tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24007990610820964982024-03-18T08:04:51.939-04:00WHEN TOPPS HAD (BASE)BALLS!Creating Custom Baseball Cards Celebrating the Heroes of My Youth:
Follow me on Twitter: @wthballs Email: wthballs@gmail.comJohn23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comBlogger4083125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-37026973711067797662024-03-18T08:04:00.001-04:002024-03-18T08:04:08.564-04:001969 "DO-OVER" SET: JOE MORGAN<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Good day everyone!</span></p><div dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">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:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfOyTQYvQEz_5HDUrVuxxbTLp2m15u2vWm_DBJtJB7vbg-GqGL6r06K1d_qVBhJmGS1n4ZATWF20YHbu4zXU-Jbup6rjo29lstfZo8S5cf5V-636FmzpHOVR3BCMa-F7EqSJn-ZsSXdnojQgT2bhL5qr9hyqBY9LceAvAZxqDB4oK7GQk6p-B8W6VaVE/s540/1969%20REDO%20JOE%20MORGAN-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="388" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDfOyTQYvQEz_5HDUrVuxxbTLp2m15u2vWm_DBJtJB7vbg-GqGL6r06K1d_qVBhJmGS1n4ZATWF20YHbu4zXU-Jbup6rjo29lstfZo8S5cf5V-636FmzpHOVR3BCMa-F7EqSJn-ZsSXdnojQgT2bhL5qr9hyqBY9LceAvAZxqDB4oK7GQk6p-B8W6VaVE/s320/1969%20REDO%20JOE%20MORGAN-01.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CqUvNKRS-9rABElLSvzMIS7P1VVADdkM0TZ6jxDUq02oec6c3Cf5Ne9LyMeLxOKo3kjVmF5rc1KJmBfnW6Cz_T2KW2YxEJRriSoANL4DR4IKZR1b1e4ak_n3EgBqa2spAhNq-b9UGCpihDF_L7LogmjVSOU_yKeDQxsSwPr88Ad6Aik2JpaLRjfJrYY/s1440/20230909_124159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1205" data-original-width="1440" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_CqUvNKRS-9rABElLSvzMIS7P1VVADdkM0TZ6jxDUq02oec6c3Cf5Ne9LyMeLxOKo3kjVmF5rc1KJmBfnW6Cz_T2KW2YxEJRriSoANL4DR4IKZR1b1e4ak_n3EgBqa2spAhNq-b9UGCpihDF_L7LogmjVSOU_yKeDQxsSwPr88Ad6Aik2JpaLRjfJrYY/s320/20230909_124159.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-i75bF1WXSfQP1cLdepWHoYJA3Q997HHAoFt-QBS0KpTYPdjivIafKzzc-goXaaQFqjBjM1R9IitNr9T8fx7JA9F0vK1ea61I-MrtAONpXIj-lomijWsHADywZj2RRYaqy_g65fALpQQ7tBfmK3i405x63rL_V2focrFOrChVgJjZN_-hE3cpURi8uDU/s1426/20230925_142437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1349" data-original-width="1426" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-i75bF1WXSfQP1cLdepWHoYJA3Q997HHAoFt-QBS0KpTYPdjivIafKzzc-goXaaQFqjBjM1R9IitNr9T8fx7JA9F0vK1ea61I-MrtAONpXIj-lomijWsHADywZj2RRYaqy_g65fALpQQ7tBfmK3i405x63rL_V2focrFOrChVgJjZN_-hE3cpURi8uDU/s320/20230925_142437.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Just a nice image of the great second baseman that wasn't a reused image like Topps had out there way back when!</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>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.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>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.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span>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.<br />
One of the all-timers right there at second base!</span></span></span></div></div>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-24962148344836472172024-03-17T09:12:00.002-04:002024-03-17T09:12:20.571-04:00MINOR LEAGUE DAYS: LEGENDS EDITION- TY COBB<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">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:</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUQ_KdkLsJRNRV38D6rhAuA9515Cmb753F0y98VVw60aDdQoxBye_cJgCfBtvFUz8PFPe0-kW5M1LRyvkFH9ZTNg4pXc3PH2OuHu6F6ytu3uZkpEnKdpIvQDbgf6urGE6b4JjJS2LnMd4ddqvvTPyZd6LGwpPuGjDHUqSSMVWUgciBYyqBCOtjnet7WE/s540/MINOR%20LEAGUE%20DAYS%20LEGENDS%20TY%20COBB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUQ_KdkLsJRNRV38D6rhAuA9515Cmb753F0y98VVw60aDdQoxBye_cJgCfBtvFUz8PFPe0-kW5M1LRyvkFH9ZTNg4pXc3PH2OuHu6F6ytu3uZkpEnKdpIvQDbgf6urGE6b4JjJS2LnMd4ddqvvTPyZd6LGwpPuGjDHUqSSMVWUgciBYyqBCOtjnet7WE/s320/MINOR%20LEAGUE%20DAYS%20LEGENDS%20TY%20COBB.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">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.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">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.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">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!<br />
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!<br />
It's Ty Cobb for pete's sake!<br />
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.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">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.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Rest in Peace Ty Cobb!</span></span><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-16975660247335613792024-03-16T08:56:00.000-04:002024-03-16T08:56:30.982-04:001960'S CAREER-CAPPERS INSERTS: NELLIE FOX<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Up on the blog today, my Nellie Fox special insert from my "1960s Career-Cappers" set released a few years ago:</span></p><div dir="ltr"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ORti6NH-X8a0H8ygv9ZqyKSkSDXRi06Hpo2X22sVu-hvmh1_2K_LeBW2QaYbHh9UnkbrYHkesFRESbqQ5sPlMDUvl3OCoUjeZzGPO-6KN45N4tJxc8WqwhAtMQTZznmYWYUNdpSjMjqpMIWoYipZi9vJOD3BtpCTLlvLQrND9iESkUn2tvQxBoAW58c/s504/CAPPERS%20INSERT%20FOX.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="504" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ORti6NH-X8a0H8ygv9ZqyKSkSDXRi06Hpo2X22sVu-hvmh1_2K_LeBW2QaYbHh9UnkbrYHkesFRESbqQ5sPlMDUvl3OCoUjeZzGPO-6KN45N4tJxc8WqwhAtMQTZznmYWYUNdpSjMjqpMIWoYipZi9vJOD3BtpCTLlvLQrND9iESkUn2tvQxBoAW58c/s320/CAPPERS%20INSERT%20FOX.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghj4GRbXSFe7ZpOcngSleangMo8jTGtvJiufsOBB1dKtr381b-wPggopTlNbYBfkH7I5M1C47AXa9YwixDsd34Rg9Bwccqol9on_eX7hLrEIwoLmn6eqVlZ-S74uBw2Qe64hGaOS2n1yU-wxypDeRsoSBZSnYfZnTFzUicZ8kcUSnSqU6Lho2dNzw8xGY/s1463/IMG_1575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1117" data-original-width="1463" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghj4GRbXSFe7ZpOcngSleangMo8jTGtvJiufsOBB1dKtr381b-wPggopTlNbYBfkH7I5M1C47AXa9YwixDsd34Rg9Bwccqol9on_eX7hLrEIwoLmn6eqVlZ-S74uBw2Qe64hGaOS2n1yU-wxypDeRsoSBZSnYfZnTFzUicZ8kcUSnSqU6Lho2dNzw8xGY/s320/IMG_1575.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpKujGGadMDqnQ27jo0sdrFWUrjofzWoOuTsG3RlS-JG5wvqfKNje_nQOAVdZ8jP6yjLqPWmj0eApcCUNd_OATwmTZB8UZ7CROXkBEc6oYf5l3Qb_YOUNCG4UoyzsqHwjWnhEIQgs3weAn1wx_xuF7n4lWNihXFTL_0ngByyR5lDCBp33Ad7p1avJHjg/s1781/IMG_1578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1114" data-original-width="1781" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpKujGGadMDqnQ27jo0sdrFWUrjofzWoOuTsG3RlS-JG5wvqfKNje_nQOAVdZ8jP6yjLqPWmj0eApcCUNd_OATwmTZB8UZ7CROXkBEc6oYf5l3Qb_YOUNCG4UoyzsqHwjWnhEIQgs3weAn1wx_xuF7n4lWNihXFTL_0ngByyR5lDCBp33Ad7p1avJHjg/s320/IMG_1578.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span><span>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.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
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.</span></span></span></span></div></div>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-69470736251364479832024-03-15T08:06:00.002-04:002024-03-15T08:06:39.962-04:001960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: A.L. FIRST BASEMAN HARMON KILLEBREW<div dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">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:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcf3NS03h1YESbuTjuOkuokTnkhGdcZqaTuWhi3441QFs0vYTJ51-guMZBQxidI-VVnG3XKQNTyIoElkWw6WouA34eM7PMh3pBAbzUgai6Ozer5YmxdwbWDZfNaG_Kjgz5ENVWap9AK6DTOT7jL3j39Nd2PdV0gr2RhBCinAtLleEPVctd1d8H1yCgEbs/s540/1960S%20ALL%20DECADE%20AL%20FIRST%20BASE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcf3NS03h1YESbuTjuOkuokTnkhGdcZqaTuWhi3441QFs0vYTJ51-guMZBQxidI-VVnG3XKQNTyIoElkWw6WouA34eM7PMh3pBAbzUgai6Ozer5YmxdwbWDZfNaG_Kjgz5ENVWap9AK6DTOT7jL3j39Nd2PdV0gr2RhBCinAtLleEPVctd1d8H1yCgEbs/s320/1960S%20ALL%20DECADE%20AL%20FIRST%20BASE.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
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.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
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.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
What a monster he was during the '60's!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In the 10-years from 1960
and 1969, he posted eight seasons of 30+ home runs, with SIX of those
years over 40!</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
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.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
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. <br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>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.<br />
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.</span></span></div></div></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-84151172893130939412024-03-14T08:18:00.002-04:002024-03-14T08:18:26.479-04:00"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: JIM BUNNING<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">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:</span></p><div dir="ltr"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNy71DVsWxB3aE0zkezG0fYzH_yijqPTEJ9x9z8Ilk0E0S4EM9CUaWp1aTFId8Z54iB0ENJT1uMAKAqnujifq5qF_TkWup9RRDpC5iKV4p5_WHL_IhyphenhyphenwsvlJqlN8zVlVhmae4PgQHrKWEZ5470EFlRGjGyQH3zcqd5pf9qs1ihuvhYs_KiQKOhUdtxFYw/s540/CLASSIC%20BASEBALL%20BUNNING.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="390" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNy71DVsWxB3aE0zkezG0fYzH_yijqPTEJ9x9z8Ilk0E0S4EM9CUaWp1aTFId8Z54iB0ENJT1uMAKAqnujifq5qF_TkWup9RRDpC5iKV4p5_WHL_IhyphenhyphenwsvlJqlN8zVlVhmae4PgQHrKWEZ5470EFlRGjGyQH3zcqd5pf9qs1ihuvhYs_KiQKOhUdtxFYw/s320/CLASSIC%20BASEBALL%20BUNNING.jpg" width="231" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span>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.<br />
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.<br />
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.</span></span></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
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.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
Also, at the time of his retirement after the '71 season he was
second all-time in Major League history with his 2855 strikeouts.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span>
In 1996, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining contemporaries such as Juan Marichal, Sandy Koufax and Whitey Ford.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
Amazing man.</span></span></span></div></div></div>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-30396563905962736132024-03-13T08:31:00.002-04:002024-03-13T08:31:23.900-04:00REVISITING A 10-YEAR OLD POST: MISSING 1973 ART KUSNYER<div dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hello all!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">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:</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1ca64vrgjfR3e5wAPpVssvhntLNkTIbFULTzipHmwjI_UEhB-0hidWmLxyXO9lBlDX4RpfpNhtvzihKXxa94H8M_BHMOxGd1nkm2ipLJWmN815bNl5SY-7vEvfs_b_TnAZpHMtAXrOvDSNgSNVdg9asT4hiLueDB5NV3eBFCw_TYEh2N4A3b2dmzaME/s540/MISSING-1973-KUSNYER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="388" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1ca64vrgjfR3e5wAPpVssvhntLNkTIbFULTzipHmwjI_UEhB-0hidWmLxyXO9lBlDX4RpfpNhtvzihKXxa94H8M_BHMOxGd1nkm2ipLJWmN815bNl5SY-7vEvfs_b_TnAZpHMtAXrOvDSNgSNVdg9asT4hiLueDB5NV3eBFCw_TYEh2N4A3b2dmzaME/s320/MISSING-1973-KUSNYER.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the original write-up from that post, dating April 19th, 2014:</span></span></div><div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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.</span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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).</span></span></div><div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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.</span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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.</span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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.</span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
For the year he batted .207, getting 37 hits in 179 at-bats with two doubles, a triple and two homers.</span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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.</span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
However, not all was a lost-cause for the youngster, as on <span><span>July 15th</span></span>
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.</span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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.</span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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.</span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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.</span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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.</span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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.</span></span></div></div></div></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-56718957011761712292024-03-12T08:14:00.000-04:002024-03-12T08:14:01.969-04:00WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: ROD CAREW<div dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Good day all.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On the blog today, for fun, my mini "Gum Pack" custom of Rod Carew, from my recent custom set released a few months back:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVhP67C5MctC2IPjCbss1Jb8THN3URh-MOy93WeQHGz-Y_f5Ngwj9XBFEBfHUtl-Ui34_rY_ZePwPPd8crXm_fkwtZpoIz-7VwOxwCM0Kul_RJ1-pi8_LrnHRU7hvy88dSyG3Q_vQBqT8TsXC-90HEJD4TuY7zosD8uoWcQLaaz704v5EWe3tJ2INCJmc/s504/MINI%20CAREW.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="219" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVhP67C5MctC2IPjCbss1Jb8THN3URh-MOy93WeQHGz-Y_f5Ngwj9XBFEBfHUtl-Ui34_rY_ZePwPPd8crXm_fkwtZpoIz-7VwOxwCM0Kul_RJ1-pi8_LrnHRU7hvy88dSyG3Q_vQBqT8TsXC-90HEJD4TuY7zosD8uoWcQLaaz704v5EWe3tJ2INCJmc/s320/MINI%20CAREW.jpg" width="139" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> <br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhORSFNrF3P1hDn643KXf6qVFqyU6rQpRZCvFQMS1x3V-SPDsSjK9fLRmstsAV_hgHD9jEVSwAYAfKLOV6l1s1GNNjD9O7FjWkwZa6TgQ75AeQrBs12thGb3uT_x-GYnPvR2FiUaaItY3PGErknQbGVSKXKf7zHFRMeaWIoZKTnAxrvrmZ9rTExBHODi3c/s1473/20231021_174651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1045" data-original-width="1473" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhORSFNrF3P1hDn643KXf6qVFqyU6rQpRZCvFQMS1x3V-SPDsSjK9fLRmstsAV_hgHD9jEVSwAYAfKLOV6l1s1GNNjD9O7FjWkwZa6TgQ75AeQrBs12thGb3uT_x-GYnPvR2FiUaaItY3PGErknQbGVSKXKf7zHFRMeaWIoZKTnAxrvrmZ9rTExBHODi3c/s320/20231021_174651.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-x_UVBGxPVZoNIUcu9a_PfTCmRsC6bseNKqngu8SklOWhz78M_q4n022vzlvfNFnzAZ-Z0hVXDmeDPK_ikuGtSCy04KYl9AKgTUqwM8VjnfGJnnhqbDD_2tWa8n96CBXzt1vWTRChj3XsaY7vzkQBiFvEoQmDRvKOzQ05bXtRSYUCkILPEiuG7NzuuY/s1512/20231022_134313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1512" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6-x_UVBGxPVZoNIUcu9a_PfTCmRsC6bseNKqngu8SklOWhz78M_q4n022vzlvfNFnzAZ-Z0hVXDmeDPK_ikuGtSCy04KYl9AKgTUqwM8VjnfGJnnhqbDD_2tWa8n96CBXzt1vWTRChj3XsaY7vzkQBiFvEoQmDRvKOzQ05bXtRSYUCkILPEiuG7NzuuY/s320/20231022_134313.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Just a fun little set to create and get out there in the collecting world!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">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.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">As for Carew, t</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>he
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.</span></span><div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>The first nine seasons of his career were as an All-Star second baseman, while the last nine were as a first baseman.</span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span><span><span>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.<br />
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!!!???</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span><span><span>3053 hits, a .328 career average, 353 stolen bases and 15 straight seasons of .300+ batting. <br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span><span><span>The man was a hitting machine, and I'm so glad I got to see him play during his magnificent career!</span></span></span></span></span></div></div></div></div><p> </p>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-55334223844236980172024-03-11T08:18:00.003-04:002024-03-11T08:18:46.529-04:00MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1978 BILLY MARTIN<div dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">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:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINZlmwnMlfTIbPFr5n3GizMSc0qRT9oXd1s1CL7MyQYXYcegPD2XcjVZBUIl6cDv0piM9rhTGeTT1ELL4wz1c5YElyLacYNYM6wBxV2fWpxOTs3bDPw6fC7KM1RYtPIfS-GVOy-Q8HTTSUWhOexrNxYcXMOU0ZHgHiNXZefarllbKfdXe8bsBGzWsssk/s540/1978-AL-ALL-STAR-MANAGER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="386" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINZlmwnMlfTIbPFr5n3GizMSc0qRT9oXd1s1CL7MyQYXYcegPD2XcjVZBUIl6cDv0piM9rhTGeTT1ELL4wz1c5YElyLacYNYM6wBxV2fWpxOTs3bDPw6fC7KM1RYtPIfS-GVOy-Q8HTTSUWhOexrNxYcXMOU0ZHgHiNXZefarllbKfdXe8bsBGzWsssk/s320/1978-AL-ALL-STAR-MANAGER.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Martin
brought the Yankees back to Postseason Glory in 1976 before losing to
the juggernaut "Big Red Machine" Cincinnati Reds in the World Series.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">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.</span></div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span>Martin was a winner wherever he managed. Just look it up!</span></span><br /><span><span><span></span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span>
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.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
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. <br />
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.<br />
Nevertheless, Martin was a winner, though one with a temper at that,
leaving the game with a .553 winning percentage and over 1200 wins.<br />
Should he be in the Hall of Fame? <br />
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.<br />
Rest in Peace Billy, you are missed.</span></span></span></div></div></div><p> </p>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-87964352213240350342024-03-10T09:50:00.004-04:002024-03-10T09:50:44.076-04:00"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: BROOKS ROBINSON<div dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">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:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_UDu7OjtcRZL0JobTQTfxSmwlP3fHrT9QIkHRCY1ak7xnVKKHIuVE6MV3iYV12JPNesKsjmu0_qDkfeuBOgJT61frK4yBIQm67ckSMr-bIqh1HS0YAWZH8VjVuO_vdv7ypumiGkqZvJH8sQHb-k3GDRA9XZrH3PjYJluDPekrFH3zYCiQ_nJMjwTSvs/s540/9_BEAUTIFUL_BASEBALL_BROOKS_ROBINSON.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf_UDu7OjtcRZL0JobTQTfxSmwlP3fHrT9QIkHRCY1ak7xnVKKHIuVE6MV3iYV12JPNesKsjmu0_qDkfeuBOgJT61frK4yBIQm67ckSMr-bIqh1HS0YAWZH8VjVuO_vdv7ypumiGkqZvJH8sQHb-k3GDRA9XZrH3PjYJluDPekrFH3zYCiQ_nJMjwTSvs/s320/9_BEAUTIFUL_BASEBALL_BROOKS_ROBINSON.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span><span><span>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.<br />
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.<br />
Needless to say, by the time Cooperstown came calling, he was voted in on his first try, receiving 92% support in 1983.</span></span></span></span></span></div></div><p> </p>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-87283153417376073092024-03-09T17:59:00.000-05:002024-03-09T17:59:24.890-05:00NEW SISTER BLOG SITE FOR WTHBALLS PRINTED CARDS/SETS!<p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDfK12gnoZp23V4xOQjU_akErB6wKSyAYo1Y4Fk3dPIeSxevB-4FyixYwbyfBx3CZIUBBYR2M8e4kSbje6IZlX5_OFob0nFa18wZwHVW6qFPMyCnCQmIhZbvRs_x3HBqgqyX6LwucP3v57NGC6mM2T7ses-ms0sOeu9VbJ0KYe8dyuxkhZ1Wwgdjtjlo/s1151/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%205.50.39%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="1151" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDfK12gnoZp23V4xOQjU_akErB6wKSyAYo1Y4Fk3dPIeSxevB-4FyixYwbyfBx3CZIUBBYR2M8e4kSbje6IZlX5_OFob0nFa18wZwHVW6qFPMyCnCQmIhZbvRs_x3HBqgqyX6LwucP3v57NGC6mM2T7ses-ms0sOeu9VbJ0KYe8dyuxkhZ1Wwgdjtjlo/w640-h472/Screen%20Shot%202024-03-09%20at%205.50.39%20PM.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="font-family: arial; text-overflow: unset;"></span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="font-family: arial; text-overflow: unset;">Hello everyone!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="font-family: arial; text-overflow: unset;">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!</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="font-family: arial; text-overflow: unset;">Still more cards and sets to add, along with a downloadable checklist/spreadsheet, but check out what I have so far. Follow me please!:</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><a class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3 r-1loqt21" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/Xw8tUg6mcB" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" role="link" style="color: #1d9bf0; font-family: arial; text-overflow: unset;" target="_blank"><span aria-hidden="true" class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3 r-qlhcfr r-qvk6io" style="text-overflow: unset;">https://wt</span>hballsprintedcustomcards.blogspot.com</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">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.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Thank you all for the continued support and interest!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Gio <br /></span></p>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-1929075158826836592024-03-09T08:45:00.001-05:002024-03-09T08:45:16.590-05:00WTHBALLS SERIES 16 CUSTOM NOW AVAILABLE!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qqZ_fYX1zNm2Qamw3MbIcUR6OKzQpVBdcQyTTnY06D9MlLGfkaFwe31MfdLqbAuUfikJxHpNBhSYs5v_W_AelZ56evC1VR38PlngpWNpFjpNjjuEquOPIi29Nw01Sk6_O8Y3Zgys-maw2qdw4FlTdrm6tEpumTrgDp_6Cfzy8wOrP8tfyGNq6_t5BCc/s1512/20240218_163704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="1512" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qqZ_fYX1zNm2Qamw3MbIcUR6OKzQpVBdcQyTTnY06D9MlLGfkaFwe31MfdLqbAuUfikJxHpNBhSYs5v_W_AelZ56evC1VR38PlngpWNpFjpNjjuEquOPIi29Nw01Sk6_O8Y3Zgys-maw2qdw4FlTdrm6tEpumTrgDp_6Cfzy8wOrP8tfyGNq6_t5BCc/w640-h404/20240218_163704.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymg9CnbP5xMHVDV3ED10y5LFcEazsn0JLz_dPRyg1gMXA3tj7AUWnF4-8wQUHemhO0Jfgih5XbMf4-nLmIekjQD-OJfFZOFmVuokPZmkP30XJ-MERQdiFPS5gOQHbAyBbOp7O3ymVEz0LopQxerXChgQ4qDBQ_HBmqYaEi0czwNw5B9buGvH4vtbjsi4/s1656/20240229_094609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1173" data-original-width="1656" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiymg9CnbP5xMHVDV3ED10y5LFcEazsn0JLz_dPRyg1gMXA3tj7AUWnF4-8wQUHemhO0Jfgih5XbMf4-nLmIekjQD-OJfFZOFmVuokPZmkP30XJ-MERQdiFPS5gOQHbAyBbOp7O3ymVEz0LopQxerXChgQ4qDBQ_HBmqYaEi0czwNw5B9buGvH4vtbjsi4/w400-h284/20240229_094609.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's that time again!</span></span></p><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The newest WTHBALLS custom set is here, and it's the "<span><span><span>SERIES</span></span></span> <span><span><span>16</span></span></span>" set!</span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As
usual, this features <span>15</span> cards, but as with <span>past few series sets</span>,
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.<br />
As usual, the sets come wrapped inside a "WTHBALLS" wrapper like the other "<span><span><span>Series</span></span></span>" set packs from the past.<br /></span></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
I'm happy to announce that the new "packs" are $<span><span>12</span></span>
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!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">And as usual, if you
buy more than one set, postage always stays the same at $4.50.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
SPOILER ALERT! See photos attached for the cards in this set.<br />
My paypal is the usual: <a href="mailto:slogun23@gmail.com" target="_blank">slogun23@gmail.com</a><br />
Thank you all for the continued support and interest!</span></span>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-90812604960624184392024-03-09T07:36:00.005-05:002024-03-09T07:36:53.075-05:001960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: N.L. FIRST BASEMAN WILLIE McCOVEY<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Good day all!</span></span></p><div dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">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:</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-ugUZDxJ0qRCMlddo29jVNOLuCcJ6isHvgXRM4kH2Exyvb9JtAP3Ohjss2pM2Ij57Pl_xi60TbPW5cBJxc4lLwDRIcdHvxWDbkFoc5UHJpoh-0uSGEbL-Uz_bfeCzGUW7v9-SZRhA3WVeQlTVnJN3YTIQN5ooMM1XMN-BhuqTYTOdYPnroCdBXoaH0I/s540/1960S%20ALL%20DECADE%20NL%20FIRST%20BASE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-ugUZDxJ0qRCMlddo29jVNOLuCcJ6isHvgXRM4kH2Exyvb9JtAP3Ohjss2pM2Ij57Pl_xi60TbPW5cBJxc4lLwDRIcdHvxWDbkFoc5UHJpoh-0uSGEbL-Uz_bfeCzGUW7v9-SZRhA3WVeQlTVnJN3YTIQN5ooMM1XMN-BhuqTYTOdYPnroCdBXoaH0I/s320/1960S%20ALL%20DECADE%20NL%20FIRST%20BASE.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">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.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">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.</span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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).</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">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.</span></span></div><div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
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.</span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
In 1986, his first year of eligibility, he was voted into the Hall of Fame with 81.4% of the ballots cast.</span></span></div></div></div></div>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-7923422039564692932024-03-08T08:10:00.004-05:002024-03-08T08:10:46.045-05:00MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1977 DARRELL JOHNSON<p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">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:</span></span></p><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jQxBlvvu6zURCVrpJjbEPFnrhwfvvRK9NGsnTbbLdHWGRaRQtH2UXyXpKgbaok-A6mq7zoO8KEFu2d4mmND3CAxiaZQgkUv7sb7kQq3y0swE4Ea7inb0qZpsyZi7iJFz-0BNE_QAmutbMs-xuk-TjZM0jFMDhhWDck_HorbPPa7xs6YYVHEvYxR6flU/s540/1977-AL-ALL-STAR-MANAGER(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="389" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jQxBlvvu6zURCVrpJjbEPFnrhwfvvRK9NGsnTbbLdHWGRaRQtH2UXyXpKgbaok-A6mq7zoO8KEFu2d4mmND3CAxiaZQgkUv7sb7kQq3y0swE4Ea7inb0qZpsyZi7iJFz-0BNE_QAmutbMs-xuk-TjZM0jFMDhhWDck_HorbPPa7xs6YYVHEvYxR6flU/s320/1977-AL-ALL-STAR-MANAGER(1).jpg" width="231" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">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.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">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.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">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.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">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.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">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.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">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.</span></span>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-9843915817091766772024-03-07T08:06:00.001-05:002024-03-07T08:06:10.882-05:001969 "DO-OVER" SET: JIM BUNNING<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">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:</span></p><div dir="ltr"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPEnEamm7qz9xmSjBBPjTj7wvDkdvf8LSNV9DmfpLxJu0gSMoR7HQRpdXWD4S2Lbxh7u0Q7gSQmh9nECewhLznzV0Txr0IhzpdFmSSxA1-Uu1eyN1X55-kTk64CYne4qD6RcxtKoxIOkYbRvpdLIF_J28ia18ZR7jOB4nehKLYzFoLo2Tv6RWBZpoYhEQ/s540/1969%20REDO%20JIM%20BUNNING-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="386" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPEnEamm7qz9xmSjBBPjTj7wvDkdvf8LSNV9DmfpLxJu0gSMoR7HQRpdXWD4S2Lbxh7u0Q7gSQmh9nECewhLznzV0Txr0IhzpdFmSSxA1-Uu1eyN1X55-kTk64CYne4qD6RcxtKoxIOkYbRvpdLIF_J28ia18ZR7jOB4nehKLYzFoLo2Tv6RWBZpoYhEQ/s320/1969%20REDO%20JIM%20BUNNING-01.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zOAzE-WLcewfwg8IPSDcEPyf389gwQ2Rzbqu87XdDrUyqqRJQIzqpRvwYFgfkICVmsOH18y4ijT_9vIXAg0ehz5RZamHGkbHwKAjS15IYmznvP2gYU1oT9MTVWSYJRqjM1r8OXmfpeaQCNQjwzi6tMAKwYtth7HpVLetWdZllVDTphxsUYTD9FOrQ-Y/s1440/20230909_124207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1121" data-original-width="1440" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zOAzE-WLcewfwg8IPSDcEPyf389gwQ2Rzbqu87XdDrUyqqRJQIzqpRvwYFgfkICVmsOH18y4ijT_9vIXAg0ehz5RZamHGkbHwKAjS15IYmznvP2gYU1oT9MTVWSYJRqjM1r8OXmfpeaQCNQjwzi6tMAKwYtth7HpVLetWdZllVDTphxsUYTD9FOrQ-Y/s320/20230909_124207.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1PvcAMrn5CRs6MSJ3DzlKuFmYGmIHyTVnVKkFcy66WkSLfPGu_1Wg00S5retaMgf4j9ac_Ao_I201knDAwh5ugI2OvscEbwG3ar_DOIDOiJQkUWii0wf_Dl3qo-usphFNo_1FInb-XFEEraVPWsKD0jCqvPXd6aDG0JHKmjM8UzUPgRuUZOUkvQpVXc/s1426/20230925_142437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1349" data-original-width="1426" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC1PvcAMrn5CRs6MSJ3DzlKuFmYGmIHyTVnVKkFcy66WkSLfPGu_1Wg00S5retaMgf4j9ac_Ao_I201knDAwh5ugI2OvscEbwG3ar_DOIDOiJQkUWii0wf_Dl3qo-usphFNo_1FInb-XFEEraVPWsKD0jCqvPXd6aDG0JHKmjM8UzUPgRuUZOUkvQpVXc/s320/20230925_142437.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">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.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>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.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
In 1996, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining contemporaries such as Juan Marichal, Sandy Koufax and Whitey Ford.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
Amazing man.</span></span></div></div>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-25701245117764982722024-03-06T07:46:00.003-05:002024-03-06T07:46:34.585-05:00WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: REGGIE JACKSON<div dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Good day everyone.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On the blog today, my Reggie Jackson mini-card from my recent custom "Gum Pack" set, released in unique packaging:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwafU56bOqp_AtUxlrZj64zgdPPo6ZUq-YxRF1aIZrq2nCEa8h_vEbkuWEoeHXEaS2coknZ9qsvpwCyyOofMiqQc-qVKYNVz24kejFbVwhm_J53xfbw1tgYFNyt6GwhaUUDRCT7ABCE4hetS2RDB7ekO-wy3Zifwf9fPoHOJ6qZBTuxXlsHeHw-8nbZI/s504/MINI%20CARD%20SET_HALFTONE-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="212" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwafU56bOqp_AtUxlrZj64zgdPPo6ZUq-YxRF1aIZrq2nCEa8h_vEbkuWEoeHXEaS2coknZ9qsvpwCyyOofMiqQc-qVKYNVz24kejFbVwhm_J53xfbw1tgYFNyt6GwhaUUDRCT7ABCE4hetS2RDB7ekO-wy3Zifwf9fPoHOJ6qZBTuxXlsHeHw-8nbZI/s320/MINI%20CARD%20SET_HALFTONE-03.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpF3QYn6tyBJp85fEq4D8maxy_35TaLYYtvDoPGbrkzvQB4Dr0OxVIouLss7VmX06w040TprufTefHfmFY4mTNS6-BhUjJwI8RoKktKwtLFXHLPO2V5ku9Mg_JfCN-4kzxbo_qTcmZcbhgojsLmmK46dKY68XzqcliG9B1RbKTPBAti8zoMPzfnYaD5E/s1473/20231021_174651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1045" data-original-width="1473" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpF3QYn6tyBJp85fEq4D8maxy_35TaLYYtvDoPGbrkzvQB4Dr0OxVIouLss7VmX06w040TprufTefHfmFY4mTNS6-BhUjJwI8RoKktKwtLFXHLPO2V5ku9Mg_JfCN-4kzxbo_qTcmZcbhgojsLmmK46dKY68XzqcliG9B1RbKTPBAti8zoMPzfnYaD5E/s320/20231021_174651.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFZrK8qGzJgTBgjQVVNONvOTLMCs8tgS27GyTYEi1S6NCCpR0m9i86oZ6UBlCJTLu9YiQDhqM0Er9OZvpWrcrQNuNls3qB32DLFu9g2NK8-wuxIlEsU70ATNxZiA81kFeEpCFJUgGcDPx0GjTj2Yx3_XPAMtIxW2Caj1lJAMuDlhIukc-e4K1-DA8LgI/s1512/20231022_134150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1512" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFZrK8qGzJgTBgjQVVNONvOTLMCs8tgS27GyTYEi1S6NCCpR0m9i86oZ6UBlCJTLu9YiQDhqM0Er9OZvpWrcrQNuNls3qB32DLFu9g2NK8-wuxIlEsU70ATNxZiA81kFeEpCFJUgGcDPx0GjTj2Yx3_XPAMtIxW2Caj1lJAMuDlhIukc-e4K1-DA8LgI/s320/20231022_134150.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Just a fun little set I worked on between "regular" releases to keep things interesting!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span><span><span>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.<br />
Recruited by pro teams and colleges alike, he went on to Arizona State where he was actually on a football scholarship.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
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!</span></span></span></span></span></div></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-48568962555276042262024-03-05T08:45:00.001-05:002024-03-05T08:45:29.074-05:00NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1978 DAN THOMAS "THE SUNDOWN KID"<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On the
blog today, a card I meant to create years ago, but would flip-flop
about because of the troubled player depicted, a "not so missing" 1978
card for the "Sundown Kid", Dan Thomas of the Milwaukee Brewers:</span></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDL3d6O5gZcy8etSJExvFCxcySNhI9m_qXAqvLL0w8zgyzxFIfiZacwxQdpeyNQPYBrFbnMru8O0zjAqFBZ0icf0s40f7jtBpr5XzDibKVIPiCb7Z_8C6sqACOF3lXTHyCqxDv69Z2GCnIlYFCQD7xTm50GX9ERkCO74YmynQ3VHwab3k5yInVNk4-90A/s540/1978-NOT-REALLY-DAN-THOMAS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="390" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDL3d6O5gZcy8etSJExvFCxcySNhI9m_qXAqvLL0w8zgyzxFIfiZacwxQdpeyNQPYBrFbnMru8O0zjAqFBZ0icf0s40f7jtBpr5XzDibKVIPiCb7Z_8C6sqACOF3lXTHyCqxDv69Z2GCnIlYFCQD7xTm50GX9ERkCO74YmynQ3VHwab3k5yInVNk4-90A/s320/1978-NOT-REALLY-DAN-THOMAS.jpg" width="231" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Thomas
appeared in what ended up being the last 22 games of his short MLB
career in 1977, hitting a respectable .271 after hitting .276 in his
rookie year of 1976, when he appeared in 32 games.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Coming
into the 1977 season, Thomas, who recently joined the "Worldwide Church
of God" and began strictly observing the Sabbath, notified the club
that he would NOT play on the Sabbath, earning him the nickname
mentioned earlier.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The
media played the situation up somewhat, even leading Thomas to being
featured in People Magazine, where he is quoted as stating, "If I'm good
at baseball, it's only because God gave me the talent. I'll give it all
I've got, but I won't play on the Sabbath."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Even
though the young hitter was hitting .271, he was still demoted to the
Triple-A Spokane Indians, with one columnist stating that "No matter how
tolerant and ecumenical Brewers' management wants to be, they are irked
by having a player sit out two games a week".</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Thomas'
relationship further deteriorated after he even agreed to a pay cut of
one day a week while with Spokane, refusing another demotion to their
Eastern League affiliate in August after a decline in performance,
prematurely ending his season.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Brewers'
President Bud Selig even chimed in on the matter, stating "It's just a
tragic story. I know a lot of people are mad at us because of what they
think we've done to him...He's really a nice kid who wants to do the
right thing."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">From
there, Thomas' pro career was essentially done, as he was unsuccessful
in later attempts to latch on with other organizations.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">He'd
go on to play for the Independent Boise Buckskins in the Northern
league, where he'd actually win the Class-A batting title in 1978,
before putting in some time with the Miami Amigos of the Inter-American
League in 1979 before quitting baseball all together shortly after.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Things
took an even more terrible turn for him when, in June of 1980 Thomas
was arrested on a rape charge involving a 12-year-old girl in Mobile,
Alabama.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">While
in jail on the rape charge, Thomas committed suicide by hanging, with
his family so poor that they couldn't even afford a proper funeral,
leading him to be burried in a "Potter's Field".</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Thomas had a history of mental health problems, even taking to drink and pills to combat his inner-demons in the mid-70s.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In
1976 while in Venezuela, he was even hospitalized after overdosing on
pills, telling his wife, "...I wish I had cancer, then at least people
would realize what was the matter with me."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Just a tragic story all-around.</span></div>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-86433970603519204572024-03-04T09:07:00.002-05:002024-03-04T09:07:44.719-05:001960S "IN-ACTION": 1969 PETE ROSE<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The
next card profiled here on the blog from my recent custom "1960s
In-Action" set is my 1969 card for the all-time hit king, Pete Rose:</span></p><div dir="ltr"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2uQ1H7O7x5c3LikyZRIY3FDaWNNa0BzIdZu4iYh29DLpo4rrrX6UA17Bgx_gnP4AzLPZV69HKzpMxOrYrNz7xziNLUw9I-OpQEEwc9h84mdxvdteGxVfZs4T1pM48Xl4FPqfNSV3yXulGlFkIiTqet7pWV5riwLQlwA7FTxZ5PdEzKM2-p6Z3fyZ6m0/s540/1969%20IN%20ACTION%20PETE%20ROSE-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2uQ1H7O7x5c3LikyZRIY3FDaWNNa0BzIdZu4iYh29DLpo4rrrX6UA17Bgx_gnP4AzLPZV69HKzpMxOrYrNz7xziNLUw9I-OpQEEwc9h84mdxvdteGxVfZs4T1pM48Xl4FPqfNSV3yXulGlFkIiTqet7pWV5riwLQlwA7FTxZ5PdEzKM2-p6Z3fyZ6m0/s320/1969%20IN%20ACTION%20PETE%20ROSE-01.jpg" width="229" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcrb2k32vHXIYoJEK1alpboC1B31jyuwtgu4EWxqWet3uLymlNMUYa4SwZM-zX_kCUe0K2WrxZc77hX72B4kpafCwai6W0yQXqkvczpjJIUAWh5_Jynr9UM4MUeG2Vt3twtkwVeQdutduPFx7h1-7tpFNrc3xxMH4hyphenhyphenKm3_JoMfRGdhDYdD3wrOS7Z9c/s1512/20231216_091726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1270" data-original-width="1512" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcrb2k32vHXIYoJEK1alpboC1B31jyuwtgu4EWxqWet3uLymlNMUYa4SwZM-zX_kCUe0K2WrxZc77hX72B4kpafCwai6W0yQXqkvczpjJIUAWh5_Jynr9UM4MUeG2Vt3twtkwVeQdutduPFx7h1-7tpFNrc3xxMH4hyphenhyphenKm3_JoMfRGdhDYdD3wrOS7Z9c/s320/20231216_091726.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlClUfA3XHMaSC0vFN-hzSsMwAF7WGMZDcONua4JZ-iSVbpK8WRK03RCisN53-Zzz8Up8bVMoXcQHCd5Cpe20dcQFqoE79UBDMWdBWm84B8mKa1JpAQ40OJcnIrIjNs8B6roKUsTgXfsB17dq1vEoQ3j3aIfwwPMBmxRDbDrpQEQlS-w5zz3Al18sdREw/s1460/20240101_115331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="1460" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlClUfA3XHMaSC0vFN-hzSsMwAF7WGMZDcONua4JZ-iSVbpK8WRK03RCisN53-Zzz8Up8bVMoXcQHCd5Cpe20dcQFqoE79UBDMWdBWm84B8mKa1JpAQ40OJcnIrIjNs8B6roKUsTgXfsB17dq1vEoQ3j3aIfwwPMBmxRDbDrpQEQlS-w5zz3Al18sdREw/s320/20240101_115331.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Great evening shot of the young rose, who was the reigning N.L. batting champ when this card would have come out.</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Rose was was also about to take home his second straight batting title, hitting .348 after a league-leading .335 in 1968.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">He would also reach 200+ hits for the fourth of what would end up being a record ten such seasons, with 218 in 1969.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Those
numbers got him a fourth place finish in the MVP race at season's end,
along with a Gold Glove for his work in the outfield after coming up as a
second baseman.</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
Growing up in the 1970's as a baseball nut, Pete Rose was an almost
mythic figure. Even though his Reds steamrolled through "my" Yankees in
the 1976 World Series, Rose, along with his all-star teammates, seemed
like something made-up, not real.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
I guess a part of that could be that the very first Pete Rose
baseball card I ever saw, at the age of seven, was his 1976 Topps
masterpiece, which had that glare of his, staring down the camera,
showing that intensity that created the "Charlie Hustle"
legend.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
What a player, a Hall of Fame player. But I won't get into THAT here.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
The "Player of the Decade" for the 1970's, Rose etched his name into the history of the game many times over.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
Really, along with guys like Tom Seaver and Reggie Jackson, you just
can't have too many Pete Rose cards from the 1970's in my eyes.</span></div></div></div></div>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-38218561447311948962024-03-03T08:05:00.005-05:002024-03-03T08:05:49.875-05:00MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1977 SPARKY ANDERSON<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On
the blog this fine day, my "missing" 1977 National league Manager card
for Sparky Anderson, who guided the N.L. to another win in the All-Star
game in 1976, something he'd do again the following season:</span></p><div dir="ltr"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyPL37p48bv4TtonnvxNOQAtc4sdrGBfRnzmvzFQodL_-Nt-j5YllX_6gXlQxcZumlhoLn2IV7FSdlW_FFiVah-fXQxXEqIc9H7hUArf104Ydj4caD8kAea1GRICJJz0YLHX0yUiHXCVHOqs1HUHAAZKbSnZHnKy08eG7ul8kf5lcqAoX5Jgk_Rmx4F4/s540/1977-NL-ALL-STAR-MANAGER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="384" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyPL37p48bv4TtonnvxNOQAtc4sdrGBfRnzmvzFQodL_-Nt-j5YllX_6gXlQxcZumlhoLn2IV7FSdlW_FFiVah-fXQxXEqIc9H7hUArf104Ydj4caD8kAea1GRICJJz0YLHX0yUiHXCVHOqs1HUHAAZKbSnZHnKy08eG7ul8kf5lcqAoX5Jgk_Rmx4F4/s320/1977-NL-ALL-STAR-MANAGER.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Arguably
leading the team of the decade, the Cincinnati Reds, Anderson was at
the helm of a team that featured many of the top players of the era when this card would have seen the light of day.<br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In 1975 the Reds were arguably one of the
best teams in baseball history, steamrolling to 108 victories before
eventually beating the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">In 1976, more of the same as the team would win 102 games before sweeping the New York Yankees in the World Series.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Throw
in the fact that they were also in the World Series in both 1970 and
1972, and it really looked like the team, stacked with guys like Johnny
Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and George Foster, would be keeping our
attention for quite some time.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">But alas, according to Sparky,
it was the trading of one of their OTHER stars, Tony Perez, that took
the heart and soul out of the team, and shockingly the "Big Red Machine"
would not bring home another championship, and the franchise would have
to wait until 1990 before experiencing it again.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">For Anderson
however, the man 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.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">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.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Legend, and perpetually looking like an "old man" even when he was in his 30's!</span></div></div></div></div>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-29977675765248439532024-03-02T08:28:00.002-05:002024-03-02T08:28:43.765-05:001960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: A.L. CATCHER BILL FREEHAN<div dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Today on the blog, my pick for the American League
Catcher of the 1960s, Detroit Tiger legend and "should-be" Hall of Famer
Bill Freehan:</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIZnTSyKMgCTCCdAv4KVkbGpPxxfYpGLBbMZLKGHy7AnHxStlBk5A4rDuhUZGpD87VDcrdO7a0APTDrALbfSeAFC2do5vVdAHUUSt0Bql9IQBrdfnh-tJ_QpuWXHjwzIK8wvh1BZYdc5yYgBd4JAfI_DggaZgOBoD1Npymu0R8y1mVugq8Ll1cEX1IU8/s540/1960S%20ALL%20DECADE%20AL%20CATCHER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="388" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIZnTSyKMgCTCCdAv4KVkbGpPxxfYpGLBbMZLKGHy7AnHxStlBk5A4rDuhUZGpD87VDcrdO7a0APTDrALbfSeAFC2do5vVdAHUUSt0Bql9IQBrdfnh-tJ_QpuWXHjwzIK8wvh1BZYdc5yYgBd4JAfI_DggaZgOBoD1Npymu0R8y1mVugq8Ll1cEX1IU8/s320/1960S%20ALL%20DECADE%20AL%20CATCHER.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's safe to say that between Berra and Fisk, Freehan was easily the best catcher in the American League.<br />
With all the superstars on the filed during the decade, it's easy to
forget that Freehan was an eleven-time all-star, five-time Gold Glover,
and finished in the top-ten in M.V.P. voting three times, with a second
place finish in 1968 behind teammate Denny McLain.<br />
1964, his first full year in the Majors, was arguably his finest season,
as he hit .300 for the only time in his career along with 18 homers and
80 R.B.I.'s.<br />
But for the rest of the decade Freehan put up comparable numbers year
after year, while taking are of a Detroit pitching staff that featured
guys like McLain, Mickey Lolich and Earl Wilson.<br />
He really was ahead of the rest of the pack as far as A.L. catchers during the decade.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A solid player through and through, he'd retire after the 1976
season with a .262 lifetime average, 200 homers and 758 runs batted in
over 1774 games and 6073 at-bats.</span></span></div></div><p> </p>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-5821027135061458982024-03-01T07:32:00.001-05:002024-03-01T07:32:17.163-05:00MINOR LEAGUE DAYS: LEGENDS EDITION- LOU GEHRIG<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Good day all!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On the blog today, we add the great, if not
greatest, first baseman of them all, Lou Gehrig, to my on-going "Minor
League Days: Legends Edition" set, which I hope to print up as a custom
release later in the year:</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgBL_q9iTGan7zuwE5njUah_oLwvf_6l5egH3a4AKd165hLjgPGeGdoGijY1ayNV9BufOuzCYyKrNw4AckO4NLhqfWfed2_uptbNM04eV2cntsLrWBqJppQGfW5cvKC90bmo9OWQUVwRNTTee_1TUVTnqsl6oqniUZa0dvImBgXMG-wauacWaRy1hxHo/s540/MINOR%20LEAGUE%20DAYS%20LEGENDS%20LOU%20GEHRIG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="388" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTgBL_q9iTGan7zuwE5njUah_oLwvf_6l5egH3a4AKd165hLjgPGeGdoGijY1ayNV9BufOuzCYyKrNw4AckO4NLhqfWfed2_uptbNM04eV2cntsLrWBqJppQGfW5cvKC90bmo9OWQUVwRNTTee_1TUVTnqsl6oqniUZa0dvImBgXMG-wauacWaRy1hxHo/s320/MINOR%20LEAGUE%20DAYS%20LEGENDS%20LOU%20GEHRIG.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We see the young
future legend suited up with the Hartford Senators of the Eastern
League, for whom he played parts of three seasons with between 1921 and
1924.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Of the stats available from that tenure, we see Gehrig
already showing signs of what he would do once he made it to a Big
League field, as he hit .369 with 37 homers and 186 hits in 1924 over
134 games at the age of 21.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Of course, once he DID make it up
to the Majors for good in 1925, he was there to stay, putting together
one of the greatest careers a ballplayer would have.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">His
statistics are mind-blowing, as he would drive in 100+ runs 13 straight
seasons, with a high of 185 in 1931 which is still the American League
record.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He would score 100+ runs 13 straight seasons with a high of 167 in 1936 when he took home an MVP Award.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He
would top 200+ hits eight times over his 14 full seasons, with 40+
doubles seven times, 10+ triples nine times, a .350+ batting average six
times, 400+ total bases a ridiculous five times, and a Triple Crown in
1934 when he hit .363 with 49 homers and 166 RBIs.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Again, just ridiculous numbers, and especially so remembering that Babe Ruth batted AHEAD of him for most of his career!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Certainly MY favorite player of all-time.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If only we could have had him play out his career naturally, and not lose him to ALS at the young age of 37 in 1941.</span></span></div><p> </p>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-54073424871650448112024-02-29T07:57:00.003-05:002024-02-29T07:57:36.209-05:001960'S CAREER-CAPPERS INSERTS: YOGI BERRA<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Up on the blog today, my Yogi Berra special insert from my "1960s Career-Cappers" set released a few years ago:</span></p><div dir="ltr"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2FKe0nCiyAGU8XvPAXm5WPy7tonDG8mHKzJKwXvsyFxMB1-QcV7z7UVXny0-75cjTOTvCZu6xB1Nnd5FOtMozqmxD5eJVIRyv-DixBIXsSQ-52g7IhioCBNmjy4D16GekQ3N2W-kdu4cK36wfHPCwjn1E69ICCRvr2MgBytr9kmhPPKQsUxs-K38d1E/s504/BERRA%20INSERT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2FKe0nCiyAGU8XvPAXm5WPy7tonDG8mHKzJKwXvsyFxMB1-QcV7z7UVXny0-75cjTOTvCZu6xB1Nnd5FOtMozqmxD5eJVIRyv-DixBIXsSQ-52g7IhioCBNmjy4D16GekQ3N2W-kdu4cK36wfHPCwjn1E69ICCRvr2MgBytr9kmhPPKQsUxs-K38d1E/s320/BERRA%20INSERT.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2s86VhNQZEXsj1_MUo6QlUbkx_lAEqAmJJrkXgy839irXzSG8cUt_jlrPYGZNHuC4BONTIy-SjlZi4YX9bqD2845YqBVeMZLzdpPCLcesVRytoQCnlUsFIVMSe-n61Vs_-AGY-vxzhrCmaC4xrYSe53o1cCRUNJdxc3-PhFoycyvNX22vu5EH3mgu380/s1463/IMG_1575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1117" data-original-width="1463" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2s86VhNQZEXsj1_MUo6QlUbkx_lAEqAmJJrkXgy839irXzSG8cUt_jlrPYGZNHuC4BONTIy-SjlZi4YX9bqD2845YqBVeMZLzdpPCLcesVRytoQCnlUsFIVMSe-n61Vs_-AGY-vxzhrCmaC4xrYSe53o1cCRUNJdxc3-PhFoycyvNX22vu5EH3mgu380/s320/IMG_1575.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFL-Q2dAFZuJbfHIGymTk0vFzYHUI-E5eawAbvx_ujJW-1pCGtvbnq1Kmu_oDJ8KN1UH1xuoAGvs2jjQuffUyANOQ59iSLvu8uNGr-pxhKlDFw51YvR0qCc39UvYaNik_ZoBvcGzMGX0p4uDkSzKhLdvRzymX6s2u2m95DI39UsZ-LeMpHpuBlcj6Mgg0/s1781/IMG_1578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1114" data-original-width="1781" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFL-Q2dAFZuJbfHIGymTk0vFzYHUI-E5eawAbvx_ujJW-1pCGtvbnq1Kmu_oDJ8KN1UH1xuoAGvs2jjQuffUyANOQ59iSLvu8uNGr-pxhKlDFw51YvR0qCc39UvYaNik_ZoBvcGzMGX0p4uDkSzKhLdvRzymX6s2u2m95DI39UsZ-LeMpHpuBlcj6Mgg0/s320/IMG_1578.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Just a nice photo of the all-time favorite catcher during his New York Yankees heyday.</span></div><div><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>Let's see, the man
was a three-time American League Most Valuable Player, a FIFTEEN-TIME
all-star, and received Most Valuable Player votes every single year
between 1947 and 1961. As a matter of fact, between
1950 and 1956 he never finished lower than fourth for the MVP, with
three wins, and two second place finishes!
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>That's seven top-4 finishes in seven years! Just awesome.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>Oh yeah, let's not forget the fact that he was a member of TEN world championship teams! Amazing!<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>Except for four
scant games in 1965 with the New York Mets, Berra played the rest of his
19-year career with the Bronx Bombers, amassing 358 homers, 1430 runs
batted in and a .285 average.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>One other note about his amazing career: the man only struck out 414 times over 8359 at-bats!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>YOGI!!! I loved that man!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">
<span>A true baseball treasure…</span></span></div></div></div></div>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-46805075878075318052024-02-28T07:23:00.000-05:002024-02-28T07:23:02.773-05:00REVISITING AN OLD BLOG POST: 1972 MISSING IN ACTION DEAN CHANCE<div dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Today we revisit another ten-year-old blog post,
this one my "missing in action" 1972 card and "career-capper" for former
Cy Young Winner Dean Chance, who wrapped up a nice career with a
handful of games with the Detroit Tigers in 1971:</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5Ie4IwDkp6zTiLvqtrdMyPZ167SOpvkO_iecS9Fsjc4dQkzXPTXWs0xDxiF-j51igfAD2xnYFmZde_j87AQg2VmQFj82aI25QvudiphnoRs9ZW1_9-AQQsPpCdrkCMaE9QOYzZSx5waNy21utm7awpEbSkwiZd7HDaVS804zg-1BSoq9iFANIE-_xGQ/s558/1972-MISSING-DEAN-CHANCE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="403" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5Ie4IwDkp6zTiLvqtrdMyPZ167SOpvkO_iecS9Fsjc4dQkzXPTXWs0xDxiF-j51igfAD2xnYFmZde_j87AQg2VmQFj82aI25QvudiphnoRs9ZW1_9-AQQsPpCdrkCMaE9QOYzZSx5waNy21utm7awpEbSkwiZd7HDaVS804zg-1BSoq9iFANIE-_xGQ/s320/1972-MISSING-DEAN-CHANCE.jpg" width="231" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Here's the original write-up from that post:</span></span></div><div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">By August of 1971 Chance was closing out a decent 11-year
career, pitching in 31 games for Detroit, with 14 starts and 89.2
innings of work.</span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
That's enough time to warrant a card in the following year's set in
my opinion, especially for a guy who put in some all-star seasons in
the Major Leagues.</span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
Most notably, he had that monster year in 1964 with the Los Angeles
Angels that saw him go 20-9 with a sparkling 1.65 earned run average,
11 shutouts and 207 strikeouts, making him the only pitcher besides a
guy names "Koufax" to win the Cy Young Award
between 1963 and 1966.</span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
In 1967, now as a member of the Minnesota Twins, Chance had another
excellent campaign, posting a 20-14 record with a 2.73 E.R.A., five
shutouts and 220 strikeouts.</span></span></div>
<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
By the time he retired, he put together a career 128-115 record
with a 2.92 E.R.A., 33 shutouts and 1534 strikeouts, with two All-Star
game nods and that Cy Young hardware from '64."</span></span></div></div></div><p> </p>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-59962598516515243102024-02-27T07:54:00.002-05:002024-02-27T07:54:34.741-05:00OPC IMAGE VARIATION: 1977 BILL MADLOCK<p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">On the
blog today, a fun 1977 OPC/Topps image variation, this one of the
reigning National League batting champ at the time, Bill Madlock, who
went from the Chicago Cubs to the San Francisco Giants before the 1977
season began:</span></p><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBpbQ3-QR2Q7F8Jzx_A3xSOTx1UkQK1tuNnvyxoYRt72TnZULAhOmK71RJDutPZQ3-uQJthSFtYLGiuEj4gUmQcFH7WwlPoSNB9uoLrhJgii-S2LIvC2YUEiWwRRJ7MREii5DrA6e8aSQv4GLC21iTmA_ZY45t4SjA-uE-3ONIADdSBcLtW_i858ShmNs/s540/OPC%20MADLOCK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="389" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBpbQ3-QR2Q7F8Jzx_A3xSOTx1UkQK1tuNnvyxoYRt72TnZULAhOmK71RJDutPZQ3-uQJthSFtYLGiuEj4gUmQcFH7WwlPoSNB9uoLrhJgii-S2LIvC2YUEiWwRRJ7MREii5DrA6e8aSQv4GLC21iTmA_ZY45t4SjA-uE-3ONIADdSBcLtW_i858ShmNs/s320/OPC%20MADLOCK.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OPC version<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgEQ9oU-eoYs4jDkyl-ywVHNjdFwqFSStD20jrAiNNX3e0V63XMkOcR6Rdy008oAP9i9QEjHdl7Vxbd_S5zqf16_rWR0CKKmOZyLgTMLsPHGqNMvdyCE5rP9e9LwzJe5EU7DGmcXV2trUY-pmeKGCVKoTiQHNBse96i9uQo018WVck7YQE1tZbYzsazfU/s540/TOPPS%20MADLOCK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="390" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgEQ9oU-eoYs4jDkyl-ywVHNjdFwqFSStD20jrAiNNX3e0V63XMkOcR6Rdy008oAP9i9QEjHdl7Vxbd_S5zqf16_rWR0CKKmOZyLgTMLsPHGqNMvdyCE5rP9e9LwzJe5EU7DGmcXV2trUY-pmeKGCVKoTiQHNBse96i9uQo018WVck7YQE1tZbYzsazfU/s320/TOPPS%20MADLOCK.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Topps version<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>While
Topps already went to press before the trade, OPC went ahead and
hilariously airbrushed him into his new uniform, with stupendous
results!<br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>"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.<br />
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.<br />
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.<br />
Just one of those historical quirks that has him as a four-time batting champ, but not really one of the all-time greats.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span>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.</span></span></div>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-48723802014047961722024-02-26T07:55:00.005-05:002024-02-26T07:55:47.344-05:00"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: WILLIE STARGELL<div dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The
next baseball star featured in my future custom "Classic Baseball" set,
"Pops" Willie Stargell, Pittsburgh Pirates legend and Hall of Famer:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMQFLYfNOStSMNtFseBmxIyTeb4zCksGUTD4T0ExaSVSKvzhQ3FGp0oeMSBC7i1nlPOydxzJkVvg9Oea2yGOiMwEVXakcffI7b14kGcQdAmxG-dtCBuoBY4ElnAkDMru_Ni94p8dO_TDVGwIfgpyDWMo8jl4IzC9U0YJ8MKq0LGR94ag2O14hAdVxFWs/s540/8_BEAUTIFUL_BASEBALL_WILLIE_STARGELL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="383" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMQFLYfNOStSMNtFseBmxIyTeb4zCksGUTD4T0ExaSVSKvzhQ3FGp0oeMSBC7i1nlPOydxzJkVvg9Oea2yGOiMwEVXakcffI7b14kGcQdAmxG-dtCBuoBY4ElnAkDMru_Ni94p8dO_TDVGwIfgpyDWMo8jl4IzC9U0YJ8MKq0LGR94ag2O14hAdVxFWs/s320/8_BEAUTIFUL_BASEBALL_WILLIE_STARGELL.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Just
a beautiful portrait photo of the slugger during the height of his
wonderful career, oozing "bad-assery" and striking fear into opposing
pitchers.</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span>Over 21 seasons, Stargell would lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to two
world championships, take home an MVP Award in 1979 (shared with the
Cardinals Keith Hernandez), and get named to seven All-Star teams.</span></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span>"Pops" would also have a great three-year run between
1971 and 1973 that saw him finish second, third and second respectively
in MVP voting, winning two home run titles, an RBI title and even lead
the league with 43 doubles (1973).</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span>Luckily, I got to see him towards the end of his career in the late-70's/early-80s before he retired after the 1982 season.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span>His
final numbers? Hall of Fame worthy as he'd finish with 475 home runs,
1540 RBIs, a surprisingly high .282 batting average and 2232 hits over
2360 games and 7927 at-bats.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span>Think about those numbers in UNDER 8000 at-bats! <br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span>Of course when eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in, with 82.4% of the vote in 1988.</span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span>So sad that he would pass away at only 61 years of age in 2001.</span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span><span>One of baseball's beloved players, especially among his fan-base, he left such a lasting legacy that resonates to this day. </span></span></span></div></div><p> </p>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2400799061082096498.post-31748603597397028042024-02-25T08:06:00.005-05:002024-02-25T08:06:56.790-05:001960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: N.L. CATCHER JOE TORRE<div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Starting a new thread today on the blog, following my popular
"1970s All-Deade Team" set a few months back, we go ahead and
acknowledge my (and I do stress "MY") picks for the 1960s team,
beginning with my National League catcher of the 1960s, Joe Torre:</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ro6lwElVrlhqE-piPOJLATj9ZZYxLkN3YtpCoWg-R2Ro1l8qiWAl1YRe6bKS_5cirSyqFdliaAPVP5VVXDva_NZ8qtjoIBxTiQ3gJ-eIiBplKr4_XgFt6C-ykYOo-YUD0AF3iIkc_Ldx_kTEGo46mThpe5kw_CuzA1wPhkwQ2sqbeW2dtowurYGGQtU/s540/1960S%20ALL%20DECADE%20NL%20CATCHER-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="388" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Ro6lwElVrlhqE-piPOJLATj9ZZYxLkN3YtpCoWg-R2Ro1l8qiWAl1YRe6bKS_5cirSyqFdliaAPVP5VVXDva_NZ8qtjoIBxTiQ3gJ-eIiBplKr4_XgFt6C-ykYOo-YUD0AF3iIkc_Ldx_kTEGo46mThpe5kw_CuzA1wPhkwQ2sqbeW2dtowurYGGQtU/s320/1960S%20ALL%20DECADE%20NL%20CATCHER-01.jpg" width="230" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Some of you may be surprised at my pick of Joe Torre as the catcher of
the decade, but take a look at the guy's numbers and you'll see why.<br />
With a decade that didn't have that Campanella or Bench behind the
plate, Torre out-distances other catchers in the league in my opinion.<br />
A five-time all-star during the '60's, Torre had a couple of "monster" years that kind of get lost in history.<br />
In 1964 playing for the Milwaukee Braves, Torre hit .321 with 20 homers
and 109 runs batted in. He also chipped in 193 hits and 36 doubles. Not
bad!<br />
But in 1966, with the Braves relocated to Atlanta, Torre clubbed 36 home runs to go along with a .315 average and 101 R.B.I.'s.<br />
Later on when he'd switch over to third base he'd win an M.V.P. with the
St. Louis Cardinals, and tack on a few more excellent years at the
plate, and it's those years that people generally remember Torre as a
player.<br />
But his catching days for the Braves organization were very good in their own right. yet easy to overlook.<br />
Later on, as we all know, Torre would be inducted into the Hall of Fame
as a manager in 2014 for his days leading the New York Yankees through
their most recent dynasty in the late-90's/early-00's, along with taking
the helm of the Mets, Braves, Cardinals and Dodgers as well between
1977 and 2010, finishing up with 2326 wins and four championship titles.</span></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Next week, my A.L. catcher, which should be a no-brainer for all of us!</span></span><p> </p>John23http://www.blogger.com/profile/13867602703596882750noreply@blogger.com