WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: BROOKS ROBINSON

Good day all!

On the blog today, we spotlight another card from my 1960 "Stars of the Game" custom gelatin set, this one Brooks Robinson:

In 1958 he’d play his first full season in the Big Leagues, and it was all cruise control from there, as the great third baseman would go on to grab 16 Gold Gloves, an MVP Award in 1964, appear in 15 All-Star games, and help guide the Baltimore Orioles to two Championships and four A.L. Pennants.
By the time he hung up that golden glove after the 1977 season, he finished with 2848 hits, 1357 runs batted in, 268 home runs and 1232 runs scored in 2896 games.
Needless to say, by the time Cooperstown came calling, he was voted in on his first try, receiving 92% support in 1983.

 

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

Time we moved on to third base and my 1971 All-Star Game ticket card for the great Brooks Robinson, about as loved a player for the Baltimore Orioles:

Of course Robinson pretty much had the third base position on lock-down for some 15 years in the A.L., and 1971 was no different.

It was the man's 12th straight All-Star nod at third base for the Junior Circuit, and it would also be his 12th straight Gold Glove, on his way to 16 before he was through.

In 1958 he’d play his first full season in the Big Leagues, and it was all cruise control from there, as the great third baseman would go on to grab those 16 Gold Gloves, an MVP Award in 1964, appear in 15 All-Star games, and help guide the Baltimore Orioles to two Championships and four A.L. Pennants.
By the time he hung up that golden glove after the 1977 season, he finished with 2848 hits, 1357 runs batted in, 268 home runs and 1232 runs scored in 2896 games.
Needless to say, by the time Cooperstown came calling, he was voted in on his first try, receiving 92% support in 1983.

 

1960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: A.L. THIRD BASEMAN BROOKS ROBINSON

Today's blog post has my pick (as well as I'm assuming everyone else's pick) for the American League third baseman of the 1960s, Baltimore Orioles legend Brooks Robinson:

I mean, as if there would be any other selection for the position!

In 1958 he’d play his first full season in the Big Leagues, and it was all cruise control from there, as the great third baseman would go on to grab 16 Gold Gloves, an MVP Award in 1964, appear in 15 All-Star games, and help guide the Baltimore Orioles to two Championships and four A.L. Pennants.
By the time he hung up that golden glove after the 1977 season, he finished with 2848 hits, 1357 runs batted in, 268 home runs and 1232 runs scored in 2896 games.
Needless to say, by the time Cooperstown came calling, he was voted in on his first try, receiving 92% support in 1983.

The man set the standard for superstar third basemen, at the plate and with his glove, a standard they still use to this day, some 50 years after his retirement.

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: BROOKS ROBINSON

Today we add the great Brooks Robinson, perhaps the greatest fielding third baseman of them all, to my custom "Classic Baseball" set, which I hope to produce later this year, using iconic clean photography of some of the game's all-time greats over the decades:

In 1958 he’d play his first full season in the Big Leagues, and it was all cruise control from there, as the great third baseman would go on to grab 16 Gold Gloves, an MVP Award in 1964, appear in 15 All-Star games, and help guide the Baltimore Orioles to two Championships and four A.L. Pennants.
By the time he hung up that golden glove after the 1977 season, he finished with 2848 hits, 1357 runs batted in, 268 home runs and 1232 runs scored in 2896 games.
Needless to say, by the time Cooperstown came calling, he was voted in on his first try, receiving 92% support in 1983.

 

1978 STARS RETIRE: BROOKS ROBINSON & DICK ALLEN

Today on the blog, we have a 1978 "Stars Retire" card celebrating the great careers of brooks Robinson and Dick Allen, who called it a Major League career after the 1977 season:

First up, Brooks Robinson, Orioles legend, who retired after a STAGGERING 23 year Big League career playing for only one team.

A perennial all-star, all Robinson did throughout his career was win 16 Gold Gloves, an MVP Award in 1964, two World Championships (1966 & 1970), and get named to 15-straight all-star games.

By the time he was eligible for Hall of Fame induction in 1983, he was voted in without a problem, getting named on 344 of 374 ballots.

For Dick Allen, though still "only" 35 years of age in 1977, he decided to retire after a season with the Oakland A's, bringing to a close a career that saw him take home an MVP Award in 1972, a Rookie of the Year Award in 1964, and make seven All-Star teams over his 15 year career.

By the time he left the game, Allen hit over 350 homers, batted .292 and scored 1099 runs with 1119 RBI's.

Two studs of the game that could be proud of what they accomplished on the baseball diamond!

1970 IN-GAME ACTION: BROOKS ROBINSON

The next star featured in my on-going 1970 "In-Game Action" series is Baltimore Orioles legend Brooks Robinson, aka the "Human Vacuum Cleaner":

 

In 1958 he’d play his first full season in the Big Leagues, and it was all cruise control from there, as the great third baseman would go on to grab 16 Gold Gloves, an MVP Award in 1964, appear in 15 All-Star games, and help guide the Baltimore Orioles to two Championships and four A.L. Pennants.
By the time he hung up that golden glove after the 1977 season, he finished with 2848 hits, 1357 runs batted in, 268 home runs and 1232 runs scored in 2896 games.
Needless to say, by the time Cooperstown came calling, he was voted in on his first try, receiving 92% support in 1983.

1972 ALL-STAR SUB-SET: BROOKS ROBINSON

On the blog today, we move on to the starting third baseman for the American League in that classic 1971 All-Star game, the great Brooks Robinson:

 

Of course Robinson pretty much had the third base position on lock-down for some 15 years in the A.L., and 1971 was no different.

It was the man's 12th straight All-Star nod at third base for the Junior Circuit, and it would also be his 12th straight Gold Glove, on his way to 16 before he was through.

In 1958 he’d play his first full season in the Big Leagues, and it was all cruise control from there, as the great third baseman would go on to grab those 16 Gold Gloves, an MVP Award in 1964, appear in 15 All-Star games, and help guide the Baltimore Orioles to two Championships and four A.L. Pennants.
By the time he hung up that golden glove after the 1977 season, he finished with 2848 hits, 1357 runs batted in, 268 home runs and 1232 runs scored in 2896 games.
Needless to say, by the time Cooperstown came calling, he was voted in on his first try, receiving 92% support in 1983.

 

ON-CARD ALL-STARS: 1974 BROOKS ROBINSON

Next up in my on-going "on-card all-stars" thread for 1974 is the great Brooks Robinson, who of course was the starting third baseman for the American League in the 1973 All-Star game:

It was the man's 14th straight All-Star nod at third base for the Junior Circuit, and it would also be his 14th straight Gold Glove, on his way to 16 before he was through.

In 1958 he’d play his first full season in the Big Leagues, and it was all cruise control from there, as the great third baseman would go on to grab those 16 Gold Gloves, an MVP Award in 1964, appear in 15 All-Star games, and help guide the Baltimore Orioles to two Championships and four A.L. Pennants.
By the time he hung up that golden glove after the 1977 season, he finished with 2848 hits, 1357 runs batted in, 268 home runs and 1232 runs scored in 2896 games.
Needless to say, by the time Cooperstown came calling, he was voted in on his first try, receiving 92% support in 1983.

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- BROOKS ROBINSON

The next player featured in my 1971 “Minor League Days” thread is the great Brooks Robinson, who was barely out of his teens when this photo was taken of him back in 1957 as a member of the San Antonio Missions:

Robinson already had a couple of tastes of the Majors by 1957, playing in six games and 15 games respectively in 1955 and 1956, along with 50 games in 1957.
In 1958 he’d play his first full season, and it was all cruise control from there, as the great third baseman would go on to grab 16 Gold Gloves, and MVP Award in 1964, appear in 15 All-Star games, and help guide the Baltimore Orioles to two Championships and four A.L. Pennants.
By the time he hung up that golden glove after the 1977 season, he finished with 2848 hits, 1357 runs batted in, 268 home runs and 1232 runs scored in 2896 games.
Needless to say, by the time Cooperstown came calling, he was voted in on his first try, receiving 92% support in 1983.

 

 

1974 SPECIAL- AL KALINE & BROOKS ROBINSON

Sometimes I come across an image and just know it’ll be a card someday, like today’s great shot of two legends, Al Kaline and Brooks Robinson:

Arguably two players who became the faces of their respective organizations in the 1960’s and 1970’s, Kaline and Robinson were winding down their Hall of Fame careers by the time this card would have come out of packs in the Spring of 1974.
Kaline, the youngest batting champ when he took home the title in 1955 at the age of only 20, was also on his way to 3000 hits while leading the Detroit Tigers for 22 seasons, while Brooks Robinson rewrote the record books with his 16 Gold Gloves while helping the Orioles win two championships (1966, 1970) and four American League titles over 23 seasons.
It’s amazing to think that even today, they somehow get lost in the “legend” shuffle even though they are both still with us.
I feel they should be celebrated so much more while they are still alive, NOT after they’re gone, as is usually the case with so many other icons (Buck O’Neill, Bob Feller, Stan Musial).

1977 SPECIAL- BROOKS ROBINSON AND HIS GOLD GLOVES

Here’s a “special” 1977 card I’ve been meaning to create for some time, a Brooks Robinson card celebrating the all-time third baseman’s 16 Gold Gloves:

During an incredible run between 1960 and 1975 Robinson won the Gold Glove at his position every single year, while also making the All-Star team all but that last season of 1975.
I’ve always loved this photo of him surrounded by his Gold Gloves!
By the time this card would have come out, he was finishing up a Hall of Fame career of 23 seasons under the sun, and all of them with the Baltimore Orioles, for whom he led to two championships and four American League pennants.
In 1964 he took home the American League MVP Award, while finishing second to teammate Frank Robinson in 1966, who did nothing but win a Triple Crown as well.
His final numbers: over 2800 hits, 1300+ runs batted in, 1200+ runs scored and 268 homers, while striking out only 990 times in 11782 plate appearances.
And yet I still think he is under-appreciated!

1975 IN-ACTION: BROOKS ROBINSON

Time to add the great Brooks Robinson to my on-going 1975 “In-Action” project, as the all-time great was nearing the end of his Hall of Fame career by the time this card would have been out:

Robinson would take home his 16th consecutive Gold Glove in 1975, solidifying his place as the top third baseman in Major League history.
The man was an All-Star 15 times, with an MVP in 1964, while also helping the power-house Orioles win two World Championships while appearing in two others between 1966 through 1971.
By the time he hung up that golden glove after the 1977 season, he finished with 2848 hits, 1357 runs batted in, 268 home runs and 1232 runs scored in 2896 games.
Needless to say, by the time Cooperstown came calling, he was voted in on his first try, receiving 92% support in 1983.

MISSING IN ACTION-"IN ACTION" #25: 1972 BROOKS ROBINSON

Here's a nice "missing" In Action 1972 card for Brooks Robinson, the "Human Vacuum Cleaner":

Great shot of the Orange Baltimore jersey of the era!

Robinson was a vacuum cleaner indeed, on his way to 16 Gold Gloves for his work at third base.

By this point he was a year removed from the show he put on in the 1970 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds, helping the Birds win the championship after a heartbreaking loss to the New York Mets in 1969.

By the time he hung up the cleats in 1977 he racked up an M.V.P. Award, the Gold Glove hardware, two championships, FIFTEEN all-star nods, and the heart of Baltimore fans.

As far as his stats go, they were pretty spectacular, especially when you consider he played the bulk of his career during an offensive "dead" era: 1232 runs scored, 2848 hits, 482 doubles, 268 home runs, 1357 runs batted in with a .267 batting average.

23 Major League seasons, all with the same team. Awesome…

NICKNAMES OF THE '70'S #13: "THE HUMAN VACUUM CLEANER" BROOKS ROBINSON

Here's a card I know will make blog follower Johnny Cabrera happy,  A "Human Vacuum Cleaner" card for Brooks Robinson in my "Nicknames of the '70s" series.

Take a look:

We all know the story: 16 Gold Gloves (consecutively from 1960-1974), a fielding clinic in the 1970 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds (for which he was named M.V.P.), and the gold standard all other third basemen have been held up against since he retired after the 1977 season after 23 years.

He also took home an A.L. M.V.P. in 1964 while getting named to 18 All-Star teams, eventually getting his #5 retired while being named to the "All-Century" team in 1999.

The man was just awesome!

A Hall of Fame player through and through, he was inducted on his first ballot in 1983, getting named to 92% of the ballots cast.

THEN AND NOW #4: BROOKS ROBINSON 1977

Time for the fourth installment in my "Then & Now" series, and today's subject is Baltimore Orioles great Brooks Robinson.

Take a look at my 1977 design:

Robinson was about to suit up for his record breaking 23rd season with the Orioles in 1977, and was so honored by Topps in their 1978 set for doing so.

A perennial all-star, all Robinson did throughout his career was win 16 Gold Gloves, an MVP Award in 1964, two World Championships (1966 & 1970), and get named to 15-straight all-star games.

By the time he was eligible for Hall of Fame induction in 1983, he was voted in without a problem, getting named on 344 of 374 ballots.

I just wish I was old enough to see him play, especially in the field!

"1960'S ALL-DECADE TEAM" SUB-SET FOR THE 1970 TOPPS SET: THIRD BASEMEN

Here's a position for my "All-Decade" 1970 sub-set creation that was about as easy as it gets: third base.

Brooks Robinson and Ron Santo were easy picks as the best at their position in their respective leagues for the 1960's.

Both future Hall of Famers who distanced themselves from the rest of the pack, and make for a nice card. Take a look:

Brooks Robinson, he of 16 Gold Gloves, an M.V.P. In 1964, 15 All-Star games, and over 2800 hits and two World Championships over his stellar 23 year career playing entirely for the Baltimore Orioles, was not only the third baseman of the DECADE for the American League, but perhaps still is the third baseman of FOREVER in the A.L.

His hitting was good enough (for his era) to have him stand out as a perennial All-Star, but his fielding was just plain out of this world.

Who can forget his fielding display in the 1970 World Series, frustrating the Cincinnati Reds with play after play?

The man was truly the "Human Vacuum Cleaner"!

Over on the National League side, Ron Santo was no slouch himself: 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.

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.

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.

Two great third basemen that made this entry for the thread easy.

Next up we move on to Catcher, which was not as easy as one might think…

Stay tuned and see who the players are.

#300's during the 1970's for my 300th

OK!

I've hit 300 posts and you know what that means: a review of all cards #'rd 300 throughout the 1970's.

And boy these were awesome cards! Best group yet.

Two of my all-time favorite cards are here, as well as nine Hall of Famers out of ten cards, with the tenth player not too shabby himself!

Let's take a look:

1970: Tom Seaver

Not the nicest card of "Tom Terrific", but it's still a decent card of Seaver as he was starting out his dominance of the baseball world throughout the next decade.

Just coming off his first Cy Young season, and leading the New York Mets to their improbable World Series win over the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles.

1971: Brooks Robinson

I'm not a fan of this card, as you'll all remember how I redesigned it a while back. Don't like the image of Brooks swinging and missing, looking back towards the catcher.

But again, a future Hall of Famer in the prime of his career, albeit the tail-end of his "prime". 

THE third baseman on THE Major League team at the time. The Orioles were in the midst of three consecutive World Series appearances, winning it all in 1970 over the Cincinnati Reds.

1972: Hank Aaron "In Action"

Nice card of "Hammerin' Hank" rounding the bases in what I assume was a Home Run trot.

Also at the tail-end of his "prime" years, he was poised to take over Babe Ruth as baseball's all-time home run champ.

The next couple of years were the buzz of baseball, culminating in his 715th homer in April of 1974.

1973: Steve Carlton

Not the best photo of Carlton on this card (I may have to redesign this one in the future), but it was his first card since his truly breakout season of 1972 where he set the world on fire, winning 27 games while topping 300 strikeouts and posting a sub-2.00 E.R.A. for a last place team! 

Even though it wasn't his first 20-win season, this was the year that set his march towards the Hall of Fame and super-stardom.

1974: Pete Rose

Again, not the best shot of "Charlie Hustle", but this was Topps' offering of Rose after winning his only Most Valuable Player Award the previous year while winning the National league batting title.

Rose was to continue kicking-ass throughout the 1970's, culminating in a "Player of the Decade" award by the Sporting News in 1980.

A major cog in the "Big Red Machine" along with Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and company, Rose eventually would overtake Ty Cobb as baseball's all-time hit king in 1985.

1975: Reggie Jackson

As we all know, this card was "kind of" an error card, being that it should have been an "all-star" card with all-star in the lower right corner and yellow and red design scheme like all other all-stars in the 1975 set.

I don't know why Topps messed up this card for the future Hall of Famer, but the true Reggie Jackson take-over was a couple of years away, when he joined the Yankees and became "Mr. October", leading the Yanks to two consecutive Championships in 1977 and 1978.

Nevertheless it's a nice card in what I always felt was a very nice set.

1976: Johnny Bench

Well well. My all-time favorite card, period!

My very first post regarding a card on this blog explains it all.

It really is the "mona lisa" of my youth. The perfect card in my eyes.

The perfect photo, the perfect color-scheme, all-star designation. It has it all.

Bench was THE catcher in baseball from the late '60's to the early '80's, and was arguably the greatest catcher of all-time.

Just LOOK at this card. Just perfect!

1977: Jerry Koosman

The only player with a #300 card in the 1970's that's not a member of the Hall of Fame, Koosman was NO slouch on the baseball diamond however!

A 200+ game winner in his career, 20-game winner in both the National and American Leagues, and over 2500+ strikeouts.

The man was just simply overshadowed in a decade that saw a bunch of future Hall of Famers lighting it up on the mound.

But when it was all said and done, Koosman put together a very nice 19-year career, retiring after the 1985 season which saw him pitch for the Phillies.

1978: Joe Morgan

The greatest second baseman in the game during the decade, Morgan was the key to the Reds getting over the hump to become what was the "Big Red Machine" after being acquired from the Houston Astros before the 1972 season.

By 1978 Morgan was on his way to a Hall of Fame induction, with two M.V.P. Awards, two World Championships, and five Gold Glove awards.

Nice card in a nicely designed set.

I am such a sucker for "all-star" cards.

1979: Rod Carew

Quite possibly my third all-time favorite card (after the 1976 Bench and 1978 Reggie Jackson cards).

I just love everything about this card of the greatest hitter of the decade. (OK, maybe that giant "Topps" logo in the baseball could have been omitted in the design...)

Even though he was actually a California Angel by the time this card came out, the image captured Carew in the middle of his Hall of Fame batting stance, which lead to 3000+ hits, an M.V.P. award, and of course his seven American league batting titles!

Oh yeah, and he was named to EIGHTEEN straight all-star teams as well! Just awesome…

So there you have it: all cards numbered 300 for Topps throughout the 1970's, and what a great set of cards they are!

Onto #400!

Thanks for reading…

TOPPS 1976 "ALL-TIME ALL-STARS"- AN EXPANDED VIEW #4: THIRD BASEMEN

OK now, wrapping up infielders on my "All-Time All-Stars" 1976 thread, we move onto third basemen.

In celebration of Major League baseball's 100th anniversary, the Sporting News picked Pie Traynor as the all-time best third baseman.

At the time, it wasn't necessarily a bad pick.

However I think if I had a pick back then, I would have gone with the guy I chose as the all-time all-star at third for the American League, Brooks Robinson.

First off let's take a look at the Topps card from the awesome 1976 sub-set, Pie Traynor, and my design for the A.L. representative as mentioned above:

As picked by the Sporting News

Almost a lock for the A.L. pick back in '76

Traynor was incredible. It's easy to overlook the fact that he drove in 100+ runs six times while hitting under 10 homers!

And this is NOT a guy who played in the dead-ball era. He was driving in runs in bunches for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1920's and 1930's.

As a matter of fact, just like his American League counterpart Brooks Robinson, Traynor played his entire 17-year career with only one team, the Pirates.

And by the time he was wrapping up his Hall of Fame career in 1937, he was good for over 2400 hits, 1183 runs, 164 triples and 1273 ribbies while hitting a cool .320.

Like most national Leaguers in 1930, Traynor feasted on pitchers to the tune of a .366 average with 119 runs batted in while only hitting nine homers.

Two years earlier, in 1928, Traynor drove in 124 runs while only hitting THREE homers! 

Just amazing stuff, and in 1948 he received his hard earned spot in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Now while all of this truly IS amazing stuff, as I stated earlier I think I STILL would have picked Brooks Robinson in 1976 as the all-time all-star at the position over Traynor.

Robinson really did redefine the position over the course of his incredible 24-year career in Baltimore.

After a few false starts as a teenager out of Arkansas in the mid-to late-50's, Brooks hit the ground running in 1960 and never looked back.

That season began a run of SIXTEEN straight Gold Gloves at third, while also running 15 straight years as an all-star!

In that run he also had seven years of top-10 M.V.P. finishes, winning the award in 1964, (beating out Mickey Mantle), and was the anchor of all those great Oriole teams of the late-1960's/early-1970's, winning two World Series in 1966 and 1970 and four A.L. Pennants.

And WHO can forget the fielding display he performed against the Reds in the 1970 World Series? 

By the time the "Human Vacuum Cleaner" retired after the 1977 season, he totaled 2884 hits, 268 homers, 1357 runs batted in, and 11 fielding titles at third.

He also lead the league in assists at third eight times while establishing a few records that STILL stand today: most games at third with 2870, most double-plays turned with 618, most putouts with 2697 and most assists with 6205.

Both on the field and at the plate this guy was top-notch, so with no disrespect to the guys over at the Sporting News, THIS should have been the third baseman picked as "All-Time All-Star". (Unless he wasn't eligible for some reason. I don't know what the criteria was for that vote).

Next up, we take a look at the all-time all-star catchers, Mickey Cochrane, who was picked by the Sporting News and depicted on the 1976 sub-set, and my pick, which really shouldn't surprise anyone, Roy Campanella, representing the National League.

Keep an eye out for it…

UGH...THOSE 1972 TOPPS "AWARDS" CARDS...(#621 THROUGH #626): TODAY, CARD #621 "COMMISSIONERS AWARD"

I don't know what many of you feel out there about that 1972 Topps "Awards" sub-set (#'s 621-626), but I have always hated those cards!

The concept was great! But why on earth Topps felt kids (or adults for that matter) would be interested in cards that featured plaques and trophies OVER the very players that "won" the awards is beyond me, especially since a few of those players were super stars and future Hall of Famers!

I mean, jeez! What kid was happy to pull out a card of the "Commissioner's Award", instead of having another Brooks Robinson card in their collection!?

I know I've seen a couple of redesigns featuring the actual players who won the awards depicted on the cards somewhere on the web, but I've also gone ahead and redesigned all six of the cards, with the player (or players) who actually won the hardware depicted on the actual card.

To kick off this "sub-set" thread of a sub-set, we'll start in numerical order and profile the aforementioned "Commissioner's Award" card (#621), which was actually won by Baltimore Orioles legend, Brooks Robinson.

Take a look at the card issued by Topps:

 

Seriously? What kid was happy with THIS card?!

 

Give me a break!

Allow me to "jazz it up" a bit with a redesign showing Brooks during the year he won the award.

I'd like to think kid's would have preferred this...

Better, no? I sure do think so!

Rather have a player depicted than some trophy.

Anyway, this was definitely a fun sub-set to work on, and I'll be profiling the other five cards in the near future.

Keep an eye out for them.

"GIMME A DO-OVER"- PART XVIII: 1971 #300 BROOKS ROBINSON

Throughout the 1970's we have seen some strange choices for Topps to use as far as images go in regards to "failure".
One that immediately comes to mind is the 1972 Roberto Clemente "In Action" card which shows him upset at an umpires pitch call, or a card I profiled earlier on this blog: the 1973 Dick Green card that shows him muffing a grounder.
Well today we'll look at another one of those cards: the 1971 #300 card of Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson.
Why, may I ask, did Topps feel it best to use an image of the Baltimore legend striking out!?
I mean, really? There was no other image to use?
Ever since I first laid eyes on this card as a kid I despised this image. It was just wrong in so many ways. Why show an all-time great failing at the plate?
Was Topps trying to teach us kids humility? Were they attempting to show us how the "real world" really is?
Thanks, but no thanks. I'll keep my legends as legends in the old noggin for as long as I can.
So I went ahead and did a simple redesign using a nicer shot of the "Human Vacuum Cleaner" at the plate.
You know, one where he isn't shown whiffing, body twisted up like a pretzel, with the crowd looking on in disappointment.
Enjoy...

A hero, a legend, a strikeout (???).

A more appropriate photo for the Hall of Famer.