OPC IMAGE VARIATION (OR NOT): 1977 TOM BRUNO

Somewhat interesting post today regarding OPC to Topps image variations, with this one being the fact that the player who had a 1977 OPC card didn't get their first Topps card until 1979, pitcher Tom Bruno:

OPC Rookie in 1977

Topps Rookie 1979

Bruno actually made his MLB debut with the Kansas City Royals in 1976, appearing in 12 games and going 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA over 17.1 innings.

After being selected by the new Toronto Blue Jays franchise in the expansion draft over that Winter, Bruno got himself a card with the 1977 OPC set suited up with his new team.

Topps decided NOT to give Bruno a card, not even on a multi-player rookie card, while Bruno would go on to appear in 12 games for the Jays, going 0-1 with a bloated 7.85 ERA in 18.1 innings of work.

Turns out he would get on a Topps card until 1979, now a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, on one of the worst sub-sets (in my humble opinion) in Topps' long history, the black and white multi-player rookie prospects cards of that year.

Turns out Bruno's 1978 season was excellent, with 18 appearances and 49.2 innings pitched, posting a record of 4-3 with a sparkling 1.99 earned run average, with three starts and a save thrown in.

He’d finish his career after the 1979 season, posting a record of 2-3 with a 4.23 E.R.A., with 27 strikeouts over 38.1 innings and 27 appearances, ending up with a record of 7-7 with a decent 4.22 E.R.A., 80 strikeouts and a single save over 69 games and 123.2 innings pitched.

REVISITING MY "MISSING" 1977 FRANK LaCORTE

For a guy who pitched over 100 innings in 1976, it baffles me as to why Topps didn't give Frank LaCorte a card in their 1977 set.

So allow me to do just that, and take a look at my card design:

LaCorte appeared on a 1976 multi-player rookie card, but for some reason after appearing in 19 games with 105.1 innings pitched, Topps couldn't find a spot for him in their 1977 set.

LaCorte posted a 3-12 record for the Braves, with a 4.70 earned run average and 79 K's.

He wouldn't really hit his stride until 1980 after he joined the Houston Astros, where he'd work out of the 'pen for the next four seasons before finishing up his career with the California Angels in 1984.

Overall he posted a 23-44 record with a 5.01 ERA, 26 saves and 372 strikeouts over 490 innings and 253 appearances.

 

MISSING IN ACTION: 1963 FLEER EARLY WYNN

Decided to add on to my "missing" 1963 Fleer series, this time with a card for Hall of Fame 300-game winner Early Wynn:

I'm not planning a second series for this set, but recently I've come to look at it a bit closer and realized I COULD put together another custom set to add to a set I have always loved.

Wynn's Major League romp towards 300 career wins didn't really pick up steam until he was 30-years old and a member of the Cleveland Indians in 1950, as he posted an 18-8 record with a league-leading 3.20 earned run average.

From then on he was hovering around 20-wins every year for the next ten years, topping the mark five times.

In 1959, now a member of the "Go-Go" Chicago White Sox, Wynn anchored the staff that led the team to a World Series appearance against the eventual champs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, by posting a 22-10 record, leading the league in wins and copping a Cy Young Award at the age of 39.

However, the struggle to get that elusive 300th win is now well-documented, as he hung on for the next four years until he got that final victory in 1963 at the age of 43, thus joining the exclusive club and pretty much sealing his Cooperstown induction in his fourth year of eligibility, getting 76% of the BBWA vote.

All told, Wynn finished his 23-year career with a 300-244 record, with a 3.54 E.R.A., 49 shutouts and 2334 strikeouts in 691 games, 611 of which were starts, and was named to seven all-star teams.

 

CAREER-CAPPER: 1985 AMOS OTIS

On the blog today, we have a 1985 "Career-Capper" for one of my favorite underrated players of the 1970s, Amos Otis:

Otis wrapped up a very nice 17-year Big League career with 40 games as a Pittsburgh Pirate in 1984, the only season he suited up for the team after 14 years with the Royals, preceded by two years as a New York Met.

Otis could very well be THE most overlooked player of the 1970's as he was nothing but steady through the entire decade, going on to be the American League's top run scorer with 861. driving in 90+ three times while stealing 30+ bases five times.

By the time he retired after the 1984 season after one year with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he ended up with 193 homers, 341 stolen bases, 1092 runs scored and 2020 hits along with a batting average of .277 and 1007 runs batted in.
Considering the “dead ball” era of the early-70’s in the American League, his numbers are up there with the best of them, and it’s sad he gets lost among his contemporaries when looking back at that time in Major League baseball.

 

REVISITING MY MISSING 1976 RAY SADECKI CARD

From a post ten years ago, we revisit my "missing" 1976 card for former ace pitcher Ray Sadecki, with a slight "twist":

As part of a project I created for my buddy Jim for his personal collection, he wanted a 1976 card of Sadecki suited up with the Atlanta Braves, whereas I would have created a Kansas City Royals version since he finished the season with them in 1975.

Nevertheless...Here's the original write-up as it appeared in November of 2015:

"Now, this card has a bit of a twist to it, since if I followed my usual routine, I’d have had Sadecki shown as a Kansas City Royal, the team that he finished the 1975 season with.
However, following Jim’s lead, we felt it better to have him for the team he saw the most action with, the Atlanta Braves, for whom he tallied 25 appearances and 66.1 innings pitched.
He also suited up for the St. Louis Cardinals (who he opened up the season with), and the Royals as I mentioned.
All together with all three organizations Sadecki appeared in 38 games, good for 80.1 innings of work, posting a combined 4-3 record with a 4.03 earned run average while striking out 32 batters.
Sadecki put in a nice long 18-year career in the Majors, coming up as a young arm with the St. Louis Cardinals, even posting a 20-win season in 1964, helping them win the World Series over the New York Yankees.
All told he pitched for six teams (Cardinals, Giants, Mets, Royals, Braves and Brewers), posting a final record of 135-131 with a 3.78 ERA and 1614 K’s over 563 games and 2500.1 innings."

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: DAVE KINGMAN

Time to go and add "Kong", Dave Kingman to my custom "Classic Baseball" set, due for a release somewhat soon in a multi-series format:

I was always enamored with the guy: his wiffle-ball like swings, his dour and somewhat aloof disposition, and of course his tape-measure homers.

Coming off of two seasons of serious home run production for the Mets in 1975 (36) and 1976 (37), he was about to top those numbers when he finally found himself in a Chicago Cubs uniform in 1978, slugging in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field after signing with them as a free agent.

Many Mets fans still hurt from the infamous "Midnight Massacre" house-cleaning in 1977 which saw the organization trade Kingman to the Padres, Tom Seaver to the Reds, and Mike Phillips to the Cardinals, all on June 15th.

In 1979 Kingman would have his finest season as a big leaguer when he lead the Majors in home runs with 48 round-trippers, a career high, along with 115 runs batted in and a very respectable .288.

He'd find himself back in Queens as a New York Met by 1981, after falling out of favor in Chi-Town, and would lead the National League again in home runs in 1982 when he hit 37, along with a dismal .204 average.

I got to see a lot of him due to his time with the Mets, and me growing up in New York City (though I was a Yankee fan), and I always though Kingman was that cool “loner” dude who did things his own way.
Then I really became fascinated by him when he retired after the 1986 season, just after posting his THIRD straight 30+ home run year with the Oakland A’s.
As a kid I could not understand how no one wanted to have a 30+ homer guy back then on their team, even IF he struck out a lot.
I was mesmerized and still am somewhat that the guy’s final year in the Majors produced 35 home runs and 94 RBI’s, only to walk away after being signed as a Free Agent by the San Francisco Giants that never led to anything after some Minor League action.
The enigma that is “Kong”.

 

VINTAGE SPECIAL! "MISSING" 1954 WILSON'S FRANKS DUKE SNIDER

On the blog today, my "missing" 1954 Wilson's Franks card for the "Duke of Flatbush", Duke Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers:

From my wildly successful custom set released a few months ago, Snider would have been another great card had it been originally released way back when!

Snider really was incredibly underrated over his career, which sadly (for him) coincided with the careers of men like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron.

Nevertheless, all he would do in the Majors was hit, finishing his career in 1964, capping off a great 18-year Major League career that saw him make eight All-Star teams while posting six seasons where he finished in the top-10 for N.L. MVP.

Snider was an absolute beast of a hitter through the 1950's with the Dodgers, driving in over 100 runs six times, 30+ homers six times including five straight seasons of 40 or more, five years of scoring over 100 runs and seven seasons of .300 hitting or better.

A HUGE cog in the Brooklyn Dodger machine of the 1950s, he was also part of the "Holy Trinity of New York center-fielders of the era, along with Willie Mays of the New York Giants and Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees.

What a time it must have been to be a young baseball fan!

A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: WILLIE STARGELL

The next "card that never was" from my 1971 All-Star ticket unreleased set, Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Willie Stargell, starting outfielder in that historic and memorable Midsummer Classic:

Stargell was at the height of his brilliant Big League career when this card would have seen the light of day.

Over 21 seasons, Stargell would lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to two world championships, take home an MVP Award in 1979 (shared with the Cardinals Keith Hernandez), and get named to seven All-Star teams.

He would also have a great three-year run between 1971 and 1973 that saw him finish second, third and second respectively in MVP voting, winning two home run titles, an RBI title and even lead the league with 43 doubles (1973).

Luckily, I got to see him towards the end of his career in the late-70's/early-80s before he retired after the 1982 season.

His final numbers? Hall of Fame worthy as he'd finish with 475 home runs, 1540 RBIs, a surprisingly high .282 batting average and 2232 hits over 2360 games and 7927 at-bats.

Think about those numbers in UNDER 8000 at-bats!

Of course when eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in, with 82.4% of the vote in 1988.

So sad that he would pass away at only 61 years of age in 2001.

One of baseball's beloved players, especially among his fan-base, he left such a lasting legacy that resonates to this day.

AVAILABLE NOW! WTHBALLS 1972 "MISSING IN ACTION: IN-ACTION"

Good day everyone! Hope 2025 has been treating you all well so far.

Happy to say that the newest WTHBALLS offering is now available for purchase, my 1972 "Missing in Action: In-Action" set:

Featuring a wrapper-busting 25-cards, this set has all the stars who didn't get an "In-Action" card in the landmark 1972 Topps set.

From Hall of Famers like Bob Gibson to Nolan Ryan, Al Kaline to Jim Palmer, the set is loaded with stars to help "fill-out" that monster 1972 set.

As an added treat, the backs feature three 6-card puzzles to put together: Roberto Clemente, Vida Blue and Dick Allen, as well as a couple of WTHBALLS "upcoming" backs looking forward to what else I have in store for 2025.

Each set comes wrapped in a "tweaked" 1972 wrapper (see photos attached), and is available for $20 plus $4.50 shipping.

Paypal as usual: slogun23@gmail.com

Fun set to add into my 1972 set binder! Hope you all feel the same way!

Any questions feel free to contact me...

Be well my friends, and here's to a happy and healthy new year...

Gio/wthballs

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: TOM SEAVER

Today on the blog we add the great Tom Seaver, my pick as pitcher of the 1970s, for my upcoming custom set, "Classic Baseball", celebrating the sport I have loved for just about five decades now:

What needs to be said about the greatest New York Met to ever suit up?

The man would end up with a 311-205 record along with 61 shutouts and 3640 strikeouts to go with a brilliant 2.86 ERA over 20-seasons and 656 appearances, 647 of which were starts.

He was in prime form in the mid-70’s, putting together nine straight 200 strikeouts seasons while getting tabbed to ten all-star teams in his first eleven seasons.

God I loved Tom Seaver when I was a kid. More than any other pitcher of that era I was in awe of this man. He just seemed like a "super-hero" to me.

Just look at all my other posts dedicated to the man here on this blog. He was other-worldly to me growing up in New York City as a kid in the 1970's.

Even if he WAS a Met, to this young Yankee fan he was unquestionably the best pitcher in the game at that time.

Rest in Peace "Tom Terrific"!

 

REVISITING MY 1971 NICKNAME CARD FOR "SUDDEN SAM" McDOWELL

Time for another revisit of an old blog post, especially with many new eyes checking out the blog these days.

Today we check back on a post from 10 years ago, my 1971 "Nicknames of the 1970s" card for "Sudden Sam" McDowell, Cleveland Indians flamethrower:

McDowell was a beast on the mound during his prime, which was sadly shortened because of various issues including injuries.
Three times topping 200 strikeouts, two of those seasons saw him top 300, with a league-leading high of 325 in 1965 when he also led the American League with a 2.18 earned run average to go along with a 17-11 record.
He’d go on to lead the league in K’s four other times during this run between 1965 and 1970, along with a 20-win season in 1970 and a career low 1.81 ERA in the “Year of the Pitcher” 1968.
It’s a shame he only had ten full seasons during his career, seeing as he ended up with 2453 career strikeouts with a 141-134 record and a nice 3.17 ERA.
Once he was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Gaylord Perry after the 1971 season his career went downhill quickly, barely hanging on the final four years before retiring after 1975.
Nevertheless between 1964 and 1971 he was a monster on that mound, striking fear in opposing batters while racking up the K’s and getting named to six all-star teams.

 

SPECIAL: 1970s A.L. PLAYER OF THE DECADE: REGGIE JACKSON

On the blog today, we have my special insert card for my "1970s A.L. All Decade Team", this the "A.L. Player of the Decade" for "Mr. October", Reggie Jackson:

Who else really would be considered the player of the 1970s in the American League other than Reggie?

The man was a part of five World Champion teams, took home an MVP Award in 1973, became an American Icon after his 1977 World Series heroics, and yes, even had a candy bar named after him.

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 those 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!

 

MISSING IN ACTION: 1966 RUDY MAY

Let's go way back into the 1960s for today's "missing" card, that of pitcher Rudy May, then of the California Angels, and a 1966 edition:

May made his Major League debut in 1965 as a 20-year-old, appearing in 30 games and tossing 124 innings, certainly good enough for a card in the 1966 set.

He posted a record of 4-9 with a 3.92 earned run average, striking out 76 batters while throwing a shutout.

All told, he posted a 152-159 career record, with a 3.46 earned run average, 24 shutouts, 12 saves and 1760 strikeouts between 1965 and 1983.

His finest year was easily 1980, when he led the American League in E.R.A. with a nice 2.46 mark, WHIP at 1.044 and strikeouts-to-walks with a 3.41 number as a member of the New York Yankees.

REVISIT: "HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 1970'S" #29: CESAR GUTIERREZ GOES 7 FOR 7

Fun card to revisit, which originally appeared on the blog over ten years ago, my 1971 "Highlights of the 1970s" card celebrating Cesar Gutierrez of the Detroit Tigers and his monster 7-for-7 day at the plate on June 21st of 1970:

Gutierrez was a lighter-than-light hitting midfielder who did the remarkable that day in June, becoming the first player in Major League history to gather seven hits in a game without making an out since Wilbert Robinson collected seven hits in a game back on June 10th of 1892!

To put it in perspective, Gutierrez was such a light hitter, that even AFTER his seven hit game, Gutierrez was hitting .249!

Six of his seven hits were singles, with a double thrown in, and for the season he ended up hitting .243, which was just above his lifetime batting average of .235.

To add insult to injury, Gutierrez even lost his job to another light-hitting infielder, Ed Brinkman, the following season and was eventually out of baseball by the time the 1972 season was ready to open up.

(On a side note: Gutierrez does show up in the 1972 set as a member of the Montreal Expos, even though he never played a game for them.)

But on that June day in 1970, Gutierrez was the star of Major League baseball, soon to be joined (and never since) by Pittsburgh Pirate Rennie Stennett in 1976, who also went 7 for 7 on September 16th.

VINTAGE SPECIAL! "MISSING" 1954 WILSON'S FRANKS EDDIE MATHEWS

Today on the blog, from one of my recent custom sets, a "missing" 1954 Wilson's Franks card for Hall of Fame third baseman Eddie Mathews:

 

Mathews was a beast at the plate, hitting 30 or more homers in a season ten times during his career, with four of those seasons totaling over 40.
He’d also drive in over 100 runs five times and score over 100 eight times while topping a .300 batting average on three occasions while leading the National League in walks four times, homers twice, and getting named to nine all-star teams.
Twice a runner-up in Most Valuable Player voting, he played for the Braves from Boston, to Milwaukee and their inaugural season in Atlanta in 1966, the only player to do so.
By the time he finished his stellar career Mathews collected 512 homers, 1453 runs batted in, 1509 runs scored and a .271 average along 1444 walks and a .509 slugging average.
Until a guy by the name of Mike Schmidt came along, he was THE power-hitting third baseman in the game's long history.

Incredibly overlooked these days!

 

CAREER-CAPPER: 1987 TONY PEREZ

Today on the blog, another card creation from outside the 1970s, this time a 1987 "career-capper" for the "Big Dog" Tony Perez, who finished up a stellar Major League career in 1986, one that would lead straight to Cooperstown:

Perez truly was an overlooked star on a team that would also have guys like Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan, just to name a few, and it’s just plain criminal considering he logged 10 seasons in a row over 90+ runs batted in, with six of them over 100 as stated earlier.
With a batting average hovering around .280, he was a solid and steady force at the plate and out in the field for a team that would become legendary, on their way to two straight championships in 1975 and 1976.
He would play for 23 seasons in the Major Leagues, and end up with 379 homers, 1652 RBI’s, 2732 hits and a very nice .279 average before he left the game at the age of 44.
The “Big Dog”, Sparky Anderson always stated that what killed the “Big Red Machine” from dominating for a longer period of time was trading away their slugging first baseman in December of 1976 to the Montreal Expos for Woodie Fryman and Dale Murray, a trade that still baffles me.
Nevertheless, after nine tries, he finally made it into the Hall of Fame in 2000, and rightly so. Hopefully Pete Rose can also join his former teammates someday as well.

 

MISSING IN ACTION: 1977 DICK ALLEN (PHILLIES VERSION)

On the blog today, a "missing" 1977 card for new Hall of Famer Dick Allen, with this version being a Philadelphia Phillies version, as I created an Oakland A's version many years ago:

WTHBALLS Series 4 set

To be honest I don't know why I created an A's version originally way back when, and when it came time to use it in my "Series Four" custom set three years ago, I "fixed" it to show him with the Phillies, for whom he played in 1976.

I recently realized I never posted the "new" version on the blog, so here you go.

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Dick Allen, even as a kid before I knew of all the controversy surrounding the lightning rod of a personality that the "Wampum Warrior" was throughout his career.

Sounds absurd, but it started way back in 1976 when my cousin (who was a few years older and got me into collecting cards) kept joking about the name "Dick Allen". Really makes no sense now, but it had us in stitches all day long, and ever since then I was hooked on this guy with the funny name and killer stats.

No one can take away from what he accomplished as a major leaguer: Rookie of the Year in 1964, Most Valuable Player in 1972, near Triple Crown that year, and leading his league in twelve statistical categories over his career.

It's easy to overlook the fact that in only 6332 career at-bats the man had 351 homers, 1119 runs batted in and 1848 hits.

To put that in perspective, Hank Aaron had almost DOUBLE the career at-bats as Allen. 

Now, I'm not trying to say that Allen could have been as consistent as Aaron was throughout his career, but it IS amazing to see what Allen accomplished at the plate in 6000+ at-bats.

The man was a force when he was healthy, but sadly, he just couldn't sustain it over the course of a nice, long, FULL career.

There are some guys I'll find ANY reason to design a card for, and Allen is definitely one of them!

Hope to have more here in the future…

REVISIT: HALL OF FAME #11: JOSH GIBSON: CLASS OF 1972

Going to do a bit of revisiting today, this time my 1972 "Hall of Fame Induction" card for perhaps the greatest catcher the game has ever seen, Josh Gibson, who rightfully got his place in Cooperstown, though sadly many years after his passing:

Really, what is left to be said about perhaps the greatest Negro League player of all-time?

The "Black Babe Ruth", sadly so many of his achievements are lost to lack of true record-keeping through his extensive barn-storming play.

He was reported to have hit about 800 lifetime home runs, hit a ball completely out of Yankee Stadium (something never done before or since), posted a .384 lifetime average, won nine home run titles and four batting titles.

What DOES remain fact was that throughout the years since his death in 1947 at the young age of 35 from a stroke, Gibson is considered one of the all-time great power hitters, hands-down.

In 2000, when the Sporting News posted their "100 Greatest Baseball Players of All-Time", Gibson was ranked 18th, the highest position of any Negro League player (ahead of Satchel Paige, Buck Leonard, Cool Papa Bell and Oscar Charleston).

The man was, and is, still mythic in baseball lore.

Sadly because of the "gentleman's agreement" instituted at the turn of the 20th century, we'd never see him perform against his contemporaries in the Major Leagues.

 

A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: WILLIE MAYS

Today on the blog we come to my custom "card that never was", from my unreleased 1971 All-Star ticket set celebrating the classic All-Star game, my card for National League outfield starter Willie Mays:

What needs to be said about perhaps the greatest player in history?
660 home runs, 3000+ hits, over 2000 runs scored and over 1900 runs batted in, with over 300 stolen bases and a .300+ batting average as well!
He took home the Rookie of the Year Award in 1951, then proceeded to win two Most Valuable Player Awards, the first in 1954 and the second eleven years later in 1965.
Let’s also not forget the 20 all-star nods and 12 Gold Gloves, leaving him in that rarified company of Ruth, Cobb, Aaron and Gehrig as far as accomplishments and legend.
Of course, Hall of Fame voting being what it is, he wasn’t a UNANIMOUS selection because of this silly unspoken rule of “no one gets 100% voting”, something I will NEVER understand.

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: ROD CAREW

Time to go and give legend Rod Carew a card in my future custom mega-set, "Classic Baseball", which will be a deluxe multi-series WTHBALLS set in the near future:

The man was a player for the ages, as he would go on to play in 18 All-Star games, missing only his final season in the Majors in 1985. Just incredible.

The first nine seasons of his career were as an All-Star second baseman, while the last nine were as a first baseman.

The man topped .300 15 years in a row, with a high of .388 in 1977 on his way to a Most Valuable Player Award and capturing the public’s attention with his .400 chase late in the season.
A clear-cut Hall of Fame player, he was inducted on his first year of eligibility in 1991 when he garnered 90.5% of the vote, which leaves me with the question: who the hell are the 9.5% who DIDN’T vote for him!!!???

3053 hits, a .328 career average, 353 stolen bases and 15 straight seasons of .300+ batting.

The man was a hitting machine, and I'm so glad I got to see him play during his magnificent career!

 

CAREER-CAPPER: 1984 JOHNNY BENCH

Time to step out of the 1970's yet again and create another fun "Career-Capper" from the 1980s, this one of the greatest catcher of them all, Johnny Bench, 1984 style:

Leading the Cincinnati Reds to two World Championships, four World Series appearances, while taking home two MVP Awards, and absolutely rewriting the catching game in Big League history, the man was already a legend by the time he was in his early-20's!

Of course as we all know, he would go on to put together a career rarely seen by ANY player, let alone a catcher: TWO N.L. MVP Awards, 14 all-star games, 10 Gold Gloves, two home run titles and three RBI titles, all while donning the “tools of ignorance” for 17 seasons, all with the Reds.

As a kid growing up in the 1970’s, this man was a mythic figure, a “god”, and he and the rest of his "Big Red Machine" teammates were steamrolling through the league towards two straight championships in 1975 & 1976, while appearing in two other series in 1970 and 1972.

L-E-G-E-N-D.

By the time he retired after the 1983 season, he collected 2048 hits, hit 389 homers, drove in 1376 runs, and scored 1091 runs, all mainly done during the "dead ball" decade of the 1970s.

Just the best!

SPECIAL: 1970s N.L. PLAYER OF THE DECADE: PETE ROSE

Today on the blog, we have my special "1970s National League Player of the Decade" card for Pete Rose, which was a special insert in my custom set which was released a couple years back:

On top of my selection as "Charlie Hustle" as the player of the decade for the Senior League, he was honored by the Sporting News as the overall "Player of the Decade" by the time the wild-70s were done.

In a decade where we had future powerhouse Hall of Famers like Johnny Bench, Tom Seaver, and Joe Morgan, Rose was the guy who came out in front of them all when it came time for me to select someone who would represent the go-go '70's.
In the ten years spanning 1970-1979, he was on two world champion teams, four pennant winners, had six 200-hit seasons, and lead his league in no less than 13 offensive categories!
And that's not all: in NINE of those years he received Most Valuable Player consideration, taking home the award in 1973.

For me, the man was a machine in the 1970s, and truly a sparkplug and celebrity that was the whole package when it came to becoming an American Icon.

Rest in Peace Mr. Rose...

 

"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: STEVE CARLTON

Time to go and add "Lefty", Steve Carlton to my future custom printed "Classic Baseball" set, celebrating the game I have loved so much for close to five decades at this point:

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!

 

OPC IMAGE VARIATIONS: 1977 GARY WOODS

Today we take another look at a Topps & OPC image variation in their 1977 sets, this one of Gary Woods, who appeared on a multi-player rookie card for Topps, while he got his out "dedicated rookie" North of the border:

OPC version

Topps version

As we all know, with OPC putting extra emphasis on the Canadian teams in their sets, it stands to reason they would go ahead and give a player their own card, so here we have Woods on a nice card for himself, though his Topps card where he appeared alongside future stars Steve Kemp and Tony Armas wasn't too shabby!

Woods actually made his MLB debut in 1976 as a member of the Oakland A's, appearing in six games and hitting .125 over that limited time.

With Toronto in their inaugural season, he would get into 60 games, playing centerfield and hitting .216 with 49 hits over 227 at-bats, scoring 21 runs while driving in 17.

He'd only appear in eight games the following year, while spending all of 1979 in the Minors before making it back to the Big Leagues in 1980 with the Houston Astros for 19 games, hitting a blistering .377 over that time.

He'd put in one more year with Houston before heading to the Chicago Cubs in 1982, where he would play the next four years, the last of his nine-year career, generally as a fourth outfielder at all three slots.

All told, Woods hit .243 over his career, with 251 hits in 1032 at-bats, with 117 runs scored and 110 RBIs, hitting 13 homers while stealing 19 bases.

 

A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: HANK AARON

Today we add my "card that never was" of Hank Aaron, that would have been part of my 1971 All-Star Game ticket set, based off the ticket design for the CLASSIC Midsummer game:

Of course, "Hammerin Hank" was one of the starting outfielders for the National League that day, and of course he would be as one of the greatest to ever pick up a bat.

As for Aaron the player?

Let his numbers do all the talking: 2174 runs scored, 3771 hits, 624 doubles, 98 triples, 755 home runs, 2297 runs batted in, a .305 batting average no less than 21 all-star selections!
Just tremendous!
He also had eight top-5 finishes for MVP, including taking home the award in 1957, as well as three Gold Gloves won consecutively between 1958-1960.
It's incredible to look at his 15 years of topping 100 or more runs scored, 11 seasons of 100 or more runs batted in, five more seasons of 90+ RBI's, and TWENTY STRAIGHT years of 20 or more home runs.

Rest in Peace to one of the absolute greats of the game, Mr. Henry Aaron...aka "Hammerin' Hank"!

 

REVISITING MY "MISSING" 1973 CARD FOR MICK KELLEHER

Thanks to a recent email from one of you asking how Kelleher could be wearing a home uni while clearly at Shea Stadium, I felt it would be a good time to revisit this 10-year-old blog post:

I have no answer as to why this happened, where he does look to be wearing a home uniform while on the road.

Am I wrong here? Or can it just be the road uni with a rainy-day lighting influence here making it seem otherwise?

I tell you, I didn't even remember that Kelleher came up with the Cardinals, then went on to play for the Astros and then the Cardinals yet again before moving on to the team I always remember him with, the Cubs.

In 1972 he played in 23 games for the Cardinals, hitting .159 with 10 hits over 63 at-bats. Not much of a showing for the 24-year old, but at the very least perhaps a slot on a multi-player rookie card?

He got to play in more games the following season, yet Topps left him out of their set yet again in 1974 and once again in their 1975 set, this time as a Houston Astro.

Needless to say, I'll be tackling those in the near future as well!

Kelleher put in 11 years as a Major League player, moving on to the Detroit Tigers and California Angels in 1981 and 1982 before becoming a long time coach (presently with the New York Yankees).

He retired with a .213 batting average, collecting 230 hits over 1081 at-bats in 622 games.

He never did get to put in a full year, but the closest he came was in 1976 when he appeared in 124 games and posted 363 plate appearances, pretty much setting career highs in almost every category.

Keep an eye out for the other "missing" cards for Kelleher right here, as I've already scored a few photos of him that will work perfectly…

 

VINTAGE SPECIAL! "MISSING" 1954 WILSON'S FRANKS AL ROSEN

Up on the blog today, we have my "missing" 1954 Wilson's Franks card for Al Rosen, from my recent custom set released in acetate packaging a couple months back:

This was the first of five additional cards created for the set to the original 10 I posted here on the blog many months ago. Look for the following four in the next four successive weeks!

Rosen had somewhat of a meteoric Major League career, with superstar seasons between 1950 and 1955 before a pedestrian 1956 season, then retirement. Just like that.

One of the heavy hitters of the Indian teams blessed with uber-pitching (Feller, Garcia, Lemon, Wynn), Rosen had his peak season in 1953 when he just missed a Triple Crown, though taking home the American League MVP Award when he led the league with 43 homers and 145 RBIs to go along with 201 hits and a .336 batting average.

His rookie season of 1950 would have normally gotten someone the Rookie of the Year Award, when he led the league with 37 homers, while driving in 116 runs and scoring 100.

But it happened to fall in the same season as Walt Dropo, who put in one of the greatest rookie seasons of all-time, easily taking home the award over the Cleveland third baseman.

Sadly for him, though still only 32 years of age by 1956, he retired from baseball due to back and leg injuries, thus ending an amazing Big League career just like that, to which he then moved into the world of stock brokerage, which he held for the next two decades before returning to baseball as a Front Office figure.

As a Front Office man, Rosen also saw success, guiding the New York Yankees during their return to greatness during the "Bronx Zoo" days before moving on to the Houston Astros and then the San Francisco Giants through the 1980's.

The man was as tough as they came, and because of his Jewish ancestry, would challenge those who hurled ethnic slurs at him throughout his career, usually with the person backing down.

A very interesting personality in baseball's rich history!

Nevertheless, over his shortened 10 year career, of which there were only seven full seasons, Rosen retired with a .285 average, with 192 homers and 717 RBIs, making four All-Star teams and taking home the aforementioned MVP in 1953.

Not too shabby!

 

DEDICATED ROOKIE: 1966 BOBBY MURCER

Today on the blog, we have a fun addition to my 1960's "dedicated rookies", my 1966 edition for Bobby Murcer, a beloved man not only in the Bronx but wherever he laid his ball-cap over his illustrious career:

Murcer made his MLB debut in 1965, appearing in 11 games for the New York Yankees and hitting .243 with a homer and four runs batted in while putting in time at shortstop.

After 21 more games in 1966, he lost two years to military service before coming back as a full-time Big League outfielder in 1969, slugging 26 homers with 82 RBIs and a .259 batting average over 152 games.

Murcer really did have a very nice career, especially those seasons between 1969 and 1977 when he drove in over 80 runs eight times, while topping 90 five of those seasons.
He hit as high as .331 (1971) while hitting as many as 33 homers (1972), while also leading the league in runs scored with 102 in 1972, OBP with a .427 mark in 1971 and total bases with 314 again in 1972.
He made five straight All-Star teams from 1971 through 1975, and was in the top-10 in MVP voting three straight years: 1971-1973.
Much more importantly, the man was one of the nicest human beings on the planet, as I can attest to, meeting him on more than a few occasions.
He was just as “real” as it got.
Rest in Peace Bobby. You are truly missed.

 

OPC IMAGE VARIATION: 1977 RICK MONDAY

On the blog today, we look at the image variation for Rick Monday and his 1977 OPC & Topps cards, after his trade from the Northside of Chicago to the sunny West Coast and the Los Angeles Dodgers:

OPC version

Topps version

While Topps was stuck going with Monday still suited up and designated as a Cub, the fine folks at OPC did their airbrushing best to get him in as a Dodger, leading to the gem you see here.

A solid player who also gained some attention for his flag-saving maneuver in the outfield one day when some clowns were trying to burn an American flag, Monday was in his prime when these cards would have been pulled from packs in that glorious Summer of 1977.
After putting in some good seasons with the A’s between 1966 and 1971, Monday was traded for pitcher Ken Holtzman over the Winter of 1971/72, and he didn’t disappoint the Cubs’ faithful, averaging about 20 homers a season with about 60 runs batted in.
He had his best season in Chicago in 1976 when he slammed a career-high 32 homers with 77 RBIs, which got him traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers which netted the Cubs future batting champ Bill Buckner and infielder Ivan DeJesus.
He’d go on to play the last eight seasons of his career in L.A., retiring after the 1984 campaign with a career .264 average, with 1619 hits and 241 homers, along with 775 RBIs and 950 runs scored, while being a part of the World Champion 1981 Dodger team.
One of the better overall #1 picks from the draft for sure!