MISSING IN ACTION: 1963 FLEER LOU BROCK

Up on the blog today, we have another "missing" 1963 Fleer card from my recent "extension third series" custom set, that of the great Lou Brock:

About as quiet and reserved a Hall of Famer as they come, Brock put together quite the Major League career.

Brock really was an under-appreciated player in my book, having to get what little spotlight he could playing the outfield in the National League when you had guys like Mays, Aaron and Clemente there as well.
Nevertheless, the man made six All-Star squads, finished second in the MVP race for the National League in 1974, and would go on to a Hall of Fame induction thanks to 3000+ hits, an MLB record 938 stolen bases, and 1610 runs scored.
Did you realize that between 1964 and 1974 the LEAST amount of hits he collected in any one season was 182!?
As a matter of fact in those eleven seasons he collected over 190 hits eight times, while scoring less than 90 only once.
Just an amazing 19-year career!

 

1980 CAREER-CAPPER: LOU BROCK

Fun card on the blog today, and one that will get printed in the future for sure, my 1980 "Career-Capper" for Lou Brock:

Man! Here's a guy who is often overlooked in baseball history!

By the end of the 1979 season Brock was closing out his Hall of Fame career, nailing down his 3000th hit to go along with his 938 stolen bases, 1610 runs scored and .293 lifetime average.

Even at the age of 40 he was doing well, batting over .300 (.304) with 21 stolen bases!

An eight-time stolen base champ, he also collected 200 hits in a season four times, with another four seasons of over 190, and he also scored 100+ runs in a season seven times.

Incredibly enough, in Brock's 19-year career, he made the All-Star team only six times! 

The price you pay for coming up during the years of Mays, Aaron, and Clemente! 

Tough luck indeed!

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: LOU BROCK

Let's go and add the great Lou Brock to my long-running custom WTHBALLS "Classic Baseball" set, due for a Autumn, 2024 release:

About as quiet and reserved a Hall of Famer as they come, Brock put together quite the Major League career.

Brock really was an under-appreciated player in my book, having to get what little spotlight he could playing the outfield in the National League when you had guys like Mays, Aaron and Clemente there as well.
Nevertheless, the man made six All-Star squads, finished second in the MVP race for the National League in 1974, and would go on to a Hall of Fame induction thanks to 3000+ hits, an MLB record 938 stolen bases, and 1610 runs scored.
Did you realize that between 1964 and 1974 the LEAST amount of hits he collected in any one season was 182!?
As a matter of fact in those eleven seasons he collected over 190 hits eight times, while scoring less than 90 only once.
Just an amazing 19-year career!

1960s "IN-ACTION" 1968 LOU BROCK

The next card in my third series of 1960s "In-Action" cards, none other than Hall of Famer Lou Brock of the St. Louis cardinals, on a 1968 template, doing what he did best, tearing up those base-paths:

Great shot of the legend stealing another of the 938 bases he'd swipe on his way to baseball immortality.

Brock really was an under-appreciated player in my book, having to get what little spotlight he could playing the outfield in the National League when you had guys like Mays, Aaron and Clemente there as well.
Nevertheless, the man made six All-Star squads, finished second in the MVP race for the National League in 1974, and would go on to a Hall of Fame induction thanks to 3000+ hits, an MLB record 938 stolen bases, and 1610 runs scored.
Did you realize that between 1964 and 1974 the LEAST amount of hits he collected in any one season was 182!? Just amazing consistent output from "The Franchise", year in and year out!
As a matter of fact in those eleven seasons he collected over 190 hits eight times, while scoring less than 90 only once.
Just an amazing 19-year career!

And look for this card to be part of my third 1960s In-Action set, due for a release later this year. Fun cards to create for the WTHBALLS collection!

REVISITING A POST FROM 2014: 1979 "THEN & NOW" LOU BROCK

Good day everyone.

On the blog today we revisit a post from October of 2014, my 1979 "Then & Now" card for the great Lou Brock:

I loved creating cards for this thread a while back, fun stuff!

Here's the original post from that day:

Man! Here's a guy who is often overlooked in baseball history, and funny enough I almost forgot all about him for my "Then and Now" series: Lou Brock.

I just had to use a picture of him with that Cardinals cap on! Just takes me back…

By the end of the 1979 season Brock was closing out his Hall of Fame career, nailing down his 3000th hit to go along with his 938 stolen bases, 1610 runs scored and .293 lifetime average.

Even at the age of 40 he was doing well, batting over .300 (.304) with 21 stolen bases!

An eight-time stolen base champ, he also collected 200 hits in a season four times, with another four seasons of over 190, and he also scored 100+ runs in a season seven times.

Incredibly enough, in Brock's 19-year career, he made the All-Star team only six times! 

The price you pay for coming up during the years of Mays, Aaron, and Clemente! 

Tough luck indeed!

1970'S ALL-DECADE TEAM: N.L. OUTFIELDER LOU BROCK

Good day everyone!

Today's blog post has me adding the great, and overlooked, Lou Brock to my National league team of the 1970s, as one of my outfielders for the Senior League:

It's easy to forget about Brock sometimes, as he put in season after season of All-Star level play in the quietest way.

But when you go and look at his performance over both his career and the 1970s, you'll see that he deserves this spot as he averaged around .300 with five seasons of 190+ hits, two of this 200+, with four 100-run years and of course four stolen base titles among his eight overall.

He hit .300 or better seven times in the decade, while making five All-Star teams, and was a national news story in 1974 when he ran mad on the bases and set a new Major League record with 118 stolen bases.

The man made six All-Star squads, finished second in the MVP race for the National League in 1974, and would go on to a Hall of Fame induction thanks to 3000+ hits, an MLB record 938 stolen bases, and 1610 runs scored.
Did you realize that between 1964 and 1974 the LEAST amount of hits he collected in any one season was 182!?
As a matter of fact in those eleven seasons he collected over 190 hits eight times, while scoring less than 90 only once.
Just an amazing 19-year career!

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: LOU BROCK

Good day everyone!

On the blog today, we go and add St. Louis Cardinals great Lou Brock to my 1977 "N.L. Centennial" celebration sub-set, marking the N.L.'s 100th anniversary of 1976, when players sported a commemorative patch on their sleeve:

Brock really was an under-appreciated player in my book, having to get what little spotlight he could playing the outfield in the National league when you had guys like Mays, Aaron and Clemente there as well.
Nevertheless, the man made six All-Star squads, finished second in the MVP race for the National League in 1974, and would go on to a Hall of Fame induction thanks to 3000+ hits, an MLB record 938 stolen bases, and 1610 runs scored.
Did you realize that between 1964 and 1974 the LEAST amount of hits he collected in any one season was 182!?
As a matter of fact in those eleven seasons he collected over 190 hits eight times, while scoring less than 90 only once.
Just an amazing 19-year career!

 

REVISITING A BLOG POST FROM 2014: "MISSING" 1972 LOU BROCK "IN-ACTION" CARD

On the blog today, revisiting a blog post from September of 2014 for those that missed it the first time around, my "missing" 1972 In-Action card for the great Lou Brock:

I really enjoyed filling in the gaps that Topps left with this great sub-set, when they gave us guys like Bob Barton and Paul Schaal (no offense), while leaving out so many uber-stars.

As for Brock, the man was running wild by the early 1970's, on his way to a then Major League record 938 stolen bases to go along nicely with 1610 runs scored, 3023 hits and 776 extra base hits.

1971 was typical for Brock, as he gathered 200 hits, led the National League in runs scored with 126 (a career high), batted over .300 (.313) and of course, led the Senior Circuit in stolen bases for the fifth time (on his way to eight stolen base crowns for his career).

His stellar career eventually got Brock elected to the Hall of Fame in 1985, his first year of eligibility.

Nicknamed "The Franchise", I'm sure any team would love to build a roster around a player like Brock in any era.

1970 "IN-GAME ACTION": LOU BROCK

Up on the blog today, we add the great Lou Brock to my thread featuring the cards that were part of my two-series 1970 "In-Game Action" sets released over the past few months:

 

Brock really was an under-appreciated player in my book, having to get what little spotlight he could playing the outfield in the National league when you had guys like Mays, Aaron and Clemente there as well.
Nevertheless, the man made six All-Star squads, finished second in the MVP race for the National League in 1974, and would go on to a Hall of Fame induction thanks to 3000+ hits, an MLB record 938 stolen bases, and 1610 runs scored.
Did you know that between 1964 and 1974 the LEAST amount of hits he collected in any one season was 182?
As a matter of fact in those eleven seasons he collected over 190 hits eight times, while scoring less than 90 only once.
Just an incredible, “quiet” Major League career rarely matched before or since, without all the fan-fare outside of his 1974 season when he shattered the MLB stolen base record with 118.
Heck, even his last season of 1979, at the age of 40, Brock hit .304 with 21 stolen bases over 120 games and 436 plate appearances.
All-out legend.

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!

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- LOU BROCK

Next up in my “Minor League Days” 1971 sub-set is St. Louis Cardinals legend and Hall of Famer Lou Brock, “The Franchise”, who sadly passed away recently along with quite a few other legends of the game:

Brock was in his first season of professional ball when this photo was taken in 1961, playing for the St. Cloud Rox, the Chicago Cubs C-level Minor League team.
In his sole season there Brock lit up the league, hitting .361 with 181 hits and 117 runs scored in 128 games, stealing 38 bases, driving in 82, and collecting 53 extra base hits.
Brock really was an under-appreciated player in my book, having to get what little spotlight he could playing the outfield in the National league when you had guys like Mays, Aaron and Clemente there as well.
Nevertheless, the man made six All-Star squads, finished second in the MVP race for the National League in 1974, and would go on to a Hall of Fame induction thanks to 3000+ hits, an MLB record 938 stolen bases, and 1610 runs scored.
Did you know that between 1964 and 1974 the LEAST amount of hits he collected in any one season was 182?
As a matter of fact in those eleven seasons he collected over 190 hits eight times, while scoring less than 90 only once.
Just an incredible, “quiet” Major League career rarely matched before or since, without all the fan-fare outside of his 1974 season when he shattered the MLB stolen base record with 118.
Heck, even his last season of 1979, at the age of 40, Brock hit .304 with 21 stolen bases over 120 games and 436 plate appearances.
All-out legend.

 

1975 SPECIAL- LOU BROCK'S PATH TO HISTORY

Came across this image of the great Lou Brock and had to make a 1976 “special” card with it, celebrating his march towards history with stolen base after stolen base during his Hall of Fame career:

Coming off of his record-breaking 1974 season when he stole 118 bases, the 36 year old then went on to steal another 56 in 1975, pushing him past the 800 mark for his career.
Of course, he would go on to steal another 138 bases before he was done, not only passing Ty Cobb for the “modern” MLB record, but even the great Hall of Famer Billy Hamilton from the 19th Century, who stole 914, unquestionably giving Brock the record until a guy named “Rickey” came along.
I love the extra logo sticker the St. Louis Cardinals used on their batting helmets in the middle of the 1970’s, shown on the image here.
Nice little bonus!

1973 SPECIAL- LOU BROCK AND JOE TORRE

I’ve been sitting on this great image of Joe Torre and Lou Brock, waiting to create a “special” card, so today I whipped up a 1973 card for the two St. Louis Cardinals All-Stars:

Both players were magnificent trade pick-ups for the organization, Brock in the memorable trade in 1964 for pitcher Ernie Broglio, and Torre in 1969 for another future Hall of Famer, Orlando Cepeda.
Torre and Brock would produce 200-hit seasons, break records (Brock with his season and career stolen base totals) and even take home a National League MVP when Torre turned the trick in 1971 as he topped the league with his .363 batting average, 137 runs batted in and 230 hits.
Of course, Brock would go on to top 3000 hits, set a new career stolen base record when he retired with 938, and become a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he received 79.7% of the vote in 1985.
Torre would go on to have arguably an even better career as a manager, leading the New York Yankees to four championships, 13 first place finishes overall, and over 2300 managerial wins over 29 seasons.
Hope you enjoy these “specials” as much as I do. I’ve always wished Topps sprinkled them in through the 1970’s and 1980’s as they did the previous two decades.

1975 IN-ACTION: LOU BROCK

Next up in my on-going 1975 “In-Action” series is the great Lou Brock, who put in one of the best seasons of his Hall of Fame career in 1974, setting a new Major League record with 118 stolen bases, doing so at the age of 35:

First off, I’d like to acknowledge that the image used for this card was found online by ELZ Photography.
I usually like to use Getty Images but this image was perfect for what I wanted, while also giving us a bonus Mike Schmidt photo-bomb in the background, so “Thank You” to ELZ!
Brock really was an under-appreciated player in my book, having to get what little spotlight he could playing the outfield in the National league when you had guys like Mays, Aaron and Clemente there as well.
Nevertheless, the man made six All-Star squads, finished second in the MVP race for the National League in 1974, and would go on to a Hall of Fame induction thanks to 3000+ hits, an MLB record 938 stolen bases, and 1610 runs scored.
Did you realize that between 1964 and 1974 the LEAST amount of hits he collected in any one season was 182!?
As a matter of fact in those eleven seasons he collected over 190 hits eight times, while scoring less than 90 only once.
Just an amazing 19-year career!

FAVORITE CARDS OF THE DECADE

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

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

#1 1976 Johnny Bench

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

I’m still in awe of it.

#2 1978 Reggie Jackson

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

#3 1977 Rusty Staub

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

#4 1977 Dave Kingman

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

#5 1979 Rod Carew

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

#6 1979 George Brett

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

#7 1976 Lou Brock

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

#8 1971 Thurman Munson

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

#9 1976 Carl Yastrzemski

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

#10 1977 Mark Fidrych

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

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

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

Honorable mention:

1976 Al Oliver

1979 Larry Bowa

1971 Vada Pinson

1976 Fred Lynn

So what do I gather from all this?

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

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

NICKNAMES OF THE '70'S #29: "THE FRANCHISE" LOU BROCK

"The Franchise", a great nickname for Hall of Fame stolen base king Lou Brock, and today's installment to the "Nicknames of the 1970's" thread here.

Check out the card I designed for it:

I chose a 1975 template since he was coming off of his record-breaking season that saw him swipe 118 bases, at the age of 35!

It's easy to forget that Brock was already a 13-year veteran when he took the baseball world by storm with his historic feat.

Not only did he set the stolen base record, but he topped 190 hits for the eighth time, batted .300+ for the fifth time, and topped 100 runs scored for the seventh time.

This was all on his way to an easy Hall of Fame induction in 1985, on his first try, being named to 79.7% of the ballot.

For his career, Brock topped 3000 hits, 1600 runs scored, and of course finished with his (then) Major League record of 938 stolen bases, while batting .293 and being a part of two World Champion teams (1964 and 1967).

THEN AND NOW #21: LOU BROCK 1979

Man! Here's a guy who is often overlooked in baseball history, and funny enough I almost forgot all about him for my "Then and Now" series: Lou Brock.

Take a look:

I just had to use a picture of him with that Cardinals cap on! Just takes me back…

By the end of the 1979 season Brock was closing out his Hall of Fame career, nailing down his 3000th hit to go along with his 938 stolen bases, 1610 runs scored and .293 lifetime average.

Even at the age of 40 he was doing well, batting over .300 (.304) with 21 stolen bases!

An eight-time stolen base champ, he also collected 200 hits in a season four times, with another four seasons of over 190, and he also scored 100+ runs in a season seven times.

Incredibly enough, in Brock's 19-year career, he made the All-Star team only six times! 

The price you pay for coming up during the years of Mays, Aaron, and Clemente! 

Tough luck indeed!

MISSING IN ACTION-"IN ACTION" #7: 1972 LOU BROCK

Topps really dropped the ball on this one: Lou Brock, one of the most exciting players in the game, and he doesn't get an "In Action" card in the 1972 set?

Allow me to remedy that here:

The man was running wild by the early 1970's, on his way to a then Major League record 938 stolen bases to go along nicely with 1610 runs scored, 3023 hits and 776 extra base hits.

1971 was typical for Brock, as he gathered 200 hits, led the National League in runs scored with 126 (a career high), batted over .300 (.313) and of course, led the Senior Circuit in stolen bases for the fifth time (on his way to eight stolen base crowns for his career).

His stellar career eventually got Brock elected to the Hall of Fame in 1985, his first year of eligibility.

Nicknamed "The Franchise", I'm sure any team would love to build a roster around a player like Brock in any era.