REVISITING AN OLD BLOG POST FROM OCTOBER, 2014: 1976 "TRADED" REGGIE JACKSON

Thought it'd be fun for you "newer" blog followers to see an older blog post today, this one from October of 2014, my 1976 "traded" card for uber-star Reggie Jackson:

 

I wanted to try something different from what Topps did for their traded sub-set, a set I was never a fan of.

Since I've always been a sucker for horizontal lay-outs, I tried it with the 1976 template and this is what I came up with.

Here's the original write-up from that post:

"This is my second card (following the 1977 Tom Seaver) in my "Traded" sub-set, creating cards of players that were traded before Topps could get them on the correct team by Opening Day.

As we all know, Reggie was traded by the Oakland A's right around the start of the 1976 season to the Baltimore Orioles.

And even though we were left with what is STILL one of my all-time favorite cards, that '76 card of Reggie would have been nice to have depicted him on the correct team.

There are a lot of really takes on this out there, for sure. Hope you all think this one is an adequate addition to them as well!"

OPC IMAGE VARIATION: 1977 TOMMY SMITH

On the blog today, we look at another OPC image variation from its Topps counterpart, this time the 1977 card for Tommy Smith of the new Seattle Mariners franchise:

OPC Version

Topps Version

 

This situation is uncommon, as both the OPC and Topps cards are airbrushed, leaving us to wonder why OPC even bothered altering another image of the outfielder since it was already done for the Topps set issued earlier in the year.

As a matter of fact the Topps airbrush job is much better, with the collar of the jersey even painted unlike the OPC version which clearly shows signs of the Indians jersey Smith was wearing in the original image.

In November of 1976 Smith would be drafted by the new Seattle Mariners organization as part of the expansion draft, where he would go on to play the last games of his career, 21 to be exact, where he hit .259 with seven hits in 27 at-bats.

In 1976 he’d see the most playing time of his five Major League seasons, appearing in 55 games for the Cleveland Indians, while hitting .256 with 42 hits in 164 at-bats, driving in 12 runs and scoring 17 himself.

All told, Smith played in 121 games in five seasons, hitting .232 with 63 hits, driving in 21 while scoring 28 over 271 at-bats between Cleveland and Seattle.

 

1970 "IN-GAME ACTION": LEE MAY

On the blog today, we take a closer look at my 1970 "In-Game Action" card for former slugger Lee May, from my first series of the special two-series set released earlier this year:

 

You have to wonder what could have been with May, since he was already a feared slugger putting together a very nice career before he was traded to the Astros as part of the Joe Morgan trade before the 1972 season opened up.

Would the "Big Red Machine" have happened? If so, would May's legacy on the diamond have been elevated to the point of true stardom?

He put up big seasons with the Reds, the Astros, and then the Orioles before ending his career after two partial seasons with the Royals in 1982.

His total numbers are very good, especially for a guy who played the bulk of his career in the "dead" late-60's/early-70's: 959 runs, 2031 hits, 354 home runs and 1244 runs batted in.

His last year in Cincinnati, 1971, was killer: 39 homers with 98 R.B.I.'s, 85 runs scored and a .278 average to complement the likes of Pete Rose, Tony Perez and Johnny Bench.

Granted the guy struck out a ton, and his final batting average of .267 leaves a lot to be desired, but it's interesting to wonder "what could have been" with both his career and the legend of the Reds teams of the mid-70's.

CAREER-CAPPER: 1960 ENOS SLAUGHTER

On the blog today, we begin to spotlight my 1960's "career-cappers" from a couple of years ago, a special one-off "pack" that was very fun to create.

The first to get the spotlight, my 1960 capper for Hall of Famer Enos Slaughter, who wrapped up a very nice 19-year career in 1959 with the Milwaukee Braves:

 

Slaughter actually started the season with the New York Yankees, for whom he played since the middle of 1956, before landing in Milwaukee after being selected off wavers in September.

The man was a long way from his star days with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1940's, but was still a useful bat off the bench.

Over 77 games in 1958 he hit .307 with 42 hits in 138 at-bats, while in his final season, he hit only .171 combined, with 20 hits over 117 at-bats in 85 games.

Originally up in 1938, he made a big impact the following season when he hit .320 with a league-leading 52 doubles while collecting 193 hits, driving in 86 while scoring 95.

Over the following three seasons he did more of the same before being called to military duty, missing the 1943 through 1945 seasons as many other stars did, coming back in 1946 without skipping a beat, leading the N.L. with 130 RBIs while hitting .300, scoring a career-best 100 runs and finishing third in the MVP race.

By the time he retired, he finished with 2383 hits in 7946 at-bats, for an even .300 average with 413 doubles, 148 triples and 169 homers, while scoring 1247 runs and driving in 1304, making ten All-Star teams and leaving us to wonder what his final numbers would have been had he played three more full seasons in his prime.

Though it took a while, he finally got his place in the Hall of Fame when selected by the Veteran's Committee in 1985.

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS: SAM McDOWELL

On the blog today, adding the Cleveland Indians flamethrower Sam McDowell to my long-running 1971 "Minor League Days" thread, something I haven't done in a while:

 

McDowell is shown here as a member of the Portland Beavers in 1964, his last stint in the Minors before sticking in the Big Leagues for good, establishing himself as one of the premier strikeout pitchers of the era.

He did not disappoint the Portland fans in his short nine-game tenure with the team, starting nine games, completing seven of them, with five of those games shutouts, going 8-0 with a miniscule 1.18 earned run average over 76 innings, collecting 102 strikeouts! Just dominant!

Once called up he'd continue with his performance, going 11-6 for the Cleveland Indians over 31 appearances, 24 of them starts, posting a very nice 2.70 ERA over 173.1 innings, with two shutouts and 177 strikeouts at only 21 years of age.

Over his 15-year career he was at times unhittable, six times topping 200 strikeouts, two of those seasons saw him top 300.
He’d go on to lead the league in K’s five times during his amazing run between 1965 and 1970, along with a 20-win season in 1970 and a career low 1.81 ERA in the “Year of the Pitcher” 1968.
It’s a shame he only had ten full seasons during his career, seeing as he ended up with 2453 career strikeouts with a 141-134 record and a nice 3.17 ERA.
Once he was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Gaylord Perry after the 1971 season his career went downhill quickly, barely hanging on the final four years before retiring after 1975.
Nevertheless between 1964 and 1971 he was a monster on that mound, striking fear in opposing batters while racking up the K’s and getting named to six all-star teams.

THEN AND NOW: 1976 TONY OLIVA

Today’s blog post has a 1976 “Then and Now” Super Veteran card for three time batting champion Tony Oliva of the Minnesota Twins, who wrapped up a wonderful career that season:

 

Even though Oliva played out the 1976 season as a player-coach, I don't think he officially stated that it would be his last season as an active player.
But Oliva established himself as possibly the second best Twins hitter ever at that point (behind Rod Carew), and would retire with a .304 career average, 220 homers and just under 2000 hits (1917) in his 15 year career.
Oliva was well on his way to the Hall of Fame until injuries derailed his Cooperstown march once he reached his 30's.
He burst onto the Major League scene in 1964 when he easily won the American League Rookie of the Year award.
In that year, all he did was lead the league in batting, hitting .323, while slamming 32 homers with 94 runs batted in. 
He also lead the league in runs scored with 109, hits with 217, doubles with 43 and total bases with 374!
Those numbers also got him a fourth place finish in M.V.P. voting as well.
The following year there was no sign of a sophomore jinx, as he once again lead the lead in batting, this time hitting .321, with 16 homers, 98 R.B.I.'s, 40 doubles and 107 runs scored.
He also lead the league in total hits again, this time with 185.
All told in his career, Oliva would win three batting titles (the third coming in 1971 when he hit .337), and would lead the league in hits five times, slugging once (1971), get named to eight straight all-star teams, and have two second-place finishes for M.V.P., in 1965 and 1970.
I wouldn't say his final numbers warrant a Hall of Fame spot for Oliva. But I'll admit that you can argue a good point for it with the career he left us with, and come 2022 he would be selected for a spot in Cooperstown, which is just fine with me!
When you really take a look, he only had 11 full seasons in the Majors, with the half-season in 1976 and three pretty much non-existent years in 1962, 1963 and 1972. 
So his numbers carry a bit more weight in that light.
And wow, what a great hitting combo he and Rod Carew made for the Twins, huh?!
Nice 1-2 punch right there.

1971 BASEBALL'S GREATEST MOMENTS: JIM PALMER 1966 WORLD SERIES SHUTOUT

Today’s blog post has another addition to my new thread adding to the great 1971 Topps “Baseball’s Greatest Moments” set, this time adding Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer, celebrating his 1966 World Series shutout at the age of 20:

 

The Orioles stunned the baseball world with a four-game sweep of the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, led by a quartet of young pitchers, including the 20-year-old Palmer.

Palmer was facing off against all-world starter Sandy Koufax, who was coming off another incredible season that saw him win 27 games while posting an incredible 1.73 ERA, good enough for an unprecedented third Cy Young Award.

Palmer was up for the challenge, as he would match zero’s with Koufax through the first four innings, until the Dodgers defense allowed Baltimore to break though.

Palmer in the meantime kept tossing zero’s, eventually winning the game 6-0, with a complete game shutout that gave the Orioles a two-games-to-none lead in the Series, straight to the aforementioned sweep and the unlikely championship.

He scattered four hits in the game, while striking out six batters, this nine days short of his 21^st birthday, becoming the youngest pitcher to win a World Series game.

Just a sign of what the young righty was to do on a Big League mound over the next 16 or so seasons, leading straight to Cooperstown and his place as a “Hall of Fame” pitcher.

1975 IN-ACTION: REGGIE SMITH

It’s been a while since I added to my 1975 “In-Action” sub-set, so today I’ll go ahead and post up my card for former slugger Reggie Smith, then of the St. Louis Cardinals:

 

Smith now found himself as a Cardinal after a very nice run in Boston between 1966 and 1973.
During that run he finished second in Rookie of the Year, was an all-star twice, led the league in doubles twice, and led the league in total bases in 1971.
It's easy (and sad) to forget just what a nice career "the other Reggie" put together through the decade.
His first year with the Cardinals was indeed a good one, as Smith would not disappoint by hitting 23 homers with 100 runs batted in, while scoring 79 runs and hitting a robust .309, good enough for an 11th-place finish in the MVP race.
Not only was he a legitimate home run threat (finishing his career with 314), but he hit .300 or better seven times during his run, and even managed to swipe 137 bases as a Major League player.
He'd finish his career with over 1000 runs scored, 1000 runs batted in, 300 homers and 2000 hits.
And let's not forget that he was one of those FOUR Dodger sluggers in 1977 to become the first set of quadruple 30+ homers hitters during the same season.
Definitely an under-appreciated player from the era!

OPC IMAGE VARIATION: 1977 JOSE MORALES

The next OPC image variation we take a look at is the 1977 card for pinch-hitter extraordinaire Jose Morales of the Montreal Expos:

 

Nothing earth-shattering between the two cards, but the OPC edition is indeed slightly nicer, and I suspect more up-to-date, image of Morales.
Never a full-time player, he'd find his groove as a bat off the bench, specializing as a pinch-hitter with some success in the role.
Of course if any of you remember the 1977 set, you’ll remember that Morales set a new Major League record for pinch-hits in a season in 1976 when he collected 25, breaking the record held by Dave Philley and Vic Davalillio, appearing on a “Record Breaker” card in the set.
He would play twelve seasons in the Big Leagues, finishing up with a nice .287 career batting average with 375 hits over 1305 at-bats between 1973 and 1984.

1970 IN-GAME ACTION: JOE TORRE

On the blog today, we take a closer look at my 1970 “In-Game Action” card for Joe Torre, somewhat of an underrated player since his managerial exploits years later gets all the attention:

 

Torre was transitioning from an All-Star catcher to All-Star infielder right about the time this card would have seen the light of day, just completing his first year with the St. Louis Cardinals after playing his first nine years with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves.
Go ahead, take a look at Torre’s playing career, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how good he was.
The Brooklyn-native really did put together a career that gives him a second look as a Hall of Fame player.
It’s easy to forget how he came up as a catcher and had some monster years for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves between 1961 and 1968 before being traded to St. Louis for Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda right before the 1969 season opened.
Five times he would top 100 runs batted in, while topping 200 hits twice, 20 home runs six times and a .300+ batting average five times on his way to career numbers of 1185 RBIs, 2342 hits, 252 homers and a very nice .297 MLB average.
He finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year race in 1961 behind future Hall of Famer Billy Williams, and was named to nine all-star teams over the course of his career.
Of course, once he moved on to managing, particularly when he took over duties with the New York Yankees in 1996, his path to Cooperstown was laid out in front of him, leading the Bronx Bombers to World Series wins four times, including three in a row between 1998-2000, with the ‘98 team considered one of the best teams of all-time, winning 114 regular season games along with 11 more, steam-rolling through the San Diego Padres for a world championship.
Over 29 seasons as a manager, Torre finished with 2326 wins along with a nifty .538 winning percentage. Looking at his Yankee tenure, he finished an incredible 1173 and 767, good for a sparkling .605 percentage, averaging just under 100 wins a season!
So of course, in 2014 he made it into the Hall, being selected by the Veteran’s Committee after a combined 47 years in Major League ball as a player or manager.

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1978 A.L. HOME RUNS

On the blog today, we move on to the American League and their top three home run hitters celebrated on a 1978 “expanded league leader” card, featuring three top-notch batsmen of the era:

 

 

We begin with Boston Red Sox legend Jim Rice, who took home his first home run title that year, pacing the league with 39 homers, which he would follow up the following year with a league-leading 46 on his way to an MVP Award.

Rice would have an insane three-year run between 1977 and 1979, where he would hit 39 or more homers, drive in 100+ RBIs, hit .315 or better, while topping 200 hits each and every year, while also collecting 36 triples while slugging over a combined .600.

The man was a monster at the plate and I was one of many who was happy he finally got his Hall of Fame due when he was elected in 2009.

Tied for second with 37 homers apiece were California Angels Bobby Bonds and New York Yankees Graig Nettles, who were actually just teammates two seasons earlier in 1975.

For Bonds, he fell two homers short of a career-best, which he accomplished while still with the San Francisco Giants in 1973, though he did establish a new career-high with 115 runs batted in while reaching 100+ runs scored for the sixth time.

It was also the fourth of what would be five times he would reach the 30/30 club, as he stole 41 bases to go along with his 37 “jacks”, something he’d do one more time the following season in 1978.

Also in second place with 37 homers, Yankees third baseman Graig Nettles, who established a new career-high after leading the American League with 32 the year before.

For Nettles, he also reached 100+ RBIs for what would be the only time in his long career, with 107, just missing 100 runs scored with 99 for the eventual World Champs, also a career best.

Not a bad threesome slugging their way to the top of the homer chain!

STARS RETIRE: 1973 BILL MAZEROSKI & MAURY WILLS

On the blog today, we have a 1973 "Stars Retire" card featuring Pittsburgh Pirates great Bill Mazeroski and Los Angeles Dodgers speedster Maury Wills:

 

Mazeroski just wrapped up what would turn out to be a 17-year Hall of Fame career, all with the Pirates, that saw him bring home two world championships, one of which he literally won himself on a dramatic series-ending home run against the heavily favored New York Yankees in 1960, and that had him be declared one of the best defensive second basemen the game ever saw.
He topped 2000 hits, took home eight Gold Gloves, and became an instant hero in Pittsburgh after his 1960 heroics in the World Series, all leading to his place in Cooperstown.
Mazeroski turned to coaching right after his career as a player ended, and eventually would become a “special infield instructor” for the Pirates every Spring training to this very day.

Wills closed out an excellent 14-year career, appearing in 71 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers, batting .129 with 17 hits over 132 at-bats with 16 runs scored.
It was a sharp drop-off for the shortstop since he had a very productive season the year before, batting .281 with 73 runs scored and 15 stolen bases along with 169 hits as a 38-year-old.
Of course the pinnacle of his career is the 1962 season where he took home the National league MVP Award after setting the new single-season stolen base record with 104 while collecting 208 hits and 130 runs scored for the Dodgers.
This was right in the middle of a six-year run of leading the league in stolen bases, while also appearing in five all-star games and taking home a couple of Gold Glove Awards.
Overall he retired with a .281 batting average based on 2134 hits in 7588 at-bats with 586 stolen bases and 1067 runs scored in 1942 games.

Two great stars that closed out wonderful Big League careers in 1972!

1971 "BASEBALL'S GREATEST MOMENTS" EXTENSION SET: ROBERTO CLEMENTE

Today's blog post continues on my new thread extending the checklist of my favorite Topps odd-ball set, the 1971 "Baseball's Greatest Moments" rarity, this time adding a card for the great Roberto Clemente:

 

I celebrated his fourth batting title of the decade in 1967, when he paced the league with a .357 average along with his 209 hits.

In November of 1954 the Pittsburgh Pirates made one of the all-time greatest moves when they purchased Clemente in the Rule 5 Draft, having him become one of the greatest, if not THE greatest player in franchise history.  
Clemente's career is the stuff of legend: His fiery play on the field, his good deeds, and his absolute adoration by teammates and fans alike.
On the field Clemente's numbers were incredible: four batting titles, five seasons batting over .340, four 200 hit seasons, 12 all-star nods, 12 Gold Gloves and a Most Valuable Player Award in 1966.
Throw in his 3000 hits, 1416 runs scored and 1305 runs batted in and you see how the man was a lethal threat at the plate.
And a prime example of Clemente's importance to the game was his immediate induction into Cooperstown by special committee in 1973, waiving the standard five-year wait before a player joins the Hall ballot, as well as the establishment of the "Roberto Clemente Award", given every year to the player that exemplified "outstanding baseball playing skills who is personally involved in community work."

OPC IMAGE VARIATION: 1977 BILL SINGER

Today on the blog, we take another look at an OPC image variation from its Topps counterpart, this one the 1977 cards for former pitcher Bill Singer:

OPC issue

Topps issue

 

Definitely an improvement over the Topps airbrush edition, with OPC getting their photos in during Spring Training, giving kids their first cards of proper players in their Toronto Blue Jays uniforms for their inaugural season.

Sadly for Bill Singer though, 1977 was a bad year for him, as he’d go 2-8 with the new organization, posting an ERA at 6.79 over 13 appearances, all but one of them starts.

Consider that his 1976 season was not bad, as he combined to go 13-10 with a 3.69 ERA over 36 starts, with four shutouts split between the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins.
It was a quick decline for a guy who was a two-time 20-game winner, once with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the other with the California Angels, along with three 200+ strikeout seasons, with a high of 247 in 1969 while still in L.A.
His MLB career would end with a record of 118-127, along with a nice 3.39 E.R.A. And 1515 K’s in 322 appearances and 2175 innings pitched.

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1974 DAVE BALDWIN

On the blog today, a career-capping "not so missing" 1974 card for former pitcher Dave Baldwin, who made it back to a Big League mound in 1973 after spending 1971 and 1972 toiling in the Minors:

 

Baldwin appeared in three games for the Chicago White Sox in 1973, this after last pitching in the Majors in 1970 with the Milwaukee Brewers in their first year as a Major League team.

His three appearances in the South Side did not yield a decision, while pitching to a 3.60 earned run average over five innings, with a strikeout and four walks.

Sadly for him it would be his last action as a Big Leaguer, spending all of 1974 in both the White Sox and San Diego Padres Minor League systems.

Overall, in six seasons, he ended up with a record of 6-11 over 176 appearances, most with the Washington Senators between 1966 and 1969, with a very nice 3.08 ERA in 224.2 innings of work, all out of the bullpen, with 23 saves.

REVISITING A BLOG POST FROM NINE YEARS AGO: A 1979 DO-OVER FOR STEVE GARVEY

Thought it'd be fun to revisit an early "do-over" I created for the blog, this one from August of 2013 when I re-imagined Steve Garvey's 1979 card, which irked me since there's a catcher's head in front of "Mr. Clean" in the original. So here goes:

My re-do

As issued by Topps

 

Here's my original write-up for those of you who joined the blog afterwards:

I wasn't the biggest fan of the 1979 set for it's design. There was something about the layout that bothered me big time, even as a kid way back when.
There were also a ton of boring, and I mean BORING photos used that year. Just bland shots that made for a less than desirable set in my eyes. I guess I got spoiled by four straight nice card sets in the 1975-1978 editions.
However, I generally did like a bunch of the all-star cards that year, especially (as written before) the Carew and Brett cards. The Larry Bowa card was another one that stuck with me as well.
There was something about that all-star banner that enhanced even a card that would have been "bleh" without it (like the Don Money card).
Sadly, Topps blew it with their Steve Garvey card that year. Just another one of those boring pictures that was easily forgotten.
Looks like Garvey was in between pitches during an at-bat against the Giants. That's catcher Marc Hill in the forefront.
Ho-hum.
Anyway, I've redesigned the card with a shot of Garvey at the plate, waiting for a pitch. Just a nicer shot of him with some decent color going on. Hope you all agree.
On a side-note: I have to say, I am STILL amazed that Garvey did not garner more support among Hall of Fame voters when he was eligible for induction. Yeah, I've read all the books that detailed who is worthy and who isn't, and how Garvey wasn't as good as his stats make it seem.
But I still have to disagree on his Hall omission. As a kid growing up in the 70's and 80's, Garvey was THE National League first baseman. And the way I saw it, and still do, the player who came to dominate a position during an era of the game should get into the Hall.
I'm sure many of you don't agree, especially with all the "new" stats that are worshiped these days.
But to me, guys like Garvey and Dave Parker are Hall of Famers. They made an impact on the game during their careers that should be honored with a plaque in Cooperstown.
If Jim Rice gets a nod, why not these two?
Anyway, my little rant for today. Take it for what it's worth (really not much, admittedly).

UNISSUED PROOF SPOTLIGHT: 1971 MARV STAEHLE

Up on the blog today, an interesting unissued proof card to take a look at, the 1971 card for former second baseman Marv Staehle:

Unissued proof

As-issued 1971 Topps card

 

Topps did have a version of him with the Montreal Expos, for whom he played in 1969 and 1970, but they had enough time to go ahead an whip up an airbrushed version to accommodate his signing with the Atlanta Braves just as the 1971 season was beginning, on April 3rd.

Staehle, who played the first four years of his Major League career with the Chicago White Sox, made it back to a Big League field in 1969 during the Expos inaugural season, appearing in just six games, collecting seven hits in 17 at-bats for a stellar .412 batting average with four runs scored and a home run.
The following year he would see the most playing time of any of his seven seasons, playing in 104 games and batting .218 with 70 hits over 321 at-bats.
In 1971 he appeared in 22 games, which would be the last of his career, batting .111 with four hits over 36 at-bats while playing some middle-infield.
All told, over those seven seasons as a Big League ballplayer, Staehle hit .207 with 94 hits in 455 at-bats over 185 career games, with 53 runs scored and 33 runs batted in.

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1978 N.L. HOME RUNS

On the blog today, we move on to a 1978 "expanded league leaders" card celebrating the National League's top three home run hitters of 1977, and it's a doozy:

 

Of course we begin with Mr. All-World for 1977, George Foster of the Cincinnati reds, who had himself an MVP year by breaking the 50-home run barrier with 52 bombs, the first time a player reached that milestone since Willie Mays in 1965.

Foster's 1977 season was more than just home runs however, evidenced by his .320 batting average and 197 hits, as well as his league-leading 120 runs scored, 149 runs batted in and 388 total bases.

The man was incredible, taking home his MVP Award a year after finishing in second place behind teammate Joe Morgan in 1976.

He would also add a league-leading 40 homers the following year, while also leading the league in RBIs for a third year in a row with 120, finishing in sixth place for the MVP.

The next two players in the N.L. home run race in 1977 both had the misfortune of having their best Big League seasons the same year Foster took the MLB world by storm, though both players did put together excellent careers.

In second place with a career-best 41 homers, Atlanta Braves slugger Jeff Burroughs, the A.L. MVP just three years earlier.

In 1977 Burroughs gave Braves fans something to cheer about in his first season there, adding 114 RBIs, 91 runs scored and a .271 average to go along with with his 41 homers.

The 91 runs scored were a career-best as well, while the 114 RBIs were four short of his league-leading 1974 total of 118 while with the Texas Rangers.

In third place with 39 bombs, also a career-best, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Greg Luzinski, "The Bull", who has quite a run in the mid-70's.

Luzinski was an absolute BEAST in 1977, driving in 130 runs to go along with his 39 homers, while hitting .309 and scoring 99 himself for the N.L. East champ Phillies, finishing in second place for league MVP for the second time in three years.

It was the third year in a row that he hit .300 or better, which many easily forget about, thinking of him strictly as a power guy along with his teammate Mike Schmidt.

Three top-notch sluggers in the prime of their careers, on one "expanded" league leader card for you to enjoy!

OPC VARIATIONS- 1977 JIM SPENCER

Up on the blog today, we take a look at another OPC image variation from its Topps counterpart, this time the 1977 cards for former first baseman Jim Spencer:

OPC version

Topps version

 

Here's another example of when I definitely preferred the Topps version to the OPC version, where Topps has a nice action shot of Spencer (with a Bill North photobomb!) as opposed to a posed close-up.

Don't really know why there was this image swap to be honest, as they both look like authentic photos as opposed to some airbrushing on the Topps card.

As for Spencer himself, he put in a nice 15-year major League career that saw him take home a Gold Glove twice (1970 & 1977), while showing some "pop" in his bat.

His best season would arguably be the 1979 campaign while with the New York Yankees, acting as a part-time DH and first baseman, hitting 23 homers in 336 at-bats, with 60 runs scored and 53 runs batted in while hitting .288.

He'd play through the 1982 season, finishing up with a season and a half with the Oakland A's, ending up with a .250 batting average with 146 homers and 599 RBIs in 1553 games and 4908 at-bats.

NEGRO BASEBALL LEAGUES ALL-TIME LEGENDS: DICK "CANNONBALL" REDDING

It's been a while since I added to my long-running "Negro Baseball Leagues All-Time Legends" thread, so today we add Dick "Cannonball" Redding:

 

One of the top pitchers of the dead-ball era, Redding was revered for his incredible fastball, he is widely considered to have had THE fastest fastball in Negro League history.

According to legend, he once threw seven no-hitters in a season, and over 30 in his career, though sadly accurate record-keeping was not kept at the time, leaving us to wonder just how incredible his numbers were before he left the game in 1932 after both playing and managing the Bacharach Giants.

What is recorded is a career record of 40-20 as a pitcher, mainly with the Lincoln Giants between 1911 and 1916, though these numbers are also admittedly incomplete.

Nevertheless, he did recieve some attention back in 1952 when the Pittsburgh Courier held their now famous Negro league poll of greatest players ever, while also being selected to the Hall of Fame's "Early Days" ballot in 2021, though failing to gain the necessary votes for induction, some 73 years after his death in 1948.

FANTASY SPECIAL: 1977 SADAHARU OH

Up on the blog today, a special "fantasy" card creation I slipped into my "Series 11" set last month, celebrating the great Japanese baseball legend Sadaharu Oh of the Yomiuri Giants:

 

I used the 1977 template since it was the year he broke Hank Aaron's professional home run record, on his way to 868 over his majestic 22 year playing career.

The man is a GOD in Japan, and rightfully so, topping 100 runs batted in 14 times, 100 runs scored 10 times and 30+ homers 19 times, which he did consecutively including his last year in 1980.

He topped 40 homers 13 times, including 55 in 1964, a Japanese record, then 51 in 1973 and 50 in 1977 when he broke the record to much fanfare.

When you look at his career stats it's like a thing out of a softball league, or some latter Barry Bonds numbers, with on-base-percentages above .500, slugging percentages above .700, and 100+ base on balls year after year, 16 consecutive to be precise, on his way to 2390 by the time he hung them up.

Just a fun angle for the blog to start designing some cards for legends of other leagues around the world, which I hope to continue in the new year.

Oh's final numbers: a .301 average with 2786 hits, 1967 runs scored, 2170 RBIs, 868 homers in 2831 games and 9250 official at-bats.

Just incredible!

UNISSUED PROOF: 1977 ALAN ASHBY

Today on the blog we take a look at another unissued proof card, this the 1977 card for former catcher Alan Ashby, who was one of the "original" 1977 Toronto Blue Jays, coming over from the Cleveland Indians:

Unissued proof

Topps issued card

 

Ashby appeared in 89 games for the Indians in 1976, hitting .239 with 59 hits over 247 at-bats, scoring 26 runs while driving in 32.
After being traded to the Jays from the along with Doug Howard for pitcher Al Fitzmorris in November of 1976, Ashby would go on to put in two seasons for the expansion team before moving on to play for the Houston Astros for the next eleven years.
I never realized that his career took him all the way to the doorsteps of the 1990 decade, finishing up with 22 games for the Astros in 1989 after 17-years as a Major League catcher.
In those 17 seasons he batted .245 while playing in 1370 games, collecting 1010 hits with 90 home runs and 513 runs batted in over 4123 official at-bats. After his baseball career ended as a player he hung around the game as a coach in the Astros system as well as a broadcaster for the Astros in both radio and television.

1970 "IN-GAME ACTION": DENNY McLAIN

On the blog today, we spotlight my 1970 "In-Game Action" card for former Detroit Tigers ace Denny McLain, who was coming off his second straight Cy Young Award in 1969:

 

 

McLain experienced both the highs and the lows of playing in the Big Leagues, reeling off five super seasons between 1965 and 1969, including the aforementioned two Cy Youngs and an MVP, then plummeting in 1970 where he never again found his form, retiring from the game at only 28 years of age after the 1972 campaign.

His 1968 season was the stuff of legend, as he helped the Tigers on their way to a World Championship, with the 24-year old McLain led the way anchoring the staff with an incredible 31-6 record, along with a 1.96 earned run average, 280 strikeouts, six shutouts and completing 28 of 41 starts!
Not only was that good for the Cy Young Award, but he also took home the Most Valuable Player Award as well.
Of course 1968 will forever be known as the “Year of the Pitcher”, but it does not take away from what McLain accomplished.
He would lead the league in wins, winning percentage, complete games and innings pitched that year, and would follow it up with another Cy Young season in 1969 when he posted a 24-9 record along with a 2.80 E.R.A., nine shutouts and 181 strikeouts in 41 starts.
What an amazing run!

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1979 BO McLAUGHLIN

Up on the blog today, we have a "not so missing" 1979 card for former Houston Astros pitcher Bo McLaughlin, who appeared in only a dozen games during the 1978 season:

 

McLaughlin just completed his third year in the Majors, going 0-1 over those 12 games with a 5.01 earned run average, picking up two saves along the way.

He would go on to split the 1979 season between Houston and the Atlanta Braves, appearing in a career-high 49 games, pitching to an ERA of 5.05 over 66 innings, though he did have one start that year.

After spending 1980 in the Minors, he was back in the Big Leagues in 1981, now with the Oakland A's, where he would play his last two seasons, appearing in 32 games total, with two starts, going 0-4 and getting hit hard, picking up a save while striking out 36 batters over 60 innings of work.

All told, he'd finish his six-year career with a record of 10-20 over 156 appearances, starting 21 games and picking up nine saves.

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1978 A.L. BATTING

Moving on here on the blog with my “expanded league leaders” thread, we have the top three hitters of the American League for 1977, represented on an expanded 1978 leader card:

 

 

Of course, we begin with the man of the year that season, the great Rod Carew, who had a season of the ages that year, flirting with the magic .400 number all Summer before finishing with a .388 average, also leading the league with 128 runs scored, 238 hits, 16 triples and a .449 on-base-percentage, making him the clear choice for MVP.

It was the sixth of seven career batting titles for the elite batsman, while it was also the first and only time he’d reach 100 runs batted in, with 100 on the nose for the Minnesota Twins.

Just elite for the era!

Behind him with a .336 average, teammate and up-and-comer Lyman Bostock, who had a wonderful year that saw him collect 199 hits while scoring 104 runs, with 36 doubles, 12 triples and 14 homers while driving in 90 runs.

He would take that production and sign via Free Agency with the California Angels at season’s end, putting in another solid campaign in 1978 when he hit .296 with 168 hits, scoring 74 runs and driving in 71 before being tragically murdered in his hometown of Gary, Indiana as an innocent bystander, being shot sitting in a car, just short of his 28^th birthday.

In only four Major League seasons Bostock hit .311, sadly having that talent taken from us and left to wonder what could have been.

In third place with a .328 batting average in 1977, underappreciated hitter Ken Singleton, one of my favorite baseball “people”, who continually put in solid season after season over his stellar career.

In 1977 he collected 176 hits with 90 runs scored, 24 homers and 99 RBIs, with 107 walks to finish with a very nice .438 on-base-percentage, making his first All-Star team while finishing third in the MVP race.

He would do one better two years later when he finished runner-up to the MVP Award to Don Baylor in 1979 when he set career highs with 35 homers and 111 RBIs, helping the Baltimore Orioles make it all the way to the World Series before they fell to the “We Are Family” Pittsburgh Pirates.

Well, there you go, as we move on to the top three home run hitters of 1977 for the N.L. next week. See you then!

1970 "IN-GAME ACTION": BOOG POWELL

The next card from my recently released two-part 1970 "In-Game Action" custom set to get the spotlight is that of former Baltimore Orioles slugger Boog Powell:

 

 

 

Powell was coming off a great year in 1969, leading to a second-place finish for A.L. MVP with 37 homers, 121 runs batted in and a .304 batting average, the latter two figures being career-bests.

Of course in 1970 he would fare even better, going on to win the MVP Award while helping the Orioles take home the World Championship with a win over the Cincinnati Reds.

He would go on to finish his Major League career with 339 home runs, 1187 runs batted in and a .266 average, while being named to four all-star teams, taking home a Most Valuable Player Award in 1970, and two other top-3 MVP finishes in 1966 and 1969, playing for 17 Major League seasons.
Always a fan-favorite in Baltimore, Boog can still be seen around Camden Yards at his "Boog's Barbeque" restaurant.
And who can forget those awesome Miller Lite commercials in the 1980's!? Those were great!

 

THEN AND NOW: 1974 SAM McDOWELL

The next "super veteran" to get a "Then and Now" card here on the blog, fire-baller Sam McDowell, who posted some incredible seasons with the Cleveland Indians before petering out in the first half of the 1970's:

 

Over his 15-year career he was at times unhittable, six times topping 200 strikeouts, two of those seasons saw him top 300.
He’d go on to lead the league in K’s five times during his amazing run between 1965 and 1970, along with a 20-win season in 1970 and a career low 1.81 ERA in the “Year of the Pitcher” 1968.
It’s a shame he only had ten full seasons during his career, seeing as he ended up with 2453 career strikeouts with a 141-134 record and a nice 3.17 ERA.
Once he was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Gaylord Perry after the 1971 season his career went downhill quickly, barely hanging on the final four years before retiring after 1975.
Nevertheless between 1964 and 1971 he was a monster on that mound, striking fear in opposing batters while racking up the K’s and getting named to six all-star teams.

 

SPECIAL REQUEST: 1970 "RETIREMENT" CARD FOR MICKEY MANTLE

By special request today on the blog, here's a 1970 "retirement" card for the great Mickey mantle, who hung them up just before the 1969 season, breaking the hearts of many a baseball fan across the country:

 

Mantle is one of those guys I really don't think we need to get into as far as his accomplishments on the baseball diamond. It'd be kind of like a joke to start writing about his career since it would take up a book's worth.

But alas, 500+ homers, a bushel of World Championships, three Most Valuable Player Awards, a Triple Crown season in 1956 and the hearts of more fans than we can even imagine to this day.

"The Mick" in all his glory, enshrined in his rightful place in Cooperstown, along with his longtime buddy Whitey Ford in the same HOF class.

Not too bad a Hollywood script...

TURN BACK THE CLOCK: 1975 ROGERS HORNSBY AND HIS SECOND TRIPLE CROWN

Up on the blog today, let's stick to the topic of Triple Crowns in my on-going "Turn Back the Clock" thread and celebrate the great Rogers Hornsby on a 1975 edition, on the 50th anniversary of his second Triple Crown season of 1925:

 

The man was just plain ridiculous at the plate that year, leading the National League with his 39 homers, 143 runs batted in and a cool .403 batting average, his THIRD .400 season in four years!

As stated, he TWICE took home a Triple Crown (in 1922 and 1925), and was the first National League player to hit over 40 homers in a season when he smashed 42 in 1922.

He batted over .400 three times, topped by an astounding .424 average in 1924, and just missed out on another when he hit .397 in 1921.

By the time he retired as a player, he took home seven batting titles, two home run titles, and four RBI titles, along with two MVP Awards and the second highest career average (N.L./A.L.) to this day, at .358.

I have forever been fascinated by his 1922 season, when he scored 141 runs, collected 250 hits, rapped out 46 doubles, 14 triples and 42 homers, drove in 152 runs, and hit an astounding .401 with 450 total bases.

Absolutely absurd and one of the greatest single-season performances the game has ever seen!