NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1973 MARCELINO LOPEZ

On the blog today, a "not so missing" 1973 card for former pitcher Marcelino Lopez, who closed out a decent 8-year Major League career in 1972, appearing in four games with the Cleveland Indians:

Originally up as a 19-year-old with the Philadelphia Phillies for four games in 1963, he was runner-up for the American League rookie of the year award two years later as a member of the California Angels when he posted a record of 14-13 over 35 games, posting a 2.93 earned run average with 122 strikeouts and eight complete games.

He'd never reach those numbers again during the rest of his career, moving on to the Baltimore Orioles in 1967, Milwaukee Brewers in 1971 and that last stop in Cleveland in 1972.

Overall, he appeared in 171 games, with 93 of those starts, posting a final record of 31-40 with a 3.62 ERA in 653 innings of work.

Along the way he also tossed three shutouts and saved two games, striking out 426 batters while walking 317.

THE WHOLE NINE: SERIES 2- CAREER-CAPPER: 1959 BOB LEMON

Today on the blog we post up my 1959 "career-capper" for Hall of Fame righty Bob Lemon, who closed out an excellent Big League career in 1958 with the Cleveland Indians:

Over the course of his 13-year career, he only actually put in 10 full seasons, yet he posted an incredible seven 20-win campaigns!

Along the way as part of the legendary Indians rotation that also included Early Wynn, Mike Garcia and a dude named Bob Feller, Lemon led the league in wins three times, complete games five times, shutouts (with 10) once, and was named to seven straight all-star teams between 1948-1954.

When he retired after the 1958 season, he finished with a 207-128 record with a 3.32 earned run average, 31 shutouts and 1277 K's over 460 games (350 of which were starts), and 2850 innings pitched.

After his playing days were over he went on to a respectable managerial career, leading the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees between 1970 and 1982.

Of course he's remembered as the skipper who took over the famous "Bronx Zoo" Yankees in 1978 and led them to an incredible drive that saw them go 48-20.

That drive eventually tying the Boston Red Sox and forcing the "Bucky &^%$% Dent Game", and a World Championship over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

If not for the War, we could easily be looking at a near-300 game winner being that he didn't even start playing until he was 25.

Nevertheless, Cooperstown came calling and he found his place alongside former teammates Feller and Wynn. 

Three Hall of Fame starters on one rotation. Awesome…

WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1890 "BASEBALL CHAMPIONS" JESSE BURKETT

The next card from my early custom set, "19th Century Base Ball Champions" to get the spotlight here on the blog is that of "The Crab", Jesse Burkett, one of the greatest hitters the game has ever seen:

Really fun set to design and produce.

Over his 16 year baseball career, which began in 1890 as a player in the short-lived Players League and last through the 1905 season with Boston in the American League, Burkett was nothing short of astounding, hitting at a .338 clip, with three batting titles, including two straight .400 campaigns in 1895 and 1896 that saw him hit .405 and .410 respectively for the Cleveland Spiders.

He missed a third .400 season in 1899 when he hit .396 in his first season with St. Louis of the National League, picking up 221 hits in 558 at-bats, one of six 200-hit seasons he'd have over his amazing career.

By the time he retired, he finished with 2850 hits, 1720 runs scored, including 160 in 1896 in only 133 games, 389 stolen bases and a .415 lifetime on-base-percentage, along with nine 100-run campaigns and seven .350+ seasons.

If not for an injury shortened 1891 season that saw him play in only 40 games, he would have easily reached the 3000 hit plateau, which would have made him only the second player behind Cap Anson at that time to attain the lofty mark.

In 1946, he was elected to the Hall of Fame by the "Old Timer's Committee", the precursor to the Veteran's Committee, and rightly so.

 

 

REVISITING A POST FROM 2013: EXPANDED 1976 TOPPS ALL-TIME ALL-STARS: SECOND BASE

Thought it'd be fun to revisit a post from 2013, this one the second basemen in my 1976 "expanded all-time all-stars" sub-set that I whipped up back then, adding a second player from the other league per position, in this case all-timer Nap Lajoie:

Topps issued all-timer: Hornsby

My pick for A.L. all-timer: Lajoie

The Sporting News selected legend Rogers Hornsby as the All-Time second baseman for their team, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Major Leagues, and I have no problem with that pick!

So for the American League, I went with the great Napoleon Lajoie, someone I don't think people would have a problem with.

Here's the original text I wrote-up back then:

The next installment in my thread regarding the 1976 "All-Time All-Stars" sub-set moves on to second base, where the Sporting News picked Rogers Hornsby as the all-time all-star at the position.

Now what if there was both an N.L. AND A.L. Team picked? Who would have been the American League second baseman?

First off, I can't really argue with the Hornsby pick for the "all-time" team outright, as " the Rajah" was second only to Ty Cobb in career batting average at .358, along with seven batting titles, just under 3000 hits (2930), as well as some feats that may never be seen again, such as his five year stretch where he AVERAGED over .400 between 1921 and 1925!

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.

Hornsby was a hitting machine, and his spot on an "all-time" team is A-OK by me!

However, as I mentioned earlier, I always wondered who would have been the American League representative for an all-time team had they picked one, and  I decided that in all probability it would have been early 20th Century SUPER star Napoleon Lajoie.

Already a star for the Philadelphia team of the National league the final few years of the 1890's, Lajoie famously jumped leagues during the tumultuous player-snatching between leagues in the first few years of the new century, and he didn't miss a beat when he suited up for the American League's entry in Philly.

All he did in 1901 was tear the league to shreds, and when the dust settled on the American League's first season, Lajoie was the king of the hill, claiming the Triple Crown as he lead the league in runs, hits, doubles, homers, runs batted in, batting average, on base percentage, slugging and total bases!

His .426 average is STILL the high-water mark for the league and will almost assuredly never be topped.

A five-time batting champ, Lajoie finished his 21-year career with a .338 average to go along with 3243 hits, 1504 runs scored, 657 doubles, 163 triples and just under 1600 runs batted in with 1599.

In 1914 he joined Cap Anson and Honus Wagner as the only players with 3000+ career hits, and even after his Major League days were over in 1917, while playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs at the ripe old age of 42, he won the International league batting title, hitting a smooth .380!

Like Hornsby, Lajoie was a machine at the plate, and was one of the first Hall of Fame inductees, getting elected as part of the second class in 1937.

As far as picks go for second base, I think Lajoie is a "gimmie" for the A.L. slot, so I've kind of had it easy so far with my picks on this topic.

So take a look at the Sporting News pick that Topps issued, Rogers Hornsby, as well as my design for the American League counterpart, Napoleon Lajoie.

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: EARLY WYNN

The next baseball great to get a card in my custom "Classic Baseball" set is 300-game winner Early Wynn, a favorite subject of mine here on the blog:

Just a fun photo showing a bit of the Hall of Famer's personality: no nonsense and a bit of an intimidator when getting down to business on the mound.

Wynn's Major League romp towards 300 career wins didn't really pick up steam until he was 30-years old and a member of the Cleveland Indians in 1950, as he posted an 18-8 record with a league-leading 3.20 earned run average.

From then on he was hovering around 20-wins every year for the next ten years, topping the mark five times.

In 1959, now a member of the "Go-Go" Chicago White Sox, Wynn anchored the staff that led the team to a World Series appearance against the eventual champs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, by posting a 22-10 record, leading the league in wins and copping a Cy Young Award at the age of 39.

However, the struggle to get that elusive 300th win is now well-documented, as he hung on for the next four years until he got that final victory in 1963 at the age of 43, thus joining the exclusive club and pretty much sealing his Cooperstown induction in his fourth year of eligibility, getting 76% of the BBWA vote.

All told, Wynn finished his 23-year career with a 300-244 record, with a 3.54 E.R.A., 49 shutouts and 2334 strikeouts in 691 games, 611 of which were starts, and was named to seven all-star teams.

 

1974 GIMMIE A DO-OVER: GRAIG NETTLES

Up on the blog today, a card I have wanted to "do over" for about 40+ years now, the 1974 Graig Nettles. I have hated the original card as released by Topps since I was a kid collecting "vintage" cards in the early-80s, underwhelmed by my favorite third baseman's 1974 card:

Just a nice shot of "Puff" taking some hacks, as opposed to the hatless card of him out on the field in what looks to be Spring Training pre-game warm-ups.

Not the worst image on a card, for sure, but it has always rubbed me the wrong way, so here you go!

Nettles came over to the Yanks from the Cleveland Indians before the 1973 season and did nothing but perform, helping them head straight to three straight American League Pennants and two World Championships by the end of 1978.
Along the way he also led the A.L. with 32 homers in 1976, then following that up with a career-high 37 in 1977, while also taking home two Gold Gloves and getting named to five All-Star teams.
Of course, the man was also known for his stellar glove work, especially in the Fall Classic when he put on a clinic against the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 3 in 1978, helping the Yanks win the game and swing the series momentum.
A master a quips as well, I’ll always remember “You went from Cy Young to Sayonara”, which he stated to Cy Young winning reliever Sparky Lyle after the Yankees acquired Rich Gossage, as well as "when I was a little boy, I wanted to be a baseball player and join the circus. With the Yankees I have accomplished both”, about his time in the Bronx.
When it was all said and done, Nettles played for 22 seasons, finishing up with 390 homers, 2225 hits, and 1314 runs batted in, with 1193 runs scored and a reputation that still has him considered one of the finest defensive third basemen in history.

CAREER-CAPPER: 1972 AL WEIS

Time to create and post up a long overdue career-capper for one of the "Amazin'" New York Mets, Al Weis, who capped off a nice 10-year Big League career with 11 games in 1971:

Weis went 0-11 at the plate over those 11 games for the Mets, also putting in time at Second and Third at the age of 33 in what turned out to be the last action of his Major League tenure.

He originally came up to the Big Leagues with the Chicago White Sox in 1962, playing in the South Side of Chicago for six years before getting traded to the Mets along with Tommie Agee in December of 1967 for four players, including Tommy Davis and Jack Fisher.

Never a full-time player, he'd usually see time as a defensive replacement late in the game, or some pinch-hitting duties, which saw him accumulate only 1763 plate appearances over 800 games, hitting .219 with 346 hits in 1578 at-bats.

Though he did manage to hit .296 over 135 at-bats in 1965 for the White Sox, every other season saw him usually South of the .250 mark.

By the time he retired, he finished with the aforementioned .219 average, along with 195 runs scored, 115 runs batted in, seven homers and 55 stolen bases, and of course a World Championship as a member of those historic 1969 Mets.

Not too shabby!

REVISITING ANOTHER 10 YEAR OLD POST: MISSING IN ACTION- 1973 BOB RAUCH

On the blog today, we revisit an early "Missing in Action" card for the blog, this one my missing 1973 card for "one year wonder" Bob Rauch of the New York Mets:

Here's the original write-up for that post way back when:

Ok, so this guy really didn't put in a lot of tome to warrant a card the following year, but I did find a great high-resolution image of him so I went ahead and designed a card anyway.

Check out my 1973 Bob Rauch Topps card.

Rauch's entire Major League career encompassed 19 games for the Mets in 1972, saving one and posting a record of 0-1.

Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1967, Rauch would end up playing for the Dodgers, Mets, Indians and A's minor league systems, finally calling it a career in 1975.

I think it's fun working on cards of guys that barely registered a "blip" on the Major League scene, and I think I'll try coming up with more and more of them as time goes on.

Hope you enjoy them as well…

OPC IMAGE VARIATIONS: 1977 RICHIE HEBNER

Good day all!

On the blog today, we take another closer look at an image variation between OPC and Topps, this time the 1977 cards for the "Gravedigger", Richie Hebner:

OPC version

Topps version

I'm particularly fond of the cards where OPC just airbrushed the image Topps used on their card into the new uni for their card, in this case going from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Hebner played the bulk of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom he came up to the Big Leagues, and had some solid seasons lost amid the years of the Roses, Stargells et al.

After putting in the first nine years of his career with the Pirates, Hebner signed as a Free Agent with the N.L. East rival Phillies in December of 1976, just in time for OPC to work their magic and airbrush the beauty you see here.

A solid player who'd go on to play 18 seasons under the Major League Sun, the third baseman hit as many as 25 homers, which happened in 1973, while also driving in as many as 82 runs, which he did for the Detroit Tigers in 1980.
By the time he retired in 1985 after a couple of seasons with the Chicago Cubs, he finished with a .276 batting average, with 1694 hits over 6144 at-bats in 1908 games, while also hitting 203 homers and driving in 890 runs.
Those numbers are actually pretty good considering the era he played in!
After his playing career, Hebner went on to coach, as well as do some managing in the Minors, all the way through the 2010 season at last check, a baseball lifer with an admirable Big League career.

JAPAN SPECIAL: 1973 FANTASY SADAHARU OH

Really fun card to post up today, a 1973 fantasy card for All-Time gJapanese great Sadaharu Oh of the Yomiuri Giants, a card which will be part of my upcoming "Series 18" set due for a release at the end of the month:

I just love creating cards for Japanese Hall of Famers onto Topps templates!

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!

WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1890 "BASEBALL CHAMPIONS" HUGH DUFFY

Today on the blog, we spotlight my custom "19th Century Base Ball Stars" card of Hall of Famer Hugh Duffy, a fun set I produced and released back in 2018:

The outfielder put in 17 years in the Big Leagues, beginning in 1888 with Chicago of the National League through the 1906 season when he appeared in one single game with the Philadelphia Phillies at the age of 39.

In between all Duffy would do it hit .326, collecting 2293 hits and score 1554 runs in 1737 games, winning two batting titles, including his RIDICULOUS 1894 season when he hit .440, also leading the league with 237 hits, 51 doubles, 18 homers and 374 total bases, while also driving in 145 runs for Boston.

Over the course of his career he'd win two home run titles, an RBI crown, the aforementioned batting titles, and one season that saw him lead the league with 161 runs scored, in only 137 games during the Players' League's one year of existence.

In 1945, he was selected for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame by the "Old Timers Committee", a precursor to the Veterans Committee.

After his playing days were over, he became a fixture in Boston baseball, as a manager, scout, batting instructor, coach and "all-around goodwill ambassador" for baseball until his death in 1954.

True baseball "lifer"!

THE WHOLE NINE: SERIES 2- 1958 CAREER-CAPPER ROY CAMPANELLA

On the blog today, my 1958 "Career-Capper" for all-time great Roy Campanella, from my recent "Whole Nine: Series 2" set released a few months back:

Fun custom set to produce!

The tragic story of how Roy Campanella's career ended so quickly is burned into all our baseball drenched minds, suffering a paralyzing car accident during the off-season before the 1958 season began.

Once Campanella began his Major League career after a brilliant run in the Negro Leagues that started when he was a teenager, he would certainly NOT disappoint the Brooklyn Dodger faithful: three times he was M.V.P. (1951, 1953, 1955) and an important part of the strong Dodger teams of the decade along with Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson, and Gil Hodges.

Though unable to play Major League ball until the age of 26 because of segregation, he still managed to hit 242 lifetime homers, with a high of 41 in 1953, as well as drive in 856 runs in his short ten-year career.

During his second M.V.P. season, Campy led the Brooklyn offense by driving in a league-leading 142 runs while hitting .312 and scoring 103 runs. One of the top-offensive catcher seasons in baseball history.

Tragically, as he was getting prepared to move to Los Angeles with the rest of the Dodgers over the Winter of 1957-58, Campanella was driving home to Long Island and hit a patch of ice near his home, flipping his car over and breaking his neck in the process, rendering him paralyzed from the shoulders down.

The L.A. Fans would never get to see the future Hall of Famer play in Chavez Ravine.

In my opinion, considering his delayed MLB action, "Campy" would be my pick as the greatest catcher in MLB history, even in front of Johnny Bench, though Josh Gibson would top them all.

 

REVISITING A POST FROM 2016: MISSING IN ACTION 1977 JIM LYTTLE

On the blog today, let's revisit a post from 2016, that of my "missing in action" card for former outfielder Jim Lyttle:

This would be a “missing” 1977 card for a guy who was never a full-time player, but still put together an eight-year career between 1969-1976.

Lyttle capped off his career with a final year in 1976 split between the Montreal Expos and Los Angeles Dodgers, where he hit a combined .248 with 38 hits over 153 at-bats in 65 games.
Originally up with the Yanks, he’d play in the Bronx until 1972 when he put in a lone season for the Chicago White Sox before moving on to the Expos where he would play until his move to L.A.
All told Lyttle batted .248 for his career with 176 hits in 710 at-bats over 391 games, with his 1970 season being his best when he hit .310 for the Yanks over 87 games played.

Looking further into his career I saw that he played seven seasons in Japan after his Major League career, putting up some solid numbers for Hiroshima.

In both 1978 and 1981 he hit 33 homers and drove in 100+ runs, and closed out his Japanese career with 166 taters with 529 R.B.I.'s. after retiring for good in 1983.

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1968 DICK RADATZ

Fun card to create and post today on the blog, a "not so missing" 1968 card for former relief pitcher Dick Radatz, aka "The Monster":

Radatz's Big League career was winding down at this point, and Topps didn't include him in their 1968 set despite appearing in 23 games for the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs during the 1967 season, posting a record of 1-0 with a 6.49 ERA over 26.1 innings of work.

He'd spend all of 1968 in the Minors before coming back for one last hurrah in 1969, which saw him appear in 33 games for the Detroit Tigers and Montreal Expos, finishing up with a record of 2-6 with a 4.89 ERA in 53.1 innings, with three saves.

His was a career that began in all-star fashion with the Boston Red Sox in 1962, when he posted a 9-6 record with a league-leading 24 saves over 62 games, with an amazing 144 strikeouts in 124.2 innings pitched.
Over the next two seasons he was even better, winning 15 and 16 games in 1963 and 1964 respectively, along with an astounding 162 and 181 strikeouts, all out of the bullpen!
His 1964 season was one for the ages as far as relief pitchers go: 16-9 with a 2.29 earned run average, with 29 saves and 181 strikeouts in 157 innings pitched and 79 appearances.
Sadly for him his decline came rapidly, dropping to a record of 9-11 with an ERA of 3.91 the following year, then to 0-5 in 1966, which saw him traded to the Cleveland Indians in June.
After a 1967 season that saw him appear in 23 games with the Indians and Chicago Cubs, he spent 1968 in the Detroit Tigers Minor League system, actually splitting time as a starter and reliever, but there was never a call back up to the Majors.
That would come in 1969, with the aforementioned 33 appearances between Detroit and Montreal, which would end up being the last of his career.
By the time he retired, Radatz had a record of 52 and 43 with an ERA of 3.13 over 381 appearances, all out of the bullpen, with 120 saves and 745 strikeouts in 693.2 innings pitched.
But oh those first three seasons!

"NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION": 1978 GARY GRAY

Up on the blog today, a 1978 "not so missing" card for Gary Gray, a player with one of the cooler names in the course of baseball history:

Gray appeared in one game for the Texas Rangers in 1977, his first taste of the Big Leagues, going 0-for-2 at the plate while putting in some time out in leftfield.

He'd go on to put in parts of six years in the Majors, playing for the Rangers, Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners between 1977 and 1982.

Over that time he'd never put in a full season, topping out with 80 games in his last year as a Big league first baseman/outfielder.

By the time he hung them up, he hit .240 with 150 hits in 625 at-bats, appearing in 211 games, with 65 runs scored and 71 runs batted in, moving on to the Mexican League in the mid-80s and playing through the 1987 season.

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: WHITEY FORD

Good day folks!

On the blog today, adding the "Chairman of the Board", New York Yankees legend Whitey Ford to my future custom set "Classic Baseball", which should see the light of day towards the end of the year:

What needs to be said about quite possibly the greatest Yankee pitcher of them 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.

 

REVISITING A 10-YEAR OLD POST: 1975 NICKNAME BILL LEE CARD

Thought it'd be fun today to look back to a 10-year old post from the blog, one of my first "nicknames of the 1970s" cards created by yours truly, that a 1975 "Spaceman" Bill Lee specimen:

Fun card and series to start on for the blog!

Lee was "something else". A perfect product of the times a'la Bill Walton from the NBA.

He brought a lot of that "hippie"/counterculture attitude to the game, which made him extremely popular with fans, but NOT with the people running the game.

As a pitcher, Lee was a solid starter for the BoSox during the mid-70's, winning 17 games a season three years in a row from 1973-75.

But his career would be someone derailed because of the very personality that made him popular.

His clashes with managers and management for both the Rex Sox and the other team he played for, the Montreal Expos, would make him expendable, eventually getting dumped by Montreal in 1982 because of a one-game walk-out he staged over the team releasing Rodney Scott.

He'd never play in another Major League game again.

His post-baseball days have been incredibly productive, as Lee has authored books, played semi-professionally, barnstormed, and even released his own wine, "Spaceman Red"!

He's even STILL active PLAYING ball at the ripe old age of 67!

The man is the definition of "character"!

If you're into professional athletes with a lot to say, do yourself a favor and read any of his books! Hilarious and insightful on pro-sports from a free-spirit perspective.

For his Major League career, Lee finished his 14-year run with a 119-90 record, with a 3.62 earned run average over 416 games, 225 of which were starts.

 

"MISSING IN ACTION"- 1971 MILK DUDS MICKEY MANTLE: SPECIAL RELEASE

Up on the blog today, a special release from about a year or so ago, my"missing in action" Milk Duds Mickey Mantle box, super-fun item to create and release for you all:

I was so happy to find a commercial printer that was able to produce these in the quantity I needed, at the right price!

Identical in size and card stock quality as the originals released way back when, I wanted to get a Mantle version out there just for the fun of it, imagining if the fine folks at Milk Duds celebrated his "recent" retirement with inclusion in their set which is STILL wildly popular with collectors to this day.

As I have stated before here on the blog many times, Mantle is one of those guys I really don't think we need to get into as far as his tenure on the baseball diamond. It'd be kind of 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, 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.

One of the great icons of the sport over its 150+ year history.

Not too bad a Hollywood script...

I just wished I would have gotten to see him play!

 

THE "WHOLE NINE": MISSING IN ACTION 1957 STAN MUSIAL

Fun card to spotlight today on the blog, my"missing in action" 1957 card for "Stan the Man", Stan Musial, from my "Whole Nine" Series 2 set released a few months ago, with full stat-backs:

Who wouldn't want to flip this card around and scan the insane stats that Musial Put up during his stellar career!?

His MLB numbers are just absurd: seven batting titles, two R.B.I. titles, five triples titles and eight doubles titles, with career numbers of 475 home runs, 1951 runs batted in and a .331 career average. Throw in his 725 doubles, 177 triples and 3630 hits along with 1949 runs scored and the numbers are staggering. 

And don't forget that Musial also lost a year to military duty, easily putting him over 500 homers, close to 3900 hits and around 2100 runs batted in if he played in 1945.

Along with the great Frank Robinson I always felt Stan Musial was often overlooked in the decades since his playing days ended.

When talk of "Greatest Living Player" came up it was always Williams, DiMaggio, Mays or even Aaron that would come up. But Stan Musial would always kind of be that after-thought.

Criminal.

Three Most Valuable Player Awards, FOUR second-place finishes, including three in a row between 1949-1951, and twenty consecutive all-star appearances, Musial definitely is a member of that rarified stratosphere of baseball royalty along with the likes of Ruth, Cobb, Mays and Wagner, among others.

1960s "IN-ACTION": 1963 VADA PINSON

Good day everyone.

On the blog today we have the next 1960s star getting the "In-Action" treatment, this time one of my favorite overlooked players, Vada Pinson, a Hall of Famer in my eyes:

Just a beauty of a card showing the All-Star outfielder at the plate during his days as a Cincinnati Reds player.

This will be part of my third series of printed "1960s In-Action" cards due for a release in a couple of months, packed with star power along the lines I established with the first two sets.

I’ve always loved his career, and wonder had he not played the bulk of his Big League time in the shadows of Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente and Frank Robinson, would he have made it all the way to the Hall of Fame.
Four-times he’d collect over 200 hits, seven times over 20-home runs, nine times over 20-stolen bases, and the man only made two All-Star teams!
Just an awesome career that saw him finish with over 2700 hits, 250 homers and 300 stolen bases, while also collecting over 480 doubles and 120 triples.

This man was solid, and produced no matter where he played over his stellar career!

 

REVISIT: 1975 "TRADED" DICK ALLEN FROM 2014

For fun today, revisiting a card I created 10 years ago for the blog,a 1975 "traded" card for the "Wampum Walloper" Dick Allen, who found himself back where it all began, the Philadelphia Phillies:

Really fun to play around with the 1975 template and create a landscape-oriented design, with that ever-so-beautiful All-Star designation.

Here's the original write-up for that post, which seems like a lifetime ago:

"Allen had quite an adventurous off-season between the 1974 and 1975 seasons, getting traded by the Chicago White Sox to the Atlanta Braves on December 3, 1974, only to THEN get swapped on May 7, 1975 by the Braves to his original Major League team, the Phillies.

While his original 1975 Topps card is a classic in my eyes, it does still have him on the "wrong" team. That is, NOT on the team he played with in '75.

He was coming off of a solid 1974 season which saw him lead the American League in homers (32) and slugging (.563) while batting .301 with 88 runs batted in and 84 runs scored.

But Allen pretty much wore out his welcome on the South Side of Chicago, leading to his departure.

After a couple of "so-so" seasons in Philadelphia, Allen wrapped up his career in 1977 after appearing in 54 games for the Oakland A's.

There are some guys I'll find ANY reason to design a card for, and Allen is definitely one of them!

Hope to have more here in the future…"

 

CAREER-CAPPER: 1969 BILL VIRDON

On the blog today, we step away from the 1970s and give Major League "lifer" Bill Virdon a career-capping 1969 card to celebrate his very nice Big League tenure:

Virdon appeared in six games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1968 after last seeing action in 1965, collecting one hit over three at-bats, the hit being a home run while picking up two RBIs.

That would be it for Bill Virdon the "player", before beginning a great managerial career in the Majors beginning in 1972, when he guided the Pirates to a 96-win season and a first place finish before losing to the upstart Cincinnati Reds in the N.L. Playoffs.

As a player, Virdon was an excellent center fielder for 12 years, winning the N.L. Rookie of the Year in 1955 with the St. Louis Cardinals, hitting .281 with 150 hits, 17 homers and 68 RBIs before getting traded to the Pirates the following season, where he would spend the rest of his playing days.

By the time he retired as a player, he hit .267 with 1596 hits over 5980 at-bats, scoring 735 runs, driving in 502, and even picking up a Gold Glove in 1962.

All told as a Major League manager, Virdon finished with a record of 995 and 921, with two first place finishes as well as a first place finish in the second half of the 1981 strike season debacle, managing the Pirates, New York Yankees,Houston Astros and Montreal Expos between 1972 and 1984.

WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1890 "BASEBALL CHAMPIONS" GEORGE DAVIS

Up on the blog today, we spotlight my early custom card for Hall of Famer George Davis, from my "19th Century Base Ball Stars" set released back in 2018, in a fun faux 1890's cigarette pack with all sorts of goodies:

Sure wish I could get in my time machine and jet back to that era to buy up all the cigarette packs I could find so I could pull out cards like this!

I'm especially fond of the 1894 Mayo Plug set, which this set right here was modeled after of course!

As for George Davis, his inclusion in this set was based on his stellar 20-year Big League career that saw him as one of the best shortstops of the era, playing for the New York Giants, Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Spiders between 1890 and 1909.

Over his 2372 games, he'd hit .295 while picking up 2665 hits, with 453 doubles, 163 triples and 73 homers, with 1545 runs scored and 1440 runs batted in, as well as 619 stolen bases.

He would topp 100 runs scored five times, while also topping 100 RBIs three times, including a league-leading 135 in 1897 with the Giants.

He'd hit .300 or better nine times, all in a row between 1893 and 1901, with a high of .355 in 1893, his first year with the Giants, when he also established his career-best in hits with 195 and incredible 27 triples and 11 home runs.

Some 100 years later, the Veteran's Committee voted him into the Hall of Fame, finally getting him some recognition that slowly evaporated over the decades since his playing days ended, and rightly so!

SPECIAL INSERT: 1951 BLUE-BACK JOE DiMAGGIO

Up on the blog today, my special insert for my "Whole Nine: Series 2" set released a few months ago, this being a fun 1951 Topps Blue-Back Joe DiMaggio card:

Really fun to get this in that set as a special little bonus, hand-cutting each one by hand but well worth the effort!

As we all know the "Yankee Clipper" never did get on a Topps card as his career was wrapping up just as Topps was getting into the card market in the early-50s.

DiMaggio spent his late-teens putting up softball type numbers with the San Francisco Seals between 1932 and 1935 before taking the Majors by storm.

Over that time in the Minors he hit as high as .398 (1935), collecting 270 hits, with a staggering 456 total bases!

The kid was giving everyone a glimpse of what to expect when he reached the Major Leagues in 1936, instantly becoming one of the greatest to put on a Big League uniform.

"Joltin' Joe" put together a legendary career that eventually made him an American Icon, taking home three league MVP Awards, hitting safely in a record 56 straight games in 1941 and being a part of a staggering NINE World Champion teams between 1936 and 1951.

If not for his military service, losing three years during his prime between 1943 and 1945, his already lofty numbers would have been even better.

One of my favorite career stats for the guy? Let's admire his incredible feat of hitting 361 home runs while striking out only 369 times over his Big League tenure.

Now, while I certainly don't think he was the game's "greatest living ballplayer" as they voted him later on, the man was definitely up there, especially capturing the nation's attention the way he did.

A true legend.

JAPAN SPECIAL: 1969 MINORU MURAYAMA

On the blog today, a 1969 "Japan Special" celebrating Japanese Hall of Fame pitcher Minoru Murayama of the Hanshin Tigers:

Murayama put in 14 years in Japan's Central League, all with the Tigers between 1959 and 1972, and some of his seasons were/are mind boggling.

For example, in 1970 at the age of 33, he appeared in 25 games, completing seven and tossing five shutouts, with a record of 14-3, tossing 156 innings and ending up with an incredible 0.98 earned run average!

In 1962, the 25 year-old posted a record of 25-14 over 57 appearances, starting 38 while completing 23, with six shutouts and 265 strikeouts, this time posting a remarkable 1.20 ERA over 366.1 innings.

By the time he retired, he finished with a record of 222-147 over 509 games, completing 192 of 348 starts and tossing 55 shutouts, striking out 2271 batters and posting a final 2.09 ERA over 3050 innings.

In 1993 he was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, capping off an incredible career that also saw him win three Eiji Sawamura Awards (Cy Young equivalent) and an MVP in 1962.

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1971 REGGIE JACKSON

Today on the blog, we look at one of my favorite customs I've created over the years, my 1971 "do-over" for "Mr. October", Reggie Jackson, every kid's idol growing up a Yankee fan in the late-70's/early-80's:

Love the way this came out! So much so that I included it in my Series 17 set released a couple months back!

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!

1975 "IN-ACTION"- HAL McRAE

On the blog today, adding to a series I haven't touched in a long while, a 1975 "In-Action" card for DH extraordinaire Hal McRae:

After a Big League debut in 1968, appearing in 17 with the Cincinnati Reds, he’d be back in the Majors in 1970, where he would stay for the next 18 seasons putting together an excellent career, becoming one of the first true full-time designated hitters once he was traded to the Kansas City Royals before the 1973 campaign.
All McRae would end up doing once in a Royals uniform is put in a 15-year run where he became one of the best hitters in the league, with three All-Star nods, six .300+ batting average seasons, and MVP consideration four times.
By the time he was done, he retired with a career .290 batting average, with 2091 hits, 484 doubles and 1097 runs batted in over 2084 games and 7218 at-bats, making three All-Star teams and finishing top-5 in MVP voting twice (1976 and 1982).

As a kid growing up during that era, I got to appreciate what a solid player McRae was, fearing him up at the plate against "my" New York Yankees, since he always seemed to do damage against them.