MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1979 BILLY MARTIN

Today on the blog, my "missing" 1979 All-Star manager card, featuring the skipper who led the American league in the 1978 game, Billy Martin, who was given the honor after taking the New York Yankees to a World Series berth in 1977, bringing back a championship to the Bronx for the first time since 1962:

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nevertheless, Martin was a winner, though one with a temper at that, leaving the game with a .553 winning percentage and over 1200 wins.
Should he be in the Hall of Fame?
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.
Rest in Peace Billy, you are missed.

 

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1978 BILLY MARTIN

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:

Martin brought the Yankees back to Postseason Glory in 1976 before losing to the juggernaut "Big Red Machine" Cincinnati Reds in the World Series.

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.

Martin was a winner wherever he managed. Just look it up!

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nevertheless, Martin was a winner, though one with a temper at that, leaving the game with a .553 winning percentage and over 1200 wins.
Should he be in the Hall of Fame?
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.
Rest in Peace Billy, you are missed.

 

1970'S ALL-DECADE TEAM: A.L. MANAGER BILLY MARTIN

Today on the blog we take a look at my pick for the American League Manager of the 1970s, Billy Martin who won no matter which cap he put on his hot-tempered head:

Martin was a winner wherever he managed. Just look it up!

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nevertheless, Martin was a winner, though one with a temper at that, leaving the game with a .553 winning percentage and over 1200 wins.
Should he be in the Hall of Fame?
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.
Rest in Peace Billy, you are missed.

DEDICATED MANAGER CARD- 1975 BILLY MARTIN

Time to go and give one of my favorite baseball personalities, Billy Martin, a "dedicated manager card" in my new thread, this one a 1975 edition:

Martin was a winner wherever he managed. Just look it up!

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nevertheless, Martin was a winner, though one with a temper at that, leaving the game with a .553 winning percentage and over 1200 wins.
Should he be in the Hall of Fame?
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.
Rest in Peace Billy, you are missed.

1973 SPECIAL- BILLY MARTIN STATING HIS CASE

Found this photo of the great Billy Martin a while back and always wanted to create a card with it, so here it is, a 1973 “special” of the fiery manager at his best:

Martin was a winner wherever he managed. Just look it up!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nevertheless, Martin was a winner, though one with a temper at that, leaving the game with a .553 winning percentage and over 1200 wins.
Should he be in the Hall of Fame?
I do think so more for his personality than anything else. As a symbol of the wild 1970’s with his managerial style ala Earl Weaver, arguing and fighting his way through each season.
Rest in Peace Billy, you are missed.

A 1974 RE-DO: BILLY MARTIN AND HIS AIRBRUSH JOB-BUT WHY?

Forgive me for forgetting, but some time ago someone asked if I’d re=do the 1974 Billy Martin card, since it had a killer airbrush job.
Well, here it is! But first the original:

Now for the re-do:

I still for the life of me cannot figure out why Topps didn’t have a proper image of him as a Texas Ranger manager since he actually finished up the previous season leading them over the last 23 games.
Strange that they wouldn’t have a good shot of him to use on his 1974 card.
Regardless, Martin would lead the Rangers to a strong showing in 1974, finishing in second place and producing the league’s MVP in Jeff Burroughs and Rookie of the Year in Mike Hargrove.
As a matter of fact, they almost pulled off the trifecta with their ace, Fergie Jenkins, finishing in second place in the Cy Young voting! Pretty amazing!
Martin himself would manage for 16 tumultuous seasons in the Major Leagues, leading four different teams to first place finishes, and winning a World Championship along the way in 1977 with the New York Yankees.
A huge baseball personality that sadly died way too soon on Christmas day in 1989. RIP Billy.

TURN BACK THE CLOCK 1952: BILLY MARTIN SAVES THE SERIES FOR THE YANKEES

Today’s “Turn Back the Clock” card is a 20th Anniversary card for the 1972 Topps set celebrating Billy Martin and his World Series (and World Championship) saving grab in the seventh game of the 1952 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Check it out:

The Yankees were gunning for their fourth straight championship, and incredibly, this was their FIRST to go seven games in the run.
On October 7th, 1952, with the Yanks nursing a two-run lead and the bases loaded with Dodgers, Jackie Robinson came to the plate in the seventh with two out and popped up in the infield.
What should have been a simple pop-out turned into a circus as first baseman Joe Collins lost sight of the ball in the sun, forcing second baseman Billy Martin to come dashing in at full speed, barely snatching the ball before it hit the ground.
That play allowed the Yanks to get out of the inning with their slim lead still intact.
If you want a good read on the specifics of the moment, check out the following link, they did a great job:
http://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/october-7-1952-billy-martin-saves-series
The Yankees would go on to win the series, their fourth of an incredible FIVE championships in a row.
This was also the beginning of a historical run that would see them win four more championships by 1962, for a total of TEN World Series wins between 1947 and 1962.
Amazing stuff...

MANAGING A MANAGER SUB-SET THE RIGHT WAY...1978

I always thought Topps nailed it when it came to their manager cards in the 1978 set. The horizontal orientation, the dual images of both player and manager, and the full playing statistics that, at the time, were not readily accessible in the pre-internet world we lived in.

Up until that point, and sadly, ever since, manager cards were usually run of the mill "throw-ins" that really didn't add much to the set, and you were left wondering if the slots wouldn't have been better served with some players that were left out, or some other sub-set that could garner more interest. 

But for this set, all teams but the Brewers had their managers represented with nicely designed and well thought out cards. 

***Milwaukee hadn't yet named their manager for the upcoming season when cards went to press. However I created a George Bamberger card below to finally "complete" the sub-set.

All told, no less than six of the managers are Hall-of-Famers (either as managers or players): Earl Weaver, Whitey Herzog, Bob Lemon, Dick Williams, Tommy Lasorda and Sparky Anderson. And that number will most assuredly go up by two once Joe Torre and Bobby Cox are inducted as well. Some can even make a case for Billy Martin to eventually get in as well, possibly bringing us to NINE members of the Hall. Not too shabby for a sub-set.

Of these managers, the most accomplished as players were Bob Lemon and Joe Torre. Lemon fashioned a Hall of Fame career as a pitcher for the famed Indians staffs of the '40's and '50s, while Torre was a one-time MVP with the Cardinals in 1971, after a solid career as a power hitting catcher for the Braves in the '60's as a power hitting catcher with the Braves.

However, Alvin Dark and Bill Virdon were no slouches either, with both winning Rookie of the Year awards, in 1948 and 1955 respectively.

Sure, there were some guys that really didn't leave much of a mark in baseball history, but overall, this sub-set was one of the better executed sub-sets of the decade in my eyes. It's a shame that Topps decided to abandon this format for their Manager cards after this set.

Anyway, now onto the cards themselves. Enjoy!

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

***This card was never issued. I've created here to complete the sub-set***

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST 

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST 

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST