Here is a card I had a heck of a time designing, a 1976 "Then and Now" Vada Pinson edition.
Check it out.
I have to apologize for the "sub-standard" quality of the main image…
Anyone familiar with the SSPC set would recognize the photo of
Pinson as a Royal, and while I stay away from using images from that set
for anything I do, you'd be amazed how impossible it was for me to find
a good picture of Pinson from 1974/75!
Then again, I shouldn't be surprised, since (in my opinion) Pinson is about as underrated a player from that era as there was!
If you've followed this blog since I started it about a year and a
half ago, you'd know how much I feel Vada Pinson was never given the
credit he was due, especially since he retired from the game after the
1975 season.
Here's a guy who finished his career with 2757 hits, 1365 runs
scored, 256 home runs and 305 stolen bases, all during the pitching-era
of the 1960's/early-70's.
He posted 200-hits four times, 100-R.B.I.'s twice, 100 runs scored
four times, 20+ stolen bases nine times, 20+ homers seven times, and hit
10 or more triples in a season five times!
Yet with everything I just mentioned, he was an All-Star twice. TWICE!
Then again, when you're manning the outfield in the National League
during the 1960's, you're playing in the shadows of guys named Mays,
Aaron and Clemente.
Heck, for the first part of his career he was even overshadowed by teammate Frank Robinson!
When Hall of Fame voting came around, Pinson never received more
than 15.7% support (1988), and was in single digits 10 of the 15 years
eligible for election by the BBWA.
Take a look at his career. Some really eye-popping stuff if you ask me…
