NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1969 HAL McRAE

Up on the blog today, we have a "not so missing" 1969 card for DHing master Hal McRae, who started out his career with the Cincinnati Reds:

McRae appeared in 17 games for the Reds in 1968, hitting .196 with the first ten hits of his very nice Big League career, driving in two while scoring one himself.

McRae didn’t actually play in any Major League games during the 1969 season, but he did make his Big League debut in 1968 with 17 games, hitting .196 with 10 hits over 51 at-bats as a 22-year-old second baseman.
He’d be back in the Majors in 1970, where he would stay for the next 18 seasons putting together an excellent career, becoming one of the first true full-time designated hitters once he was traded to the Kansas City Royals before the 1973 campaign.
All McRae would end up doing once in a Royals uniform is put in a 15-year run where he became one of the best hitters in the league, with three All-Star nods, six .300+ batting average seasons, and MVP consideration four times.
By the time he was done, he retired with a career .290 batting average, with 2091 hits, 484 doubles and 1097 runs batted in over 2084 games and 7218 at-bats, making three All-Star teams and finishing top-5 in MVP voting twice (1976 and 1982).

AS REQUESTED: NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1969 DICK KENWORTHY

Fun card to create based off a short discussion on "X" the other day, a 1969 "not so missing" card for Dick Kenworthy, which has a bit of a twist:

You see, Kenworthy put in parts of six seasons in the Major Leagues between 1962 and 1968, yet only got one card in a Topps set, in 1968 shown as a New York Met.

The problem here is that he put in all six of his Big League seasons with the Chicago White Sox!

So here I created a "career-capper" to mark his time as a White Sox player.

To be fair to Topps, Kenworthy was purchased by the Mets in October of 1967, only to be returned to the White Sox in March of 1968, so that's where the confusion came from.

Though he only played in 17 games spread across his first four seasons between 1962 and 1966, he did appear in 50 and 58 games respectively in 1967 and 1968, his final two years as a Big Leaguer.

Overall, he would finish with a .215 batting average over 125 total games, with 54 hits in 251 at-bats, with four home runs and 13 runs batted in, while scoring 12 himself.

Fun little quirk in the Topps baseball card world, fixed here!

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1969 TONY LARUSSA

Up on the blog today, we have a "not so missing" 1969 card for future Hall of Fame manager Tony LaRussa:

As we all know, Tony LaRussa the "manager" is one of the all-time greats.

Between 1979 and 2011, a span of 33 years, he managed three teams (White Sox, A's and Cardinals) to 2728 victories, six pennants, three world championships, and 12 first place finishes.

You can easily make an argument for LaRussa as the best modern era manager in baseball.

Now, Tony LaRussa the "player". Well…

Let's just say that he never really fulfilled the promise on THAT end of his career.

He came up in 1963 for a brief cup of coffee with the Kansas City Athletics, but wouldn't make it back up to the big leagues again until 1968, when he appeared in only five games, good for three at-bats.

In 1968 he only appeared in five games, going 1-for-3 at the plate, never appearing on the field for defense. 

Actually, in his six year playing career, he never really got a chunk of playing time in any one season.

Topps didn't have a LaRussa card in their 1969 set, even though he WAS included in their sets in 1964, 1968 and 1972.

Even though his playing days left a lot to be desired, he was well on his way to the Hall of Fame once he got the hold of managing a squad in 1979.

 

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!

 

MISSING IN ACTION: 1969 TONY HORTON

Today on the blog, we have my "missing" 1969 card for former Cleveland Indians slugger Tony Horton, who famously did not have any Topps cards during his career:

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.

 

SPECIAL REQUEST: 1969 DEDICATED ROOKIE FOR AMOS OTIS

By special request today, a fun 1969 "dedicated rookie" for one of my favorite underrated players of the era, Amos Otis, who began his wonderful Major League career as a member of the New York Mets:

He came up with the New York Mets and played in 48 games for the World Champs that year, while making his Big League debut in 1967 with 19 games as a 20-year-old (watch for my "missing 1968 card soon!).

Topps had him as an inaugural member of the Kansas City Royals for his actual multi-player rookie card in the 1969 set.

Otis could very well be THE most overlooked player of the 1970's as he was nothing but steady through the entire decade, going on to be the American League's top run scorer with 861. driving in 90+ three times while stealing 30+ bases five times.

By the time he retired after the 1984 season after one year with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he ended up with 193 homers, 341 stolen bases, 1092 runs scored and 2020 hits along with a batting average of .277 and 1007 runs batted in.
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.

 

DEDICATED ROOKIE: 1969 AL OLIVER

Super psyched to post today's card creation, a 1969 "Dedicated Rookie" of "Scoop" Al Oliver, which I definitely hope to have printed up sometime soon:

Now, what do you call a guy who was a seven-time all-star, Silver Slugger winner at three different positions, collector of over 2700 hits, 200 home runs, .300 career average, 1300 runs batted in, and 500 doubles?

I call that a Hall of Famer, especially when you consider that the first nine years or so of his career were the "dead" 1970's.

Yes I know an argument can be made here for Oliver's Hall-worthiness.

But I have always felt that he fell into that Vada Pinson, Dave Parker, Steve Garvey crowd that should have gotten, at the very LEAST, more of a shot at Cooperstown.

I mean, when he was finally eligible for Hall voting, he only got 4.3% and was dropped just like that! THAT is just insane.

He won three consecutive Silver Slugger Awards in 1980-1982, as an outfielder, a designated hitter and a first baseman and he batted .300 or better eleven times in his 18-year career!

He finished in the top-10 in batting eight times during his career, in the top-10 in hits eight times in his career, top-10 in doubles nine times in his career, top-10 in total bases five times, runs scored four times, runs batted in four times, triples three times, extra base hits five times and slugging percentage twice.

Is THAT enough of a statement? His consistency was amazing.

And to top it off, he should have been the National League Rookie of the Year in 1969 but got ripped off, with the award going to Los Angeles Dodger Ted Sizemore.

Al Oliver is grossly overlooked as far as players of that era in my book.

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1969 VADA PINSON

I've wanted to give one of my favorite players, Vada Pinson, a do-over for his 1969 card for quite some time, so today is the day, with this little beauty:

After playing for the Cincinnati reds for the first eleven seasons of his great (Hall worthy?) career, Pinson was shipped off to the St. Louis Cardinals for Wayne Granger and Bobby Tolan, and Topps scrambled to get him shown as a Cardinal on their card with a hatless image of him clearly in a Reds uni.

Not the worst card out there, but still a bit irksome.

Anyway, I went with another classic image of him as a Reds player, just to cap off his great run with the organization.

When you look at Pinson’s career, you should be impressed with what he accomplished between 1958 and 1975.
The man could slug the ball, hitting 256 home runs, while also swipe the base, as his 305 steals show. He collected 200+ hits in a season four times while topping .300 four times with a high of .343 in 1961 for the pennant winning Reds.
He led the N.L. in hits, doubles and triples two times each, while also topping the Senior Circuit in runs in his first full season, 1959, with 131.
By the time he completed his career, he topped 2700 hits, 1300 runs, 1100 runs batted in, 250 homers and 300 stolen bases.
To this day it amazes me that guys like Pinson, Al Oliver, Steve Garvey, Dave Parker get snubbed by both the BBWA at first, then the Veteran’s Committee, yet Cooperstown has players like Stonewall Jackson, Chick Hafey, Jesse Haines and “High Pockets” Kelly in there.

CAREER-CAPPER: 1969 BILL VIRDON

On the blog today, we step away from the 1970s and give Major League "lifer" Bill Virdon a career-capping 1969 card to celebrate his very nice Big League tenure:

Virdon appeared in six games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1968 after last seeing action in 1965, collecting one hit over three at-bats, the hit being a home run while picking up two RBIs.

That would be it for Bill Virdon the "player", before beginning a great managerial career in the Majors beginning in 1972, when he guided the Pirates to a 96-win season and a first place finish before losing to the upstart Cincinnati Reds in the N.L. Playoffs.

As a player, Virdon was an excellent center fielder for 12 years, winning the N.L. Rookie of the Year in 1955 with the St. Louis Cardinals, hitting .281 with 150 hits, 17 homers and 68 RBIs before getting traded to the Pirates the following season, where he would spend the rest of his playing days.

By the time he retired as a player, he hit .267 with 1596 hits over 5980 at-bats, scoring 735 runs, driving in 502, and even picking up a Gold Glove in 1962.

All told as a Major League manager, Virdon finished with a record of 995 and 921, with two first place finishes as well as a first place finish in the second half of the 1981 strike season debacle, managing the Pirates, New York Yankees,Houston Astros and Montreal Expos between 1972 and 1984.

JAPAN SPECIAL: 1969 MINORU MURAYAMA

On the blog today, a 1969 "Japan Special" celebrating Japanese Hall of Fame pitcher Minoru Murayama of the Hanshin Tigers:

Murayama put in 14 years in Japan's Central League, all with the Tigers between 1959 and 1972, and some of his seasons were/are mind boggling.

For example, in 1970 at the age of 33, he appeared in 25 games, completing seven and tossing five shutouts, with a record of 14-3, tossing 156 innings and ending up with an incredible 0.98 earned run average!

In 1962, the 25 year-old posted a record of 25-14 over 57 appearances, starting 38 while completing 23, with six shutouts and 265 strikeouts, this time posting a remarkable 1.20 ERA over 366.1 innings.

By the time he retired, he finished with a record of 222-147 over 509 games, completing 192 of 348 starts and tossing 55 shutouts, striking out 2271 batters and posting a final 2.09 ERA over 3050 innings.

In 1993 he was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, capping off an incredible career that also saw him win three Eiji Sawamura Awards (Cy Young equivalent) and an MVP in 1962.

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1969 JIM "MUDCAT" GRANT

On the blog today, we go and give Jim "Mudcat" Grant a do-over for his 1969 card, which Topps originally had with an image of him from years prior, when he was with the Cleveland Indians, airbrushing his cap for a non-descript image to have him "suited up" with the brand new MLB Montreal Expos franchise:

My re-do for Mudcat

As issued by Topps

Here I have a very nice photo of the pitcher showing him with the team he pitched for in 1968, the Los Angeles Dodgers, making for an attractive alternative!

I can create cards for “Mudcat” all day long, and I can't really understand why Topps didn't include him in their 1970 set since he appeared in 41 games in 1969, posting an 8-11 record with a 4.42 earned run average in 114 innings of work, split between the Montreal Expos and St. Louis Cardinals.
He'd go on to pitch two more seasons, for both the Oakland A's and Pittsburgh Pirates before retiring at the end of the 1971 season.
Overall he put in a very nice 14-year career that saw him go 145-119 with a 3.63 ERA and 1267 strikeouts over 571 games and 2442 innings pitched.
His finest season was 1965 for the American League champ Minnesota Twins when he finished with a 21-7 record, the win total leading the league, as well as leading in winning percentage (.750) and shutouts (6).
But I also have to point out his incredibly underrated 1970 season.
That year, in what turned out to be his second to last in the Majors, Grant was used as a reliever, appearing in 80 games with the Pirates and A's, good for 135.1 innings, while posting fantastic numbers by season's end, going 8-3 with 24 saves and a sparkling 1.86 E.R.A.!
Not too shabby!

1960S "IN-ACTION": 1969 WILLIE McCOVEY

Today on the blog we have what is going to be a SWEET card from my next "1960s In-Action" set, Series Three, that of "Stretch" Willie McCovey:

I just love this image of him at the plate, probably about to launch another homer our of the stratosphere at the expense of another poor National League pitcher.

He was at the height of his career at the time this card would have seen the light of day, about to put in an MVP year in 1969, obliterating everything in sight!

From the moment he got called up to the Big Leagues in 1959, all he did was tear the seams off the ball by hitting .354 with 13 homers and 38 runs batted in along with 32 runs scored in only 52 games, copping a Rookie of the Year Award and setting the tone for his 22-year career.

In 1969 he had his finest season, as he made his fifth All-Star team, on his way to taking home the league MVP Award after a year that saw him lead the league with 45 homers, 126 RBIs, a .453 OBP and a .656 slugging percentage, as well as a whopping 45 intentional base on balls.

The man put it ALL together that year!

By the time he retired in 1980, he crushed 521 home runs, collected over 2000 hits, drove in over 1500, and left his mark as one of the most feared sluggers of his generation.

In 1986, his first year of eligibility, he was voted into the Hall of Fame with 81.4% of the ballots cast.

Man, what a threesome McCovey, Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda made back in the 1960's for San Francisco, huh?

Just incredible.

1969 "DO-OVER" CUSTOM SET: JIM KAAT

Good day all!

On the blog today, my do-over for Hall of Famer Jim Kaat and his 1969 card, from my custom "1969 Gimmie A Do-Over" set released towards the end of last year:

While Topps reused an image for Kaat on their 1969 card, I went ahead and found another one to give it a bit of a refresh.

Kaat came up to the Majors as a 20-year-old in 1959 with the Washington Senators, developing into an All-Star starter when the organization moved to Minnesota and became the Twins.
If there were a Cy Young winner for both leagues in place for the 1965 season, he most likely would have taken home the trophy when he posted a league-leading 25 wins to go along with a 2.75 ERA and 205 strikeouts for the American League champs.
After being selected off waivers by the Chicago White Sox in 1973, he’d go on to post two straight 20-win seasons in 1974 and 1975, before moving on to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1976.
In 1979, at the age of 40, he’d transition to the bullpen, where he would carve out a niche for himself as a reliable reliever, pitching another five seasons, finishing up with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1983, fresh off a World Championship in 1982.
One of the greatest fielding pitchers the game has ever seen, Kaat took home 16 straight Gold Glove Awards between 1962 and 1977. Incredible.
By the time he retired as a player, he appeared in 898 games, posted a record of 283-237 along with a 3.45 ERA and 2461 strikeouts, as well as 31 shutouts and 17 saves.
The man is a walking baseball resource who still shares his knowledge of the game. His time as a New York Yankees announcer was one of my favorites alongside other former players like Ken Singleton and Bill White.

969 "DO-OVER" SET: KEN HARRELSON

Today's blog post spotlights my 1969 do-over for Ken Harrelson, from my recent custom set, replacing the comically old image used by Topps on his original card:

If you remember the original, Harrelson was clearly still in a Kansas City A's uniform, a team he hadn't played for since 1967.

The rescuing of images was common for Topps during this era, as they were embroiled in a licensing squabble with the MLBPA at the time.

Harrelson was coming off his finest season in the Majors when this card would have seen the light of day, leading the American League with 109 runs batted in while slugging 35 homers for the Boston Red Sox, good for a third place finish in the MVP race when all was said and done.

He finished his nine-year MLB career with 131 homers, 421 RBIs and 374 runs scored over 900 games and only 2941 at-bats.
Of course, Harrelson is truly remembered by all fans as a broadcaster, something he has done for over 40 years with a General Manager break in the mid-80’s with the Chicago White Sox.
A true baseball character, the out-spoken Harrelson has had quite the interesting career in baseball, as a player and broadcaster, leading to some funny and sometimes controversial moments.
Worth a quick read-up if you have a minute and are not familiar.

1969 "DO-OVER" SET: JOE MORGAN

Good day everyone!

On the blog today, we spotlight my 1969 "redo" for the great Joe Morgan, from my recent "1969 Gimmie a Do-Over" set from a few months back:

Just a nice image of the great second baseman that wasn't a reused image like Topps had out there way back when!

For Mr. Morgan, the man was just beginning a run that would send him straight to the Hall of Fame, still with his original team before eventually helping to build a juggernaut of a team forever known as the "Big Red Machine" when he was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds before the 1972 season in a blockbuster trade.

Those Reds teams would win two straight World Series in 1975 and 1976, and field teams with the likes of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, George Foster and Ken Griffey Sr.

By the time he retired after the 1984 season at the age of 40, he finished with two MVP Awards, 10 All-Star nods, five Gold Gloves, 2517 hits, 1650 runs scored, 268 homers and a cool 689 stolen bases with 1865 walks.
One of the all-timers right there at second base!

1969 "DO-OVER" SET: JIM BUNNING

Today on the blog, we spotlight my "do-over" for Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning and his 1969 card, from my custom 1969 "Gimmie-A-Do Over" set released a few months ago:

Really happy to finally "fix" a bunch of the cards from my birth-year set that saw Topps reuse images from previous years, or use an image that was terribly outdated due to a licensing issue with the MLBPA.

As a baseball player he put in 17-years of all-star play, winning 20 games once, but putting together four 19-win seasons along with three 17-win seasons, while leading his league in strikeouts three times and shutouts twice.
The seven-time all-star threw a no-hitter in each league, with his National League no-no a perfect game against the New York Mets in 1964.
He also won 100-games in each league, becoming the first to do so since the great Cy Young at the beginning of the 20th Century.
In 1996, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining contemporaries such as Juan Marichal, Sandy Koufax and Whitey Ford.
By then he was already a Representative of Kentucky’s 4th District  for nine years before becoming a State Senator in 1999, a position he would hold until January 2011.
A great life to say the least. Though I like to think of it as incredible actually. To do any ONE of these things he accomplished is a life’s great achievement, and Bunning did them all.
Amazing man.

1960S "IN-ACTION": 1969 PETE ROSE

The next card profiled here on the blog from my recent custom "1960s In-Action" set is my 1969 card for the all-time hit king, Pete Rose:

Great evening shot of the young rose, who was the reigning N.L. batting champ when this card would have come out.

Rose was was also about to take home his second straight batting title, hitting .348 after a league-leading .335 in 1968.

He would also reach 200+ hits for the fourth of what would end up being a record ten such seasons, with 218 in 1969.

Those numbers got him a fourth place finish in the MVP race at season's end, along with a Gold Glove for his work in the outfield after coming up as a second baseman.

Growing up in the 1970's as a baseball nut, Pete Rose was an almost mythic figure. Even though his Reds steamrolled through "my" Yankees in the 1976 World Series, Rose, along with his all-star teammates, seemed like something made-up, not real.

I guess a part of that could be that the very first Pete Rose baseball card I ever saw, at the age of seven, was his 1976 Topps masterpiece, which had that glare of his, staring down the camera, showing that intensity that created the "Charlie Hustle" legend.

What a player, a Hall of Fame player. But I won't get into THAT here.

The "Player of the Decade" for the 1970's, Rose etched his name into the history of the game many times over.

Really, along with guys like Tom Seaver and Reggie Jackson, you just can't have too many Pete Rose cards from the 1970's in my eyes.

1969 "DO-OVER" SET: AURELIO RODRIGUEZ

Today on the blog, another card from my recently released "1969 Gimmie-A-Do Over" set, finally correcting the famous "bat-boy" image error Topps made way back when on the Aurelio Rodriguez card where they actually had the California Angels bat boy Leonard Garcia depicted:

Fixed

As released showing bat boy Leonard Garcia

I found a nice image of the Gold Glove infielder from that period and replaced it here, giving us a long overdue "fix" to an admittedly classic Topps error that was never corrected by them.

Rodriguez put in a nice 17-year Major league career beginning in 1967 as a nineteen-year-old, famously becoming the first third baseman NOT named Brooks Robinson taking home a Gold Glove in 17 years when he did just that in 1976 as a member of the Detroit Tigers.

By the time he retired after the 1983 season, he finished with a career .237 batting average, with 1570 hits in 6611 at-bats, with 124 homers and 648 runs batted in over 2017 games, playing for seven teams.

1969 "DO-OVER" SET: LUIS APARICIO

Up on the blog today, we take a look at my "redo" for Luis Aparicio and his 1969 card, fixing the reuse of images Topps had originally put out there due to their spat with the MLBPA:

Part of my recent custom set released a few months back, I went and corrected images for a dozen players who suffered the image duplication that kids were bummed to see as they ripped open wax way back when.

Even as a young collector by the late-70s/early-80s when I was beginning to buy vintage cards, I was disappointed at seeing superstars like Willie Mays, hank Aaron and Rod Carew with cards that repeated images from previous years.

From the moment he made it to the Majors in 1956 with the Chicago White Sox, Aparicio was a star.

He took home the A.L. Rookie of the Year that season, and proceeded to be an all-star player for most of his 18-year career.

Between 1956 and 1964, nine consecutive years, he led the American League in stolen bases every single season!

As a member of the "Go-Go" 1959 Chicago White Sox he finished second to teammate Nellie Fox for Most Valuable Player, and he'd go on to win nine Gold Glove Awards before hanging up the spikes.

All told he suited up for the White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Boston Red Sox for the final three years of his illustrious career.

By the time he retired the numbers were solid: 2677 hits, 1335 runs scored, 506 stolen bases and over 10000 at-bats!

It took a few years on the ballot, but he was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.

1969 "DO-OVER" SET: ERNIE BANKS

Good day everyone!

On the blog today, we post up my 1969 do-over for the great Ernie Banks, part of my recent custom set correcting the recycling of images Topps was forced to do in the midst of their battle with the MLBPA in the late-60's, resulting in a bunch of cards using the same images, such an Banks' '69 edition:

 

As for "Mr. Cub", 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!