CAREER-CAPPER: 1987 TONY PEREZ

Today on the blog, another card creation from outside the 1970s, this time a 1987 "career-capper" for the "Big Dog" Tony Perez, who finished up a stellar Major League career in 1986, one that would lead straight to Cooperstown:

Perez truly was an overlooked star on a team that would also have guys like Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan, just to name a few, and it’s just plain criminal considering he logged 10 seasons in a row over 90+ runs batted in, with six of them over 100 as stated earlier.
With a batting average hovering around .280, he was a solid and steady force at the plate and out in the field for a team that would become legendary, on their way to two straight championships in 1975 and 1976.
He would play for 23 seasons in the Major Leagues, and end up with 379 homers, 1652 RBI’s, 2732 hits and a very nice .279 average before he left the game at the age of 44.
The “Big Dog”, Sparky Anderson always stated that what killed the “Big Red Machine” from dominating for a longer period of time was trading away their slugging first baseman in December of 1976 to the Montreal Expos for Woodie Fryman and Dale Murray, a trade that still baffles me.
Nevertheless, after nine tries, he finally made it into the Hall of Fame in 2000, and rightly so. Hopefully Pete Rose can also join his former teammates someday as well.

 

OPC IMAGE VARIATION: 1977 TONY PEREZ

Today we take a look at the image variation between the great Tony Perez's 1977 OPC and Topps cards after his shocking trade to the Montreal Expos, the beginning of the end for the juggernaut Cincinnati Reds "Big Red Machine" dynasty:

OPC edition

Topps edition

OPC managed to get him out as a member of "their" Montreal Expos, something I am sure the Canadian baseball world was excited about.

Perez was sent to Montreal along with pitcher Will McEnaney for two guys out of the bullpen: Woodie Fryman and Dale Murray.

Now, I don't really remember the reasoning for this trade (Tony! Help me out here!), but it seems ABSURD all these years later.

Nevertheless, the "Big Dog" kept on producing for the next four years (three with the Expos and one with the Boston Red Sox in 1980) before becoming a solid veteran bat off the bench between 1982 and 1986 with Boston, Philadelphia and back in Cincinnati before retiring.

All told, he put together a magnificent 23 years career, collecting over 2700 hits, 375 home runs, 1600 runs batted in, and a .279 lifetime batting average.

He was also named to seven all-star teams and got Most Valuable Player attention in seven seasons.

It took a long while, but he was eventually elected into the Hall of Fame in 2000, joining former teammates Joe Morgan, Sparky Anderson and Johnny Bench, with Dave Concepcion and Pete Rose still out in the cold.

As I've stated earlier on this blog, I was always fascinated that former "Big Red Machine" skipper Anderson considered the Perez trade a severe blow to the Reds' continued dominance of Major League ball after 1976.

Here's a team that pretty much had their entire squad intact, and even picked up TOM SEAVER in June of 1977, but could never make it back to the top of the baseball world.

A good idea of how important Perez was…

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: TONY PEREZ

This week we have TWO cards added to my future custom "Classic Baseball" set, earlier with Tony Oliva, and today with "Big Dog" Tony Perez, an RBI-machine if there ever was one:

Perez truly was an overlooked star on a team that would also have guys like Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan, just to name a few, and it’s just plain criminal considering he logged 10 seasons in a row over 90+ runs batted in, with six of them over 100 as stated earlier.
With a batting average hovering around .280, he was a solid and steady force at the plate and out in the field for a team that would become legendary, on their way to two straight championships in 1975 and 1976.
He would play for 23 seasons in the Major Leagues, and end up with 379 homers, 1652 RBI’s, 2732 hits and a very nice .279 average before he left the game at the age of 44.
The “Big Dog”, Sparky Anderson always stated that what killed the “Big Red Machine” from dominating for a longer period of time was trading away their slugging first baseman in December of 1976 to the Montreal Expos for Woodie Fryman and Dale Murray, a trade that still baffles me.
Nevertheless, after nine tries, he finally made it into the Hall of Fame in 2000, and rightly so. Hopefully Pete Rose can also join his former teammates someday as well.

REVISIT FROM 2014: MISSING IN ACTION "IN ACTION": 1972 TONY PEREZ

Today on the blog, we revisit a post from October of 2014, incredibly almost ten years ago, and my "missing" 1972 In-Action card for RBI-machine Tony Perez:

Perez was just about “automatic” during the “Big Red Machine” years. Year in and year out you could pencil him in for 20+ homers, 90+ runs batted in, and between 60-70 extra-base-hits.
For eleven straight seasons, between 1967 and 1977, Perez topped 90 RBI’s, with a high of 129 in 1970, when he also hit a career-high 40 home runs for the beginning of what was to be a dominant team on its way to two championships and four World Series appearances.
By the time he was done after 23 seasons on a Major League diamond in 1986, Perez hit .279 with 2732 hits, 1272 runs scored, 1652 runs batted in and the aforementioned 379 homers, with “only” seven all-star nods, often overshadowed by his more well-known teammates.
I’ll always remember a statement former Reds’ manager Sparky Anderson made years later, one that I’ve mentioned before here on this blog, when he said that when the Reds traded Perez to the Montreal Expos after the 1976 season, it killed the “Big Red Machine”.
Think about that for a moment.
Just an awesome player who had the (mis)fortune to play alongside a handful of other all-star players who ruled the decade and took home SIX MVP Awards!

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: TONY PEREZ

Up on the blog today, we go and add the "Big Dog" Tony Perez to my on-going 1977 National League Centennial sub-set, celebrating the league's 100th anniversary of 1976:

Perez truly was an overlooked star on a team that would also have guys like Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan, just to name a few, and it’s just plain criminal considering he logged 10 seasons in a row over 90+ runs batted in, with six of them over 100 as stated earlier.
With a batting average hovering around .280, he was a solid and steady force at the plate and out in the field for a team that would become legendary, on their way to two straight championships in 1975 and 1976.
He would play for 23 seasons in the Major Leagues, and end up with 379 homers, 1652 RBI’s, 2732 hits and a very nice .279 average before he left the game at the age of 44.
The “Big Dog”, Sparky Anderson always stated that what killed the “Big Red Machine” from dominating longer was trading away their slugging first baseman in December of 1976 to the Montreal Expos for Woodie Fryman and Dale Murray, a trade that still baffles me.
Nevertheless, after nine tries, he finally made it into the Hall of Fame in 2000, and rightly so. Hopefully Pete Rose can also join his former teammates someday as well.

1960'S "DEDICATED ROOKIES": 1965 TONY PEREZ

On the blog today, we spotlight my 1965 "Dedicated Rookie" for Hall of Famer Tony Perez, the RBI-machine, from my special set released a few years ago:

Perez truly was an overlooked star on a team that would also have guys like Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan, just to name a few, and it’s just plain criminal considering he logged 10 seasons in a row over 90+ runs batted in, with six of them over 100 as stated earlier.
With a batting average hovering around .280, he was a solid and steady force at the plate and out in the field for a team that would become legendary, on their way to two straight championships in 1975 and 1976.
He would play for 23 seasons in the Major Leagues, and end up with 379 homers, 1652 RBI’s, 2732 hits and a very nice .279 average before he left the game at the age of 44.
The “Big Dog”, Sparky Anderson always stated that what killed the “Big Red Machine” from dominating longer was trading away their slugging first baseman in December of 1976 to the Montreal Expos for Woodie Fryman and Dale Murray, a trade that still baffles me.
Nevertheless, after nine tries, he finally made it into the Hall of Fame in 2000, and rightly so. Hopefully Pete Rose can also join his former teammates someday as well.

1970 IN-GAME ACTION: TONY PEREZ

Time to go an add the great Tony Perez to my on-going 1970 "In-Game Action" thread and set, celebrating the great players of the era:

 

Perez was at the beginning of his RBI-machine career, coming off his second of seven 100-RBI seasons, third of 12 90+ RBI campaigns.

Perez truly was an overlooked star on a team that would also have guys like Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan, just to name a few, and it’s just plain criminal considering he logged 10 seasons in a row over 90+ runs batted in, with six of them over 100 as stated earlier as a Red.
With a batting average hovering around .280, he was a solid and steady force at the plate and out in the field for a team that would become legendary, on their way to two straight championships in 1975 and 1976.
He would play for 23 seasons in the Major Leagues, and end up with 379 homers, 1652 RBI’s, 2732 hits and a very nice .279 average before he left the game at the age of 44.
The “Big Dog”, Sparky Anderson always stated that what killed the “Big Red Machine” from dominating longer was trading away their slugging first baseman in December of 1976 to the Montreal Expos for Woodie Fryman and Dale Murray, a trade that still baffles me.
Nevertheless, after nine tries, he finally made it into the Hall of Fame in 2000, and rightly so. Hopefully Pete Rose can also join his former teammates someday as well.

1975 IN-ACTION: TONY PEREZ

The next star of 1970’s baseball to get the 1975 “In-Action” treatment is none other than Tony Perez, “Big Red Machine” cog and RBI-machine, who was on his way to a sixth 100+-RBI season by season’s end:

Perez truly was an overlooked star on a team that would also have guys like Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan, just to name a few, and it’s just plain criminal considering he logged 10 seasons in a row over 90+ runs batted in, with six of them over 100 as stated earlier.
With a batting average hovering around .280, he was a solid and steady force at the plate and out in the field for a team that would become legendary, on their way to two straight championships in 1975 and 1976.
He would play for 23 seasons in the Major Leagues, and end up with 379 homers, 1652 RBI’s, 2732 hits and a very nice .279 average before he left the game at the age of 44.
The “Big Dog”, Sparky Anderson always stated that what killed the “Big Red Machine” from dominating longer was trading away their slugging first baseman in December of 1976 to the Montreal Expos for Woodie Fryman and Dale Murray, a trade that still baffles me.
Nevertheless, after nine tries, he finally made it into the Hall of Fame in 2000, and rightly so. Hopefully Pete Rose can also join his former teammates someday as well.

NICKNAMES OF THE 1970'S: "BIG DOG" TONY PEREZ

So how can you be underrated, with over 2700 career hits, 1600 RBI’s, 379 home runs AND a Hall of Fame inductee? When you’re Tony Perez, aka “Big Dog”, on a team that also boasted the likes of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan!
Here’s my nickname card for the RBI-machine during the 1970’s:

Perez was just about “automatic” during the “Big Red Machine” years. Year in and year out you could pencil him in for 20+ homers, 90+ runs batted in, and between 60-70 extra-base-hits.
For eleven straight seasons, between 1967 and 1977, Perez topped 90 RBI’s, with a high of 129 in 1970, when he also hit a career-high 40 home runs for the beginning of what was to be a dominant team on it’s way to two championships and four World Series appearances.
By the time he was done after 23 seasons on a Major League diamond in 1986, Perez hit .279 with 2732 hits, 1272 runs scored, 1652 runs batted in and the aforementioned 379 homers, with “only” seven all-star nods, often overshadowed by his more well-known teammates.
I’ll always remember a statement former Reds’ manager Sparky Anderson made years later, one that I’ve mentioned before here on this blog, when he said that when the Reds traded Perez to the Montreal Expos after the 1976 season, it killed the “Big Red Machine”.
Think about that for a moment.
Just an awesome player who had the (mis)fortune to play alongside a handful of other all-star players who ruled the decade and took home SIX MVP Awards!

TRADED: 1977 TONY PEREZ

Even though Tony Perez was correctly shown as a Montreal Expos player in the OPC and Topps Cloth sets of 1977, he was still a Cincinnati Reds player on his "regular" Topps card.

So with that in mind I went and designed a "Traded" card for him as part of my traded thread.

Take a look:

Perez was sent to Montreal along with pitcher Will McEnaney for two guys out of the bullpen: Woodie Fryman and Dale Murray.

Now, I don't really remember the reasoning for this trade (Tony! Help me out here!), but it seems ABSURD all these years later.

Nevertheless, the "Big Dog" kept on producing for the next four years (three with the Expos and one with the Boston Red Sox in 1980) before becoming a solid veteran bat off the bench between 1982 and 1986 with Boston, Philadelphia and back in Cincinnati before retiring.

All told, he put together a magnificent 23 years career, collecting over 2700 hits, 375 home runs, 1600 runs batted in, and a .279 lifetime batting average.

He was also named to seven all-star teams and got Most Valuable Player attention in seven seasons.

It took a long while, but he was eventually elected into the Hall of Fame in 2000, joining former teammates Joe Morgan, Sparky Anderson and Johnny Bench, with Dave Concepcion and Pete Rose still out in the cold.

As I've stated earlier on this blog, I was always fascinated that former "Big Red Machine" skipper Anderson considered the Perez trade a severe blow to the Reds' continued dominance of Major League ball after 1976.

Here's a team that pretty much had their entire squad intact, and even picked up TOM SEAVER in June of 1977, but could never make it back to the top of the baseball world.

A good idea of how important Perez was…

MISSING IN ACTION-"IN ACTION" #11: 1972 TONY PEREZ

Today we go ahead and give the "Big Dog", Tony Perez, an "In Action" card in the 1972 set.

Take a look:

One of the anchors of the "Big Red Machine", Perez was an R.B.I. machine, topping 90 or more eight of ten seasons during the 1970's.

2700+ hits, 375+ homers, 1600+ runs batted in, and over 500 doubles over the course of 23 seasons in the Major Leagues.

Enough said for the future Hall of Famer, finally getting welcomed into the doors of Cooperstown in 2000.

HALL OF FAME LEADERS VI: 1971 NATIONAL LEAGUE R.B.I. LEADERS

Basically a "repeat" of the last entry for this thread, these three Hall of Famers had quite a 1970 season, as they paced the National League both in Home Runs AND Runs Batted In, which we see here on card #64.
The only difference here is that Perez and Williams tied for the second and third place spots with R.B.I.'s., both driving in 129 for the year.
Nothing really more to say about this awesome trio that I didn't mention with the previous post on the Home Run leader card.
Just over-flowing star power on a nice-looking card from one of my favorite sets.

Monster seasons by all THREE future H.O.F.'ers.

One thing I WILL mention here is something I never forgot that former "Big Red Machine" skipper Sparky Anderson said about the Reds dynasty years later.
When asked why the Reds didn't win more championships after 1976, especially since they added Tom Seaver to their already powerful squad in 1977, Anderson was quick to reply that the Reds trading away Tony Perez in December of 1976 "killed" the team.
Interesting to hear since the you always think of Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Dave Concepcion and even George Foster on those all-star loaded teams.
It's easy to forget just how consistent and important Perez was to that Cincinnati juggernaut of the 1970's.

HALL OF FAME LEADERS V: 1971 NATIONAL LEAGUE HOME RUN LEADERS

Here's a nifty league leader card from 1971 that has THREE prominent Hall of Famers: the National League Home Run Leaders card (#66).

Beautiful!

 

 

 

Johnny Bench, Billy Williams and Tony Perez.

58 years of star baseball between them, amassing 7491 hits, 1194 home runs and 4503 runs batted in.

While Perez and Bench were powering the pre-"Big Red Machine" at this point, Williams was clubbing his way into legendary status on the North side of Chicago with the Cubs.

(Un)funny enough for Billy Williams, he would finish second in Most Valuable Player voting BOTH in 1970 and 1972, losing out tho Bench both times.

Even funnier regarding this card: just as we saw on the previous "Hall of Fame Leader Card" in my last post for this thread, here we have the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers in the stat being represented being the same as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers in the M.V.P. voting. 

Perez ended up in third place (his highest finish during his career) in 1970, behind Bench and Williams.

All three of these players were at the height of their careers here, with Williams an established veteran, Bench the "new superstar on the block" and Perez somewhere in between.

I've always been a big fan of those 1971 league leader cards...

HALL OF FAME LEADERS II: 1970 NATIONAL LEAGUE R.B.I.

Continuing with this new thread profiling league leader cards that feature only Hall of Fame players,  today we have three sluggers who finished 1-2-3 in the National League in R.B.I.'s in 1969, making for a fantastic superstar loaded baseball card in the 1970 set (#63): Willie McCovey, Ron Santo and Tony Perez.
Combined, we're looking at 1242 lifetime home runs, 4538 runs batted in, 7197 hits and 22 all-star appearances over SIXTY Major League seasons!
All three players were stalwarts of the N.L. throughout their careers and each finished in the top-10 in M.V.P. voting for the 1969 season: McCovey won the award while Santo finished fifth and Perez finished tenth.
As a matter of fact, these three stars received M.V.P. votes in a staggering 24 years during their playing careers.
Needless to say, the Hall of Fame inevitably came calling for each of them: 1986 for McCovey, 2000 for Perez and 2012 Santo, cementing their rightful place in baseball history.

Three R.B.I. machines at the height of their careers.

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

Today we have the 1971 Topps National League all stars "that never were".

For the N.L. players who were elected starters in 1970, I used a yellow border and star to designate "all star" status, as opposed to the red I used on the A.L. guys.

A couple of items of note: Rich (Dick) Allen is shown on his card as an outfielder even though he was voted in as the starting 1st Baseman. Also, as I profiled before: this is the first Topps baseball card showing a player with a mustache. Ever. Incredible after 20 years of producing cards at that time.

For Tom Seaver this would have been his only all star card until 1982, when he was on Cincinnati. Pretty amazing when you think about it. For all his domination in the 1970's, it was guys like Dock Ellis, Randy Jones, Andy Messersmith and Jerry Reuss that got all star starts over him.

Chicago was well represented with their middle infielders: Glenn Beckert and Don Kessinger. Of course, this was before the "Big Red Machine" dominated all star voting pretty much the rest of the decade.

Rico Carty was voted in for the 1970 game due to his white-hot hitting, ending the season as the N.L. batting champ with a super .366 batting average to go along with 25 homers and 101 R.B.I.'s.

Tomorrow I'll have the A.L. starting nine depicted on the 1972 Topps set, followed by the N.L. team on Thursday.