"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: DAVE PARKER

The next baseball star to get a card in my ongoing "Classic Baseball" custom set is "Cobra", Dave Parker, one of my favorite players growing up and now rightfully a member of the Hall of Fame:

An all-around super-star, Parker hit for average, for power, had a cannon for an arm, and would even steal some bases if needed.

By the time he retired after the 1991 season, a nice 19-year career, he posted over 2700 hits, 1200 runs scored, 500 doubles, almost 1500 runs batted in, 339 home runs and over 150 stolen bases!

He was a seven-time all-star who also finished in the top-10 in M.V.P. voting six times, with three Gold Gloves thrown in for good measure.

The fact that Dave Parker never garnered more than 24.5% of the BBWA Hall of Fame vote (1998) before becoming ineligible in 2011 is just criminal in my eyes.

This man should have been in the Hall of Fame YEARS ago. Plain and simple! "Analytics" be damned!

Rest in Peace Dave Parker, a heck of a ballplayer.

 

WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: DAVE PARKER

Today on the blog, my Dave Parker mini-card from my custom "Gum Pack" set released months ago as a bit of an "extra" kick to the WTHBALLS checklist:

Fun little set to create and produce in unique gum pack packaging!

An all-around super-star, Parker hit for average, for power, had a cannon for an arm, and would even steal some bases if needed.

By the time he retired after the 1991 season, a nice 19-year career, he posted over 2700 hits, 1200 runs scored, 500 doubles, almost 1500 runs batted in, 339 home runs and over 150 stolen bases!

He was a seven-time all-star who also finished in the top-10 in M.V.P. voting six times, with three Gold Gloves thrown in for good measure.

The fact that Dave Parker never garnered more than 24.5% of the BBWA Hall of Fame vote (1998) before becoming ineligible in 2011 is just criminal in my eyes.

This man should be in the Hall of Fame. Plain and simple! "Analytics" be damned!

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1979 N.L. RBI's

Up on the blog today, we have the top three RBI men of the National League in 1978 proudly displayed on a 1979 “expanded league leader” card:

 

Of course we begin with the RBI-man of the era, Cincinnati Reds All-Star George Foster, who took home his third straight RBI crown in 1978 with 120, this after a monster 1977 season that saw him drive home 149.

Foster was just the man at the plate during his incredible three-year run between 1976 and 1978, taking home the MVP Award in 1977, finishing runner-up in 1976, helping the Reds to championships in 1975 and 1976, and becoming the first player since Willie Mays in 1965 to top 50 homers in a season, with his 52 in 1977.

Incredibly, the man was not just a home run hitter, as he would top a .300 batting average four out of five seasons between 1975 and 1979, with a .281 average in between.

In second place with 117 RBIs, a man that was in contention for all three Triple Crown stats, Pittsburgh Pirates great Dave Parker, who just happened to also be the N.L. batting champ for the second year in a row in 1978.

Parker was also a force at the plate in the late-70’s, winning the MVP in 1978, helping the Pirates to a championship in 1979, while also hitting not only for power, but for average as well, with five straight seasons of above-.300 averages between 1975 and 1979.

I still cannot understand how people do not think he is not a Hall of Famer! It’s not just about total stats, but the fact that he reached that elite level that goes beyond stats, like Steve Garvey, who is also a Hall of Famer in my book!

…And speaking of Steve Garvey, he finished third in the league with 113 RBIs in 1978, just two off his career best set a season earlier!

Garvey was as consistent as they came then, reaching 200+ hits six of seven seasons between 1974 and 1980, while driving in 100+ runs five times, 20+ homers five times, and a .300+ average seven out of eight season between 1973 and 1980.

Just a machine who hit for average, with some “pop”, driving in runs while guiding the Los Angeles Dodger team to four World Series appearances, winning it all in 1981 over my beloved New York Yankees.

Three guys right here that hit homers, drove in runs by the bunch, and also hit for average. Top notch!

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1979 N.L. HOME RUNS

Up on the blog today, we move on to the National League’s top three home run hitters of 1978, proudly displayed on a 1979 “expanded league leader” card in my long-running thread:

 

 

Of course, if we’re talking home runs in the late-70’s we begin with Cincinnati reds basher George Foster, who took home his second straight home run tile in 1978 with 40 dingers, after his MVP blockbuster season of 1977 that saw him hit 52.

 

The man was an absolute monster at the plate between 1976 and 1981, and it wasn’t just power numbers, as he’d hit .300 or better three times while driving in 90+ runs each and every year.

Right behind Foster with 35 homers of his own, perhaps the greatest “forgotten” slugger in Major League baseball during the late-70’s, Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Greg Luzinski, who put in yet another MVP-worthy year, his fourth such season in a row.

“The Bull” drove in 101 runs for the Phillies to go with those 35 homers, while also drawing 100 walks, though for the first time in four years he failed to hit .300 or better.

Nevertheless, if it wasn’t for the Cincinnati Reds and their “Machine”, we may be looking at a MULTIPLE MVP winner in Luzinski, easily worth the award in 1975 and 1977, while also arguably the winner in 1976.

Teamed up with hall of Famer Mike Schmidt, the Phillies had an absolute mashing due smack in the middle of their line-up during their success between 1975 through to their Championship in 1980.

In third place, with 30 home runs in 1978, the MVP of the National League, Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star Dave Parker, “Cobra”, who took home his second straight batting title with a .334 average while driving in 117 runs and scoring 102 of his own while collecting 194 hits.

He also threw in 20 stolen bases, which is shocking thinking about the hulking player that he was back then, while following it all up with another 20 steals the following season when the Pirates would win it all as the “We Are Family” team that won over fans across the country.

Three great players that truly represented the Senior League during that era, not just for hitting home runs but for hitting for average as well. A rarity these days!

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1979 N.L. BATTING

Good day everyone!

Up on the blog today, we move on to 1979 in my on-going “Expanded League Leaders” thread, showcasing the top three players in each category on a league leader card, beginning with the top three hitters in the National League for 1978:

 

We begin with Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Dave Parker, who took home his second straight batting title with a .334 average, following his .338 number the year before.

Parker was in the prime of his career, also chipping in 30 home runs and 117 runs batted in with 23 stolen bases to take home the league MVP Award.

He would not disappoint in 1979 either, as he would hit .310 with 25 homers and 94 RBIs while collecting 193 hits and scoring 109 runs, helping the team to a World Championship with the fan favorite “We Are Family” club.

This is a Hall of Famer in my book! I will never waiver on this.

In second place with a .316 batting average, another guy who I feel is a Hall of Famer, Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey, who put in another “Garvey-esque” season with 202 hits, 89 runs scored, 21 homers and 113 runs batted in.

It was the fourth of his six 200-hit seasons, while also posting his third 20+ homer campaign, as well as third 100+ RBI campaign.

Analytics be damned, there is no way anyone can convince me this guy isn’t a Hall of Famer considering for the better part of a decade he was THE N.L. first baseman, which carries a lot of weight in my eyes.

Just behind Garvey with a .315 batting average in 1978, underrated Houston Astros star Jose Cruz, who put in another great under-the-radar year with 178 hits, 83 runs batted in and 79 runs scored.

A quiet yet steady hitter for over 10 years, Cruz gave the Astros an anchor in the middle of their line-up who could hit for average, show some “pop” in his bat, and drive in runs until the late-80’s.

A great trio of batters here, two of which I believe should have their place in Cooperstown, while all three collected over 2000 hits over their careers.

1977 CENTENNIAL SPECIAL: DAVE PARKER

Next up in my on-going special 1977 sub-set celebrating the National League's 100th season of 1976, the great Dave Parker of the Pittsburgh Pirates:

An all-around super-star, Parker hit for average, for power, had a cannon for an arm, and would even steal some bases if needed.

By the time he retired after the 1991 season, a nice 19-year career, he posted over 2700 hits, 1200 runs scored, 500 doubles, almost 1500 runs batted in, 339 home runs and over 150 stolen bases!

He was a seven-time all-star who also finished in the top-10 in M.V.P. voting six times, with three Gold Gloves thrown in for good measure.

The fact that Dave Parker never garnered more than 24.5% of the BBWA Hall of Fame vote (1998) before becoming ineligible in 2011 is just criminal in my eyes.

This man should be in the Hall of Fame. Plain and simple!

As for this "Centennial" sub-set, look for it to be issued as a two-series set in the near future!

EXPANDED LEAGUE-LEADERS: 1978 N.L. BATTING

Today on the blog we move on to 1978 League Leader cards, "expanding" them to show the top three finishers in each statistic for each league, as opposed to the top leader from both the N.L. and A.L. on one card, beginning with the top three batters in the N.L.:

 

We begin with Pittsburgh Pirate slugger Dave Parker, who won the first of his two straight batting titles in 1977, hitting .338 with a league-leading 215 hits and 44 doubles.

Along with his 21 homers, 88 RBIs and .531 slugging percentage, those numbers got him a third-place finish in the MVP race by season's end, while also hauling in the first of his three Gold Gloves.

Right behind Parker, with a ,336 batting average, teammate Rennie Stennett, who had himself a fine season, stealing a career-best 28 bases while scoring 53 runs in only 116 games.

It was one of those unusual seasons that a player did not "technically" qualify for the batting title, with Stennett's 490 plate appearances.

However, because of his big lead on the third place finisher, once added the necessary plate appearances as hitless at-bats to reach 501, he was still the second best hitter.

In third place with a .322 average, St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Garry Templeton, who broke out as a 21-year-old and collected 200 hits, scored 94 runs and led the league with his 18 triples, earning him his first All-Star nod and some MVP attention as well.

Two seasons later he'd lead the league with 211 hits, collecting at least 100 hits from both sides of the plate as a switch-hitter, while once again leading the league in triples, this time with 19.

Of course, as we all know, he'd eventually wear out his welcome in St. Louis and would be traded to the San Diego Padres for Ozzie Smith, certainly affecting the outcome of both franchises for the 1980's.

 

REVISITING AN OLD BLOG POST- NOVEMBER 6th, 2016: A "DREAM CARD" THAT NEVER WAS

Thought it'd be fun to revisit one of my favorite customs over the years, this one created back in 2016: a "fantasy" 1973 rookie card featuring three top-notch outfielders:

One player went on to the Hall of Fame, and the other two can be argued to be part of that posse.

I for one STILL say Dave Parker is a Hall of Famer!
Nevertheless, we know Winfield and Parker would actually have their rookie cards the following year in the 1974 set.
Evans was the only player of the three to appear on a multi-player rookie card in ‘73, and I left his part “as-is” and added the other two on either side of him.
It’s been stated that Parker and Winfield changed the ballplayer prototype when they entered the league. Huge, slugging athletes who could also run and play stellar defense.
Evans of course took a little longer to come into his own, but when he did he became of the game’s best in the early to mid 80’s.
All three had awesome Major League careers, with Winfield leading the way and ending up in the Hall of Fame.
But again, look at what those other two did on the ball field and tell me without question that they don’t deserve to be there.
It’s a tough argument for sure...
Would have been an awesome card to be chasing as a kid, as well as these days as a collector.

REVISITING AN OLD POST FROM 2015: NICKNAMES OF THE '70'S #20: "COBRA" DAVE PARKER

Thought it'd be fun to revisit my "Nicknames of the 1970's" post from January 23rd, 2015, celebrating "Cobra", Dave Parker, who I feel belongs in the Hall of fame.

  

Let's dive right in!

Here's the post as written some seven years ago:

Next up in my "Nicknames of the 70's" thread is that monster of a player of the era: Dave Parker, aka "Cobra".

Check out my card design:

I used the 1978 format since he was at the prime of his career, winning two batting titles (1977 & 1978), an M.V.P. that very year, and a World Championship the following year.

He's often fond of saying (and I totally agree) that he and Dave Winfield changed the "face" of the athletic "big guy" outfielders when they both came up in the middle of the decade.

An all-around super-star, Parker hit for average, for power, had a cannon for an arm, and would even steal some bases if needed.

By the time he retired after the 1991 season, a nice 19-year career, he posted over 2700 hits, 1200 runs scored, 500 doubles, almost 1500 runs batted in, 339 home runs and over 150 stolen bases!

He was a seven-time all-star who also finished in the top-10 in M.V.P. voting six times, with three Gold Gloves thrown in for good measure.

The fact that Dave Parker never garnered more than 24.5% of the BBWA Hall of Fame vote (1998) before becoming ineligible in 2011 is just criminal in my eyes.

This man should be in the Hall of Fame. Plain and simple!

THE GREAT DAVE PARKER...AKA 'COBRA" WITH MY CARD!

Please allow me to indulge with posting this fantastic photo of the great Dave Parker, aka "Cobra" holding none other than my 1978 "Nickname" card that was created for this blog years ago:

Such a great moment for me to have one of my favorite players of my childhood with one of my cards honoring him!

Thank you Dave Jordan ( @instreamsports) for this!

Dave Jordan has helped Dave Parker with his new biography "Cobra.  A life of Baseball and Brotherhood". 

 

1975 IN-ACTION: DAVE PARKER

Though still only an up-and-coming star for the Pittsburgh Pirates at the time this card would have come out, I had to add “should be” Hall of Fame outfielder Dave Parker to my on-going 1975 In-Action sub-set:

Parker was going to have his first (of many) great seasons in the Big Leagues in 1975, driving in 101 runs with 25 homers while hitting .308 for Pittsburgh in what was going to become a fantastic 19-season career.
He would go on to win two batting titles, back-to-back in 1977 and 1978, while also taking home the National League MVP Award in 1978, get named to seven All-Star teams, collect three Gold Gloves and Silver Slugger Awards, and also finish in his league’s top-5 in MVP another five time aside from his win.
“Cobra” would retire after the 1991 season with 339 homers, 154 stolen bases, 2712 hits, a .290 batting average, 526 doubles, 75 triples and 1493 runs batted in, with 10 seasons of 90 or more, yet never getting more than 24.5% support for his place in Cooperstown.
I have to call BS on that one. If Jim Rice, Orlando Cepeda, Ron Santo et al are in, this guy needs to be in!

MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS- 1979 SUB-SET

Moving on to the Most Valuable Players of the 1978 season, here’s the 1979 card reflecting the top players as voted by the BBWAA:

In the National League you had the (should be) Hall of Famer in my book, Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Dave Parker, who pun in a second straight batting title in 1978, along with 30 homers and 117 runs batted in, while also pacing the Senior Circuit in slugging and total bases.
The man was a beast, yet also stole a career-high 20 bases, which he would match in 1979, while also slapping a career-high 12 triples.
Really, there was nothing he couldn’t do when you also take into account his rifle of an arm in right field, which was put on display for all to see in the 1979 All-Star game.
By the time he retired, he put up similar numbers to his 1978 MVP cohort Jim Rice, though Rice finally got the support needed to get into Cooperstown years later.
Parker finished with 339 homers, two batting titles, an MVP, over 2700 hits, just under 1500 RBIs and a .290 batting average.
In the American League, we come to Jim Rice, who won the award over the New York Yankees Ron Guidry when he led the Junior Circuit in hits, triples, homers, runs batted in slugging and total bases.
He hit an incredible 15 triples while slamming 46 homers to go along with 25 doubles, making him one of the few players to top 400 total bases in the period between World War II and the “steroid era” with 406.
By the time Rice finished up his excellent MLB career, he hit 382 homers, batted .298 and collected 2452 hits along with 1451 RBIs.
Though it did take a while, as I stated earlier, he finally made the Hall on his 15th and final eligible year on the ballot, garnering 76.4% of the vote.
Two absolute thumpers at the plate and legitimate superstars for the era.

A DREAM ROOKIE CARD THAT NEVER WAS-WINFIELD, PARKER AND EVANS IN 1973

Every once in a while I have to create a hum-dinger of a stretch “Fantasy” card that never was, and this one fits the bill, a fantasy 1973 rookie card of Dave Winfield, Dave Parker and Dwight Evans:

One player went on to the Hall of Fame, and the other two can be argued to be part of that posse.
I for one STILL say Dave Parker is a Hall of Famer!
Nevertheless, we know Winfield and Parker would actually have their rookie cards the following year in the 1974 set.
Evans was the only player of the three to appear on a multi-player rookie card in ‘73, and I left his part “as-is” and added the other two on either side of him.
It’s been stated that Parker and Winfield changed the ballplayer prototype when they entered the league. Huge, slugging athletes who could also run and play stellar defense.
Evans of course took a little longer to come into his own, but when he did he became of the game’s best in the early to mid 80’s.
All three had awesome Major League careers, with Winfield leading the way and ending up in the Hall of Fame.
But again, look at what those other two did on the ball field and tell me without question that they don’t deserve to be there.
It’s a tough argument for sure...
Would have been an awesome card to be chasing as a kid, as well as these days as a “collector” (what it has come to mean in this day and age).

NICKNAMES OF THE '70'S #20: "COBRA" DAVE PARKER

Next up in my "Nicknames of the 70's" thread is that monster of a player of the era: Dave Parker, aka "Cobra".

Check out my card design:

I used the 1978 format since he was at the prime of his career, winning two batting titles (1977 & 1978), an M.V.P. that very year, and a World Championship the following year.

He's often fond of saying (and I totally agree) that he and Dave Winfield changed the "face" of the athletic "big guy" outfielders when they both came up in the middle of the decade.

An all-around super-star, Parker hit for average, for power, had a cannon for an arm, and would even steal some bases if needed.

By the time he retired after the 1991 season, a nice 19-year career, he posted over 2700 hits, 1200 runs scored, 500 doubles, almost 1500 runs batted in, 339 home runs and over 150 stolen bases!

He was a seven-time all-star who also finished in the top-10 in M.V.P. voting six times, with three Gold Gloves thrown in for good measure.

The fact that Dave Parker never garnered more than 24.5% of the BBWA Hall of Fame vote (1998) before becoming ineligible in 2011 is just criminal in my eyes.

This man should be in the Hall of Fame. Plain and simple!