MISSING IN ACTION: 1967 ROY WHITE

Today on the blog we have a "missing" 1967 card for the quiet one, former New York Yankee lifer Roy White, about as solid and under the radar as they came:

Though White was part of a multi-player rookie card in the 1966 set, Topps left him out of the '67 set, even though he appeared in 115 game in 1966, hitting .225 over 356 plate appearances.

By now White was where he would play all the way through the 1979 campaign before making his way to Japan to finish up his pro career.

He became a dependable starting outfielder within three years, on his way to a career that spanned the “dark years” in the Bronx from 1965 through the end of the decade through to the successes of the “Bronx Zoo” teams that won two World Series and three pennants.
Even though the man was a New York Yankee "lifer", playing 15 years between 1965 and 1979 wearing only the Yankee pinstripes, White was often overshadowed by the likes of Mantle, Munson, Murcer, Nettles and Jackson.
Nevertheless he put in a very solid career, amassing over 1800 hits, with just under 1000 runs scored, 160 home runs and 233 stolen bases.
After his Major League playing days he even put in three good years in Japan, playing for the Yomiuri Giants between 1980-1982.
Just a quiet, solid player who more than did his job while between the foul lines, year in and year out.
I've mentioned this earlier here on this blog: years later I would end up befriending and DJ-ing in the same club scene here in NYC with his son Reade, even though he never DID tell me who his father was!
I'd only find out years later from a mutual friend after I was long gone from the club-circuit…
Would have been nice to try and schmooze a conversation or two with the senior White in the early-90's!

1960S "IN-ACTION": 1967 ROCKY COLAVITO

Good day everyone.

On the blog today, we have the first card from what will be my third series of "1960s In-Action" set, this one a card of former slugger Rocky Colavito of the Cleveland Indians on a 1967 template:

I chose the 1967 template since his base 1967 card is a complete pain in the butt to get for those of us completing that legendary set!

I found a nice "action" shot of him in-game, stretching before an at-bat.

Between 1956 and 1966 there were few Major League batters who hit homers as frequently as he, hitting 358 home runs playing for the Indians, Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Athletics.
He topped 40+ homers three times, with a career-best 45 in 1961 while also leading the American League in 1959 with 42 blasts.
By the time he retired, he hit 374 homers with 1159 RBIs over 1841 games in 14-years, finishing Top-5 in MVP voting three times and making the All-Star team six times.

1960S "IN-ACTION": 1967 JUAN MARICHAL

Today on the blog, a fun 1967 "In-Action" card for the "Dominican Dandy" Juan Marichal, from my Series 2 "1960s In-Action" set to be released next week:

The man was born to pitch!

Once called up to the big show in 1961, he would go 6-2 over his first 11 starts, with a 2.66 ERA and six complete games, including a shutout in his 1st MLB start.
As much as Marichal is celebrated as an all-time pitching legend, you still have to feel for the guy when you consider the timing of all his banner years in the big leagues.
In 1963 he has his breakout year, going 25-8 with a 2.41 E.R.A., but takes a back seat to another guy who has a breakout year, Sandy Koufax.
In 1966 he wins 25 games again, but again takes a backseat to a now dominating Koufax, who wins 27 along with a bunch of other eye-popping numbers.
In 1968 he sets a career high of 26 wins to go along with a 2.43 earned run average, but wait, a guy named Bob Gibson has a year for the ages, winning both the Cy Young Award and the M.V.P.
But when you look at the decade as a whole, there wasn't a better pitcher in the game from 1960-1969, as Marichal went on to win 191 games, winning 25 or more wins three times, post seven sub-3.00 E.R.A. seasons,  top 200+ strikeouts six times , and get selected as an all-star every year between 1962-1969.
What a BEAST on the mound!
Easily would have been the first 3-time Cy Young winner if not for Koufax and Gibson.
Ah well, I’m sure his spot in Cooperstown makes it a bit easier to take.

"Dominican Dandy" indeed!

1960'S "IN-ACTION": 1967 ROBERTO CLEMENTE

The next card from my recent "1960s In-Action" custom set to be spotlighted here on the blog is my 1967 Roberto Clemente, a really fun "add" to the WTHBALLS stable:

 

Just a nice in-game action shot of the "Great One" that would have been an awesome addition to the classic 1967 set!

Clemente's career is the stuff of legend: His fiery play on the field, his good deeds, and his absolute adoration by teammates and fans alike.

On the field Clemente's numbers were incredible: four batting titles, five seasons batting over .340, four 200 hit seasons, 12 all-star nods, 12 Gold Gloves and a Most Valuable Player Award in 1966.

And a prime example of Clemente's importance to the game was his immediate induction into Cooperstown by special committee in 1973, waiving the standard five-year wait before a player joins the Hall ballot, as well as the establishment of the "Roberto Clemente Award", given every year to the player that exemplified "outstanding baseball playing skills who is personally involved in community work."

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

Just special...

1960'S DEDICATED ROOKIE: 1967 ROD CAREW

Up on the blog today, we have my 1967 "Dedicated Rookie" for the incomparable Rod Carew, from my 1960's Dedicated Rookie set released a few years ago:

What really needs to be said about the greatest hitter of his generation?

He would go on to play in 18 All-Star games, missing only his final season in the Majors in 1985. Just incredible.

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

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

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

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

CAREER-CAPPERS: 1967 SANDY KOUFAX

On the blog today, a card many have (rightfully) created since Topps inexplicably left out of their 1967 set, a "career-capper" for all-time great Sandy Koufax, who shocked the sports world by retiring after taking home his third Cy Young Award because of an arthritic elbow:

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

1960'S "DEDICATED ROOKIES"- 1967 TOM SEAVER

Up on the blog today, we have my 1967 "dedicated rookie" for the great Tom Seaver, from my 1960's Dedicated Rookie set released in 2020:

I loved creating this set featuring all the Hall of Famers at the time who appeared on a multi-player rookie card during the 1960's.

What needs to be said about the greatest New York Met to ever suit up?

The man would end up with a 311-205 record along with 61 shutouts and 3640 strikeouts to go with a brilliant 2.86 ERA over 20-seasons and 656 appearances, 647 of which were starts.

He was in prime form in the mid-70’s, putting together nine straight 200 strikeouts seasons while getting tabbed to ten all-star teams in his first eleven seasons.

God I loved Tom Seaver when I was a kid. More than any other pitcher of that era I was in awe of this man. He just seemed like a "super-hero" to me.

Just look at all my other posts dedicated to the man here on this blog. He was other-worldly to me growing up in New York City as a kid in the 1970's.

Even if he WAS a Met, to this young Yankee fan he was unquestionably the best pitcher in the game at that time.

Rest in Peace "Tom Terrific"!

1960'S CAREER-CAPPERS: 1967 ROBIN ROBERTS

Today on the blog we have my 1967 "career-capper" for Hall of Famer Robin Roberts, who closed out a fantastic Big League career in 1966 with a split season, suiting up for the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs:

He'd go 5-8 in his last season with a 4.82 ERA over 24 appearances, tossing a shutout and picking up a save at the age of 39, throwing 112 innings.

Roberts was a machine during the 1950’s pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies, posting six 20-win seasons with  a 19 and 17 win season thrown in as well.
He led the league in wins four times with a high of 28 in 1952, while also leading the National league in strikeouts twice, complete games five times, innings pitched five times and shutouts once.
By the time he retired after the 1966 season, he finished with 286 wins and a 3.41 earned run average, with 45 shutouts and 2357 strikeouts over 676 games and 4688.2 innings pitched.
Between 1950 and 1956 he was named to the all-star team each year, while also garnering MVP attention every season.
To be honest how he didn’t win the MVP in 1952 is beyond me, as the award went to Chicago Cubs slugger Hank Sauer.
Granted the Phillies finished in fourth place with an 87-67 record, 9.5 games behind the Dodgers.
But the Cubs finished in fifth place, with a 77-77 record.
So what went on there is something worth looking into considering all Roberts did was go 28-7 with a 2.59 ERA, three shutouts, 148 strikeouts and 30 complete games out of his 37 starts!

 

CUSTOM SPOTLIGHT: 1967 NOLAN RYAN

Today on the blog, we take a closer look at my “missing” 1967 card for Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, who made his Big League debut in 1966 but didn’t get a Topps card until 1968:

 

 

The card was part of my “Whole Nine” custom set released last year, focusing on “missing” cards beyond the decade of the 1970’s, which was a fun exercise for me to work on stuff outside my “comfort zone”.

Ryan appeared in two games for the New York Mets in 1966 as a 19-year-old, tossing three innings and going 0-1 with a 15.00 earned run average with six strikeouts and three walks.

He would spend all of 1967 in the Minors before making it back for good in 1968, going 6-9 over 21 appearances with a 3.09 ERA in 134 innings, starting 18 and completing three.

Of course, the rest, as they say, is history, as he would go on to put in one of the most amazing careers in Major League history.

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

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

I used the 1974 template since he was fresh off his record-breaking 383 strikeout season of 1973, his second consecutive 300+ strikeout season, and on his way to make the Mets regret BIG TIME for letting him go.

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

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

Hey, you never know…

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

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

TURN BACK THE CLOCK- EDDIE MATHEWS SLAMS HIS 500TH CAREER HOME RUN

Next up in my running “Turn Back the Clock” series is Hall of Fame slugger Eddie Mathews and his 500th career home run, hit while he was a member of the Houston Astros on July 14th 1967:

At the time Mathews became only the seventh 500-HR hitter in Major League history, on his way to 512 homers in his 17-year career, spent mainly with the Braves organization from Boston, to Milwaukee, on to Atlanta.
A beast of a hitter immediately upon reaching the Majors, in 1953 he hit 47 homers along with 135 runs batted in at the age of 21!
It would be the first of three straight 40-HR seasons, as well as nine straight 30+ homer campaigns, 10 overall.
By the time he retired after the 1968 season he easily wrote his way into Cooperstown, elected in 1978 with just under 80% of the vote.

TURN BACK THE CLOCK- 1967 MICKEY MANTLE HITS HIS 500TH HOME RUN

The newest “Turn Back the Clock” card in my thread is a 1977 card celebrating the 10th anniversary of the great Mickey Mantle’s 500th career home run, which occurred on May 14th of ‘67:

In the 7th inning of a Sunday game against the reigning World Champion Baltimore Orioles, Mantle slammed a two-out shot off of reliever Stu Miller to join the (then) exclusive club, on his way to a career 536 homers before he retired in the Spring of 1969.
He would top 50 homers twice during his 18-year career, along with four 40+ seasons and nine 30+ seasons, leading the league four times while also topping the Junior Circuit in runs scored five times and RBI’s once (during his Triple Crown 1956 campaign).
The 16-time all-star and three-time MVP became an American icon that still resonates today, as arguably the most popular subject in card-collecting and as beloved a New York athlete as anyone can name.

1975 "CY YOUNG AWARD" SUB-SET: WHAT IF? 1967

OK.

Today we move past the "Koufax-Era" and spotlight the 1967 Cy Young Award winners in my imagined 1975 sub-set based on the awesome M.V.P. version Topps had in their set that year.

Turns out the card I needed to design took a little more work than expected since the National league's winner that year, San Francisco Giant Mike McCormick, was actually pictured as a Washington Senator in the 1967 set.

So, along with the as-issued card of American league winner Jim Lonborg of the Boston red Sox, I had to create a Giants card for McCormick before I dropped them onto the 1975 sub-set card.

Here's what McCormick's card looked like in the 1967 set:

And here's my creation, showing him as a Giant pitcher:

Now let's move onto my design for the sub-set showing the Cy Young Award winners for the 1967 season:

This was the first year that there was a Cy Young winner picked for BOTH leagues, so we are now past the SABR selections of presumed winners in whichever league wasn't represented between 1956-1966.

Both pitchers really came out of nowhere to post career years that season.

Jim Lonborg helped lead the Boston Red Sox to their first World Series appearance since 1946, mainly on the shoulders of Triple Crown winner and Most Valuable Player Carl Yastrzemski.

By the time the season ended Lonborg's numbers were outstanding, finishing with a league-leading 22 wins against nine losses, along with a league-leading 246 strikeouts and a 3.16 earned run average.

He also started a league-high 39 games and completed 15 of them, good for 273.1 innings pitched and two shutouts.

It was only his third full season in the Majors, and sadly for Lonborg easily the high point of his career, though he did win 18 games for the Phillies in 1976 with an even better E.R.A. than 1967 at 3.08.

However immediately after his great '67 season, he faltered in 1968 to a 6-10 record with a 4.29 E.R.A., never really coming close to all-star numbers again in his 15 year career.

In the National league, McCormick was a well worn veteran by the time he rejoined the Giants after four seasons of toiling in the American League for the Baltimore Orioles and Senators between 1963-1966.

Originally up in the big leagues as a seventeen year old for the New York Giants in 1956, he actually won the National League E.R.A. crown back in 1960 at the ripe-young-age of 21 when he posted 2.70.

That season also saw him go 15-12 with four shutouts and three saves, but would be his best season in the Majors until 1967 rolled around.

Finding himself in the N.L. again seemed to revitalize his career, as he cruised to a 22-10 record with a nice 2.85 earned run average and five shutouts to go along with 150 strikeouts.

To be honest, I personally wonder why the award didn't go to either Jim Bunning or Fergie Jenkins, both future Hall of Famers, as their numbers seem to be better overall.

But McCormick left them in the dust when voting was announced, 18 votes to one each for Bunning and Jenkins.

Like Lonborg, sadly McCormick's career would quickly fall apart, as he was only able to win 12 games the following year, and 11 the next before playing out the last two years of his career with the Giants, Yankees and Royals to the tune of a 7-4 record with an above-6.00 E.R.A. before calling it a career after 16 seasons.

It really was a curious oddity that these two guys would pop out of obscurity and claim the top pitching prize in the same season, leading their team to excellent seasons before falling out of sight somewhat by the time the decade came to a close.

Definitely one of the more interesting Cy Young Award years of the era.

Next up on this thread, the "Year of the Pitcher"!

1968 and the absolute domination of Denny McClain and Bob Gibson, not only Cy Young Award winners for the respective leagues, but Most Valuable Players as well!

Stay tuned…