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

Here's a position for my "All-Decade" 1970 sub-set creation that was about as easy as it gets: third base.

Brooks Robinson and Ron Santo were easy picks as the best at their position in their respective leagues for the 1960's.

Both future Hall of Famers who distanced themselves from the rest of the pack, and make for a nice card. Take a look:

Brooks Robinson, he of 16 Gold Gloves, an M.V.P. In 1964, 15 All-Star games, and over 2800 hits and two World Championships over his stellar 23 year career playing entirely for the Baltimore Orioles, was not only the third baseman of the DECADE for the American League, but perhaps still is the third baseman of FOREVER in the A.L.

His hitting was good enough (for his era) to have him stand out as a perennial All-Star, but his fielding was just plain out of this world.

Who can forget his fielding display in the 1970 World Series, frustrating the Cincinnati Reds with play after play?

The man was truly the "Human Vacuum Cleaner"!

Over on the National League side, Ron Santo was no slouch himself: nine All-Star games, five Gold Gloves, 342 lifetime homers and 1331 runs batted in in a somewhat short 15-year career, mainly for the North Side Chicago Cubs (he played his last year for the South Side Chicago White Sox) in 1974.

He was about as beloved a Cub as there ever was, and finally made it into the Hall of Fame in 2012 as a Veteran's Committee selection, even though tragically it was two years after he passed away.

Just take a look at his career, and see the solid numbers year after year, about as consistent a player you could ever ask for.

Two great third basemen that made this entry for the thread easy.

Next up we move on to Catcher, which was not as easy as one might think…

Stay tuned and see who the players are.

JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT- 1970'S BASEBALL TRIVIA PART XXXIX

Trivia time again…

This week deals with all pitchers in the 1970's who threw 250+ innings in a season.

So get your minds racing and see how many you can get.

I threw in a couple extra "bonus" questions since I had the answers handy, so have fun.

Answers tomorrow…

1. Of all 250+ inning seasons hurled in the decade, what pitcher posted the highest E.R.A.?

2. Among all 250+ inning seasons in the '70's, who posted the fewest wins? There's a tie between two pitchers.

3. Who struck out the fewest batters in a 250+ inning season during the decade?

4. Who attained 250+ innings pitched in a season with the fewest games?

5. Who allowed the fewest hits in a season they pitched 250+ innings in the '70's?

6. Who pitched the fewest complete games during a 250+ inning season in the 1970's?

7. What pitcher walked the fewest batters among all 250+ inning pitchers in the decade?

***SPOILER ALERT! ANSWERS BELOW: 

1.  Jim Bibby, Rangers. 4.74 in 1974.

2. Steve Carlton, Cardinals. 1970 & Steve Arlin, Padres. 1972. 10 wins apiece.
 
3. Clyde Wright, Angels. 65 K's in 257 innings in 1973.
 
4. Mark Fidrych, Tigers. 31 games in 1976.

5. Nolan Ryan, Angels. 166 hits in 284 innings. 1972.

6. Gary Nolan, Reds. 4 CG's in 1970.

7. Fergie Jenkins, Cubs. Only 37 free passes in 325 innings in 1971 

1975 "CY YOUNG AWARD" SUB-SET: WHAT IF? 1958

We're up to 1958 on my thread imagining a 1975 Topps sub-set featuring all Cy Young Award winners since the company's inception in 1951, just like their sub-set during the same year of Most Valuable Players.

Two of the fun aspects of doing this thread are: designing cards for players that originally were not issued by Topps that year, and "awarding" the Cy to pitchers from the league that didn't have a winner between 1956 and 1966 based on a old SABR article in 1993.

So with that, take a look at my 1975 "1958 Cy Young Award" card design:

For the American League we have the "gimmie", as New York Yankee hurler Bob Turley actually did win the award in 1958.

That season it all came together for Turley, who was in his seventh season in the big leagues.

In his fourth season pitching for the Yanks after three with St. Louis/Baltimore, Turley handed in his finest performance in the Majors, going 21-7 with a 2.97 earned run average and 168 strikeouts, leading the Yankees to the World Series and avenging a loss the previous year to the Milwaukee Braves.

For good measure Turley would also end up second in Most Valuable Player voting behind Jackie Jensen, leading the league in wins, winning percentage, complete games and hits-per-nine-innings.

Sadly for Turley he'd never come close to that performance again, as he'd never again reach double-digits in wins through the next five years of his career before hanging them up after the 1963 season split between the Angels and Red Sox.

Over in the National League, we could have had the first pitcher to win three Cy Young Awards had today's selection practice been in place back then, as the guys at SABR selected Warren Spahn, the previous year's winner of the award, as their N.L. recipient.

Spahn was actually just edged out by Turley in the 1958 voting, losing the award by one vote, 5-4.

So needless to say he easily would have won his third Cy Young Award (1953 and 1957 being the others) beating out Sandy Koufax by about ten years as the first to rake in three such trophies.

The 1958 season for Spahn was more of the same for the lefty, as he posted a 22-11 record with a 3.07 earned run average and 150 strikeouts. 

He'd lead the N.L. in wins, winning percentage, complete games, innings pitched, and WHIP, getting named to his 10th All-Star game.

The guy was 37 years old this year, and he STILL had another four 20-win seasons left in that amazing arm of his.

Next up, 1959, with the actual winner Early Wynn for the "Go-Go" Chicago White Sox, and SABR's pick in the National League: Sam Jones of the San Francisco Giants.

TOPPS 1976 "ALL-TIME ALL-STARS"- AN EXPANDED VIEW #9: RIGHT-HANDED PITCHERS

Today we will be taking a look at right-handed pitchers for my "All-Time All-Stars" 1976 sub-set "tweak".

We've already covered the infield, outfield and catcher positions in previous posts, adding in who I thought would have been selected by the Sporting News in the non-selected league almost 40 years ago when they picked the all-time team celebrating the 100th season of Major League baseball.

First up we take a look at who they did pick for the all-time team as their right-hander on the mound: Walter Johnson.

 

"The Big Train".

 

Yeah, who is going to argue with THAT pick!?

Perhaps the greatest all-time pitcher PERIOD when you consider all the bad teams this guy pitched for.

All Johnson did while pitching his entire career for the Washington Senators was win 417 games (second all-time), throw 110 shutouts (all-time high), whiff 3509 batters (the record until the late-70's), and post a stellar 2.17 earned run average.

Can you imagine if Johnson pitched for good teams most of his career!? He'd probably have an extra 50-100 wins thrown in!

His 1913 season is just too sick: a 36-7 record with a 1.14 E.R.A, and 243 strikeouts, all league highs, as well as leading numbers in complete games (29), shutouts (11), winning percentage (.837)and WHIP (0.780). 

Needless to say he won the first of two M.V.P. awards that year, with his other award coming in 1924 when at the age of 36 he went 23-7 with a 2.72 earned run average and 158 K's (again winning the pitching Triple Crown) as he lead Washington to aWorld Series win over the New York Giants.

He actually won a third "Triple Crown" in 1918 as well, when he posted a 23-13 record with a 1.27 E.R.A. and 162 strikeouts.

All told he lead the league in wins six times, E.R.A. five times, shutouts seven times and strikeouts twelve times, twice topping 300 for a season (1910 & 1912).

For the National league I think my pick is just as clear cut: Christy Mathewson.

 

"Matty"

 

How can anyone really argue with "Big Six" as the N.L. representative!?

All Mathewson did during his career was win 373 games, post a 2.13 career earned run average, throw 79 shutouts and whiff 2507 batters.

He won 30+ games in a season four times, with a high of 37 in 1908 that is still the N.L. record post-1900.

Twice he'd win the Triple Crown, 1905 & 1908, and until Sandy Koufax came along Mathewson held the N.L. record for strikeouts in a season with his 267 in 1903.

How's this for all-time baseball performances: in the 1905 World Series against the Philadelphia Athletics, Mathewson single-handedly won it for the Giants by pitching THREE shutout wins in six days!

Just colossal!

It's no surprise that both Johnson and Mathewson were part of the inaugural class inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936.

Two of the all-time best right-handers, two of the all-time best PERIOD.

IN MEMORIAM- PART XI: ROBERTO CLEMENTE

The last card in my "In Memoriam" series is perhaps the most well-known card depicting a player that tragically died before the card was issued during the 1970's: the Topps 1973 card (#50) of Pittsburgh Pirates legend Roberto Clemente.

For this post, I also changed the image on the card, using a black and white photo of Clemente taken after his 3000th hit as he acknowledged the crowd.

Seemed a bit more appropriate for the card.

Take a look:

Thanking the crowd after his 3000th hit.

As we all know, after the 1972 season, a season which saw him attain his 3000th career hit on the last at-bat of the regular season, Clemente was was killed on December 31, when the plane he was a passenger on crashed on it's way to deliver relief packages to victims of a massive earthquake in Managua, Nicaragua.

A tragic end to one of the game's greatest players of the post-war era.

It's even more tragic when you read that the only reason Clemente was on the plane in the first place was to ensure the supplies would reach their intended target, since the previous three planes full of supplies were diverted by corrupt politicians.

Clemente's career is the stuff of legend: His fiery play on the field, his good deeds, and his absolute adoration by teammates and fans alike.

On the field Clemente's numbers were incredible: four batting titles, five seasons batting over .340, four 200 hit seasons, 12 all-star nods, 12 Gold Gloves and a Most Valuable Player Award in 1966.

And a prime example of Clemente's importance to the game was his immediate induction into Cooperstown by special committee in 1973, waiving the standard five-year wait before a player joins the Hall ballot, as well as the establishment of the "Roberto Clemente Award", given every year to the player that exemplified "outstanding baseball playing skills who is personally involved in community work."

With this post, I think this thread has been covered, and thankfully so.

The decade of the 1970's was extremely tough as far as players dying young, and I'm hoping I don't come across a player that I've overlooked earlier.

RANDOM QUICKIE: AL KALINE AND THE TIGERS TEAM CARD OF 1975

Here's another team card with the unexpected surprise of having a Hall of Famer seated with the rest of the team post-retirement: the 1975 Detroit Tigers team card (#18) and Al Kaline.

Kaline is seated first row, third from left, obviously in a photo from 1974 used for the following season. Take a look:

Kaline already hung them up by the time this card came out, reaching 3000 hits for his career in '74, and fashioning a Major League resume that eventually would get him elected to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1980.

In addition to being a member of the 3000 hit club, he also slammed 399 home runs, scored 1622 runs and drove in 1583 himself.

I remember years later Kaline stating that he got so caught up in the 3000-hit hunt that he eventually sacrificed a career .300 average because of it, and it bothered him to that day.

Nevertheless, Kaline completed a career that saw him on 15 all-star teams, garner 10 Gold Gloves, and eight top-10 finished in M.V.P. Voting.

He even managed to have a battery named after him! Alkaline…(just kidding! But it IS funny).

One last thing regarding the card: I love the two teammates in the second row, second and third from left, who seem to be deep in conversation, failing to look at the cameraman when the shot was taken! Too funny.

I can't make out who the players are though. Any guesses?

I DO know that's BIG Willie Horton in the front row, all the way on the right! No mistaking him!

Love the 1975 set for the burst of colors, just like the 1972 and 1976 sets as well...

HALL OF FAME LEADERS XII: 1974 STRIKEOUT LEADERS

As we chronologically move through the decade and look for league leader cards that feature only future Hall of Famers, we get the the 1974 Topps Strikeouts Leader card featuring two of the all-time greats: Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver.

Just an awesome card people!

Let's take a look:

The "Ryan Express" and "Tom Terrific" in their prime.

Ryan was just coming off his record setting (and still standing) 383 strikeout season in California that also saw him go 21-16 with a 2.87 E.R.A.

He was named to the A.L. all-star team and finished second in the Cy Young Award voting behind Jim Palmer.

It would be the second of his incredible six years of 300+ strikeouts, the last coming at the age of 42 in 1989, as well as his sick total of FIFTEEN years of 200+ K's in the Majors!

Luckily I got to see Ryan pitch a few times at Yankee Stadium, and his grunting after every pitch could be heard no matter where you were seated.

For Tom Seaver, he was coming off of his second Cy Young Award winning season, leading the league for the third time in strikeouts with 251, while going 19-10 with a league leading 2.08 E.R.A.

He'd eventually tack on two more strikeout crowns during the decade, as well as another Cy Young Award in 1975.

Two HUGE monsters of the mound during the wild-70's: "The Ryan Express" and "Tom Terrific".

And to think they were part of the same rotation in the early part of their careers.

Oh "what could have been"!

Just takes me back to my youth every time I see these guys...