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:

For me growing up in the late-70’s/early-80s, Perry was the stuff of legend since he was the first player I remember reaching 3000 strikeouts, which at the time made him only the THIRD player to do so behind Walter Johnson and Bob Gibson.
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?

A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: FRANK ROBINSON

The next starting player from the 1971 All-Star Game to spotlight in my "set that never was" Ticket Set is "The Judge" Frank Robinson, perhaps the greatest "overlooked" player the game has ever seen:

It was the eleventh All-Star nod for the legend, who would have himself another great year, finishing third in the A.L. MVP race at season's end, hitting .281 with 28 homers and 99 runs batted in.

Robinson is perhaps the “greatest underrated player” in Major League history.
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.

 

REVISITING A 10-YEAR-OLD POST: MISSING 1978 TERRY CORNUTT

Time once again to revisit a ten-year-old post here on the blog, for the late-comers to WTHBALLS, this time my "missing" 1978 card for former San Francisco Giant pitcher Terry Cornutt:

Cornutt appeared in 28 games for the Giants in 1977, posting a 1-2 record with 23 strikeouts and a 3.86 earned run average over 44.1 innings of work.

Except for a single solitary appearance in 1978, that would be the entirety of his Major League career.

Curious as to why he never made it back up to the "big show", as he put in a few more decent seasons in the minor leagues until 1980 for the Giants organization out of the 'pen.

 

SPECIAL REQUEST: 2025 TOPPS HERITAGE JUAN SOTO YANKEE EDITION

Posted this card on Twitter a few weeks ago, a special request to have Juan Soto's 2025 Heritage card showing him as not only a New York Yankee, but designated as an All-Star, which he was for the 2024 game:

Topps went ahead and had him airbrushed (or Photoshopped) into a Mets uni for the set, while also NOT having the sweet All-Star designation in the lower left-hand corner, leaving an empty spot for us completists.

So I went ahead and made one up to insert in my binder with the other All-Stars, while properly having Yordan Alvarez at the DH spot, which he was voted into.

Of course Soto would break many a Yankee fan's heart by eventually signing with the crosstown Mets organization for three-quarters of a BILLION dollars, thus becoming an instant figure of hate in the Bronx.

Nevertheless the man is on his way to the Hall of Fame, still only 26 years of age and already a batting champ, World Champ, and owner of some incredible seasons.

Time, as they say, will tell...

 

1960s IN-ACTION: 1964 RON SANTO

Good day all!

On the blog today we showcase my 1964 "In-Action" card for Hall of Fame third baseman Ron Santo of the Chicago Cubs:

Always a fun set to create, imagining if Topps began using in-game action shots during the 1960s rather than beginning in 1971.

Ron Santo was no slouch at the hot corner: 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.

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.

Between 1963 and 1973 Santo was selected for nine All-Star games, received five Gold Gloves for his defensive work, and four-time finished Top-10 in the National League MVP race, with a high of fourth in 1967.
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.

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.

WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: ERNIE BANKS

Today on the blog we spotlight my "1960s Stars of the Game" card for "Mr. Cub", Ernie Banks, from my set released back in 2018:

What needs to be said about quite possibly the most well-liked baseball legend there ever was?
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!

 

REVISITING A 10-YEAR-OLD POST: "MISSING" 1979 JIM BREAZEALE

On the blog today, we venture back 10 years and revisit my post for a "missing" 1979 card, that of former first baseman Jim Breazeale, who got a couple of creations here on the blog over the years:

Breazeale, who hadn't appeared in Major League action since 1972 when he was with the Atlanta Braves, made it back to hit .208 with 15 hits over 72 at-bats with three doubles, three home runs and 13 runs batted in over 25 games for the Sox in 1978.

He did have a Topps card in the 1973 set after having the most playing time of his short 4-year career in 1972.

That season he played in 52 games, batting .247 over 85 at-bats, collecting 21 hits, a couple of doubles and five home runs with 17 RBI's.

The 1978 action with the White Sox would prove to be the final time he saw on a Major League field, closing out his career with a .223 average, with 40 hits over 179 at-bats, with nine homers  and 33 RBI's thrown in.

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: FERGIE JENKINS

On the blog today, we add another future Hall of Famer to my custom "Classic Baseball" set, that of Fergie Jenkins, who I got a bit "cheeky" with and depicted him with the Philadelphia Phillies, his first Major League team:

For Jenkins, the 22-year-old appeared in seven games for the Phillies in 1965, going 2-1 over 12.1 innings with a very nice 2.19 EAR and 10 strikeouts.

After one game with Philadelphia in 1966 he was shipped to Chicago in a multi-player trade that the Phillies would LOVE to take back, as Jenkins would go on to reel off six straight 20-win seasons beginning in 1967, taking home the Cy Young Award in 1971.

As we all know, by the time he hung them up he put together a Hall of Fame career, topping 280 wins, 3000 strikeouts, with 49 shutouts, a Cy Young Award in 1971 and four other top-3 finishes in the award voting.
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.

The man was truly "Fly"!

 

OPC IMAGE VARIATIONS: 1977 JOHN SCOTT

Up on the blog today, we take a closer look at the image, or in this case card variation for John Scott in 1977, as he was about to become an "original Blue Jay" during their inaugural baseball season:

OPC Version

Topps version

Of course, OPC gave him a dedicated card in their set, given that these cards are for the Canadian market and I'm sure there was intense interest in the new team North of the American border.

In the Topps set, Scott was given a spot in their multi-player rookie card sub-set, which just so happened to be on the same card as future Hall of Famer Andre Dawson.

Not bad!

Scott would get a card in the 1978 set, as he played 79 games during that inaugural 1977 season.
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.