CAREER-CAPPER: 1987 GEORGE FOSTER

Up on the blog today, we have my 1987 "Career-Capper" for former N.L. MVP George Foster, who wrapped up an excellent Major League career in 1986:

Foster split his final year in the Big Leagues between the New York Mets and Chicago White Sox, unfortunately for him missing out on the eventual World Championship at season's end.

Overall he hit .225 over 87 games, with 14 homers and 42 RBIs on 284 at-bats.

Back in 1969 Foster appeared in nine games for the San Francisco Giants, hitting a robust .400 with two hits in five at-bats, with both a run scored and an RBI.

It was his first taste of the Majors, and he would again appear in nine games during the 1970 season, hitting .316 with six hits over 19 at-bats, including his first double, triple and home run.

The 1971 season would bring him incredible fortune when he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Frank Duffy and Vern Geishert, part of the building process that would eventually lead to the juggernaut "Big Red Machine" two-time champion Reds teams of the mid-70s.

As for Foster’s career, all he would go on to do is give the Reds another big time bat along with Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Tony Perez, with Joe Morgan soon joining them in 1972, forming one of the all-time great line-ups the game has ever seen.
Between, Foster, Bench, Rose and Morgan, it would give the Reds five MVP seasons in the decade, just insane, with Foster having his career-year in 1977 when he slammed 52 homers along with 149 RBIs and 124 runs scored, all leading numbers in the National League.
He’d go on to play 18 years in the Big Leagues, finishing in the top-3 in MVP voting three times, while making five All-Star teams and retiring with 348 home runs, 1239 RBIs and just under 2000 hits with 1925.

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: GEORGE FOSTER

Today on the blog, we add one more player to my 1977 "N.L. Centennial" special sub-set, celebrating the league's 100th anniversary of 1976, this time the MVP Runner-Up for '76, George Foster:

Of course, we all know today that as the 1977 season unfolded, he would end up being the clear choice to take home the MVP Award this time, having perhaps the finest season in the Majors during the decade, hitting 52 home runs with 149 runs batted in, while collecting 197 hits, scoring 124 runs himself, and hitting .320.

Between, Foster, Johnny Bench, Pete Rose and Joe Morgan, it would give the Cincinnati Reds SIX MVP seasons in the decade, just insane.

He’d go on to play 18 years in the Big Leagues, finishing in the top-3 in MVP voting three times, while making five All-Star teams and retiring with 348 home runs, 1239 RBIs and just under 2000 hits with 1925.
Not a bad Major League tenure!

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: 1978 N.L. RUNS BATTED IN

On the blog today, we move on to the National League’s top three RBI men of the 1977 season, with an “expanded 1978 league leaders” card in my on-going thread:

 

Of course, when we talk about 1977 in the N.L. we usually begin with all-world Cincinnati Reds slugger George Foster, who took home an MVP Award that year for his incredible season that saw him lead the Majors with 149 RBIs along with his 52 homers, 124 runs scored and .631 slugging percentage while batting .320 on 197 hits.

The man was a force that season, following up on a brilliant 1976 campaign that saw him finish runner-up in the MVP chase to teammate Joe Morgan as they both helped the Reds to their second straight championship.

In second place with 130 RBIs, Philadelphia Phillies thumper Greg “The Bull” Luzinski, who had the misfortune of having his best MLB season in 1977, as he once again finished second in the MVP race to a Red, as he did in 1975 to Joe Morgan.

Luzinski hit 39 homers to go with those RBIs, scoring 99 runs while hitting .309 with 35 doubles and 329 total bases for the N.L. East champion Phils, his third season in a row topping .300.

Easily overshadowed by his N.L. counterparts, as well as his own teammate in Mike Schmidt, it’s easy to forget he was one of the most feared sluggers of his era.

In third place with 115 RBIs, Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star first baseman Steve Garvey, who had the “usual” season fans grew accustomed to from their first sacker.

Garvey hit a career-best 33 homers that season, with 192 hits, 91 runs scored and a .297 batting average, smack in the middle of an incredible seven-year run that saw him reach 200 hits six times, top .300 six times, 100 RBIs five times and 20 homers five times.

The man was THE N.L. first baseman for my generation, and the fact that he is not in the Hall is amazing to me, new baseball metrics be damned.

There we have the top RBI men of 1977, celebrated on an “expanded” league leader card as part of a very fun thread for the blog!

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1978 N.L. HOME RUNS

On the blog today, we move on to a 1978 "expanded league leaders" card celebrating the National League's top three home run hitters of 1977, and it's a doozy:

 

Of course we begin with Mr. All-World for 1977, George Foster of the Cincinnati reds, who had himself an MVP year by breaking the 50-home run barrier with 52 bombs, the first time a player reached that milestone since Willie Mays in 1965.

Foster's 1977 season was more than just home runs however, evidenced by his .320 batting average and 197 hits, as well as his league-leading 120 runs scored, 149 runs batted in and 388 total bases.

The man was incredible, taking home his MVP Award a year after finishing in second place behind teammate Joe Morgan in 1976.

He would also add a league-leading 40 homers the following year, while also leading the league in RBIs for a third year in a row with 120, finishing in sixth place for the MVP.

The next two players in the N.L. home run race in 1977 both had the misfortune of having their best Big League seasons the same year Foster took the MLB world by storm, though both players did put together excellent careers.

In second place with a career-best 41 homers, Atlanta Braves slugger Jeff Burroughs, the A.L. MVP just three years earlier.

In 1977 Burroughs gave Braves fans something to cheer about in his first season there, adding 114 RBIs, 91 runs scored and a .271 average to go along with with his 41 homers.

The 91 runs scored were a career-best as well, while the 114 RBIs were four short of his league-leading 1974 total of 118 while with the Texas Rangers.

In third place with 39 bombs, also a career-best, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Greg Luzinski, "The Bull", who has quite a run in the mid-70's.

Luzinski was an absolute BEAST in 1977, driving in 130 runs to go along with his 39 homers, while hitting .309 and scoring 99 himself for the N.L. East champ Phillies, finishing in second place for league MVP for the second time in three years.

It was the third year in a row that he hit .300 or better, which many easily forget about, thinking of him strictly as a power guy along with his teammate Mike Schmidt.

Three top-notch sluggers in the prime of their careers, on one "expanded" league leader card for you to enjoy!

EXPANDED LEAGUE-LEADERS: 1977 N.L. RBIs

Up on the blog today, we proceed in my on-going “expanded league-leaders” thread to the top three RBI men of the National league for 1976, on a 1977 imagined card:

 

 

Of course, we begin with Cincinnati Reds slugger George Foster, who put it all together for his first of three straight RBI crowns, leading the league with 121 in 1976.

Foster would put together three straight MVP caliber seasons between 1976 and 1978, actually taking home the award in 1977 after the greatest offensive season of the decade with his 124 runs, 149 RBIs and 52 homers, all leading marks for the N.L., while also hitting .320 with 197 hits for the Reds.

In 1978 he led the league in homers and RBIs again, with 40 and 120 respectively, giving him a sixth place finish in the MVP race by season’s end after his win in 1977 and a second place finish in 1976.

Behind him with 111 RBIs in 1976, none other than Foster’s MVP teammate Joe Morgan, who was also in the midst of an incredible run, leading the league with a .444 on-base-percentage and .576 slugging percentage for the World Champion Reds, while also stealing 60 bases and scoring 113 runs, second in the league only to another teammate, Pete Rose, who scored 130 himself.

In third place with 107 RBIs is Philadelphia Phillies Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt, who led the league with 38 homers, his third straight home run title, while also scoring 112 runs and swiping 14 bases for the N.L. East champs.

Great expanded card to create showing three of the major thumpers of the National League for the 1970’s, all MVP worthy, comprising an eventual six MVPs between them!

Hope you enjoy the “card”!

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION- 1970 GEORGE FOSTER

Really fun card to add to the blog today, a "not so missing" 1970 card for former N.L. MVP George Foster, who began his career with the San Francisco Giants:

 

Foster appeared in nine games for the Giants in 1969, hitting a robust .400 with two hits in five at-bats, with both a run scored and an RBI.

It was his first taste of the Majors, and he would again appear in nine games during the 1970 season, hitting .316 with six hits over 19 at-bats, including his first double, triple and home run.

The 1971 season would bring him incredible fortune when he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Frank Duffy and Vern Geishert, part of the building process that would eventually lead to the juggernaut "Big Red Machine" two-time champion Reds teams of the mid-70s.

As for Foster’s career, all he would go on to do is give the Reds another big time bat along with Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Tony Perez, with Joe Morgan soon joining them in 1972, forming one of the all-time great line-ups the game has ever seen.
Between, Foster, Bench, Rose and Morgan, it would give the Reds five MVP seasons in the decade, just insane, with Foster having his career-year in 1977 when he slammed 52 homers along with 149 RBIs and 124 runs scored, all leading numbers in the National League.
He’d go on to play 18 years in the Big Leagues, finishing in the top-3 in MVP voting three times, while making five All-Star teams and retiring with 348 home runs, 1239 RBIs and just under 2000 hits with 1925.

1978 SPECIAL SUB-SET- "1977 30-HOME RUN CLUB"

Fun new thread I'm starting today, as I have always been a fan of the 1977 Topps Football set with their "1000 Yard Rusher" designation, so Id decided to create a similar set for the 1978 baseball set, celebrating the 1977 baseball season and it's home run boom of sorts, beginning with the MLB leader, George Foster:

As a kid I remember Baseball Digest running a small article about the 1977 season and how it had a home run explosion, from George Foster becoming the first Big League batter to reach 50+ homers since Willie Mays in 1965, to the Chicago White Sox "South Side Hitmen" team with Richie Zisk, Oscar Gamble et all almost reaching 200 homers (when that was actually something special).

And let's not forget the Boston Red Sox, who slammed a very impressive 213 home runs that year, let by American League leader Jim Rice who hit 39, followed by first baseman George Scott's 33 and third baseman Butch Hobson's 30.

It always stuck with me so I though creating a sub-set of the 19 players who hit 30 or more homers that year would be fun!

George Foster demolished the league’s pitching in 1977 by leading in runs (124), home runs (52), runs batted in (149), slugging (.631) and total bases (388) while also collecting 197 hits and posting a .320 batting average.
The man was an absolute beast! So much so that it actually makes people forget he was runner up to the league’s MVP Award the previous season, losing out to teammate Joe Morgan.

Nevertheless, Foster's amazing 1977 sadly overshadowed a man who had the year of his career that very same season, Jeff Burroughs, who hit a career-best 41 for the Atlanta Braves, but is somewhat forgotten in light of perhaps the season of the decade as far as power hitters go in the 1970s.

So watch for my Jeff Burroughs "30 Home Run Club" card in the next week or so as we go back and celebrate the power-year that was 1977!

 

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1978 GEORGE FOSTER WORTHY OF HIS MONSTER MVP SEASON

As many of you around my age can attest to, George Foster’s 1977 is the stuff of legend.
His incredible year for the Cincinnati Reds got him a National League MVP Award, and for good reason, as the man became the first player since Willie Mays in 1965 to hit 50+ homers, along with 124 runs scored and 149 RBIs, also league-topping numbers.
So when the 1978 Topps card of the man came out, I was a bit underwhelmed, as I was expecting the glorious type card like a 1977 Dave Kingman, Rusty Staub, or perhaps the 1976 Johnny Bench or Carl Yastrzemski.
You know, something that went “BOOM”!
Anyway, I’m not trying to say I matched those glorious cards here, but I think I did better than the original, so here goes:

George Foster demolished the league’s pitching in 1977 by leading in runs (124), home runs (52), runs batted in (149), slugging (.631) and total bases (388) while also collecting 197 hits and posting a .320 batting average.
The man was an absolute beast! So much so that it actually makes people forget he was runner up to the league’s MVP Award the previous season, losing out to teammate Joe Morgan.
I think a card showing him smashing a ball at the plate works a little better don’t you?
He’d go on to play 18 years in the Big Leagues, finishing in the top-3 in MVP voting three times, while making five All-Star teams and retiring with 348 home runs, 1239 RBIs and just under 2000 hits with 1925.
Not a bad Major League tenure!

 

TRADED- 1971 GEORGE FOSTER

Here was a fun card to create, a 1971 “Traded” card for future National League MVP George Foster, who was shipped to the Cincinnati Reds on May 29th of 1971, adding yet another key component of the “Big Red Machine”:

I found this great shot of Foster leading off first base with none other than Cubs legend Ernie Banks holding him on, making for a really fun card!
As for Foster’s career, all he would go on to do is give the Reds another big time bat along with Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Tony Perez, with Joe Morgan soon joining them in 1972, forming the eventual two-time World Champion “Big Red Machine” dynasty of the mid-70’s.
Between, Foster, Bench, Rose and Morgan, it would give the Reds five MVP seasons in the decade, just insane, with Foster having his career-year in 1977 when he slammed 52 homers along with 149 RBIs and 124 runs scored, all leading numbers in the National League.
He’d go on to play 18 years in the Big Leagues, finishing in the top-3 in MVP voting three times, while making five All-Star teams and retiring with 348 home runs, 1239 RBIs and just under 2000 hits with 1925.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS- 1978 SUB-SET

The next post in my “Awards” sub-sets through the 1970’s is a power-house of an MVP class, George Foster and Rod Carew, who both put together two of the great seasons of the decade in 1977 to take home their respective league awards:

In the National League, all you had was the Cincinnati Reds’ George Foster demolish the league’s pitching by leading in runs (124), home runs (52), runs batted in (149), slugging (.631) and total bases (388) while also collecting 197 hits and posting a .320 batting average.
The man was an absolute beast! So much so that it actually makes people forget he was runner up to the league’s MVP Award the previous season, losing out to teammate Joe Morgan.
In the American League, Rod Carew won his sixth batting title in supreme fashion, flirting with the magical .400 mark, ending up at .388 with a whopping 239 hits while also leading the league with 128 runs scored, a .449 on-base-percentage and 16 triples.
On top of all that he also drove in 100 runs, the only time he’d do so in his Hall of Fame career, while matching a career-high 14 home runs, not a small feat considering he won the batting title in 1972 while not hitting a single-round tripper.
He’d go on to win his seventh, and final batting title the following season, before heading out West to the California Angels where he’d play the final seven seasons of his 19-year career.
A fun card to produce because of such legendary years by these two all-stars!

DEDICATED ROOKIE- 1971 GEORGE FOSTER

Time to go and give former National league Most Valuable Player George Foster a “Dedicated Rookie” card in the 1971 Topps set, a set that saw him on a multi-player rookie card:

Foster had a few call-ups with the Giants before they traded him to the Reds and help set a course of baseball history that we remember as the “Big Red Machine” Cincinnati Reds.
It turned out to be one whopper of a trade for the Reds, as they gave up Frank Duffy and Vern Geishert to get a guy who’d go on to slam 20+ homers in a season seven times, including his monster season of 1977 when he hit 52, becoming the first player since Willie Mays in 1965 to do so.
As a matter of fact between 1966 and 1989 Foster’s 52 homers were the only time a player reached that number.
For his efforts in 1977 with those taters, his .320 batting average, and league-leading 124 runs scored and 149 runs batted in, he took home the MVP and was voted as a starter for the all-star team.
He would lead the league in homers again in 1978 with 40, along with RBI’s with 120 (his third year in a row doing so), and go on to start in three more all-star teams before becoming the first $2 million dollar man in baseball when he signed with the New York Mets before the 1982 season.
By the time he retired at the end of the 1986 after 15 games with the Chicago White Sox, he finished with 348 homers, 1239 runs batted in and 986 runs scored along with a .274 average and just under 2000 hits with 1925.

POST #600!! SO LET'S LOOK AT THE 600'S OF THE DECADE!

Well, another hundred posts have gone by and I find myself at #600 for the blog!

Thank you all for reading this far. It's been a blast and I hope to keep it going for a long while!

So let's dive right in and check out cards numbered "600" through the decade of the 1970's…

1970 Willie Mays

 

 

Was never a fan of this card. The boring 1970 template paired up with a boring photo of the "Say Hey Kid" has always made this one of my least favorite Willie Mays cards.

What a shame, but then again the 1970 was a bit on the boring side anyway.

Nevertheless, it's Willie Mays, beyond super-star, beyond legend…

1971 Willie Mays

 

 

Well what do you know, two years in a row for Mays!

Nice card of the future Hall of Fame star at the tail end of his career.

The 1971 black-bordered template has always been one of my favorites!

Love this card!

1972 Al Kaline

 

 

Great card of the Tigers great!

What a set, and what a nice colorful slab of cardboard showing perhaps the most popular Detroit Tiger player ever!

1973 Dave McNally

 

 

The Baltimore star pitcher in the prime of his career. One of the anchors of that Baltimore pitching staff also featuring Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar, etc.

184 lifetime wins, 3.24 E.R.A., and a .607 winning percentage, and the winner of 20+ four years in a row between 1968 and 1971.

1974 Rookie Outfielders (Bill Madlock)

 

 

If not for Madlock, a forgettable card if there ever was one.

But hey, you have a future four-time batting champ, so it's a keeper for sure!

I'll be designing a "dedicated rookie card" for Madlock in the near future, so keep an eye out for it!

1975 Rod Carew

 

 

Great card of the perennial batting champ and future 3000-hit club member!

In the prime of his career, 1975 would be his fourth batting championship in a row, sixth of his career.

For good measure he'd go on to tack on two more in 1977 and 1978.

Another future Hall of Fame star on a beautiful piece of cardboard!

1976 Tom Seaver

 

 

I have always loved this card. I don't know why since it doesn't have a great action shot, but I've always been a fan of the 1976 set design, and it's "Tom Terrific" in the prime of his career.

Another future Hall of Fame player, winner of 311 games, and over 3600 career strikeouts.

One of those "legends beyond legends"! I was lucky enough to be at his 300th win at Yankee Stadium (Phil Rizzuto Day) in 1985. Will never forget it!

1977 Jim Palmer

 

 

Great card of the Orioles Hall of Fame hurler!

Beautiful action shot on the clean 1977 design.

Palmer was just incredible that decade! Eight-times a 20+ game winner, sub-3.00 earned run average, and six-time all-star in the '70's.

The best pitcher in the American League for the decade.

1978 Frank Tanana

 

 

A pitcher with a very bright future until injuries curtailed his career.

Great set and nice card for the Angels flame-thrower.

Even with his injuries he went on to win 240 games with 2773 strikeouts and 34 shutouts over 21 seasons.

Very underrated career!

1979 George Foster

 

 

I have always hated this card! I'm sorry, but the "blank" batting helmet Foster is wearing just annoys the heck out of me!

The reigning home run champ in the National league, former Most valuable Player in 1977, member of the "Big Red Machine", and yet the card reeks of "unauthorized" garbage!

Ugh. Lousy way to wrap up the decade and cards numbered 600.

But a nice collection nevertheless!

Six out of ten cards bearing future Hall of Famers isn't bad, right!?

Now onto 700!!!

#500 FOR THE BLOG!

So I've reached my 500th post for the blog, and I thank you all for reading so far!

As I've done with 100, 200, 300 and 400, let's go ahead and look at each card numbered 500 throughout the 1970's, shall we?

1970: Hank Aaron

Ugh.

As I profiled (and redesigned) this card months ago, you all know how I feel about it.

What a boring photo of "Hammerin' hank"!

Uninspired and even oddly voyeuristic, like we caught him doing something he's not pleased about. Just odd.

But hey, it's Hank Aaron, and that alone keeps this a classic for the ages.

1971: Jim Perry

I like this card because it catches Perry at the height of his career, coming off a Cy Young Award win in 1970.

The Perry household must have been incredible around this time, with Jim taking home the hardware, and brother Gaylord finishing second over in the National League.

Mom and Dad must have been proud!

And man I do love those 1971 Topps cards. Just a beautiful set.

1972: Joe Torre

Another card catching a player at the peak of his career.

Recent Hall of Famer (and fellow Bensonhurst/Dyker Heights native) Joe Torre smiling up a storm after collecting an M.V.P. Award for his tremendous 1971 season in St. Louis.

Besides his solid playing career (somewhat underrated if you ask me), his LONG managerial career eventually got him to Cooperstown, and I'm sure that smile on his '72 Topps card would truly be ear-to-ear if he knew then where his baseball resume would get him come 2014.

1973: A's team card

Now, my first reaction was, "boring, a freaking team card!".

However, when you really take a look at the photo, it's just a perfect 1970's baseball time capsule!

The shaggy players, the technicolor sports coats, and the fact that it depicts the three-time World Champs with guys like Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers, all now members of the Hall of Fame.

It really becomes clear quickly that this is indeed a special card! Love it!

1974: Lee May

Easy to forget how good a player May was throughout his career.

The man was downright thumping the baseball during a weak offensive era in the game's history.

The choice of photo Topps went with is a bit lame, but it does show the dude's quite "substantial" size as one of the games underrated sluggers.

2000 hits, 350+ homers, 1200+ runs batted in…not too shabby for the "Big Bopper"!

1975: Nolan Ryan

Well, what can you say?

Classic card set, classic player, nice photo.

I love this card.

The "Ryan Express" at the height of his career, tearing through line-ups and smashing records.

And who would even imagine that when this card came out, Ryan would STILL pitch for almost another 20 years!

Just incredible.

And every time I see a 1975 or 1976 baseball card, I can STILL get that little tingle of excitement, just like I did so many years before!

1976: Reggie Jackson

Just pure CLASSIC baseball card right there!

One of my all time favorite cards.

Here we have a beautiful card set design, with a fantastic photo of one of the game's most popular players, and that brilliant "All-Star" designation for all to see!

What a card, what a player, what a set!

1976 all the way for me my friends. Easily my favorite set of all time. 

Just perfect…

1977: Dave Kingman

Another one of my all-time favorite cards!

Great photo of "Kong" watching another of his famous blasts leaving the stadium, with all that blue throughout the card, and that "All-Star" banner running across the bottom.

I always thought those Mets cards from the 1976 and 1977 sets looked so good because of the blue color scheme. And you throw in a blue all-star banner along the bottom, and "bam!", just a great card!

1978: George Foster

I wish Topps would have had a better photo of Foster for this card.

The man does NOT look like a guy sitting on top of the baseball world here!

Fresh off his monster 1977 M.V.P. year, Foster should be positively BEAMING after slugging 52 home runs and nearly driving in 150 for the Reds.

It's a shame since the 1978 set is another of my favorite sets, but this card leaves a lot to be desired.

I may have to redesign this card in the near future.

1979: Ron Guidry

Funny story…I remember pulling my first 1979 Ron Guidry card out of a pack back then as a ten year old rabid Yankee fan, and was CRUSHED to see that he didn't have an All-Star banner running across the card!

This was before I learned that Topps didn't just go and pick all-stars based on their seasons, but based on who started the previous all-star game.

So I thought it was a terrible injustice to "Louisiana Lightning". I was already pissed that Guidry was ripped off an M.V.P. (sorry Jim Rice!), so seeing that "all-star" was missing bothered me to no end.

Well, I've calmed down a bit years later (but NOT about the Most Valuable Player Award!), and have come to appreciate the card for what it is.

Not the best action shot of the Yankee ace, but a nice photo nevertheless…

So there you have it...

All cards numbered 500 through that awesome decade of the 1970's!

Hopefully this blog will keep on rolling to all the cards numbered 600, as well as 700!

After that, we'll just get creative and see where we end up…

Thanks for the support so far!

"HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 1970'S" #8: GEORGE FOSTER AND HIS 50+ HOMERS IN 1977

If you're someone who grew up in the late-70's/early-80's like me and followed baseball somewhat seriously, you always came back to George Fosters 50-homer season of 1977 from time to time since he was the only guy to achieve such a feat in your lifetime.

52 homers in 1977. It was just awesome, and to many younger fans out there who may not believe it, it really seemed for a while that no one would hit 50+ homers again since we had home run leaders consistently in the high 30's in the early-80's.

When the 1978 set came out my friends and I were shocked when there wasn't some sort of "highlight" card for Foster's power display.

Well, 26 years later, here's one I designed:

Just imagine it: Foster's 52 home run season was the only 50+ homer season between Willie May's 52 homers in 1965 and Cecil Fielder's 1990 total of 51.

ONE player in 25 years managed to top 50 homers in the Major Leagues.

What a season Foster had for the Cincinnati Reds that year!

Following M.V.P. years in the decade by teammates Johnny Bench (70,72), Pete Rose (73) and Joe Morgan (75,76), Foster came up HUGE, slamming those 52 home runs while also hitting for average at a .320 clip, with 197 hits, a league-leading 124 runs scored and a whopping 149 runs batted in.

Those numbers made him the sixth Red's M.V.P. In the '70's, and pushed Foster to the top of the heap after finishing second in voting the previous year.

For a while there he was an R.B.I. machine, driving in 90+ every year but one between 1976 and 1983.

His 1981 season is often overlooked, as he drove in 90 runs, just one off the league lead (Mike Schmidt had 91) in only 108 games, along with 22 homers, good for third in the league.

The following year he signed with the Mets as a free agent, becoming the first $2 million a year player in Big League history.

It wasn't until Kirby Puckett in 1989 that we would see a $3 million dollar a year player (followed about a week later by Rickey henderson actually).

His four+ years with the Mets were decent, but he never had that "all-star" year the folks at Shea were hoping for, and he did catch some grief for it.

Nevertheless he had a decent 18-year career overall, finishing with just under 2000 hits, 348 homers and 1239 runs batted in with a .274 batting average.

Throw in five all-star selections, an M.V.P., and a solid cog in the "Big Red Machine" Reds of the mid-70's and he certainly left his mark on the game for the era.

If you're liking this "highlights" thread on my blog, keep an eye out for the next one, which shines a light on Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, who both reached 3000 hits during 1970, leading to a 1971 card I designed celebrating the two.