A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: CARL YASTRZEMSKI

Today on the blog we come to the third starting outfielder in my 1971 "All-Star Ticket" set, celebrating perhaps the greatest Midsummer Classic of the all, Boston Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski:

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

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

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

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

He was just plain awesome…

 

1984 CAREER-CAPPER: CARL YASTRZEMSKI

Time to "break out of the 1970's" once again and create a 1984 "career-capper" for Boston Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski, who closed out a stellar Big League career in 1983:

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

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

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

He was just plain awesome…

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He was just plain awesome…

WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: CARL YASTRZEMSKI

Today on the blog, we have my mini custom card for Boston Red Sox legend Carl yastrzemski, from my "Gum Pack" custom set released a few months back:

Really fun set to create!

The man was at his height at the time this card would have seen the light of day in the mid to late 1970s, already a three-time batting champion, Triple Crown winner in 1967, and five-time Gold Glove winner.

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

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

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

He was just plain awesome…

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1978 CARL YASTRZEMSKI

On the blog today, my do-over for Boston Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski and his 1978 card, something I've wanted to do for some time now:

Rather than the boring (to me at least) close up of the man staring up into the air that Topps had out there, I wanted a nice action shot of him to go along with the legendary All-Star badge that I hold so dear.

This image seems to do the trick, and was good enough for me to include in my recent Series 16 set released a month ago.

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

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

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

He was just plain awesome…

1969 "DO-OVER" SET: CARL YASTRZEMSKI

Today on the blog, we spotlight my 1969 do-over for Carl Yastrzemski, from my recent custom set released a few months ago "fixing" the issue of repeated images Topps used in that set:

Just a nice portrait shot of the man just a year or so removed from his MVP Triple Crown season of 1967, when he took the team on his shoulders and marched straight to the World Series, cementing his legendary status in New England.

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

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

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

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

He was just plain awesome…

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: CARL YASTRZEMSKI

Good day everyone!

Today on the blog, something a little different, the first of what is a nice 100+ card set that I designed from scratch, "Classic Baseball", my little "ode" the the game I love so much, using images that I felt deserved their own unique card.

This will encompass players from various generations and eras, from the "Golden Days" of the 1950's through the wild and daring 1970s, and beyond.

I do hope to have this "monster" set printed and released sometime in the future, so let's sit back and enjoy them one by one!

I begin with Boston Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski, a Hero in the North East to this very day, who put in almost a quarter of a century on the Big League diamond:

 

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

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

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

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

He was just plain awesome…

SPECIAL 1969 "TEAM" CEREAL EXTENSION SET: CARL YASTRZEMSKI

Up on the blog this fine day, my "missing" 1969 Nabisco Team Flakes card for Boston Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski, part of a custom release I plan on producing later this year as a full-sized cereal box with cut-out cards:

This should be a really fun set to add to theWTHBALLS stable, recreating the original cereal issue of my birth year with card panel on back that kids could cut and trade one of 24 different players.

I go an add eight more players, all whom would go on to the Hall of Fame later on, such as the great "Yaz" in today's post.

The man was at his height at the time this card would have seen the light of day, already a three-time batting champion, Triple Crown winner in 1967, and five-time Gold Glove winner.

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

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

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

He was just plain awesome…

REVISITING A BLOG POST FROM 2013: "GIMME A DO-OVER"- PART XXII: 1979 #320 CARL YASTRZEMSKI

Thought it'd be fun to revisit another blog post from 2013, this time my redone 1979 card for the great Carl Yastrzemski:

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

"Anyone else out there also hate those "skyward" gazes that appear from time to time on Topps baseball cards?
Ugh. I always found them annoying. Where were they looking?
I wonder if the players were actually directed to look up and far away by the photographer as if something SO meaningful caught their attention. But why? It was so boring and lame in my opinion.
Carl Yastrzemski's 1979 Topps card (#320) definitely falls into this category.
Why use an image like this? Why not wait about an hour and catch him up at the plate in full glory?
Well allow me to do exactly that.
I've taken a nice photograph of Yaz at the plate right around 1979 and used it for my redesign of his otherwise boring card from that year.
Much more colorful, interesting and appropriate for a legend like Yastrzemski, don't you think?
As you can see from the original issued card, Yaz is in Yankee Stadium, probably looking at some crazy stuff going on in the upper deck. Lord knows there was never a game that didn't have SOME nonsense going on up there...(and I "may" have been responsible for some of it! just sayin'...)
By 1979 Yastrzemski was in the twilight of his amazing career, turning 40 in August and playing through to 1983, a nice 23 year career ALL in the friendly confines of Fenway Park while playing for the Red Sox.
What more can you say for the guy but: 3000+ hits, 450+ homers, 1800+ runs batted in AND runs scored, and almost 650 doubles in 3300+ games played.
Oh, maybe we can also add that he participated in 18 All-Star games, collected seven Gold Gloves, and won the Triple Crown in 1967 while pretty much single handedly carrying the Red Sox on his back the last few weeks of the season to a World Series birth before running into Bob Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals.
The man was a machine, plain and simple, and needless to say he was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1989."

EXPANDED LEAGUE-LEADERS: 1977 A.L. RUNS BATTED IN

Today on the blog, we move on to the American League for their top three RBI men of the 1976 season, in my on-going “expanded league leaders” thread that seems to be a hit with many of you out there:

 

 

We begin with the “Big Bopper” Lee May, Baltimore Orioles slugger who led the A.L. with his 109 RBIs in the Bicentennial season, along with 25 homers and 61 runs scored.

The RBI total was one short of his career-best set back in 1969 while still with the Cincinnati Reds, when he also hit 38 homers, totaled 321 bases and made his first All-Star team.

It would be the third, and last 100-RBI season of his solid 18-year career, finishing up with 1244 over 2071 games and 7609 at-bats during somewhat of a “dead-ball” era in terms of offense.

Right behind him with 105 RBIs was the American League MVP for 1976, the New York Yankee captain Thurman Munson, who guided the team to their first World Series berth since 1964, hitting 17 homers, hitting .302 and even stealing a career-best 14 bases while making his fifth All-Star team.

Munson drove in 100+ runs three seasons in a row between 1975 and 1977, while also topping the .300-mark each time, as well as 180+ hits, anchoring an A.L. powerhouse team that would win-it-all in 1977 and 1978.

In third place with 102 RBIs for the Boston Red Sox, legend Carl Yastrzemski, who had yet another solid season on his way to a Hall of Fame resume by the time he was done with his MLB tenure.

For “Yaz”, his 102 RBIs were paired up with 21 homers, 71 runs scored and 80 walks, along with his 13^th All-Star nod, while putting in time between first base and the outfield.

So there it is for the top RBI men of the American league in 1976, expanded here on a 1977 league-leader card.

1972 ALL-STAR SUB-SET: CARL YASTRZEMSKI

On the blog today, we move ahead with my on-going "missing" 1972 All-Star sub-set, with starting outfielder Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox:

 

"Yaz" made his eighth All-Star team in eleven seasons as a Major League superstar, already the possessor of an MVP Award and five Gold Gloves since bursting onto the Big League scene in 1961.

All he'd do is go on to make another ten All-Star teams before he was through after the 1983 season, along with two more Gold Gloves, eventually taking up his rightful spot in Cooperstown in 1989 on his first year of eligibility.

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

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

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

He was just plain awesome…

1970 IN-GAME ACTION: CARL YASTRZEMSKI

Up next in my new, albeit planned lengthy 1970 "In-Game Action" sub-set is the great Carl Yastrzemski, Boston icon and Hall of Famer:

 

 

The man was at his height at the time this card would have seen the light of day, already a three-time batting champion, Triple Crown winner in 1967, and five-time Gold Glove winner.

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

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

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

He was just plain awesome…

 

MINIOR LEAGUE DAYS- CARL YASTRZEMSKI

Up on the blog today we add Boston Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski to the “Minor League Days” thread, celebrating his fantastic professional baseball career:

All the young 20-year-old would do in his one season with the Minneapolis Millers in 1960 was tear up the ball, collecting 193 hits and hitting .339 with 84 runs scored and 69 runs batted in, with 36 doubles and eight triples.
The previous year, his first in pro ball, he was a force, hitting .377 with 100 RBIs in only 120 games for the Raleigh Capitals in the Carolina League, with 87 runs scored, 34 doubles, six triples and 15 homers.
And how could he NOT become a legend, what with 23 years of Major League ball, all with the Red Sox, turning in three batting titles, a Triple Crown in 1967 along with an MVP Award, seven Gold Gloves, 18 all-star nods, and 25 league-leads in primary offensive categories.
By the time he did the retirement tour in 1983, he scored 1816 runs, collected 3419 hits, 646 doubles, 452 homers, 1844 runs batted in along with a .285 batting average.
He was just plain awesome…

 

 

1975 "IN-ACTION"- CARL YASTRZEMSKI

Here’s a new thread I’m starting that’s going to be really fun to put together, a 1975 “In Action” sub-set just like Topps did in 1972.
The first player will be Boston Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski:

With so many great in-action cards in the 1975 set, it always bothered me that so many of the stars DIDN’T have action cards, so I figured I’d find some good in-game photos of the day’s best players and run a sub-set that was clean, devoid of “extra” type, and focused on the photo itself.
Of course, Yastrzemski by 1975 was smack in the middle of his Hall of Fame career, but still an all-star and feared American League batter.
It was a transition season of sorts for Yaz and the Red Sox, as the veteran slugger was giving way to young upstarts like Fred Lynn, Jim Rice and Dwight Evans, players who’d carry on what Yastrzemski took over from Ted Williams in the early 1960’s.
Of course, that 1975 season was a magical one for the Boston organization, with the team playing (though losing) against the “Big Red Machine” Cincinnati Reds in the World Series, and having BOTH the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the form of the same player, Fred Lynn, that being the first time in Major League history that happened.
Throw in a player that would end up in the Hall of Fame in Jim Rice, a borderline Hall of Famer in Dwight Evans, and of course the future Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk, and you have a team that defined "loaded".

FAVORITE CARDS OF THE DECADE

The topic of “favorite cards” has been coming up a lot lately, and it’s amazing how many of us all have the same favorites considering the choices of that great decade of the 1970’s.

I never did post one solid “favorites” entry here in the three-plus years of “wthballs”, so here are my top-10 favorites in order:

#1 1976 Johnny Bench

My lord this is the perfect card in my eyes! It has NEVER lost any of it’s luster as far as baseball card perfection. The colors, the “all-star”, the photograph, the legend! 

I’m still in awe of it.

#2 1978 Reggie Jackson

“Mr. October” at his best! That swing immortalized on cardboard, with (of course) the all-star designation, in the hey-day of the “Bronx Zoo”. If it was’t for that ’76 Bench, this would be it!

#3 1977 Rusty Staub

Beautiful action shot of “Le Grand Orange” with the Tigers. Again, the colors, the action, and that “all-star” banner across the bottom. Awesome!

#4 1977 Dave Kingman

The colors along, and how the card design goes with the action shot of “Kong” makes it a classic. But you throw in that color-perfect N.L. All-Star banner at the bottom and it’s a keeper. Great card for the ages!

#5 1979 Rod Carew

I have always loved this card because it was Carew doing what he did best: HIT! Just a great, colorful in-game shot along with that always-present “all-star” banner!

#6 1979 George Brett

Same as with the Carew, this Brett card was a perfect compliment to the Carew in my eyes. I remember pulling this out of a pack for the first time back then and just stopping dead in my tracks. Beautiful card.

#7 1976 Lou Brock

Really, what needs to be said about THIS beauty!? Brock about to do what he did so well during his Hall of Fame career! Another steal coming right up for “The Franchise”!

#8 1971 Thurman Munson

It took me YEARS to finally get this card! I remember plunking $5 for this at a show way back when, and for a kid my age with limited cash, at a SHOW, I gulped a bit, but needed to finally own it. One of the all-time great action-cards, featuring a young Yankee captain. Classic!

#9 1976 Carl Yastrzemski

Just a majestic card of the Red Sox legend, presumedly watching one of his 400+ home runs leave the yard. The colors, the photo, only the second card besides the Munson to NOT be an all-star card.

#10 1977 Mark Fidrych

The only non-action card on this list. It is PURELY because of the time and place, and meaning in my life. I guess you can say my sentimental pick. 1977 was my first year of hard-core collecting, but 1976 was my first year following the game somewhat seriously. And to a seven-year old like me, “The Bird” was bigger than life. He was just awesome!

So when I pulled my first ’77 Fidrych from a cello pack (always remember) and saw that smile, that hair, and the AMAZING rookie trophy AND all-star banner, I was just freaking psyched beyond words!

I STILL get a smile on my face looking at this card!

Honorable mention:

1976 Al Oliver

1979 Larry Bowa

1971 Vada Pinson

1976 Fred Lynn

So what do I gather from all this?

Well, I love action photos on cards, I LOVE the 1976 set, and boy do I love the “all-star” designation on a player’s regular card (instead of a separate all-star sub-set.

I HATED when Topps went back to an all-star sub-set in 1982! Is it just me? Or do any of you out there prefer the 1975-1981 all-star ON the “regular” card?

NICKNAMES OF THE '70'S #27: "YAZ" CARL YASTRZEMSKI

Here's a nice little 1972 "Nickname" card for Boston red Sox all-time great Carl "Yaz" Yastrzemski:

Fun 1972 template to make the "Yaz" pop!

It's really easy to forget that Yastrzemski was a Long Island, New York boy before he went on to become a New England legend.

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

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

He was just plain awesome…

"Yaz"!

"1960'S ALL-DECADE TEAM" SUB-SET FOR THE 1970 TOPPS SET: outfielders (1 of 3)

Today we move out into the outfield for my "All-Decade" team of the 1960's, as a sub-set in Topps 1970 set.

Would have been a nice reflection on the past decade for the otherwise bland set.

The first set of outfielders are two future Hall of Famers that lit it up during the 1960's: Carl Yastrzemski and Hank Aaron.

Take a look at my card design:

Yastrzemski was at the height of the baseball world by the end of the 1960's, coming off of a Triple Crown and M.V.P. in 1967 when it seems like the threw the entire city of Boston on his back and carried them to the World Series against the Cardinals, and then followed it up with his third batting title in 1968 and his second 40 home run season in 1969.

During the decade, "Yaz" won three batting titles, lead the American League in 20 primary offensive categories, won five Gold Gloves and had four top-10 finishes in M.V.P. Voting.

For Aaron, there's really no need to get into with one of the All-Time best, but let's do it anyway.

For the decade, all Aaron did was score over 100 runs a season every year but 1968 (the "year of the pitcher"), hit over 40 homers five times, drive in over 100 runs six times, and lead the National league in primary offensive categories 17 times.

He was an All-Star every single season, and finish in the top-10 in M.V.P. voting seven times.

The man was a machine, and it was that consistency that lead to his massive lifetime totals in almost every offensive category: homers, runs batted in, runs scored, hits, total bases, you name it.

On top of all of that, the 1960's brought out the "speed" in Aaron, as he totaled double digits in stolen bases nine time during the decade, the ONLY times he stole as much in his entire 23 year career.

A fantastic outfield duo to kick-off the position on this thread!

Next up, the dynamic duo of Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays. About as good as it gets right there…

"GIMME A DO-OVER"- PART XXII: 1979 #320 CARL YASTRZEMSKI

Anyone else out there also hate those "skyward" gazes that appear from time to time on Topps baseball cards?
Ugh. I always found them annoying. Where were they looking?
I wonder if the players were actually directed to look up and far away by the photographer as if something SO meaningful caught their attention. But why? It was so boring and lame in my opinion.
Carl Yastrzemski's 1979 Topps card (#320) definitely falls into this category.
Why use an image like this? Why not wait about an hour and catch him up at the plate in full glory?
Well allow me to do exactly that.
I've taken a nice photograph of Yaz at the plate right around 1979 and used it for my redesign of his otherwise boring card from that year.
Much more colorful, interesting and appropriate for a legend like Yastrzemski, don't you think?
As you can see from the original issued card, Yaz is in Yankee Stadium, probably looking at some crazy stuff going on in the upper deck. Lord knows there was never a game that didn't have SOME nonsense going on up there...(and I "may" have been responsible for some of it! just sayin'...)
By 1979 Yastrzemski was in the twilight of his amazing career, turning 40 in August and playing through to 1983, a nice 23 year career ALL in the friendly confines of Fenway Park while playing for the Red Sox.
What more can you say for the guy but: 3000+ hits, 450+ homers, 1800+ runs batted in AND runs scored, and almost 650 doubles in 3300+ games played.
Oh, maybe we can also add that he participated in 18 All-Star games, collected seven Gold Gloves, and won the Triple Crown in 1967 while pretty much single handedly carrying the Red Sox on his back the last few weeks of the season to a World Series birth before running into Bob Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals.
The man was a machine, plain and simple, and needless to say he was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1989.

Enough with the skyward gazes already...

A nice action photo for my redesign.

ANOTHER GEM FROM 1976: #230 CARL YASTRZEMSKI

Let's go ahead and take a look at one of my other favorites from the 1976 Topps set: card #230, Carl Yastrzemski.Just look at this work of art...
What a photo. Topps nailed it with this shot! I can't figure out where this is. The catchers arm shows what looks to be a Cleveland uniform, but I can't be too sure.
Nevertheless, this is just classic "Yaz" following what seems to be a homer (we'll give him the benefit of the doubt here), caught in the perfect follow-through pose.
On top of that, the border coloring of the card matches up perfectly with the BoSox uniform, making for a complete package as far as design is concerned (like many of the Oakland A's cards of the same year).
As for Yastrzemski the player, the 1976 season was a good one for him, as he posted a slash line of .267/.357/.432 to go along with 21 homers and 102 R.B.I.'s. 
He still had a few productive seasons left at this point in his career, and was already entrenched as arguably the most popular Red Sox player ever. Still is I guess, even though he was one of THE surliest, grumpiest players off the field.
But for now, let's just appreciate the awesome card...

Doesn't get much nicer than this card.

THE MISSING ALL STAR CARDS: 1973 TOPPS: AMERICAN LEAGUE

Continuing on this week's thread of all star cards, today we move on to 1973 and what I like to think Topps' cards would have looked like had they designated the previous years starters in the Midsummer Classic for the American League.
I kept the design simple to match the overall 1973 set design Topps used. The location of the "all star stripe" seemed to be a natural at the bottom. It keeps the image unobstructed while still calling out the "all star" designation.
After a win in the 1971 game for the A.L., which was their first since 1962, it was back to the losing side as they lost this one in extra innings, 4-3. As a matter of fact the American League would end up losing every All Star game up until 1983.
Of note here: the Freehan card is an excellent example of an "action shot" done right. The in-game action, the player clearly represented, and look at that crowd in the background. Awesome as they are clearly hanging on the play at the plate, waiting to see the outcome.
Carl Yastrzemski is called out as a first baseman on his card, but was voted into the all star game as an outfielder. Dick Allen was the starting first baseman for the A.L.
Tomorrow I'll post the National League starting nine.