GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1975 JOSE CRUZ

Good day everyone.

On the blog today, a card I've been meaning to "do-over" for years, a 1975 redo for Jose Cruz, showing him with the team he suited up with in 1974, the St. Louis Cardinals:

Now if you don't remember the card originally out there in packs that Spring of 1975 for Cruz, please look at this airbrushed gem:

Absolutely hilarious!

That Houston Astros logo is about the largest logo I've ever seen on a cap!

In late October of 1974 Jose Cruz was purchased by Houston from St. Louis, where he played from 1970-1974.
He never really got to play full-time with the Cardinals, but that changed in a hurry when he suited up for the Astros.
He immediately became a popular player, going on to play 13 solid seasons for them in the outfield and finishing in the top-10 in M.V.P. voting three times in the process.
Actually, Cruz can be the quietest 2000+ hits guy from the 1970's and '80's. He finished with 2251 hits, 165 home runs and 317 stolen bases while collecting two Silver Slugger awards over a 19-year career. Not bad at all.

 

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1972 GEORGE HENDRICK

Up on the blog today we have a do-over for George Hendrick and his classic 1972 rookie card, which originally had a black and white image colorized:

Redone version

Here's the original as-issued if you don't remember:

As-issued by Topps

I remember I found this card at a flea market in Brooklyn, where you went through boxes of cards this guy had on these fold-out tables. It was $1.00 for 22 cards! This was around 1981. I walked away with about 400 cards, and had to explain to my dad why I was carrying this big box when I went back to meet him after wandering around the market wondering where I was. I also remember how pissed he was that I managed to spend $20, all of my money, on something as ridiculous as "old cards". 

Hendrick would go on to play through the 1988 campaign, finishing up with 267 homers, 1111 RBIs, a .278 batting average and 1980 hits in 2048 games and 7129 at-bats.

He was an important cog in the Cardinals '80s machine that would net a World Championship in 1982, while taking home two Silver Slugger Awards and making two All-Star teams.

Apparently his nickname was “Silent George”, though I do not remember that, but perhaps I need to whip up a “nickname of the 1970’s” card for him as well!

 

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1977 OTTO VELEZ

Good day all!

On the blog today, just for the fun of it, a re-do for Otto Velez and his 1977 card, which originally had him airbrushed into a Toronto Blue Jays uni by Topps way back when:

Here I have him suited up and shown as a New York Yankee, for whom he played in 1976.

After playing for the New York Yankees in parts of four seasons between 1973 and 1976, he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in their inaugural expansion draft before the 1977 campaign.

He was the 53rd pick in the 1976 expansion draft, and would have a decent year for the Jays in 1977 when he batted .256 with 16 homers and 62 runs batted in.
He would stay with the team for the next five seasons, hitting as many as 20 homers (1980) as well as matching his 1977 RBI total that very same year.

In 1983 he would find himself with the Cleveland Indians, where he would play what turned out to be the final 10 games of his career, hitting only .080 with two hits over 25 at-bats, with a run scored and an RBI.

Velez would put 11 years in the Major Leagues, batting .251 with 78 homers and 272 runs batted in, while collecting 452 hits in 1802 at-bats over 637 games.

 

GIMMIE A DO-OVER OF ONE OF MY OWN: 1975 DAMASO BLANCO

Since I found a better image for Damaso Blanco of the San Francisco Giants over what I originally used, I went ahead a recreated the "missing" card originally on the blog back in 2019, so here it is:

Closing out what was a three-year Big League career that saw him hit .212 over 72 games and 33 at-bats, with seven hits and nine runs scored between 1972 and 1974, all for the Giants.
A career Minor Leaguer, he originally became a pro back in 1961 at the age of 19 before toiling through the Giants system until his big break in 1972 at the age of 30.
His career was played entirely for the San Francisco organization, with only those three partial years in the Majors mentioned above, totaling 14 years as a professional.

 

SPECIAL REQUEST: GIMMIE A DO-OVER 1974 REGGIE SMITH

By special request today, let us go ahead and re-do Reggie Smith's 1974 card, from an airbrushed original showing him as a St. Louis Cardinal player for the upcoming season, to one last card of him with the Boston Red Sox, for whom he suited up in 1973:

Smith now found himself as a Cardinal after a very nice run in Boston between 1966 and 1973.
During that run he finished second in Rookie of the Year, was an all-star twice, led the league in doubles twice, and led the league in total bases in 1971.
It's easy (and sad) to forget just what a nice career "the other Reggie" put together through the decade.
His first year with the Cardinals was indeed a good one, as Smith would not disappoint by hitting 23 homers with 100 runs batted in, while scoring 79 runs and hitting a robust .309, good enough for an 11th-place finish in the MVP race.
Not only was he a legitimate home run threat (finishing his career with 314), but he hit .300 or better seven times during his run, and even managed to swipe 137 bases as a Major League player.
He'd finish his career with over 1000 runs scored, 1000 runs batted in, 300 homers and 2000 hits.
And let's not forget that he was one of those FOUR Dodger sluggers in 1977 to become the first set of quadruple 30+ homers hitters during the same season.
Definitely an under-appreciated player from the era!

 

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1975 RUDY MAY

On the blog today, a long overdue redo for Rudy May and his 1975 card, since he put in about half a season with them in 1974 yet Topps had a hilarious airbrushed card for him the following year:

For those who don't remember the original, oh please, allow me:

 

Ha! Just LOOK at that "NY" on his cap!

Wow. Not even close! That "N" is actually hilarious to look at!

May made his Major League debut in 1965 as a 20-year-old, appearing in 30 games and tossing 124 innings, certainly good enough for a card in the 1966 set.

He posted a record of 4-9 with a 3.92 earned run average, striking out 76 batters while throwing a shutout.

All told, he posted a 152-159 career record, with a 3.46 earned run average, 24 shutouts, 12 saves and 1760 strikeouts between 1965 and 1983.

His finest year was easily 1980, when he led the American League in E.R.A. with a nice 2.46 mark, WHIP at 1.044 and strikeouts-to-walks with a 3.41 number as a member of the New York Yankees.

 

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1972 NOLAN RYAN

I never realized that I failed to post here on the blog the 1972 "do-over" Nolan Ryan card I had printed up for one of my recent "Series" sets from about a year ago, that of him with a New York Mets version:

I thought it'd be fun to have a Mets version, followed by a late-series "Traded" version which I also included in the set.

As we all know, Ryan was traded to the Angels along with three other players for Jim Fregosi, star shortstop.
And as we ALSO know, this goes down as one of the worst trades in baseball history, as Ryan IMMEDIATELY became THE fire-balling pitcher of his day.
I know I don't have to state the obvious here, but we're talking: 300+ wins, 5000+ strikeouts, seven no-hitters, 11 strikeout titles with six of them being 300+ seasons, two E.R.A. crowns and an almost unanimous Hall of Fame induction.
You can see why people can forget that Fregosi was a legitimate star the Mets were trading for, while Ryan was still trying to prove himself on the Major League level.
I got to see Ryan pitch a few times before he hung them up, and he was STILL throwing high-heat (with a loud GRUNT with every delivery) well into his LATE-40's!
It was truly something to behold...

 

A REDO OF ONE OF MY OWN: 1970 DON DRYSDALE CAREER CAPPER

On the blog today, I never realized that I forgot to post here my redone 1970 Career Capper for "Double-D" Don Drysdale, for my Series 11 set released back in October of 2022:

This image made much more sense than the one I used when I first created such a card back in 2014, with this image a nice posed shot of the feared slinger at the end of his career.

Though retiring at such a young age, Drysdale still collected 209 wins along with a 2.95 earned run average and 2486 strikeouts.
Imagine if he were able to pitch another three or four years. Would we be looking at a 300-win guy? Most assuredly a 3000 strikeout pitcher for sure.
Nevertheless, his accomplishments in such a short time were good enough for the BBWAA to elect him into the Hall of Fame in 1984, joining old teammate Sandy Koufax and eventually joined by Don Sutton.
Drysdale took home the Cy Young in 1962 while pacing the Senior Circuit in wins, starts, innings and strikeouts, while also posting one of his NINE sub-3.00 ERA campaigns.
Tough as nails when on the mound, he was named to eight All-Star Games, and of course had that magical run in 1968 when he threw 58 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, including six straight shutouts.

 

BY SPECIAL REQUEST: "GIMMIE A DO-OVER" 1978 TERRY FORSTER

A special request has come in to the blog to re-do Terry Forster's 1978 card, which originally had him airbrushed into a Los Angeles Dodgers uni after signing with them as a Free Agent in November of 1977.

Here, I have created a 1978 card showing him as a Pittsburgh Pirate, for whom he suited up in 1977 in his lone season there:

Forster was already a proven Big League reliever after six seasons with the Chicago White Sox, even leading the league with 24 save in 1974.

In December 1976 he was traded to the Pirates along with Rich Gossage (ouch!), for Richie Zisk and Silvio Martinez.

Forster did well as a set-up man, appearing in 33 games, with six of those games starts, collecting one save and going 6-4 with a 4.43 ERA in 87.1 innings.

He would go on to play five years with the Dodgers, helping them to two World Series, winning it all in 1981, before moving on to the Atlanta Braves between 1983 and 1985, then one final year in 1986 as a member of the California Angels.

All told, he appeared in 614 games between 1971 and 1986, picking up 127 saves to go along with a record of 54-65, with a nnice 3.23 ERA over 1105.2 innings.

Not too shabby!

 

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1973 GRAIG NETTLES

On the blog today, I recently spoke about having to re-do the 1973 card for Graig Nettles since I always hated the airbrush job, and wanted a version that showed him with the Cleveland Indians since that's who he suited up for in 1972, so here you are:

Luckily there are some good images out there of "Puff" during his tenure with the Indians, so I was able to find this nice posed shot of the third baseman.

Nettles originally came up with the Minnesota Twins in the late-60’s, but it wasn’t until he got some full-time action with the Cleveland Indians did he put up some nice numbers in 1970, becoming a productive third baseman for three years before finding himself in the Bronx after a six-player trade that left the Indians organization scratching their heads.
All Nettles would do is go on to slug 20+ homers seven straight years, leading the American League with 32 in 1976, and then topping that with 37 the following season while being an integral part of the “Bronx Zoo” championship teams of 1977 and 1978.
His incredible defensive work during the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers put him in exclusive company as a Fall Classic icon alongside the likes of Brooks Robinson and HIS defensive work in the 1970 classic against the Cincinnati Reds.
By the time Nettles was done after 22-years in the big leagues, he finished with 390 home runs, 2225 hits and 1314 runs batted in, with six all-star game nods and two Gold Gloves.

 

SPECIAL REQUEST: 2025 TOPPS HERITAGE JUAN SOTO YANKEE EDITION

Posted this card on Twitter a few weeks ago, a special request to have Juan Soto's 2025 Heritage card showing him as not only a New York Yankee, but designated as an All-Star, which he was for the 2024 game:

Topps went ahead and had him airbrushed (or Photoshopped) into a Mets uni for the set, while also NOT having the sweet All-Star designation in the lower left-hand corner, leaving an empty spot for us completists.

So I went ahead and made one up to insert in my binder with the other All-Stars, while properly having Yordan Alvarez at the DH spot, which he was voted into.

Of course Soto would break many a Yankee fan's heart by eventually signing with the crosstown Mets organization for three-quarters of a BILLION dollars, thus becoming an instant figure of hate in the Bronx.

Nevertheless the man is on his way to the Hall of Fame, still only 26 years of age and already a batting champ, World Champ, and owner of some incredible seasons.

Time, as they say, will tell...

 

SPECIAL REQUEST: A DO-OVER FOR THE 1973 OLLIE BROWN CARD

Finally got around to fulfilling a special request, creating a 1973 card for Ollie Brown showing him with the Oakland A's, for whom he appeared in 20 games before getting sent over to the Milwaukee Brewers, where he finished the 1972 season:

Bwon hit .241 for the A's in his stay there, collecting 13 hits, with a homer and four RBIs while scoring five runs.

Brown had his best MLB seasons behind him at this point, when he was one of the first fan favorites for the expansion San Diego Padres from 1969 through 1972.
But his career wasn’t done yet as he would go on to play through the 1977 season, finishing up his 13-year Big League career with a .265 batting average along with 102 homers, 454 runs batted in and 964 hits over 1221 games between 1965 and 1977.
It’s amazing to realize that he retired at the age of only 33. For me it seemed like by the time he was with the Philadelphia Phillies at the end of his career he was pushing 40!

 

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1970 RUDY MAY

Thought it'd be fun to give former pitcher Rudy May a "do-over" on his 1970 card, so here you go, using a much better image of him during his time as a California Angel:

My re-done version

Original Topps release

May made his Major League debut in 1965 as a 20-year-old, appearing in 30 games and tossing 124 innings, certainly good enough for a card in the 1966 set.

He posted a record of 4-9 with a 3.92 earned run average, striking out 76 batters while throwing a shutout.

All told, he posted a 152-159 career record, with a 3.46 earned run average, 24 shutouts, 12 saves and 1760 strikeouts between 1965 and 1983.

His finest year was easily 1980, when he led the American League in E.R.A. with a nice 2.46 mark, WHIP at 1.044 and strikeouts-to-walks with a 3.41 number as a member of the New York Yankees.

 

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1974 SONNY SIEBERT

Thought it would be fun to go and re-do the 1974 card for former pitcher Sonny Siebert, who put in a nice Major league career before he hung them up:

My re-done version

Original Topps card

Siebert is one of those pitchers who flies under the radar in my book as far as good, solid hurlers during the 1960's and 1970's.

Between 1964 and 1972, pitching for the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox, Siebert would post five seasons of sub-3.00 ERA's, five seasons of 14 wins or more, all while pitching for sub-par teams.

In 1973 he found himself wrapping up the season as a member of the Texas Rangers, but was shipped off to the St. Louis Cardinals by seasons end, which had Topps create the "looking-up" image you see here, with the non-descript cap.

I figured I'd create a card with him as a Ranger since I'm of the "reflection of previous year" for cards.

He'd go 8-8 for the Cardinals in 1974, with a 3.84 ERA over 28 games and 133.2 innings of work, with three shutouts and five complete games.

He kind of gets grouped in with the Gary Peters, Joel Horlens and such of the world for me.

Anyway, in 1975 he started the season with the San Diego Padres, but found himself off to Oakland where he appeared in the final 17 games of his career, ending up with a 7-6 record with a 3.90 ERA over 23 games before retiring.

 

BY SPECIAL REQUEST: RE-DO 1974 ELLIOTT MADDOX

By special request today, we have on the blog a "do-over" for Elliott Maddox and his 1974 card, with today's example showing him as a New York Yankee, the team he helped finish in second place in perhaps his finest season in the Major Leagues:

Coming over from the Texas Rangers after three years with that franchise, Maddox immediately paid dividends, as he helped the Yanks to a very nice 89-73 record, good for second place in the American League East.

In his three seasons with the New York Yankees, the first two saw him top a .300 batting average, easily his two best seasons as a Big League player.

His 1974 seasons saw him hit .303 in a full-time role, scoring 75 runs and setting personal season-bests across the board, topped off with a surprising 8th-place finish for the MVP Award later that year.

In 1977 he'd play for the Baltimore Orioles, though appearing in only 49 games, hitting .262 while playing center field and third base, before going on to the New York Mets.

He'd play well for them, hitting about .260 overall over what turned out to be his last three seasons in the Majors.

He would play in the Minors during the 1981 season but he would leave the Big Leagues shortly after, with a career .261 average, with 742 hits in 2843 at-bats in 1029 games.

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1969 VADA PINSON

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

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

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

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

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

A RE-DO OF ONE OF MY OWN! 1973 RICK REICHARDT

Time to finally correct a mistake I made way back when with my "missing in action" 1973 card for former Bonus Baby Rick Reichardt, when I mistakenly used an image of Pete Varney.

Well today we have the corrected version with a correct image of the man that was mainly responsible for the Amateur Draft because of the insane money and hoopla over his impending pro career:

Reichardt played in 101 games during the 1972 season, batting .251 with 73 hits over 291 at-bats with eight home runs and 43 runs batted in during his second season with the Chicago White Sox.
That is serious playing time to be omitted from the Topps set, so I’m wondering if he just didn’t want to be on a card ala Mike Marshall or Tony Horton around the same time.
Of course, Reichardt is well remembered as a spectacular two-sport superstar at the University of Wisconsin, so much so that a bidding war began by Major League clubs for his services, eventually having him sign a then unheard of $200,000 signing bonus with the (then) Los Angeles Angels of the American League.
This necessitated the development of the Amateur Draft, which began the very next year in hopes of curtailing such a wild scenario as the Reichardt affair.
Sadly for Reichardt, a serious kidney ailment cut short an excellent 1966 season which saw him have a kidney removed, and though he put up some decent numbers from time to time through the rest of his career, he was never the same again, eventually retiring after a single at-bat with the Kansas City Royals in 1974.
His last Topps card was in the 1971 set, which is odd since he really should have had a card from 1972 to 1974.
I actually already created a 1972 “missing” card for him a while back, and once I can find a decent shot of him with the Royals, I plan on doing the same for both 1974 and 1975.
Anyone have good images of him with KC?

1974 GIMMIE A DO-OVER: GRAIG NETTLES

Up on the blog today, a card I have wanted to "do over" for about 40+ years now, the 1974 Graig Nettles. I have hated the original card as released by Topps since I was a kid collecting "vintage" cards in the early-80s, underwhelmed by my favorite third baseman's 1974 card:

Just a nice shot of "Puff" taking some hacks, as opposed to the hatless card of him out on the field in what looks to be Spring Training pre-game warm-ups.

Not the worst image on a card, for sure, but it has always rubbed me the wrong way, so here you go!

Nettles came over to the Yanks from the Cleveland Indians before the 1973 season and did nothing but perform, helping them head straight to three straight American League Pennants and two World Championships by the end of 1978.
Along the way he also led the A.L. with 32 homers in 1976, then following that up with a career-high 37 in 1977, while also taking home two Gold Gloves and getting named to five All-Star teams.
Of course, the man was also known for his stellar glove work, especially in the Fall Classic when he put on a clinic against the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 3 in 1978, helping the Yanks win the game and swing the series momentum.
A master a quips as well, I’ll always remember “You went from Cy Young to Sayonara”, which he stated to Cy Young winning reliever Sparky Lyle after the Yankees acquired Rich Gossage, as well as "when I was a little boy, I wanted to be a baseball player and join the circus. With the Yankees I have accomplished both”, about his time in the Bronx.
When it was all said and done, Nettles played for 22 seasons, finishing up with 390 homers, 2225 hits, and 1314 runs batted in, with 1193 runs scored and a reputation that still has him considered one of the finest defensive third basemen in history.

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1971 REGGIE JACKSON

Today on the blog, we look at one of my favorite customs I've created over the years, my 1971 "do-over" for "Mr. October", Reggie Jackson, every kid's idol growing up a Yankee fan in the late-70's/early-80's:

Love the way this came out! So much so that I included it in my Series 17 set released a couple months back!

Truly one of the eternal icons of the game, the man was just destined for baseball greatness since his days at Cheltenham High School in Pennsylvania.
Recruited by pro teams and colleges alike, he went on to Arizona State where he was actually on a football scholarship.
Of course we all know the story of the 1966 amateur draft, where the New York Mets held the #1 pick, and opted for high school catcher Steve Chilcott instead of who many considered the true #1 overall amateur, Jackson.
With the second pick, the Kansas City Athletics (later Oakland) picked the slugger and the rest is history, as he would eventually lead the organization to three straight championships between 1972-1974 before being traded in a blockbuster to the Baltimore Orioles where he’d play for one season in 1976.
As a highly coveted free agent before the 1977 season, Jackson signed with the New York Yankees, and with Reggie in NYC, the legend exploded as he helped the Yankees to two championships in 1977-78.
With his larger than life persona, New York ate it up and before you knew it, he was known around the world, even getting his own candy-bar by the end of the decade.
For a kid like me growing up in Brooklyn in the ‘70’s, Reggie was like a God, larger than life, and before he finished up his career in 1987, putting in 21 seasons, he would put together a Hall of Fame career with 563 homers, 1702 runs batted in, an MVP Award in 1973, and five championships.
Add to that 14 all-star nods, four home run titles, a legendary homer in the 1971 All-Star Game against Dock Ellis, his 1977 World Series performance, and you can see why he goes down as one of the most well-known baseball personalities the game has ever seen!

THE WHOLE NINE: SERIES 2- 1964 REDO FOR GIL HODGES

Today on the blog we spotlight another card from my recent custom set, "The Whole Nine: Series 2", this one my 1964 redo for Hall of Famer Gil Hodges:

Topps originally issued a card showing Hodges as the manager for the Washington Senators for the upcoming 1964 season, thus ending a Hall-worthy career as an elite slugger mainly for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers.

I created an alternate New York Mets card to cap-off his playing career, which was understated and stellar, finishing up at the time as one of the game's greatest sluggers of all-time.

I still cannot figure out why it took so long for him to get into the Hall, as he was a MAJOR part of those "Bum" Dodger teams, slamming 370 career homers, driving in 100+ runs seven years in a row between 1949-1955, and topping 30+ homers six times.

Later on he went on to a managerial career that includes one of the all-time great surprises in Major League ball, leading the "Miracle Mets" over the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles in 1969, an incredible turnaround that saw the Mets as World Champs just a few short years after perennial last place finishes, including their all-time futile 1962 season which saw them lose 120 games.

One of baseball's Hall of Fame snubs that thankfully finally got "fixed" with his election in 2022, 50 years after his sudden and shocking death from a heart attack at the young age of 47.

One of the era's best players finally getting his place in Cooperstown, and rightly so!