On
the blog today, we go and do-over a 1975 card for underrated Hall of
Fame outfielder Billy Williams, who saw himself out West after a stellar
career in the "Windy City":
I
wanted a nice Chicago Cubs card for him in the 1975 set, as he played
the last season there in 1974, before heading to the Oakland A's.
I just love the colors on the Cubs version, though as usual, the A's color sheme in this era of Topps was always top notch!
For those that need a refresher on what Topps had out there for "Sweet Swingin' Billy from Whistler", here you go:
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They
did a decent airbrush job in anticipation of his new team, but I'm a
fan of sets reflecting the previous season as opposed to the upcoming
one.
By the time Williams retired after the 1976 season, he finished with 2711 hits, 1410 runs scored,
426 home runs, 1475 runs batted in and a .290 batting average over 2488
games.
Along with his Rookie of the Year in 1961, he was a two-time runner-up to the MVP Award (thanks to Johnny Bench each time) in 1970 and 1972 and a six-time All-Star.
What a career he put together, yet always in the shadows of giants like teammate Ernie Banks, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente.
Nevertheless, though it took him six years of eligibility to make it, he was elected for a rightful place in Cooperstown in 1987 when he received 85.7% of the vote.
Just a great player all around.
Along with his Rookie of the Year in 1961, he was a two-time runner-up to the MVP Award (thanks to Johnny Bench each time) in 1970 and 1972 and a six-time All-Star.
What a career he put together, yet always in the shadows of giants like teammate Ernie Banks, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente.
Nevertheless, though it took him six years of eligibility to make it, he was elected for a rightful place in Cooperstown in 1987 when he received 85.7% of the vote.
Just a great player all around.