OPC IMAGE VARIATIONS: 1977 LARRY HISLE

The next OPC to Topps image variation we cover here on the blog is that of Larry Hisle and his 1977 cards, which is really just a cropping change:

OPC version

Topps version

As you can see, OPC decided to zoom in on the image Topps used for their 1977 card, just as we have seen with other cards that year.

Nothing big, but different nonetheless.

For posed shots like these I actually prefer the zoomed in OPC cards since there's no need to be backed up for such photo.

As for the man Hisle himself, had some productive years with the Twins, even leading the American League in runs batted in in 1977 with 119, and driving in another 115 in 1978 as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.

But that 1978 season would be his last solid year, as he'd scratch out another four years with Milwaukee, never appearing in more than 27 games in any of those seasons due to injuries.

He'd retire after 1982 with 166 lifetime homers, 674 R.B.I.'s, and 1146 career hits.

 

MISSING IN ACTION- 1988 STEVE CARLTON

Up on the blog today, we have my "missing" 1988 card for Steve Carlton, who was hanging on for a few more seasons before calling it an incredible career:

"Lefty" appeared in 32 games during the 1987 season, splitting time between the Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins, going 6-14 with a bloated 5.74 ERA over 152.1 innings of work, with a save and 91 strikeouts.

He made his major League debut during the 1965 season, appearing in 15 games, with two of those starts, not factoring in a decision while pitching to a 2.52 earned run average as a 20-year-old.

In 1966 it would be more of the same, as he'd appear in only nine games, going 3-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 52 innings of work, striking out 25 while walking 18, also tossing the first shutout of his young Big League tenure.

1967 would see him begin his next level of play, as he'd go 14-9 with a 2.98 ERA over 30 appearances and 193 innings, with two shutouts and 168 strikeouts, helping the St. Louis Cardinals win it all, their second championship in three years.

For Carlton, all he did the rest of the way was take his game to an elite, astronomical level, as we see him top 300 wins, 4000 strikeouts, 50 shutouts and 700 starts in his 24 year career!

The first guy to take home four Cy Young Awards, he led his league in wins four times, strikeouts five times, E.R.A. once and was named to ten all-star teams.

Needless to say, by the time he was eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in on his first try, getting named to 436 of 456 ballots.

Sure we already had "Lefty" Grove, and "Lefty" Gomez, but Carlton was more than worthy of the same nickname for all of his accomplishments.

One of the all-time greats, I'm so happy I got to see him pitch live during the 1980s!

 

CAREER-CAPPERS: 1989 STEVE CARLTON

Good day all!

From my recent custom set, "1980s Career-Cappers", today we spotlight my 1989 career-capper for "Lefty" Steve Carlton, who wrapped up one of the great pitching careers the game has ever seen:

Carlton made his major League debut during the 1965 season, appearing in 15 games, with two of those starts, not factoring in a decision while pitching to a 2.52 earned run average as a 20-year-old.

In 1966 it would be more of the same, as he'd appear in only nine games, going 3-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 52 innings of work, striking out 25 while walking 18, also tossing the first shutout of his young Big League tenure.

1967 would see him begin his next level of play, as he'd go 14-9 with a 2.98 ERA over 30 appearances and 193 innings, with two shutouts and 168 strikeouts, helping the St. Louis Cardinals win it all, their second championship in three years.

For Carlton, all he did the rest of the way was take his game to an elite, astronomical level, as we see him top 300 wins, 4000 strikeouts, 50 shutouts and 700 starts in his 24 year career!

The first guy to take home four Cy Young Awards, he led his league in wins four times, strikeouts five times, E.R.A. once and was named to ten all-star teams.

Needless to say, by the time he was eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in on his first try, getting named to 436 of 456 ballots.

Sure we already had "Lefty" Grove, and "Lefty" Gomez, but Carlton was more than worthy of the same nickname for all of his accomplishments.

One of the all-time greats, I'm so happy I got to see him pitch live during the 1980s!

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1968 GRAIG NETTLES

Good day all! On the blog today, a fun card to add to the WTHBALLS checklist, a "not so missing" 1968 card for all-star third baseman Graig Nettles, who made his Major League debut in 1967 with the Minnesota Twins:

Nettles appeared in only three games for the Twins that year, going 1-for-3 at the plate, that hit being a double.

He'd appear in 22 games the following season, hitting .224 with 17 hits over 76 at-bats, including the first five home runs of his career along with eight RBIs.

It wasn’t until he got some full-time action with the Cleveland Indians in 1970 that he put up some nice numbers, becoming a productive third baseman for three years before finding himself in the Bronx after a six-player trade that left the Indians organization scratching their heads.
All Nettles would do is go on to slug 20+ homers seven straight years, leading the American League with 32 in 1976, and then topping that with 37 the following season while being an integral part of the “Bronx Zoo” championship teams of 1977 and 1978.
His incredible defensive work during the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers put him in exclusive company as a Fall Classic icon alongside the likes of Brooks Robinson and HIS defensive work in the 1970 classic against the Cincinnati Reds.
By the time Nettles was done after 22-years in the big leagues, he finished with 390 home runs, 2225 hits and 1314 runs batted in, with six all-star game nods and two Gold Gloves.

 

MISSING IN ACTION: 1976 EDDIE BANE

Good day everyone.

Thought it'd be fun to go back 10 years this week and revisit my "missing in action" card for former pitching phenom Eddie Bane of the Minnesota Twins:

Bane didn't play much during the 1975 season, but this being my friend Jim's project I created the card at his request.

For the '75 season Bane appeared in four games, all starts, and posted a 3-1 record with a 2.86 earned run average and 14 strikeouts in 28.1 innings of work.

As we all know, Bane, who starred on his college team at Arizona State was named to the All-America team, was drafted 11th overall in the 1973 amateur draft and went right to the Majors without any Minor League time.

It didn't help much, as the young arm posted a 0-5 record with a 4.92 ERA over 23 games, six of which were starts.

After playing in the Minors the entire 1974 season, he made those aforementioned four starts in 1975 before putting in the most time in any one season in 1976, appearing in 17 games, 15 of which were starts, logging 79.1 innings pitched.

He'd finish the year at 4-7 with a 5.11 ERA, but it would mark the last action he'd see on a Major League mound, as he'd go on to pitch in the Minor Leagues another four years before retiring as a player for good in 1980.

All told, Bane finished his Big League career with a 7-13 record, with a 4.66 ERA and 80 strikeouts over 44 games and 168 innings pitched.

A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: ROD CAREW

Next up on the blog, my 1971 All-Star Game ticket card for the great Rod Carew, who was the starting second baseman for the American league in that historic 1971 Midsummer Classic:

The man was a player for the ages, as he would go on to play in 18 All-Star games, missing only his final season in the Majors in 1985. Just incredible.

The first nine seasons of his career were as an All-Star second baseman, while the last nine were as a first baseman.

The man topped .300 15 years in a row, with a high of .388 in 1977 on his way to a Most Valuable Player Award and capturing the public’s attention with his .400 chase late in the season.
A clear-cut Hall of Fame player, he was inducted on his first year of eligibility in 1991 when he garnered 90.5% of the vote, which leaves me with the question: who the hell are the 9.5% who DIDN’T vote for him!!!???

3053 hits, a .328 career average, 353 stolen bases and 15 straight seasons of .300+ batting.

The man was a hitting machine, and I'm so glad I got to see him play during his magnificent career!

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: HARMON KILLEBREW

On the blog today, we add one of my favorites, "Killer" Harmon Killebrew to my custom WTHBALLS "Classic Baseball" set, celebrating the great game I have loved all my life:

I remember the first time I saw Harmon Killebrew's statistics when my cousin gave me a 1973 card of him when I was about 11 years old in 1980.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. All the home runs, all the R.B.I.'s from a player I never knew about. To count out EIGHT 40+ home run seasons blew me away.
This was right before I got my first Macmillan Encyclopedia, so baseball cards really were the only place back then to see stats of players who were around before you were a fan. I just kept rereading those power stats again and again, amazed every time as if I was seeing them for the first time.
Throw in the fact that the 1973 card of Killebrew is pretty damn cool, I was hooked on "Killer" ever since.
Over the years I was able to meet him on more than one occasion and just listen to him tell some stories, not just about baseball but some golf thrown in for good measure. He was an amazing person who was friendly, patient and always seemed to have a smile on his face.
Playing for Washington, Minnesota and a final season in Kansas City between 1954 and 1975, Killebrew mashed 573 home runs to go along with 1584 R.B.I.'s, winning an M.V.P. award along the way in 1969 while finishing in the top five in voting five other seasons.
In 1984 he was inducted in the Hall of Fame, capping off a stellar career that sometimes gets lost among the Mantles, Mays, Clementes and Aarons that were garnering all the attention in the same era.

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: ROD CAREW

Time to go and give legend Rod Carew a card in my future custom mega-set, "Classic Baseball", which will be a deluxe multi-series WTHBALLS set in the near future:

The man was a player for the ages, as he would go on to play in 18 All-Star games, missing only his final season in the Majors in 1985. Just incredible.

The first nine seasons of his career were as an All-Star second baseman, while the last nine were as a first baseman.

The man topped .300 15 years in a row, with a high of .388 in 1977 on his way to a Most Valuable Player Award and capturing the public’s attention with his .400 chase late in the season.
A clear-cut Hall of Fame player, he was inducted on his first year of eligibility in 1991 when he garnered 90.5% of the vote, which leaves me with the question: who the hell are the 9.5% who DIDN’T vote for him!!!???

3053 hits, a .328 career average, 353 stolen bases and 15 straight seasons of .300+ batting.

The man was a hitting machine, and I'm so glad I got to see him play during his magnificent career!

 

"DEDICATED ROOKIE"- 1964 TONY OLIVA

Let's dip into the 1960's for another sweet "dedicated rookie" card, this one for Hall of Fame hitter Tony Oliva and a 1964 edition:

Now, interestingly, Oliva's actual FIRST Topps card was on a 1963 multi-player rookie card, before appearing on a 1964 multi-player card again, so for now I chose to create a '64 version with a '63 coming soon.

He burst onto the Major League scene in 1964 when he easily won the American League Rookie of the Year award.
In that year, all he did was lead the league in batting, hitting .323, while slamming 32 homers with 94 runs batted in. 
He also lead the league in runs scored with 109, hits with 217, doubles with 43 and total bases with 374!
Those numbers also got him a fourth place finish in M.V.P. voting as well.
The following year there was no sign of a sophomore jinx, as he once again led the lead in batting, this time hitting .321, with 16 homers, 98 R.B.I.'s, 40 doubles and 107 runs scored.
He also led the league in total hits again, this time with 185.
All told in his career, Oliva would win three batting titles (the third coming in 1971 when he hit .337), and would lead the league in hits five times, slugging once (1971), get named to eight straight all-star teams, and have two second-place finishes for M.V.P., in 1965 and 1970.
I wouldn't say his final numbers "definitely" warranted a Hall of Fame spot for Oliva. But I'll admit that you can argue a good point for it with the career he left us with, and come 2022 he would be selected for a spot in Cooperstown, which is just fine with me!
When you really take a look, he only had 11 full seasons in the Majors, with the half-season in 1976 and three pretty much non-existent years in 1962, 1963 and 1972. 
So his numbers carry a bit more weight in that light.
And wow, what a great hitting combo he and Rod Carew made for the Twins, huh?!
Nice 1-2 punch right there.

 

WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: BERT BLYLEVEN

Hello all!

Time to go ahead and take a look at my mini card for the great Bert Blyleven, Hall of Fame pitcher and longtime broadcaster, from my "Gum Pack" special custom set released in 2022 if memory serves:

Nice shot of the man from the first stretch of his Major league career with the Minnesota Twins.

Born in Zeist, Holland (now the Netherlands), Blyleven started his 22-year career in 1970 with the Twins and quickly established himself among the best pitchers in baseball.
During his great MLB run, he posted 17 seasons of 10+ victories, with a high of 20 in 1973, along with eight 200+ strikeout campaigns and nine with a 2.99 ERA or lower.
By the time the prankster retired after the 1992 season, he finished with 287 wins, a 3.31 ERA, 60 career shutouts and 3701 strikeouts over 692 games and 4970 innings pitched.
After having to wait 14 years, the BBWA finally voted him into the Hall of Fame in 2011, finally claiming a spot which he rightfully deserved.

Great baseball lifer on the field and in the broadcast booth!

 

REVISITING A POST FROM 2015: MISSING IN ACTION "IN-ACTION" 1972 BERT BLYLEVEN

Today we'll revisit a post from 2015, my "missing" 1972 In-Action card for Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven, part of a fun thread I hope to have printed up as a stand-alone set in the future:

Here's the original post from way back when:

Blyleven just put in his first true full season in 1971 after a solid rookie year the season before, posting a 16-15 record with a 2.81 earned run average and 224 strikeouts.

Turns out it would be the first of six consecutive 200+ strikeout seasons, as well as eight consecutive years of a sub-3.03 E.R.A.

By the time he retired after the 1992 season, he stood at 287-250, with a 3.31 E.R.A., 60 shutouts and 3701 strikeouts over 692 games, 685 of which were starts.

Often overshadowed during the pitching-rich 1970's by guys like Seaver, Carlton and Palmer, Blyleven would have to wait until his 14th year of Cooperstown eligibility before being voted in by the BBWA in 2011.

I just always loved the guy for his pranks, his outspoken personality and the fact that when I was a kid I was mesmerized by the fact that he was born in Holland, something which was unique on the back of a baseball card.

 

REVISITING A TEN-YEAR-OLD POST: 1975 CY YOUNG SUB-SET: 1965 WINNERS

Fun card/post to revisit today: from April of 2014, my 1975 Cy Young winners for 1965 sub-set, imagining if Topps also created a Cy Young set to go along with their wildly popular MVP set in that beautiful, colorful set from just under 50 years ago:

Here's the original write-up for the post from eons ago:

"We're up to 1965 on my Cy Young sub-set for the 1975 set, and once again we are visited by Mr. Sandy Koufax, who would have won his third such award in a row had there been voting for both leagues back then.

Koufax is joined by Minnesota Twins pitcher Jim "Mudcat" Grant, who was selected by the people at SABR as the probable winner in the American League.

For Koufax it was business as usual, as he posted another monster season on the hill, going 26-8 with a 2.04 earned run average and a then Major League record 382 strikeouts.

He also threw eight shutouts among his league-leading 27 complete games, and threw in two saves for good measure.

He also finished second behind Willie Mays for the National League Most Valuable Player award, receiving six first-place votes to Mays' nine.

After 30 some-odd years of looking at his stats I'm still blown away by them! 

What a freaking run of domination.

Over in the American League, Jim Grant came out of nowhere to post what is easily his best year as a Major League pitcher, going 21-7 with a 3.30 E.R.A., a league-leading six shutouts and 142 strikeouts.

Up until the 1965 season, Grant's top win total his previous seven seasons in the bigs was 15 in 1961 for the Cleveland Indians.

For HIS efforts in 1965 he finished sixth in M.V.P. voting, behind teammate Zoilo Versalles in Minnesota's improbable run to the World Series, where they lost to, (who else?), Sandy Koufax and his Los Angeles Dodgers.

Next up, 1966, where the Twins and Dodgers are represented once again, this time with Koufax being joined by Twins' pitcher Jim Kaat."

 

1970 "IN-GAME ACTION"- JIM KAAT

Up on the blog today, a card I almost forgot to post on the blog after it was created and included for my "1970 In-Game Action: Series 2" set a couple years back, my card for new Hall of Famer Jim Kaat:

Kaat came up to the Majors as a 20-year-old in 1959 with the Washington Senators, developing into an All-Star starter when the organization moved to Minnesota and became the Twins.
If there were a Cy Young winner for both leagues in place for the 1965 season, he most likely would have taken home the trophy when he posted a league-leading 25 wins to go along with a 2.75 ERA and 205 strikeouts for the American League champs.
After being selected off waivers by the Chicago White Sox in 1973, he’d go on to post two straight 20-win seasons in 1974 and 1975, before moving on to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1976.
In 1979, at the age of 40, he’d transition to the bullpen, where he would carve out a niche for himself as a reliable reliever, pitching another five seasons, finishing up with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1983, fresh off a World Championship in 1982.
One of the greatest fielding pitchers the game has ever seen, Kaat took home 16 straight Gold Glove Awards between 1962 and 1977. Incredible.
By the time he retired as a player, he appeared in 898 games, posted a record of 283-237 along with a 3.45 ERA and 2461 strikeouts, as well as 31 shutouts and 17 saves.
The man is a walking baseball resource who still shares his knowledge of the game. His time as a New York Yankees announcer was one of my favorites alongside other former players like Ken Singleton and Bill White.

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: TONY OLIVA

The next baseball superstar to get added to my future custom "Classic Baseball" set is three-time American League batting champ Tony Oliva of the Minnesota Twins:

Just a nice portrait shot of the man who was born to hit a baseball.

He burst onto the Major League scene in 1964 when he easily won the American League Rookie of the Year award.
In that year, all he did was lead the league in batting, hitting .323, while slamming 32 homers with 94 runs batted in. 
He also lead the league in runs scored with 109, hits with 217, doubles with 43 and total bases with 374!
Those numbers also got him a fourth place finish in M.V.P. voting as well.
The following year there was no sign of a sophomore jinx, as he once again led the lead in batting, this time hitting .321, with 16 homers, 98 R.B.I.'s, 40 doubles and 107 runs scored.
He also led the league in total hits again, this time with 185.
All told in his career, Oliva would win three batting titles (the third coming in 1971 when he hit .337), and would lead the league in hits five times, slugging once (1971), get named to eight straight all-star teams, and have two second-place finishes for M.V.P., in 1965 and 1970.
I wouldn't say his final numbers "definitely" warranted a Hall of Fame spot for Oliva. But I'll admit that you can argue a good point for it with the career he left us with, and come 2022 he would be selected for a spot in Cooperstown, which is just fine with me!
When you really take a look, he only had 11 full seasons in the Majors, with the half-season in 1976 and three pretty much non-existent years in 1962, 1963 and 1972. 
So his numbers carry a bit more weight in that light.
And wow, what a great hitting combo he and Rod Carew made for the Twins, huh?!
Nice 1-2 punch right there.

 

1960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: A.L. LEFT-HANDED PITCHER: JIM KAAT

On the blog today, my pick for the American League's left-handed pitcher of the 1960s, and I went with Minnesota Twins ace Jim Kaat:

You may be surprised by my pick of Kaat as the American League's lefty of the decade. But really, as far as a FULL decade goes, he didn't have much stiff competition. Whitey Ford is the guy who jumps into everyone's mind, but he really had half a decade before his career went South.

As for Kaat, all the guy did was win eight Gold Glove awards, a pennant in 1965 with the Twins, post 142 wins and have five seasons of 15 or more wins, with a high of 25 in 1966, a year he easily would have won the Cy Young had there been one selected for each league at the time.

In the case of the American League, it really was about consistency in this case over anyone with dominant numbers, there just weren't any.

Kaat ended up with a very nice career, moving into the bullpen after a lengthy 20 years as a starter in 1979.

He ended up pitching effectively another five years out of the pen before retiring after the 1983 season with the Cardinals, finishing up with 283 wins, 31 shutouts and 2461 strikeouts in 898 games, 625 of them starting.

He also famously won 16 Gold Gloves total in his career, something only Greg Maddux can relate to (with 18 such awards).

One of my favorite baseball-figures, as a player, a coach, and a broadcaster. The man is a true baseball lifer.

1960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: A.L. RIGHT-HANDED PITCHER: DEAN CHANCE

Our blog post today, my selection for the Right-handed American League pitcher of the 1960's, and I went with Cy Young Award winner Dean Chance:

First off, my kingdom for a nice portrait photo of the ace pitcher during his time pitching for the Los Angeles Angels!

I just could not find such a photo for this card, and hope to before I come to printing this set up later this year.

Anyway, I went with Dean Chance based on his two 20-win seasons, his sick 1964 Cy Young winning year, 11 shutouts in 1964, and five sub-3.00 E.R.A. campaigns by the time the '60's were in everyone's rear-view mirrors.

In 1962, his first full-year in the Majors, he finished third for Rookie of the Year, going 14-10 with a 2.96 E.R.A.

Throughout the rest of the decade it was more of the same, as he posted solid numbers year in and year out.

But it was his 1964 season that was far and away his best year in the Majors, as he finished with a 20-9 record with a sparkling 1.65 earned run average, 11 shutouts and 207 strikeouts, leading to a Cy Young win and a fifth-place finish in M.V.P. voting for the Los Angeles Angels.

He'd post another 20-win season in 1967, now as a member of the Minnesota Twins, going 20-14 with a 2.73 E.R.A., five shutouts and 220 strikeouts, and followed up in 1968 with a career high of 234 K's along with a 2.53 E.R.A., six shutouts and a mediocre 16-16 record.

Sadly for Chance this would be his last full season in the Majors, even though he was still only 27 years old.

1969 would see Chance make only 15 starts, going 5-4 with a 2.95 E.R.A. and 50 K's in only 88.1 innings before scraping together two more years playing for the Indians, Mets and Tigers.

He would be out of baseball for good by 1972, only 30 years old, but his solid seven years between 1962-1968 still makes him my pick as the righty pitcher on my A.L. All-Decade team for my 1970 sub-set.

 

1969 "DO-OVER" CUSTOM SET: JIM KAAT

Good day all!

On the blog today, my do-over for Hall of Famer Jim Kaat and his 1969 card, from my custom "1969 Gimmie A Do-Over" set released towards the end of last year:

While Topps reused an image for Kaat on their 1969 card, I went ahead and found another one to give it a bit of a refresh.

Kaat came up to the Majors as a 20-year-old in 1959 with the Washington Senators, developing into an All-Star starter when the organization moved to Minnesota and became the Twins.
If there were a Cy Young winner for both leagues in place for the 1965 season, he most likely would have taken home the trophy when he posted a league-leading 25 wins to go along with a 2.75 ERA and 205 strikeouts for the American League champs.
After being selected off waivers by the Chicago White Sox in 1973, he’d go on to post two straight 20-win seasons in 1974 and 1975, before moving on to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1976.
In 1979, at the age of 40, he’d transition to the bullpen, where he would carve out a niche for himself as a reliable reliever, pitching another five seasons, finishing up with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1983, fresh off a World Championship in 1982.
One of the greatest fielding pitchers the game has ever seen, Kaat took home 16 straight Gold Glove Awards between 1962 and 1977. Incredible.
By the time he retired as a player, he appeared in 898 games, posted a record of 283-237 along with a 3.45 ERA and 2461 strikeouts, as well as 31 shutouts and 17 saves.
The man is a walking baseball resource who still shares his knowledge of the game. His time as a New York Yankees announcer was one of my favorites alongside other former players like Ken Singleton and Bill White.

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1970 LUIS TIANT

About time I go and give "El Tiante", Luis Tiant a do-over with his 1970 card, from a boring close up cap-less portrait shot to a better posed image in full uni:

For those that don't remember the original card Topps had out there way back when, here you go:

Obviously, Topps was up against it, trying to have Tiant shown with his new team, the Minnesota twins, as his career was taking a severe turn for the worse just two years after his incredible 1968 campaign that saw him post a minuscule 1.60 earned run average while tossing nine shutouts, with 21 wins and 264 strikeouts for the Cleveland Indians.

With my card, I just showed him with the Indians one last time, as he was coming off a 1969 season that saw him lead the league with 20 losses, 129 base on balls and 37 home runs allowed, while pitching to a 3.71 ERA over 249.2 innings of work.

Incredibly, with his career seemingly done in 1970/71, Tiant found himself in Boston in 1972 and immediately was back in form, leading the American League in earned run average with a sterling 1.91 in 1972 along with six shutouts in only 19 starts.

In three of the next four seasons he'd top 20 wins, and was on his way to a solid, if not arguably Hall-worthy 19-year career, retiring after the 1982 season after pitching in six games with the California Angels.

By that time he fashioned a 229-172 record, with a 3.30 E.R.A., 49 shutouts and 2416 strikeouts, with two seasons of sub-2.00 E.R.A., four 20-win campaigns as well as three 200+ strikeout years.

As a kid in Brooklyn, New York in the late 70's I remember him with the Yankees, and always thought he looked like some cool granpa who was always cracking jokes. In other words, I loved him!

After getting 30.9% support in his first year on the Hall of Fame ballot in 1988, he never got close again to those numbers, topping out at 18.0% in his final year of eligibility in 2002.

But it's easy to say that "El Tiante" definitely left his mark on the game during his time on the mound!

1960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: A.L. FIRST BASEMAN HARMON KILLEBREW

Up on the blog today, my pick for the American League first baseman of the 1960s, Minnesota Twins legend Harmon Killebrew, powerhouse slugger who would homer his way to the Hall of Fame:

First off, I will state right now that I do realize that he didn't play solely first base throughout the decade of the 1960's.

Killebrew also had periods where he played in the outfield and third base regularly. But I felt that of the guys who DID play solely first base in 1960's, Killebrew STILL had a better run during his stint at first base.

What a monster he was during the '60's!

In the 10-years from 1960 and 1969, he posted eight seasons of 30+ home runs, with SIX of those years over 40!

He capped off the decade with an M.V.P. in 1969, with another four seasons where he finished in the top-5 in voting.

All told, he was an all-star eight out of ten years in the 1960's, and led the American League in homers five times, runs batted in twice, and walks three times.

Playing for Washington, Minnesota and a final season in Kansas City between 1954 and 1975, Killebrew mashed 573 home runs to go along with 1584 R.B.I.'s, winning an M.V.P. award along the way in 1969 while finishing in the top five in voting five other seasons.
In 1984 he was inducted in the Hall of Fame, capping off a stellar career that sometimes gets lost among the Mantles, Mays, Clementes and Aarons that were garnering all the attention in the same era.

 

WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: ROD CAREW

Good day all.

On the blog today, for fun, my mini "Gum Pack" custom of Rod Carew, from my recent custom set released a few months back:

 

Just a fun little set to create and get out there in the collecting world!

I just took the uber-stars of the game in that era and put together a specially packaged set to add to the WTHBALLS roster, akin to the original sets I created back in 2018-2019.

As for Carew, the man was a player for the ages, as he would go on to play in 18 All-Star games, missing only his final season in the Majors in 1985. Just incredible.

The first nine seasons of his career were as an All-Star second baseman, while the last nine were as a first baseman.

The man topped .300 15 years in a row, with a high of .388 in 1977 on his way to a Most Valuable Player Award and capturing the public’s attention with his .400 chase late in the season.
A clear-cut Hall of Fame player, he was inducted on his first year of eligibility in 1991 when he garnered 90.5% of the vote, which leaves me with the question: who the hell are the 9.5% who DIDN’T vote for him!!!???

3053 hits, a .328 career average, 353 stolen bases and 15 straight seasons of .300+ batting.

The man was a hitting machine, and I'm so glad I got to see him play during his magnificent career!