WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: THURMAN MUNSON

On the blog today, we spotlight my Thurman Munson mini-card, from my custom "Gum Pack" special set released a few months back, showcasing 25 of the legends that played the game during the 1970s:

Just a fun little set that included some of my all-time favorite players, like the Yankee captain himself.

I guess you can say the future Yankee dynasty of the late 1970's started right here with this guy when he came up and won the American League Rookie of the Year in 1970.

Soon after he was joined by the likes of Graig Nettles, Sparky Lyle, Ron Guidry and Willie Randolph, on their way to back-to-back titles as well as an American League pennant in 1976.

Not only did he take home the Rookie of the Year in 1970, but he'd go on to win the Most Valuable Player award six years later, to go along with seven all-star berths as well as three Gold Gloves.

For three consecutive seasons he drove in 100+ runs with LESS than 20 homers, topping out at 18 in 1977, while hitting over .300 each and every time.

I particularly love his M.V.P. year, where he had 665 plate appearances yet only struck out 38 times while collecting 186 hits over 616 at-bats. Pretty amazing stuff. He even stole 14 bases as well!

What an age for catchers huh? You had Munson, Carlton Fisk, Gary Carter, Johnny Bench and Ted Simmons all putting in all-star seasons after all-star seasons.

Sadly we all know how Munson's story played out. I remember that day like it was yesterday and will never forget it.

REVISITING A 10-YEAR OLD POST: 1977 "MISSING" AL DOWNING CARD

 

On the blog today, we revisit a blog post that originally "aired" here on June 8th, 2014, my "missing" 1977 card for former "Black Ace" Al Downing:

Here's the original write-up I had for the card way back when:

"Quick-who was the last New York Yankee pitcher to lead the league in strikeouts?

If you guessed today's profiled player, Al Downing, good for you!

Believe it or not, Downing was indeed the last Yankee strikeout leader, way back in 1964 when he led the American League in K's with 217 at the nice young age of 23.

The sky was the limit with Downing then, along with the Yankees' other young guns Jim Bouton and Mel Stottlemyre.

Sadly, as it usually does in professional sports, the best laid plans never seem to work out, as Bouton wore out his welcome, and his arm, in a few short years, while Downing followed with arm troubles by the 1968 season, still only 27.

After finding himself in Oakland and Milwaukee in 1970, he moved on to the Los Angeles Dodgers and had a remarkable comeback year, going 20-9 with a 2.68 earned run average and a league-leading five shutouts.

Those numbers got him a third place finish in Cy Young voting, and some M.V.P. consideration as well.

But after a decent 1972 season where he sported a 9-9 record with a sub-3.00 E.R.A., he could never again stay healthy enough for a full year.

He'd pitch in no more than 22 games in any one season before hanging them up after twelve games in 1977.

Now, it's definitely arguable, but I think he should have had a card in Topps' 1977 set after appearing in 17 games, good for 46.2 innings and a 1-2 record in 1976.

Lord knows there were guys in that set that had much less of a distinguished resume, yet Downing was finishing up his 16th year on the mound, with a very nice 3.22 E.R.A., 123 wins and over 1600 strikeouts.

So allow me to "fix" that here with my own 1977 Al Downing card, using a decent action shot of him during the same period.

One more thing: take a look at his rookie year in 1963.

It was actually quite an underrated freshman year!

All he did was go 13-5 with a 2.56 earned run average, as well as four shutouts and 171 K's. Throw in a league-leading 5.8 hits-allowed-per-nine-innings and 8.8 strikeouts-per-nine-innings, it seems probable that if it wasn't for another great rookie pitcher, Gary Peters of the Chicago White Sox, Downing could very well have taken home the award himself."

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!

 

OPC IMAGE VARIATIONS: 1977 DAVE COLLINS (AT LEAST ON THE OPC CARD!)

Today on the blog we take a look at another OPC & Topps image variation, this time the 1977 cards for former speedster Dave Collins, or at least what was SUPPOSED to be him in the context of the Topps card:

OPC version

Topps version

Now the reason I say what I said regarding the Topps card is because it doesn't show Collins at all, but actually Bobby Jones, something Topps never bothered to fix later on.

Over on the OPC card, it was indeed the young Collins shown on the card, albeit with a comically airbrushed cap with the Seattle Mariners' logo.

Collins played his first two seasons of Big League ball with the California Angels, stealing 52 bases combined in a part-time roll, giving us a preview of what was to lie ahead.
He would go on to play 16 years in the Major Leagues, stealing as many as 79 bases in 1980 while with the Cincinnati Reds, while also stealing 60 in 1984 when he was playing for the Toronto Blue Jays, a season where he also led the league in triples with 15.
I’ll always remember him for his disappointing year with the New York Yankees in 1982, a year that was a failure for the organization in so many ways actually.
Nevertheless, Collins would finish his career with 395 steals, while also batting a very nice .272 with 1335 hits over 4907 at-bats in 1701 games, finishing up with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1990.
I never even realized he made it that far to be honest!

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: REGGIE JACKSON

Good day everyone!

On the blog today, we go and add "Mr. October" Reggie Jackson to my custom WTHBALLS "Classic Baseball" set, which should see the light of day later this year in multiple series:

I chose a beautiful posed shot of the man during his younger years while starting out with the Kansas City/Oakland A's, with nothing but a Hall of Fame career out in front of him.

Truly one of the eternal icons of the game, the man was just destined for baseball greatness since his days at Cheltenham High School in Pennsylvania.
Recruited by pro teams and colleges alike, he went on to Arizona State where he was actually on a football scholarship.
Of course we all know the story of the 1966 amateur draft, where the New York Mets held the #1 pick, and opted for high school catcher Steve Chilcott instead of who many considered the true #1 overall amateur, Jackson.
With the second pick, the Kansas City Athletics (later Oakland) picked the slugger and the rest is history, as he would eventually lead the organization to three straight championships between 1972-1974 before being traded in a blockbuster to the Baltimore Orioles where he’d play for one season in 1976.
As a highly coveted free agent before the 1977 season, Jackson signed with the New York Yankees, and with Reggie in NYC, the legend exploded as he helped the Yankees to two championships in 1977-78.
With his larger than life persona, New York ate it up and before you knew it, he was known around the world, even getting his own candy-bar by the end of the decade.
For a kid like me growing up in Brooklyn in the ‘70’s, Reggie was like a God, larger than life, and before he finished up his career in 1987, putting in 21 seasons, he would put together a Hall of Fame career with 563 homers, 1702 runs batted in, an MVP Award in 1973, and five championships.
Add to that 14 all-star nods, four home run titles, a legendary homer in the 1971 All-Star Game against Dock Ellis, his 1977 World Series performance, and you can see why he goes down as one of the most well-known baseball personalities the game has ever seen!

 

1960S "IN-ACTION": 1967 JUAN MARICHAL

Today on the blog, a fun 1967 "In-Action" card for the "Dominican Dandy" Juan Marichal, from my Series 2 "1960s In-Action" set to be released next week:

The man was born to pitch!

Once called up to the big show in 1961, he would go 6-2 over his first 11 starts, with a 2.66 ERA and six complete games, including a shutout in his 1st MLB start.
As much as Marichal is celebrated as an all-time pitching legend, you still have to feel for the guy when you consider the timing of all his banner years in the big leagues.
In 1963 he has his breakout year, going 25-8 with a 2.41 E.R.A., but takes a back seat to another guy who has a breakout year, Sandy Koufax.
In 1966 he wins 25 games again, but again takes a backseat to a now dominating Koufax, who wins 27 along with a bunch of other eye-popping numbers.
In 1968 he sets a career high of 26 wins to go along with a 2.43 earned run average, but wait, a guy named Bob Gibson has a year for the ages, winning both the Cy Young Award and the M.V.P.
But when you look at the decade as a whole, there wasn't a better pitcher in the game from 1960-1969, as Marichal went on to win 191 games, winning 25 or more wins three times, post seven sub-3.00 E.R.A. seasons,  top 200+ strikeouts six times , and get selected as an all-star every year between 1962-1969.
What a BEAST on the mound!
Easily would have been the first 3-time Cy Young winner if not for Koufax and Gibson.
Ah well, I’m sure his spot in Cooperstown makes it a bit easier to take.

"Dominican Dandy" indeed!

1960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: N.L. SHORTSTOP MAURY WILLS

Good day everyone!

On the blog today, my pick for the National League's top shortstop of the 1960s, Los Angeles Dodgers speedster Maury Wills:

While no one really dominated the position over the decade, I went with the stolen base machine, who did everything the Dodgers could have hoped for.

It's not like it was a pity-pick though, as Wills really did have a good decade, leading the league in steals six straight years between 1960-65, with a high of 104 that took the baseball world by storm in 1962, leading to his Most Valuable Player Award.

He also finished in third for M.V.P. in 1965, when he stole 94 bases to go along with his 186 hits and 92 runs scored for Los Angeles. 

During the decade Wills topped 170 hits seven times, with a high of 208 in 1962 (even though that total didn't get him a .300 batting average because of his 695 at-bats in 165 games!).

All that contributed to the Dodgers making three World Series appearances, taking home two titles in 1963 and 1965, while he was named to seven All-Star teams in addition to being awarded two Gold Gloves.

Not too shabby.