1970 20-WIN CIRCLE: MEL STOTTLEMYRE

On the blog today, we go and add New York Yankees underrated ace Mel Stottlemyre to my 1970 "20-Win Circle" sub-set celebrating the 20 game winners of 1969:

Stottlemyre was coming off his third and final 20-win season in 1969, finishing up with a record of 20-14 with a 2.82 ERA over 39 appearances, all starts, throwing a league-leading 24 complete games.

With a half-season in 1964 (his first year), and 1974 (his last), he put up nine full seasons in between, and all but one (1966) rock solid for some poor Yankee teams.

In nine full years on the mound, he posted three 20-win seasons (all while pitching during the Bronx "lean years"), five sub-3.00 ERA years, seven 15+ win seasons, nine 250+ innings seasons, and six years of four or more shutouts, topping out with seven in both 1971 and 1972.

How solid is THAT!?

A five-time all-star, I can't even imagine what his win totals could have been had he stayed healthy and pitched into the late-1970's/early-80's, or even if he wasn't starring for those bad Yankee teams post-dynasty between 1965-on.

Consider his numbers in the small amount of time he was a Major League pitcher: a 164-139 record, with a nice 2.97 ERA, 40 shutouts and 1257 K's in only 356 starts!

Those are really some seriously great numbers.

Sadly because of a rotator-cuff injury in 1974, he had to retire at the young age of only 32, leaving us to wonder "what could have been".

Of course we know that he later went on to become one of the most respected pitching coaches in the Majors from the 1980-s with the Mets on through to the "new" Yankee dynasty in the late-90's/early-00's, before retiring for good after the 2008 season.

1970 "IN-GAME ACTION": MEL STOTTLEMYRE

Today on the blog we spotlight my 1970 "In-Game Action" card for former New York Yankees ace Mel Stottlemyre, from my Series 2 edition released a few months back:

Stottlemyre was coming off his third and final 20-win season in 1969, finishing up with a record of 20-14 with a 2.82 ERA over 39 appearances, all starts, throwing a league-leading 24 complete games.

With a half-season in 1964 (his first year), and 1974 (his last), he put up nine full seasons in between, and all but one (1966) rock solid for some poor Yankee teams.

In nine full years on the mound, he posted three 20-win seasons (all while pitching during the Bronx "lean years"), five sub-3.00 ERA years, seven 15+ win seasons, nine 250+ innings seasons, and six years of four or more shutouts, topping out with seven in both 1971 and 1972.

How solid is THAT!?

A five-time all-star, I can't even imagine what his win totals could have been had he stayed healthy and pitched into the late-1970's/early-80's, or even if he wasn't starring for those bad Yankee teams post-dynasty between 1965-on.

Consider his numbers in the small amount of time he was a Major League pitcher: a 164-139 record, with a nice 2.97 ERA, 40 shutouts and 1257 K's in only 356 starts!

Those are really some seriously great numbers.

Sadly because of a rotator-cuff injury in 1974, he had to retire at the young age of only 32, leaving us to wonder "what could have been".

Of course we know that he later went on to become one of the most respected pitching coaches in the Majors from the 1980-s with the Mets on through to the "new" Yankee dynasty in the late-90's/early-00's, before retiring for good after the 2008 season.

ON-CARD ALL-STAR: 1970 MEL STOTTLEMYRE

I misspoke last week when I stated that my 1970 Reggie Jackson "On-Card All-Star" was the final starter to be "fixed" here on the blog.

I forgot about the American League starting pitcher for the 1969 Midsummer Classic, New York Yankees ace Mel Stottlemyre:

Stottlemyre was on his way to his third and final 20-win season in 1969, finishing up with a record of 20-14 with a 2.82 ERA over 39 appearances, all starts, throwing a league-leading 24 complete games.

With a half-season in 1964 (his first year), and 1974 (his last), he put up nine full seasons in between, and all but one (1966) rock solid for some poor Yankee teams.

In nine full years on the mound, he posted three 20-win seasons (all while pitching during the Bronx "lean years"), five sub-3.00 ERA years, seven 15+ win seasons, nine 250+ innings seasons, and six years of four or more shutouts, topping out with seven in both 1971 and 1972.

How solid is THAT!?

A five-time all-star, I can't even imagine what his win totals could have been had he stayed healthy and pitched into the late-1970's/early-80's, or even if he wasn't starring for those bad Yankee teams post-dynasty between 1965-on.

Consider his numbers in the small amount of time he was a Major League pitcher: a 164-139 record, with a nice 2.97 ERA, 40 shutouts and 1257 K's in only 356 starts!

Those are really some seriously great numbers.

Sadly because of a rotator-cuff injury in 1974, he had to retire at the young age of only 32, leaving us to wonder "what could have been".

Of course we know that he later went on to become one of the most respected pitching coaches in the Majors from the 1980-s with the Mets on through to the "new" Yankee dynasty in the late-90's/early-00's, before retiring for good after the 2008 season.

 

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- MEL STOTTLEMYRE

Up on the blog today is a 1971 "Minor League Days" card for longtime New York Yankees ace, and underrated pitcher Mel Stottlemyre, who was finishing up a very nice final season in the Minor Leagues when this photo was taken:

Stottlemyre would go 13-3 for the Richmond Virginians in 1964 before getting called up for his first shot at the Big Leagues.

Along with that sterling record he also pitched to an incredible 1.42 earned run average over 30 appearances, 17 of them starts, while tossing two shutouts while striking out 95 over 152 innings.

Once in the Majors that year, he would add another nine wins, going 9-3 for the American League champions before they fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.

Sadly for Stottlemyre, he made his Major League debut at a time that saw the Yankees fall from the league elites, not making another World Series, or even finishing in first place, for the rest of his 11 year career.

But no one can say it was because of their young star pitcher, as Stottlymyre would go on to post three 20-win seasons while also finishing five seasons of sub-3.00 ERA's, while throwing 40 shutouts,

By the time he retired after the 1974 season because of injuries, he would win 164 games in only 9-plus seasons of work, while making five All-Star teams.

When you look at his numbers and realize that he only had nine full seasons in the Big Leagues, they definitely grow in stature.

Of course we know that he later went on to become one of the most respected pitching coaches in the Majors from the 1980-s with the Mets on through to the "new" Yankee dynasty in the late-90's/early-00's, before retiring for good after the 2008 season.

 

MISSING IN ACTION-"IN ACTION" #40: 1972 MEL STOTTLEMYRE

A few days ago I posted the "missing" 1970 all-star card for former Yankee pitcher Mel Stottlemyre.

I also went into detail on what kind of a special career he had, and how easy it is to forget it since it was relatively short, and the bulk of which was during the lean years in the Bronx between 1965-1973.

For more on his career just backtrack a bit here to that post, worth the read if you haven't read it already.

Today I post up a "missing in-action" card for him for the 1972 set, take a look at what I came up with:

Nice horizontal layout for the former star and future pitching-coach master.

I always likened Stottlemyre's personality/character to another of my under-appreciated favorites, Jim Kaat.

They were both guys who went about their business without any "hoot and holler", and were respected by their peers.

MISSING 1970 ALL-STAR: MEL STOTTLEMYRE- RHP

Today I post the final player that really should have had an all-star card in the 1970, since he was a starter for the American League, the A.L. starting pitcher for the 1969 game, Yankee Mel Stottlemyre:

While two-time Cy Young winner Denny McLain got the nod by the Sporting News as their right-handed all-star, Stottlemyre in fact started the game, and it's somewhat a perfect example of how this guy is always overlooked and under-appreciated in my eyes considering all he did in basically ten years of Major League ball.

With a half-season in 1964 (his first year), and 1974 (his last), he put up nine full seasons in between, and all but one (1966) rock solid for some poor Yankee teams.

In nine full years on the mound, he posted three 20-win seasons (all while pitching during the Bronx "lean years"), five sub-3.00 ERA years, seven 15+ win seasons, nine 250+ innings seasons,  and six years of four or more shutouts, topping out with seven in both 1971 and 1972.

How solid is THAT!?

A five-time all-star, I can't even imagine what his win totals could have been had he stayed healthy and pitched into the late-1970's/early-80's, or even if he wasn't starring for those bad Yankee teams post-dynasty between 1965-on.

Consider his numbers in the small amount of time he was a Major League pitcher: a 164-139 record, with a nice 2.97 ERA, 40 shutouts and 1257 K's in only 356 starts!

Those are really some seriously great numbers.

Sadly because of a rotator-cuff injury in 1974, he had to retire at the young age of only 32, leaving us to wonder "what could have been".

Of course we know that he later went on to become one of the most respected pitching coaches in the Majors from the 1980-s with the Mets on through to the "new" Yankee dynasty in the late-90's/early-00's, before retiring for good after the 2008 season.

A great, solid career that get's overlooked for a few different reasons. I have to figure out some sort of "tribute" card for the guy, one way or another…

#100's for the 100th

For my 100th post on this blog, I thought I'd get "cute" and take a look at all the cards numbered "100" in the 1970's by Topps.
When I first thought about doing this, I figured at least ONE of them would be an all-time favorite card of mine, but alas this was not to be. As a matter of fact NONE of them are even considered "great" in my eyes.
As we all know Topps had long practiced the habit of "reserving" the double-zero's (100, 200, etc) for super-star players in their sets, so it was no surprise at the level of super stars depicted.
But it was still interesting to note that of the ten cards (1970-79), eight depict Hall of Famers, one should be in the Hall (depending on how you feel about gambling), and one was a very good pitcher before calling it a career by the middle of the decade.
For the number "100", they were true to form. Let's take a look:

1970: Mel Stottlemyre: Right off the bat we have the only guy given the number during the '70's that isn't considered a Hall of Famer. Though a very effective pitcher, Mel had to call it a career after arm troubles in 1974 at the age of 32, but not before posting three 20 win seasons and a lifetime E.R.A. of 2.97. in eleven years of Major League action.
As for the card itself. Eh. Not much to write home about. Boring, posed, and set against an empty stadium with that "love it or hate it" grey border. Definitely not one of my favorites. Take a look:

1971: Pete Rose: Now, while I do love the 1971 set, and really can't find much to complain about, the Rose card was a posed shot that didn't do much to please the eye. I guess I like the card, but only because of "classic" look of the thing.
Rose ends up being the last guy with the #100 designation we'll look at who didn't end up in the Hall. But I'm sure some of you would disagree with this. I may fall into this group as well. To me, not having the all-time hit leader and "Player of the Decade" for the 1970's in the Hall of Fame is just a giant empty hole in Cooperstown. However, "Charlie Hustle" certainly didn't help himself by acting like a complete idiot during the mess that lead to him being banned.

1972: Frank Robinson: This is a nice card. For me, one of the better #100 cards of the '70's. Just a pleasant, colorful card of one of the greatest players of all-time on one of the better teams in baseball history.
Funny enough, Robinson was to be traded to the Dodgers for the 1972 season, and he was included in Topps' first "traded" endeavor later in the set showing him in Dodger blue.
Regardless, I love the colors on this card. A classic card from a classic set.

1973: Hank Aaron: Decent card, nice set design. But really, of all photos to use who was well on his way to an all-time home run crown, you go and use one of him ready to catch a pop-up?!
I'm not saying this card is ugly, by any means. But man, this is Hank Aaron. Topps could have easily picked a better image of him popping one out of Fulton County Stadium. But we all know how that 1973 set confused and annoyed collectors ever since it was released, mainly due to the photo selections Topps made.
I may have to "re-do" this card on this blog sometime soon. Stay tuned for it.

1974: Willie Stargell: Not a bad looking card. Yeah it's a boring posed shot, but the colors all work well together, and the photo fits in with the overall design. I like the cleanliness of it, and this is classic "Pops" before he really began looking like a "pops". Dig the sideburns and goatee. The '70's were in full effect ladies and gentlemen!

1975: Willie Stargell: Well well! A repeat from the year before! Well, I'm a sucker for the 1975 set, and this card doesn't disappoint. I like the green borders, and Stargell looks great with the swinging pose, bat right at the camera.
This would be the only time a player had the number 100 more than once in the decade. Not a bad choice for it!

1976: Jim Hunter: Now, I COULD be an ass and refuse to say anything bad about my all-time favorite set. After all, I can easily lie to myself and say that the set could do no wrong. But I guess old-age has taught me to be objective when necessary, and I DO have to admit that the card is a bit boring.
Lame posed shot, lame background. But hey, the coloration of the card is nice! And this card pretty much displayed the last "hurrah" for Hunter, as he began his rapid decline from top-notch pitching ace in 1976 due to injuries. Although he posted monster number in 1975, he'd be out of the game in just four years, but not before posting up (arguably) Hall of Fame numbers.
An action photo could have easily made this my favorite "#100" card from the '70's. That's how much I love the card design elements. Oh well, perhaps another "do-over" in the future...

1977: Joe Morgan: Well. Not that great a card. I mean, where exactly is Morgan looking anyway? However, for a kid of eight years old back then, this card was legendary! This was Joe Morgan of the "Big Red Machine", the team that just swept my beloved Yankees in the World Series the year before. I remember staring at Morgan, Rose, Bench and the rest of those guys that made the Yanks look like their bitches! I was in awe of this force from Cincinnati.
Add to that fact that this card has "N.L. ALL-STARS" screaming out from the bottom of the card, and I felt I was truly looking at a "God".

1978: George Brett: This is my favorite "#100" from the decade. Strange since it doesn't have some great action shot, or even some interesting pose. But there was something about this youthful Brett with the sun shining, and that All-Star badge that made me love this card. Granted, I love the '78 set, probably second only to the '76 for me. But nevertheless there's just something about this card that has that aura of "super star". A classic...

1979: Tom Seaver: My second favorite card in this post. I would LOVE this card so much more but I was never really a fan of the 1979 set design, even though two of my all-time favorite cards (Carew and Brett) are from this very set, but they were aided by "lucky" color schemes and the "All-Star" banner running across the bottom part of the card.
Still, this is a great shot of "Tom Terrific" delivering a pitch. I remember thinking how much better the card would have looked like if Topps gave the Reds a red team banner instead of yellow. I mean, the "Reds" with a red banner made sense to me. No? I also HATED that obnoxious "Topps" logo in the baseball between the team name and the main image. Ugh, why?!

So there you have it. A quick look at all the cards numbered "100" throughout the 1970's for my 100th post on this blog. Eight Hall of Fame cards, the "Player of the 1970's", and a former Yankee ace.
Now let's see if this blog keeps going towards it's 200th post so I can do this again...