of. Could be. Still can't figure out or understand why the green cardinal on the uniform though. What logical explanation could there be for that?

I dunno. Was it an accident or inside joke? Either way, no one is popping up and saying they've always known about the green bird on the 78 Forsch. It seems like Todd discovered it 2 days ago.

Here's a fake hat on Dwyer. I may start a fake hat and helmet thread on here next week.

Pretty far-fetched here but the better photographer tells the lesser photographer to get out of the dang way - so the lesser photographer ducks down to take his shot - of course being the lesser photographer - he needlessly has the Flash on - resulting with a shine/glare on Bob’s face and the..green...bird

Every Forsch has the green bird, including the O Pee Chee cards.

I thought Keith got blamed but it was actually Roger McDowell that did the spitting.

Who knows, right? LOL