Friday, June 21, 2024
WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 19TH CENTURY "BASEBALL CHAMPIONS" BILLY HAMILTON
Thursday, June 20, 2024
REVISITING A 10-YEAR-OLD POST: MISSING 1973 JERRY McNERTNEY
Revisiting a 10-year-old post today, that of my "missing" 1973 card for former catcher Jerry McNertney, which originally "aired" here on the blog in October of 2014:
Wednesday, June 19, 2024
MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1973 EARL WEAVER
Just as I had done years ago with the starting line-ups of the 1972 All-Star game, today I add American League manager for that game Earl Weaver to my "missing" All-Star cards, in this case completely creating a new card for the Hall of Fame skipper to get it done:
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
WTHBALLS "BASEBALL ICONS" SPECIAL SET: MICKEY MANTLE
Monday, June 17, 2024
OPC IMAGE VARIATION: 1977 JOE FERGUSON
His 1973 season with the Dodgers got him some MVP consideration, as he hit .263 with 25 homers and 88 runs batted in, along with 87 walks and 84 runs scored. Not bad at all!
For his career, he finished with a .240 average with 122 homers and 445 RBIs, with 719 hits over 3001 at-bats.
Sunday, June 16, 2024
1960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: N.L. RIGHT-HANDED PITCHER: JUAN MARICHAL
As much as Marichal is celebrated as an all-time pitching legend, you still have to feel for the guy when you consider the timing of all his banner years in the big leagues.
In 1963 he has his breakout year, going 25-8 with a 2.41 E.R.A., but takes a back seat to another guy who has a breakout year, Sandy Koufax.
In 1966 he wins 25 games again, but again takes a backseat to a now dominating Koufax, who wins 27 along with a bunch of other eye-popping numbers.
In 1968 he sets a career high of 26 wins to go along with a 2.43 earned run average, but wait, a guy named Bob Gibson has a year for the ages, winning both the Cy Young Award and the M.V.P.
But when you look at the decade as a whole, there wasn't a better pitcher in the game from 1960-1969, as Marichal went on to win 191 games, winning 25 or more wins three times, post seven sub-3.00 E.R.A. seasons, top 200+ strikeouts six times , and get selected as an all-star every year between 1962-1969.
What a BEAST on the mound!
Easily would have been the first 3-time Cy Young winner if not for Koufax and Gibson.
Ah well, I’m sure his spot in Cooperstown makes it a bit easier to take.
Saturday, June 15, 2024
WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1890 "BASEBALL CHAMPIONS" AMOS RUSIE
The next 19th Century baseball star from my early custom WTHBALLS set to get the spotlight here on the blog is the "Hoosier Thunderbolt" Amos Rusie:
His final numbers of 246-174, with a 3.07 ERA and 1707 may not seem overwhelming, but if you can imagine, his career was over by the time he turned 30!
As a matter of fact he really pitched his last full season at the age of 27, with a three game appearance in 1901 with the Cincinnati Reds that encompassed only 22 innings of work.
So really those final numbers represent nine years of Major League ball!
And for those of you that may not know this, the trade that got him to Cincinnati for those scant three games in 1901 goes down as one of the all-time worst trades, sadly for the Reds, as they shipped to New York a young collegiate pitcher who’d go on to an even greater career than Rusie, none other than all-time great Christy Mathewson!
Friday, June 14, 2024
WTHBALLS "BASEBALL ICONS" SPECIAL SET: ROBERTO CLEMENTE
Thursday, June 13, 2024
"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: STAN MUSIAL
Up on the blog today, we add "Stan The Man" Musial to my custom "Classic Baseball" set, celebrating the great game that has brought me so much joy throughout my life for close to 50 years:
Wednesday, June 12, 2024
WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: FRED LYNN
On the blog today, my Fred Lynn mini custom card from my "Gum Pack" set released a few months back:
He’d go on to win four Gold Gloves, get named to nine all-star teams, and hit the only Grand Slam in All-Star game history, a memorable shot off of Atlee Hammaker in the 1983 classic that gave the American League it’s first win over the National League since 1971.
Hampered by injuries throughout his 17-year career, he still finished with a very solid MLB resume: 306 homers, 1111 RBI’s, 1063 runs scored and a .283 batting average, with 10 seasons of 20+ homers over 1969 games.
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
REVISITING A 10-YEAR OLD POST: MISSING IN ACTION JEFF TORBORG
Today on the blog we revisit a 10-year old post featuring an early "missing in action" card, this one of catcher Jeff Torborg of the California Angels:
Monday, June 10, 2024
MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1973 DANNY MURTAUGH
Good day all.
Sunday, June 9, 2024
1960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: A.L. OUTFIELDER AL KALINE
An easy Hall of Fame pick, he was inducted in his first year of eligibility in 1980 with 88.3% of the ballots cast.
“Mr. Tiger” indeed!
Saturday, June 8, 2024
WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 19TH CENTURY "BASEBALL CHAMPIONS" AL SPALDING
Today on the blog, a fun thread to start after many years, a spotlight of one of my first custom sets to be produced, my 1890 "Baseball Champions" set celebrating the greats of the game before the turn of the Century, beginning with legend Al Spalding:
Ever since I got my first Macmillan Baseball Encyclopedia around 1980 I became obsessed with these 19th Century players, and Spalding was one of THE reasons.
Just look at his ridiculous stats between 1871 and 1876!
All he did was put together a 251-65 record as a pitcher, with a .795 winning percentage and a 2.13 earned run average.
Sure the game was not nearly what it evolved to be years later, but those numbers are hilarious, almost a joke, so for a young kid like me seeing these for the first time I was amazed.
Oddly, since then I have read pretty much every book on 19th-Century baseball and cannot seem to remember why Spalding decided to stop playing the game at the age of 26 and really put his efforts into administration, organization and equipment manufacture.
I mean, yes he was immensely successful with all three, but it would have been awesome to see what he ended up with stat-wise.
As it was, he finished with a 252-65 record, leading his league in wins every single season he played except for his abbreviated 4-game season of 1877.
In 1875 he posted a phenomenal 54-5 record with a 1.59 ERA, seven shutouts and nine saves over 72 games, 62 of which were starts.
Friday, June 7, 2024
REVISITING A BLOG POST FROM 2013: "MISSING IN ACTION" 1971 TONY LaRUSSA
Thursday, June 6, 2024
OPC IMAGE VARIATION: 1977 JOHNNY GRUBB
Today on the blog we spotlight one of the best image variations between OPC and Topps, that of Johnny Grubb, who found himself airbrushed into a Cleveland Indians uni on his OPC card, while Topps went to press before his trade, thus giving us the card you see here, suited up with his original team, the San Diego Padres:
Sadly for him, though he did stick around for 16 seasons as a Big Leaguer, that .311 batting average in 1973 turned out to be a career-high, and it was also arguably his finest season in Major League ball.
Nevertheless, by the time he retired he left the game with 1153 hits over 4154 at-bats, along with 553 runs scored and 475 runs batted in, while also being a member of the World Champion juggernaut 1984 Detroit Tigers team that went wire to wire.
Not too shabby...
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: GEORGE BRETT
He’d have his breakout season quickly, leading the league with 195 hits as well as 13 triples in 1975 before winning his first batting title a year later when he hit .333 with a league-leading 215 hits and 14 triples.
The 13-time all-star was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1993, getting named to 98.2% of the ballot, while taking home the MVP in 1980 after his magical .390 hitting season, while finishing second twice and third once.
Legend!
Tuesday, June 4, 2024
"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: EDDIE MATHEWS
Today we add the great Eddie Mathews to my custom WTHBALLS baseball set, "Classic Baseball", celebrating the beautiful game with iconic images of all-time greats during the Golden Age of the sport:
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.
Monday, June 3, 2024
MINOR LEAGUE DAYS LEGENDS EDITION: WARREN SPAHN
Sunday, June 2, 2024
1960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: N.L. OUTFIELDER HANK AARON
Good day all!
Saturday, June 1, 2024
WTHBALLS "BASEBALL ICONS" SPECIAL SET: WILLIE MAYS
The next "icon" of the sweet game of baseball to be featured in my custom "Icons" set that will see the light of day later this year is none other than Willie Mays, perhaps the greatest of them all:
660 home runs, 3000+ hits, over 2000 runs scored and over 1900 runs batted in, with over 300 stolen bases and a .300+ batting average as well!
He took home the Rookie of the Year Award in 1951, then proceeded to win two Most Valuable Player Awards, the first in 1954 and the second eleven years later in 1965.
Let’s also not forget the 20 all-star nods and 12 Gold Gloves, leaving him in that rarified company of Ruth, Cobb, Aaron and Gehrig as far as accomplishments and legend.
Of course, Hall of Fame voting being what it is, he wasn’t a UNANIMOUS selection because of this silly unspoken rule of “no one gets 100% voting”, something I will NEVER understand.
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