WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1890 "BASEBALL CHAMPIONS" BUCK EWING

Good day everyone!

On the blog today, we spotlight my card for the greatest catcher of the 19th Century, Buck Ewing, from my "19th Century Base Ball Stars" custom set released back in 2018:

 

Just a really fun set to create and release, using authentic 1890's tobacco stamps and other elements to make the cigarette pack as "real" as possible.

I can tell you a ton of work went into this set!

As for Ewing, this was a man legendary manager Connie mack called the "greatest catcher of all-time", with Ewing even called the "greatest all-around player of the 19th century" by Total Baseball in 1989.

His numerous innovations and "tricks" to the position are incredible, and for a fuller idea of what the man brought to the sport, see his SABR bio here:

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/Buck-Ewing/

Over his 18-year career which began in 1880 with Troy, and ending in 1897 with Cincinnati, he would finish with a .303 batting average, along with 354 stolen bases, and 1129 runs scored over 1315 games.

But again, it was what he brought to the catching position that solidified his status and an all-time great in the game.

A true baseball legend.

REVISITING A POST FROM 2013: 1975 GARY CARTER DEDICATED ROOKIE

On the blog today, we revisit a post from October, 2013, my 1975 "Dedicated Rookie" for one of the all-time great catchers, Gary Carter:

Loved Carter as a kid growing up in the early 80's, seeing him pick up where Johnny Bench left off as the game's best catcher.

Here's the original write-up for that post:

Let's give another Hall of Famer a "proper" rookie card, as opposed to some lame multi-player card that was actually issued by Topps.
Today's player, Gary Carter, was a former teammate of my first subject in this thread (Andre Dawson), part of that young talented Montreal Expos roster in the late-70's/early-80's.
In 1975 Carter made his first card appearance on the multi-player card you see below (#620).
It was an awesome set with some fantastic rookies (Brett, Yount, Lynn, Hernandez) and all-time legends winding down their careers (Aaron, B. Williams, Ron Santo, F. Robinson), so really I'm not trying to complain about it here.
However as I stated with the first post on this thread, I was never a fan of these multi-player rookie cards. Looking back on them now it's incredible to see how many of the players depicted never even made it up to the Majors in the future. Wasted space in my eyes (the 1977 set was particularly brutal in this respect).
Sadly Gary Carter was picked by Topps to be on one of these cards, so we also have the "un"legendary Dan Meyer, Marc Hill and Leon Roberts taking up space on what should have been a classic card of the best catcher in the 1980's and eventual Hall of Famer.
But today, allow me to imagine what a "dedicated" rookie card of Gary Carter in 1975 could have looked like had Topps issued one.
Instead of using one of those "Gary Carter-like" smiling poses we're used to, I found a slightly more serious shot of him posing at-bat. Just seemed nice and different for a change.

I remember when Gary Carter really took over the "best catcher" tag from Johnny Bench around 1981. It was like he was suddenly everywhere with that smile of his!
Sure you still had Carlton Fisk producing in the American League, but Carter really took over as the top backstop and held onto that title for pretty much the rest of the decade.
This was a guy who had nine seasons of 20+ homers and four 100+ R.B.I. seasons as a catcher. Not too shabby!
After finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1975, Carter also went on to have 11 All-Star game nods, five Silver Slugger awards, three Gold Gloves and seven seasons where he garnered M.V.P. votes, finishing in the Top-10 four times.
By the time he retired after the 1992 season, he finished with 2092 hits, 324 home runs and 1225 runs batted in.
Needless to say Cooperstown came calling, and in 2003 he easily got voted in after being selected on 387 of 496 ballots, securing his place in baseball history forever.
However, sadly years later Carter was diagnosed with brain cancer, and despite undergoing aggressive treatment he succumbed to the disease about nine months later in February of 2012.
A tragic and shocking loss for the baseball world to say the least.

WTHBALLS "BASEBALL ICONS" SPECIAL SET: BOB GIBSON

Today's blog post is my Bob Gibson "Icons" card, part of what will be a fun unique custom set in special packaging later this year:

Just a project I set up for myself to get a little "artier", using home field backdrops with the p[layer prominently displayed in the foreground.

Bob Gibson has always been one of my favorite all-time players and competitors. Besides the obvious things to love about the guy as far as his stats go, it was the over-the-top drive and no-nonsense play that had me hooked.

The two-time Cy Young winner and 1968 MVP would top 250 wins with 251, finish with 3117 strikeouts along with a 2.91 earned run average and 56 shutouts over his 17-year career.
He’d also collect NINE Gold Gloves and be named to eight all-star teams, all while hurling for the Cardinals, leading them to two World Championships, 1964 and 1967.

Ever hear Tim McCarver tell the story of the first time he saw Gibson after Tim was traded to the Phillies in October of 1969? If not here goes:
Before a game between the Cardinals and the Phillies in 1970, both teams were on the field loosening up and getting ready. Tim, who was a teammate of Gibson for about ten years before being traded, figured he'd go say hello to him. Not only were they teammates for so long, but they came up in the Cardinals system together in the late-50's.
Well as Tim says it, he went up to Gibson near the batter's box, stuck out his hand and went to say "hi", and knew immediately he was done for. Gibson just stared him down and walked away.
First time McCarver was up at the plate, Gibson delivered his first pitch and brushed him back.
Message delivered: they weren't teammates anymore, and while ON the field, they were enemies.
How can you NOT love that!?
The man was a force on the mound, and of course his 1968 season is the stuff of legend. I STILL wonder how on earth he managed to have 9 losses with a season E.R.A. of 1.12!!! Just incredible.
Needless to say, the Hall of Fame was sure to call in 1981 and an obvious choice for induction was granted.

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!

 

1960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: N.L. LEFT-HANDED PITCHER: SANDY KOUFAX

Today we come to my pick for the National League's left-handed pitcher of the 1960s, and honestly, who else would it be other than Dodger great Sandy Koufax:

Koufax and the "Left Arm of God" legend has only gotten bigger over time.

The years between 1961 and 1966 were amazing, but it was the 1963-1966 period in particular that was just unconscious, and what got him into Cooperstown.

Just look at the numbers, all in FOUR seasons of play:

A 97-27 record, with four E.R.A. crowns, three years of a sub-2.00 mark, 31 shutouts, 89 complete games and 1228 strikeouts, with three of those years topping 300+ K's!

He took home three Cy Young Awards, finished third in 1964, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1963, with two other second-place finishes in 1965 and 1966, his final two years of Major League ball.

In the postseason he was equally as brilliant, being voted MVP of the World Series in both 1963 and 1965, leading the Dodgers to championships.

He posted a 4-3 lifetime record with a 0.95 earned run average, two shutouts and 61 strikeouts in 57 innings of work.

In his three losses in postseason play, he gave up THREE earned runs! So it's not like he choked in those games either.

Sadly we all know how his career ended because of arm troubles, causing him to retire at the age of only 30.

Man how I wish we could have seen him pitch into the 1970's!

Would have been awesome to see him on those card-issues into the mid-decade, no?

That five year stretch was so awesome that he was elected in the Hall on his first try, being named to 86.9% of the ballot.

There are some out there that feel he didn't "perform" long enough to warrant a Hall selection, let alone a first-year induction.

And most of the time I'd agree.

However we are talking some rarified stuff here, so with Koufax it was indeed a no-brainer.

What do you all think? Anybody out there think Koufax didn't perform long enough for a Hall of Fame induction?

WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: STEVE CARLTON

The next mini-card from my custom "Gum Pack" set released a few months back to get profiled here is that of the great lefty Steve Carlton, four-time Cy Young winner and Hall of Famer:

Carlton made his major League debut during the 1965 season, appearing in 15 games, with two of those starts, not factoring in a decision while pitching to a 2.52 earned run average as a 20-year-old.

In 1966 it would be more of the same, as he'd appear in only nine games, going 3-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 52 innings of work, striking out 25 while walking 18, also tossing the first shutout of his young Big League tenure.

1967 would see him begin his next level of play, as he'd go 14-9 with a 2.98 ERA over 30 appearances and 193 innings, with two shutouts and 168 strikeouts, helping the St. Louis Cardinals win it all, their second championship in three years.

For Carlton, all he did the rest of the way was take his game to an elite, astronomical level, as we see him top 300 wins, 4000 strikeouts, 50 shutouts and 700 starts in his 24 year career!

The first guy to take home four Cy Young Awards, he led his league in wins four times, strikeouts five times, E.R.A. once and was named to ten all-star teams.

Needless to say, by the time he was eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in on his first try, getting named to 436 of 456 ballots.

Sure we already had "Lefty" Grove, and "Lefty" Gomez, but Carlton was more than worthy of the same nickname for all of his accomplishments.

One of the all-time greats, I'm so happy I got to see him pitch live during the 1980s!

NEWEST WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET: "THE WHOLE NINE: SERIES TWO" NOW AVAILABLE!

Good day all!

Happy to announce that the next WTHBALLS custom set, "The Whole Nine: Series Two" is now available for purchase:

 

Following the format and packaging of the first "Whole Nine" set, this set has 15 custom cards with FULL stat backs along with a bonus "missing" 1951 Topps Blue Back Joe DiMaggio card, as well as a Stan Musial sticker and a super special extra: an original sample prototype blank-backed 1973 Mike Schmidt "dedicated rookie" that was my test card to begin producing these sets way back when!

Each of the Schmidt samples is ink-stamped on back and numbered to 75, along with "Original Prototype #1" inscription. Thought it'd be fun for those of you who didn't grab one when I made them available in July of 2020.

All 17 cards plus sticker mentioned above come packaged in two-piece Ultra Pro hard-shell case with full-color wrap keeping it all together.

I picked a nice variety of "missing", "do-over" and "Career Capper" cards for this Series that I hope you all enjoy as much as I do!

And again, these cards come with FULL stat/bio backs like the first series!

The sets are $15 each along with the customary $4.50 postage, and as usual, no matter how many sets you buy postage stays at the one-time $4.50 price.

Usual paypal address: slogun23@gmail.com

Please note: this set was printed in somewhat more limited number as my usual sets, and while I don't expect them to sell-out overnight I do expect them to sell through quicker than the other WTHBALLS releases. Keep that in mind when thinking of ordering.

I thank you all for the continued interest and support, and I hope you find this set a wonderful addition to your WTHBALLS collection!

For those who don't mind a spoiler, check out the photos attached!

Take Care and be well my friend!

Gio/WTHBALLS