"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: BILL MADLOCK

Today on the blog we add four-time batting champ Bill Madlock to my custom "Classic Baseball" set, which will be a fun higher-end custom release later this year spread out over a few series:

Just a nice portrait shot of the man during his time with the Chicago Cubs, for whom he took home two of his batting titles.

"Mad Dog" was coming off of TWO straight National League batting titles in 1977 when he was traded to the San Francisco Giants in a multi-player deal, with Chicago landing Bobby Murcer among others.
Madlock didn’t disappoint, as he’d put in two solid seasons of .300+ averages with some pop before he was shipped off to Pittsburgh in the middle of the 1979 season.
He would go on to put together a very nice 15-year career between 1973 and 1987, but apparently not quite Hall material, finishing with a .305 average with 2008 hits, 920 runs scored and 860 runs batted in with 163 homers and 174 stolen bases.
Just one of those historical quirks that has him as a four-time batting champ, but not really one of the all-time greats.

As a matter of fact, I believe he is still the only eligible four-time (or more) batting champ NOT in the Hall of Fame.

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1973 ADRIAN GARRETT

Up on the blog today, we have a rarity nowadays on the blog, a "not really missing" card, once a staple here until the players/images began drying up after ten years.

Today's player that gets a "missing" card is Adrian Garrett of the Oakland A's:

Garrett appeared in only 14 games for the repeating World Champions, going 0-11 at the plate while putting in some time out in leftfield.

It was a typical season for the catcher-outfielder, as he would never have even close to a full season of action over his career which began in 1966 with four games as an Atlanta Brave.

This is the fourth such card I've created for Garrett over the years, joining my 1972, 1975 and 1977 creations.

He would play for four organizations: Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Oakland A’s and California Angels, ending up with a .185 batting average with 51 hits in 276 at-bats in 163 games, with 30 runs scored, 11 homers and 37 runs batted in.

 

WTHBALLS "BASEBALL ICONS" SPECIAL SET: HANK AARON

Good day all!

On the blog today, the first card from my special WTHBALLS "Baseball Icons" set, that I hope to get printed up this year and released in special packaging that should be a special treat for the WTHBALLS checklist crowd, this of the great Hank Aaron:

Each card is designed with a home stadium image in the background while the player is outlined in the fore-front, in a square 4x4 template that is suited for the packaging I came up with, which is special to say the least!

Generally elite players from the 1960s and 1970s, I wanted to create a more "artistic" set to have some fun with designing in an almost painterly setting.

As for Aaron the player?

Let his numbers do all the talking: 2174 runs scored, 3771 hits, 624 doubles, 98 triples, 755 home runs, 2297 runs batted in, a .305 batting average no less than 21 all-star selections!
Just tremendous!
He also had eight top-5 finishes for MVP, including taking home the award in 1957, as well as three Gold Gloves won consecutively between 1958-1960.
It's incredible to look at his 15 years of topping 100 or more runs scored, 11 seasons of 100 or more runs batted in, five more seasons of 90+ RBI's, and TWENTY STRAIGHT years of 20 or more home runs.

Rest in Peace to one of the absolute greats of the game, Mr. Henry Aaron...aka "Hammerin' Hank"!

Look for the other players included in this fun custom set in the coming weeks!

1960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: A.L. OUTFIELDER CARL YASTRZEMSKI

On the blog today, my pick for one of the three outfield slots in my 1960s American League All-Star team, and I went with Boston Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski:

Easy to pick the legend for this squad, as he had his best decade of his lengthy career in the 1960s, marked by three batting titles, an MVP monster year in 1967 when he took the red Sox on his shoulders and helped them reach the World Series, 

The man was at his height of his game at the time this photo was taken, already a three-time batting champion, Triple Crown winner in 1967, and five-time Gold Glove winner.

As someone who grew up in New York City during the second half of his career, it's really easy to forget that Yastrzemski was a Long Island, New York boy before he went on to become a New England legend.

And how could he NOT become a legend, what with 23 years of Major League ball, all with the Red Sox, turning in three batting titles, a Triple Crown in 1967 along with an MVP Award, seven Gold Gloves, 18 all-star nods, and 25 league-leads in primary offensive categories.

By the time he did the retirement tour in 1983, he scored 1816 runs, collected 3419 hits, 646 doubles, 452 homers, 1844 runs batted in along with a .285 batting average.

He was just plain awesome…

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1971 EARL WEAVER

On the blog today, a fun little "tweak" to Earl Weaver's 1971 card, this an All-Star designation as the American League's skipper in the 1970 Midsummer Classic, something I did with the starting nine for both leagues almost ten years ago:

Weaver had the honors of leading the A.L. in the 1970 All-Star game based off his pennant winning season of 1969, when the Orioles were stunned in the World Series by the "Miracle Mets".

It was Weaver's first full season as a Major League manager, taking over at mid-season the year before for Baltimore and leading them to a second place finish before his run of three first place finishes between 1969 and 1971.

I loved Earl Weaver as a kid, who paired up nicely with my favorite manager, Billy Martin: fiery, combative, and always ready to stick his neck out for his team.

By the time he retired after the 1986 season, Weaver finished with a record of 1480 wins against 1060 losses, for a very nice .583 winning percentage, with four Pennants and a World Championship in 1970, posting a winning season every year of his tenure except his very last, when he finished 73-89.

In 1996 he was voted into the Hall of Fame as a manager, celebrating one of the most colorful managers of the era, and rightly so!

 

WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: DICK ALLEN

Up on the blog this fine day, my Dick (Richie) Allen mini  card, from my custom "Gum Pack" set released a few months back:

As many of you know by now, any time I can create a new custom card of Dick Allen here on the blog, I'll do it!

This time I had a chance at a St. Louis Cardinals edition for the slugger, marking his brief time with the club.

He would find himself part of a blockbuster trade on October 7th of 1969 when he was shipped off to the St. Louis Cardinals with Jerry Johnson and Cookie Rojas for Byron Brown, Joe Hoerner and Curt Flood.

Allen would fare well for the Cardinals in 1970, hitting 34 homers while driving in 101 runs in only 122 games, yet would be on the move again, this time being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he'd suit up in 1971, driving in 90 while hitting 23 homers, hitting .295 over on the West Coast.

The man was a beast at the plate, putting up numbers that were consistently up in the league-leaders year after year.

Needless to say, he took home the Rookie of the Year in 1964, and in 1972 would take home the MVP trophy while with the White Sox when he paced the American League with 37 homers and 113 RBI's, while just missing out on the Triple Crown, batting .308, just ten points off the league-leading mark by perennial winner Rod Carew.

By the time he left the game at the age of 35, Allen hit over 350 homers, batted .292 and scored 1099 runs with 1119 RBI's.

The seven-time all-star also led his league in triples once, walks once, on-base-percentage twice and slugging three times.

I'm not saying the man is a lock-tight Hall of Fame candidate, but I do think in light of some of the guys already in, HE should also be in there.

The fact that the most support he got was an 18.9% showing in 1996 seems like a joke to me.

What do you all think?

OPC IMAGE VARIATION: 1977 BOBBY MURCER

Today on the blog we take a look at Bobby Murcer and the image variations between his 1977 Topps and OPC cards:

OPC version

Topps version

Reflecting the mega-trade that saw Murcer head to Chicago for reigning National League batting king Bill Madlock, OPC scrambled to get Murcer airbrushed into a Cubs uni, while Topps had an in-game shot of him at the plate.

Murcer really did have a very nice career, especially those seasons between 1969 and 1977 when he drove in over 80 runs eight times, while topping 90 five of those seasons.
He hit as high as .331 (1971) while hitting as many as 33 homers (1972), while also leading the league in runs scored with 102 in 1972, OBP with a .427 mark in 1971 and total bases with 314 again in 1972.
He made five straight All-Star teams from 1971 through 1975, and was in the top-10 in MVP voting three straight years: 1971-1973.
Much more importantly, the man was one of the nicest human beings on the planet, as I can attest to, meeting him on more than a few occasions.
He was just as “real” as it got.
Rest in Peace Bobby. You are truly missed.