MISSING IN ACTION: 1963 FLEER RUSTY STAUB

Time to put the spotlight on my "missing" 1963 Fleer card for the great Rusty Staub, which was part of my second "extension" set regarding the great set that was forced to halt due to Topps' monopoly on the industry:

He started out as a 19 year old kid in Houston in 1963 and went on to play for Montreal, Detroit, Texas  and the New York Mets for two stints, with whom he retired with after the 1985 season.
And for those last five seasons with the Mets, he became one of the top pinch-hitters in the game and endeared himself to the Met faithful, even opening up a couple of well-liked restaurants in NYC along the way.
A few little "extras" about his career: Staub is one of three players (along with Ty Cobb and Gary Sheffield) to hit home runs as a teenager and as a 40-year old, and he is also the only player to amass 500 hits with four different teams (Astros, Mets, Expos and Tigers).
He was also the first player to play all 162 games in a season strictly as a Designated Hitter, which was for Detroit in 1978.

Lost in the crowd that was Rose, Bench, Jackson, Carew, etc. was this player who built a 23 year career, finishing up with over 2700 hits, 292 homers, 1466 R.B.I.'s, and six all-star appearances.

 

WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: AL KALINE

Next up on the blog, my 1960 "Stars of the Game" custom card for the great Al Kaline, "Mr. Tiger", from my WTHBALLS gelatin set released in 2018:

What a great all-around player the Tigers had for 20 years!

Buried under names like Aaron, Mays, Mantle, etc, he just went about his business year in and year out and paved the way for his eventual induction into Cooperstown's hallowed halls in 1980.

The 1960's saw Kaline make eight All-Star teams, win seven Gold Gloves, and receive solid M.V.P. support seven of ten years, finishing as high as second in 1963.

Though he only led the league in a primary offensive category only once (doubles in 1961) in the 1960s, Kaline's consistency was his strength, as he topped .300 four times, 20 homers five times, and a .500 slugging percentage five times.

The 15-time all-star topped 3000 hits, 1600 runs, 1500 runs batted in and came one home run short of 400 over his stellar career, which also included 10 Gold Gloves for his defensive prowess.
An easy Hall of Fame pick, he was inducted in his first year of eligibility in 1980 with 88.3% of the ballots cast.
“Mr. Tiger” indeed!

 

1981 DRAKE'S BIG PITCHERS: JIM PALMER

Today on the blog we spotlight my 1981 "Drake's Big Pitchers" card for Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, part of my custom set released in 2025:

Palmer’s road to Cooperstown was a bit rocky at first, with a couple of jumps and starts because of injuries between 1964 and 1968.
As a matter of fact we’d probably be looking at a 300-game winner if not for over a season of missed time between 1967 and 1968.
Though he had a great first professional season in 1964 as an 18-year-old, going a combined 15-5 in the O’s system, he found himself on a Major League mound in 1966, still a teen, going 5-4.
In 1966 he’d improve to a record of 15-10 for the surprising eventual World Champs, shocking everyone with a sweep of the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers, with Palmer contributing a complete game shutout.
But injuries derailed him until 1969 when he hit his stride, going 16-4 with a 2.34 ERA and six shutouts, completing 11 of 23 starts.
From there, all the man did was top 20-wins in eight of the next nine seasons, winning three Cy Young Awards, the first American League pitcher to do so, helping the Orioles to another championship in 1970, eventually finishing with a career 268-152 record along with a brilliant 2.86 ERA and 53 shutouts before he was done in 1984.

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: WILLIE McCOVEY

Going ahead and adding "Stretch", Willie McCovey to my long-running WTHBALLS set, "Classic Baseball", using a nice image of him during his days as a San Diego Padre:

When he got called up to the Big Leagues in 1959, all he did was tear the seams off the ball by hitting .354 with 13 homers and 38 runs batted in along with 32 runs scored in only 52 games, copping a Rookie of the Year Award and setting the tone for his 22-year career.

In 1969 he had his finest season, as he made his fifth All-Star team, on his way to taking home the league MVP Award after a year that saw him lead the league with 45 homers, 126 RBIs, a .453 OBP and a .656 slugging percentage, as well as a whopping 45 intentional base on balls.

The man put it ALL together that year!

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.

In 1986, his first year of eligibility, he was voted into the Hall of Fame with 81.4% of the ballots cast.

Man, what a threesome McCovey, Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda made back in the 1960's for San Francisco, huh?

Just incredible.

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1968 JOE RUDI

Up on the blog today, from my recent custom "1960s Special" set, a "not so missing" 1968 card for Joe Rudi, who was just starting his brilliant Major League career:

Though he didn't get a Topps card until 1969, he did make his MLB debut in 1967, appearing in 19 games for the Kansas City Athletics, hitting .186 over 43 at-bats.

It wasn't until 1970 that he'd get some significant playing time, hitting .309 over 350 at-bats with eleven homers and 42 runs batted in.

The outfielder/first baseman was twice the runner-up for an A.L. MVP, in 1972 and in 1974, helping the juggernaut Oakland A's to three straight World Series crowns.

He led the league with 181 hits and nine triples in 1972 along with doubles (39) and total bases (287) in 1974 while also giving the A’s a flexible fielder that could play all three outfield positions as well as first base.
Such a solid player, he teamed up with the likes of Sal Bando and Gene Tenace that made the A’s much more than just superstars like Reggie Jackson and Jim “Catfish” Hunter.

Sadly however, as with the other Oakland players who signed elsewhere before the 1977 season, he didn't continue his star status with his new team, suffering injuries and playing only one full season out of his three with California, moving on to the Boston Red Sox in 1981 and back to Oakland for one last hurrah in 1982.

By the time Rudi retired, he finished up with a career .264 average, with 179 homers and 810 RBIs over 1547 games and 5556 at-bats playing for the A’s, California Angels and Boston Red Sox between 1967 and 1982.

 

WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: JOE ADCOCK

Up on the blog today, putting the spotlight on my 1960 custom "Stars of the Game" card for slugger Joe Adcock of the Milwaukee Braves:

Adcock put in 17 years in the Big Leagues, slugging his way to 336 home runs, including four in one monster game in 1954 when he went 5-for-5 at the plate with four dingers and a double, setting the Major League record of 18 total bases in a single game.

By the time he hung up the cleats after the 1966 season, Adcock finished with a .277 career average, with 1832 hits over 6606 at-bats in 1959 games, driving in 1122 runs while scoring 823 himself, making two All-Star teams.

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: THURMAN MUNSON

Today on the blog we add the great Thurman Munson to my long-running WTHBALLS "Classic Baseball" custom set, celebrating the great game:

Such a great career cut short by tragedy, though as I recall, Munson was seriously considering retirement by the end of the decade because of nagging injuries and missing his family because of the grind of a full-season.
Nevertheless, a Rookie of the Year in 1970, an MVP in 1976, and two straight championships in 1977 and 1978. A wonderful career for the New York Yankees legend.

Munson, who came out of Kent State in his native Ohio, became an instant Yankee favorite in 1970 while becoming the leader of the organization in transition on the field.
By 1976 he was a legitimate star, winning the American League Most Valuable Player Award while leading the Yanks to their first World Series since 1964, followed by consecutive championships in 1977 and 1978.
Of course, this was all shattered when he died while piloting a small plane in August of 1979, shocking everyone, including myself as a 10-year old Yankee fan who idolized the catcher on a team filled with big personalities, like Reggie Jackson, Rich Gossage and Sparky Lyle.

Such a loss.

 

1981 DRAKE'S BIG PITCHERS: J.R. RICHARD

On the blog today, we spotlight another card from my 1981 "Drake's Big Pitchers" custom set from last year, this one the card for Houston Astros pitching great J.R. Richard:

It would take a few years, but he'd become the power-arm all-star by the 1975 season, and would go on to post two 300+ strikeout campaigns, four straight 200+ K years, four straight seasons of 18+ wins (1976-1979), and an E.R.A. crown in 1979 before tragically having his career cut short in 1980 by a stroke.

His final numbers are indicative of what we could have expected well into the 1980's had he not been cut down at the age of 30: a 107-71 record with 1493 strikeouts and a 3.15 ERA in 238 games and 1606 innings.

It really would have been something to see Richard and Nolan Ryan team up to rack-up incredible numbers together.

One of the ultimate "what could have been" stories in baseball during my childhood for sure…

 

MISSING IN ACTION: 1963 FLEER RED SCHOENDIENST

Up on the blog today, from my recent 1963 "Fleer Series Extension #2" custom set, a "missing" card for Hall of Fame baseball lifer Red Schoendienst:

What really needs to be said about the man!?
Schoendienst first put together a 19-year Hall of Fame career between 1945 and 1963, winning a championship with the Cards as well as the Milwaukee Braves in 1957, before coaching and then managing St. Louis from 1965 to 1976, winning yet another championship in 1967, with a spot managing gig in 1980 and then 1990 all while coaching the team in between, including the 1982 season, giving him a FIFTH championship in his illustrious career.
He put in 2216 games as a player, then went on to manage 1999 games, winning 1041 of them for a .522 winning percentage, while coaching at LEAST another couple thousand games on top of that!
A baseball treasure!
Rest in Peace Red: 1923-2018

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1969 TONY LARUSSA

Up on the blog today, we have a "not so missing" 1969 card for future Hall of Fame manager Tony LaRussa:

As we all know, Tony LaRussa the "manager" is one of the all-time greats.

Between 1979 and 2011, a span of 33 years, he managed three teams (White Sox, A's and Cardinals) to 2728 victories, six pennants, three world championships, and 12 first place finishes.

You can easily make an argument for LaRussa as the best modern era manager in baseball.

Now, Tony LaRussa the "player". Well…

Let's just say that he never really fulfilled the promise on THAT end of his career.

He came up in 1963 for a brief cup of coffee with the Kansas City Athletics, but wouldn't make it back up to the big leagues again until 1968, when he appeared in only five games, good for three at-bats.

In 1968 he only appeared in five games, going 1-for-3 at the plate, never appearing on the field for defense. 

Actually, in his six year playing career, he never really got a chunk of playing time in any one season.

Topps didn't have a LaRussa card in their 1969 set, even though he WAS included in their sets in 1964, 1968 and 1972.

Even though his playing days left a lot to be desired, he was well on his way to the Hall of Fame once he got the hold of managing a squad in 1979.

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1957 CURT FLOOD

Today on the blog we have a fun card to create, a "missing" 1957 card for Hall of Fame worthy outfielder and trailblazer Curt Flood, who started his Big League career with a handful of games with the Cincinnati Reds in 1956. 

The card was part of my recent "1960's Dedicated and Missing" set released early this year:

Flood appeared in five games for the Reds that year, going 0-1 at the plate while putting in some time as a pinch runner.

The next year he'd appear in three games for Cincinnati, going 1-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored, that one hit a home run.

During the ensuing off-season Flood found himself traded to the St. Louis Cardinals as part of a five person trade involving Willard Schmidt, Marty Kutyna and Ted Wiend to the Reds, and Flood and Joe Taylor to the Cardinals.

His first three seasons with his new team were stutter steps, as he played sporadically and hit about .250 combined.

But beginning in 1961 Flood strung together nine fantastic seasons starring for the St. Louis Cardinals, consistently batting over .300, two 200-hit seasons, and seven straight Gold Glove Awards, right up to the 1969 campaign.
Then it all began with a trade to the Philadelphia Phillies along with others including Tim McCarver for superstar slugger Dick (Richie) Allen and a couple of other players.
Flood refused to report to his new team, eventually forcing the Cardinals to send prospect Willie Montanez to complete the deal, essentially ending his career as a player while he fought to have control over his own career, fighting the “reserve clause”.
After sitting out the season in 1970, the Phillies eventually sent him to the Washington Senators, where Flood played the last 13 games of his career before leaving the team within the first month, abruptly closing out a great career that could have been Hall of Fame worthy had he played longer.
If you’re not familiar with Flood’s case, and his teaming up with Players’ Union head Marvin Miller, you MUST read up on this to understand the state of the game today.
I just touched upon some brief points here, but the case and Flood’s decision to pursue this cause is incredible.
Every single player today has much to thank Flood and his sacrifice, allowing the Free Agent boom of the mid-70’s to change the game forever, leading to the salaries and benefits even the average players have today.

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: GEORGE SCOTT

Time to add "Boomer", George Scott to my long-running "Classic Baseball" custom WTHBALLS set, celebrating the great game that has kept me entertained my entire life:

He put together an excellent career playing for the Red Sox, Brewers, Royals and Yankees between 1966 and 1979, slamming 271 home runs with 1051 RBI's, 1992 hits and a .268 batting average.

Defensively all he managed to do was take home eight Gold Gloves for his work at first base, and though he was only named to three all-star games, he garnered MVP attention in seven seasons, or half his career!

Not too shabby to say the least...

 

AVAILABLE NOW! WTHBALLS "1963 FLEER SECOND EXTENSION SET"

Good day all!

Happy to announce the latest WTHBALLS custom set, 1963 Fleer "Extension Series 3" is now available!

 

The second WTHBALLS "extension"series for the classic 1963 baseball card set has another 20 player cards that were NOT in the original issue, plus a bonus "In-Action" card of the great Mickey Mantle, and finally another checklist card. 22 cards total with full-stat backs with bio.

As with my my first Fleer extension set, this one comes with repro 1963 Fleer baseball wax wrapper.

This time I am NOT trying to include a cookie, as that experiment failed miserably the first time because of cookie oils. Luckily I tested it first on a couple packs before making up the rest!

They are $17 each with postage at $6.00 1st Class w/tracking. As usual, the postage stays the same no matter how many sets you buy. Sorry about the bump of $0.50 in postage. USPS just raised shipping another 8% in April.

Same paypal email: slogun23@gmail.com or if you prefer Venmo my ID is: @Giovanni-Balistreri-1

Another fun set of cards to add to the WTHBALLS checklist!

If anyone has any questions please feel free to reach out!

Take care and thank you for the continued interest and support!

Gio/wthballs

1981 DRAKE'S BIG PITCHERS: NOLAN RYAN

Good day all!

On the blog today, we spotlight my 1981 "Drake's Big Pitchers" card for the great Nolan Ryan, from my fun custom set released last year:

 

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 love thinking about the fact that he did most of his damage 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? More?

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!

 

WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: ORLANDO CEPEDA

On the blog today, the next card from my 2019 "1960 Stars of the Game" custom WTHBALLS gelatin set, this time HOFer Orlando Cepeda:

Cepeda was a much heralded prospect coming up in the Minors before making his Big League debut in 1958, and of course, he would not disappoint, as he would take home the Rookie of the Year that season, hitting .312 with 188 hits, 25 homers, 96 RBIs and a league-leading 38 doubles, in what was to become a "typical" season for the future Hall of Famer.

While Cepeda's career was productive enough to get into Cooperstown, it's well known that if not for his bad knees, his final statistics could have been mind blowing.
Nevertheless, by the time he retired, he posted final numbers of: 379 homers, 1365 runs batted in, 2351 hits and a .297 average, with a Rookie of the Year (1958) and M.V.P. award (1967) thrown in.
It took a little while, but he was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999 after being selected by the Veteran's Committee.
What a power trio San Francisco had in Cepeda, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey! Power to the ultimate degree!”

 

1981 DRAKES BIG PITCHERS: PHIL NIEKRO

The next card from my wildly successful 1981 "Drake's Big Pitchers" custom set released last year to get the spotlight here on the blog is the one for Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro:

Incredibly, though getting a bit of a "late-start" in his career, the man would end up putting in 24 years in the Majors, pitching his knuckler until the age of 48 in 1987.

It is astonishing to think Niekro didn’t have a full season on Big League duty until 1967 at the age of 28, yet still went on to pitch those 24 seasons, winning 318 games with a very nice 3.35 ERA along with 45 shutouts and 3342 strikeouts before he was done at the age of 48!
I always thought it amazing that at the age of 44 in 1983, he took home the last of his five Gold Gloves, ALL of which were garnered beginning his age 39 season in 1978.

Just an amazing talent!

 

WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: ROCKY COLAVITO

Today on the blog we focus on my 1960 "Stars of the Game" custom for slugger Rocky Colavito, from my 2019 set released in authentic WTHBALL gelatin box with gelatin packet:

Colavito ended his playing days back in 1968 before immediately going into coaching, putting in a great MLB “lifer” career that began way back in 1955 when the 21-year-old debuted with the Indians.
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.

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: CURT FLOOD

Time to post up another card from my custom "Classic Baseball set that I hope will see the light of day in the near future, this one of pioneering outfielder Curt Flood:

Flood pretty much sacrificed his career by the early-70’s , fighting MLB for their handling of players “as cattle” in regards to trades, releases, eventually opening the doors for Free Agency and allowing players some control over their own careers.
You have to understand how HUGE this was, as it was something players have been trying to do since the late-1800’s (think of the failed Players League of 1890).
Sadly for Flood, while it did end up helping ballplayers soon after he left the game, his own playing career was over by the age of 33, really 31.
Beginning in 1962 Flood strung together eight fantastic seasons starring for the St. Louis Cardinals, consistently batting over .300, two 200-hit seasons, and seven straight Gold Glove Awards, right up to the 1969 campaign.
Then it all began with a trade to the Philadelphia Phillies along with others including Tim McCarver for superstar slugger Dick (Richie) Allen and a couple of other players.
Flood refused to report to his new team, eventually forcing the Cardinals to send prospect Willie Montanez to complete the deal, essentially ending his career as a player while he fought to have control over his own career, fighting the “reserve clause”.
After sitting out the season in 1970, the Phillies eventually sent him to the Washington Senators, where Flood played the last 13 games of his career before leaving the team within the first month, abruptly closing out a great career that could have been Hall of Fame worthy had he played longer.
If you’re not familiar with Flood’s case, and his teaming up with Players’ Union head Marvin Miller, you MUST read up on this to understand the state of the game today.
I just touched upon some brief points here, but the case and Flood’s decision to pursue this cause is incredible.
Every single player today has much to thank Flood and his sacrifice, allowing the Free Agent boom of the mid-70’s to change the game forever, leading to the salaries and benefits even the average players have today.

WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: ROBERTO CLEMENTE

Good day all!

On the blog today, we spotlight my 1960 "Stars of the Game" card for the great Roberto Clemente, from my 2019 custom set in WTHBALLS gelatin packaging:

I instantly knew the direction of how this set would be released, and I hope you all found it just as interesting, with deluxe packaging and special inserts! Too much fun putting this one together!

Anyway, as for the man himself, 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 and truly one of a kind!

1981 DRAKES BIG PITCHERS: ROLLIE FINGERS

Today on the blog we spotlight another card from my recent 1981 "Drake's Big Pitchers" custom set, this time Hall of Fame reliever Rollie Fingers:

Fingers was in his superstar prime at the time this card would have seen the light of day, unknowingly about to find himself with the Milwaukee Brewers that year on his way to both a Cy Young Award and a Most Valuable Player Award.

He would put together a wonderful 17-year career which would see him lead the league in saves three times, post sub-2.00 ERA's 12 times and finish up with a sparkling 2.90 career ERA over 944 games and 1701.1 innings pitched.

He was named to seven all-star teams, both in the A.L. and N.L., before closing out his career in 1985, finishing with a 114-118 record with 341 saves.

One of the great characters of the decade! But a force out of the 'pen as well.

He was voted into the Hall in 1992, his second year on the ballot, garnering 81.2% of the vote.