"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: ROLLIE FINGERS

Today on the blog, we have another card added to my long-running custom "Classic Baseball" set, this one of '70s icon and Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers:

Fingers would put together a wonderful 17-year career which would see him win both a Cy Young and MVP Award in 1981 with the Milwaukee Brewers, Lead the league in saves three times, post sub-2.00 ERA's 12 times and finish up with a sparkling 2.90 career ERA over 944 games and 1701.1 innings pitched.

He was named to seven all-star teams, both in the A.L. and N.L., before closing out his career in 1985, finishing with a 114-118 record with 341 saves.

One of the great characters of the decade! But a force out of the 'pen as well.

He was voted into the Hall in 1992, his second year on the ballot, garnering 81.2% of the vote.

1981 DRAKES BIG PITCHERS: ROLLIE FINGERS

Today on the blog we spotlight another card from my recent 1981 "Drake's Big Pitchers" custom set, this time Hall of Fame reliever Rollie Fingers:

Fingers was in his superstar prime at the time this card would have seen the light of day, unknowingly about to find himself with the Milwaukee Brewers that year on his way to both a Cy Young Award and a Most Valuable Player Award.

He would put together a wonderful 17-year career which would see him lead the league in saves three times, post sub-2.00 ERA's 12 times and finish up with a sparkling 2.90 career ERA over 944 games and 1701.1 innings pitched.

He was named to seven all-star teams, both in the A.L. and N.L., before closing out his career in 1985, finishing with a 114-118 record with 341 saves.

One of the great characters of the decade! But a force out of the 'pen as well.

He was voted into the Hall in 1992, his second year on the ballot, garnering 81.2% of the vote.

 

1960'S DEDICATED ROOKIES: 1969 ROLLIE FINGERS

Been a while since I posted one of my 1960's "Dedicated Rookies" from my special custom set released a few years ago, so today we post up my 1969 dedicated card for the great Rollie Fingers of the Oakland A's:

Fingers would put together a wonderful 17-year career which would see him win both a Cy Young and MVP Award in 1981 with the Milwaukee Brewers, Lead the league in saves three times, post sub-2.00 ERA's 12 times and finish up with a sparkling 2.90 career ERA over 944 games and 1701.1 innings pitched.

He was named to seven all-star teams, both in the A.L. and N.L., before closing out his career in 1985, finishing with a 114-118 record with 341 saves.

One of the great characters of the decade! But a force out of the 'pen as well.

He was voted into the Hall in 1992, his second year on the ballot, garnering 81.2% of the vote.

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: N.L. FIREMEN

Good day all!

On the blog today, we have the top firemen of the 1978 season in the National League, proudly displayed on a 1979 “expanded league leader” card:

 

We begin with hall of Famer Rollie Fingers, who had himself a wonderful 1978 season for the San Diego Padres, winning six games while leading the league with 37 saves, good for 43 “points”.

Fingers followed up a fantastic 1977 season, his first with the Padres, with an even better year in 1978, posting an ERA of 2.52 over 107.1 innings, appearing in 78 games and closing out 69, both high-marks in the N.L.

Three years later, back in the American League, he’d top both those seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, earning both the Cy Young and MVP Awards when he led the league with 28 saves while posting a microscopic 1.04 ERA.

By the time he was done in 1985, he put together what would be a Hall of Fame career that spanned from 1968 to 1985, winning three championships, and finishing up at the time with the all-time best 341 saves.

Behind Fingers with 39 points, the Pittsburgh Pirates great Kent Tekulve, who appeared in a staggering 91 games, saving 31 while picking up eight wins, pitching to a wonderful 2.33 ERA over 135.1 innings.

The previous year was his breakout season, posting a record of 10-1 while saving seven games for the Pirates, something he’d be doing for the next seven plus seasons, helping them finally take it all home with a championship in 1979 as part of the “We Are Family” team led by the great Willie Stargell.

Incredibly, even in 1987 at the age of 40, he’d lead the league with 90 appearances while with the Philadelphia Phillies, finally hanging them up after the 1989 season after one year with the Cincinnati Reds, totaling 1050 games over his 16 year career, with 184 saves and a very nice 2.85 ERA.

Tied for third with 35 points, Cincinnati Reds reliever Doug Bair and Chicago Cubs uber-star Bruce Sutter, who both put in All-Star caliber campaigns for their respective clubs.

For Bair, it was a wonderful year that saw him win seven games while saving 28, posting an excellent 1.97 ERA over 70 appearances and 100.1 innings of work.

The righty would put in 15 years as a Major Leaguer, appearing in 584 games generally as a middle-reliever as the game changed, using set-up men more and more in the 1980s.

He would be part of two World Champion teams, funny enough, one of those with the guy he tied right here, Bruce Sutter, the 1982 St. Louis Cardinals, while two seasons later he was part of the juggernaut Detroit Tigers team.

For Sutter, what really needs to be said about perhaps the dominant relief pitcher of his era?

After an incredible 1977 season that saw him save 31 games while posting a 1.34 ERA over 62 games and 107.1 innings, he came back in 1978 with eight win and 27 saves for the Chicago Cubs, striking out 106 over 98.2 innings.

The following year, he’d top all of that, winning the N.L. Cy Young Award by saving 37 games while winning six, striking out 110 batters in 101.1 innings and pitching to an ERA of 2.22, all this for a Cubs team that finished under .500 with a record of 80-82.

The man revolutionized the “closer” role, going on to lead the league in saves five of the next six seasons, setting a (then) record of 45 saves in in 1984 as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, finishing with 300 saves over his stellar career.

All of that eventually got him a Hall of Fame induction in 2006, and rightly so!

 

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1978 N.L. FIREMEN

On the blog today, an awesome card to create featuring three future Hall of Fame members, an “expanded league leader” 1978 card featuring the National League’s top three firemen of 1977:

 

 

 

We start off with the great Rollie Fingers, who had a wonderful first season in the Senior League, racking up 43 “points” in 1977 as a Free Agent signing for the San Diego Padres.

Fingers led the N.L. with his 35 saves, in addition to his 8 wins, giving him the 43 point total, while also posting a 2.99 earned run average with 113 strikeouts over 132.1 innings of work.

The man was a machine coming out of the bullpen for all three franchises he suited up for: Oakland A’s, Padres and Milwaukee Brewers, with whom he took home a Cy Young Award and MVP in 1981.

In second place with 38 points, a man who was just announcing himself and his future greatness to the Big League world, Chicago Cub reliever Bruce Sutter.

In his second season as a Major Leaguer, Sutter absolutely dominated batter, posting a ridiculous ERA of 1.34 over 107.1 innings, while saving 31 games and winning seven more in 62 appearances.

An absolute beast as a reliever, Sutter would go on to take home a Cy Young Award in 1979 when he saved 37 games while posting a 2.22 ERA over 62 games, striking out 110 batters in 101.1 innings.

In third place, with 37 points, yet another future Hall of Famer, the “Goose” Rich Gossage, who put in one great season for the Pittsburgh Pirates after coming over from the Chicago White Sox, saving 26 games while winning 11 more over 72 appearances, striking out 151 batters over 133 innings while finishing up with a brilliant 1.62 ERA.

He would parlay that performance by signing with the New York Yankees as a Free Agent before the 1978 season, helping them win their second World Series in a row and become a fan favorite through the early-80’s before heading off to the San Diego Padres.

Three studs out of the bullpen who were easily three of the best in the game during that and any other era!

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS: 1977 A.L. FIREMEN

On the blog today, we move on to the American League’s top three “firemen” of the 1976 season, celebrated on a 1977 “expanded league leader” card:

 

 

We begin with a reliever who had a couple of outstanding seasons in the mid-70’s, Bill Campbell, aka “Soup”, who paced the league with his 37 points.

Campbell’s 1976 season was incredible, as he would appear in a league-leading 78 games for the Minnesota Twins while posting a record of 17-5, with 20 saves and a 3.01 earned run average over 167.2 innings, all out of the bullpen.

Those numbers were enough for a seventh place finish in the Cy Young Award and an eighth-place finish in the MVP race, and rightly so!

I’ve always been fascinated by relievers who posted incredible high-inning seasons completely out of the bullpen, and Campbells 1976 season ranks high up there.

In second place with 33 points, Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers, who posted a record of 13-11 with 20 saves in his final year with the Oakland A’s, with a brilliant 2.47 ERA over 70 appearances and 134.2 innings of work.

Another workhorse out of the bullpen, it’s no surprise the man’s Big League output would eventually lead to a Hall of Fame induction, at the time a rare occurrence for a dedicated reliever.

In third place with 30 points, a man who I feel should be in the Hall of Fame, Sparky Lyle of the New York Yankees, who led the league with his 23 saves while posting a record of 7-8 with a 2.26 ERA over 103.2 innings for the A.L. champs.

Lyle would follow up his excellent 1976 season with an even better 1977, taking home the A.L. Cy Young Award based on his 13-5 record, with 26 saves and a 2.17 ERA over 72 games and 137 innings of work, helping the Yanks win their first championship since 1962.

I absolutely loved him as a kid, pitching for my Yanks, and was heartbroken when he was sent to the Texas Rangers in part because of the arrival of Rich Gossage, who took over the reliever role for the foreseeable future.

There you have it, the top three “firemen” called upon to put out those late-inning fires, eating up innings and saving games in the American League in 1976.

GIMMIE A DO-OVER: 1977 ROLLIE FINGERS

The next Oakland A's, or should I say, "FORMER" Oakland A's player to have his 1977 card re-done is Hall of Fame reliever Rollie Fingers, who was originally shown airbrushed into a San Diego Padres uniform, a shock to us young kids everywhere:

 

For those who need a refresher on the original Topps card, here you go:

 

Of course, as we all know, Oakland lost their stable of champion players to Free Agency, and Fingers was one of them, leaving behind the madness, albeit three-time champion Oakland franchise, heading South along with teammate Gene Tenace, to the Padres.

The man would NOT disappoint, leading the National League in saves both in 1977 and 1978, averaging about 100 innings a year solely out of the bullpen, posting sub-3.00 ERA's three of his four years as a Padre.

Yet, it’s amazing to think his best year was still ahead of him, as he’d go on to Milwaukee, where he’d take home the AL MVP and Cy Young in 1981 when he led the Brewers to the playoffs with a remarkable 1.04 ERA and a league-leading 28 saves during the strike-shortened season.
By the time he retired after the 1985 season after some injury-plagued years, he was at the top of the career saves list with 341, while posting a very nice 2.90 ERA over 944 appearances and 1701 innings pitched in 17-seasons.
In 1992, in what was his second year of eligibility, he was selected for the Hall of Fame with 81.2% of the vote, making him only the second career-reliever to be so honored, following the great Hoyt Wilhelm who was selected for induction in 1985.

EXPANDED LEAGUE-LEADERS: 1974 A.L. FIREMEN

On the blog today, we come to the American League's top firemen of 1973 with my 1974 expanded league leader card:

 

Leading the way with his 48 'points" is Detroit Tigers reliever John Hiller, who had one of the best seasons for a relief pitcher during the 1970's incredibly after suffering a heart attack in 1971 at only 27 years of age.

Despite the real threat of having his career over because of the heart attack, Hiller made his way back and in 1973 dominated, appearing in a league-leading 68 games, setting a new record with 38 saves, and pitching to a sparkling 1.44 earned run average over 125.1 innings and a record of 10-5.

Those numbers got him a fourth place finish in both the Cy Young and MVP race at season's end, and set a standard for saves until guys like Dan Quisenberry and Bruce Sutter came along in the 1980's.

Behind Hiller with 32 points was New York Yankees reliever Sparky Lyle, who followed up a tremendous 1972 campaign with another great season, posting 27 saves to go with his five wins, finishing up with an ERA of 2.51 over 51 appearances, earning him his first All-Star nod in the process.

In third place with 29 points, future Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers, who helped the Oakland A's to their second straight championship with his 29 points, 22 saves to go along with his seven wins over 62 appearances, finishing up with a very nice 1.92 ERA over 126.2 innings pitched.

Just as with Lyle, these numbers would also get Fingers his first All-Star nod, something he would end up doing seven times before his great career would come to an end in 1985.

There you have it! The full 1974 "expanded league leader" series. Hope you're enjoying the ride!

Next we move on to the 1975 Topps set with a full run of expanded league leader cards.

EXPANDED YEARLY LEADER CARDS: 1973 A.L. FIREMEN

Today we come to the last 1973 "expanded league leaders" card in my recent thread of creating dedicated league leader cards celebrating the top 3 in their respective category, and this one is for the American League Firemen of 1972:

 

We start off with the New York Yankees Sparky Lyle, who had himself quite a year with his league leading 35 saves and 44 points.

Lyle posted a record of 9-5 with a very nice 1.92 ERA over 107.2 innings in his first season with the Bronx Bombers.

Of course, he would take home the A.L. Cy Young Award five years later when he'd go 13-5, with 26 saves and a 2.17 ERA for the eventual World Champion Yanks, on his way to a Hall-worthy (in my opinion) career that saw him appear in 899 games, all out of the bullpen, saving 238 games while winning 99.

In second place with 35 points is former Chicago White Sox reliever Terry Forster, another pitcher who put in a nice lengthy MLB career.

It was Forster's first full season in the Big Leagues, and he did not disappoint, going 6-5 over 62 appearances, with a nice 2.25 ERA over 100 innings, saving 29 games. He would eventually finish up with 16 seasons under his belt, saving 127 games while appearing in 614, with a final ERA of 3.23.

In third place with 32 points, none other than future Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers, who was still in the beginning of what would be an excellent 17 year Major League career.

In 1972 Fingers helped the Oakland A's to the first of their three straight championships, going 11-9 with 21 saves, posting an ERA of 2.51 over 111.1 innings of work.

Of course, he would go on to put in season after season of excellent relief work, starring for the A's, then the San Diego Padres, followed by the Milwaukee Brewers, for whom he'd take home a Cy Young and MVP Award in 1981 when he helped them make the postseason for the first time in their franchise's history, posting a microscopic 1.04 ERA over 47 games, with a league-leading 28 saves in the strike-shortened campaign.

By the time he was done in 1985, he finished with a (then) MLB record 341 saves over 944 games, with an excellent 2.90 ERA and seven All-Star nods.

Well there you have it! 1973 "expanded league leaders" is a wrap.

Next we move on to 1974 and tackle those stats, giving the top-3 in each league the props they deserved!

NO-HITTERS SPECIAL SUB-SET: COMBINED FOUR-PITCHER GEM. SEPTEMBER 28TH, 1975

Although I created a “Highlights from the 1970’s” card for the Oakland A’s four-pitcher combined no-hitter some five years ago here on the blog, I had to include it in my long-running “no-hitters through the 1970’s” series:

Whereas I originally created a card showing all four pitchers who contributed to the gem spun on the last day of the 1975 season, today I wanted something different, so I pictured the guy who closed out the game, Hall of Fame reliever Rollie Fingers.
Since I already wrote about it in the original post, I’ll take the liberty to copy-paste it here:

On the very last day of the season the A's closed out yet another successful year, no-hitting California and winning 5-0, giving them 98 wins for the season and their fifth straight division championship.
Vida Blue, Glenn Abbott, Paul Lindblad and Rollie Fingers each contributed to the no-hitter, with Blue giving up the only two walks.
What I also find incredible is the fact that the A's switched catchers during the game as well!
Gene Tenace started the game behind the plate, then switched over to first base while Ray Fosse came in at the top of the seventh inning to catch Lindblad.
For the life of me I can't (off the top of my head) remember another no-hitter where the starting catcher was pulled.
Anyone know another such game?
I'll have to look it up for sure!
As a kid I always remember the two combined no-hitters of the '70's: this game and the one that happened the very next year with two Chicago White Sox pitchers doing the same.
I'll be designing a card for THAT game as well in the near future, so keep an eye out for it.
For anyone interested in the Oakland no-hit game particulars, here's a link to the box score on the Godly web-site, "Baseball-Reference.com":
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/OAK/OAK197509280.shtml

Another item to point out: Reggie Jackson hit two home runs in the game, the second of which gave him a tie for the home run crown in 1975 with Milwaukee Brewer George Scott, one of THREE such occasions that Reggie would share a home run crown in his career with a Milwaukee Brewer!
And all three times while he was playing for a different team!
How freakin' strange is that?
He's also share the crown in 1980 with Ben Oglivie while playing for the Yankees, and with Gorman Thomas in 1982 while with the Angels.
Man I love this game!

A 1975 "SPECIAL" CARD- THE ALL-STAR COMBO OF JIM HUNTER AND ROLLIE FINGERS

I came across this image a long time ago and always wanted to create one of those 1960s era “special” cards, so here goes, a 1975 card featuring the awesome one-two punch of Jim “Catfish” Hunter and Rollie Fingers, future Hall of Fame members:

These two were an incredible tandem for the Oakland A’s, with Hunter rolling with four straight 20-win seasons between 1971 and 1974, including a Cy Young Award for his 25-win year of 1974, while Fingers would be collecting 20+ saves a year while notching around 10 wins, all out of the bullpen, pitching over 100-innings every single season.
Just an awesome pair of 1970’s players who would eventually team up once again in Cooperstown with another teammate, Reggie Jackson.
Three important cogs in the three-peat champion teams of 1972-1974 that also included guys like Joe Rudi, Sal Bando, Gene Tenace and another ace pitcher, Vida Blue.
Of course, Hunter would sign with the New York Yankees before the 1975 season, setting off the dismantling of the dynasty with everyone, and I mean everyone, soon gone, leading to Oakland becoming a last-place team within a few years.

1975 IN-ACTION: ROLLIE FINGERS

Next up in the long-running 1975 “In Action” series is the premier American League relief pitcher at the time, the Oakland A’s Rollie Fingers:

Fingers was wrapping up a third straight world championship with the A’s in 1974, while also putting together yet another All-Star campaign, leading the AL in appearances with 76, while posting a record of 9-5 with 18 saves over 119 innings pitched.
It’s amazing to think his best years were still ahead of him, as he’d go on to San Diego and Milwaukee, where he’d lead his league in saves three times, while taking home the AL MVP and Cy Young in 1981 when he led the Brewers to the playoffs with a remarkable 1.04 ERA and a league-leading 28 saves during the strike-shortened season.
By the time he retired after the 1985 season after some injury-plagued years, he was at the top of the career saves list with 341, while posting a very nice 2.90 ERA over 944 appearances and 1701 innings pitched in 17-seasons.
In 1992, in what was his second year of eligibility, he was selected for the Hall of Fame with 81.2% of the vote, making him only the second career-reliever to be so honored, following the great Hoyt Wilhelm who was selected for induction in 1985.

FANTASY 1976 CARD: ROLLIE FINGERS AND THE SALE THAT WASN'T

Came across a very nice shot of Rollie Fingers in Boston Red Sox garb and just had to create a card for him and the sale that never was:

For those of you who are not familiar, Oakland A’s owner Charlie Finley was facing a HUGE problem with Free Agency on the horizon for all of his stars, including his top reliever Rollie Fingers.
Rather than lose them all to the highest bidder, he was determined to cash in ahead of time, and decided on somewhat of a fire sale.
This included selling pitcher Vida Blue to the Yankees for $1.5 million, and Joe Rudi along with Fingers to the Red Sox for $1 million apiece.
However, once the sale went through Baseball Commisioner Bowie Kuhn came along and determined that these sales were NOT in the best interest of the sport, and nullified the deals.
Fingers was a member of the Red Sox for just three days, from June 15th-18th, and never appeared in a game.
It was back to Oakland for him where he’d finish up the 1976 season with a 13-11 record along with a 2.47 earned run average over 70 games, with 20 saves in 134.2 innings pitched.
Just as Finley feared, he lost the core of his three-peat championship club to free agency, including Fingers who signed with the San Diego Padres where he’d star for the next four seasons, pacing the National League in saves his first two years with 35 and 37 respectively.
Of course he’d go on to finish a Hall of Fame career with four years with the Milwaukee Brewers, ending up at 341 saves with a 2.90 ERA and 114 wins over 944 games, all but 37 of them out of the bullpen.

MISSING IN ACTION-"IN ACTION" #46: 1972 ROLLIE FINGERS

Today we go and give future Hall of Fame relief pitcher Rollie Fingers of the Oakland A's a "missing" 1972 In-Action card.

Take a look:

Bear with me on this one, the photo used is actually Fingers pitching in a game from 1972, so I'm a little off here.

But I tell you, as long as I tried, I could NOT find an image of him in-action during a game from 1971, or even 1970 for that matter!

Nevertheless, nice colorful image of the anchor out of the bullpen for the three-time World Champ A's of the 1970's.

Fingers would put together a wonderful 17-year career which would see him win both a Cy Young and MVP Award in 1981 with the Milwaukee Brewers, Lead the league in saves three times, post sub-2.00 ERA's 12 times and finish up with a sparkling 2.90 career ERA over 944 games and 1701.1 innings pitched.

He was named to seven all-star teams, both in the A.L. and N.L., before closing out his career in 1985, finishing with a 114-118 record with 341 saves.

One of the great characters of the decade! But a force out of the 'pen as well.

He was voted into the Hall in 1992, his second year on the ballot, garnering 81.2% of the vote.

"HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 1970'S" #30: FOUR OAKLAND PITCHERS COMBINE FOR NO-HITTER

Here's a card I had fun putting together: a "highlight" card featuring the four Oakland A's pitchers who combined to no-hit the Angels on September 28th, 1975.

Take a look:

On the very last day of the season the A's closed out yet another successful year, no-hitting California and winning 5-0, giving them 98 wins for the season and their fifth straight division championship.

Vida Blue, Glenn Abbott, Paul Lindblad and Rollie Fingers each contributed to the no-hitter, with Blue giving up the only two walks.

What I also find incredible is the fact that the A's switched catchers during the game as well! 

Gene Tenace started the game behind the plate, then switched over to first base while Ray Fosse came in at the top of the seventh inning to catch Lindblad.

For the life of me I can't (off the top of my head) remember another no-hitter where the starting catcher was pulled.

Anyone know another such game?

I'll have to look it up for sure!

As a kid I always remember the two combined no-hitters of the '70's: this game and the one that happened the very next year with two Chicago White Sox pitchers doing the same.

I'll be designing a card for THAT game as well in the near future, so keep an eye out for it.

For anyone interested in the Oakland no-hit game particulars, here's a link to the box score on the Godly web-site, "Baseball-Reference.com":

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/OAK/OAK197509280.shtml

Another item to point out: Reggie Jackson hit two home runs in the game, the second of which gave him a tie for the home run crown in 1975 with Milwaukee Brewer George Scott, one of THREE such occasions that Reggie would share a home run crown in his career with a Milwaukee Brewer!

And all three times while he was playing for a different team!

How freakin' strange is that?

He's also share the crown in 1980 with Ben Oglivie while playing for the Yankees, and with Gorman Thomas in 1982 while with the Angels.

Man I love this game!

HALL OF FAME LEADERS XVIII: 1979 LEADING FIREMEN

Today we come to the final Topps "League Leader" card of the 1970's that (at the moment) features solely Hall of Famers: 1979 Leading Firemen (#8) with "Goose" Gossage and Rollie Fingers.

Take a look at the card first:

For Gossage, it was a successful first year in the Bronx in 1978, as he lead the American League in saves with 27 to go along with a 10-11 record and 2.01 earned run average.

He was already entrenched as a "beast" out of the bullpen, firing 100-mile-an-hour fastballs out of a wind-up that was all arms and legs.

I used to LOVE seeing this guy pitch when I was a kid! He just looked like a mad-man to me.

Then I got the chance to meet him years later and he was just about the coolest, nicest person you could ask for, with that no-nonsense approach to talking to people that immediately made you comfortable.

Gossage would end up fifth in Cy Young Award voting that year, as well as 13th in M.V.P. voting, while also becoming a catalyst in one of my favorite stories about the crazy "Bronx Zoo" days.

In 1977 Sparky Lyle, the Yankees relief whiz, went on to win the Cy Young and seemed to be THE Yankee closer with no end in sight.

Then the Yankees go out and get Gossage as a free agent, leading to a CLASSIC quote by Yankee third baseman Graig Nettles, telling Lyle that he went, "from Cy Young to Sayonara".

It turned out to be true, as Lyle was gone, getting traded to the Texas Rangers in November of 1978.

Gossage on the other hand went on to be the Yankee closer for six years, never posting an E.R.A. over 2.62 in any of those seasons, with an incredible low of 0.77 during the strike season of 1981.

He'd also finish in the top-5 in Cy Young voting three times, with a high of third-place in 1980 when he went 6-2 with a league-leading 33 saves and a 2.27 earned run average.

He hung around the Majors for 22 years, retiring after the 1994 season with the Mariners at the age of 42, eventually getting the Hall of Fame nod in 2008.

As for Rollie Fingers, one of the all-time classic characters of the 1970's baseball era, 1978 was an excellent year for the veteran, as he lead the Majors with 37 saves to go with a 6-13 record and 2.52 E.R.A.

It was his second straight year leading the league in saves, and his third year getting into the top-10 in Cy Young voting, finishing in 8th-place.

As we all know, his best season was still ahead of him, as 1981 saw him win not only a Cy Young Award, but also an M.V.P., as he went 6-3 with a league-leading 28 saves and microscopic 1.04 E.R.A. for the Milwaukee Brewers during the strike year, as the "Brew Crew" were on the verge of some solid seasons with guys like Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Cecil Cooper and Gorman Thomas powering them to the World Series the following year.

1983 saw Fingers suffer some arm problems, rapidly ending his Major League career after the 1985 season at the age of 38.

But the numbers were already there, and Fingers found himself voted into Cooperstown as the first pitcher whose career was solely as a relief pitcher in 1992.

Of course he also left us with the trademark "Rollie" mustache, about as cool a souvenir from the 1970's as you can get, initially grown as a member of the awesome Oakland A's dynasty of the mid-70's.

It's been a nice little "sub-set" of sorts to focus in on for a little while.

Hope you enjoyed it as well…

AIRBRUSHING THE OAKLAND A'S AWAY IN 1977

The free-agent "boom", and the trades resulting from it, caused a ton of bad airbrushing in the '77 set league-wide. But I was drawn to an unusually large number of former teammates that were part of this group: former Oakland A's.
For any fans of the A's in the mid-70's, it must have been brutal watching the mass exodus of such an awesome three-peating dynasty pretty much all in one fell-swoop, either by trade or free-agency.
After Catfish Hunter and Reggie Jackson left before the 1975 and 1976 seasons respectively, the true dismantling occurred during the off-season between '76 and '77, when no less than SIX star players were wearing another teams uniform for opening day.
Because of the madness of all this player shuffling, Topps had their hands full with all of these former A's, having to airbrush their cards to stay up to date with the players new team depictions.
Of course, with an already shaky hand at the airbrushing game, the added rush of players to "fix" only added to the mess, and we were presented with some funny cards for the history books.
Check out some of the cards here:

The Rudi card was actually a great job of airbrushing. But just look at that Bando card! Hilarious. Looks like some bad decal of a cap was slapped on top of the original photo, and then colored in with crayon.
Even though he wasn't actually part of the dynasty A's teams, Don Baylor was on the team for the 1976 season, and his card is also a classic, with the Angels' logo not skewed correctly, giving us a twisted perspective only the Twilight Zone could have given us. Awesome!
Looking at all these guys, it truly drives home just how awesome those 1972-1974 A's teams were. Throw in Reggie and Catfish, and consider Vida Blue, Claudell Washington, Ken Holtzman, and even Blue Moon Odom, and you wonder what they could have done if they stayed together a bit longer.
Would have been great seeing this team grind it out against the "Big Red Machine" at THEIR peak just a couple years later in 1975-76.