NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1976 RICH McKINNEY

Good day all!

On the blog today, a subject of a FEW "missing" cards here on the blog over the years, Rick McKinney, with a "not so missing" 1976 edition this time:

McKinney appeared in only eight games for the Oakland A's during the 1975 season, collecting one hit over seven at-bats with two runs batted in and a walk.

He would spend all of 1976 in the Minors, but would come back in 1977 to play in 86 games for Oakland, which turned out to be the last Big League action of his seven-year career.
When it was all said and done, McKinney finished with a .225 batting average, with 199 hits in 886 at-bats over 341 games, with 20 homers and exactly 100 runs batted in and 79 runs scored.
Of course we’ll also remember that McKinney got two straight classic airbrush jobs on his Topps cards in 1972 and 1973, which I profiled years ago on the blog:

http://whentoppshadballs.blogspot.com/2014/09/an-all-time-classic-airbrush-job-1973.html

http://whentoppshadballs.blogspot.com/2013/09/when-airbrushing-goes-terribly-wrong.html

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: RALPH KINER

The next player to get a card in my long-running "Classic Baseball" custom WTHBALLS set is slugger and Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner:

Imagine averaging 97 runs, 37 homers and 101 runs batted in over your ENTIRE career?! Just awesome.

Kiner broke in with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1946 and promptly led the National League in homers with 23, then proceeded to lead his league in that same department for the next six years, with FIVE of those seasons with 40 or more, all consecutively.

In 1947 he smashed 51 homers, then topped himself two years later when he outright demolished the ball, hitting 54 home runs while setting his personal best in slugging with a .658 mark

In his 10 short years as a Major League player he led the league 17 times in a positive offensive category.

All told, he finished with 369 homers, 1015 RBIs, 971 runs scored and a .279 average over 10 seasons, playing in only 1472 games with 5205 at-bats.

Injuries curtailed what could have been a monster career, but he produced plenty enough for the BBWA to induct him in 1975, cementing his place in baseball history, and he was already entrenched as the long-time New York Mets TV announcer, where he even copped an Emmy Award and kept us all in stitches with malapropisms for over 50 years.

 

REVISIT: MISSING IN ACTION- 1975 MICK KELLEHER

On the blog today, we revisit another 10-year old post, this time my 1975 "Missing in Action" card for Mick Kelleher:

It’s a stretch being that Kelleher appeared in 19 games for the Astros during the 1974 season.
But it can be argued that he easily could have appeared on a card, at the very least a multi-player rookie card, in any given year between 1974 and 1975.
As it was he didn’t appear in a Topps set until 1977 after a relatively full season with the Chicago Cubs the previous year.
Nevertheless, Kelleher hit .158 during the 1974 season, collecting nine hits over 57 at-bats while playing shortstop.
He would go on to play 11-years in his career, mainly with the Cubs where he’d see the bulk of his 622 lifetime games.
In those, he collected 230 hits in 1081 at-bats, good for a .213 average.

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1972 BOBBY DARWIN

On the blog today, how about a "not so missing" 1972 card for former pitcher-turned-outfielder Bobby Darwin, who started his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers:

Darwin appeared in eleven games in 1971 for the Dodgers, now as an outfielder after two brief shots as a pitcher in 1962 and 1969.

Over those eleven games in 1971 he hit .250 with a homer and four RBIs, collecting five hits in 20 at-bats.

It’s easy to forget that the man who’d eventually go on to the Minnesota Twins and slug 65 homers over three seasons between 1972-1974 started out as a pitcher with the pitching rich Dodgers in the 1960’s.
In 1969, after a seven year hiatus from his MLB debut in 1962, Darwin made it back to a Big League mound and appeared in six games, not factoring in a decision while posting an ERA of 9.82 in 3.2 innings pitched.
Back in his MLB debut in 1962, he appeared in one game at the age of 19, giving up six runs, four of them earned, in 3.1 innings, getting tagged with the loss in the abbreviated start.
But he’d find his place as an outfielder, eventually going on to hit 83 homers in his nine-year career playing for the Dodgers, Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox and finally Chicago Cubs between 1962 and 1977.
A “hit-or-miss” type hitter, he led the American League in strikeouts (as a batter) three straight seasons between 1972 and 1974, his only three full seasons as a Big Leaguer.
He finished his career with a batting average of .251, with 559 hits over 2224 at-bats, with 250 runs scored and 328 RBI’s.

CAREER-CAPPER: 1975 BOB VEALE

Today on the blog we have my 1975 "career-capper" for former flame-thrower Bob Veale, who wrapped up a nice Major League career as a member of the Boston Red Sox:

Veale appeared in 18 games for the Sox that season, posting a record of 0-1 with a bloated 5.54 ERA over thirteen innings, striking out 16 while walking four.

Veale was one of those power arms that the National League was blessed with in the 1960's, even topping the Senior League with 250 K's in 1964.

A year later he'd strike out 276 batters, and would have another two season with 200+ strikeouts while throwing for the Pittsburgh Pirates, the only other team he'd pitch for in his 13-year career.

He'd retire with a tidy 120-95 record, with a 3.07 earned run average and 1703 K's with 20 shutouts.

Between 1964 and 1970 Veale was a very solid Major League starter, averaging 15 wins and 213 strikeouts over those seven years, easily keeping pace with contemporaries like Don Drysdale, Jim Bunning and Jim Maloney.

 

MISSING IN ACTION- 1981 DAVE HEAVERLO

Good day all!

On the blog today, a player new to the WTHBALLS blog, pitcher Dave Heaverlo and a "missing" 1981 card for the young man:

I don't know why Topps would have skipped him in their 1981 set since he had a rather productive 1980 season for the Seattle Mariners.

Donruss and Fleer included him in their 1981 sets, but Topps saw different for some reason.

In 1980, pitching his only season for the Seattle Mariners, Heaverlo went 6-3 over 60 games, with a 3.89 earned run average spread across 78.2 innings of work.

Definitely a decent season for a middle-reliever, while also picking up four saves and striking out 42 batters along the way.

Heaverlo would pitch one more year in the Big Leagues, closing out a seven-year run with a return to the Oakland A's in 1981 when he appeared in only six games, going 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in 5.2 innings.

Originally up with the San Francisco Giants in 1975, he ended up with a record of 26-26 over 356 games between 1975 and 1981, pitching to a respectable 3.41 ERA over 537.2 innings, saving 26 games while striking out 288 batters, with every single appearance out of the bullpen.

 

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1977 OTTO VELEZ

Good day all!

On the blog today, just for the fun of it, a re-do for Otto Velez and his 1977 card, which originally had him airbrushed into a Toronto Blue Jays uni by Topps way back when:

Here I have him suited up and shown as a New York Yankee, for whom he played in 1976.

After playing for the New York Yankees in parts of four seasons between 1973 and 1976, he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in their inaugural expansion draft before the 1977 campaign.

He was the 53rd pick in the 1976 expansion draft, and would have a decent year for the Jays in 1977 when he batted .256 with 16 homers and 62 runs batted in.
He would stay with the team for the next five seasons, hitting as many as 20 homers (1980) as well as matching his 1977 RBI total that very same year.

In 1983 he would find himself with the Cleveland Indians, where he would play what turned out to be the final 10 games of his career, hitting only .080 with two hits over 25 at-bats, with a run scored and an RBI.

Velez would put 11 years in the Major Leagues, batting .251 with 78 homers and 272 runs batted in, while collecting 452 hits in 1802 at-bats over 637 games.

 

1981 DRAKES BIG PITCHERS: SPARKY LYLE

Good day all!

On the blog today, we post my 1981 "Drake's Big Pitchers" card for Sparky Lyle, from my custom set released a few months ago:

Fun card showing the relief specialist with the Philadelphia Phillies, for whom he finished the 1`980 season with after starting the year as a Texas Ranger.

Originally up with the Boston Red Sox in 1967, all he would do from then on is put in what I think is a Hall of Fame career, appearing in 899 games, all in relief, saving 238 games while posting a record of 99-76, with an ERA of 2.88.

He took home a Cy Young Award in 1977, helping the Yankees to their first title in 13 years, and finished in third for A.L. MVP in 1972 after getting traded from Boston in one of the most lopsided trades of all-time, as he saved a league-leading 35 games with a record of 9-5 and a 1.95 ERA.

One of the great characters of the game, his many quips, antics, etc are well documented, especially during his tenure with the "Bronx Zoo" Yankee dynasty through the 1978 season.

Just a great icon of 1970s baseball!

 

REVISIT: 1978 CAREER-CAPPER FOR COOKIE ROJAS

Good day all!

On the blog today, thought it'd be fun to revisit another 10-year-old post, this one my 1978 "career-capper" for Cookie Rojas, long-time Major League infielder:

Rojas appeared in 64 games for the Western Division champ Royals in 1977, hitting an even .250 with 39 hits over 156 at-bats.
A five-time all-star, Rojas slapped his way through the Majors, collecting 1660 lifetime hits over 1822 games, with only 333 of those hits going for extra bases.
Of his 16 years in the Major Leagues, he played eight with the Royals and seven with the Philadelphia Phillies, for whom he first made a name for himself between 1963 and 1969.

 

FIXING UP ALL-STAR CARDS: 1984 ROD CAREW

Up on the blog today, we go ahead and "fix up" another 1980s Topps All-Star card, this time giving Rod Carew his rightful 1984 All-Star card as the American League's starting first baseman for the 1983 game:

Topps inexplicably went and gave Baltimore Orioles legend Eddie Murray the All-Star card, but why!?

Carew was still an automatic at that slot for years at the time, and was the starter yet again in 1983 when the A.L. FINALLY won after a 12-year losing streak.

The man was a player for the ages, as he would go on to play in 18 All-Star games, missing only his final season in the Majors in 1985. Just incredible.

The first nine seasons of his career were as an All-Star second baseman, while the last nine were as a first baseman.

The legend topped .300 15 years in a row, with a high of .388 in 1977 on his way to a Most Valuable Player Award and capturing the public’s attention with his .400 chase late in the season.
A clear-cut Hall of Fame player, he was inducted on his first year of eligibility in 1991 when he garnered 90.5% of the vote, which leaves me with the question: who the hell are the 9.5% who DIDN’T vote for him!!!???

3053 hits, a .328 career average, 353 stolen bases and 15 straight seasons of .300+ batting.

The man was a hitting machine, and I'm so glad I got to see him play during his magnificent career!

WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: MINNIE MINOSO

On the blog today, we spotlight another card from my 2018 custom "1960 Stars of the Game" gelatin set, this time that of HOFer Minnie Minoso:

I'm so happy that Minoso is finally a Hall of Famer, and I always felt the stunts in 1976 and 1980 may have even hurt his chances of getting into Cooperstown.
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.

If only he didn't have to wait until his age 27 season to show the ENTIRE country what he could do on a ball field.

 

MISSING IN ACTION: 1965 DON MOSSI

As promised recently on Twitter, today on the blog we have a "missing" 1965 card for pitcher Don Mossi, who suited up for the Chicago White Sox in 1964, having a decent year, and for some reason getting ignored by Topps the following year:

Mossi appeared in 34 games for the White Sox, all in relief, going 3-1 with a nice 2.93 ERA over 40 innings, with seven saves and 36 strikeouts.

The following season turned out to be his last as a Big Leaguer, suiting up for the Kansas City Athletics, going 5-8 over 51 games at the age of 36, pitching to a 3.74 ERA in 55.1 innings, once again posting seven saves.

Mossi had some really good years in the Majors over his 12 seasons under the Sun, with his two finest arguably 1959 and 1961 with the Detroit Tigers when he posted records of 17-9 and 15-7 respectively with ERAs of 3.36 and 2.96 as a starter.

By the time he did retire, he finished with a record of 101-80 over 460 appearances, with a 3.43 ERA and 50 saves between 1954 and 1965.

MISSING IN ACTION: 1974 JERRY JOHNSON

Up on the blog today, we have a "missing" 1974 card for former pitcher Jerry Johnson, who suited up for the Cleveland Indians in 1973:

Johnson, who I always remember as the man with the “iron jaw”, appeared in 39 games for Cleveland that season, going 5-6 with a 6.18 earned run average over 59.2 innings, all but one appearance out of the bullpen.
In 1977 he would be a member of the inaugural Blue Jay team, his last season in the Big Leagues, going 2-4 with an ERA of 4.60 over 43 appearances and 86 innings pitched.
His finest season would have to be 1972 when he was with the San Francisco Giants, a year which saw him post a record of 12-9 with a nice 2.97 earned run average over 67 appearances, all out of the bullpen, with 18 saves in 109 innings pitched.
All told, by the time he retired, he finished up with a record of 48-51, with an ERA of 4.31 and 41 saves over 365 appearances and 770.2 innings of work.

REVISITING AN OLD POST: MISSING 1977 TOM SHOPAY

On the blog today, we revisit a post from 10 years ago, my "missing" 1977 card for former outfielder Tom Shopay, who had a FEW missing cards through his career:

Shopay appeared in only 14 games for the O’s, hitting an even .200 with four hits over 20 at-bats while playing the outfield aside from one game at catcher.
He’s a bit of a novelty for me since he really could have had cards in multiple Topps sets between 1970-1978 but only got two, in the 1970 and 1972 editions.
I already created 1976 and 1978 versions on this blog, and will most likely add a 1973 version as well, so keep an eye out for it!
As for Shopay’s career, he hit .201 over 7-partial seasons with 62 hits over 253 games and 309 at-bats playing for the New York Yankees and Orioles between 1967 and 1977, missing any Major League playing time in the 1968, 1970, 1973 and 1974 seasons.

 

1981 DRAKES BIG PITCHERS: BRUCE SUTTER

Good day all!

On the blog today, we spotlight another card from my recent custom WTHBALLS set, "1981 Drake's Big Pitchers", this time Hall of Fame reliever Bruce Sutter:

The man absolutely revolutionized the idea of a "relief" pitcher, dominating as soon as he came into the league in 1976 with the Chicago Cubs.

He led the league in saves five times, including a then record 45 saves with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1984.

Between 1977 and 1984 he'd finish top-5 in the Cy Young voting four times, taking home the Award in 1979.

He also finished top-10 in N.L. MVP voting five times, while getting named to six All-Star teams.

These were the days when your "Fireman" would pitch more than 100 innings a year, with Sutter topping that mark five times, as well as a 99 inning year in 1978.

Simply amazing to watch back then, as he mastered the split-fingered fastball that came to prominence in the 1980s.

Arm issues curtailed his career in 1986, and by the age of 35 he was done, but not before he picked up 300 saves, and posted an ERA of 2.83 over 661 appearances and 1042 innings, striking out 861 batters.

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1976 CHARLIE MANUEL

On the blog today, we have a "not so missing" 1976 card for future Big League manager Charlie (Chuck) Manuel, who played what turned out to be the last Major League games of his career in 1975 as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers:

Manuel appeared in 15 games for the Dodgers in 1975, after only four the previous year, collecting three hits over 18 at-bats combined, with three RBIs and a walk.

Between 1969 and 1972 he saw part-time action with the Minnesota Twins, never hitting above .207, with his rookie year seeing the most game-time, as he appeared in 83 games for the American League West champs.

After his brief season with the Dodgers in 1975, Manuel would go and take his talents to Japan, where he would downright mash the ball between 1976 and 1981.
From 1977 to 1980, his home run totals were 42, 39, 37 and 48, while driving in no less than 94 runs for Yakult and Osaka Kintetsu.
Of course, we all know that after his playing days, he’d become a long time coach and manager in the Big Leagues, guiding the Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Phillies to the Post-Season, winning it all with the Phillies in 2008 while taking home the NL Pennant the following year.

He would end up with exactly 1000 managerial wins in 12 seasons at the helm of a Major League club.

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: ROCKY COLAVITO

Time for another "Classic Baseball" custom WTHBALLS card to post up here on the blog, with today's player slugger Rocky Colavito, who had himself an excellent Major League career during baseball's "Golden Age":

Colavito ended his playing days back in 1968 before immediately going into coaching, putting in a great MLB “lifer” career that began way back in 1955 when the 21-year-old debuted with the Indians.
Between 1956 and 1966 there were few Major League batters who hit homers as frequently as he, hitting 358 home runs playing for the Indians, Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Athletics.
He topped 40+ homers three times, with a career-best 45 in 1961 while also leading the American League in 1959 with 42 blasts.
By the time he retired, he hit 374 homers with 1159 RBIs over 1841 games in 14-years, finishing Top-5 in MVP voting three times and making the All-Star team six times.

 

CAREER-CAPPER: 1988 JOHNNIE LEMASTER

Good day all!

On the blog today we cap-off Johnnie LeMaster's career with a 1988 card showing him as a member of the Oakland A's, with whom he suited up in 1987:

Lemaster made it back to the Majors in 1987 after a year in the Minors, appearing in 20 games for Oakland and hitting a low .083 with two hits over 24 at-bats.

He previously split the 1985 season with three teams, the San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates, appearing in a combined 45 games and hitting .128.

Pretty much spending his entire career in San Francisco, LeMaster originally came up in 1975 and played through the 1984 season with the Giants, generally a light bat, good fielding shortstop.

His finest season would arguably be the 1983 campaign when he set personal bests in games, at-bats, runs (81), hits (128) and stolen bases (39) while hitting .240 over 132 games.

The typical 1970s middle infielder, though his average hovered around the .220-.240 mark, he always had a job.

By the time he retired he finished with a .222 career average, with 709 hits over 3191 at-bats in 1039 games, scoring 320 runs while driving in 229.

 

SPECIAL REQUEST: 1969 IN-ACTION JOHNNY BENCH

By special request, today on the blog we have a 1969 "In-Action" card for Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench, perhaps the greatest of them all:

Fun picture of the young Bench arguing a call with an umpire at the beginning of his incredible career.

Leading the Cincinnati Reds to two World Championships, four World Series appearances, while taking home two MVP Awards, and absolutely rewriting the catching game in Big League history, the man was already a legend by the time he was in his early-20's!

Of course as we all know, he would go on to put together a career rarely seen by ANY player, let alone a catcher: TWO N.L. MVP Awards, 14 all-star games, 10 Gold Gloves, two home run titles and three RBI titles, all while donning the “tools of ignorance” for 17 seasons, all with the Reds.

As a kid growing up in the 1970’s, this man was a mythic figure, a “god”, and he and the rest of his "Big Red Machine" teammates were steamrolling through the league towards two straight championships in 1975 & 1976, while appearing in two other series in 1970 and 1972.

L-E-G-E-N-D.

By the time he retired after the 1983 season, he collected 2048 hits, hit 389 homers, drove in 1376 runs, and scored 1091 runs, all mainly done during the "dead ball" decade of the 1970s.

Just the best!

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1970 BILL SHORT

On the blog today, we have a 1970 "not so missing" card for former pitcher Bill Short, who finished up a six-year Big League career with four games as a Cincinnati Red in 1969:

Over those four games Short didn't factor in a decision, while pitching to a 15.43 ERA over 2.1 innings.

Originally up with the New York Yankees in 1960, he posted a record of 3-5 in 10 appearances, posting an ERA of 4.79 over 47 innings of work.

He'd spend all of 1961 in the Minors before coming back in 1962, now a member of the Baltimore Orioles, appearing in five games and going 0-0 with a bloated 15.75 ERA in four innings.

It would be a while before he made it back to a Major League mound, that being 1966 when he split the season between the Orioles and the Boston Red Sox, going 2-3 over 14 games with a 3.13 ERA, even tossing his only MLB shutout.

In 1967 he'd find himself in Pittsburgh with the Pirates, appearing in six games though only throwing 2.1 innings, allowing a hit and a run which translates to a 3.86  ERA.

In 1968, new year, new team! Now with the New York Mets, he would appear in a career-high 34 games, all in relief, going 0-3 with a 4.85 ERA over 29.2 innings, picking up a save along the way.

Overall, Short appeared in 73 games as a Big League pitcher, going 5-11 with a 4.73 ERA in 131.1 innings, striking out 71 batters while walking 64, with a shutout and two saves.

 

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

Good day all!

On the blog today, we spotlight my 1960 "Stars of the Game" custom card for former pitcher Ernie Broglio, from my set released back in 2018 inside printed WTHBALLS gelatin set:

Broglio was coming off a rookie 1959 season that saw him go 7-12 for the St. Louis Cardinals, pitching to a 4.72 ERA over 181.1 innings with three shutouts.

In 1960 he had himself a fantastic year, leading the National League with 21 wins, posting a record of 21-9 with a nice 2.74 ERA over 226.1 innings, appearing in 52 games while starting 24. 

Those numbers got him a third-place finish in the Cy Young race, as well as a ninth-place finish for N.L. MVP.

He'd struggle a bit in 1961, going 9-12 over 29 appearances with a 4.12 ERA, but bounced back with two good years in 1962 and 1963, going 12-9 and 18-8 respectively, with nine shutouts and a 2.99 ERA overall.

Now, with those numbers, the Chicago Cubs made what was eventually seen as one of the worst trades ever, sending their young speedster outfielder Lou Brock to the Cardinals for the young pitcher, a move that would bite them in the ass.

While Brock would blossom into a record-breaking Hall of Fame outfielder over the next two decades, Broglio struggles mightily over the next two and a half seasons, managing only a combined record of 7-19 between 1964 and 1966, with an ERA North of 6.00 during his tenure with Chicago.

By the end of 1966, his career was over, leaving the Cubs with an all-time "what-if", imagining their 1960's teams anchored by guys like Santo, Williams, Jenkins AS WELL as Lou Brock.

Instead the Cardinals would go on to arguably be the second best team of the decade in the National League behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, taking home two World Series titles while appearing in another.

REVISIT: MISSING IN ACTION 1975 KURT BEVACQUA

Good day everyone!

On the blog today, we revisit a ten-year-old post, that of a "missing" 1975 card for Kurt Bevacqua, who split the 1974 season between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals:

Bevacqua played in 57 games in 1974, hitting .184 with 23 hits over 125 at-bats while DH-ing and playing both the infield and outfield.
He would end up playing 15 seasons as a Major League player, the highlight for him being his heroics in the 1984 World Series as a member of the San Diego Padres, giving them their only win against the eventual World Champion Detroit Tigers.
All told he’d hit .236 over his career, with 499 hits in 2117 official at-bats while playing every position but pitcher and catcher.
And let’s not forget he won that Bubble-Gum blowing contest, leading to one of the quirkier cards in the Topps stable in the 1970’s...

 

CAREER-CAPPER: 1989 TED SIMMONS

Here's a card I missed for my recent "1980s Career-Cappers" set a few months back, a 1989 card for Hall of Fame catcher Ted Simmons:

Simmons capped off a brilliant 21-year career with 78 games for the Atlanta Braves in 1988, hitting .196 with 21 hits in 107 official at-bats.

Look at this guys career!
Simmons went on to post a Big League resume that included eight All-Star nods, six seasons of 20+ homers, eight 90+ RBI campaigns and seven years of a .300 or better average.
By the time he retired after the 1988 season, he finished with 2472 hits, 248 homers, 1389 RBIs and a .285 average.
At the same time, playing in the era of the free-swinging 70’s and 80’s, he struck out only 694 times in 9685 plate appearances while twice leading his league in Intentional Base on Balls.
I have always been stunned at the fact that “Simba” garnered a meager 3.7% vote in his first chance at the Hall of Fame, thus becoming a ridiculous “one and done” candidate.SO happy that they finally made this right and vote him in for his rightful place in Cooperstown!

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1976 JOE NOLAN

On the blog this fine day we have a "not so missing" 1976 card for former MLB catcher Joe Nolan, who made it back to the Majors with four games for the Atlanta Braves:

Nolan made his Big League debut in 1972 with the New York Mets, appearing in four games for them at the age of 21.

Nolan went 0-10 at the plate over that first taste of the Big Leagues, but he’d do a bit better than that over the course of what turned out to be a nice 11-year career spanning 1972 and 1985 as a catcher off the bench, mainly for the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles, with stints for the Mets and Cincinnati Reds.

For the Braves in 1975 he'd go 1-for-4 at the plate, his first hit being a single, before spending all of 1976 in the Minors and making it back for good in 1977.
By the time he retired after the 1985 season he finished with a .263 career average, with 382 hits over 1454 at-bats in 621 games.
He was also a member of the 1983 World Champion Orioles, contributing nicely with a .277 batting average while filling in behind the plate for Rick Dempsey.

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: PHIL NIEKRO

On the blog today, we add the great Phil Niekro to my on-going WTHBALLS custom "Beautiful Baseball" set, which WILL see the light of day at some point this year (I promise!):

Incredibly, though getting a bit of a "late-start" in his career, the man would end up putting in 24 years in the Majors, pitching his knuckler until the age of 48 in 1987.

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!

1981 DRAKES BIG PITCHERS: BERT BLYLEVEN

Good day all!

On the blog today we move along with my recent 1981 "Drakes Big Pitchers" custom set release and spotlight my card for Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven:

Born in Zeist, Holland (now the Netherlands), Blyleven started his 22-year career in 1970 with the Twins and quickly established himself among the best pitchers in baseball.
During his great MLB run, he posted 17 seasons of 10+ victories, with a high of 20 in 1973, along with eight 200+ strikeout campaigns and nine with a 2.99 ERA or lower.
By the time the prankster retired after the 1992 season, he finished with 287 wins, a 3.31 ERA, 60 career shutouts and 3701 strikeouts over 692 games and 4970 innings pitched.
After having to wait 14 years, the BBWA finally voted him into the Hall of Fame in 2011, finally claiming a spot which he rightfully deserved.

Great baseball lifer on the field and in the broadcast booth!

 

AVAILABLE NOW- "DEDICATED AND MISSING IN THE 1960s"

Good day everyone!

Hope 2026 is off to a great start for all of you!

Happy to announce that the newest WTHBALLS set, "Dedicated and Missing in the 1960s", is now available for purchase!

 

 

A special set dedicated mainly to guys that made their mark in Major League ball in the 1970s, it features "dedicated rookies" and straight-up "missing" cards for players like Graig Nettles, Lou Piniella, and Al Oliver.

With 21 cards total in this set, I even have a couple of "bonus" cards: a 1957 "missing" Curt Flood edition, and a 1965 card for Japanese All-Time Great Sadaharu Oh.

Sets are $15 each plus a one-time $5.00 shipping charge, no matter how many sets you purchase.

Usual Paypal address: slogun23@gmail.com

Again, thank you all so much for the interest and support!

Take Care

Gio/wthballs

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1972 JAKE GIBBS

On the blog today, we cap-off the career of catcher Jake Gibbs with a 1972 card, as Gibbs played the last of his ten Big League seasons in 1971, all with the New York Yankees:

Gibbs appeared in 70 games for the Yanks in 1971, hitting .218 with 45 hits in 206 at-bats while filling in for a young Thurman Munson.

Though he only appeared in nine total games between 1962 and 1964, Gibbs spent his entire career in the Bronx, with 1967 and 1968 as the only full years during his Major League career.

Overall, Gibbs finished with a .233 batting average, with 382 hits over 1639 at-bats, with 157 runs scored, 25 homers and 146 runs batted in.

Along with others like Mel Stottlemyre and Horace Clarke, Gibbs was one of those players that "lived" through the Yankee dark era of the latter-half of the 1960s.

WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: NELLIE FOX

Up on the blog today, we spotlight my 1960 "Stars of the Game" card of Hall of Famer Nellie Fox, from my custom set released back in 2018:

Fox put together a brilliant Major League career, first as a Hall of Fame second baseman mainly for the Chicago White Sox, then as a coach later on, a true baseball life before sadly passing away at the young age of 47 in 1975.
He led the AL in hits four times in the 1950’s, and of course would lead the Chicago White Sox to the 1959 World Series, taking home the league’s MVP Award for his efforts.
By the time he retired as a player after two years with the Houston Astros in 1964-65, he finished with 2663 hits and a .288 batting average, with twelve all-star nods and three Gold Gloves.
Defensively, it’s incredible to see he led the American League in putouts every single season between 1952 and 1961, while leading the league’s second basemen in fielding percentage six times, double-plays five times and assists six times.
In 1997, the Veteran’s Committee selected Fox for the Hall of Fame, joining former teammates Luis Aparicio and Early Wynn from that 1959 pennant winning team.

SPECIAL REQUEST: 1978 DAVE GIUSTI CAPPER (A'S)

On the blog today, a special request for a 1978 career-capper for Dave Giusti, who recently passed away at the age of 86:

Technically Giusti finished his career with the Chicago Cubs in 1977 after starting the season with the Oakland A's.

With the Cubs he went 0-2 with a 6.04 ERA over 20 games and 25.1 innings pitched, while it was a completely different outcome with the A's when he appeared in 40 games, going 3-3 with a very nice 2.98 ERA over 60.1 innings of work.

Giusti originally came up with the Houston Colt .45’s as a 22-year old starter out of Syracuse University in 1962, their inaugural season in the National League.
He appeared in 22 games and posted a 2-3 record with a bloated 5.62 earned run average before spending the entire 1963 season in the Minor Leagues.
After some brief MLB action in 1964, Giusti was a big leaguer for good in 1965, going 8-7 with a 4.32 E.R.A. Along with a shutout as well as three saves for the newly tabbed “Astros”.
After a few more decent seasons as a starter, he found himself in St. Louis for the 1969 season, and thus began his transition to the bullpen, where he’d become a very effective reliever for another eight years, seven of which were with the Pirates.
Between 1970 and 1973 he topped 20 saves each year and posted solid E.R.A.’s, including a career-low of 1.93 in 1972 over 54 appearances and 74.2 innings pitched.
By the time he retired after the 1977 season he appeared in 668 games, 133 of them starts, finishing with a 100-93 record and 3.60 E.R.A., along with the aforementioned 145 saves.

 

REVISIT: MISSING IN ACTION 1973 PAUL JATA

Good day all.

On the blog today, since I mentioned him recently on "X", revisiting my "missing" 1973 card for one-year catcher Paul Jata of the Detroit Tigers, originally posted 10 years ago:

I came across this photo which would be perfect for a 1973 card, in honor of his sole taste of the Majors during the 1972 season.
Jata appeared in 32 games with the division champs, hitting .230 with 17 hits over 74 at-bats while playing first base, catcher and outfield.
Though the photo used shows him in catching mode, he played the bulk of his games at first and in the outfield.
Sadly for him that would be it in the Majors, though he did make a comeback of sorts in the Twins organization a few years later in 1976 in their Double-A affiliate after being out of the game in 1974 and 1975.

 

FIXING UP ALL-STAR CARDS: 1984 STEVE SAX

The next All-Star "fix" on the blog will be the one for Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Steve Sax in the 1984 set, since he was elected as starter for the 1983 game:

The guy who was given an All-Star card in that set turned out to be Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Johnny Ray, who certainly was not a horrible choice.

However, why Topps moved away from just showing the Midsummer Classic starters beginning in 1981 is beyond me, and I always hated it.

Sax was a solid player throughout his somewhat brief career, coming up with the Dodgers for a handful of games in 1981 before putting in his first full year in 1982, leading to a National League Rookie of the Year Award based off his .282 hitting with 59 stolen bases, 88 runs scored and 180 hits.

I enjoyed his time at the end of the decade with the New York Yankees, where he played three years between 1989 and 1991, posting a 200-hit season while just missing out on a second in '91 when he totaled 198.

His 1986 was arguably his best when he collected career-highs in hits (210), doubles (43), OBP (.390) and SLG (.441).

By the time he retired after the 1994 season, he finished with 1949 hits over 1769 games, hitting .281 with 913 runs scored and 444 stolen bases. 

Not a bad career at all.

1981 DRAKES BIG PITCHERS: STEVE CARLTON

Up on the blog today we have my 1981 Drake's "Big Pitchers" card of Steve Carlton, from my recent custom set released a few months ago:

"Lefty" was in his absolute prime when this card would have seen the light of day in 1981, coming off his third Cy Young Award while helping the Philadelphia Phillies win their first World Championship.

He 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!

 

MISSING IN ACTION: 1978 BREWERS MANAGER-ALEX GRAMMAS

On the blog today, finally "fixing" a missing manager card in the fabulous 1978 sub-set, that of Milwaukee Brewers Alex Grammas, who skippered the team in 1977:

Grammas put in two seasons with Milwaukee, leading them to almost identical records in 1976 and 1977, 66-95 (1976) and 67-95 (1977).

It was the only two years at the helm of the team, and besides a temporary stint as Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1969 (season-ending 5 games as a fill-in for Danny Murtaugh), his only taste as a Big League manager.

The Brewers decided to go with George Bamberger in 1978, for which I did produce a card for way back in 2013 here on the blog, but felt that Grammas really deserved one here.

I've always been a huge fan of the 1978 Topps managers sub-set, and wished they would have used that template for something else, with star players instead.

Ah well...