1970 "IN-GAME ACTION": LUIS APARICIO

On the blog today, a card I created a while back that I never profiled here on the blog to my surprise, my 1970 "In-Game Action" card for "Little Louie" Aparicio, from me Series 2 set released a couple years back:

Just a nice action shot of the perennial All-Star shortstop, who was well on his way to a Hall of Fame selection when it was all said and done.

From the moment he made it to the Majors in 1956 with the Chicago White Sox, Aparicio was a star.

He took home the A.L. Rookie of the Year that season, and proceeded to be an all-star player for most of his 18-year career.

Between 1956 and 1964, nine consecutive years, he led the American League in stolen bases every single season!

As a member of the "Go-Go" 1959 Chicago White Sox he finished second to teammate Nellie Fox for Most Valuable Player, and he'd go on to win nine Gold Glove Awards before hanging up the spikes.

All told he suited up for the White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Boston Red Sox for the final three years of his illustrious career.

By the time he retired the numbers were solid: 2677 hits, 1335 runs scored, 506 stolen bases and over 10000 at-bats!

It took a few years on the ballot, but he was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.

1960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: A.L. SHORTSTOP LUIS APARICIO

Time for our next player to be named to my 1960s All-Decade All-Star team, with today's entry the American League shortstop of the 1960s, and I chose Luis Aparicio:

Now, this pick was NOT as easy as many would think, as I was seriously considering Loa Angeles Angels shortstop Jim Fregosi for the honor.

But when it came down to it, I went with "Little Louie".

Aparicio had a fine decade in the 1960s, pacing the American League in stolen bases with five crowns from 1960-1964, winning a World Series with the Orioles in 1966, being named to five all-star teams, and winning six Gold Gloves.

All in all I just feel he was a lot more solid overall than Fregosi, who had a nice run of offensive seasons from the mid-60's to 1969.

Aparicio even had six years during the decade where he got some M.V.P. attention, with a peak finish of ninth in that championship 1966 season at Baltimore.

Not too shabby for a man who would go on to be selected for the Hall of Fame, an honor worthy of the perennial All-Star.

1969 "DO-OVER" SET: LUIS APARICIO

Up on the blog today, we take a look at my "redo" for Luis Aparicio and his 1969 card, fixing the reuse of images Topps had originally put out there due to their spat with the MLBPA:

Part of my recent custom set released a few months back, I went and corrected images for a dozen players who suffered the image duplication that kids were bummed to see as they ripped open wax way back when.

Even as a young collector by the late-70s/early-80s when I was beginning to buy vintage cards, I was disappointed at seeing superstars like Willie Mays, hank Aaron and Rod Carew with cards that repeated images from previous years.

From the moment he made it to the Majors in 1956 with the Chicago White Sox, Aparicio was a star.

He took home the A.L. Rookie of the Year that season, and proceeded to be an all-star player for most of his 18-year career.

Between 1956 and 1964, nine consecutive years, he led the American League in stolen bases every single season!

As a member of the "Go-Go" 1959 Chicago White Sox he finished second to teammate Nellie Fox for Most Valuable Player, and he'd go on to win nine Gold Glove Awards before hanging up the spikes.

All told he suited up for the White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Boston Red Sox for the final three years of his illustrious career.

By the time he retired the numbers were solid: 2677 hits, 1335 runs scored, 506 stolen bases and over 10000 at-bats!

It took a few years on the ballot, but he was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.

STARS RETIRE: 1974 WILLIE MAYS & LUIS APARICIO

On the blog today, another in my "Stars Retire" thread, this time a 1974 edition celebrating the careers of recently retired Willie Mays and Luis Aparicio:

 

To start, Major League baseball saw one of the greatest ever, Willie Mays, call it a career after finishing up where it all started, New York, with the Mets with whom he made it back to a World Series before losing to the three-peat Oakland A's.

Really, at this point what else needs to be said about arguably the best all-around player in baseball history. 3000+ hits, 660 homers, 1900+ R.B.I.'s., 1951 Rookie of the Year and N.L. M.V.P. in 1954 and 1965. But he was much more than just stats. He was the "Say Hey Kid".
By the time the 1970's hit, he was a walking legend of the sport, and being enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 was the cherry on top of it all.

Along with Mays, the great Luis Aparicio hung up the cleats after a wonderful career that saw him become one of the great base-stealers of his era.

He actually wrapped up his playing days by the end of the 1973 season, but Topps (for a change) went ahead and issued a card for him in their 1974 edition. So we were given an "accidental" career-capper" with his final Topps card.

From the moment Aparicio made it to the Majors in 1956 with the Chicago White Sox, he was a star.

He took home the A.L. Rookie of the Year that season, and proceeded to be an all-star player for most of his 18-year career.

Between 1956 and 1964, nine consecutive years, he led the American League in stolen bases every single season!

As a member of the "Go-Go" 1959 Chicago White Sox he finished second to teammate Nellie Fox for Most Valuable Player, and he'd go on to win nine Gold Glove Awards before hanging up the spikes.

All told he suited up for the White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Boston Red Sox for the final three years of his illustrious career.

By the time he retired the numbers were solid: 2677 hits, 1335 runs scored, 506 stolen bases and over 10000 at-bats!

It took a few years on the ballot, but he was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.

Two giants of the game finishing up Hall-worthy careers, celebrated on this one card.

Hope you enjoy them!

REVISITING A POST FROM AUGUST, 2014: "THEN & NOW" LUIS APARICIO

On the blog today, revisiting an old post from August 18th of 2014 celebrating the career of "Little Louie" Aparicio, Hall of Fame shortstop who wrapped up a brilliant career in 1974:

 

Here's the original write-up:

"Next up on my "Then and Now" Super Veterans thread is Hall of Fame shortstop Luis Aparicio.

He actually wrapped up his playing days by the end of the 1973 season, but Topps (for a change) went ahead and issued a card for him in their 1974 edition. So the card I designed was patterned after that year's set.

From the moment he made it to the Majors in 1956 with the Chicago White Sox, Aparicio was a star.

He took home the A.L. Rookie of the Year that season, and proceeded to be an all-star player for most of his 18-year career.

Between 1956 and 1964, nine consecutive years, he led the American League in stolen bases every single season!

As a member of the "Go-Go" 1959 Chicago White Sox he finished second to teammate Nellie Fox for Most Valuable Player, and he'd go on to win nine Gold Glove Awards before hanging up the spikes.

All told he suited up for the White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Boston Red Sox for the final three years of his illustrious career.

By the time he retired the numbers were solid: 2677 hits, 1335 runs scored, 506 stolen bases and over 10000 at-bats!

It took a few years on the ballot, but he was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984."

SPECIAL SPOTLIGHT: "LOST" 1963 FLEER SECOND SERIES: LUIS APARICIO

The next player from my recently released 1963 "Lost Second Series" custom set to get featured here on the blog is "Little Louie", Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio:

Aparicio really was some kind of baseball talent!

From 1956 through 1964 he led his league in steals every single time, that’s nine straight years, with a high of 57 in 1964 playing for the Baltimore Orioles.
He was both a member of the “Go-Go” Chicago White Sox in 1959, helping them reach the World Series, as well as the surprising 1966 World Champion Orioles, who shocked the world by sweeping the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
The ten-time All-Star also took home nine Gold Glove Awards, teaming up with Nellie Fox to form one of the greatest double-play combos of all time.
He led the AL in fielding percentage eight straight years, between 1959 and 1966, while also leading in assists seven times, putouts four times and double-plays twice.

But let's not forget the man retired with 2677 hits and 1335 runs scored, so it wasn't as if he was ALL defense.

So with that, in 1984 he was rightfully selected for Cooperstown by the BBWAA, joining former teammates like Frank & Brooks Robinson & Early Wynn, with others like Nellie Fox and Jim Palmer joining him later on.

1972 ALL-STAR SUB-SET: LUIS APARICIO

Next up in the "missing" 1972 All-Star sub-set parade is Hall of Fame shortstop Luis Aparicio, the starter for the American League in the 1971 Midsummer Classic:

 

It was the ninth All-Star nod for "Little Louie", who was in the middle of his first season in Boston after coming over from the Chicago White Sox.

Nowadays, we have a guy like Jose Altuve leading the way for players that are not built like mountains, and Aparicio fit that bill between 1956, when he took home the American League Rookie of the Year Award, through the 1973 season, when he retired with over 2600 hits, 1300 runs and more than 500 career stolen bases.
From 1956 through 1964 he led his league in steals every single time, that’s nine straight years, with a high of 57 in 1964 playing for the Baltimore Orioles.
He was both a member of the “Go-Go” Chicago White Sox in 1959, helping them reach the World Series, as well as the surprising 1966 World Champion Orioles, who shocked the world by sweeping the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
The ten-time All-Star also took home nine Gold Glove Awards, teaming up with Nellie Fox to form one of the greatest double-play combos of all time.
He led the AL in fielding percentage eight straight years, between 1959 and 1966, while also leading in assists seven times, putouts four times and double-plays twice.
In 1984 he was selected for Cooperstown by the BBWAA, joining former teammates like Frank & Brooks Robinson & Early Wynn, with others like Nellie Fox and Jim Palmer joining him later on.

NICKNAMES OF THE 1970'S: "LITTLE LOUIE" APARICIO

Next up in my long-running “Nicknames” series is Hall of Famer “Little Louie” Aparicio, shortstop extraordinaire and spark-plug over the course of his 18-year career:

Nowadays, we have a guy like Jose Altuve leading the way for players that are not built like mountains, and Aparicio fit that bill between 1956, when he took home the American League Rookie of the Year Award, through the 1973 season, when he retired with over 2600 hits, 1300 runs and more than 500 career stolen bases.
From 1956 through 1964 he led his league in steals every single time, that’s nine straight years, with a high of 57 in 1964 playing for the Baltimore Orioles.
He was both a member of the “Go-Go” Chicago White Sox in 1959, helping them reach the World Series, as well as the surprising 1966 World Champion Orioles, who shocked the world by sweeping the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
The ten-time All-Star also took home nine Gold Glove Awards, teaming up with Nellie Fox to form one of the greatest double-play combos of all time.
He led the AL in fielding percentage eight straight years, between 1959 and 1966, while also leading in assists seven times, putouts four times and double-plays twice.
In 1984 he was selected for Cooperstown by the BBWAA, joining former teammates like Frank & Brooks Robinson & Early Wynn, with others like Nellie Fox and Jim Palmer joining him later on.

THEN AND NOW #10: LUIS APARICIO 1974

Next up on my "Then and Now" Super Veterans thread is Hall of Fame shortstop Luis Aparicio.

He actually wrapped up his playing days by the end of the 1973 season, but Topps (for a change) went ahead and issued a card for him in their 1974 edition. So the card I designed was patterned after that year's set.

Take a look:

From the moment he made it to the Majors in 1956 with the Chicago White Sox, Aparicio was a star.

He took home the A.L. Rookie of the Year that season, and proceeded to be an all-star player for most of his 18-year career.

Between 1956 and 1964, nine consecutive years, he led the American League in stolen bases every single season!

As a member of the "Go-Go" 1959 Chicago White Sox he finished second to teammate Nellie Fox for Most Valuable Player, and he'd go on to win nine Gold Glove Awards before hanging up the spikes.

All told he suited up for the White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Boston Red Sox for the final three years of his illustrious career.

By the time he retired the numbers were solid: 2677 hits, 1335 runs scored, 506 stolen bases and over 10000 at-bats!

It took a few years on the ballot, but he was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.

"GIMME A DO-OVER"- PART XXXIV: 1971 #740 LUIS APARICIO

Here's a card I've wanted to "re-do" for a while now: the 1971 Luis Aparicio card (#740).

First, take a look at what Topps had out there for the kids to collect:

As you can see, the big black airbrushed cap with a powder blue Chicago White Sox uniform did not make for the most attractive of cards.

Aparicio was traded to the Boston Red Sox in December of 1970, so Topps didn't have time on their side to get an updated image for him sporting the Boston duds.

So today I'll throw up my redesign with a proper image of the future Hall of Fame shortstop.

Take a look:

Nothing crazy. Just a nice photo of Aparicio, the Red Sox player, for whom he'd go on to play the last three years of his career (1971-1973).

The nine-time stolen base champ and Gold Glove winner was eventually inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, capping off a brilliant career played with the White Sox, Orioles and Red Sox between 1956 (where he was A.L. Rookie of the Year) and 1973.

"1960'S ALL-DECADE TEAM" SUB-SET FOR THE 1970 TOPPS SET: SHORTSTOPS

Today let's revisit my imagined 1960's "All-Decade" sub-set and move on to shortstop. 

After trying to justify getting Jim Fregosi in there as the American League shortstop of the decade, I decided that really, I need to go with Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio.

For the National league I went with speed demon Maury Wills and his baskets full of stolen bases and his 1962 M.V.P. award. Ernie Banks was over at first base by 1961/62, so what would have been a given actually isn't.

Anyway, let's take a look at the card I designed:

Aparicio had a fine decade in the 1960's, pacing the American League in stolen bases with five crowns from 1960-1964, winning a World Series with the Orioles in 1966, being named to five all-star teams, and winning six Gold Gloves.

All in all I just feel he was a lot more solid overall than Fregosi, who had a nice run of offensive seasons  from the mid-60's to 1969.

Aparicio even had six years during the decade where he got some M.V.P. attention, with a peak finish of ninth in that championship 1966 season at Baltimore.

For the National League, no one really dominated the position, so I went with another stolen base machine, Maury Wills.

It's not like it was a pity-pick though, as Wills really did have a good decade, leading the lead in steals six straight years between 1960-65, with a high of 104 that took the baseball world by storm in 1962, leading to his Most Valuable Player Award.

He also finished in third for M.V.P. in 1965, when he stole 94 bases to go along with his 186 hits and 92 runs scored for Los Angeles. 

During the decade Wills topped 170 hits seven times, with a high of 208 in 1962 (even though that total didn't get him a .300 batting average because of his 695 at-bats in 165 games!).

Nevertheless, I think the shortstop duo of Aparicio and Wills stands up against any other shortstop combo.

What do you think?

Next up on this thread, we move over to third base, which was the easiest to pick so far…

Stay tuned.

THE MISSING ALL STAR CARDS: 1973 TOPPS: AMERICAN LEAGUE

Continuing on this week's thread of all star cards, today we move on to 1973 and what I like to think Topps' cards would have looked like had they designated the previous years starters in the Midsummer Classic for the American League.
I kept the design simple to match the overall 1973 set design Topps used. The location of the "all star stripe" seemed to be a natural at the bottom. It keeps the image unobstructed while still calling out the "all star" designation.
After a win in the 1971 game for the A.L., which was their first since 1962, it was back to the losing side as they lost this one in extra innings, 4-3. As a matter of fact the American League would end up losing every All Star game up until 1983.
Of note here: the Freehan card is an excellent example of an "action shot" done right. The in-game action, the player clearly represented, and look at that crowd in the background. Awesome as they are clearly hanging on the play at the plate, waiting to see the outcome.
Carl Yastrzemski is called out as a first baseman on his card, but was voted into the all star game as an outfielder. Dick Allen was the starting first baseman for the A.L.
Tomorrow I'll post the National League starting nine.

THE MISSING ALL STAR CARDS: 1972 TOPPS: AMERICAN LEAGUE

Today I give you what I'd like to think the 1972 Topps cards would have looked like had they designated all stars as they would later in the decade, between 1975-1981.
Instead of an separate "all star" sub-set, the players would be tagged all stars on their regular issue cards.
I went with a simple bar-design running across the bottom of the card, just above the player's name. The A.L. got a red bar, while the N.L., which I will post tomorrow, got green.
Again, these are the players that were voted to the starting line-up, so even though Ray Fosse, Boog Powell and Tony Oliva didn't play because of injuries, they still get the all star tag-line.
Of course, Reggie Jackson, who didn't get voted in as a starter, was the player with the biggest impact on the 1971 All Star game, hitting a mega-blast off the light tower that instantly became legendary.
As a matter of fact, this game featured six home runs, and ALL six were hit by future Hall of Famers: Frank Robinson, Reggie Jackson, Harmon Killebrew, Johnny Bench, Roberto Clemente and Hank Aaron.
Frank Robinson's homer made him the first player to ever hit home runs as a member of both leagues.

THE MISSING ALL-STAR CARDS: 1971 TOPPS: AMERICAN LEAGUE

For some reason, Topps didn't have any all-star cards between 1971 and 1973, either as a separate sub-set, or an "all-star" designation of some kind on their regular issue itself like '75-'81.
Since I'm a fan of the latter, I've started to recreate all the cards of players between '71-'73 that should have been all-stars.
It's interesting because you have your usual all-stars like Bench, and Carew, but you also have some guys like Glenn Beckert and Dock Ellis that get a nice "bump" on their cards with an "All-Star" tag.
Please note that these "selections" were solely based on voter results from the year before, as Topps did to designate all-stars themselves. So whether or not the player actually started the previous years' all-star game, or if they didn't appear at all (due to injury), they got the all-star nod.
Today we'll start with the American League all-stars for the 1971 set. So obviously these are the guys that were voted in by fans for the 1970 game (except for pitcher of course. They were selected by the manager).
Tomorrow I'll post the National League all-stars from the same set, ending this thread with the National League all-stars from the 1973 set on Saturday.
What I did for the 1971 set was give a star designation (like the '75 and '76 sets), as well as giving the white border around the player photo a color: red for A.L. and yellow for N.L.
The reason I decided on this was mainly due to what Topps did for their 1971 football set, where "all-pros" had a different color for their borders than "regular" cards.
Notice that even though Harmon Killebrew was the starting Third Baseman for the American League in 1970, his card shows him as a First Baseman for the 1971 season.
Also of note: check out the great airbrushing job Topps did with Aparicio, who was traded to the Red Sox on December 1st, 1970, from the White Sox. You can clearly see the White Sox jersey in the photo.