"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: LEE MAY

The next ballplayer that gets a card in my custom "Classic Baseball" set, the "Big Bopper" Lee May of the Cincinnati Reds:

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.

1960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: A.L. SECOND BASEMAN BOBBY RICHARDSON

Good day all.

On the blog today, my pick for the American League second baseman of the 1960s, and I went with New York Yankee Bobby Richardson:

An often overlooked important cog in the last great Yankee dynasty "hurrah" of the early '60's, Richardson won five Gold Gloves during the decade, as well as finishing second in M.V.P. voting in 1962 behind teammate Mickey Mantle.
As a matter of fact between 1961 and 1965 he garnered M.V.P. consideration each year, and was named to the American League all-star team five times between 1962-1966.
Even though he retired at the young age of 30, Richardson ended up with 1432 hits, leading the A.L. with 209 in 1962.
Little bit of a side note: I remember as a young Don Mattingly fanatic in 1984 that Richardson was being mentioned repeatedly during the season as the last Yankee to attain 200 hits, since it was clear Mattingly was well on his way to that magic number himself while battling teammate Dave Winfield for the batting title.

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS: LEGENDS EDITION- WHITEY FORD

Up on the blog today, we go and add New York Yankees great Whitey Ford to my long-running "Minor League Days: Legends Edition" set, one that I have hopes of printing up later this year:

Here we see Ford suited up with the Binghamton Triplets in A-Ball as a nineteen-year-old, a brilliant season which will see him go 16-5 over 26 games, sporting a microscopic 1.61 earned run average over 168 innings.

The following year he'll jump all the way to Triple-A for half the year, before making the Big Leagues, where he would stay through the 1967 season before retiring at the age of 38.

What else needs to be said about quite possibly the greatest Yankee pitcher of all?

Cy Young winner in 1961, winner of 236 games against only 106 losses (a nifty .690 winning percentage), a 2.75 career earned run average, and a member of six world championship clubs.

He led the league in wins three times, winning percentage three times, ERA twice, shutouts twice, and was named to eight all-star teams during his 16-year career.

His 10 World Series wins (along with his eight losses) are Major League high marks to this day, and who knows how much more he could have padded all of his numbers had he not lost two seasons to the military in 1951 and 1952!

When the Hall of Fame came calling he was inducted on his first try, getting named to 284 of 365 ballots in 1974.

Obviously there's so much more to get into with Whitey, but I could end up writing a book here if I did, so I'll leave it up to the Wikipedia's out there to fill anyone in who wants to learn more.

I only wish Ford didn't try to hang on those last couple of years in 1966 and 1967, when he went a combined 4-9, thus eliminating the chance of him being only the second pitcher to this day to retire with 200+ wins and LESS than 100 losses (the other being 19th-century pitcher Bob Caruthers, who finished at 218-99 between 1884-1893).

Oh well, I know I'm nitpicking here…It's the nerd in me I guess.

969 "DO-OVER" SET: KEN HARRELSON

Today's blog post spotlights my 1969 do-over for Ken Harrelson, from my recent custom set, replacing the comically old image used by Topps on his original card:

If you remember the original, Harrelson was clearly still in a Kansas City A's uniform, a team he hadn't played for since 1967.

The rescuing of images was common for Topps during this era, as they were embroiled in a licensing squabble with the MLBPA at the time.

Harrelson was coming off his finest season in the Majors when this card would have seen the light of day, leading the American League with 109 runs batted in while slugging 35 homers for the Boston Red Sox, good for a third place finish in the MVP race when all was said and done.

He finished his nine-year MLB career with 131 homers, 421 RBIs and 374 runs scored over 900 games and only 2941 at-bats.
Of course, Harrelson is truly remembered by all fans as a broadcaster, something he has done for over 40 years with a General Manager break in the mid-80’s with the Chicago White Sox.
A true baseball character, the out-spoken Harrelson has had quite the interesting career in baseball, as a player and broadcaster, leading to some funny and sometimes controversial moments.
Worth a quick read-up if you have a minute and are not familiar.

WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: NOLAN RYAN

Up on the blog today, we post up my Nolan Ryan mini "Gum Pack" custom card, from my set released a few months back:

Just a fun set to design and release, using a fun packaging idea that came to me one day as I was in the candy/gum aisle of a super market.

What really needs to be said about a guy who has become more myth than baseball legend?

300+ wins, 5700+ strikeouts, 60+ shutouts, and oh yeah SEVEN no-hitters, two of which came when he was well into his 40’s while with the Texas Rangers!

I love thinking about the fact that he did most of his damage in the American League with the designated hitter. Now imagine how many strikeouts he could have had in his prime pitching in the National League where the pitcher batted?!

Would it be safe to say you could add 20-30 strikeouts a season to his total? More?

Hey, you never know…

Nevertheless, the man became a baseball God, eventually finding his place in the Hall of Fame upon his first year of eligibility as an absolute no-brainer.

I just thank the skies above that I got to see him pitch in-person!

REVISITING A 10-YEAR-OLD POST: 1974 FANTASY ROOKIE CARD

On the blog today, we revisit a 10-year-old blog post featuring a fantasy multi-player 1974 rookie card that would have been quite the doozy had it really been out there:

Not a bad group of young ballplayers right here!

Here's the original write-up for it:

"Now here's a card that would have been nice to pull out of a pack! (Even though I am admittedly NOT a fan of the "multi-player" rookie cards).

Like I previously did with the 1978 dream rookie card with Ozzie Smith, Paul Molitor, Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell, I couldn't resist designing a 1974 "Rookie Infielders" card with Robin Yount and George Brett.

Now it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility to have the two future Hall of Famers appear on one of those multi-player rookie cards in the '74 set.

But I DO understand why Topps didn't give them a look at the time.

I took an already existing card (#604) and replaced Terry Hughes and John Knox (sorry guys!) with Brett and Yount.

Teamed up with two other future solid major leaguers in Andre Thornton and Frank White, and this card would have been a killer at the card shows of the late 1980's when the rookie-card explosion happened.

Thankfully, because of the wonderful world of Photoshop, we can all go ahead and "fix" these so many years later."

 

OPC IMAGE VARIATION: 1977 BILL GRIEF

Good day all.

On the blog today, we take a closer look at another image variation between OPC and Topps, this one of pitcher Bill Grief and his 1977 cards:

OPC VERSION

TOPPS VERSION

While Topps had their airbrushed beauty out there for kids to rip, OPC put out a nice up to date portrait shot.

Turns out he would be released by Montreal just before the 1977 season started after getting traded there in a multi-player deal in November of the previous year.
For his career, Greif started off with seven games with the Houston Astros in 1971, going 1-1 before moving on the to team he’d play most of his Big League tenure for, the San Diego Padres.
Beginning in 1972, Greif would put in just over four season with San Diego, starting the first three before being moved to the bullpen in 1975.
His best year would be 1973 when he would go 10-17 on a hard-luck Padre team, pitching to a nice 3.21 earned run average over 36 appearances, 31 of them starts, tossing three shutouts while striking out 120 batters.
By the time he was done, he finished his career with a record of 31-67 over 231 appearances, with a 4.41 ERA in 715.2 innings, with five shutouts and 19 saves between 1971 and 1976.

 

1960S "IN-ACTION": 1963 FLEER EDDIE MATHEWS

Today on the blog we have the last card to be profiled here on the blog from my recent "1960s In-Action" set, this one being the "bonus" 1963 Fleer Eddie Mathews edition:

Just a fun template to use for an "In-Action" card for the all-time great third baseman for the Braves, whether it was Boston, Milwaukee or Atlanta.

Mathews was a beast at the plate, hitting 30 or more homers in a season ten times during his career, with four of those seasons totaling over 40.
He’d also drive in over 100 runs five times and score over 100 eight times while topping a .300 batting average on three occasions while leading the National League in walks four times, homers twice, and getting named to nine all-star teams.
Twice a runner-up in Most Valuable Player voting, he played for the Braves from Boston, to Milwaukee and their inaugural season in Atlanta in 1966, the only player to do so.
By the time he finished his stellar career Mathews collected 512 homers, 1453 runs batted in, 1509 runs scored and a .271 average along 1444 walks and a .509 slugging average.
Until a guy by the name of Mike Schmidt came along, he was THE power-hitting third baseman in the game's long history.

Incredibly overlooked these days!

1960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: N.L. SECOND BASEMAN PETE ROSE

Today's blog post has my pick for the National league second baseman of the 1960s, and I went with "Charlie Hustle", Pete Rose:

By the time the 1960s came to an end, Rose had two batting titles under is belt, a Rookie of the Year Award in 1963, four 200-hit seasons and four All-Star nods.

Now I do realize that Rose played only four years at the position before switching over to the outfield by the end of the decade, but really, besides Bill Mazeroski, there was a sort of revolving door of second base all-stars throughout the 60's like Felix Milan, Ron Hunt, Frank Bolling, even a young Joe Morgan for a year.
So I went with Rose and his Rookie of the Year, two 200-hit seasons, and two top-10 M.V.P. finishes in 1965 and 1966 before he made the position switch.

The man was great no matter where he played!

 

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1978 SPARKY ANDERSON

Good day everyone!

Up on the blog today, we have the "missing" 1978 N.L. All-Star manager card, and for the second year in a row it is Cincinnati Reds skipper Sparky Anderson, who guided the "Big Red Machine" to a second straight World Series victory in 1976 over the New York Yankees:

After a phenomenal 108 win season in 1975 that saw them march to a title over the Boston red Sox, the Reds kept on winning, taking home 102 victories the following year before disposing of the Yankees in four straight.

For Anderson, it was his fourth first-place finish in five years, with only a second place finish in 1974 the only "blemish".

In the All-Star game, the national league beat the American league once again, this time winning 7-1 as they pounced on starter Mark Fidrych for two runs in the first two innings before touching Catfish Hunter for two more runs in the third and then three runs to break it wide open in the eighth off Frank Tanana.

Anderson would go down as one of the greatest managers in Major League history, moving on to the Detroit Tigers in 1979, where he would go on to manage 17 years, giving him a combined 26 years of Big League managing, even taking home another title with that great 1984 Tiger team that was in first "wire-to-wire", winning 104 games before beating the San Diego Padres in the World Series.

All told the man won 2194 games as a manager, finishing with a .545 winning percentage, three titles, 5 pennants, and of course a Hall of Fame induction in 2000.

Legend, and perpetually looking like an "old man" even when he was in his 30's!

 

1960'S CAREER-CAPPERS INSERTS: SANDY KOUFAX

Good day all.

Today's blog post has my Sandy Koufax special insert that was part of my "1960s Career-Cappers" set released a few years ago, one of the more popular custom sets I've created over the years:

Koufax was unstoppable yet again in 1966, posting an incredible 27-9 record along with a 1.72 earned run average and 317 strikeouts in 41 starts, along with five shutouts and 27 complete games, before shocking the world with his premature retirement because of arm problems.
Along with an easy Cy Young Award, giving him an unprecedented third such claim to baseball’s top pitching prize, he finished second to the Pirates’ Roberto Clemente for league MVP.
It was the fifth season in a row that Koufax overpowered National League batters, leading the league in ERA each and every time, along with THREE 25+ win & 300+ strikeout campaigns.
But sadly and shockingly, Koufax would have to retire at the top of his game because of the aforementioned recurring arm problems that could have left him without the use of his left arm the rest of his life.
Rather than suffer long-term injury, Koufax left the game and many of us to wonder so many “what-if’s” had he been able to continue on into the 1970’s.

Easily the youngest player in this set who retired during the decade of the 1960s, he still produced enough legendary moments in his career to leave a lasting legacy as one of the great pitchers in the sport's history.

WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: ROBERTO CLEMENTE

Good day all!

On the blogtoday, my fun Roberto Clemente mini card from my recent custom card set packaged like a pack of gum, released a few months ago:

Again, I just wanted to create a fun little mini set using the idea of a pack of gum.

As for the man himself, 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.

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."

The man was truly something else, and I'm not even thinking of his baseball prowess.

Just special...

 

OPC IMAGE VARIATION: 1977 MANNY SANGUILLEN

In a Topps decade that gave us many memorable airbrushed "masterpieces", today we take a closer look at TWO such gems, which happen to be of the same player for both his 1977 Topps and OPC cards, those of All-Star catcher Manny Sanguillen:

OPC version

Topps version

These are just tremendous! In all their wonderful dayglo green for us kids to pull out of packs, whether here in the States or up North in Canada.

This was a rare moment where both companies scrambled to get the player in the updated uniform, in this case Sanguillen with the Oakland A's after the odd trade that had the catcher traded along with $100,000 to Oakland for their manager, Chuck Tanner on November 5th, 1976.

Sanguillen really gets overlooked when it comes to how well he played during his 13-year career, all but 1977 spent with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This was a catcher who hit over .300 four times, with a high of .328 in 1975, while also topping .280 another four times, before retiring with a robust .296 career average.

I personally think he may have been ripped off a Rookie of the Year in 1969 when he hit .303 with 62 runs scored and 57 runs batted in as a rookie catcher, losing to the Dodgers Ted Sizemore (a STRONG argument can also be made for Sanguillen's teammate Al Oliver, who also could have won).

He was named to three all-star teams, and even garnered some MVP support in 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1975 as a member of the Bucs.

A very nice career for a solid catcher during the 1970's who gets forgotten among the Benchs, Fisks, Munsons and Simmons of the Majors…

 

1969 "DO-OVER" SET: JOE MORGAN

Good day everyone!

On the blog today, we spotlight my 1969 "redo" for the great Joe Morgan, from my recent "1969 Gimmie a Do-Over" set from a few months back:

Just a nice image of the great second baseman that wasn't a reused image like Topps had out there way back when!

For Mr. Morgan, the man was just beginning a run that would send him straight to the Hall of Fame, still with his original team before eventually helping to build a juggernaut of a team forever known as the "Big Red Machine" when he was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds before the 1972 season in a blockbuster trade.

Those Reds teams would win two straight World Series in 1975 and 1976, and field teams with the likes of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, George Foster and Ken Griffey Sr.

By the time he retired after the 1984 season at the age of 40, he finished with two MVP Awards, 10 All-Star nods, five Gold Gloves, 2517 hits, 1650 runs scored, 268 homers and a cool 689 stolen bases with 1865 walks.
One of the all-timers right there at second base!

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS: LEGENDS EDITION- TY COBB

The next baseball legend to get a card in my "Minor League Days: Legends Edition" set, the "Georgia Peach, Ty Cobb, arguably the greatest hitter of them all:

Here we see a young Cobb as a member of the Augusta Tourists of the South Atlantic League in either 1904 or 1905, just a teenager ready to set the baseball world on fire before he was through.

Records are sparse, but it seems he hit .237 and .326 in his two partial seasons playing there before making the jump to the Majors in 1905.

Basically all the man did between the foul lines one he did hit the Big Leagues was win 12 batting titles, reach 200 hits in a season nine times, hit .366 for his entire career, a triple crown in 1909, score over 2200 runs, hit over 720 doubles, just under 300 triples, and even drove in 1938 runs during the dead-ball era! Oh, and let's not forget the 897 stolen bases!
It's even funny to think that it's so easy to overlook the fact that Cobb also led the league in slugging eight times!
It's Ty Cobb for pete's sake!
The man was incredible, and it is somewhat understandable that he became bitter when Babe Ruth came along and put the offensive focus on power as opposed to "small ball", almost erasing all appreciation for those "intangibles" that Cobb was famous for.

But it is also tragic that he was portrayed in such a negative light by Al Stump, and believed by so many years later, unjustly so, as we are learning more and more that he was NOT the beast he was said to have been when he was alive.

Rest in Peace Ty Cobb!

 

1960'S CAREER-CAPPERS INSERTS: NELLIE FOX

Up on the blog today, my Nellie Fox special insert from my "1960s Career-Cappers" set released a few years ago:

Fox put together a brilliant Major League career, first as a Hall of Fame second baseman mainly for the Chicago White Sox, then as a coach later on, a true baseball life before sadly passing away at the young age of 47 in 1975.
He led the AL in hits four times in the 1950’s, and of course would lead the Chicago White Sox to the 1959 World Series, taking home the league’s MVP Award for his efforts.
By the time he retired as a player after two years with the Houston Astros in 1964-65, he finished with 2663 hits and a .288 batting average, with twelve all-star nods and three Gold Gloves.
Defensively, it’s incredible to see he led the American League in putouts every single season between 1952 and 1961, while leading the league’s second basemen in fielding percentage six times, double-plays five times and assists six times.
In 1997, the Veteran’s Committee selected Fox for the Hall of Fame, joining former teammates Luis Aparicio and Early Wynn from that 1959 pennant winning team.

1960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: A.L. FIRST BASEMAN HARMON KILLEBREW

Up on the blog today, my pick for the American League first baseman of the 1960s, Minnesota Twins legend Harmon Killebrew, powerhouse slugger who would homer his way to the Hall of Fame:

First off, I will state right now that I do realize that he didn't play solely first base throughout the decade of the 1960's.

Killebrew also had periods where he played in the outfield and third base regularly. But I felt that of the guys who DID play solely first base in 1960's, Killebrew STILL had a better run during his stint at first base.

What a monster he was during the '60's!

In the 10-years from 1960 and 1969, he posted eight seasons of 30+ home runs, with SIX of those years over 40!

He capped off the decade with an M.V.P. in 1969, with another four seasons where he finished in the top-5 in voting.

All told, he was an all-star eight out of ten years in the 1960's, and led the American League in homers five times, runs batted in twice, and walks three times.

Playing for Washington, Minnesota and a final season in Kansas City between 1954 and 1975, Killebrew mashed 573 home runs to go along with 1584 R.B.I.'s, winning an M.V.P. award along the way in 1969 while finishing in the top five in voting five other seasons.
In 1984 he was inducted in the Hall of Fame, capping off a stellar career that sometimes gets lost among the Mantles, Mays, Clementes and Aarons that were garnering all the attention in the same era.

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: JIM BUNNING

Today on the blog, we add Hall of Fame pitcher and future United States Senator Jim Bunning to my custom "Classic Baseball" set, which I hope to have released later this year as part of an ambitious 100+ card set:

As a baseball player Bunning put in 17-years of all-star play, winning 20 games once, but putting together four 19-win seasons along with three 17-win seasons, while leading his league in strikeouts three times and shutouts twice.
The seven-time all-star threw a no-hitter in each league, with his National League no-no a perfect game against the New York Mets in 1964.
He also won 100-games in each league, becoming the first to do so since the great Cy Young at the beginning of the 20th Century.

But I would love to mention one more time how this guy's career record is deceptive (224-184), as he posted multiple no-hitters, the aforementioned 100 wins as well as 1000 strikeouts in BOTH leagues before it became somewhat more frequent with the growth player movement from team to team, league to league.

Also, at the time of his retirement after the '71 season he was second all-time in Major League history with his 2855 strikeouts.

In 1996, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining contemporaries such as Juan Marichal, Sandy Koufax and Whitey Ford.
By then he was already a Representative of Kentucky’s 4th District  for nine years before becoming a State Senator in 1999, a position he would hold until January 2011.
A great life to say the least. Though I like to think of it as incredible actually. To do any ONE of these things he accomplished is a life’s great achievement, and Bunning did them all.
Amazing man.

REVISITING A 10-YEAR OLD POST: MISSING 1973 ART KUSNYER

Hello all!

On the blog today, revisiting one of my early "missing" player cards from the blog, a 1973 "missing in action" card for catcher Art Kusnyer, whom I would create a few more missing cards through the 1970s before I was done:

Here's the original write-up from that post, dating April 19th, 2014:

Today's "missing" Topps card from the 1970's features a player who did appear on a multi-player rookie card in 1972, but was left out of the 1973 set even after some decent playing time the year before: Angels catcher Art Kusnyer.

Kusnyer was yet another of those players I read about in a SABR article that spoke of guys who posted the most career at-bats or innings pitched who were not represented on a Topps card (in this case, a card of their own).

Kusnyer came up for a cup-of-coffee in 1970 with the White Sox after getting picked in the 37th round of the 1966 amateur draft.

After four games and ten at-bats with Chicago in 1970, he was traded to California in March of 1971 for a couple of minor players, appearing in only six games for the season.

However 1972 would fare much better for the young catcher, as he would go on to play in a career high 64 games, good for 198 plate appearances.

For the year he batted .207, getting 37 hits in 179 at-bats with two doubles, a triple and two homers.

However this wasn't enough to get him more playing time the following season, as the Angels already had Jeff Torborg and John Stephenson ahead of him in the depth chart for the position, so all Kusnyer would see as far as playing time in 1973 would be 41 games, good for 67 plate appearances and an anemic .125 batting average.

However, not all was a lost-cause for the youngster, as on July 15th of that year Kusnyer would have perhaps the biggest thrill of his Big League career, catching Nolan Ryan's second career no-hitter against the Detroit Tigers at Tiger Stadium.

But when 1974 rolled around, Kusnyer found himself struggling to find a spot for himself in the Milwaukee Brewers organization after being traded by California in October of 1973 in a nine-player swap between the two clubs.

He'd end up toiling in the Minors for the next two seasons before finding his way back into a Major League game in 1976, getting into 15 games for the Brewers, hitting .118 on four hits in 34 at-bats.

His last hurrah on the Major League level would be in 1978 with the Kansas City Royals, playing in nine games and getting three hits in 13 at-bats, good for a .231 average.

He'd scratch out another season of Minor League ball for the White Sox in 1979 before calling it a career and eventually moving into coaching work for the Sox and the Oakland A's over the next 28 years.

Nevertheless, here's yet another "missing" piece to total representation for those of us that want players who saw enough playing time in a season to get a card along the way.

 

WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: ROD CAREW

Good day all.

On the blog today, for fun, my mini "Gum Pack" custom of Rod Carew, from my recent custom set released a few months back:

 

Just a fun little set to create and get out there in the collecting world!

I just took the uber-stars of the game in that era and put together a specially packaged set to add to the WTHBALLS roster, akin to the original sets I created back in 2018-2019.

As for Carew, the man was a player for the ages, as he would go on to play in 18 All-Star games, missing only his final season in the Majors in 1985. Just incredible.

The first nine seasons of his career were as an All-Star second baseman, while the last nine were as a first baseman.

The man topped .300 15 years in a row, with a high of .388 in 1977 on his way to a Most Valuable Player Award and capturing the public’s attention with his .400 chase late in the season.
A clear-cut Hall of Fame player, he was inducted on his first year of eligibility in 1991 when he garnered 90.5% of the vote, which leaves me with the question: who the hell are the 9.5% who DIDN’T vote for him!!!???

3053 hits, a .328 career average, 353 stolen bases and 15 straight seasons of .300+ batting.

The man was a hitting machine, and I'm so glad I got to see him play during his magnificent career!

 

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1978 BILLY MARTIN

Today's blog post has a "missing" All-Star manager card for the man who led the A.L. in the 1977 "Midsummer Classic", Billy Martin of the New York Yankees:

Martin brought the Yankees back to Postseason Glory in 1976 before losing to the juggernaut "Big Red Machine" Cincinnati Reds in the World Series.

That 97 win season got him the manager role in the 1977 game, something he would repeat in 1978 as he would finally guide a team to a World Championship.

Martin was a winner wherever he managed. Just look it up!

He began his managerial career in 1969 with the Minnesota Twins and took them straight to the Playoffs, guiding the team to a first place finish with a 97-65 record.
He would move on to Detroit, and would take them to a first place finish by his second year in 1972 with a record of 86-70.
He’d move on to the Texas Rangers and they’d have their first successful season in 1974, albeit a second place finish behind league MVP Jeff Burroughs and ace Fergie Jenkins, then of course he would move on to the New York Yankees, where the “Bronx Zoo” was in full swing, eventually bringing Martin a World Championship in 1977.
He’d move on to the Oakland A’s where “Billy-Ball” was in full effect, losing to the Yankees in the Championship Series while burning through every arm on his pitching staff with overuse.
Then finally, there was the back-and-forth period between he and the Yankees, specifically owner George Steinbrenner, where he managed in 1983, 1985 and finally 1988, almost a comedic show of hiring and firing that really was an embarrassment to us Yankee fans of the era.
Nevertheless, Martin was a winner, though one with a temper at that, leaving the game with a .553 winning percentage and over 1200 wins.
Should he be in the Hall of Fame?
I do think so more for his personality than anything else. As a symbol of the wild 1970’s with his managerial style a'la Earl Weaver, arguing and fighting his way through each season.
Rest in Peace Billy, you are missed.

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: BROOKS ROBINSON

Today we add the great Brooks Robinson, perhaps the greatest fielding third baseman of them all, to my custom "Classic Baseball" set, which I hope to produce later this year, using iconic clean photography of some of the game's all-time greats over the decades:

In 1958 he’d play his first full season in the Big Leagues, and it was all cruise control from there, as the great third baseman would go on to grab 16 Gold Gloves, an MVP Award in 1964, appear in 15 All-Star games, and help guide the Baltimore Orioles to two Championships and four A.L. Pennants.
By the time he hung up that golden glove after the 1977 season, he finished with 2848 hits, 1357 runs batted in, 268 home runs and 1232 runs scored in 2896 games.
Needless to say, by the time Cooperstown came calling, he was voted in on his first try, receiving 92% support in 1983.

 

NEW SISTER BLOG SITE FOR WTHBALLS PRINTED CARDS/SETS!

Hello everyone!

If you haven't noticed the new link on this blog yet at the top right, I have finally gotten around to building a dedicated blog/site solely for PRINTED WTHBALLS custom cards/sets released over the years!

Still more cards and sets to add, along with a downloadable checklist/spreadsheet, but check out what I have so far. Follow me please!:

https://wthballsprintedcustomcards.blogspot.com

I really do appreciate those of you who have pushed me to get this done to help everyone have a complete list of all that I have produced.

Thank you all for the continued support and interest!

Gio

WTHBALLS SERIES 16 CUSTOM NOW AVAILABLE!

 

 

It's that time again!

The newest WTHBALLS custom set is here, and it's the "SERIES 16" set!

As usual, this features 15 cards, but as with past few series sets, there will be a fun bonus card instead of the glossy insert, this time a 1971 "Topps Rookie All-Star" card of Thurman Munson based off the never-released prototype set recently profiled on the blog.
As usual, the sets come wrapped inside a "WTHBALLS" wrapper like the other "Series" set packs from the past.

I'm happy to announce that the new "packs" are $12 each plus $4.50 postage, as I have found a new printer out West that had better pricing, and to be honest, nicer quality card stock as you will all see!

And as usual, if you buy more than one set, postage always stays the same at $4.50.

SPOILER ALERT! See photos attached for the cards in this set.
My paypal is the usual: slogun23@gmail.com
Thank you all for the continued support and interest!

1960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: N.L. FIRST BASEMAN WILLIE McCOVEY

Good day all!

On the blog today, my pick for the National league's first baseman of the 1960's, and I went with Hall of Fame slugger Willie McCovey:

McCovey, who did also see a significant amount of time over in the outfield between 1962 and 1964, put in just enough time at the first base position to get my pick for the decade honor.

All he did was lay down the foundation for a future Hall of Fame induction, leading the league in homers three times, runs batted in twice, slugging three twice, and also capping off the decade with an M.V.P. award in 1969.

He was so feared at the plate, that even in a line-up that featured other hitters like Willie Mays and Bobby Bonds, he was intentionally walked 45 times in 1969, setting the Major League record at the time (later obliterated by Barry Bonds decades later).

A Rookie of the Year in 1959, M.V.P. in 1969, and six-time all-star, "Stretch" was part of an incredible slugging trio during his early days in San Francisco, teaming up with two other future Hall of Famers, Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda.

By the time he retired in 1980, he crushed 521 home runs, collected over 2000 hits, drove in over 1500, and left his mark as one of the most feared sluggers of his generation.

In 1986, his first year of eligibility, he was voted into the Hall of Fame with 81.4% of the ballots cast.

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1977 DARRELL JOHNSON

Up on the blog today, my "missing" 1977 All-Star manager, which is former Boston Red Sox manager Darrell Johnson, who led the Junior Circuit in the 1976 "Midsummer Classic" because of his pennant winning 1975 season:

Funny enough, we'll all remember that Johnson was shown as the very first manager in Seattle Mariner history on that special manager/coach card in the 1977 set.

After his A.L. Championship season of 1975, which saw the Red Sox lose to the juggernaut Cincinnati Reds "Big Red Machine" team in the World Series, Johnson came back to manage the Sox the following year, only to be let go after 86 games, which had the team under .500 at 41-45.

That was just after the All-Star game, so he did hang around long enough to be at the helm of the A.L. in the game, which the N.L. won 7-1.

He would then go on to manage the new Mariner team for the first three full seasons between 1977 and 1979 before being let go after a 39-65 start to the 1980 season.

He'd be back managing a Big League team in 1982, taking over the Texas Rangers after Don Zimmer was let go after a 38-58 start, with Johnson not doing much better, going 26-40 the rest of the way.

That would be it for the man as a manager, though he could be considered a baseball lifer, entering pro-ball in 1949 before putting in parts of six seasons as a Major League catcher between 1952 and 1962, then getting into coaching and managing later on.

1969 "DO-OVER" SET: JIM BUNNING

Today on the blog, we spotlight my "do-over" for Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning and his 1969 card, from my custom 1969 "Gimmie-A-Do Over" set released a few months ago:

Really happy to finally "fix" a bunch of the cards from my birth-year set that saw Topps reuse images from previous years, or use an image that was terribly outdated due to a licensing issue with the MLBPA.

As a baseball player he put in 17-years of all-star play, winning 20 games once, but putting together four 19-win seasons along with three 17-win seasons, while leading his league in strikeouts three times and shutouts twice.
The seven-time all-star threw a no-hitter in each league, with his National League no-no a perfect game against the New York Mets in 1964.
He also won 100-games in each league, becoming the first to do so since the great Cy Young at the beginning of the 20th Century.
In 1996, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining contemporaries such as Juan Marichal, Sandy Koufax and Whitey Ford.
By then he was already a Representative of Kentucky’s 4th District  for nine years before becoming a State Senator in 1999, a position he would hold until January 2011.
A great life to say the least. Though I like to think of it as incredible actually. To do any ONE of these things he accomplished is a life’s great achievement, and Bunning did them all.
Amazing man.

WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: REGGIE JACKSON

Good day everyone.

On the blog today, my Reggie Jackson mini-card from my recent custom "Gum Pack" set, released in unique packaging:

 

Just a fun little set I worked on between "regular" releases to keep things interesting!

Truly one of the eternal icons of the game, the man was just destined for baseball greatness since his days at Cheltenham High School in Pennsylvania.
Recruited by pro teams and colleges alike, he went on to Arizona State where he was actually on a football scholarship.
Of course we all know the story of the 1966 amateur draft, where the New York Mets held the #1 pick, and opted for high school catcher Steve Chilcott instead of who many considered the true #1 overall amateur, Jackson.
With the second pick, the Kansas City Athletics (later Oakland) picked the slugger and the rest is history, as he would eventually lead the organization to three straight championships between 1972-1974 before being traded in a blockbuster to the Baltimore Orioles where he’d play for one season in 1976.
As a highly coveted free agent before the 1977 season, Jackson signed with the New York Yankees, and with Reggie in NYC, the legend exploded as he helped the Yankees to two championships in 1977-78.
With his larger than life persona, New York ate it up and before you knew it, he was known around the world, even getting his own candy-bar by the end of the decade.
For a kid like me growing up in Brooklyn in the ‘70’s, Reggie was like a God, larger than life, and before he finished up his career in 1987, putting in 21 seasons, he would put together a Hall of Fame career with 563 homers, 1702 runs batted in, an MVP Award in 1973, and five championships.
Add to that 14 all-star nods, four home run titles, a legendary homer in the 1971 All-Star Game against Dock Ellis, his 1977 World Series performance, and you can see why he goes down as one of the most well-known baseball personalities the game has ever seen!