NICKNAMES OF THE 1970'S: 1971 WILLIE "3-DOG" DAVIS

Here’s another nickname card I’ve been meaning to create for some time now: a 1971 edition for former Los Angeles Dodger center fielder Willie Davis, aka “3-Dog”:

What an underrated career for the three-time Gold Glove outfielder: 2561 hits, 1217 runs scored, 182 home runs, 398 stolen bases and 1053 runs batted in over 18 seasons, 14 of which were with Los Angeles.
I chose a 1971 card for him since that year was arguably his finest, collecting 198 hits and batting .309 while collecting the first of his three straight Gold Gloves.
Of course, being a National League outfielder through the 1960’s in the age of Mays, Aaron, Clemente and Robinson kept him from All-Star nods, and he only made two of them, in 1971 and 1973.
Nevertheless, by the time he retired he has quite the Major League resume, including leading the league in triples twice, 13 seasons of 20+ stolen bases, and two World Championships (1963 and 1965).

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1973 JOE STATON

Up on the blog today we have a “not so missing” 1973 card for former Detroit Tigers first baseman Joe Staton, who appeared in the first six games of his brief two-year Major League career as a September call-up in 1972:

Staton went 0-2 at the plate in that brief action, playing some first base while also pinch-running, scoring a run while also striking out once.
The following season he got into nine games for Detroit, collecting four hits over 17 at-bats, good for a .235 batting average, with three runs batted in and two runs scored.
But that would be it as far as Big League action for the 25-year-old, as he would go on to play the next two seasons in the Mexican League before retiring in 1975.
All told he got to play in 15 games in the Majors, finishing up with a .211 average with four hits in 19 at-bats.

CAREER-CAPPING NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1974 RON PERRANOSKI

Today’s blog post has a 1974 career-capping “not so missing” card for former reliever Ron Perranoski, who finished up a nice 13-year Major League career with eight appearances for the California Angels:

Perranoski really made a name for himself with his tenures for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins, which spanned 1961 through the 1970 seasons before playing out the final three years of his career with the Detroit Tigers, Angels, and a brief return with L.A.
He appeared in only eight games during the 1973 season, going 0-2 with an ERA of 4.09 over 11 innings of work for the Angels.
He had some really good seasons during his career, including 1963 with the Dodgers when he went 16-3 with a 1.67 ERA and 21 saves over 69 appearances and 129 innings pitched. Those numbers were good enough for a fourth place finish in the National League’s MVP race that year.
Some years later he would end up leading the American League in saves with 31 and 34 in 1969 and 1970 respectively, giving the Twins a solid closer as they were fighting for the newly formed American League West championship.
By the time he retired after that 1973 campaign, Perranoski finished with a record of 79 and 74, with 178 saves and a very nice 2.79 ERA over 737 appearances and 1174.2 innings of work.
All but one of those appearances were out of the bullpen.

NO-HITTERS SPECIAL SUB-SET: JIM PALMER AUGUST 13TH, 1969

The next No-Hitter profiled in my new thread for the blog is Jim Palmer’s gem, which he threw against the Oakland A’s in August of 1969:

Palmer, who many may forget was thought to be “done” before the 1969 season began because of injuries over the last few years, regained his form and cruised into this match-up with a 10-2 record.
Two hours and 22 minutes later, he got his name in the baseball history books with an 8-0 win which saw him strike out eight batters while walking six, lowering his ERA to a sparkling 1.77 on his way to a 16-4 record along with a final ERA of 2.34 over 26 appearances, 23 of which were starts.
Beginning in 1970, all Palmer would end up doing is post eight 20-win seasons over the next nine years, winning three Cy Young Awards and marching his way towards the Hall of Fame after finishing up with 268 wins and an ERA of 2.86, with 53 shutouts.
Think about this one second: Palmer was actually available to any team that wanted him in 1966, yet no one decided to sign him for the $25,000 signing fee.
Is it even possible to think of him with any team other than the Baltimore Orioles?
Incredible to even imagine so.

NICKNAMES OF THE 1970'S: 1974 "THE RED ROOSTER" DOUG RADER

Here’s a “nickname” card I’ve been meaning to create for a while now, a 1974 edition doe former Houston Astros Gold Glove third baseman Doug “The Red Rooster” Rader:

It’s easy to forget that the man put together a string of solid seasons for the Astros in the first part of the 1970’s, with the five straight Gold Gloves between 1970 and 1974, as well as three 20+ home run seasons and four 80+ RBI seasons.
As a matter of fact, I really would love to know why he hung up the cleats after the 1977 season at the age of only 32, considering he hit 18 homers while driving in 67 runs with a .251 average split between the San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays.
Seems he could have had a few more productive years left in the tank, no?
Nevertheless, he retired with a batting average of .251, along with 155 homers and 722 RBIs over 11 years and 1465 Big League games before moving into coaching and them managing, which he did for the Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox (for two games in 1986), and California Angels between 1983 and 1991.

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1975 JIM McANDREW

Today we post up a career-capping “not so missing” 1975 card for former pitcher Jim McAndrew, who finished up his Major League career with the San Diego Padres in 1974:

McAndrew, who played the first six years of his career with the New York Mets, appeared in 15 games with San Diego in his final Big League season, posting a record of 1-4 with an ERA of 5.62.
Though only 30 years of age, he called it a career after appearing in 161 games over his career, which began in 1968 when he started 12 games and went 4-7 with a brilliant 2.28 ERA.
The following season he was a member of the “Miracle Mets” as a fifth starter, going 6-7 over 21 starts and 27 appearances, throwing two shutouts and posting a 3.47 ERA in 135 innings of work.
By the time he retired, he finished with a record of 37-53, with a 3.65 ERA over 771.2 innings pitched, with six shutouts and four saves.

A MISSING ROOKIE CUP- 1974 BOB BOONE

Next in line for a quick-fix with a “missing” Topps rookie all-star trophy is future all-star catcher Bob Boone, who set the tone for what would be a great 19-year Major League career in 1973 with a fine rookie year:

Boone played his first full season in the Big Leagues in 1973 and didn’t disappoint his Philadelphia Phillies, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting with a .261 batting average, along with 10 homers and 61 runs batted in over 145 games.
Over the course of the next two decades, he’d be named to four all-star teams, help guide the 1980 Phillies to a World Championship, and win seven Gold Gloves, which include four after the age of 38!
As a matter of fact Boone won four straight Gold Gloves from the age of 38 through 41! Just incredible when you think about how grueling the catching position is.
By the time he retired after the 1990 season, he finished up with a .254 average with 1838 hits over 7245 at-bats, while setting the high-mark for games caught before a guy named Carlton Fisk broke that record a few years later.
One of the rare members of a three-generation baseball family, his father Ray played, as did his sons Bret and Aaron, who now manages the New York Yankees.