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:
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
REVISITING AN OLD BLOG POST FROM OCTOBER, 2014: 1976 "TRADED" REGGIE JACKSON
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
OPC IMAGE VARIATION: 1977 TOMMY SMITH
Monday, November 28, 2022
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:
Sunday, November 27, 2022
CAREER-CAPPER: 1960 ENOS SLAUGHTER
Saturday, November 26, 2022
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:
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.
Friday, November 25, 2022
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.
Thursday, November 24, 2022
1971 BASEBALL'S GREATEST MOMENTS: JIM PALMER 1966 WORLD SERIES SHUTOUT
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
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!
Tuesday, November 22, 2022
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.
Monday, November 21, 2022
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.
Sunday, November 20, 2022
EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1978 A.L. HOME RUNS
Saturday, November 19, 2022
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:
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.
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.
Friday, November 18, 2022
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:
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."
Thursday, November 17, 2022
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:
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.
Wednesday, November 16, 2022
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:
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
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:
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).
Monday, November 14, 2022
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:
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.
Sunday, November 13, 2022
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:
Saturday, November 12, 2022
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:
Friday, November 11, 2022
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:
Thursday, November 10, 2022
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:
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
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:
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.
Tuesday, November 8, 2022
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:
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!
Monday, November 7, 2022
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:
Sunday, November 6, 2022
EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1978 A.L. BATTING
Saturday, November 5, 2022
1970 "IN-GAME ACTION": BOOG POWELL
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!
Friday, November 4, 2022
THEN AND NOW: 1974 SAM McDOWELL
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.
Thursday, November 3, 2022
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:
Wednesday, November 2, 2022
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: