REVISIT: "HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 1970'S" #29: CESAR GUTIERREZ GOES 7 FOR 7

Fun card to revisit, which originally appeared on the blog over ten years ago, my 1971 "Highlights of the 1970s" card celebrating Cesar Gutierrez of the Detroit Tigers and his monster 7-for-7 day at the plate on June 21st of 1970:

Gutierrez was a lighter-than-light hitting midfielder who did the remarkable that day in June, becoming the first player in Major League history to gather seven hits in a game without making an out since Wilbert Robinson collected seven hits in a game back on June 10th of 1892!

To put it in perspective, Gutierrez was such a light hitter, that even AFTER his seven hit game, Gutierrez was hitting .249!

Six of his seven hits were singles, with a double thrown in, and for the season he ended up hitting .243, which was just above his lifetime batting average of .235.

To add insult to injury, Gutierrez even lost his job to another light-hitting infielder, Ed Brinkman, the following season and was eventually out of baseball by the time the 1972 season was ready to open up.

(On a side note: Gutierrez does show up in the 1972 set as a member of the Montreal Expos, even though he never played a game for them.)

But on that June day in 1970, Gutierrez was the star of Major League baseball, soon to be joined (and never since) by Pittsburgh Pirate Rennie Stennett in 1976, who also went 7 for 7 on September 16th.

REVISITING A BLOG POST FROM JUNE, 2014: 1970 HIGHLIGHTS REGGIE JACKSON

Thought it was time to revisit a blog post from nine years ago, my "Highlights from the 1970's" card celebrating a young Reggie Jackson and his epic 10-RBI game from 1969:

Here's the original write-up:

"In a game where the Oakland A's stomped the Boston Red Sox 21-7, Reggie led the way by going 5 for 6 at the plate with two homers, a double and two singles.

While he "only" scored two runs, he drove in ten, becoming the first player to drive in that many in a single game since Norm Zauchin of the Red Sox did it on May 27th, 1955 against the Washington Senators.

Reggie was on his way to his first power-house season, slamming 47 homers while driving in 118 runs, scoring a league-leading 123, and hitting at a .275 clip.

Those numbers would get him his first all-star berth, as well as a fifth-place finish in M.V.P. voting.

The Oakland dynasty of the mid-70's was starting to brew in 1969, as players like Reggie, Sal Bando, Vida Blue, Jim Hunter and Rollie Fingers were starting to ramp up their Major League careers.

They'd be joined by other future stars in Joe Rudi, Gene Tenace, and an already established "veteran" (compared to these young studs) Bert Campaneris.

Before anyone knew it, the A's would reel-off three straight World Championships before flamboyant owner Charlie Finley raped his team and got rid of all his star players either by trade or free agency.

By the end of the 1970's they'd be a last-place team, far from the juggernaut everyone witnessed just a few years earlier.

But on this day in 1969, Reggie reigned supreme!

It wouldn't be until Fred Lynn burst on to the baseball scene in 1975 that another Major Leaguer would drive in 10 or more runs in a game, (June 18th, 1975) and then another 18-years until someone ELSE did it, when Mark Whiten had a game of a lifetime, hitting four homers while driving in 12 runs (tying the MLB record that still stands), on September 7th of 1993."

REVISITING A BLOG POST FROM 2014: JIM BARR AND HIS INCREDIBLE STREAK

On the blog this fine day, we revisit an old post from the blog dating back to June of 2014, a "Highlights from the 1970's" card featuring San Francisco Giants pitcher Jim Baar and his record-breaking streak of 41 batters in a row retired:

Here's the original write-up for the post:

"Here's a highlight from the 1970's that usually went underreported, Giant pitcher Jim Barr and his 41 batters in a row retired in 1972.

What made this more amazing was that he retired 41 batters in a row yet didn't throw a no-hitter, since it spanned two games on August 23rd and August 29th of that year.

On the 23rd he retired the final 21 batters he faced after he walked Pirates pitcher Bob Moose in the third inning.

Then on the 29th, he retired the first 20 Cardinals batters before Bernie Carbo hit a double.

It wasn't something that got a lot of attention until White Sox reliever Bobby Jenks topped it 35 years later in 2007 (then later topped by another White Sox hurler, Mark Buehrle, in 2009-including his perfect game).

Barr fashioned a pretty solid 12 year career between the San Francisco Giants and California Angels between 1971 and 1983.

He finished 101-112 with a 3.56 E.R.A., with 20 shutouts and three seasons of a sub-3.00 earned run average.

1974 was arguably his best season in the Majors, as he went 13-9 with a 2.74 E.R.A. and five shutouts, with two saves thrown in as well.

I remember this streak was one of my favorite trivia questions to stump people from time to time as a kid, and I promise you no one ever got it.

It just wasn't appreciated, either by baseball folk or Topps."

1970 SPECIAL: THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS MAKE THEIR MLB DEBUT

Today's blog post has a special 1970 card celebrating the Kansas City Royals making their franchise Major League debut in 1969 with their first game on April 8th of 1969 against the Minnesota Twins:

After the Kansas City Athletics packed their bags and headed West to Oakland, the city found themselves without a Big League team for the first time since 1954, leading to a perfect location for MLB expansion in 1969 (along with San Diego, Montreal and Seattle).

Opening up at home at Municipal Stadium, the Royals came out victorious with a 12-inning win, with Moe Drabowsky picking up the "W".

The franchise's first starter was Wally Bunker, who pitched five innings and allowed five runs, while their hitting star that day was eventual A.L. Rookie of the Year Lou Piniella, who went 4-for-5 at the plate with a double, run scored and RBI.

Of course as we all know, the franchise would end up being one of the more successful "new" teams in league history, finding somewhat immediate success later in the mid-70s as a West powerhouse led by players such as George Brett, Hal McRae and Amos Otis.

As for the initial 1969 season, the Royals would finish fourth in the West with a record of 69-93-1, with Bunker leading the team with his 12 wins, while Piniella led the way at the plate with a .282 average, with 68 RBIs and 11 homers.

"HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1970's": SEATTLE MARINERS PLAY THEIR FIRST GAME

Up on the blog today, a card I should have created a long time ago, a "Highlight" card celebrating the Seattle Mariners playing their first game on April 6th, 1977:

The card features the team's very first starter, Diego Segui, who incredibly also started the first game in Seattle Pilots history back in 1969.

Playing in the Kingdome against the California Angels, Segui would get hit hard, leading to a 7-0 loss at the hands of the Halos.

Opposing them that day on the mound, young stud Frank Tanana, who tossed a shutout, striking out nine while giving up a surprising nine hits.

For Seattle, the hitting starts would be Jose Baez, Bill Stein and Craig Reynolds, all who collected two hits apiece, with Stein's hits both being doubles.

The team would go on to post a record of 64-98 in their inaugural season, last in the A.L. West, though drawing 1.33 Million fans out to see them, right in the middle of the pack for the A.L. as far as attendance.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1970'S (ish): THE PADRES PLAY THEIR FIRST GAME

On the blog today, a special 1970 "Highlight" card celebrating the San Diego Padres and their first Major League game on April 8th of 1969:

The Padres opened it all up with a 2-1 victory against the Houston Astros at San Diego Stadium, with starter Dick Selma going the full nine with only five hits allowed while striking out 12.

The Padres would actually win their first three games, though that wouldn't continue as they'd finish their inaugural season with a record of 52 and 110. Oof!

Nevertheless, the franchise is still around today, with a huge scare before the 1974 season when they were rumored to be moving to Washington D.C., giving us the 1974 Topps variations of "Washington N.L.".

The big stars of the initial team were slugger Nate Colbert and "Downtown" Ollie Brown, who both reached 20 homers, while their big winning pitchers were Joe Niekro and Al Santorini with eight wins apiece.

Some 53 years later and the team looks to be quite a force with players like Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr, Xavier Boegarts and Manny Machado stacking a formidable line-up!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1970's: FRED LYNN'S 10-RBI GAME

On the blog today, we celebrate Fred Lynn's 10-RBI game in 1975, the year he set the baseball world on fire, making an unprecedented splash by going on to win the Rookie of the Year AND MVP Award:

On June 18th of that season, Lynn absolutely destroyed the Detroit Tigers, going 5-for-6 at the plate with three home runs and a triple, scoring four runs while driving in 10, just one off the A.L. record set by New York Yankee second baseman Tony Lazzeri 39 years earlier.

Though already making a splash in his first full Big League season, Lynn really made his presence known with this game as a young budding superstar.

Coming out of USC, Lynn was a second round pick by the Boston Red Sox in 1973, and got his first small taste of the Majors in 1974, playing 15 games and ripping it up to the tune of a .419 batting average in 43 at-bats.

That was a small sampling of what fans were to see the following year, as Lynn just took over and lead the charge for the BoSox, hitting .331 with 21 homers and 105 runs batted in.

He'd also lead the league in runs scored with 103, doubles with 47, and slugging with a .566 average.

On top of all of that, he'd even take home a Gold Glove for his defensive efforts as well!

He was "All-World" at that point!

The Red Sox would fall short of a truly magical year for Lynn, losing to the mighty "Big Red Machine" Cincinnati team in the World Series, but for Lynn it would the first full season of a very nice 17 year career which saw him hit over 300 homers, drive in over 1000 runs and stroke just under 2000 hits.

1979 would probably be his best season, when he lead the American League in batting with a .333 average, to go along with great power numbers of 39 homers, 116 runs scored and 122 runs batted in, all career highs.

He would also be the only Major Leaguer of the decade to lead the league in batting, on-base and slugging in the same season, with a slash-line of .333/.423/.637.

If it wasn't for an odd plethora of "awesome" years by Don Baylor, Ken Singleton and George Brett, Lynn could have won another M.V.P.

Nevertheless, that 1975 accomplishment of becoming the first player to ever win a Rookie of the Year AND Most Valuable Player Award in the year is something to be proud of.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1970's: MAJOR LEAGUE BALL COMES TO SEATTLE

I don't know why it has taken me so long to create a 1970 "Highlight" card celebrating Major League baseball coming to Seattle, but I fix that today with the following card:

I have already created other such cards for the Montreal Expos (1970), Texas Rangers (1973) and Milwaukee Brewers (1971), so why the Pilots cards escaped me I have no idea.

Funny I bring up a 1971 card for the Milwaukee Brewers, since as we all know that is the franchise that was born from the mess that was the Seattle Pilots endeavor, as the Pilots lasted only one season as a Big League team before a last-minute deal with Milwaukee car-dealer Bud Selig before the 1970 season led to a hasty relocation to the Brew-city.

The team went 64-98 in their only season, led by manager Joe Schultz, with their top players being Don Mincher, Tommy Harper and Tommy Davis.

On the pitching side of things, Diego Segui put in a good year, going 16-6 mainly out of the bullpen, with starter Gene Brabender leading the team with 13 wins, seven complete games and 139 strikeouts.

Of course, thanks to pitcher Jim Bouton, who appeared in 57 games as a reliever for the team, we were also left with hilarious stories of the tumultuous season because of his landmark book "Ball Four", giving us insight into the personalities that made up the squad.

If you STILL have not read it, please do yourself a favor and get to it!

There's so much I can get into here, but for a more rudimentary quick read on the team and that 1969 season, here's the Wiki-link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Pilots

REVISITING AN OLD BLOG POST FROM JULY, 2014: NATE COLBERT

Thought it'd be fun today to revisit an old post from July 18th of 2014, one of my favorite "Highlights of the 1970's" cards I created, that of Nate Colbert and his phenomenal day in 1972 when he clubbed five homers and drove in 13 runs in a doubleheader:

Here's the original write-up from way back when:

"What a full day San Diego Padre Nate Colbert had back in 1972 huh!?

Two games, five home runs, 22 total bases and 13 runs batted in!

Yeah his feat that day get's talked about often enough, and Topps did in fact commemorate the accomplishment five years later in their 1977 sub-set, but let's take a look at my design for a 1973 card celebrating Colbert's career highlight.

The man was flat-out incredible that day, August 1st, as he helped the Padres sweep the double-header from the Atlanta Braves.

In the first game, Colbert went 4 for 5 with two homers and five R.B.I.'s, as well as three runs scored, leading his team to a 9-0 wind.

If that wasn't enough, all he did for an encore was go 3 for 4 in the second game, with three homers, EIGHT R.B.I.'s, as well as four runs scored, helping San Diego win 11-7.

That's a monster week, let alone a monster DAY!

That August afternoon explosion helped Colbert put up some really nice numbers by season's end: 87 runs scored, 38 homers and 111 runs batted in.

What is really incredible is that Colbert's five homers in a double-header tied the record set by Stan Musial on May 2nd, 1954, and one of the fans in attendance that day was none other than Nate Colbert, who was there with his father.

Isn't it something that eighteen years later that kid would tie that record he witnessed.

Baseball is always filled with awesome stories like this, connecting one generation to another like no other sport.

You just have to love it…

SPECIAL REQUEST: 1972 VIDA BLUE HIGHLIGHT CARD

By special request, today the blog offers up a 1972 "Highlight" card celebrating the enormous season young Oakland A's starter Vida Blue had, eventually taking home the Cy Young and A.L. MVP Award:

 

Of course, we all know that Vida Blue absolutely exploded onto the Major League scene in 1971, on his way to capturing both awards by season's end.

All he did in this epic season was post a record of 24-8, with a league-leading 1.82 earned run average, striking out 301 batters and tossing eight shutouts.

Oh yeah, he was only 21 years of age!

His WHIP of 0.952 and strikeouts-per-nine-innings of 8.7 also led the league, and he completed 24 of his 39 starts, putting in 312 innings of work for the upstart Oakland A's, who were about to go on the three-peat championship run between 1972 and 1974.

Blue would go on to post 209 career victories in the Majors, having some successful seasons with the San Francisco Giants, even starting the 1978 All-Star game for the National League, while finishing up his 17-year career in 1986.
It’s amazing for me to remember that when Blue started that NL All-Star game in 1978, he wasn’t even 30 years old, yet to me he already seemed to be an aging veteran by then.

REVISITING AN OLD BLOG POST- APRIL 25TH, 2014: "HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 1970'S": HOYT WILHELM'S 1000TH GAME

Thought it'd be fun today to revisit my blog post from April of 2014 celebrating the great Hoyt Wilhelm and his 1000th Major League appearance, the first pitcher ever to reach that lofty mark, with my 1971 "Highlights from the 1970's" card:

 

Growing up as a baseball fanatic when I did, I was always amazed at the ONE pitcher who appeared in over 1000 games at the time: legendary veteran of veteran's Hoyt Wilhelm.

Until Kent Tekulve came along in the mid-80's and finally joined the knuckle-baller, Wilhelm was the only guy atop that mountain.

And any time you can say that as far as Major League history goes for something "positive", that means something to me as a lifelong baseball geek!

On May 10th of 1970, Wilhelm took the mound for the Braves against the Cardinals, opening the door for future relievers and veterans such as Tekulve, Goose Gossage, Mariano Rivera, and the current all-time appearances leader Jesse Orosco to join him in this select company.

Can you imagine how many MORE games Wilhelm could have appeared in had he not made his Major League debut at the ripe "old" age of 29 for the New York Giants in 1952!?

All told, by the time he retired after the 1972 season he made 1070 appearances, now good for 6th place all-time.

The man was amazing. The only two seasons he pitched enough innings to qualify for an E.R.A. title, he won it both times!

For the DECADE of the 1960's, his earned run average was 2.18, six times posting an E.R.A. under 2.00!

Just awesome…

REVISITING A BLOG POST FROM 2014- THE PERRY BROTHERS AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME

Up on the blog today, thought it'd be fun to revisit my blog post from August 19th of 2014, some seven and a half years ago, celebrating the incredible pitching brother duo of Gaylord and Jim Perry, with my 1971 "Highlights of the 1970's" card.

I have always been impressed when members of the same family make it to the big leagues.

That being said, I am incredibly impressed when those family members BOTH succeed on an all-star level.

In 1970 brothers Jim and Gaylord Perry both led their respective leagues in wins, and that is about as cool as it gets for me...

So I wanted to celebrate that feat with a "highlight" card in the 1971 set.

Check out my design:

 

Jim Perry even took home the Cy Young Award for the American League that year, while brother Gaylord finished second in the National League behind Bob Gibson! 

Again, as cool as it gets!

Jim recorded 24 wins in his award winning season with the Minnesota Twins, while younger brother Gaylord won 23 for the San Francisco Giants.

Combined, the brothers ended up pitching for 39 years! And their win total was a staggering 529!

Just awesome!

1972 SPECIAL REQUEST: HARMON KILLEBREW'S 500TH HOME RUN

Not too long ago my buddy Jason Schwartz asked me to create a "dedicated" 1972 Harmon Killebrew highlight card celebrating his 500th Major League home run, which he hit in 1971. 

Originally on the blog some years ago, I created a highlight card that combined both 500th homer milestones for Killebrew and Frank Robinson, who also reached the mark in 1971. Well here's the "dedicated version" to celebrate "Killer's" 500th:

 

The future Hall of Famers reached the milestone almost a month apart during the 1971 season, with Killebrew getting there first on August 10th, and Robinson joining him on September 13th.

The pair would eventually end up with 1159 home runs between them! Killebrew smashed 573 lifetime homers while Robinson topped him with 586.

As a kid getting into baseball history in the late-70's/early-80's I became obsessed with Killebrew, since I never knew about him (getting into baseball around 1976/1977), so seeing his career numbers blew me away.

573 lifetime home runs, six-time American League home run champ, 100+ runs batted in nine times, 11-time All-Star, and Hall of Fame induction in 1984.

Incredible!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1970's- FRANK ROBINSON NAMED MANAGER OF THE CLEVELAND INDIANS

It’s been a long while since I added a card to my long-running “Highlights of the 1970’s” thread, one of my oldest here on the blog, but today we honor one of the greats of the game, Frank Robinson, and his landmark managerial position in 1975, making him the first African-American to hold the position in Major League ball:

Robinson was actually a player-manager his first two years at the helm in 1975 and 1976, going a combined 160-158, good for consecutive fourth-place finished in the American League East.
He would go on to manage for parts of 16 years between 1975 and 2006, when he managed the Washington Nationals at the age of 70.
Robinson is perhaps the “greatest underrated player” in Major League history.
A two-time Most Valuable Player, and the first to do it in both leagues, Robinson also took home a Triple Crown in 1966, was a twelve time All-Star, finished in the Top-4 in MVP voting outside his two wins, and oh yeah, as mentioned earlier was also the first African-American Manager in league history.
When he retired as an active player in 1976, Robinson was in the top-5 in so many offensive categories he was in the company of Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.
Yet oddly enough, perhaps because of the era he played in, he would get buried in the “all-time greats” conversation in lieu of the aforementioned players along with guys like Ty Cobb, Roberto Clemente and Ted Williams.
I would say he and Stan Musial are the TWO greatest “underrated” players of all-time, and you could arguably throw in others like Bob Feller for good measure.
Just an all-out legend in so many ways.

 

1971 SPECIAL- THE MILWAUKEE BREWERS DEBUT

Today’s blog post has a 1971 custom celebrating the April 7th, 1970 debut of a new Major League franchise, the Milwaukee Brewers, who were brought East after one season as the Seattle Pilots the year prior:

Falling to the California Angels 12-0 on Opening Day in 1970, the Brewers began their franchise run as an American League West team before sliding into the East in 1972 to make room for the Texas Rangers.
Pretty much the Seattle team from 1969, their stars in their inaugural campaign were double-threat Tommy Harper, who would go on to have a 30-30 year with 31 homers and 38 stolen bases, Centerfielder Dave May, and reliever Ken Sanders.
A guy by the name of Bud Selig, the future joke of a Major League Commissioner, was their owner, who acquired the team in bankruptcy court, and would own the team in one form or another through 2004.
By the end of the 1970’s they were putting together loaded teams that would eventually make the World Series in 1982, falling to the St. Louis Cardinals, boasting line-ups with guys like Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Ted Simmons, Cecil Cooper and Gorman Thomas.
In 1998, the organization was moved to the National League (which still irks me), where they have been ever since, making the N.L. Championship Series in 2011 and 2018, losing both times.

1975 FANTASY "HIGHLIGHT" CARD- THE BOY-WONDER ROBIN YOUNT

Today’s blog post has an admittedly “fantasy” 1975 Highlight card that of course would have been a stretch for Topps to create.
But I always wanted to have a card celebrating the teenage Robin Yount and his Major League debut with more than just a “regular” card:

A nice photo of the “Boy Wonder” getting ready to put together a 20-year Hall of Fame career that saw him take home two American League Most Valuable Player Awards, three All-Star nods (that’s it!?!?), three Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove.
Yount broke into the Majors in 1974 at the age of 18, appearing in 107 games and hitting .250 with 86 hits over 344 at-bats, scoring 48 runs with 26 RBIs.
A Milwaukee Brewer for life, Yount finished his great career with 3142 hits, 1632 runs scored, 251 homers and 271 stolen bases, and still retired at the age of “only” 37.
I loved him as a kid and was in awe of the Brewers’ combo of Yount and Paul Molitor, watching them put in year after year of solid stats.
It’s amazing to realize that when he had his first true All-Star season in 1980, after what was already seven years in the Big Leagues, Yount was STILL only 24 years of age!
He was on cruise-control from then on, elevating his game to become one of the elite players in the American League, with 1982 the high point when he led the Brewers to the World Series and taking home his first MVP Award.
I just realized I have to create a “nickname” card for him, “The Kid”!
Keep an eye out for that one soon!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1970S- REGGIE'S ALL-STAR MOONSHOT

Not too long ago someone asked me why I never created a 1972 card celebrating Reggie Jackson’s mammoth All-Star game home run off of Dock Ellis, to which I really had no clear answer.
So here we go:

Sadly I could NOT find a suitable color image of the at-bat, but it didn’t really matter since all my other 1972 Highlight cards had black and white images with a slight tint on them anyway, so the image I did find suited the thread.
As we all remember, the American League entered the bottom of the third inning trailing the National League 3-0 after home runs by Johnny Bench and Hank Aaron.
After a lead-ff single by Luis Aparicio to start the inning, Oakland’s young slugger was called upon to pinch hit for starter Vida Blue, and what followed was historic, as Jackson sent the pitch soaring into the light tower above the roof of Tiger Stadium, cutting the lead to 3-2.
By the time the inning was over, the A.L. took the lead 4-3 thanks to another two-run homer by yet another future Hall of Famer, Frank Robinson after a walk to Rod Carew.
When you look back at this All-Star game, it was about as loaded a game with superstars as ever, with Hall of Famer after Hall of Famer making up the roster. Just amazing.
Although Reggie Jackson already made his mark in the Majors by the time this home run happened, it was for many the first time they really noticed the young slugger on such a national stage.
I’ve always been in awe of the footage, with Jackson running the bases like a King among men, knowing of course what the future was bringing very shortly: three straight championships beginning in 1972 with the Oakland A’s, followed by two more while with the New York Yankees in 1977/1978, with the birth of the “Mr. October” moniker.
It’s as if the phrase “larger than life” was created for him as he marched towards a Hall of Fame career through the 1970’s and 1980’s, whether you loved him or hated him.
Me? I loved him as a kid growing up in Brooklyn at the time he brought his talents to the Bronx. I still do!
It really is a shame Topps didn’t celebrate iconic events in baseball through their baseball card sets over the years, like this homer or Carlton Fisk’s 1975 World Series homer, etc.
Then again, gives me the opportunity to do stuff like this right here decades later!

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1970'S- 1977 MARK "THE BIRD" FIDRYCH MAKES A SPLASH

I can never have enough Mark Fidrych customs in my stable here on the blog, and today I post up another creation for the young man who took the baseball world by storm in 1976:

We all know the story: that Monday Night game, how he ended up starting the all-star game, how he won 19 games and led the league in earned run average, how he was given the nickname "Bird" and the antics he displayed on the mound.
Sadly we also know how his career was derailed because of injuries, how he was never able to make it back successfully, and how years later he was tragically killed in an accident at the young age of 54.
But the "Bird" legend will always be around, and for those of us lucky enough to have witnessed it, it was incredible.
His 1977 Topps card is STILL one of my all-time favorites solely because I feel it captured that "essence", that personality he had, as a character that comes along all too rarely.
In 1976 I was seven years old and just starting to pay attention to baseball, and all I kept seeing was this phenomena of “The Bird”, his act on the mound, that smile, and of course images of him with Sesame Street’s “Big Bird”.
This man came across as a God to my young impressionable mind, and when ripping open packs of 1977 cards soon after, and pulling that card of his, jeez, it was like nothing else.
What an icon of the game for that era. Perfect.

GIMMIE (MY OWN) DO-OVER- 1978 DODGERS 30+ HOMER HIGHLIGHTS CARD

I came across this great image of the 1977 Dodgers 30-home run club and decided it was perfect to re-do one of my own, my 1978 “Highlights of the 1970’s” card that was created for the blog a long time ago:

For those who never saw it, this was the “original” I created some five years ago:

Though the feat has been accomplished since this groundbreaking feat in 1977, it is STILL a rarity.
Here’s my original write-up of it all from that initial entry in 2014:
“Here's a highlight from the 1970's that always wowed me as a kid: the 1977 Dodgers with FOUR players hitting 30 or more home runs in the same season.
Not until these four sluggers achieved this was it ever accomplished in Major League history.
Call me nuts, but this feat deserved a card in the mighty 1978 set in my book.
Think of all the classic slugging teams throughout history up until that point ('27 Yanks, '61 Yanks, '56 Reds, '64 Twins), and this team was the first to do it.
Steve Garvey, Reggie Smith, Dusty Baker and Ron Cey.
Four "thumpers" who powered the Dodgers into the World Series against the Yankees by combining for 125 homers and 398 runs batted in all on their own!
Not until the home run days of the late 1990's/early 00's did another team also match the 1977 Dodgers.
In 1995 the Rockies accomplished this feat in the first of what would be FOUR TIMES in the next five years, with the 1997 Dodgers also having four players attain those lofty numbers.
Since then, a handful of other teams have reached the now watered-down milestone in team-power, but when the 1977 Dodgers did it, it was big stuff.
Big enough for the Los Angeles team to even feature a picture of the four sluggers under the L.A. Scoreboard with "30" emblazoned in lights.
You think Topps could have found a little room to fit a card like this in their set instead of an Oscar Zamora or Dennis Blair! (No offense to those ex-players).

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 1970'S: DON MONEY SETS ERRORLESS STREAK FOR THIRD BASEMAN

Thanks to my buddy John Seibel, I was sent an awesome photo (and idea) just perfect for a 1970’s “Highlight” card, Don Money and his errorless streak at third base during the 1974 season:

How great is this picture?!
Money, who was one of the top defensive third baseman of his era, played in 86 straight games without an error, with 78 setting the new record as shown on the decorated base he’s holding.
Oddly enough he’d go on to play various positions soon after this, even starting the 1978 all-star game for the American League at second base, leading to his all-star card in the 1979 set.
He wasn’t all defense however, as he’d hit as many as 25 home runs in a season (1977), as well as collect as many as 178 hits (1974) during his 16-year career.
The four-time all-star would retire after the 1983 season with 1623 hits, 176 homers and 798 runs scored over 1720 games.
Thanks John for the photo and card-idea!