Wednesday, July 2, 2025
1960s "IN-ACTION": 1965 WILLIE STARGELL
Monday, June 30, 2025
A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: CARL YASTRZEMSKI
Saturday, June 28, 2025
1963 FLEER EXTENSION SET: DUKE SNIDER
Thursday, June 26, 2025
WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: WHITEY FORD
Good day all!
On the blog today, we come to my custom "1960s Stars of the Game" card for the great Whitey Ford, from my set released back in 2018:
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
REVISITING A POST FROM 10 YEARS AGO: MISSING 1976 WINSTON LLENAS
Sunday, June 22, 2025
"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: GEORGE BRETT
He’d have his breakout season quickly, leading the league with 195 hits as well as 13 triples in 1975 before winning his first batting title a year later when he hit .333 with a league-leading 215 hits and 14 triples.
The 13-time all-star was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1993, getting named to 98.2% of the ballot, while taking home the MVP in 1980 after his magical .390 hitting season, while finishing second twice and third once.
Legend!
Friday, June 20, 2025
OPC IMAGE VARIATIONS: 1977 MIKE WILLIS
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
1980s CAREER-CAPPERS: 1984 GAYLORD PERRY
On the blog today, a card from my next WTHBALLS custom produced set, "1980s Career-Capers", a 1984 card for Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry:
He was also (and I remember this vividly) the first pitcher to reach 300 wins since Early Wynn, which was a 20 year gap, the first pitcher to win a Cy Young Award in both leagues, which he did with the Indians in 1972 and the Padres in 1978.
That 1978 season saw him take home the award after a fantastic year that saw him go 21-6 with a 2.73 earned run average at the age of 39 after coming over from the Texas Rangers.
People may also forget that for a relatively brief moment he was the all-time strikeout king before a couple of guys by the name of Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton caught up soon after.
He posted 5 20-win seasons, finished with 314 for his career, along with 53 shutouts and 3534 strikeouts over a 22-year Big League career, tossing 300+ innings six times.
Is it safe to say that he’s almost a forgotten all-time great?
Monday, June 16, 2025
A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: FRANK ROBINSON
A two-time Most Valuable Player, and the first to do it in both leagues, Robinson also took home a Triple Crown in 1966, was a twelve time All-Star, finished in the Top-4 in MVP voting outside his two wins, and oh yeah, as mentioned earlier was also the first African-American Manager in league history.
When he retired as an active player in 1976, Robinson was in the top-5 in so many offensive categories he was in the company of Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.
Yet oddly enough, perhaps because of the era he played in, he would get buried in the “all-time greats” conversation in lieu of the aforementioned players along with guys like Ty Cobb, Roberto Clemente and Ted Williams.
I would say he and Stan Musial are the TWO greatest “underrated” players of all-time, and you could arguably throw in others like Bob Feller for good measure.
Just an all-out legend in so many ways.
Saturday, June 14, 2025
REVISITING A 10-YEAR-OLD POST: MISSING 1978 TERRY CORNUTT
Thursday, June 12, 2025
SPECIAL REQUEST: 2025 TOPPS HERITAGE JUAN SOTO YANKEE EDITION
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
1960s IN-ACTION: 1964 RON SANTO
Good day all!
Post-playing career, Santo moved on to broadcasting, where he was a beloved color commentator over the years, working with guys like Harry Caray, Thom Brennaman and Steve Stone.
Sunday, June 8, 2025
WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: ERNIE BANKS
Easily a first ballot inductee, Banks was named to 83.8% of the ballots after posting a career that saw him win two Most Valuable Player Awards (1958 and 1959), slam over 500 home runs while knocking in 1636 Cubbies during his illustrious 19-year career.
The man IS what the word “legend” is all about, getting named to eleven all-star teams hitting 30+ homers seven times during his career, with five of those seasons topping 40.
Sadly he’d never taste the sweet taste of a World Series, but that certainly did not take away from all of his successes.
“Mr. Cub” gets his due in 1977, and rightly so!
Friday, June 6, 2025
REVISITING A 10-YEAR-OLD POST: "MISSING" 1979 JIM BREAZEALE
Wednesday, June 4, 2025
"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: FERGIE JENKINS
In 1991 he capped off his career with an induction into Cooperstown on his third try, just getting the 75% of the vote with 75.4% support.
On a geeky side-note, “Fly” was also the first pitcher to ever register 3000+ strikeouts while issuing less than 1000 base on balls.
Monday, June 2, 2025
OPC IMAGE VARIATIONS: 1977 JOHN SCOTT
But in 1975, he went 0-9 over 25 games with the San Diego Padres, though scoring nine runs with two stolen bases in pinch-running duties in his second taste of the Big Leagues.
In 1974 he appeared in 14 games for San Diego, collecting a single over 15 at-bats in his first Major League action, with three runs scored and a stolen base.
That aforementioned 1977 season with Toronto would be the last of his career, batting .240 with 56 hits in 233 at-bats, with 26 runs and 15 runs batted in, finishing up his brief three year career with a .222 batting average before moving on to Japan for a few seasons before calling it a career in 1982.
Saturday, May 31, 2025
A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: BOBBY MURCER
He hit as high as .331 (1971) while hitting as many as 33 homers (1972), while also leading the league in runs scored with 102 in 1972, OBP with a .427 mark in 1971 and total bases with 314 again in 1972.
He made five straight All-Star teams from 1971 through 1975, and was in the top-10 in MVP voting three straight years: 1971-1973.
Much more importantly, the man was one of the nicest human beings on the planet, as I can attest to, meeting him on more than a few occasions.
He was just as “real” as it got.
Rest in Peace Bobby. You are truly missed.
Thursday, May 29, 2025
"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: JACKIE ROBINSON
On the blog today, we return to my custom WTHBALLS "Classic Baseball" card set and add the great Jackie Robinson:
Tuesday, May 27, 2025
REVISITING MY "MISSING" 1978 VIC BERNAL CARD
Sunday, May 25, 2025
WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: YOGI BERRA
Friday, May 23, 2025
1983 CAREER-CAPPER: WILLIE STARGELL
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
1963 FLEER EXTENSION SET: NORM CASH
Time to go and add former Detroit Tigers great Norm Cash to my "1963 Fleer Extension" set, adding the slugger to what may become my second series in the set:
Monday, May 19, 2025
REVISITING A 10-YEAR-OLD POST: 1977 DOUG HOWARD MISSING IN ACTION
Saturday, May 17, 2025
1960s IN-ACTION: 1961 MINNIE MINOSO
From 1951 to 1961 he had a wonderful Major League career, leading the league in stolen bases three times, triples three times, and hits and doubles once each, while also driving in over 100 runs four times and topping 20 homers four times.
Eight times in that span he would top a .300 batting average, and in 1951 many consider him the true American League Rookie of the Year when he hit .326 split between the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox, while topping the league in triples with 14 and stolen bases with 31.
Along the way he was named to seven All-Star games, winning three Gold Gloves as well, funny enough finishing fourth in the A.L. MVP race four times.
Of course, 12 years after his last playing days, in 1976, he ended up going 1-for-8 at the plate as a 50 year-old, then coming back in 1980 at the age of 54 and going hitless in two at-bats.
Nevertheless, Minoso finished his career with a .298 average, with 1963 hits over 6579 at-bats, along with 186 homers and 205 stolen bases while also topping 1000 runs scored and RBIs, 1136 & 1023 respectively.
Friday, May 16, 2025
1960s "IN-ACTION" SERIES 3 AVAILABLE NOW!
Thursday, May 15, 2025
WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: EDDIE MATHEWS
The next WTHBALLS custom card from my 2018 Gelatin "1960 Stars of the Game" set is the great Eddie Mathews, Braves legend and Hall of Famer:
He’d also drive in over 100 runs five times and score over 100 eight times while topping a .300 batting average on three occasions while leading the National League in walks four times, homers twice, and getting named to nine all-star teams.
Twice a runner-up in Most Valuable Player voting, he played for the Braves from Boston, to Milwaukee and their inaugural season in Atlanta in 1966, the only player to do so.
By the time he finished his stellar career Mathews collected 512 homers, 1453 runs batted in, 1509 runs scored and a .271 average along 1444 walks and a .509 slugging average.
Until a guy by the name of Mike Schmidt came along, he was THE power-hitting third baseman in the game's long history.
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
REVISITING A POST FROM 10 YEARS AGO: MISSING 1976 KEN FRAILING
Good day all!
Sunday, May 11, 2025
A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: BROOKS ROBINSON
By the time he hung up that golden glove after the 1977 season, he finished with 2848 hits, 1357 runs batted in, 268 home runs and 1232 runs scored in 2896 games.
Needless to say, by the time Cooperstown came calling, he was voted in on his first try, receiving 92% support in 1983.
Friday, May 9, 2025
OPC IMAGE VARIATION: 1977 RICK CERONE
He would go on to play through the 1992 season, with 1980 easily his best season as he surprised everyone, especially us kids here in NYC when he hit .277 with 14 homers and 85 runs batted in after taking over as the first full-time catcher after the tragic death of Thurman Munson the year before.
His efforts that year got him a seventh-place finish in American League MVP voting, yet ironically he’d never get to play full-time in any season the rest of the way.
Nevertheless, he retired with 1329 games under his belt, with three tours in the Bronx, batting .245 based on 998 hits in 4069 at-bats along with 436 runs batted in and 393 runs scored.
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
SPECIAL REQUEST: 1969 DEDICATED ROOKIE FOR AMOS OTIS
Considering the “dead ball” era of the early-70’s in the American League, his numbers are up there with the best of them, and it’s sad he gets lost among his contemporaries when looking back at that time in Major League baseball.
Monday, May 5, 2025
1963 FLEER EXTENSION SET: CURT FLOOD
You have to understand how HUGE this was, as it was something players have been trying to do since the late-1800’s (think of the failed Players League of 1890).
Sadly for Flood, while it did end up helping ballplayers soon after he left the game, his own playing career was over by the age of 33, really 31.
Beginning in 1962 Flood strung together eight fantastic seasons starring for the St. Louis Cardinals, consistently batting over .300, two 200-hit seasons, and seven straight Gold Glove Awards, right up to the 1969 campaign.
Then it all began with a trade to the Philadelphia Phillies along with others including Tim McCarver for superstar slugger Dick (Richie) Allen and a couple of other players.
Flood refused to report to his new team, eventually forcing the Cardinals to send prospect Willie Montanez to complete the deal, essentially ending his career as a player while he fought to have control over his own career, fighting the “reserve clause”.
After sitting out the season in 1970, the Phillies eventually sent him to the Washington Senators, where Flood played the last 13 games of his career before leaving the team within the first month, abruptly closing out a great career that could have been Hall of Fame worthy had he played longer.
If you’re not familiar with Flood’s case, and his teaming up with Players’ Union head Marvin Miller, you MUST read up on this to understand the state of the game today.
I just touched upon some brief points here, but the case and Flood’s decision to pursue this cause is incredible.
Every single player today has much to thank Flood and his sacrifice, allowing the Free Agent boom of the mid-70’s to change the game forever, leading to the salaries and benefits even the average players have today.
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