MISSING IN ACTION: 1978 BREWERS MANAGER-ALEX GRAMMAS

On the blog today, finally "fixing" a missing manager card in the fabulous 1978 sub-set, that of Milwaukee Brewers Alex Grammas, who skippered the team in 1977:

Grammas put in two seasons with Milwaukee, leading them to almost identical records in 1976 and 1977, 66-95 (1976) and 67-95 (1977).

It was the only two years at the helm of the team, and besides a temporary stint as Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1969 (season-ending 5 games as a fill-in for Danny Murtaugh), his only taste as a Big League manager.

The Brewers decided to go with George Bamberger in 1978, for which I did produce a card for way back in 2013 here on the blog, but felt that Grammas really deserved one here.

I've always been a huge fan of the 1978 Topps managers sub-set, and wished they would have used that template for something else, with star players instead.

Ah well...

DEDICATED MANAGER CARD: 1975 CHUCK TANNER

On the blog today, we go and give long-time Major League manager Chuck Tanner a "dedicated manager card", in those sweet Chicago White Sox uniforms of the mid-1970s:

 

Tanner put in six seasons as the White Sox manager, from 1970 through 1975, having his best year in 1972 when the team was led by MVP Dick Allen and workhorse pitcher Wilbur Wood, with the team finishing 87-67, good for a second-place finish.

1976 would see him at the helm of the Oakland A's, not quite the dynasty team of the mid-decade when they won three straight World Series, nevertheless finishing 87-74 before the rest of their stars left via Free Agency.

1977 would see him change gigs again, now at the helm of the Pittsburgh Pirates, for whom he would lead for nine seasons and bring him his greatest reward, a World Series win in 1979 with the "We Are Family" team led by Hall of Famer Willie Stargell.

After the 1985 season he'd move on to the Atlanta Braves, managing the team for the next three years before a guy named Bobby Cox took over.

For Tanner, it wasn't as successful as the team would be in the 1990's, as Tanner's teams would go a combined 153-208 over that time with two last-place finishes.

All told, he would finish his managerial career with a record of 1352-1381, with one Championship and five second-place finishes.

DEDICATED MANAGER CARD- 1977 TOMMY LASORDA

Good day all!

Thought it'd be fun to create a "dedicated" 1977 manager card for Los Angeles Dodger skipper Tommy Lasorda, in what was the first season of his legendary run:

 

Though he skippered the Dodgers for four games in 1976, the 1977 season was the first full year at the helm of the team, and it would lead to an incredible 21 year run that saw him win two championships (1981 and 1988), with two other pennants thrown in (1977 and 1978).

Between 1976 and 1996, Lasorda led the Dodgers to 1599 wins and a .526 winning percentage, while becoming an icon in the baseball and cultural realm.

Funny enough, Lasorda would guide the Dodgers to 98 wins in his first full season as manager, and that would be the high-mark in a season for wins during his tenure.

However, he would lead the team to seven different seasons of 90+ wins, as well as seven first place finishes in the National League West.

He grew to be a legend in Los Angeles, and growing up as a kid loving baseball in the 70's and 80's his legendary status made its way East to Brooklyn, New York with my friends and I in our Italian neighborhood!

DEDICATED MANAGER CARD- 1977 DANNY MURTAUGH CAPPER

On the blog today, a fun dedicated manager card celebrating Pittsburgh Pirates skipper Danny Murtaugh, who led the team to two world championships over his 15-year managerial career:

 

Murtaugh passed away in December of 1976, after a season which saw him guide the Pirates to a second place, 92 win season after two straight first place finishes in the National League East in 1975 and 1975.

He began his managerial career in 1957, and would go on to lead the Pirates through 1976 with gaps in 1965-1966, 1968-1969, and 1972.

Overall he led the team to five first place finishes, with two championships, the first in 1960 when the Pirates stunned the favored New York Yankees, capped off by Bill Mazeroski's Game Seven ninth-inning walk-off, and the second when they beat the defending champion Baltimore Orioles.

His final numbers as a manager, he finished with a record of 1115 and 950, good for a .540 winning percentage.

Battling ailments including heart issues throughout his managerial career, he sadly suffered a stroke and passed away at the age of only 59, just two months after retiring.

DEDICATED MANAGER- 1975 BILL VIRDON

On the blog today, a 1975 dedicated manager card for Bill Virdon, who came in and led the New York Yankees to a second place finish in 1974:

 

Virdon replaced Ralph Houk as manager of the Yankees and led them to a 89-73 record, just two games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the A.L. East.

Of course we all know now that this was the beginning of the Yankee resurgence, which would eventually lead to them taking home the championship in both 1977 and 1978, after a World Series berth in 1976 that saw them lose to the "Big Red Machine" Cincinnati Reds.

For Virdon, he would be let go in 1975 after 104 games with a record of 53-51, giving way to Billy Martin's first term as Yankee manager, while Virdon would be immediately hired by the Houston Astros, where he'd go 17-17 the rest of the way.

He'd manage the Astros another eight seasons before moving on to the Montreal Expos in 1983 and 1984, managing a total of 13 seasons, winning 995 games against 921 losses.

As a player he was equally as solid, winning the Rookie of the Year in 1955 when he hit .281 with 17 homers and 68 runs batted in for the St. Louis Cardinals, while picking up a Gold Glove in 1962 for his defensive work out in centerfield for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Over his 12 year playing career spanning 1955 to 1968, Virdon hit .267 with 1596 hits in 5980 at-bats over 1583 games, scoring 735 runs while driving in 502.

DEDICATED MANAGER CARD: 1979 EARL WEAVER

On the blog today, thought it’d be fun to create a 1979 “Dedicated” manager card for Baltimore Orioles skipper Earl Weaver, who put together a Hall of Fame managerial career that lasted 17 seasons between 1968 and 1986:

 

 

Weaver was on his way to a wonderful 1979 campaign, leading the Orioles to an American League championship before falling to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series.

It was his fourth trip to the Fall Classic, winning it all back in 1970 along with A.L. Pennants in 1969 and 1971.

His 1979 team finished the year with 102 wins against 57 losses, led offensively by Ken Singleton and Eddie Murray, while having a pitching core that included the Cy Young Award winner in Mike Flanagan, who won 23 games, as well as future Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, “El Presidente” Dennis Martinez, Steve Stone and Scott McGregor.

Of course, their bullpen was also stacked deep with the likes of Sammy Stewart, Tippy Martinez, Don Stanhouse and Tim Stoddard, who combined for 28 saves and 28 wins between them.

I loved Earl Weaver as a kid, who paired up nicely with my favorite manager, Billy Martin: fiery, combative, and always ready to stick his neck out for his team.

By the time he retired after the 1986 season, Weaver finished with a record of 1480 wins against 1060 losses, for a very nice .583 winning percentage, with four Pennants and a World Championship, posting a winning season every year of his tenure except his very last, when he finished 73-89.

In 1996 he was voted into the Hall of Fame as a manager, celebrating one of the most colorful managers of the era, and rightly so!

MANAGER CARD: 1975 AL DARK

Today on the blog I thought it'd be fun to create a 1975 dedicated manager card for Al Dark, who was at the herm of that three-peat Oakland A's team, coming off of a World Championship season in 1974:

 

Dark took the team to a 90-72 record that season, and eventually to the aforementioned third straight championship for the Oakland franchise since taking over managerial duties after Dick Williams headed South to manage the California Angels after guiding them to their first two Series wins.

Funny enough, after the 1975 season that had Oakland win 98 games, Dark was let go as manager after the team was beaten in the A.L. Championship series by the Boston Red Sox, and with Free Agency looming, the Oakland A’s would see themselves go from elite team to cellar-dwellers overnight.
As a player, Dark cannot be overlooked, as he was a versatile player who played almost every position throughout his 14-year Big League career, winning the 1948 Rookie of the Year Award while finishing third in MVP voting.
He’d end up collecting over 2000 hits, hitting .289 and scoring 1064 runs, all while entering the league at the age of 26 (after 15 games in 1946) because of World War II. If not for the war he had a decent shot at 3000 hits, among other milestones like 1500 runs and 500 doubles.

A true baseball "lifer".

MANAGER CARD- 1976 WALTER ALSTON

On the blog today, just for the fun of it, a 1976 dedicated manager card for long time skipper Walter Alston of the Los Angeles Dodgers:

 

Alston, whose playing career totaled one single at-bat in one game for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1936, parlayed his knowledge into a Hall of Fame managerial career that began in 1954 with the (then) Brooklyn Dodgers.

Over the next 23 years he brought home seven pennants, four world championships, and 2040 wins, with 10 90+ win campaigns.

Think about this: the man average 89 wins a season over almost a quarter of a century! Incredible!

Of course, Alston managed legends from Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella to Duke Snider  and Gil Hodges to Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax right through to Steve Garvey and Ron Cey. What a tenure.

1976 would be his last season as manager, handing off to another lifer, Tommy Lasorda for the 1977 season.

In his last season of 1976, Alston won 90 games and had the Dodgers in second place, his 15th season of either a first or second place finish.

In 1983, his stellar career was topped off when he was voted into the Hall of Fame.

DEDICATED MANAGER CARD- 1977 BOB LEMON

Fun card to add to the WTHBALLS "stable", a dedicated 1977 manager card for Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Lemon, who was just about to take over the helm of the Chicago White Sox:

 

Somehow Topps was able to have Lemon shown on the White Sox team card for the 1977 set, even though he hadn't managed yet, so that's why you have this card created here.

After an earlier managerial stint with the Kansas City Royals between 1979 and 1972, Lemon was back at the head of a Major League team, leading the South Siders to a very nice 90-72 season, giving us that potent line-up with guys like Oscar Gamble, Richie Zisk and Eric Soderholm.

He'd start off the 1978 season with Chicago, but would get the ax 74 games into the season after a 34-40 start, good for fifth place in the American League West.

But don't fret for the guy, as his fortunes would be incredibly improved, getting hired by the New York Yankees, for whom he coached before his White Sox stint, and all he would do is guide the Yankees straight to a World Championship.

Of course, to get there the Yanks had to overcome a huge gap between them and the first place Boston Red Sox, culminating with a dramatic one-game playoff that gave us Bucky Dent and his home run heroics.

A true baseball “lifer”, Lemon would also find his way to Cooperstown in 1976, elected by the BBWAA based on his 207 wins, all with the Cleveland Indians, which included SEVEN 20-win campaigns in only ten full seasons. Amazing.

READER REQUEST! FOR THE FUN OF IT A 1978 TED TURNER MANAGER CARD

OK, so I normally don't do this, but my friend Mike really begged for me to create a 1978 manager card for Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner, the eccentric businessman who also too a turn leading the Braves before the league stepped in and told him to "stick to his day job":

 

From the Wikipedia page for the man:

"On May 11, 1977, with the team mired in a 16-game losing streak, Turner sent manager Dave Bristol on a 10-day "scouting trip" and Turner himself took over as interim manager—the first owner/manager in the majors since Connie Mack. He ran the team for one game (a loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates)^[53] before National League president Chub Feeney ordered him to stop running the team. Feeney cited major league rules which bar managers and players from owning stock in their clubs. Turner appealed to Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn, and showed up to manage the Braves when they returned home. However, Kuhn turned down the appeal, citing Turner's "lack of familiarity with game operations."^[54]"

^{To be honest, and this may be an unpopular opinion, the game seemed much more fun when we had guys like Turner, George Stenbrenner, Charlie Finley et. al. running their clubs almost with reckless abandon.}

^{Anyway, thought it was a fun idea and whipped this up to add to the WTHBALLS stable!}

^{Thanks Mike for the suggestion!}

DEDICATED MANAGER CARD- 1977 DON ZIMMER

Always a good day here on the blog when I can add another custom card for "Popeye" Don Zimmer, one of my favorite "baseball people". This one a dedicated 1977 manager card:

 

"Zim" took over as manager of the Boston Red Sox about half way through the 1976 season, leading them to a 42-34 record under his watch the rest of the way.

Over the next three years he'd have the BoSox in the thick of things, winning 97, 99 and 91 games, but always falling JUST a bit short to the New York Yankees the first two seasons, and the Baltimore Orioles the third.

In 1980 he'd start the year with Boston, guiding them to a record of 82-73 before being let go towards the end of the year, moving on to the Texas Rangers during the strike year of 1981, where he'd manage through the first half of 1982.

After that, he'd coach until he was handed the managerial job of the Chicago Cubs in 1988, where he'd lead them through the first third of the 1991 season, including their fun 1989 season that saw the Cubbies finish in first before losing to the San Francisco Giants in the N.L. playoffs.

Of course, Zimmer will always be remembered most as a baseball “lifer”, playing, coaching and managing in Major League ball for an incredible 61 years, from 1954 to 2014.
Loved him when he was coaching with the New York Yankees during the Joe Torre years!
Rest in Peace “Popeye”! You are missed!

DEDICATED MANAGER CARD- 1975 YOGI BERRA

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL! I hope you're all safe and well this morning!

Today's "dedicated manager" card is a 1975 edition for the great Yogi Berra, who was at the helm of the New York Mets when this beauty would have hit packs before the '75 season:

 

Berra was coming off a disappointing 1974 season that saw the reigning National League champs fall from first to fifth after a World Series loss in 1973 to the Oakland A's.

Turns out the 1975 season he would be let go about three quarters into the year, having the Mets in third place with a record of 56-53. Not exactly a horrible year, and ironically winning at a higher clip than their 1973 season when the team made the World Series with a record of only 82-79.

Berra wouldn't manage again until 1984 after years of coaching, coming back to the New York Yankees and guiding them to a record of 87-75, good for a third place finish.

The following season he'd be let go after only 16 games, with the Yanks at 6-10, which would be the last Managerial position of his long baseball career.

His only other manager spot was way back in 1964 when he led the Yankees to the World Series with a record of 99-63 before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals and Bob Gibson.

Little did Yankee fans know it would be the last time they'd be in the World Series until 1976 after an incredible run of Postseason berths the previous 40 some odd seasons.

For Berra, the Hall of Famer finished his managing career with a record of 484-444, good for a .522 winning percentage, with two pennants.

DEDICATED MANAGER- 1977 BILL VIRDON

Today's blog post has a fun 1977 "Dedicated Manager" card for Bill Virdon, somewhat of a forgotten figure over the years as both a solid player and manager over a long MLB career:

 

Virdon was about to start his second full season as skipper of the Houston Astros in 1977, coming off a third place finish in 1976 with a record of 80-82.

He'd do one game better in 1977, finishing 81-81, good for another third place finish in the National League West.

He would eventually spend eight years as manager of the Astros, having his best season in 1980 when the Astros finished 93-70, finishing in first place before losing to the eventual World Champion Philadelphia Phillies in the N.L. playoffs.

Previous to the Astros gig, he managed both the New York Yankees (1974 and 1975) as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates (1972 and 1973), having good years for both teams but being let go nevertheless.

After the 1982 season he moved on to the Montreal Expos, where he managed them in 1982 and 1983 before being let go mid-season after a 64-67 start.

All told as a manager, Virdon finished with a record of 995 and 921, with two first place finishes as well as a first place finish in the second half of the 1981 strike season debacle.

As a player he was equally as solid, winning the Rookie of the Year in 1955 when he hit .281 with 17 homers and 68 runs batted in for the St. Louis Cardinals, while picking up a Gold Glove in 1962 for his defensive work out in centerfield for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Over his 12 year playing career spanning 1955 to 1968, Virdon hit .267 with 1596 hits in 5980 at-bats over 1583 games, scoring 735 runs while driving in 502.

DEDICATED MANAGER CARD- 1979 KEN BOYER

The next manager to get a dedicated card is former National League MVP Ken Boyer, who ended up managing his old team for a few years, hence this 1979 edition:

 

Boyer managed parts of three seasons with the Cardinals, his only managerial experience at the Big League level.

In 1978 he finished up the season as manager for the Cardinals, the third manager of the year for the team, going 62-81, good for a fifth place finish in the East.

In 1979 he'd get a full season in, going 86-76, giving the Cardinals a third place finish and a decent improvement over the previous year.

In 1980, he'd only get 51 games into the year before being let go, going 18-33, with the team mired in fourth place.

He was about to return to managing in the Minors after his dismissal, but sadly he developed lung cancer, which took his life just two years later in 1982, passing away at only 51 years of age.

As a player, Boyer put in a career that saw him top a .300 batting average five times, drive in 100 or more runs twice and score 100+ three times while collecting over 2000 hits, slam 282 homers and drive in over 1100 runs.

He was also named to seven all-star teams while taking home five Gold Gloves for his fielding at third base, while taking home the 1964 National League Most Valuable Player Award after leading the team to a World Series win over the New York Yankees.

DEDICATED MANAGER CARD- 1975 BILLY MARTIN

Time to go and give one of my favorite baseball personalities, Billy Martin, a "dedicated manager card" in my new thread, this one a 1975 edition:

Martin was a winner wherever he managed. Just look it up!

He began his managerial career in 1969 with the Minnesota Twins and took them straight to the Playoffs, guiding the team to a first place finish with a 97-65 record.
He would move on to Detroit, and would take them to a first place finish by his second year in 1972 with a record of 86-70.
He’d move on to the Texas Rangers and they’d have their first successful season in 1974, albeit a second place finish behind league MVP Jeff Burroughs and ace Fergie Jenkins, then of course he would move on to the New York Yankees, where the “Bronx Zoo” was in full swing, eventually bringing Martin a World Championship in 1977.
He’d move on to the Oakland A’s where “Billy-Ball” was in full effect, losing to the Yankees in the Championship Series while burning through every arm on his pitching staff with overuse.
Then finally, there was the back-and-forth period between he and the Yankees, specifically owner George Steinbrenner, where he managed in 1983, 1985 and finally 1988, almost a comedic show of hiring and firing that really was an embarrassment to us Yankee fans of the era.
Nevertheless, Martin was a winner, though one with a temper at that, leaving the game with a .553 winning percentage and over 1200 wins.
Should he be in the Hall of Fame?
I do think so more for his personality than anything else. As a symbol of the wild 1970’s with his managerial style a'la Earl Weaver, arguing and fighting his way through each season.
Rest in Peace Billy, you are missed.

DEDICATED MANAGER CARD- 1976 GENE MAUCH

On the blog today, another "dedicated manager card", this one a 1976 edition for long-time skipper Gene Mauch, who put in 26 years at the head of a Major League ball club between 1960 and 1987:

 

At the time this card would have seen the light of day Mauch was about to begin his helm of the Minnesota Twins, with the likes of Rod Carew, Lyman Bostock, Bert Blyleven and Tony Oliva.

Now Topps got ahead of the game having Mauch as manager on the Twins team card in their 1976 set, since he was hired over the off-season after a seven year run leading the Montreal Expos, their first manager in franchise history beginning in 1969.

Mauch would go on to lead the Twins from 1976 through 1980, finishing either third or fourth in each season with 1976 having a high of 85 wins.

He would then go on to manage the California Angels from 1982 through 1987, with a break in 1983 and 1984.

He was the manager of the Angels for their division leading 1982 and 1986 seasons, when they won 93 and 92 games respectively, only to lose in the Championship Series both times.

Overall, Mauch would finish his managerial career with a record of 1902 and 2037, never making it to a World Series, but certainly earning the respect of the baseball world as a solid manager.

 

DEDICATED MANAGER CARD- 1977 SPARKY ANDERSON

Thought I'd start creating some "dedicated" manager cards through the decade for the years Topps didn't create any, since so many of these guys were iconic figures in the game during some great years.

Today we'll begin with Sparky Anderson and a 1977 edition, since he was on top of the baseball world when this card would have seen the light of day:

 

Anderson, who was disturbingly ONLY 42 years of age when this photo was taken, was coming off his second straight World Series championship in 1977, and at that point it really looked like we were about to witness one of the all-time great dynasties.

In 1975 the Reds were arguably one of the best teams in baseball history, steamrolling to 108 victories before eventually beating the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.

In 1976, more of the same as the team would win 102 games before sweeping the New York Yankees in the World Series.

Throw in the fact that they were also in the World Series in both 1970 and 1972, and it really looked like the team, stacked with guys like Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and George Foster, would be keeping our attention for quite some time.

But alas, according to Sparky, it was the trading of one of their OTHER stars, Tony Perez, that took the heart and soul out of the team, and shockingly the "Big Red Machine" would not bring home another championship, and the franchise would have to wait until 1990 before experiencing it again.

For Anderson however, the man would go down as one of the greatest managers in Major League history, moving on to the Detroit Tigers in 1979, where he would go on to manage 17 years, giving him a combined 26 years of Big League managing, even taking home another title with that great 1984 Tiger team that was in first "wire-to-wire", winning 104 games before beating the San Diego Padres in the World Series.

All told the man won 2194 games as a manager, finishing with a .545 winning percentage, three titles, 5 pennants, and of course a Hall of Fame induction in 2000.

Legend, and perpetually looking like an "old man" even when he was in his 30's!