"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...

 

OPC IMAGE VARIATION: 1977 GEORGE SCOTT

Time to put the spotlight on George Scott and his 1977 image variation between his Topps and OPC cards, a classic photo with an airbrush-touch in only the way the 1970s could have given us:

OPC version

Topps version

Not too bad a job to put "Boomer" back in a Boston Red Sox uniform after some power-house years with the Milwaukee Brewers!

Already an all-star for the Red Sox between 1966 and 1971 before heading to Milwaukee, Scott came back and continued his bashing ways in 1977, hitting 33 homers with 95 runs batted in and 103 runs scored, getting him his third and final all-star nod.
Sadly for the Red Sox, Scott’s production would drop-off, to the point he found himself in Kansas City in 1979, whereas Cecil Cooper went on to a borderline Hall of Fame career with the Brewers through the 1980’s.
Nevertheless, Scott put together an excellent 14-year career that saw him collect just under 2000 hits, 271 home runs and 1051 RBI’s along with eight Gold Gloves for his fielding at first base.
Not bad at all...

1970'S ALL-DECADE TEAM: A.L. FIRST BASEMAN GEORGE SCOTT

OK!

Here's another of my picks for position player of the 1970's that I am sure will cause an argument or two: my pick for the American League's top first baseman for the decade, and here I went with a guy who played the WHOLE decade at the position, George Scott, aka "Boomer":

Now hear me out.

While Hall of Famers like Carl Yastrzemski and Rod Carew put in time at the position during the decade, they certainly did not play the whole decade there, while Scott not only did, but also took home six Gold Gloves as a first baseman between 1970 and 1979, while giving the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers serious power, even leading the league with 36 homers and 109 runs batted in in 1975.

This combination of consistent hitting and fielding for all ten years of the 1970s made this my surprise pick, as I initially thought I'd go with Yaz.

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...

So what say ye out there, do you agree with this pick or not?

Let me hear it up on Twitter!

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1973 GEORGE SCOTT

Happy to post up a "do-over" that I think came out spectacular, a 1973 redo for "Boomer" George Scott, whose original 1973 Topps card was a mystery to many with the obviously "photoshopped" image.

First up, my color-bursting redo:

Just a great card with colors tying in together between image and card template!

His original, for those that don't remember, was an odd card where the background was obviously replaced with a strange shot of the crowd looking out into the outfield:

Really strange image, though I am always a sucker for the horizontal layout.

But really, what an odd card.

I profiled the original 1973 card way back in June of 2013 here on the blog. Here's the original write-up:

"The 1973 George Scott Topps baseball card, #263.

This card has held my fascination for over 30 years now. When I first saw it I thought it was a simple bad-airbrushing job. Then, as I took a closer look, I was confused because there was this odd outline around the players, especially Scott, that made it seem that they were cut out of one photo then pasted onto this another.

But wait, it continues!

Upon an even CLOSER look, I noticed that the crowd was looking somewhere else completely, and it was now obvious that indeed, the players and the crowd were from two different images.

Just look at it. What was going on here? 

And if all of that wasn't enough, another question I always had was that if Scott was playing first base, then you'd assume the play being shown was of a pick-off attempt with the A's Bert Campaneris just getting back to the bag before the throw. But look at Campy. It doesn't look like he's sliding back to the bag on a pick-off attempt, but that he's sliding into a bag at full steam, as if he's advancing, NOT sliding back to first. It's almost as if Scott was actually playing third base and was waiting for a throw while Campy was sliding in for a triple.

Now keep in mind that Scott did indeed play some third base for the Brewers in 1972, and I can't really confirm that he has a first baseman's mitt on. It could be a regular fielder's glove. Am I wrong? Anyone out there have any answers on this one? Is the crowd actually looking towards home? When looking to the left of the card, are you looking NOT to the outfield, but in the direction of home plate?

Such a strange card all-around. Where was that crowd image from then? Why the need to use a different background than whatever was originally there?

It's not a horrible card by any means, but just confuses me on so many levels I'd love to get the low-down on what went on here. 

It's cards like this that keep me coming back to the 1970's! Love it…"

 

1975 "IN-ACTION": GEORGE SCOTT

Today we go an add former thumper George Scott of the Milwaukee Brewers to my long-running 1975 "In-Action" thread:

 

Scott was right in the middle of an impressive career-run by 1975, on his way to a home run title, hitting 36, with a league-leading 106 runs batted in and 318 total bases, as well as his seventh Gold Glove for his defensive work at first base.

All those numbers would get him an eight-place finish for the MVP Award by season's end, MVP attention that he'd receive for the fifth straight year at that point.

Overall 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...

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1974 A.L. RUNS BATTED IN

Time to move ahead in my on-going "Expanded League Leaders" thread to the American League's top RBI guys for 1973, with this 1974 creation:

 

Of course we start off with the A.L.'s MVP of 1973, the man Reggie Jackson, who led the league with his 117 RBI's, the only time during his Hall of Fame career he led in that department.

Jackson helped the Oakland A's win their second straight championship in 1973, leading the league in homers, RBIs, runs and slugging while hitting .293, almost a 30 point jump from the year before.

My year's end he was tabbed the MVP, made his fourth All-Star team, and cemented himself as a bonafide superstar in the game.

Right behind him with 107 RBIs was Milwaukee Brewer slugger George Scott, who reached 100 RBIs for the first time in his career, along with 24 homers and a .306 batting average, also picking up his fifth Gold Glove for his defensive work at first base.

For Scott, outside the RBIs it was a typical season, consistently hitting 20+ homers, driving in 75 runs while giving his team stellar work on defense, to the tune of eight Gold Gloves before he was done.

Rounding out the top three RBI men of 1973 is Kansas City Royals slugger John Mayberry, who had yet another fine year when he reached exactly 100 RBIs for the second straight year, also leading the league in walks with 122 while hitting .278 with 87 runs scored.

Those numbers gave him a seventh place finish in the MVP race, something he'd top two years later with a second place finish in 1975.

Three great sluggers during the mid-70's who did not disappoint!

 

EXPANDED YEARLY LEADER CARDS: 1974 A.L. BATTING

Ok now!

Today we move on to the American League in my on-going "expanded league leaders" thread, celebrating the top-3 hitters of the Junior Circuit for 1973:

 

Of course we begin with the great Rod Carew, who obliterated the league with his .350 batting average, 44 points ahead of the second place batter!!!

Carew took home his third batting title that year, aloso leading the league with his 203 hits and 11 triples, while making his seventh straight All-Star team and finishing fourth in the MVP race at season's end.

Seriously, the man was just eons ahead of anyone else at this point as far as hitting, heading straight for the Hall of Fame and cementing his place as one of the game's greatest natural hitters.

Surprisingly, the second and third place finishers in the A.L. batting race, both tied at .306, were a slugger who posted his career-best average, George Scott, and a man who made a big comeback, resurrecting his MLB career as a Designated Hitter, former two-time batting champ Tommy Davis.

For Scott, his .306 average was accompanied by his 24 home runs and 107 runs batted in, while leading the league with 295 total bases.

He also took home his fifth Gold Glove Award, and would end up with eight such awards before his career was over.

For Davis, who was the Baltimore Orioles full-time DH in its first year in existence, he came back to have his best year in the Big Leagues since 1967 when he was a New York Met, giving the "O's" 89 RBIs in addition to his second place finish in the batting race, garnering a tenth-place finish in the MVP race.

The 35-year-old found new life as a DH, and would give Baltimore another solid season the following year when he'd hit .289 with 84 RBIs with 181 hits, his last truly full season in the Majors before retiring after 1976.

Next up, we move on to the National League's top home run hitters of 1973. See you next week!

1978 SPECIAL SUB-SET- "1977 30 HOME RUN CLUB" GEORGE SCOTT

Next up in my on-going "30 Home Run Club" 1978 sub-set is "Boomer" Geaorge Scott, who had a great return year to his original Big League franchise, the Boston Red Sox in 1977:

 

Scott, who originally came up to the majors with the Red Sox in 1966 and played with them through the 1971 season, returned to Beantown and did NOT disappoint, hitting 33 homers while driving in 95 for a stacked Boston lineup in 1977.

That production gave him his third All-Star berth, and even gave him some MVP attention by season's end.

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!

And of course, when we all look back to that great decade of the 1970's, and we look at some of the "bad-ass" players that graced Major League teams, "Boomer" undoubtedly comes up alongside Dick Allen, Frank Howard, etc!

GEORGE SCOTT AND HIS 1977 HOSTESS PHOTO

Time to go ahead and spotlight another classic Hostess photo, courtesy of Topps, the George Scott image used for their 1977 set:

“Boomer’ was on his way back to Boston after spending the past five seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, bringing his thunderous bat to Fenway.
Of course, that meant that the people at Hostess had to get it “right” for their upcoming set, so off we went yet again to “airbrush” and the neon goodness you see here.
What a wild color job for the helmet! I love it!
Always cool to see how they would do ONLY the amount of painting needed to get on the card, with odd finishing points leaving the original showing underneath.
I guess the OCD designer in me would just finish the whole thing!
Scott would not disappoint the fine folks of Boston, clubbing 33 homers along with 95 runs batted in for the powerful Red Sox team that also had Fred Lynn, Jim Rice, Yaz and company.
He’d retire after the 1979 season, finishing up with 271 homers and 1051 RBIs, with a .268 batting average and just under 2000 hits (1992).

TRADED: 1977 GEORGE SCOTT

Time to go and create a “traded” card for “Boomer” George Scott, the player the Red Sox got in return for Cecil Cooper on December 6th, 1976, who I covered a while back:

Already an all-star for the Red Sox between 1966 and 1971 before heading to Milwaukee, Scott came back and continued his bashing ways in 1977, hitting 33 homers with 95 runs batted in and 103 runs scored, getting him his third and final all-star nod.
Sadly for the Red Sox, Scott’s production would drop-off, to the point he found himself in Kansas City in 1979, whereas Cecil Cooper went on to a borderline Hall of Fame career with the Brewers through the 1980’s.
Nevertheless, Scott put together an excellent 14-year career that saw him collect just under 2000 hits, 271 home runs and 1051 RBI’s along with eight Gold Gloves for his fielding at first base.
Not bad at all...

NICKNAMES OF THE '70'S #33: "BOOMER" GEORGE SCOTT

Time to give former slugger George "Boomer" Scott a "Nickname of the 70's" card in my on-going series.

Take a look at what I came up with:

A colorful card to say the least, just screaming "1970's baseball"!

What a bad-ass Scott looked like back then! Right out of some biker movie right?

Scott was in his prime in 1975, hence the '75 template for the card.

That season was arguably his best in 14-years of Major League ball, leading the American League in both homers and runs batted in with 36 and 109 respectively.

Overall 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...

MISSING IN ACTION-"IN ACTION" #39: 1972 GEORGE SCOTT

Here's a bad-ass "missing" In-Action card of former slugger George Scott, aka "Boomer". Check it out:

Scott was playing his first season for Milwaukee in 1972 after six solid years in Bean-town for the Red Sox.

He was in the prime of his career at this point, on his way to a couple of 100-RBI seasons along with a home run title (shared with Reggie Jackson in 1975) and a couple of .300+ batting average campaigns.

He was no slouch on the defensive side of things either, winning eight Gold Gloves at first base during his productive 14-year career playing for the Red Sox, Brewers, Royals and Yankees between 1966 and 1979.

By the time he retired after the 1979 season, he totaled 1992 hits, 957 runs scored, 271 homers and 1051 runs batted in along with a .268 batting average.

Keep an eye out for a nice "Boomer" nickname card on this blog in the near future!

"WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?!"- PART V

The 1973 George Scott Topps baseball card, #263.

This card has held my fascination for over 30 years now. When I first saw it I thought it was a simple bad-airbrushing job. Then, as I took a closer look, I was confused because there was this odd outline around the players, especially Scott, that made it seem that they were cut out of one photo then pasted onto this another.

But wait, it continues!

Upon an even CLOSER look, I noticed that the crowd was looking somewhere else completely, and it was now obvious that indeed, the players and the crowd were from two different images.

Just look at it. What was going on here? 

And if all of that wasn't enough, another question I always had was that if Scott was playing first base, then you'd assume the play being shown was of a pick-off attempt with the A's Bert Campaneris just getting back to the bag before the throw. But look at Campy. It doesn't look like he's sliding back to the bag on a pick-off attempt, but that he's sliding into a bag at full steam, as if he's advancing, NOT sliding back to first. It's almost as if Scott was actually playing third base and was waiting for a throw while Campy was sliding in for a triple.

Now keep in mind that Scott did indeed play some third base for the Brewers in 1972, and I can't really confirm that he has a first baseman's mitt on. It could be a regular fielder's glove. Am I wrong? Anyone out there have any answers on this one? Is the crowd actually looking towards home? When looking to the left of the card, are you looking NOT to the outfield, but in the direction of home plate?

Such a strange card all-around. Where was that crowd image from then? Why the need to use a different background than whatever was originally there?

It's not a horrible card by any means, but just confuses me on so many levels I'd love to get the low-down on what went on here. 

It's cards like this that keep me coming back to the 1970's! Love it…

Just what IS going on with this card?!