1963 FLEER EXTENSION MISSING IN ACTION: FELIPE ALOU

Today on the blog we have a "missing" 1963 Fleer card for baseball lifer Felipe Alou, which also happens to be part of my latest WTHBALLS custom set:

During his career he'd top the National League in hits twice, runs once and total bases once.

His finest year would have to be 1966, when he led the N.L. in runs with 122, hits with 218, at-bats with 666, total bases with 355, while hitting 31 home runs, driving in 74 and batting a cool .327.

He'd end up fifth in MVP voting, and was named to his third all-star team.

After his playing days were over he'd coach and eventually manage in the Major Leagues, leading both the Expos and Giants to first place finishes (1994 and 2003 respectively) during his 14 years as a skipper.

Of course it's also worth mentioning that Alou comes from an incredible baseball family, as brothers Jesus and Matty, son Moises, cousin Jose Sosa and nephew Mel Rojas all got to play in the Big Leagues as well.

As a matter of fact, Felipe got to play with both his brothers, AND even go on to manage his son and nephew later on.

Pretty cool…

 

REVISITING A POST FROM 2015: "THEN AND NOW" 1974 FELIPE ALOU

Thought I'd revisit a 10-year old post celebrating the playing career of Felipe Alou, elite hitter who went on to a very nice managerial career in the Big Leagues:

By 1974 Alou was wrapping up a very nice 17-year career that saw him top 2000 hits, 200 home runs and 100 stolen bases.

He'd only play three games in '74, with the Milwaukee Brewers, but I have him shown here as an Expos player, the team he was suited up for on his regular Topps card in the set. (Ignoring the awful Traded card as a Brewer he was airbrushed into).

During his career he'd top the National League in hits twice, runs once and total bases once.

His finest year would have to be 1966, when he led the N.L. in runs with 122, hits with 218, at-bats with 666, total bases with 355, while hitting 31 home runs, driving in 74 and batting a cool .327.

He'd end up fifth in MVP voting, and was named to his third all-star team.

After his playing days were over he'd coach and eventually manage in the Major Leagues, leading both the Expos and Giants to first place finishes (1994 and 2003 respectively) during his 14 years as a skipper.

Of course it's also worth mentioning that Alou comes from an incredible baseball family, as brothers Jesus and Matty, son Moises, cousin Jose Sosa and nephew Mel Rojas all got to play in the Big Leagues as well.

As a matter of fact, Felipe got to play with both his brothers, AND even go on to manage his son and nephew later on.

Pretty cool…

 

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1970 FELIPE ALOU

Today on the blog, I have a do-over for Felipe Alou and his 1970 Topps card, this time showing him with the team he suited up for the previous year, the Atlanta Braves, over the non-descript Oakland A's version Topps had out there way back when:

For those that need a refresher on what the original looked like, here you go:

Felipe would hit wherever he played, hitting .282 for Atlanta before heading West, where he would hit .271 for the A's in his only full season there.

The 35-year old was winding down an excellent 17-year Major League career that saw him make three All-Star games, top the National League in hits twice with 218 in 1966 and 210 in 1968, runs with 122 in ‘66 and total bases with 355 that same season.
By the time he retired after a few games with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1974 he finished with 2101 hits and 206 homers with 985 runs scored and 852 RBIs, with a very nice .286 batting average.
Of course we all also remember him going on to becoming a Major League manager, leading the Montreal Expos from 1992 to 2001 before taking over the San Francisco Giants in 2003, managing them until 2006, while also being a part of that baseball family that included brother Matty and Jesus, son Moises, cousin Jose Sosa and nephew Mel Rojas.
Just amazing.

TRADED- 1971 FELIPE ALOU

Time to add to my “Traded” series through the 1970’s with a 1971 edition for former All-Star Felipe Alou, who found himself with the New York Yankees just after the season started after a trade from the Oakland A’s for Rob Gardner and Ron Klimkowski:

Alou did not disappoint, hitting .289 for the Yanks the rest of the way driving in 69 runs while playing the outfield with some first base thrown in.
The 36-year old was winding down an excellent 17-year Major League career that saw him make three All-Star games, top the National League in hits twice with 218 in 1966 and 210 in 1968, runs with 122 in ‘66 and total bases with 355 that same season.
By the time he retired after a few games with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1974 he finished with 2101 hits and 206 homers with 985 runs scored and 852 RBIs, with a very nice .286 batting average.
Of course we all also remember him going on to becoming a Major League manager, leading the Montreal Expos from 1992 to 2001 before taking over the San Francisco Giants in 2003, managing them until 2006, while also being a part of that baseball family that included brother Matty and Jesus, son Moises, cousin Jose Sosa and nephew Mel Rojas.
Just amazing.

A CAREER-CAPPING 1975 CARD FOR BASEBALL LIFER FELIPE ALOU

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Be safe, eat, drink, watch some football and nap (always works for me!).
Let’s cap-off the brilliant Major League playing career of Felipe Alou, who would go on to also have a brilliant managerial MLB career later on, giving us a true baseball “lifer”:

Alou would only appear in three games with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1974, playing one game at right field while pinch-hitting as well.
It would be the finale of an excellent career that saw him bat .286 over 17-seasons, leading the National League in hits twice while collecting over 2000 hits and 200 home runs in 2082 games.
He would also get to play MLB ball alongside his two brothers, Matty and Jesus, while also seeing his cousins Jose Sosa pitch, and eventually seeing his son Moises become an all-star player himself, while having his nephew Mel Rojas pitch in relief! Incredible baseball family tree hardly seen before or since!
During the height of his playing career, with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves in the 1960’s, Alou topped 20 homers four times, topping .300 three times, and also led the league in total bases in 1966 with 355 when he topped 30 homers for the only time in his career.
As stated earlier, he would eventually move on to an excellent managerial career in 1992, managing the Montreal Expos for ten seasons through 2001, including the heart-breaking 1994 season when the team was steam-rolling through the Summer before the baseball strike killed the organization.
He would move on to the San Francisco Giants in 2003, leading them to a 100-win season and first place finish in the National League West, and guide them through the next three seasons before leaving the managing life after 2006.
A great baseball figure from an incredible baseball family!

BASEBALL BROTHERS- THE ALOUS: FELIPE, MATTY AND JESUS

It wasn’t too long ago that I came across this photo of the Alou Brothers, sparking the idea in my head of a “Baseball Brothers” thread for the decade, so I used it to create a 1974 card of the trio:

Granted, it would have been a tough one for Topps to have this card in the 1974 set to represent the “correct” teams they played for at the start of the year.
However, it was such a nice shot I figured it would do for the set.
What a brother-trifecta, no?
You have Felipe, who not only put in an all-star 17-year career with a couple of 200+ hit seasons along with some “pop” as evidenced by his 206 career homers, but then went on to have a very nice managerial career.
Then you have Matty, who took home a National league batting title in 1966 with a .342 mark, but also put in two 200+ hit seasons, finishing his 15-year career with a .307 batting average along with four straight seasons of .330+ averages between 1966-1969.
Then you have “little” brother Jesus, who also put in a 15-year career and ended up with a very nice .280 career batting average between 1963 and 1979.
Pretty amazing when you think about the fact that each had such a long career in the Majors, 47 years worth of playing time!

THEN AND NOW #38: FELIPE ALOU 1974

Today I offer up a "Then and Now" 1974 card for former star player and manager, and baseball "family man" Felipe Alou.

Check out my design:

By 1974 Alou was wrapping up a very nice 17-year career that saw him top 2000 hits, 200 home runs and 100 stolen bases.

He'd only play three games in '74, with the Milwaukee Brewers, but I have him shown here as an Expos player, the team he was suited up for on his regular Topps card in the set. (Ignoring the awful Traded card as a Brewer he was airbrushed into).

During his career he'd top the National league in hits twice, runs once and total bases once.

His finest year would have to be 1966, when he led the N.L. in runs with 122, hits with 218, at-bats with 666, total bases with 355, while hitting 31 home runs, driving in 74 and batting a cool .327.

He'd end up fifth in MVP voting, and was named to his third all-star team.

After his playing days were over he'd coach and eventually manage in the Major Leagues, leading both the Expos and Giants to first place finishes (1994 and 2003 respectively) during his 14 years as a skipper.

Of course it's also worth mentioning that Alou comes from an incredible baseball family, as brothers Jesus and Matty, son Moises, cousin Jose Sosa and nephew Mel Rojas all got to play in the Big Leagues as well.

As a matter of fact, Felipe got to play with both his brothers, AND even go on to manage his son and nephew later on.

Pretty cool…