"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: JIM RICE

The next player to get a card in my long-running "Classic Baseball" custom set, slugger and Hall of Famer Jim Rice of the Boston Red Sox:

I'm STILL amazed with Rice's run from 1977 through 1979! Even though he only pulled in one M.V.P., he was an absolute terror at the plate.

Over 200 hits each year, along with 39, 46 and 39 homers, as well as averaging 124 runs batted in and a .320 average.

Then you notice that the dude hit 15, 15 and 6 TRIPLES those years, leading the league in homers AND triples in 1978.

I mean, that is just plain RAKING at the plate!

Man, Rice used to terrify me as a young Yankee fan. He was just plain brutal to opposing pitchers, and it was a shame that he had to wait so long to get elected into Cooperstown. 

By the time Rice was done in the Big Leagues, he'd finish with 2400+ hits, 382 homers, 1451 runs batted in and a .298 lifetime average.

Five times would he finish in the running for Most Valuable Player besides the year he took it home.

Absolute STUD!

 

FIXING UP ALL-STAR CARDS: 1981 JIM RICE

Today we'll really begin a fun thread that will take us into 2026, fixing up All-Star cards that Topps either messed up or just disregarded outright during the 1980s, beginning with the "Missing" 1981 A.L. outfielder, Jim Rice:

If you were a kid like me collecting then, you were immediately frustrated with the All-Star cards that were pulled out of the packs, especially when the National League starter for 1980, J.R. Richard, wasn't given the All-Star banner in lieu of Steve Carlton and Jim Bibby. Huh???

Breaking with tradition, Topps started giving All-Star cards/banners to players not necessarily voted by the fans like they always did.

In the case of Jim Rice, he was indeed voted as a starter for the 1980 game, and though he wouldn't play due to injury and was replaced by Ben Oglivie, neither of them were given the All-Star banner, with the A.L. missing a third outfielder to go with Reggie Jackson and Fred Lynn!

That killed me, especially coming off 1978 with Richie Zisk and 1979 with Freddie Patek also being denied card immortality.

Moving forward I also hope to give All-Star cards to players that were actually voted to start through the decade, as opposed to some really odd Topps picks for All-Star cards.

Keep an eye out for that!

 

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1976 JIM RICE

Hello everyone!

A special request posted today on the blog, a "do-over" for Jim Rice and his 1976 card, showing an in-action shot instead of the dark close-up portrait we were given way back when:

I love the idea of this, as the original would have been wonderful had Topps paired up an action card of the young stud like they did for teammate Fred Lynn, both sporting the always-loved Rookie All-Star trophy.

The Red Sox were truly blessed back then with THREE young outfield stars coming up at the same time: Rice, Lynn and Dwight Evans.

You may even want to include Carlton Fisk, Ben Oglivie and Cecil Copper in there, giving them a phenomenal bunch of young players to build around!

For Rice, what DIDN'T he do in the 1970s, and beyond?

I'm STILL amazed with Rice's run from 1977 through 1979! Even though he only pulled in one M.V.P., he was an absolute terror at the plate.

Over 200 hits each year, along with 39, 46 and 39 homers, as well as averaging 124 runs batted in and a .320 average.

Then you notice that the dude hit 15, 15 and 6 TRIPLES those years, leading the league in homers AND triples in 1978.

I mean, that is just plain RAKING at the plate!

Man, Rice used to terrify me as a young Yankee fan. He was just plain brutal to opposing pitchers, and it was a shame that he had to wait so long to get elected into Cooperstown. 

Now if only Dave Parker and Steve Garvey can get some love from the Veteran's Committee in the future, THEN we'll be cooking with gas!

Time will tell…"

1970'S ALL-DECADE TEAM: A.L. OUTFIELDER JIM RICE

On the blog today, my final outfielder for my American League team of the decade of the 1970s, and I went with Boston's Jim Rice:

It was such a close race for my third and final spot in the A.L. outfield between three teammates: Rice, Fred Lynn and Carl Yastrzemski, but for me Rice was at the head of the pack.

I'm STILL amazed with Rice's run from 1977 through 1979! Even though he only pulled in one M.V.P., he was an absolute terror at the plate.

Over 200 hits each year, along with 39, 46 and 39 homers, as well as averaging 124 runs batted in and a .320 average.

Then you notice that the dude hit 15, 15 and 6 TRIPLES those years, leading the league in homers AND triples in 1978.

I mean, that is just plain RAKING at the plate!

Man, Rice used to terrify me as a young Yankee fan. He was just plain brutal to opposing pitchers, and it was a shame that he had to wait so long to get elected into Cooperstown. 

By the time Rice was done in the Big Leagues, he'd finish with 2400+ hits, 382 homers, 1451 runs batted in and a .298 lifetime average.

Five times would he finish in the running for Most Valuable Player besides the year he took it home.

Absolute STUD!

 

EXPANDED LEAGUE-LEADERS: 1979 A.L. RBI's

Welcome again folks!

Today on the blog we celebrate the top three RBI men of the American League in 1978 with a 1979 "expanded league leader" card in my long-running thread that's about to wrap up in a few weeks:

 

Of course, if we're talking 1978 in the American League then it is ALL about the great Jim Rice, who would take home an MVP Award for his tremendous season that year.

Rice led the league with his 139 RBIs, while virtually leading the league in everything else, including hits, triples, homers, slugging and total bases.

An absolute beast at the plate that year, while also putting together arguably the best three-year run between 1977 and 1979 of the era.

In second place with 121 RBIs, Detroit Tigers DH/OF Rusty Staub, who can easily be argued to be a Hall of Famer himself.

Staub had one of the best seasons of his illustrious career that year, hitting .273 with 24 homers, 175 hits and those 121 RBI's, finishing fifth in the MVP race at season's end.

In his three full season's in Detroit he definitely earned his stripes, driving in no less that 96 runs while collecting 176, 173 and 175 hits successively. Not too shabby!

In third place with 115 RBIs, the player who actually led the A.L. in RBIs the previous season, Larry Hisle, who had a great first year with his new team, the Milwaukee Brewers, after coming over from the Minnesota Twins.

Hisle made an immediate impact with Milwaukee in 1978, hitting .290 with 34 homers, 96 runs scored and his 115 RBIs, giving the Brewers an explosive bat to go along with young players such as Robin Yount and Paul Molitor, while finishing third in the MVP voting that year.

Sadly however, in 1979 he'd seriously hurt his shoulder, curtailing a fine career, resulting in his retirement just four seasons later, never playing in more than 27 games in any of those campaigns, done at 35.

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1979 A.L. HOME RUNS

Up on the blog today, we head on over to the American League for their top three home run hitters of 1978, proudly displayed on a 1979 “expanded league leader” card in my long-running thread:

 

Of course we begin with the A.L. MVP himself, a man who not only led the league with his 46 home runs, but also mind-blowingly led the league with his 15 triples, Boston Red Sox Hall of Famer Jim Rice, who had an all-world season in 1978.

Let’s see, all Rice did that year was score 121 runs, collect 213 hits, collect 86 extra base hits, drive in 139 runs and hit a cool .315 while becoming the only player in the decade to top 400 total bases, with 406.

The man was a complete stud, helping the Red Sox go to the wire before falling to the New York Yankees in their 163^rd game for the A.L. East title. Certainly not any fault of his own!

While many think of Rice as a premier power hitter, they can often forget that over the course of his career he collected 200+ hits four times, while hitting .300+ seven times! Just an amazing player who rightfully got his spot in Cooperstown after retirement.

In second place with 34 home runs, the man who would end up taking home the league MVP Award in 1979, California Angels thumper Don Baylor, who also scored 103 runs while driving in 99, giving everyone a prelude to his monster 1979 campaign that would see him hit 36 homers with 139 RBIs and 120 runs scored.

I loved Baylor during his tenure with the New York Yankees between 1983 and 1985!

A great hitter who could also steal a base for you, as evidenced by his 285 career steals, including 52 in 1976 in his only season with the Oakland A’s. As a matter of fact Baylor would top 20 steals in a season eight times in his career, something you’d never think was possible seeing he was built like a tank.

Tied with Baylor with 34 homers in 1978, Milwaukee Brewers slugger Larry Hisle, who had a very nice first season for his new team after coming over from the Minnesota Twins.

Hisle also scored 96 runs while driving in 115, this a year after driving in a league leading 119 in 1977, while hitting a very nice .290.

Sadly for him, he would suffer a torn rotator cuff in 1979, effectively ending his career, playing only 79 games over the final four years of his career before retiring in 1982.

Well there you have it, the top-3 home run hitters in the A.L. for 1978, on an “expanded” 1979 league-leader card.

EXPENDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1979 A.L. BATTING

On the blog today, we move on to the American League with my “expanded league leaders” thread, and celebrate the top three hitters for the 1978 season:

 

Of course, we begin with Hall of Famer Rod Carew, who took home his seventh and final batting title that year, hitting .333 in his final season with the Minnesota Twins before heading for sunnier pastures in California.

Carew was a machine, plain and simple, winning six of seven titles in his incredible run between 1972 and 1978, with a high of .388 during his MVP season of 1977, including his only 100 RBI season of his storied career.

By the time he retired after the 1985 season, he topped 3000 hits and finished with a .328 average for his 19-year Big League tenure, putting him in rare company, especially for the Post-War era.

In second place with a .324 batting average, the quiet man who just kept on hitting, “Scoop” Al Oliver, who had a very nice first season with the Texas Rangers after coming over from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Oliver would collect 170 hits and drive in 89 runs for Texas in 1978, with 35 doubles and 14 homers, numbers he’d pretty much duplicate the next season before topping them in 1980 when he’d collect 209 hits and 117 RBIs along with a .319 average.

The man was such an under-the-radar All-Star player throughout his great 18-year career, a Hall of Fame career in my personal opinion, finishing with over 2700 hits, 200 homers and 1300 RBIs, while hitting .303 before hanging them up in 1985.

In third place, hitting at a .315 clip, the A.L. MVP for 1978, the great Jim Rice, who was an absolute beast that year, leading the league in hits, triples, homers, RBIs, slugging and total bases, demolishing Major League pitching while putting together an unbelievable three year run of 200 hits, 100 runs scored, 39+ homers, 100+RBIs and .315+ batting.

Just insane!

Of course his career path would eventually lead him to the Hall of Fame like Carew, finishing up with a .298 average with 382 homers and 1451 RBIs over 16 seasons, easily forgetting that the man also had four 200-hits seasons in addition to his power numbers.

There you go, the A.L.’s top hitters of the 1978 season, on display here on an “expanded league leader” card.

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1978 A.L. RUNS BATTED IN

On the blog today, we move on to the American League and the top three runs batted in men of the 1977 season, displayed on a 1978 “expanded league leader” card:

 

We start off with Minnesota Twins slugger Larry Hisle, who had a breakout season in 1977, leading the league with his 119 ribbies, while also hitting 28 homers and hitting .302, with 95 runs scored.

It was Hisle’s ninth season in the Big Leagues, and he finally hit his stride at the age of 30, setting career bests across the board, making his first All-Star team and finishing twelfth in the MVP race.

He’d have an even better year in 1978 after signing with the Milwaukee Brewers as a free agent, hitting 34 homers with 115 RBIs and a .290 batting average, good for a third-place finish in the MVP race at season’s end, again making the All-Star team.

Sadly, in 1979 Hisle absolutely wrecked his shoulder, suffering a torn rotator cuff, which pretty much ended his career, playing in only 29 games that season, followed by 17, 27 and nine games over the next three years before retiring.

In second place with 115 RBIs, the always electric Bobby Bonds, who had a wonderful 1977 season that saw him set a career-best in RBIs, with 103 runs scored, 37 home runs, 41 stolen bases and a .264 average for the California Angels.

It was the fourth time Bonds would reach 30 homers with 30 stolen bases, adding one more season the following year, splitting time between the Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers with 31 homers and 43 steals.

In third place with 114 RBIs in 1977, budding uber-star Jim Rice of the Boston Red Sox, who was about to launch himself into superstardom with an MVP season in 1978.

However in 1977 he handled himself well with a league-leading 39 homers, with the aforementioned 114 RBIs, with 206 hits and a .320 batting average, finishing fourth in the MVP race while making his first All-Star team.

Of course, in 1978 he elevated all of those numbers with an MVP year, leading the league in hits (213), triples (15), homers (46), RBIs (139), slugging (.600) and total bases (406), having perhaps the best offensive season in the American League during the 1970’s.

The man was an absolute beast at the plate, something he’d continue to do over the rest of his career, leading straight to the Hall of Fame, and rightly so in my book.

There you have it! The top three RBI men of 1977.

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1978 A.L. HOME RUNS

On the blog today, we move on to the American League and their top three home run hitters celebrated on a 1978 “expanded league leader” card, featuring three top-notch batsmen of the era:

 

 

We begin with Boston Red Sox legend Jim Rice, who took home his first home run title that year, pacing the league with 39 homers, which he would follow up the following year with a league-leading 46 on his way to an MVP Award.

Rice would have an insane three-year run between 1977 and 1979, where he would hit 39 or more homers, drive in 100+ RBIs, hit .315 or better, while topping 200 hits each and every year, while also collecting 36 triples while slugging over a combined .600.

The man was a monster at the plate and I was one of many who was happy he finally got his Hall of Fame due when he was elected in 2009.

Tied for second with 37 homers apiece were California Angels Bobby Bonds and New York Yankees Graig Nettles, who were actually just teammates two seasons earlier in 1975.

For Bonds, he fell two homers short of a career-best, which he accomplished while still with the San Francisco Giants in 1973, though he did establish a new career-high with 115 runs batted in while reaching 100+ runs scored for the sixth time.

It was also the fourth of what would be five times he would reach the 30/30 club, as he stole 41 bases to go along with his 37 “jacks”, something he’d do one more time the following season in 1978.

Also in second place with 37 homers, Yankees third baseman Graig Nettles, who established a new career-high after leading the American League with 32 the year before.

For Nettles, he also reached 100+ RBIs for what would be the only time in his long career, with 107, just missing 100 runs scored with 99 for the eventual World Champs, also a career best.

Not a bad threesome slugging their way to the top of the homer chain!

REVISITING AN OLD POST-DEDICATED "ROOKIE CARDS" #4: 1975 JIM RICE OCTOBER 26, 2013

Thought it'd be fun today (especially for the new followers out there) to revisit my post from October, 2013 celebrating the great Jim Rice, when I posted a "Dedicated Rookie" card for the former MVP.

However there's a bit of a twist today, as the card I originally posted with the blog differs with what I actually printed for my Series Six pack about a year ago, so I'll post both. First the original:

Now for the re-do when printed up:

 

Now here's the original write-up I had on the post way back when:

"Today's dedicated rookie card goes to Hall of Famer Jim Rice, who's first card was one of those lame multi-player jammies I was never a fan of. (see below).

1975 turned out to be one of the better sets, if not THE best set of the decade when it came to Hall of Fame rookies (Gary Carter, Robin Yount, George Brett), and joining that superstar crew was Rice in 2009 with his induction to the Hall.

Sadly, unlike Brett and Yount, who had their own dedicated rookie cards, Rice was lumped in with the likes of Dave Augustine, Pepe Mangual and John Scott on HIS card, leaving us with a ho-hum rookie of one of the most feared sluggers of the era.

It's funny, because I remember back in 1983 or so, it was the Fred Lynn rookie of the same set that was all the rage, and I must proudly say that I was buying up all the Jim Rice rookies I came across since I thought HE was the future Hall of Famer with the stats he was putting up year after year.

I'm STILL amazed with Rice's run from 1977 through 1979! Even though he only pulled in one M.V.P., he was an absolute terror at the plate.

Over 200 hits each year, along with 39, 46 and 39 homers, as well as averaging 124 runs batted in and a .320 average.

Then you notice that the dude hit 15, 15 and 6 TRIPLES those years, leading the league in homers AND triples in 1978.

I mean, that is just plain RAKING at the plate!

Man, Rice used to terrify me as a young Yankee fan. He was just plain brutal to opposing pitchers, and it was a shame that he had to wait so long to get elected into Cooperstown. 

Now if only Dave Parker and Steve Garvey can get some love from the Veteran's Committee in the future, THEN we'll be cooking with gas!

Time will tell…"

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

Today we head over to the American League in my on-going 1978 special "30 Home Run Club" sub-set celebrating the big bashers of 1977, with the Junior Circuit's leader, Jim Rice:

 

Rice took home the first of his three career home run titles in 1977 when he paced the league with 39 home runs, to go along with 114 runs batted in, a .320 batting average, 206 hits and an amazing 15 triples!

Really, I still say Rice does NOT get the accolades he deserves for his monster seasons between 1975 when he broke in as a stud rookie and 1986 when he reached 200 hits for the fourth time.

A monster at the plate: 2400+ hits, 382 homers, 1451 runs batted in and a .298 lifetime average.

Five times would he finish in the running for Most Valuable Player besides the year he took it home in 1978.

What. A. Player!

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.

THE RED SOX YOUTH BRIGADE!- A SPECIAL CARD FOR THE 1976 SET

I was always in awe of the fact that the Boston Red Sox had THREE future star outfielders in Dwight Evans, Jim Rice and Fred Lynn come up around the same time and put in All-Star careers, and wanted to create a special card for the 1976 set celebrating them:

What can you say about these three?
Fred Lynn came to the Major League scene like a bomb and went on to win BOTH the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player Awards in 1975, Jim Rice goes on to put in a Hall of Fame career along with an MVP Award in 1978, and Dwight Evans can easily be argued as a Hall-worthy player putting in his best seasons in the 1980’s, though he was always a solid player.
Any team should be so lucky to have this!

#400's DURING THE 1970's FOR MY 400th POST

Another personal milestone for this blog, the 400th post in just about a year, and we all know what that means: profiling every card numbered "400" in Topps' sets through the 1970's.

Let's jump right in and take a look shall we?

1970: Denny McLain

 

 

I always thought Denny McLain was somewhat of a chameleon since he had two "looks" as a ballplayer: the geeky bespectacled guy you see here on this card, the the chubbier, no-glasses dude later on.

Really did look like a completely different person later on.

Anyway, this card catches McLain at the height of his career, two straight Cy Young Awards, a 30-win season and a world championship with the Tigers in 1968.

A decent card in an otherwise bland set.

1971: Hank Aaron

 

 

Bleh. Kind of boring card for "Hammerin' Hank".

Maybe I'll redesign this one in the future.

Hank Aaron still had a few really good seasons left in him when this card came out, and was on his way to baseball immortality in just a few short years.

It wasn't just about his home runs. The man's career totals in hits, runs, R.B.I.'s, total bases, you name it!

I've always loved the fact that Aaron's career was one of excellent consistency. He never had the MASSIVE season that everyone seems to have.

This guy (like an Eddie Murray) just had all-star seasons every single year for about 20 years.

1972: Tony Oliva

 

 

Just coming off of his third batting title, and first since he exploded on the baseball scene his first two years in the mid-60's.

Oliva sadly is one of those "what could have been" had he avoided injuries that plagued him throughout his career.

Nevertheless, the man was a hitting machine, and besides his three batting titles, he lead the American League in hits five times, doubles four times and even slugging percentage once (in 1971) before he hung them up after the 1976 season.

Nice card of the Twins legend.

1973: Gaylord Perry

 

 

Love this card!

Perry was coming off of his first Cy Young season, posting 24 wins for the lowly Cleveland Indians.

Great in-game action shot.

Perry of course would go on to win 300 games, overtake Walter Johnson for the all-time strikeout mark (before being topped a few times over since), and eventually get himself inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.

1974: Harmon Killebrew

 

 

Another great card!

Killebrew at the plate, ready to "jack" another ball out of the park at the tail end of his career.

All the guy who they'd call "Killer" would do in his career is blast 573 homers, have eight 40+ home run seasons, and lead his league in positive offensive categories 15 times.

Besides being voted A.L. M.V.P. in 1969, Killebrew would also finish in the top-5 in voting five other times throughout his 22 year career.

1975: Dick Allen

 

 

I think you all know by now how much I love Dick Allen!

I've always liked this card, with Allen in the filed wearing his batting helmet.

Winner of the Rookie of the Year in 1964, Most Valuable Player in 1972, and a league leader in one offensive category or another 12 times, the "Wampum Walloper" was an awesome player and an awesome character who STILL isn't as appreciated as he should be in my eyes.

351 home runs in only 6332 career at-bats! Think about that for a minute.

1976: Rod Carew

 

 

Even though this card just has a shot of Carew in the dugout, I've always thought this was a "classy" card of the seven-time batting champ.

Just love the colors all-around on this card.

Smack in the middle of his hitting domination, it would be one year later when he caught everyone's attention as he flirted with the magic .400 mark in 1977, finishing at .388 and an M.V.P. award.

3000 hits, a .328 career average, and the Hall of Fame in 1991 (along with the 1973 card above!).

1977: Steve Garvey

 

 

The very first card I was in "awe" of as a kid.

What a nice card, and I'm not 100% sure, but I'm almost positive this was the first time I really understood what that extra banner at the bottom really meant when I pulled this card out of a pack as an eight year old in 1977.

Love the photo Topps went with.

I still don't truly understand the extreme lack of support Garvey received for Hall of Fame induction when he was eligible.

THE all-star first baseman for the National League for over a decade, six 200-hit seasons, an M.V.P. in 1974 (along with a second place finish in 1978), and five National League pennants.

Throw in five 100-R.B.I. Seasons, 2599 career hits, 272 homers and four Gold Gloves, I feel you have to have him in Cooperstown if you have guys like Jim Rice and Jim Hunter in there.

1978: Nolan Ryan

 

 

Great card, great set, great player!

What else can we say about Nolan Ryan?

Just about ready to jump ship in Anaheim when this card came out, he'd go on to become the first player to average over $1 million a year, top the WORLD in no-hitters and strikeouts, and become a legend of legends when it comes to "power-pitchers".

As a side note: I did always think he looked a bit weird with those blank looks he'd always sport on cards. 

1979: Jim Rice

 

 

Nice card of Rice beaming a million dollar smile coming off of his incredible 1978 M.V.P. year where he managed to lead the league in both home runs AND triples (how freaking cool is that?).

Rice would eventually make it into the Hall of Fame in 2009 known as perhaps the most feared hitter in the game in the late-70's and early-80's along with Dave Parker and George Brett.

A monster at the plate: 2400+ hits, 382 homers, 1451 runs batted in and a .298 lifetime average.

Five times would he finish in the running for Most Valuable Player besides the year he took it home.

So there you have it: all ten cards numbered "400" in Topps' 1970's sets, celebrating my 400th post on this blog.

Hope you're all enjoying the blog after about a year.

It's really beyond fun for me to work on it, and I hope to keep it going well beyond the 500th, dare I even say 1000th post!

Thanks for reading so far…

DEDICATED "ROOKIE CARDS" #4: 1975 JIM RICE

Today's dedicated rookie card goes to Hall of Famer Jim Rice, who's first card was one of those lame multi-player jammies I was never a fan of. (see below).

1975 turned out to be one of the better sets, if not THE best set of the decade when it came to Hall of Fame rookies (Gary Carter, Robin Yount, George Brett), and joining that superstar crew was Rice in 2009 with his induction to the Hall.

Sadly, unlike Brett and Yount, who had their own dedicated rookie cards, Rice was lumped in with the likes of Dave Augustine, Pepe Mangual and John Scott on HIS card, leaving us with a ho-hum rookie of one of the most feared sluggers of the era.

It's funny, because I remember back in 1983 or so, it was the Fred Lynn rookie of the same set that was all the rage, and I must proudly say that I was buying up all the Jim Rice rookies I came across since I thought HE was the future Hall of Famer with the stats he was putting up year after year.

But a card like the one I designed below would have been awesome to have as his initial cardboard slab! Hope you like it too…

 

Remember any of the other three guys?

A monster unleashing at the plate.

 

I'm STILL amazed with Rice's run from 1977 through 1979! Even though he only pulled in one M.V.P., he was an absolute terror at the plate.

Over 200 hits each year, along with 39, 46 and 39 homers, as well as averaging 124 runs batted in and a .320 average.

Then you notice that the dude hit 15, 15 and 6 TRIPLES those years, leading the league in homers AND triples in 1978.

I mean, that is just plain RAKING at the plate!

Man, Rice used to terrify me as a young Yankee fan. He was just plain brutal to opposing pitchers, and it was a shame that he had to wait so long to get elected into Cooperstown. 

Now if only Dave Parker and Steve Garvey can get some love from the Veteran's Committee in the future, THEN we'll be cooking with gas!

Time will tell…