GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1978 ATLANTA BRAVES DAVE BRISTOL MANAGER CARD

Today on the blog, a card I've wanted to do for some time, a redone 1978 Atlanta Braves manager card, being as the original card issued by Topps featured Bobby Cox, who was about to begin leading the team that season.

I wanted a card featuring the guy who managed the team in 1977, in this case Dave Bristol, who finished the 1977 campaign as the Braves on field manager after some moves:

While Bristol began the year as the manager for the Braves, posting a record of 8-21, he was "replaced" by team owner Ted Turner in his famous stunt where he named himself manager.

After that was blocked by the league, Bristol was put back in the manager's seat for the last 131 games, not faring any better, going 52-79 for a slightly better .397 winning percentage, with the Braves finishing a cumulative 61-101.

It took me a while to find a somewhat usable image of Bristol's playing days, though not an optimum one at that.

However I figured for this it would do and here we are.

Bristol put in 11 years as a Big League manager, finishing up with a record of 657 and 764, most notably as the manager of the burgeoning Cincinnati Reds up until Sparky Anderson replaced him in 1970, just as the elements of the "Big Red Machine" were coming together.

As a player, he never made it to the Majors, but put in ten years in the Reds' Minor League system as an infielder between 1951 and 1961.

His last year as a manager was 1980, as he led the San Francisco Giants to a record of 75-86, finishing fifth in the N.L. West.

FOR FUN- 1977 PAUL RICHARDS MANAGER CARD

Up on the blog today we fill a hole somewhat for a manager that, if you were solely following Topps cards in the 1970's instead of the game itself, you wouldn't even know who managed the Chicago White Sox in 1976, Paul Richards:

I could not pass up the opportunity to create a card for the baseball lifer, who came back to manage Big League ball after 15 years, last managing the Baltimore Orioles from 1955 through 1961.

Richards led the White Sox to a record of 64-97 in 1976, sadly a last place finish.

His first managerial position in the Majors was with the White Sox themselves, leading the team from 1951 through 1954, with a fourth place finish and three third place finishes.

In the 1976 set Topps had Chuck Tanner shown as the team manager on the team card, and then had enough time to have Richards' replacement on their 1977 team card, Bob Lemon.

So there you go!

A wrong has finally been made right!

 

MANAGING A MANAGER SUB-SET THE RIGHT WAY...1978

I always thought Topps nailed it when it came to their manager cards in the 1978 set. The horizontal orientation, the dual images of both player and manager, and the full playing statistics that, at the time, were not readily accessible in the pre-internet world we lived in.

Up until that point, and sadly, ever since, manager cards were usually run of the mill "throw-ins" that really didn't add much to the set, and you were left wondering if the slots wouldn't have been better served with some players that were left out, or some other sub-set that could garner more interest. 

But for this set, all teams but the Brewers had their managers represented with nicely designed and well thought out cards. 

***Milwaukee hadn't yet named their manager for the upcoming season when cards went to press. However I created a George Bamberger card below to finally "complete" the sub-set.

All told, no less than six of the managers are Hall-of-Famers (either as managers or players): Earl Weaver, Whitey Herzog, Bob Lemon, Dick Williams, Tommy Lasorda and Sparky Anderson. And that number will most assuredly go up by two once Joe Torre and Bobby Cox are inducted as well. Some can even make a case for Billy Martin to eventually get in as well, possibly bringing us to NINE members of the Hall. Not too shabby for a sub-set.

Of these managers, the most accomplished as players were Bob Lemon and Joe Torre. Lemon fashioned a Hall of Fame career as a pitcher for the famed Indians staffs of the '40's and '50s, while Torre was a one-time MVP with the Cardinals in 1971, after a solid career as a power hitting catcher for the Braves in the '60's as a power hitting catcher with the Braves.

However, Alvin Dark and Bill Virdon were no slouches either, with both winning Rookie of the Year awards, in 1948 and 1955 respectively.

Sure, there were some guys that really didn't leave much of a mark in baseball history, but overall, this sub-set was one of the better executed sub-sets of the decade in my eyes. It's a shame that Topps decided to abandon this format for their Manager cards after this set.

Anyway, now onto the cards themselves. Enjoy!

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

***This card was never issued. I've created here to complete the sub-set***

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST 

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST 

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST