REVISIT: MISSING IN ACTION- 1971 RICK JOSEPH

Today on the blog, we revisit another 10-year-old post, this one my 1971 "missing" card for former infielder/outfielder Rick Joseph of the Philadelphia Phillies, who already wrapped up a five-year Big League career in 1970:

Joseph finished-off his career batting .227 with 27 hits over 119 at-bats in 71 games in the City of Brotherly Love, giving him a .243 career average with 154 hits in 633 at-bats, with 13 homers and 65 runs batted in along with 69 runs scored.
All but four of his pro seasons had him playing for the Phillies, with his rookie year of 1964 seeing him suit up for the Kansas City Athletics.

 

REVISIT: MISSING IN ACTION- 1971 HAWK TAYLOR

On the blog today, we revisit a 10-year-old post featuring a "missing" 1971 card for Hawk Taylor of the Kansas City Royals:

Taylor put in an 11-year career between 1957 and 1970, even though the most action he ever saw in a season was back in 1964 as a member of the New York Mets when he appeared in 92 games.
Other than that he mainly got to play in about a few dozen games every year of his career, playing for the Milwaukee Braves (1957-1963), Mets (1964-1967), California Angels (1967) and Kansas City Royals (1969-1970).
For the 1970 season Taylor appeared in 57 games, batting .164 with nine hits over 55 official at-bats while splitting time behind the plate and first base.
For his career, Hawk batted .218, with 158 hits over 724 at-bats spread out over 394 games, just about 38 games a year.

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1971 JIM JOHNSON

Today on the blog we have a great "old fashioned" 1971 "not so missing" card for three-game Major League pitcher Jim Johnson of the San Francisco Giants:

The entirety of Johnson's Big League tenure was during the month of April, 1970, when he appeared in the aforementioned three games, going 1-0 with a 8.10 earned run average over 6.2 innings.

He was hit hard over those 6+ innings, giving up eight hits and six runs while walking five, striking out two with a balk and two wild pitches.

Though he was sent down to the Minors for the rest of the season, it seemed probable that he would be back up either later in the year or the following season, however because of a stubborn Giants front office and later on a sore arm, Johnson decided the best move for his family was to retire and move onto a long and distinguished career in Education.

Sadly he passed away at the young age of only 42 due to Pancreatic Cancer in 1987, at the time he was the Superintendent of Schools at North Muskegon, Michigan High School.

He had devoted his life to Education even before he retired, attaining advanced Degrees at University while toiling in the Minors.

 

A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: REGGIE JACKSON

Here's a special request for a card to be added to my 1971 "All-Star Game Ticket" set, which I never did print up as originally planned, a Reggie Jackson edition to add to the starting line-up of both leagues as well as manager cards:

Now, I still haven't designed an Earl Weaver card yet since I'm looking for a full-resolution time appropriate image of him, but this Reggie card is the first for any non-starting player in that classic All-Star game.

Granted, it was his epic home run off the Detroit Stadium light tower that most remember from that magical game, which saw no less than six future Hall of Famers hit one out of the park.

Just an incredible game that saw the aging stars of the 1950s and 1960s play with the up and coming stars of the 1970s, changing the landscape of the game and pushing towards what I consider a second "Golden Age" for baseball over the next 10-15 years.

I do still think I'll print this set up in the future, just have to fit it in my planned release schedule for 2026!

Keep and eye out for it!

REVISIT: 1971 CAREER-CAPPER FOR TITO FRANCONA

Thought it'd be fun to revisit a ten year old post from the blog today, this time my 1971 Career-Capper for Tito Francona:

Father of current Cincinnati Reds Manager Terry Francona, Tito appeared in 84 games in his final big league season, split between the Oakland A’s and Brewers.
He hit .235 with 23 hits over 98 at-bats with both four runs scored and runs batted in  while playing both first base and the outfield, the two positions he’d mainly play throughout his career.
Francona came up in 1956 with the Baltimore Orioles and ended up second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Chicago White Sox speedster and future Hall of Fame player Luis Aparicio.
In that season Tito would hit .258 with 115 hits over 445 at-bats, with nine homers, 62 runs scored and 57 RBI’s in 139 games.
His finest season was his first with the Cleveland Indians, for whom he had his best years, when he batted .363 with 20 homers and 79 RBI’s in 122 games.
He didn’t qualify for the batting title based on his 443 plate appearances, but he did finish fifth in MVP voting.
All told he’d finish his career with a .272 average with 1395 hits in 5121 at-bats over 1719 games, with 125 home runs and 656 RBI’s and 650 runs scored.

 

A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: SPARKY ANDERSON

We move onto the Managers for the two teams in that classic of all Midsummer Classics, the 1971 All-Star game played in the "Motor City", Detroit, Michigan, and today it's the National League skipper Sparky Anderson:

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!

REVISITING MY "NOT REALLY MISSING" 1971 RAY OYLER FROM 10 YEARS AGO

Good day all!

On the blog today, revisiting a post from 10 years ago, my "not really missing" 1971 card for Ray Oyler of the California Angels:

I recently came across this nice usable image for former shortstop Ray Oyler as a California Angel, and since he didn't have a card in the 1971 set I figured I'd whip one up, even though it's a bit of a stretch considering the minimal time he played in 1970.

The 1970 would end up being the last in Oyler's six-year career.

It wasn't much of a showing, as he collected two scant hits over 24 at-bats, good for a .083 batting average in the 24 games he got into that season.

But when you look at his career, Oyler was all glove and no bat, almost literally.

By the time he hung up his cleats after 1970, he retired with a .175 batting average, based on his 221 hits over 1265 at-bats.

Between 1965 and 1970, he topped .200 once, when he hit .207 in 1967 for the Detroit Tigers.

However, on a positive note, during the Tiger's World Series run in 1968 Oyler played in 111 games for the champs, arguably the high point of his career before being selected by the expansion Seattle Pilots for the 1969 season.

Quite a few teammates reflected on Oyler's defensive prowess, some even stating that no matter what the batting average was, having Oyler as their shortstop helped their team.

Talk about the epitome of "good field, no hit"!

 

A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: VIDA BLUE

Today on the blog we move on to the starting pitcher for the American League in that historic 1971 All-Star game in my custom 1971 "Ticket" set, all-world lefty Vida Blue:

Of course, we all know that Vida Blue absolutely exploded onto the Major League scene in 1971, on his way to capturing both the Cy Young and MVP Awards by season's end.

All he did in this epic season was post a record of 24-8, with a league-leading 1.82 earned run average, striking out 301 batters and tossing eight shutouts.

Oh yeah, he was only 21 years of age!

His WHIP of 0.952 and strikeouts-per-nine-innings of 8.7 also led the league, and he completed 24 of his 39 starts, putting in 312 innings of work for the upstart Oakland A's, who were about to go on the three-peat championship run between 1972 and 1974.

Blue would go on to post 209 career victories in the Majors, having some successful seasons with the San Francisco Giants, even starting the 1978 All-Star game for the National League, while finishing up his 17-year career in 1986.
It’s amazing for me to remember that when Blue started that NL All-Star game in 1978, he wasn’t even 30 years old, yet to me he already seemed to be an aging veteran by then.

 

A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: CARL YASTRZEMSKI

Today on the blog we come to the third starting outfielder in my 1971 "All-Star Ticket" set, celebrating perhaps the greatest Midsummer Classic of the all, Boston Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski:

The man was at his height of his game at the time this photo was taken, already a three-time batting champion, Triple Crown winner in 1967, and five-time Gold Glove winner.

As someone who grew up in New York City during the second half of his career, it's really easy to forget that Yastrzemski was a Long Island, New York boy before he went on to become a New England legend.

And how could he NOT become a legend, what with 23 years of Major League ball, all with the Red Sox, turning in three batting titles, a Triple Crown in 1967 along with an MVP Award, seven Gold Gloves, 18 all-star nods, and 25 league-leads in primary offensive categories.

By the time he did the retirement tour in 1983, he scored 1816 runs, collected 3419 hits, 646 doubles, 452 homers, 1844 runs batted in along with a .285 batting average.

He was just plain awesome…

 

A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: FRANK ROBINSON

The next starting player from the 1971 All-Star Game to spotlight in my "set that never was" Ticket Set is "The Judge" Frank Robinson, perhaps the greatest "overlooked" player the game has ever seen:

It was the eleventh All-Star nod for the legend, who would have himself another great year, finishing third in the A.L. MVP race at season's end, hitting .281 with 28 homers and 99 runs batted in.

Robinson is perhaps the “greatest underrated player” in Major League history.
A two-time Most Valuable Player, and the first to do it in both leagues, Robinson also took home a Triple Crown in 1966, was a twelve time All-Star, finished in the Top-4 in MVP voting outside his two wins, and oh yeah, as mentioned earlier was also the first African-American Manager in league history.
When he retired as an active player in 1976, Robinson was in the top-5 in so many offensive categories he was in the company of Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.
Yet oddly enough, perhaps because of the era he played in, he would get buried in the “all-time greats” conversation in lieu of the aforementioned players along with guys like Ty Cobb, Roberto Clemente and Ted Williams.
I would say he and Stan Musial are the TWO greatest “underrated” players of all-time, and you could arguably throw in others like Bob Feller for good measure.
Just an all-out legend in so many ways.

 

A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: BOBBY MURCER

Up on the blog today, we move into the outfield of the American League in my "set that never was", a 1971 All-Star game special custom set, featuring the players that actually started that classic Midsummer game:

Bobby Murcer actually started the game in place of the injured Tony Oliva, who was selected by fans.

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.

 

A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: BROOKS ROBINSON

Time we moved on to third base and my 1971 All-Star Game ticket card for the great Brooks Robinson, about as loved a player for the Baltimore Orioles:

Of course Robinson pretty much had the third base position on lock-down for some 15 years in the A.L., and 1971 was no different.

It was the man's 12th straight All-Star nod at third base for the Junior Circuit, and it would also be his 12th straight Gold Glove, on his way to 16 before he was through.

In 1958 he’d play his first full season in the Big Leagues, and it was all cruise control from there, as the great third baseman would go on to grab those 16 Gold Gloves, an MVP Award in 1964, appear in 15 All-Star games, and help guide the Baltimore Orioles to two Championships and four A.L. Pennants.
By the time he hung up that golden glove after the 1977 season, he finished with 2848 hits, 1357 runs batted in, 268 home runs and 1232 runs scored in 2896 games.
Needless to say, by the time Cooperstown came calling, he was voted in on his first try, receiving 92% support in 1983.

 

A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: LUIS APARICIO

Next up in my "set that never was" 1971 All-Star ticket custom set, the American League shortstop in that legendary game, Luis Aparicio of the Boston Red Sox:

From the moment he made it to the Majors in 1956 with the Chicago White Sox, Aparicio was a star.

He took home the A.L. Rookie of the Year that season, and proceeded to be an all-star player for most of his 18-year career.

Between 1956 and 1964, nine consecutive years, he led the American League in stolen bases every single season!

As a member of the "Go-Go" 1959 Chicago White Sox he finished second to teammate Nellie Fox for Most Valuable Player, and he'd go on to win nine Gold Glove Awards before hanging up the spikes.

All told he suited up for the White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Boston Red Sox for the final three years of his illustrious career.

By the time he retired the numbers were solid: 2677 hits, 1335 runs scored, 506 stolen bases and over 10000 at-bats!

It took a few years on the ballot, but he was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.

A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: ROD CAREW

Next up on the blog, my 1971 All-Star Game ticket card for the great Rod Carew, who was the starting second baseman for the American league in that historic 1971 Midsummer Classic:

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!

 

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS: LEGENDS EDITION- PEE WEE REESE

Time to go and add Hall of Famer Pee Wee Reese to my long-running "Minor League Days-Legends Edition" set, which I hope to actually have printed up in the near future:

Found a nice image of him suited up with the Louisville Colonels, his first professional organization, for whom he played in 1938 and 1939.

Over those two seasons he hit .278 with 58 stolen bases and 36 triples, giving everyone a small glimpse into what they'd see over his almost 20 years as a Big Leaguer.

Between 1940 and 1958, playing for only the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, Reese was a mainstay of a team that would continuously fight for the National League crown, reaching the World Series seven times, winning it all in 1955.

Though he'd miss three years to military service between 1943 and 1945, he would still finish his career with 2170 hits, 1338 runs scored and a .269 batting average, with 232 stolen bases and ten All-Star game nods.

Importantly, he was also a calming figure in the integration of baseball when teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson made his debut in 1947, showing his unwavering support as a Southern man, helping quench the racist attitudes thrown and Robinson his first few seasons.

Sadly it took quite some time for Cooperstown to come knocking, as he would wait until 1984 to finally get voted in by the Veteran's Committee.

 

REVISITING MY "MISSING" 1971 JOE GIBBON CARD

Let's delve back about 10 years here on the blog and revisit my "missing" 1971 card for former pitcher Joe Gibbon of the Pittsburgh Pirates:

In 1970 Gibbon actually got into 41 games for the Pirates, good for 41 innings of work as an arm out of the 'pen.

He posted an 0-1 record with a 4.83 earned run average and five saves with 26 strikeouts.

Seems like enough action to warrant a card, no?

Funny enough by the time the 1971 season opened he was a member of the Cincinnati Reds, before closing out his 13-year career with the Astros by the end of the 1972 season.

His finest season would arguably be his second, back in 1961 when he posted a 13-10 record with a 3.32 E.R.A., three shutouts and 145 strikeouts over 195.1 innings of work in 29 starts.

Generally however, the bulk of his career was out of the bullpen, and by the time he retired he had a record of 61-65, with a 3.52 E.R.A., four shutouts, 32 saves and 743 strikeouts over 419 games, 127 of which were starts.

 

REVISITING MY "MISSING" 1971 CARD FOR JOHN DONALDSON

Let's go back in time and revisit my "missing" 1971 card for former infielder John Donaldson, who could have gotten a card in the classic set after seeing sufficient playing time in 1970:

Donaldson came back to play for the A's in 1970 after playing part of 1969 for the Seattle Pilots in their lone Major League season.

I had to resort to a little Photoshop trickery, airbrushing in an Oakland A's logo to his cap since the image was actually of him in a Kansas City A's uni.

The photo was too good to pass up, so I resorted to the digital re-creation instead of using another, less appealing Oakland image.

In 1970, Donaldson appeared in 41 games, with 98 plate appearances while hitting .247 with 22 hits with four runs scored and eleven runs batted in.

He'd be out of Major League ball until the 1974 season, when he'd make a brief reappearance with the A's, appearing in only 10 games for the World Champions.

All told, Donaldson's career lasted 6-years, playing in 405 games, with a .238 lifetime batting average, 96 runs scored, 292 hits and 86 RBI's over 1225 at-bats and 1380 plate appearances.

 

CAREER-CAPPER: 1971 BO BELINSKY

Up on the blog today, we feature a 1971 "Career-Capper" for one-time phenom Bo Belinsky, who wrapped up a Big League career as a member of the Cincinnati Reds in 1970:

Belinsky made a huge splash back in 1962 as a member of the Los Angeles Angels, tossing a no-hitter in his fourth start, allowing him to start his career 4-0.

He was an instant "player" of another sort in L.A., known for his night-life action and dating of a handful of Hollywood starlets like Ann Margaret, Mamie Van Doren, Connie Stevens and Tina Louise.

He didn't exactly finish his rookie year as a star himself however, going 10-11 with a 3.56 ERA over 33 games and 187.1 innings, while leading the league in walks.

The following year, his star fell even further as injuries limited his season to just 13 games, going 2-9 with a 5.75 ERA over 76.2 innings, completing two games.

1964 saw him bounce back a bit, arguably posting his best season as a Big Leaguer when he went 9-8 over 23 games, 22 of them starts, with a nice 2.86 ERA over 135.1 innings, striking out 91 while tossing a shutout.

It would give the Angels a promising two-man punch along with their Cy Young winner Dean Chance, who had a monster year that season.

Sadly, that was all short-lived as Belinsky would come back in 1965, now a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, and go 4-9 over 30 games, only 14 of them starts, finishing with an ERA of 4.84 in 110 innings.

Turns out the Angels would trade Belinky to Philly for Rudy May and Minor Leaguer Costen Shockley.

He would never again find that "spark" in the remaining parts of four seasons left in his career, as he would go on to pitch for the Houston Astros in 1967, Pittsburgh Pirates in 1969 and Reds in 1970, never winning more than three games in any season, reaching 100 innings once.

By the time he was done, he finished with a record 28-51 over 146 games, with an ERA at 4.10 in 665.1 innings pitched.

The white-hot start way back in 1962 now a long-ago memory.

 

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.

 

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.