MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1974 SPARKY ANDERSON

Good day all.

On the blog today, we have a 1974 "missing All-Star Manager" card, featuring the N.L. skipper of the 1973 game, Hall of Famer Sparky Anderson of the Cincinnati Reds:

Anderson once again was at the helm of the N.L. in the Midsummer Classic, coming away with a 7-1 win at Royals Stadium on July 24th.

Arguably leading the team of the decade, the Cincinnati Reds, Anderson was at the helm of a team that featured many of the top players of the era.

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!

 

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGERS: 1974 DICK WILLIAMS

Continuing with my "Missing All-Star Managers" cards thread here on the blog, today we come to the 1974 set and the American League skipper for the 1973 game, Oakland A's manager Dick Williams:

Now, while Topps did return to having All-Star cards in their base set that year, instead of the multi-player (or manager in this case) format they utilized, I went with a base-card version as I did with the starting nine for each league a few years back.

The colors do just "pop" here don't they?

As manager of the Oakland A's, he arrived just in time as the team was just about to become the dynasty they'd turn out to be, winning the American League West in 1971 (losing to the Baltimore Orioles in the playoffs), but then winning the following two championships in 1972 and 1973 before Williams went on to manage the California Angels in 1974.

Over the course of his 21-year managerial career, Williams managed five first-place teams, reaching the playoffs with four of his teams: Red Sox, A's, Expos and Padres.

He guided three of THOSE teams to the World Series, and finished with 1571 wins, four pennants and two World Series wins.

All of that eventually led to Williams being inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Veteran's Committee in 2008.

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1973 EARL WEAVER

Just as I had done years ago with the starting line-ups of the 1972 All-Star game, today I add American League manager for that game Earl Weaver to my "missing" All-Star cards, in this case completely creating a new card for the Hall of Fame skipper to get it done:

With the Baltimore Orioles pennant winning season of 1971 with Weaver at the helm, the 1972 Midsummer Classic saw the diminutive yet fiery manager lead the Junior Circuit to a chance to defend their 1971 All-Star game win against the N.L.

Well sadly, it was not to be, as the National League got back to "business as usual" with another win 4-3, something they would keep on doing all the way through to the 1983 game, much to THIS young A.L. fan through his elementary and Junior High School days!

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 in 1970, 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!

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1973 DANNY MURTAUGH

Good day all.

Up on the blog today we have a "missing" 1973 Danny Murtaugh All-Star manager card, in the case of the 1973 set a complete fabrication by yours truly since Topps didn't have all-star cards in this set:

Murtaugh was given the honors as the National League skipper for the 1972 game based on his leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to a World Series win over the favored Baltimore Orioles in the 1971 Fall Classic.

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.

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1972 SPARKY ANDERSON

Up on the blog today, something we'll see a lot of through the 1970s, Cincinnati reds manager Sparky Anderson leading the National League in the All-Star game over their American League rivals, with this one a "missing" 1972 All-Star card:

Again, being a fan of base-card All-Star designations a la 1975-1981, I went and created "missing" versions from 1970-1974, including cards for the managers.

Arguably leading the team of the decade, the Cincinnati Reds, Anderson was at the helm of a team that featured many of the top players of the era.

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!

 

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1972 EARL WEAVER

On the blog today we once again go and give former Baltimore Orioles skipper Earl Weaver the "All-Star" treatment with a "missing" all-star card, this time a 1972 edition celebrating his 1971 position as the manager for the A.L. in the now legendary Midsummer Classic:

Weaver's road to skipper in the 1971 All-Star game was all thanks to his incredible 1970 season when he guided the juggernaut Baltimore Orioles to what ended up being his only title over his Hall of Famer managerial career, seeing the Birds beat the up-and-coming Cincinnati Reds after steam-rolling through the regular season to the tune of a 108-54 record, this after a monster 1969 season that saw the team win 109 games. Incredible.

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 in 1970, 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!

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1971 GIL HODGES

Today we add former New York Mets manager to my "missing All-Star manager" cards I've recently created for the blog, joining my Earl Weaver 1971 card from last week, to celebrate the managers that led their respective leagues in the "Midsummer Classic" during the 1970s:

Because of his World Championship season of 1969, when he led the improbable "Miracle Mets" team to a shocking win over the juggernaut Baltimore Orioles, Hodges was tabbed as the skipper of the N.L. for the 1970 All-Star game.

Played at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, the National League would pull-out the win in the 12th inning, remembered as the Pete Rose run when he barrelled into young Cleveland Indians catcher Ray Fosse for the game winning run.

Excelling on the field for the Dodgers as well as in the dugout for the Mets, Gil Hodges became a legend in the New York area, and his name still has recognition around here thanks to the top-notch little league that kids flock to every year (of which I also took part in as a kid 40-45 years ago).
After his Hall-worthy playing career Hodges was the first successful manager of the New York Mets, and was depicted on Topps cards in the late-60's and early-70's.

After a ninth place finish his first year as manager of the Mets (just one game above the last place Houston Astros), Hodges and the Mets did the unthinkable in 1969.
Led by a young corps of talented guns like Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and a yet "unknown" Nolan Ryan, they managed a historic 27-game turnaround, good for first place in the new N.L. East with a record of 100-62.
Once into the postseason, they stunned the baseball world by sweeping the Atlanta Braves in the playoffs, then defeating the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles in the World Series four games to one, claiming about as unexpected a championship as anybody could have dreamed of.

Hodges, who finally made the Hall of Fame recently, should have been in decades ago based on his playing and managing career.

Gone far too soon after dying at the age of only 47 just before the 1972 season from a heart attack.

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1971 EARL WEAVER

On the blog today, a fun little "tweak" to Earl Weaver's 1971 card, this an All-Star designation as the American League's skipper in the 1970 Midsummer Classic, something I did with the starting nine for both leagues almost ten years ago:

Weaver had the honors of leading the A.L. in the 1970 All-Star game based off his pennant winning season of 1969, when the Orioles were stunned in the World Series by the "Miracle Mets".

It was Weaver's first full season as a Major League manager, taking over at mid-season the year before for Baltimore and leading them to a second place finish before his run of three first place finishes between 1969 and 1971.

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 in 1970, 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!

 

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1970 RED SCHOENDIENST

Today on the blog, we "tweak" Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst's 1970 Topps card to reflect his status as the All-Star Manager from the 1969 All-Star game for the National league, based on his 1968 Pennant-winning season with the St. Louis Cardinals:

As I did many years ago on the blog for the starting nine for each league in the 1969 Midsummer Classic, I added the "All-Star" banner across the bottom of Schoendienst's card to mark his All-Star status of the previous season.

I've always been an on-card" All-Star fan, as Topps did between 1975 and 1981, and never preferred the "extra" All-Star cards of other sets/years.

Something about the All-Star call out on the player's base-card that made it so special in my humble opinion.

Schoendienst first put together a 19-year Hall of Fame career between 1945 and 1963, winning a championship with the Cards as well as the Milwaukee Braves in 1957, before coaching and then managing St. Louis from 1965 to 1976, winning yet another championship in 1967, with a spot managing gig in 1980 and then 1990 all while coaching the team in between, including the 1982 season, giving him a FIFTH championship in his illustrious career.

He put in 2216 games as a player, then went on to manage 1999 games, winning 1041 of them for a .522 winning percentage, while coaching at LEAST another couple thousand games on top of that!
A true baseball "lifer"!

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1970 MAYO SMITH

On the blog today, a "missing" 1970 All-Star manager card, even though Topps didn't have base-card All-Star designations, but I did a while back, so I added to that thread with such a card for former Detroit Tigers skipper Mayo Smith, who led the A.L. in the 1969 game:

Thanks to his World Championship season of 1968 at the helm of the Detroit Tigers, Smith was the manager for the A.L. in the 1969 "Midsummer Classic", a game that saw the National League prevail 9-3.

The Tigers marched to a championship with a memorable 1968 year that saw them win 103 games before stunning the reigning champion St. Louis Cardinals and taking home the title.

Smith was manager of the Tigers from 1967 to 1970, posting three 90+ win seasons and two second place finishes in addition to the first place finish of 1968.

His other managerial jobs were as skipper of the Philadelphia Phillies between 1955 and 1958, and a part of the 1959 season with the Cincinnati reds in 1959, with his greatest success in those tenures two .500 seasons with Philly when he finished 77-77 in both 1955 and 1957.

As a player, he put in only 73 games during the 1945 season with the Philadelphia Athletics as an outfielder, hitting .212 with 18 runs scored and 11 runs batted in.

 

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1979 TOMMY LASORDA

Time to go and create a "missing" 1979 National league All-Star manager card for the skipper who led the Senior League to another Midsummer classic win over the American League in 1978, Los Angeles Dodgers skipper Tommy Lasorda:

Lasorda was given the honor of course because of his pennant winning season of 1977, when he guided the Dodgers to the World Series where they would lose to the New York Yankees.

It was the first Series appearance as manager for Lasorda, something he would repeat the following season, as well as 1981 and 1988, the latter two years bringing the City of Angels World Championships.

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!

 

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1979 BILLY MARTIN

Today on the blog, my "missing" 1979 All-Star manager card, featuring the skipper who led the American league in the 1978 game, Billy Martin, who was given the honor after taking the New York Yankees to a World Series berth in 1977, bringing back a championship to the Bronx for the first time since 1962:

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.

 

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1978 SPARKY ANDERSON

Good day everyone!

Up on the blog today, we have the "missing" 1978 N.L. All-Star manager card, and for the second year in a row it is Cincinnati Reds skipper Sparky Anderson, who guided the "Big Red Machine" to a second straight World Series victory in 1976 over the New York Yankees:

After a phenomenal 108 win season in 1975 that saw them march to a title over the Boston red Sox, the Reds kept on winning, taking home 102 victories the following year before disposing of the Yankees in four straight.

For Anderson, it was his fourth first-place finish in five years, with only a second place finish in 1974 the only "blemish".

In the All-Star game, the national league beat the American league once again, this time winning 7-1 as they pounced on starter Mark Fidrych for two runs in the first two innings before touching Catfish Hunter for two more runs in the third and then three runs to break it wide open in the eighth off Frank Tanana.

Anderson 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!

 

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1978 BILLY MARTIN

Today's blog post has a "missing" All-Star manager card for the man who led the A.L. in the 1977 "Midsummer Classic", Billy Martin of the New York Yankees:

Martin brought the Yankees back to Postseason Glory in 1976 before losing to the juggernaut "Big Red Machine" Cincinnati Reds in the World Series.

That 97 win season got him the manager role in the 1977 game, something he would repeat in 1978 as he would finally guide a team to a World Championship.

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.

 

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1977 DARRELL JOHNSON

Up on the blog today, my "missing" 1977 All-Star manager, which is former Boston Red Sox manager Darrell Johnson, who led the Junior Circuit in the 1976 "Midsummer Classic" because of his pennant winning 1975 season:

Funny enough, we'll all remember that Johnson was shown as the very first manager in Seattle Mariner history on that special manager/coach card in the 1977 set.

After his A.L. Championship season of 1975, which saw the Red Sox lose to the juggernaut Cincinnati Reds "Big Red Machine" team in the World Series, Johnson came back to manage the Sox the following year, only to be let go after 86 games, which had the team under .500 at 41-45.

That was just after the All-Star game, so he did hang around long enough to be at the helm of the A.L. in the game, which the N.L. won 7-1.

He would then go on to manage the new Mariner team for the first three full seasons between 1977 and 1979 before being let go after a 39-65 start to the 1980 season.

He'd be back managing a Big League team in 1982, taking over the Texas Rangers after Don Zimmer was let go after a 38-58 start, with Johnson not doing much better, going 26-40 the rest of the way.

That would be it for the man as a manager, though he could be considered a baseball lifer, entering pro-ball in 1949 before putting in parts of six seasons as a Major League catcher between 1952 and 1962, then getting into coaching and managing later on.

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1977 SPARKY ANDERSON

On the blog this fine day, my "missing" 1977 National league Manager card for Sparky Anderson, who guided the N.L. to another win in the All-Star game in 1976, something he'd do again the following season:

Arguably leading the team of the decade, the Cincinnati Reds, Anderson was at the helm of a team that featured many of the top players of the era when this card would have seen the light of day.

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!

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1976 WALT ALSTON

Good day all.

On the blog today, we fill in the gap left by Topps regarding "missing" all-star cards for managers, with today's card a 1976 All-Star card for Los Angeles Dodgers legendary manager Walt Alston:

Alston led the National League to a win in the 1975 game, leading the Senior League based off his 1974 pennant which saw the Dodgers lose to the three-peat Oakland A's.

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.

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1976 ALVIN DARK

The next "missing" All-Star manager to get a card, the skipper who led the A.L. for the 1975 game, Alvin Dark of the Oakland A's:

Once again, based on his leading the A's to a pennant in 1974, Dark was the manager for the American league for 1975's Midsummer Classic, getting him this card in the 1976 set.

When you think about it, why did Topps not bother with an All-Star card for the managers between the years of 1975 and 1981, when the All-Star call-out was on the base card of the player (or manager), the way I thought it SHOULD be?!

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".

 

MISSING IN ACTION: 1975 N.L. ALL-STAR MANAGER: YOGI BERRA

Today on the blog, we go and add the "missing" 1975 National League All-Star manager card to compliment my recent A.L. counterpart, the Senior League's skipper in Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra, who led the N.L. for the 1974 Midsummer Classic based on his pennant winning 1973 season with the New York Mets:

Sadly for him, 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.

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1975 DICK WILLIAMS

Hello all!

On the blog today, we're going to go ahead and beginning adding the All-Star manager to the base All-Star cards between 1975 and 1979, beginning with the American League's manager in the 1974 game, Dick Williams:

Now, Williams was the manager based on his 1973 A.L. Pennant winning, and title winning, year with the Oakland A's, their second straight World Series win.

Funny thing is by the time the 1974 "Mid Summer Classic" came around, Williams was now managing the California Angels after a stormy end to his Oakland run, hence the Angels designation on the card.

Williams had the A's at just the right time, coming in for the 1971 season and winning 101 games for the burgeoning dynasty, winning it all in 1972 and 1973.

Over the course of his 21-year managerial career, Williams managed five first-place teams, reaching the playoffs with four of his teams: Red Sox, A's, Expos and Padres.

He guided three of THOSE teams to the World Series, and finished with 1571 wins, four pennants and two World Series wins.

All of that eventually led to Williams being inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 2008.