CAREER-CAPPER: 1980 WILLIE DAVIS

Good day all!

On the blog today, from my next WTHBALLS custom card release, a 1980 "Career-Capper" for underrated player Wille Davis:

Davis came up with the Dodgers as a 20-year old in 1960, just in time to be a part of the organization’s great run which included two world championships in 1963 and 1965, as well as a World Series appearance in 1966.
A speedster who racked up hits and had the occasional power, Davis finished his career with over 2500 hits, 182 home runs and 398 stolen bases, along with a nice .279 batting average in 2429 career games.
Though he played the first 14 years of his career in L.A., Davis would go on to play for five teams over the last four years of his career: Montreal Expos, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres and the California Angels in 1979 after a two-year absence from MLB ball in 1977 and 1978 when he played in Japan.

 

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1980 DAMASO GARCIA

Fun card to add to the blog today,a "not so missing" 1980 card for All-Star infielder Damaso Garcia, who got his start in the Majors as a member of the New York Yankees:

Garcia appeared in 18 games with the eventual World Champions in 1978, hitting .195 with eight hits over 41 at-bats, playing both shortstop and second base.

He'd play in eleven games with the Bronx Bombers in 1979 before finding himself traded to the Toronto Blue Jays along with Chris Chambliss and Paul Mirabella on November 1st of 1979 for Rick Cerone, Tom Underwood and Ted Wilborn, a trade that helped his career with the given opportunity to play everyday.

With that chance he would not disappoint, finishing fourth in the Rookie of the Year race in 1980, hitting .278 with 151 hits, 30 doubles and 13 stolen bases.

He would go on to make two All-Star teams while also taking home a Silver Slugger Award in 1982 when he collected a career-best 185 hits, 80 runs scored and 54 stolen bases.

While a consistent contributor to the Blue jays through the 1986 season, his relationship with manager Jimy Williams went South, leading to a trade to the Atlanta Braves before the 1987 season, with him spending the entire season in the Minors.

He'd make it back to the Majors in 1988, but for only 21 games, hitting .117 before finding himself with the Montreal Expos in 1989, for what turned out to be the last 80 games of his career, hitting .271.

Sadly, shortly after his playing days were over, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, with subsequent surgery saving his life but leading to physical impairments that would stay with him the rest of his days.

Happily, he would live until the age of 63, eventually passing away due to cancer in April of 2020.

 

WTHBALLS CUSTOM SPECIAL: 1980 RICKEY HENDERSON PEPSI ALL-STAR

Good day all!

On the blog today, we have a fun card I created for my latest WTHBALLS release, a reprint of the never-released 1980 Pepsi All-Stars baseball set, with a bonus Rickey Henderson you see here:

I thought it'd be fun to add in one special card to the 22-card reprint set, and the Rickey rookie card was a natural choice.

Imagine if this was part of the very valuable test set!?

In his first taste of the Majors, Rickey appeared in 89 games with the Oakland A's in 1979, hitting .274 with 96 hits in 351 at-bats, stealing 33 bases and scoring 49 runs.

Coming into 1979 Henderson was on fire in 1977 and 1978 playing for Modesto and Jersey City in the Minors.

In '77 with Modesto, all he did was hit .345 with 120 runs scored and 95 stolen bases to go along with a sick .465 on-base-percentage.

The following year, getting promoted to Double-A ball, Henderson kept on hitting, this time to the tune of .310 with 81 runs scored and 81 steals.

So at the dawn of the 1979 season Henderson was ready to just about take over the game, straight to the Hall of Fame some 25 years later.

Just a glimpse of the dynamic player that was about to take over the baseball world over the next quarter century!

Greatest lead-off man the game has ever seen!

1980s CAREER-CAPPERS: 1980 JIM "CATFISH" HUNTER

Today on the blog, from my recent and wildly popular "1980s Career-Cappers" set, my 1980 capper for Jim "Catfish" Hunter, who prematurely retired after suffering arm troubles a couple of season earlier:

Over his 15-year career, which wrapped up in 1979, Hunter racked up 224 wins, a 3.26 earned run average, 42 shutouts and 2012 strikeouts.

He took home the Cy Young Award in 1974 in his last season with the A's, came in second for the award the following year in his first year as a landmark Free-Agent with the Yankees, and threw a perfect game back in 1968 at the young age of 22.

A big-game pitcher, Hunter was a member of no less than five World Champion teams: 1972-74 Oakland A's, and the "Bronx Zoo" Yankee teams of 1977-78.

Did you know that Hunter is the last pitcher in the Major Leagues to complete 30 or more games in a season? 

In 1975 he completed 30 of his 39 starts, on his way to a 23-14 record with seven shutouts and a 2.58 E.R.A.

Between 1971 and 1975 he won 20 or more games each year, a great five year run which saw him win 111 games.

As a matter of fact, Hunter was the first pitcher since the all-time great Walter Johnson to win 200 games before the age of 31! And the only other guys at that time to also do it? Christy Mathewson and Cy Young. Incredible.

Sadly arm troubles and diabetes started to affect his career, forcing him to retire in 1979 at the age of only 33.

The final feather in his baseball cap would be a Hall of Fame induction in 1987 along with Chicago Cubs great Billy Williams, giving him a solid place in baseball history, if he didn't have one already...

 

FANTASY CARD: 1980 TIM RAINES ROOKIE CARD

Finally getting around to a fantasy card I've wanted to create for a while now, a 1980 multi-player Montreal Expos rookie card for Hall of Famer Tim Raines:

The "four-decade" player made his Big League debut with six games for the Montreal Expos in 1979, all as a pinch-runner, giving him three runs scored and two stolen bases without an official at-bat at the age of only 19.

From there the man was nothing short of elite, leading the league in steals four straight seasons from 1981 through 1984, winning a batting title in 1986 when he led the N.L. with a .334 mark, twice pacing the league in runs scored, and making seven straight All-Star teams from 1981 to 1987.

The National League's counterpart to Rickey Henderson, Raines went on to play 23 seasons in the Majors, including a very nice three year run with the New York Yankees during their Dynasty from 1996 to 1998, giving him two Championships, the only two he'd have.

I loved watching him play, and was especially happy to see him play "live" when he suited up for the Yanks those three seasons, when I was pretty much at almost all Yankee home games.

By the time he retired after the 2002 season, Raines finished with 2605 hits over 8872 at-bats, hitting .294 with 1571 runs scored and 808 stolen bases, collecting 113 triples while striking out only 966 times!

That is an average of only 42 strikeouts a season!

In 2017 he was elected to the Hall of Fame, his place in baseball history cemented for all to appreciate in years to come.

Cheers "Rock" Raines!

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1980 DAVE RIGHETTI

Fun card to add to the WTHBALLS stable today, a "not so missing" 1980 card for Dave Righetti, a New York Yankee mainstay through the 1980s, but someone who actually made his Big League debut in 1979:

Righetti appeared in three games, all starts, for the Yankees, tossing 17.1 innings and going 0-1 with a 3.63 ERA at the age of 20.

He'd be back with a bang the next season, as he posted a record of 8-4 over 15 starts, just missing the ERA crown by falling short of innings required by 1.2 innings! Yep, someone on the Yankees dropped the ball on this and didn't get Righetti some mop-up role at the end of the year to bring home the ERA crown, as his 2.05 mark was far better than the guy who did win the ERA title, Oakland A's pitcher Steve McCatty, who finished with a 2.33 ERA over 185.2 innings.

Nevertheless, Righetti became a cog of the Yankees through the 1980's as a starter and reliever, posting a few solid seasons as a starter between 1981 and 1983 including the classic July 4th no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox in '83, before converting to a relief role the rest of his very nice 16 year career, including his 1986 campaign that saw him establish the (then) MLB record 46 saves, earning him a fourth-place finish in the Cy Young race.

By the time he retired after the 1995 season, he finished with a record of 82-79 over 718 games, with a 3.46 ERA in 1403 innings, with 252 saves.

1980 CAREER-CAPPER: LOU BROCK

Fun card on the blog today, and one that will get printed in the future for sure, my 1980 "Career-Capper" for Lou Brock:

Man! Here's a guy who is often overlooked in baseball history!

By the end of the 1979 season Brock was closing out his Hall of Fame career, nailing down his 3000th hit to go along with his 938 stolen bases, 1610 runs scored and .293 lifetime average.

Even at the age of 40 he was doing well, batting over .300 (.304) with 21 stolen bases!

An eight-time stolen base champ, he also collected 200 hits in a season four times, with another four seasons of over 190, and he also scored 100+ runs in a season seven times.

Incredibly enough, in Brock's 19-year career, he made the All-Star team only six times! 

The price you pay for coming up during the years of Mays, Aaron, and Clemente! 

Tough luck indeed!

 

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!

 

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...

 

THE WHOLE NINE: SERIES 2- NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1980 TIM RAINES

Today on the blog, we have my "not so missing" 1980 card for Hall of Famer Tim Raines, from my "Whole Nine: Series 2" set released a few months back:

The "four-decade" player made his Big League debut with six games for the Montreal Expos in 1979, all as a pinch-runner, giving him three runs scored and two stolen bases without an official at-bat at the age of only 19.

From there the man was nothing short of elite, leading the league in steals four straight seasons from 1981 through 1984, winning a batting title in 1986 when he led the N.L. with a .334 mark, twice pacing the league in runs scored, and making seven straight All-Star teams from 1981 to 1987.

The National League's counterpart to Rickey Henderson, Raines went on to play 23 seasons in the Majors, including a very nice three year run with the New York Yankees during their Dynasty from 1996 to 1998, giving him two Championships, the only two he'd have.

I loved watching him play, and was especially happy to see him play "live" when he suited up for the Yanks those three seasons, when I was pretty much at almost all Yankee home games.

By the time he retired after the 2002 season, Raines finished with 2605 hits over 8872 at-bats, hitting .294 with 1571 runs scored and 808 stolen bases, collecting 113 triples while striking out only 966 times!

That is an average of only 42 strikeouts a season!

In 2017 he was elected to the Hall of Fame, his place in baseball history cemented for all to appreciate in years to come.

Cheers "Rock" Raines!

 

THE WHOLE NINE: SERIES 2- MISSING IN ACTION: 1980 KIRK GIBSON

On the blog today, from my recent "Whole Nine: Series 2" custom set, my "not so missing" 1980 card for Kirk Gibson, who made his Big League debut in 1979:

Appearing in 12 games for the Detroit Tigers in 1979, Gibson hit .237 with nine hits over 38 at-bats, including a homer, with three runs scored and four RBIs.

From there he would go on to put in 17 seasons of solid baseball, always flirting with 30/30 seasons though never managing to make it, with five straight seasons of 20+ homers and 20+ stolen bases between 1984 and 1988, culminating with his MVP season of 1988 with the Los Angeles Dodgers when he helped the in famous fashion win it all against the Oakland A's.

One of the greatest players to never make an All-Star team, Gibson was also hurt by the collusion debacle of the 1980's when owners conspired to NOT sign Free Agents, forcing them to settle for sub-pay contracts.

Who knows if Gibson could have landed somewhere else, changing the trajectory of his career later on with some other organization.

By the time he retired after the 1995 season, he finished with a career .268 batting average, with 1553 hits, 985 runs scored and 870 RBIs, hitting 255 homers while also stealing 284 bases, winning it all twice: in 1984 with the "wire-to-wire" Detroit Tigers juggernaut, and the Dodgers in 1988.

Not too shabby a career!

 

1970'S ALL-DECADE TEAM: A.L. MANAGER BILLY MARTIN

Today on the blog we take a look at my pick for the American League Manager of the 1970s, Billy Martin who won no matter which cap he put on his hot-tempered head:

Martin was a winner wherever he managed. Just look it up!

He began his managerial career in 1969 with the Minnesota Twins and took them straight to the Playoffs, guiding the team to a first place finish with a 97-65 record.
He would move on to Detroit, and would take them to a first place finish by his second year in 1972 with a record of 86-70.
He’d move on to the Texas Rangers and they’d have their first successful season in 1974, albeit a second place finish behind league MVP Jeff Burroughs and ace Fergie Jenkins, then of course he would move on to the New York Yankees, where the “Bronx Zoo” was in full swing, eventually bringing Martin a World Championship in 1977.
He’d move on to the Oakland A’s where “Billy-Ball” was in full effect, losing to the Yankees in the Championship Series while burning through every arm on his pitching staff with overuse.
Then finally, there was the back-and-forth period between he and the Yankees, specifically owner George Steinbrenner, where he managed in 1983, 1985 and finally 1988, almost a comedic show of hiring and firing that really was an embarrassment to us Yankee fans of the era.
Nevertheless, Martin was a winner, though one with a temper at that, leaving the game with a .553 winning percentage and over 1200 wins.
Should he be in the Hall of Fame?
I do think so more for his personality than anything else. As a symbol of the wild 1970’s with his managerial style a'la Earl Weaver, arguing and fighting his way through each season.
Rest in Peace Billy, you are missed.

1970'S ALL-DECADE TEAM: N.L. MANAGER SPARKY ANDERSON

Time on the blog to go and tab the National league Manager of the Decade for the 1970s, as picked by yours truly, and I went with the "Big Red Machine" skipper Sparky Anderson:

Who else was I going to pick?

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!

MISSING IN ACTION: 1980 "FIREMEN LEAGUE LEADER" CARD

On the blog today, an interesting "missing" card to create, the "missing" 1980 Firemen League Leader card that was conspicuously missing as we ripped open packs that year:

Now, I'm not 100% sure, but I'm assuming the reason Topps didn't create this card was because one of the American League guys, Mike Marshall, would not allow them to use his image for cards at that time, with his last card in the 1977 set, so you could see how that would be an issue here.

Nevertheless, I went and whipped one up all these years later!

In the National League, we have all-world reliever in 1979 Bruce Sutter, who would take home the N.L. Cy Young Award for his monster 1979 campaign.

Ironically, though his 1977 year was better, his 1979 season was also great enough to bring him the hardware, as he'd post a record of 6-6 over 62 appearances, with a league-leading 37 saves, striking out 110 batters over 101.1 innings while pitching to a 2.22 earned run average.

Of course, we all know that he would also go on to lead the league in saves four of the next five years, including his record 45 saves in 1984 as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.

In the American League, it was a tie with Mike Marshall of the Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers closer Jim Kern, both having excellent years.

For Marshall, he would appear in a league-leading 90 games, going 10-15 with a 2.65 ERA over 142.2 innings, with an A.L. high 32 saves.

It was the third time he reached the 90-game mark in his career, the first time since his Cy Young winning 1974 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers when he set the STILL standing record of 106 appearances.

As for Kern, I would say he had a serious case for the A.L. Cy Young in 1979, having an incredible year for the Texas Rangers, going 13-5 with a microscopic 1.57 ERA over 71 games and 143 innings, with 136 strikeouts.

Absolute beast!

Sadly for him it would easily be the high point of his career, though he would pitch until the 1986 season, getting in 13 seasons under the Big League sun.

Well, there you have it, filling in a blank in the 1980 set 43 years later!

Hope you enjoyed this one!

1970'S ALL-DECADE TEAM: A.L. RELIEVER SPARKY LYLE

Today on the blog, we have my pick for the American League relief pitcher of the 1970s, a character if there ever was one, Sparky Lyle:

Benefiting from a FULL decade in the American league, I picked Sparky over guys like Rollie Fingers or Mike Marshall, as he would help the New York Yankees win two championships, take home a Cy Young Award in 1977, and finish top-3 for an MVP Award in 1972 among many other accomplishments!

Coming over from the Boston Red Sox before the 1972 season, which is often cited as terribly one-sided in favor of the Yankees, it paid instant dividends in the Bronx, as Lyle posted a 9-5 record with a 1.92 earned run average and league-leading 35 saves in his first year there.

He'd even finish seventh in Cy Young voting, as well as third in Most Valuable Player voting during the post-season.

Five years later in 1977, Lyle would win the Cy Young Award, going 13-5 with a league-leading 23 saves and a 2.17 E.R.A., and he'd finish fifth in M.V.P. Voting.

But with Rich "Goose" Gossage joining the Yanks the following year, he'd find himself off to Texas by 1979, and retired from the game in 1982 after a handful of games with the White Sox.

All told Sparky would post 238 lifetime saves in 899 games, setting a record for career games all in relief.

I'm not sure, but it still may be the record actually. Have to check.

 

1970'S ALL-DECADE TEAM: N.L. RELIEVER TUG McGRAW

Good day everyone!

With today's post, we have my selection for the National League's "Reliever of the 1970s", Tug McGraw, a selection that may surprise some on here:

Now hear me out!

While the popular pick may be guys like Rollie Fingers, Mike Marshall or even Bruce Sutter, I went with McGraw because of his FULL tenure in the N.L. that decade, while also being the "Fireman" for my two starting pitcher picks for the All-Decade team, Tom Seaver and Steve Carlton!

McGraw is easily overlooked these days, posting some solid All-Star seasons that led to four Post Season appearances with the Mets and Phillies, bookended by two World Championship years with 1969 (Mets) and 1980 (Phillies).

His 1971 and 1972 seasons were stellar, posting a 1.70 earned run average each year, while going a combined 19-10 with 35 saves.

After putting in nine solid if not excellent seasons with the Mets between 1965 and 1974, McGraw would go on to turn it up a notch and play ten years for the Phillies, closing out his career after the 1984 season at the age of 39.
He would make the All-Star team twice, get MVP consideration three seasons, and finish fifth in the Cy Young race in 1980 after helping the Phillies to a World Championship.
In that season he had perhaps the best year of his career, posting a record of 5-4 with a miniscule 1.46 earned run average over 57 games, with 20 saves, before posting another four saves in the Post Season, including the final out of the World Series against the Kansas City Royals.
His final numbers were a career record of 96-92, with a 3.14 ERA over 824 appearances, with 180 saves and 1109 strikeouts in 1514.2 innings pitched.
I can’t believe it’s already been 16 years since he passed away on January 5th of 2004 from a brain tumor which was first diagnosed just about a year earlier.
A true character of the game, he was only 59 years old.
R.I.P. Tug.

1970'S ALL-DECADE TEAM: A.L. LHP VIDA BLUE

On the blog this fine day, my pick for the 1970s American League left-handed pitcher of the decade, Vida Blue:

Before taking his talents across the Bay to the San Francisco Giants in 1978, Vida Blue anchored the Oakland A’s pitching staff, helping the team to three straight World Championships between 1972 and 1974.
Along the way he posted three 20-win seasons, including his magnificent 1971 campaign that saw him go 24-8 with a 1.83 E.R.A. and 301 strikeouts, with eight shutouts and 24 complete games at the age of 21, taking home league Cy Young and M.V.P. Awards.
A season earlier, he pitched a no-hitter against the Minnesota Twins, facing the minimum 27 batters with nine strikeouts.

Blue would go on to six All-Star games, starting and winning one in each league, and eventually retire with 209 wins and a 3.27 ERA with 37 shutouts, posting three 20-win seasons over his 17-year career.
A true icon of 1970’s baseball.

1970'S ALL-DECADE TEAM: N.L. LHP STEVE CARLTON

Today on the blog, a super-easy choice for my 1970s left-handed pitcher of the decade, "Lefty" Steve Carlton, as if there'd be anyone else:

Part of my recent custom released National League set (with different images for the actual printed cards, with the American League team coming soon!)

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 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.

1970'S ALL-DECADE TEAM: A.L. RHP JIM PALMER

Good day everyone!

On the blog today, we have my pick, and I'm sure most everyone else in this matter, for the American League right-handed pitcher of the 1970s, Jim Palmer, Baltimore Orioles Hall of Famer:

Honestly, there is no way it could be anyone else, as the man was just incredible not only in the 1970s, but over his stellar career.

Palmer’s road to Cooperstown was a bit rocky at first, with a couple of jumps and starts because of injuries between 1964 and 1968.
As a matter of fact we’d probably be looking at a 300-game winner if not for over a season of missed time between 1967 and 1968.
All the man did was top 20-wins in eight of the next ten seasons of the 1970s, winning three Cy Young Awards, the first American League pitcher to do so, helping the Orioles to a championship in 1970, and eventually finishing with a career 268-152 record along with a brilliant 2.86 ERA and 53 shutouts before he was done in 1984.

Over that magical decade of the 1970s, he was an All-Star six times, got MVP support seven seasons, and took home four Gold Gloves.

Truly one of the All-Time greats of the game!

 

1970'S ALL-DECADE TEAM: N.L. RHP TOM SEAVER

OK now!

Today we go and place my favorite player of the 1970's, Mr. Tom Seaver, on my National League "All-Decade" Team, about as easy a pick for me as there can be, the right-handed pitcher of the 1970's, something he was for the Major Leagues, let alone National League:

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"!