1960S IN-ACTION: 1966 JOE MORGAN

On the blog today, spotlighting my 1966 "In-Action" card for Joe Morgan, from my recent set released a few months ago:

 

For Mr. Morgan, the man was just beginning a run that would send him straight to the Hall of Fame, while helping eventually build a juggernaut of a team forever known as the "Big Red Machine" when he was dealt to to Cincinnati before the 1972 season.

Those Reds teams would win two straight World Series in 1975 and 1976, and field teams with the likes of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, George Foster and Ken Griffey Sr.

By the time he retired after the 1984 season at the age of 40, he finished with two MVP Awards, 10 All-Star nods, five Gold Gloves, 2517 hits, 1650 runs scored, 268 homers and a cool 689 stolen bases with 1865 walks.
One of the all-timers right there at second base!

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: JOE MORGAN

Today we add perhaps the most dynamic player of the 1970s to my ongoing custom "Classic Baseball" set, Joe Morgan, spark plug of the juggernaut "Big Red Machine" Cincinnati Reds:

Morgan was "all-world" by the time he had a few seasons with the Cincinnati Reds under his belt!

What else could Morgan have accomplished by the end of the 1970s?! The two-time MVP led his “Big Red Machine” Cincinnati Reds to two straight World Series wins in 1975 & 1976, took home his third straight Gold Glove Award, was RIPPED OFF a Rookie of the Year Award back in 1965 (look it up), and was well on his way to the Hall of Fame.
His 1976 season was the stuff of legend at the time: a .320 batting average, 27 homers, 111 runs batted in, 113 runs scored and 114 base on balls, leading his league in On-Base-Percentage and Slugging while claiming a spot on his seventh National League All-Star team.

He created a modern standard for a middle infielder, a standard that rarely has been matched since.

One of the all-time greats of the game.

 

THE WHOLE NINE: SERIES 2- MISSING IN ACTION: 1964 JOE MORGAN

Today's blog post has my "not really missing" 1964 card for all-time second baseman Joe Morgan, who made his Major League debut for the Houston Colt .45's in 1963:

Morgan appeared in eight games for the Colt .45's that season, hitting .240 with the first six hits of his illustrious career over 25 at-bats, also stealing a base and scoring five runs.

For Mr. Morgan, the man was just beginning a run that would send him straight to the Hall of Fame, still with his original team before eventually helping to build a juggernaut of a team forever known as the "Big Red Machine" when he was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds before the 1972 season in a blockbuster trade.

Those Reds teams would win two straight World Series in 1975 and 1976, and field teams with the likes of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, George Foster and Ken Griffey Sr.

By the time he retired after the 1984 season at the age of 40, he finished with two MVP Awards, 10 All-Star nods, five Gold Gloves, 2517 hits, 1650 runs scored, 268 homers and a cool 689 stolen bases with 1865 walks.
One of the all-timers right there at second base!

 

WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: JOE MORGAN

On the blog today, a spotlight on my Joe Morgan mini, from my "Gum Pack" custom set in special packaging released last year:

Just a fun set to whip up and get out there to add to the WTHBALLS checklist!

Morgan was "all-world" by the time he had a few seasons with the Cincinnati reds under his belt!

What else could Morgan have accomplished by the end of the 1970s?! The two-time MVP led his “Big Red Machine” Cincinnati Reds to two straight World Series wins in 1975 & 1976, took home his third straight Gold Glove Award, was RIPPED OFF a Rookie of the Year Award back in 1965 (look it up), and was well on his way to the Hall of Fame.
His 1976 season was the stuff of legend at the time: a .320 batting average, 27 homers, 111 runs batted in, 113 runs scored and 114 base on balls, leading his league in On-Base-Percentage and Slugging while claiming a spot on his seventh National League All-Star team.

He created a modern standard for a middle infielder, a standard that rarely has been matched since.

One of the all-time greats of the game.

 

1969 "DO-OVER" SET: JOE MORGAN

Good day everyone!

On the blog today, we spotlight my 1969 "redo" for the great Joe Morgan, from my recent "1969 Gimmie a Do-Over" set from a few months back:

Just a nice image of the great second baseman that wasn't a reused image like Topps had out there way back when!

For Mr. Morgan, the man was just beginning a run that would send him straight to the Hall of Fame, still with his original team before eventually helping to build a juggernaut of a team forever known as the "Big Red Machine" when he was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds before the 1972 season in a blockbuster trade.

Those Reds teams would win two straight World Series in 1975 and 1976, and field teams with the likes of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, George Foster and Ken Griffey Sr.

By the time he retired after the 1984 season at the age of 40, he finished with two MVP Awards, 10 All-Star nods, five Gold Gloves, 2517 hits, 1650 runs scored, 268 homers and a cool 689 stolen bases with 1865 walks.
One of the all-timers right there at second base!

1970'S ALL-DECADE TEAM: N.L. SECOND BASEMAN JOE MORGAN

On the blog today, we move on to the National League and my pick for the Senior League's top second baseman of the decade, and it's about as easy as it gets with Joe Morgan:

Who else would get picked over "Little Joe", the two-time MVP who had a phenomenal run between 1970 and 1979?

The man was an All-Star every year except for 1971, MVP in both 1975 and 1976, top-5 in the award in both 1972 and 1973, and a five-time Gold Glove selection.

Oh yeah, he also led the Cincinnati Reds and their "Big Red Machine" juggernaut to two World Championships as well as another World Series appearance 1972.

His 1976 season was the stuff of legend at the time: a .320 batting average, 27 homers, 111 runs batted in, 113 runs scored and 114 base on balls, leading his league in On-Base-Percentage and Slugging while claiming a spot on his seventh National League All-Star team.

By the time he retired after the 1984 season at the age of 40, he finished with two MVP Awards, 10 All-Star nods, five Gold Gloves, 2517 hits, 1650 runs scored, 268 homers and a cool 689 stolen bases with 1865 walks.
One of the all-timers right there at second base, let alone the top man at his position for the decade.

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: JOE MORGAN

Today on the blog, we go and add elite second baseman Joe Morgan to my long-running 1977 N.L. "Centennial" sub-set, honoring the Senior League's 100th anniversary celebration of 1976:

Morgan was "all-world" when this card would have seen the light of day back then!

What else could Morgan have accomplished by 1977?! The reigning two-time MVP led his “Big Red Machine” Cincinnati Reds to two straight World Series wins in 1975 & 1976, took home his third straight Gold Glove Award, was RIPPED OFF a Rookie of the Year Award back in 1965 (look it up), and was well on his way to the Hall of Fame.
His 1976 season was the stuff of legend at the time: a .320 batting average, 27 homers, 111 runs batted in, 113 runs scored and 114 base on balls, leading his league in On-Base-Percentage and Slugging while claiming a spot on his seventh National League All-Star team.
The man was a machine!

 

1960'S DEDICATED ROOKIE: 1965 JOE MORGAN

Today's blog post has a spotlight on my 1965 "dedicated rookie" for Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan, from my special set produced a couple of years ago:

For Mr. Morgan, the man was just beginning a run that would send him straight to the Hall of Fame, while helping eventually build a juggernaut of a team forever known as the "Big Red Machine" when he was dealt to to Cincinnati before the 1972 season.

Those Reds teams would win two straight World Series in 1975 and 1976, and field teams with the likes of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, George Foster and Ken Griffey Sr.

By the time he retired after the 1984 season at the age of 40, he finished with two MVP Awards, 10 All-Star nods, five Gold Gloves, 2517 hits, 1650 runs scored, 268 homers and a cool 689 stolen bases with 1865 walks.
One of the all-timers right there at second base!

 

1977 ALL-STAR GAME: 1978

Hello everyone.

On the blog today, we move on to the 1977 All-Star game, held at Yankee Stadium in New York, celebrated on a 1978 card:

 

Though the outcome was the "usual", with the National League collecting it's sixth straight Midsummer Classic win, 7-5, it was a thrilling affair, with the A.L. falling just short with their ninth-inning rally.

The N.L. burst out of the gates with four runs in the first innings, helped by home runs by Joe Morgan and Greg Luzinski off of starter Jim Palmer, who ended up giving up five runs over two innings.

Going into the sixth inning the N.L. held a 5-0 lead before the A.L. scored three unanswered runs over the next two innings off of Tom Seaver.

But in the eighth the N.L. came back with two more runs, setting the stage for a ninth inning that saw the A.L. collect two more runs off of Rich Gossage, thanks to a George Scott home run.

But sadly for the Junior Circuit that's all they'd manage, with Gossage shutting them down the rest of the way for that 7-5 win.

N.L. starter Don Sutton was named MVP thanks to his three innings of scoreless ball, walking only one and allowing one hit while striking out four.

Little did the A.L. know they would STILL have to wait another six years before winning an All-Star game, crushing a young ME every year, being an A.L. fan.

1970 "IN-GAME ACTION": JOE MORGAN

On the blog today, we go and add Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan to my thread highlighting the cards that make up my two-series 1970 "In-Game Action" set released over the past few months:

 

Really fun custom set to produce, and it does look "snazzy" when paired up together in their respective cases with printed wraps!

Anyway, as for Mr. Morgan, the man was just beginning a run that would send him straight to the Hall of Fame, while helping eventually build a juggernaut of a team forever known as the "Big Red Machine" when he was delato to Cincinnati before the 1972 season.

Those Reds teams would win two straight World Series in 1975 and 1976, and field teams with the likes of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, George Foster and Ken Griffey Sr.

By the time he retired after the 1984 season at the age of 40, he finished with two MVP Awards, 10 All-Star nods, five Gold Gloves, 2517 hits, 1650 runs scored, 268 homers and a cool 689 stolen bases with 1865 walks.
One of the all-timers right there at second base!

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS- 1977 N.L. STOLEN BASES

Next up in my on-going "expanded league-leaders" thread, we come to the National League's top three stolen base players from 1976, which is actually four players since there's a tie for third place:

  

We begin with the Los Angeles Dodgers' Davey Lopes, All-Star second baseman, who topped the Senior Circuit with 63 swipes in 1976.

It was his second straight stolen base crown, after his career-best 77 steals led the N.L. in 1975, on his way to a cool 557 career steals between 1972 and 1987.

Behind him with 60 stolen bases, the league's MVP, Joe Morgan of the "Big Red Machine" Cincinnati Reds, World Champs in both 1975 and 1976.

All Morgan did in 1976 was take home his second straight MVP, his second straight championship, while leading the league in On-Base Percentage and Slugging, while bringing home his fourth straight Gold Glove at second base.

Tied for third with their 58 stolen bases in 1976, Fran Taveras of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cesar Cedeno of the Houston Astros.

For Cedeno, it was business as usual in 1976, hitting .297 with 18 homers, 89 runs scored and 83 RBIs while taking home his fifth straight Gold Glove.

The man was such a great all-around player the first 10 years of his career, stealing bases, hitting for average with some decent "pop" in his bat.

For Taveras, it was a sign somewhat of what was to come, as he would end up leading the league with 70 steals the following season, after his breakout 58 in 1976, his first full year in the Big Leagues.

He'd put in a string of solid years for the "We Are Family" Pirates from 1976 to 1979, and would retire with 300 steals on the nose over his 11-year career.

Next week, on to the American League's top base stealers of 1976!

1972 ALL-STAR GAME- 1973 HIGHLIGHT CARD

On the blog today, we celebrate the 1972 baseball All-Star game with a 1973 highlight card, giving a spotlight to the "Midsummer Classic" that Topps for some reason never gave attention to aside from All-Star player cards:

 

The game, which was held at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium on July 25th, was an extra-inning affair for the second time in three years, putting the National League back on the winning side after losing the 1971 game, their first loss since 1962.

The N.L. played late-inning heroics, tying the game in the bottom of the ninth before winning it the next inning on fundamental baseball, with the San Diego Padres slugger Nate Colbert leading off the inning with a walk, followed by a sacrifice bunt by Chris Speier of the San Francisco Giants.

With Colbert on second, the Cincinnati Reds Joe Morgan was on to face Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dave McNally, and "Little Joe" did not disappoint the Atlanta citizens on hand, rapping a single to drive home Colbert, giving ther N.L. the win, the first of what would be 11 in a row until the 1983 game.

Morgan would get the game's MVP nod, with the New York Mets' Tug McGraw getting the win in relief, while McNally took the loss.

Other notes from the game: Hank Aaron hit a two-run homer off Gaylord Perry in the sixth inning, while the Kansas City Royals' Cookie Rojas hit the only A.L. homer, a two-run job in the eighth.

Oakland A's star Reggie Jackson was the only player with more than one hit in the game, going 2-for-4 with a double.

 

EXPANDED LEAGUE-LEADERS: 1977 N.L. RBIs

Up on the blog today, we proceed in my on-going “expanded league-leaders” thread to the top three RBI men of the National league for 1976, on a 1977 imagined card:

 

 

Of course, we begin with Cincinnati Reds slugger George Foster, who put it all together for his first of three straight RBI crowns, leading the league with 121 in 1976.

Foster would put together three straight MVP caliber seasons between 1976 and 1978, actually taking home the award in 1977 after the greatest offensive season of the decade with his 124 runs, 149 RBIs and 52 homers, all leading marks for the N.L., while also hitting .320 with 197 hits for the Reds.

In 1978 he led the league in homers and RBIs again, with 40 and 120 respectively, giving him a sixth place finish in the MVP race by season’s end after his win in 1977 and a second place finish in 1976.

Behind him with 111 RBIs in 1976, none other than Foster’s MVP teammate Joe Morgan, who was also in the midst of an incredible run, leading the league with a .444 on-base-percentage and .576 slugging percentage for the World Champion Reds, while also stealing 60 bases and scoring 113 runs, second in the league only to another teammate, Pete Rose, who scored 130 himself.

In third place with 107 RBIs is Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt, who led the league with 38 homers, his third straight home run title, while also scoring 112 runs and swiping 14 bases for the N.L. East champs.

Great expanded card to create showing three of the major thumpers of the National League for the 1970’s, all MVP worthy, comprising an eventual six MVPs between them!

Hope you enjoy the “card”!

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS- 1975 N.L. STOLEN BASES

On the blog today, the latest "expanded league leaders" card, this one the 1975 National League stolen base edition celebrating the top three base stealers of 1974:

 

Of course this was a monumental card since it starts off with the great Lou Brock and his record breaking 118 steals of 1974, breaking the record set by Maury Wills in 1962.

For Brock, it was ironically the last stolen base title of his Hall of Fame career, his eighth crown over nine seasons.

It's easy to forget when Brock set the record, he was 35 years of age! Not exactly a Spring chicken!

He also hit .306 for the season with 194 hits and 105 runs scored, good for second place in the MVP race at season's end.

In second place, waaaaay back with 59 stolen bases in 1974 is the guy who would end up leading the league the following two seasons, Davey Lopes of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In his second full season as a Major League second baseman, Lopes helped the Dodgers get to the World Series, scoring 95 runs while hitting .266 with 26 doubles, 3 triples and 10 homers.

By the time he retired after the 1987 season, he'd have 557 stolen bases under his belt, not too shabby!

In third place with 58 steals in 1974, Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan, who was in the prime of his incredible career, using the stolen base as a facet of his offensive arsenal.

Along with those 58 steals, Morgan scored 107 runs, hit 22 homers and drove in 67 runs for the loaded Cincinnati Reds line-up, finishing eighth in the MVP race while picking up his second Gold Glove Award.

Of course he would follow up that season with two straight MVP Awards in 1975 and 1976, leading the "Big Red Machine" to two straight Championships, cementing his place as an All-Timer at second base.

There you have it! Next week we move on to the American League and their top three base stealers.

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1974 N.L. STOLEN BASES

Capping off yet another week here on the blog, today we have the next card in my "expanded league leaders" thread, a 1974 N.L. Stolen base leader card, featuring the top three stolen base guys from the Senior Circuit for 1973:

 

Of course we begin with Hall of Famer Lou Brock. Who Else?

Brock paced the N.L. in 1973 with 70 steals, the seventh time he'd lead the league and of course a precursor to his historic 1974 season that saw him break the Major League record with 118 steals, which would hold up until a dude by the name of Rickey Henderson showed up.

For Brock, his 1973 was a "typical" Brock season: 190+ hits, 100 runs scored and hovering around .300 for the St. Louis Cardinals. The man was a machine!

Just behind him with 67 steals is another Hall of Famer, Joe Morgan of the Cincinnati Reds, who was by now churning out MVP-type seasons left and right.

Morgan's 67 steals would end up being a career-best, a number he'd match two seasons later during his first MVP year of 1975.

He paired those steals with 116 runs scored, a .290 average, 26 homers and 82 RBIs, helping the Reds to the National League playoffs before a surprising loss to the New York Mets.

In third place for stolen bases in 1973, Houston Astros stud Cesar Cedeno, was in the prime of his Major League career, stealing 56 bases, one more than his previous season's total.

With those 56 steals he also hit 25 homers with 70 RBIs, scoring 86 runs and matching his 1972 batting average of .320.

He also brought home his second straight Gold Glove, with three more to follow consecutively through the 1976 campaign.

Three great N.L. talents on one smart card here!

Onto the American League next week!

ON-CARD ALL-STAR: 1974 JOE MORGAN

On the blog today, we move on to the great Joe Morgan and add him to my on-going "On-Card All-Star" thread where I slap a big beautiful "All-Star" banner on the base cards of starting players in years Topps had separate All-Star cards:

 

To refresh everyone's memories, I was never a fan of separate All-Star cards as a kid. I loved when Topps had the All-Star designation on the players base card, giving it that extra iconic element that made them instant classics.

Between 1975 and 1981 Topps did just that, and I was absolutely heartbroken when I ripped open my first packs of 1982 cards, and came upon a Reggie Jackson card, then noticing it was a dedicated All-Star card.

Anyway, as for Mr. Morgan, the man was just beginning a run that would send him straight to the Hall of Fame, while helping build a juggernaut of a team forever known as the "Big Red Machine".

They'd win two straight Wold Series in 1975 and 1976, and field teams with the likes of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, George Foster and Ken Griffey Sr.

Morgan was the National League's starting second baseman in the 1973 Midsummer Classic, and would go on to finish the year with a .290average, with 116 runs scored, 35 doubles, 26 homers and 67 stolen bases, good enough for a fourth place finish in the MVP race, while also taking home the first of his five Gold Gloves.

Just a juggernaut himself!

EXPANDED YEARLY LEADER CARDS: 1973 N.L. STOLEN BASES

Moving further along in my on-going "expanded league leaders" thread, today we have the 1972 National League stolen base leaders in the 1973 set, featuring two future Hall of Famers and a guy who seemed well on his way early in his career:

 

Starting off, of course we begin with the great Lou Brock, who once again paced the league in stolen bases, this time with 63.

It was the sixth of eight stolen base titles for the St. Louis Cardinals great, who would take the baseball world over two seasons later when he'd swipe a then record 118 bases at the age of 35.

Right behind him with 58 stolen bases was another Hall of Famer, Joe Morgan, who made a splash in his first season with the burgeoning "Big Red Machine" Cincinnati Reds, leading the league with 122 runs scored and 115 walks, as well as a .417 on-base-percentage while helping the team make it all the way to the World Series before losing to the three-peat Oakland A's.

Coming in third with his own 55 stolen bases in 1972 is Houston Astros young stud Cesar Cedeno, who was still only 21 years of age when he led the league with 39 doubles, collecting 103 runs scored and 179 hits while batting a cool .320 with 22 homers and 82 runs batted in.

Really, when look at Cedeno's first eight seasons, ending in 1977 while still only 26 years of age, it seemed certain he was going to go on to do incredible things in Major League ball before injuries hampered his progress, though he did go on to play 17 years, through the 1986 campaign.

Nevertheless, there you have it, three elite players who paced the league in stolen bases and went on to put in wonderful Big League careers.

Up next, the American League's top base-stealers!

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- JOE MORGAN

Up on the blog today, let’s go and include Joe Morgan to my fun 1971 “Minor League Days” sub-set, with an image of “Little Joe” as a 19-year-old playing for the Durham Bulls in 1963:

Morgan had a pretty good season for Durham that year, hitting .310 with 18 homers, 116 runs scored and 28 stolen bases in 140 games, with a staggering 143 base-on-balls.
He would also make his MLB debut later that year with the (then) Houston Colt .45’s, collecting six hits in 25 at-bats over eight games before truly embarking on his eventual Hall of Fame career in 1965 when he was ripped off the NL Rookie of the Year Award, hitting .271 with 100 runs scored, 163 hits, 22 doubles, 12 triples, 14 homers and 20 stolen bases with a league-leading 97 walks.
By the time he retired after the 1984 season at the age of 40, he finished with two MVP Awards, 10 All-Star nods, five Gold Gloves, 2517 hits, 1650 runs scored, 268 homers and a cool 689 stolen bases with 1865 walks.
One of the all-timers right there at second base!

 

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER- 1977 SUB-SET

Time for the next entry in my long-running “Awards” thread with the 1976 MVPs on a 1977 card, two heavy-weights of 1970’s baseball, Joe Morgan and Thurman Munson:

In the National league, Morgan took home his second consecutive MVP with another incredible season that saw him hit .320 with 27 homers and 111 runs batted in, those last two numbers being career highs for the future Hall of Fame member.
As if that wasn’t already enough, he also stole 60 bases while scoring 113 runs for the “Big Red Machine”, who went on to win their second straight World Series, this time against the New York Yankees and THEIR MVP, catcher Thurman Munson.
For Munson, who also won the A.L. Rookie of the Year in 1970, he had what anyone would consider a “typical” Munson year, as he once again hit over .300 (.302), with a career-high 105 runs batted in and 17 homers while collecting 186 hits and scoring 79 runs.
Surprisingly, he also swiped 14 bases while only striking out 38 times over 616 at-bats while getting named to his fifth all-star team.
Of course, we know hat tragically, just less than three years later, Munson would die in a plane crash August of 1979, leaving many to wonder if he would have made the Hall of Fame like his 1976 MVP mate Joe Morgan.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER- 1976 SUB-SET

Today we celebrate the 1975 Most Valuable Players, Joe Morgan and Fred Lynn, in my ongoing “Awards Sub-Set” through the 1970s:

In the National league, Morgan brought the MVP back to Cincinnati, following in the footsteps of teammates Pete Rose and Johnny Bench.
Morgan had a killer season for the “Big Red Machine”, as they were on their way to the first of two straight championships.
Really putting it all together that season after a great career already that had him get ripped off a Rookie of the Year in 1965, and getting named to five all-star teams, Morgan went on to bat a career high .327 with 107 runs scored, 17 homers, 94 runs batted in and a Major League leading 132 walks.
Oh yeah, he also “chipped in” 52 steals as well!
In the American League, it was something never seen before in the Majors, as the Boston Red Sox Fred Lynn BURST onto the big league stage in the biggest way possible, taking home both the Rookie of the Year Award as well as the MVP award, becoming the first player ever to do so.
That performance helped the Red Sox get to the World Series for the first time since 1967, facing off against the Joe Morgan led Reds.
Lynn’s season was awesome, as he batted .331 with a league-leading 103 runs scored and 47 doubles, along with 105 runs batted in and 21 homers.
Paired up with another rookie that season, Jim Rice, and it was easy to see why the Red Sox were such a powerhouse that season.
Two great players of the era taking home the hardware.