THE WHOLE NINE: SERIES 2- CAREER-CAPPER: 1959 BOB LEMON

Today on the blog we post up my 1959 "career-capper" for Hall of Fame righty Bob Lemon, who closed out an excellent Big League career in 1958 with the Cleveland Indians:

Over the course of his 13-year career, he only actually put in 10 full seasons, yet he posted an incredible seven 20-win campaigns!

Along the way as part of the legendary Indians rotation that also included Early Wynn, Mike Garcia and a dude named Bob Feller, Lemon led the league in wins three times, complete games five times, shutouts (with 10) once, and was named to seven straight all-star teams between 1948-1954.

When he retired after the 1958 season, he finished with a 207-128 record with a 3.32 earned run average, 31 shutouts and 1277 K's over 460 games (350 of which were starts), and 2850 innings pitched.

After his playing days were over he went on to a respectable managerial career, leading the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees between 1970 and 1982.

Of course he's remembered as the skipper who took over the famous "Bronx Zoo" Yankees in 1978 and led them to an incredible drive that saw them go 48-20.

That drive eventually tying the Boston Red Sox and forcing the "Bucky &^%$% Dent Game", and a World Championship over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

If not for the War, we could easily be looking at a near-300 game winner being that he didn't even start playing until he was 25.

Nevertheless, Cooperstown came calling and he found his place alongside former teammates Feller and Wynn. 

Three Hall of Fame starters on one rotation. Awesome…

VINTAGE CUSTOM SPOTLIGHT: 1950 DRAKE'S "EXTENDED" SET: BOB LEMON

Hello everyone!

Today on the blog we add Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Lemon to my 1950 custom Drake's "Extension" set, which I produced a couple of years ago packaged in a deluxe floating frame:

Over the course of his 13-year career, he only actually put in 10 full seasons, yet he posted an incredible seven 20-win campaigns!

Along the way as part of the legendary Indians rotation that also included Early Wynn, Mike Garcia and a dude named Bob Feller, Lemon led the league in wins three times, complete games five times, shutouts (with 10) once, and was named to seven straight all-star teams between 1948-1954.

When he retired after the 1958 season, he finished with a 207-128 record with a 3.32 earned run average, 31 shutouts and 1277 K's over 460 games (350 of which were starts), and 2850 innings pitched.

After his playing days were over he went on to a respectable managerial career, leading the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees between 1970 and 1982.

Of course he's remembered as the skipper who took over the famous "Bronx Zoo" Yankees in 1978 and led them to an incredible drive that saw them go 48-20.

That drive eventually tying the Boston Red Sox and forcing the "Bucky &^%$% Dent Game", and a World Championship over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

If not for the War, we could easily be looking at a near-300 game winner being that he didn't even start playing until he was 25.

Nevertheless, Cooperstown came calling and he found his place alongside former teammates Feller and Wynn. 

Three Hall of Fame starters on one rotation. Awesome…

DEDICATED MANAGER CARD- 1977 BOB LEMON

Fun card to add to the WTHBALLS "stable", a dedicated 1977 manager card for Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Lemon, who was just about to take over the helm of the Chicago White Sox:

 

Somehow Topps was able to have Lemon shown on the White Sox team card for the 1977 set, even though he hadn't managed yet, so that's why you have this card created here.

After an earlier managerial stint with the Kansas City Royals between 1979 and 1972, Lemon was back at the head of a Major League team, leading the South Siders to a very nice 90-72 season, giving us that potent line-up with guys like Oscar Gamble, Richie Zisk and Eric Soderholm.

He'd start off the 1978 season with Chicago, but would get the ax 74 games into the season after a 34-40 start, good for fifth place in the American League West.

But don't fret for the guy, as his fortunes would be incredibly improved, getting hired by the New York Yankees, for whom he coached before his White Sox stint, and all he would do is guide the Yankees straight to a World Championship.

Of course, to get there the Yanks had to overcome a huge gap between them and the first place Boston Red Sox, culminating with a dramatic one-game playoff that gave us Bucky Dent and his home run heroics.

A true baseball “lifer”, Lemon would also find his way to Cooperstown in 1976, elected by the BBWAA based on his 207 wins, all with the Cleveland Indians, which included SEVEN 20-win campaigns in only ten full seasons. Amazing.

COACH CARD- 1976 BOB LEMON

Here was a fun card to create, a 1976 “Coach” card for Hall of Famer Bob Lemon, who was coaching the eventual American League champ New York Yankees:

I had to get a bit creative with the player graphic in the lower left of the card. Just imagine it being a coach hitting some fielding practice bunts to players before a game.
Anyway, before memorably leading the Yankees to a World Championship in 1978 with one of the most improbable come-backs in history, Lemon was giving his expertise to pitchers like Ron Guidry, Catfish Hunter and Sparky Lyle.
But before taking the helm of the Bronx Bombers he would have a stint as Chicago White Sox manager in 1977, a team that surprised many with an offense led by Oscar Gamble and Richie Zisk, popping almost 200 home runs during the homer happy season.
Nevertheless he found his way back to the Yanks in the middle of the 1978 season, leading the team past the Boston Red Sox in a 163rd game that we know as the “Bucky Dent” game, and eventually past the Los Angeles Dodgers for the Yankees second consecutive championship.
A true baseball “lifer”, Lemon would also find his way to Cooperstown in 1976, elected by the BBWAA based on his 207 wins, all with the Cleveland Indians, which included SEVEN 20-win campaigns in only ten full seasons. Amazing.

HALL OF FAME #32: BOB LEMON: CLASS OF 1976

Former Cleveland Indians pitching great and former manager Bob Lemon is the next inductee to get a card in my running series for the 1970's.

Check it out:

Lemon was nearing the end of his Hall eligibility in 1976 when the BBWA finally voted him in with 78.6% of the vote.

By no means a "sure thing", he did however put up some very impressive numbers that were hampered by military service during World War II.

Over the course of his 13-year career, he only actually put in 10 full seasons, yet he posted an incredible seven 20-win campaigns!

Along the way as part of the legendary Indians rotation that also included Early Wynn, Mike Garcia and a dude named Bob Feller, Lemon led the league in wins three times, complete games five times, shutouts (with 10) once, and was named to seven straight all-star teams between 1948-1954.

When he retired after the 1958 season, he finished with a 207-128 record with a 3.32 earned run average, 31 shutouts and 1277 K's over 460 games (350 of which were starts), and 2850 innings pitched.

After his playing days were over he went on to a respectable managerial career, leading the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees between 1970 and 1982.

Of course he's remembered as the skipper who took over the famous "Bronx Zoo" Yankees in 1978 and led them to an incredible drive that saw them go 48-20.

That drive eventually tying the Boston Red Sox and forcing the "Bucky &^%$% Dent Game", and a World Championship over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

If not for the War, we could easily be looking at a near-300 game winner being that he didn't even start playing until he was 25.

Nevertheless, Cooperstown came calling and he found his place alongside former teammates Feller and Wynn. 

Three Hall of Fame starters on one rotation. Awesome…

1975 "CY YOUNG AWARD" SUB-SET: WHAT IF? 1954

Continuing on my thread of an imagined 1975 "Cy Young Award" sub-set, like Topps' Most valuable Player sub-set, we come to 1954, and the two pitchers who members of SABR thought would have own the award had there been one at the time: Bob Lemon in the American League and  Johnny Antonelli in the National League. 

As I've explained earlier, around 1993 SABR issued a journal that contained a great article that wondered who would have won the Cy Young Award between 1901 and 1955 in each league had it existed, as well as a winner for the league NOT represented between 1956-1966 when the award was only given to one pitcher.

Today we take a look at who the SABR article called out for 1954, and while the A.L. "winner" was a long-time winning veteran for the Cleveland Indians, the other was an up-and-comer for the New York Giants.

But before we look at the players themselves, let's take a look at the 1975 "card" representing the 1954 season:

If you haven't already realized, Bob Lemon didn't have a card issued by Topps in 1954, as he was represented in Bowman's black-and-white set instead.

So first, I had to create a 1954 Topps card for Lemon before I dropped it into the '75 sub-set card.

Here's a closer look at my design for the '54 Lemon card:

By the time 1954 came around, Lemon was pitching in his ninth Major League season, and was already a five-time 20-game winner.

But 1954 was arguably his finest yet, as he lead the powerful 111-game winning Cleveland team to a pennant by posting a record of 23-7 along with a 2.72 earned run average.

He completed 21 of his 33 starts and threw two shutouts in 258.1 innings, and teamed up with Early Wynn, Mike Garcia, Art Houtemann and Bob Feller to form one of the all-time best pitching staffs the game has ever seen.

Combined those starters went 93-38!

For his troubles Lemon ended up fifth in Most Valuable Player voting, and I have no problem with the guys at SABR picking Lemon as the probable winner for the A.L. that year.

Over in the National League, THEIR pennant winning team (and eventual World Champs) New York Giants had their staff anchored by SABR's pick for the N.L. Cy Young, a young 24-year old fireballer out of Rochester, New York, Johnny Antonelli.

Pitching in only his second full Major League season, Antonelli shined big-time, as he posted a league-leading 21 wins against only seven losses along with the best E.R.A. in the league at 2.30.

He also topped the National League with six shutouts and finished third at the end of the year in M.V.P. Voting.

Antonelli went on to have a decent 12-year career, ending up with a 126-110 record with an E.R.A. title and a couple of 20-win seasons (along with a 19-win year in 1959).

Next up on this thread: 1955 and TWO custom cards I designed for the "winners" portrayed on the "virtual" 1975 Cy Young Award sub-set card for that season: Whitey Ford and Robin Roberts.

If you're enjoying this thread, watch for it next week. Thanks.

MANAGING A MANAGER SUB-SET THE RIGHT WAY...1978

I always thought Topps nailed it when it came to their manager cards in the 1978 set. The horizontal orientation, the dual images of both player and manager, and the full playing statistics that, at the time, were not readily accessible in the pre-internet world we lived in.

Up until that point, and sadly, ever since, manager cards were usually run of the mill "throw-ins" that really didn't add much to the set, and you were left wondering if the slots wouldn't have been better served with some players that were left out, or some other sub-set that could garner more interest. 

But for this set, all teams but the Brewers had their managers represented with nicely designed and well thought out cards. 

***Milwaukee hadn't yet named their manager for the upcoming season when cards went to press. However I created a George Bamberger card below to finally "complete" the sub-set.

All told, no less than six of the managers are Hall-of-Famers (either as managers or players): Earl Weaver, Whitey Herzog, Bob Lemon, Dick Williams, Tommy Lasorda and Sparky Anderson. And that number will most assuredly go up by two once Joe Torre and Bobby Cox are inducted as well. Some can even make a case for Billy Martin to eventually get in as well, possibly bringing us to NINE members of the Hall. Not too shabby for a sub-set.

Of these managers, the most accomplished as players were Bob Lemon and Joe Torre. Lemon fashioned a Hall of Fame career as a pitcher for the famed Indians staffs of the '40's and '50s, while Torre was a one-time MVP with the Cardinals in 1971, after a solid career as a power hitting catcher for the Braves in the '60's as a power hitting catcher with the Braves.

However, Alvin Dark and Bill Virdon were no slouches either, with both winning Rookie of the Year awards, in 1948 and 1955 respectively.

Sure, there were some guys that really didn't leave much of a mark in baseball history, but overall, this sub-set was one of the better executed sub-sets of the decade in my eyes. It's a shame that Topps decided to abandon this format for their Manager cards after this set.

Anyway, now onto the cards themselves. Enjoy!

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

***This card was never issued. I've created here to complete the sub-set***

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST 

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST 

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST