FIXING UP ALL-STAR CARDS: 1981 JIM RICE

Today we'll really begin a fun thread that will take us into 2026, fixing up All-Star cards that Topps either messed up or just disregarded outright during the 1980s, beginning with the "Missing" 1981 A.L. outfielder, Jim Rice:

If you were a kid like me collecting then, you were immediately frustrated with the All-Star cards that were pulled out of the packs, especially when the National League starter for 1980, J.R. Richard, wasn't given the All-Star banner in lieu of Steve Carlton and Jim Bibby. Huh???

Breaking with tradition, Topps started giving All-Star cards/banners to players not necessarily voted by the fans like they always did.

In the case of Jim Rice, he was indeed voted as a starter for the 1980 game, and though he wouldn't play due to injury and was replaced by Ben Oglivie, neither of them were given the All-Star banner, with the A.L. missing a third outfielder to go with Reggie Jackson and Fred Lynn!

That killed me, especially coming off 1978 with Richie Zisk and 1979 with Freddie Patek also being denied card immortality.

Moving forward I also hope to give All-Star cards to players that were actually voted to start through the decade, as opposed to some really odd Topps picks for All-Star cards.

Keep an eye out for that!

 

WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: PETE RUNNELS

Good day all.

On the blog today we spotlight my 1960 "Stars of the Game" card of two-time American League batting champ Pete Runnels, from my custom set released in 2018:

Runnel's career began with the Washington Senators in 1951, where he'd play through the 1957 season as a solid infielder who averaged about .2880 while playing mainly shortstop and second base, hitting as high as .310 in 1956.

In January of 1958 he was traded to the Boston Red Sox for Albie Pearson and Norm Zauchin, and he would really find his groove, hitting .322 in his first year in Beantown, with a career-best 103 runs scored and 183 hits, finishing tenth in the MVP race by season's end.

In 1960 and 1962 he would go on to take home batting titles, hitting .320 and .326 respectively, making the All-Star team(s) each season while transitioning to first base, though still putting in some time around the infield.

Surprisingly, after that second batting title in 1962 he was traded to the new Houston franchise, then called the Colt .45's, for Roman Mejias, where he would put in a sub-par year, hitting .253 over 124 games.

The 1964 year would turn out to be his last, getting released by Houston in May after a dreadful .196 start after 22 games, with only 10 hits and three RBIs in 51 at-bats.

Nevertheless he'd finish his Big League tenure with a very nice .291 career average, with 1854 hits in 6373 at-bats, scoring 876 runs while driving in 630, with those two batting titles to cement his name in baseball history.

 

REVISIT: MISSING IN ACTION 1973 ED SPRAGUE

Let's go back to years or so here on the blog and revisit a card originally posted January 16th of 2016, a “missing” card for a guy who has a few of them actually, former pitcher Ed Sprague of the Cincinnati Reds:

Sprague appeared in 33 games for the National League Champions in 1972, posting a 3-3 record with a 4.13 earned run average out of the bullpen.
He would go on to play another four seasons in the Major Leagues, finishing with a 17-23 record along with a 3.84 ERA, nine saves and 188 strikeouts over 408 innings and 198 games, 23 of which were starts.
His son, Ed Sprague Jr would also play in the Majors later on in the 1990’s and 2000’s, as a third baseman for 11-years, mainly with the Toronto Blue Jays.

 

SPECIAL REQUEST: GIMMIE A DO-OVER 1974 REGGIE SMITH

By special request today, let us go ahead and re-do Reggie Smith's 1974 card, from an airbrushed original showing him as a St. Louis Cardinal player for the upcoming season, to one last card of him with the Boston Red Sox, for whom he suited up in 1973:

Smith now found himself as a Cardinal after a very nice run in Boston between 1966 and 1973.
During that run he finished second in Rookie of the Year, was an all-star twice, led the league in doubles twice, and led the league in total bases in 1971.
It's easy (and sad) to forget just what a nice career "the other Reggie" put together through the decade.
His first year with the Cardinals was indeed a good one, as Smith would not disappoint by hitting 23 homers with 100 runs batted in, while scoring 79 runs and hitting a robust .309, good enough for an 11th-place finish in the MVP race.
Not only was he a legitimate home run threat (finishing his career with 314), but he hit .300 or better seven times during his run, and even managed to swipe 137 bases as a Major League player.
He'd finish his career with over 1000 runs scored, 1000 runs batted in, 300 homers and 2000 hits.
And let's not forget that he was one of those FOUR Dodger sluggers in 1977 to become the first set of quadruple 30+ homers hitters during the same season.
Definitely an under-appreciated player from the era!

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1976 TIM STODDARD

Up on the blog today, a "not so missing" 1976 card for pitcher Tim Stoddard, who had his rookie card in the 1975 set, but was left out of the 1976 set by Topps:

Stoddard appeared in only one game for the White Sox in 1975, the first game of his career, tossing an inning and giving up a run on two hits.

He would be in the Minors for the 1976 and 1977 seasons before making it back with eight games for the Orioles in 1978, going 0-1 with a 6.00 earned run average over 18 innings.

In 1979 he would have himself a very good year for the eventual American league champs, appearing in 29 games, saving three and pitching to a stellar 1.71 ERA over 58 innings.

He would go on to put in 13 seasons under the Major League sun, appearing in 485 games and compiling a final record of 41-35 with a 3.95 ERA in 729.2 innings of work.

I remember his time with the New York Yankees in the late-80s, where he performed well, going 6-5 with eleven saves in 85 games in 1987-1988.

 

MISSING IN ACTION: 1963 FLEER KEN HUBBS

On the blog today, it's been a while since I added to the short 1963 Fleer checklist, so I thought a "missing" card for former N.L. Rookie of the Year Ken Hubbs would be nice:

Hubbs was just coming off a great MLB debut season in 1962 when he collected 172 hits with 90 runs scored for the Chicago Cubs, eventually taking home 19 of 20 votes for the Rookie of the Year Award.

He would put in another solid season in 1963, playing in 154 games and hitting .235 while scoring 54 runs and driving in 47 for a Cubs team that was building an incredible young squad featuring the 1961 Rookie of the Year Billy Williams and third baseman Ron Santo, both future Hall of Famers.

He was such a standout athlete that while in High School he was an All-American in two sports, and baseball was NOT one of them, as he excelled in basketball and football.

Tragically, in February of 1964, just a month after receiving his pilot's license, Hubbs flew his friend from California to Utah to see his wife and newborn child, only to perish along with his buddy on the flight back to California after experiencing bad weather, with the small Cessna going down in Utah Lake, extinguishing a young, promising career.

Hubbs' legacy has been impressive, as you can clearly read in his biography, with sports, religious organizations and civic league's extending tributes even decades after his death.

Only 22 years old at the time of his death, many considered him a blossoming star in the game.

 

WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: DICK GROAT

Up on the blog today, we put the spotlight on another card from my 1960 "Stars of the Game" custom set released back in 2018, this time it's former N.L. MVP Dick Groat of the Pittsburgh Pirates:

The All-Star shortstop had quite the year in 1960, taking home the N.L. batting title when he hit .325, collecting 186 hits while scoring 85 runs for the surprising World Champion Pirates.

Three years later, now playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, Groat would finish second for the MVP when he hit .319 while collecting a career-best 201 hits, leading the league with 43 doubles while also setting a new personal best of 11 triples and 73 RBIs.

A two-sport star, Groat was an All-American in both Baseball and Basketball at Duke University, and even made the NBA with the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1952-53.

He was such an accomplished athlete that he was eventually inducted to BOTH the College Baseball and Basketball Halls of Fame.

Once he chose baseball as his focus, he did not disappoint fans, as he would go on to put 14 years in the Big Leagues, finishing up with a split 1967 season with the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants.

His final numbers very impressive for the era: 2138 hits and a .286 batting average, with 829 runs scored and 707 runs batted in, with eight All-Star nods and an MVP.

If not for two lost years serving in the military in 1953 and 1954, he certainly could have approached 2500 career hits.

 

MISSING IN ACTION: 1968 TONY HORTON

Here's a really fun "missing" card to add to the WTHBALLS checklist: a missing 1968 card for slugger Tony Horton of the Cleveland Indians:

Horton originally came up with the Boston Red Sox in 1964 as a 19-year old, appearing in 36 games, hitting .222 with a homer and eight runs batted in.

After a couple of more sporadic seasons bouncing between the Majors and Minors with Boston, Horton was traded to the Cleveland Indians in 1967 for pitcher Gary Bell, and finally got some full-time work with the parent club.

After a couple of decent years he really came into his own in 1969, hitting .278 with 27 homers and 93 runs batted in on 174 hits in 625 at-bats.

1970 started out well for the young slugger, as he had a three-homer game against the Yankees as well as hitting for the cycle on July 2nd against the Orioles, but after a prolonged slump and constant booing from the fans, the emotional toll finally came to a head for Horton as he took himself out of a game on August 28th against the Angels.

It was the second game of a double-header, and he voluntarily left the game after the fifth inning.

Sadly, later that evening he attempted suicide, but luckily survived and eventually got treatment for his problems.

But as for his baseball career, he'd never appear in another Major League game again.

His former manager, Alvin Dark, stated that in his long baseball career, the Horton situation was the "most sorrowful incident I was ever involved in, in my baseball career."

Tony Horton was only 25 years old when he left the game, after only 636 games and seven years, and has always been a stark reminder of the pressures professional athletes have day to day that fans can easily overlook as they're entertained on an almost nightly basis for six-months out of every year.

REVISIT: 1971 CAREER-CAPPER FOR TITO FRANCONA

Thought it'd be fun to revisit a ten year old post from the blog today, this time my 1971 Career-Capper for Tito Francona:

Father of current Cincinnati Reds Manager Terry Francona, Tito appeared in 84 games in his final big league season, split between the Oakland A’s and Brewers.
He hit .235 with 23 hits over 98 at-bats with both four runs scored and runs batted in  while playing both first base and the outfield, the two positions he’d mainly play throughout his career.
Francona came up in 1956 with the Baltimore Orioles and ended up second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Chicago White Sox speedster and future Hall of Fame player Luis Aparicio.
In that season Tito would hit .258 with 115 hits over 445 at-bats, with nine homers, 62 runs scored and 57 RBI’s in 139 games.
His finest season was his first with the Cleveland Indians, for whom he had his best years, when he batted .363 with 20 homers and 79 RBI’s in 122 games.
He didn’t qualify for the batting title based on his 443 plate appearances, but he did finish fifth in MVP voting.
All told he’d finish his career with a .272 average with 1395 hits in 5121 at-bats over 1719 games, with 125 home runs and 656 RBI’s and 650 runs scored.

 

CAREER-CAPPER: 1988 PHIL NIEKRO

Today on the blog, we have my 1988 career-capper for Phil Niekro, Hall of Fame pitcher, who wrapped up an amazing Big League career back where it all started for him some 24 years earlier, as a member of the Braves organization, now in Atlanta:

It is astonishing to think Niekro didn’t have a full season on Big League duty until 1967 at the age of 28, yet still went on to pitch those 24 seasons, winning 318 games with a very nice 3.35 ERA along with 45 shutouts and 3342 strikeouts before he was done at the age of 48!
I always thought it amazing that at the age of 44 in 1983, he took home the last of his five Gold Gloves, ALL of which were garnered beginning his age 39 season in 1978.

Just an amazing talent!

 

DEDICATED ROOKIE: 1972 DON BAYLOR

Good day all. On the blog we have a 1972 Dedicated Rookie" for Don Baylor, to go with my 1971 Dedicated Rookie created years ago:

Baylor had two straight years of multi-player rookie cards before becoming a regular Major League ballplayer, getting his first solo card in the 1973 set.

As a young teen in NYC in the early 1980's, I can tell you Baylor was a favorite of ours in the schoolyards of Brooklyn for his hard-nosed play. He was cool as a cucumber, yet as likable as you can be when we'd see him at baseball card shows around town. Besides, he looked bad-ass standing there at the plate, upright and waiting to crush a ball into the stands. He finished his 19-year career in 1988, playing for his third straight American League Champion team, and all three were different: Red Sox in '86, Twins in '87, and the A's in 1988. Of those, the Twins brought home the title, giving Baylor his only Championship ring as somewhat of a "regular player". He retired with over 2000 hits, 330 homers, 285 stolen bases and over 1200 runs scored and runs batted in. In 1979 he exploded while with the Angels, bringing home the American league Most Valuable Player Award after slamming 36 home runs while leading the league in runs scored (120) and runs batted in (139), while hitting .296 with 22 stolen bases thrown in. Of course, he'll also be remembered as one of the key components in the Orioles-A's trade that sent Reggie Jackson to Baltimore in April of 1976. But by the time he hung up his cleats for good, he put together a very solid career himself, even winning the National League Manager of the Year Award in 1995 while steering the Colorado Rockies to a 77 and 67 record (good for second place). Here's to you "Groove"! 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: ROY CAMPANELLA

Time to add all-time catching great Roy Campanella to my "Classic Baseball" set, celebrating the great game's rich history:

Once Campanella began his Major League career after a brilliant run in the Negro Leagues that started when he was a teenager, he would certainly NOT disappoint the Brooklyn Dodger faithful: three times he was M.V.P. (1951, 1953, 1955) and an important part of the strong Dodger teams of the decade along with Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson, and Gil Hodges.

Though unable to play Major League ball until the age of 26 because of segregation, he still managed to hit 242 lifetime homers, with a high of 41 in 1953, as well as drive in 856 runs in his short ten-year career.

During his second M.V.P. season, Campy led the Brooklyn offense by driving in a league-leading 142 runs while hitting .312 and scoring 103 runs. One of the top-offensive catcher seasons in baseball history.

Tragically, as he was getting prepared to move to Los Angeles with the rest of the Dodgers over the Winter of 1957-58, Campanella was driving home to Long Island and hit a patch of ice near his home, flipping his car over and breaking his neck in the process, rendering him paralyzed from the shoulders down.

The L.A. Fans would never get to see the future Hall of Famer play in Chavez Ravine.

In my opinion, considering his delayed MLB action, "Campy" would be my pick as the greatest catcher in MLB history, even in front of Johnny Bench, though Josh Gibson would top them all.

CAREER-CAPPERS: 1989 STEVE CARLTON

Good day all!

From my recent custom set, "1980s Career-Cappers", today we spotlight my 1989 career-capper for "Lefty" Steve Carlton, who wrapped up one of the great pitching careers the game has ever seen:

Carlton made his major League debut during the 1965 season, appearing in 15 games, with two of those starts, not factoring in a decision while pitching to a 2.52 earned run average as a 20-year-old.

In 1966 it would be more of the same, as he'd appear in only nine games, going 3-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 52 innings of work, striking out 25 while walking 18, also tossing the first shutout of his young Big League tenure.

1967 would see him begin his next level of play, as he'd go 14-9 with a 2.98 ERA over 30 appearances and 193 innings, with two shutouts and 168 strikeouts, helping the St. Louis Cardinals win it all, their second championship in three years.

For Carlton, all he did the rest of the way was take his game to an elite, astronomical level, as we see him top 300 wins, 4000 strikeouts, 50 shutouts and 700 starts in his 24 year career!

The first guy to take home four Cy Young Awards, he led his league in wins four times, strikeouts five times, E.R.A. once and was named to ten all-star teams.

Needless to say, by the time he was eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in on his first try, getting named to 436 of 456 ballots.

Sure we already had "Lefty" Grove, and "Lefty" Gomez, but Carlton was more than worthy of the same nickname for all of his accomplishments.

One of the all-time greats, I'm so happy I got to see him pitch live during the 1980s!