WTHBALLS CUSTOM SET SPOTLIGHT: 1960S STARS OF THE GAME: WILLIE MAYS

The next custom card from my "1960s Stars of the Game" set released in 2018 and long sold-out, the great Willie Mays:

The set featured 40 postcard-sized cards with cut-out player cards to mimic the Jello sets of that era.

Fun set to produce, as it even contained a packet of gelatin to complete the set!

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.

 

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: WILLIE MAYS

Today on the blog, we finally add the greatest of them all, Willie Mays, to my upcoming custom "Classic Baseball" set, celebrating the great game and its impact on my life all these decades:

As for the man himself, 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.

WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: WILLIE MAYS

Today on the blog I post up my special mini Willie Mays card, from my "Gum Pack" custom set released a few months ago on a whim, in fun gum pack packaging:

When adding Mays to the checklist for this set, I thought it'd be fun to have him as a New York Met for a change, and I'm glad I did, having the colors pop off this little gem of a card.

Mays capped off a tremendous career following the 1973 season, finishing up with the Mets in which he got to appear in his first World Series since 1962.
As a matter of fact, Mays actually did appear in the 1974 set, on card #473 which highlighted Game #2 of the series where the Mets won 10-7.
Anyway, not much to get into about arguably the best all-around player in baseball history. 3000+ hits, 660 homers, 1900+ R.B.I.'s., 1951 Rookie of the Year and N.L. M.V.P. in 1954 and 1965. But he was much more than just stats. He was the "Say Hey Kid".
By the time the 1970's hit, he was a walking legend of the sport, and being enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 was the cherry on top of it all.

Greatest living ballplayer by a country mile!

 

WTHBALLS "BASEBALL ICONS" SPECIAL SET: WILLIE MAYS

The next "icon" of the sweet game of baseball to be featured in my custom "Icons" set that will see the light of day later this year is none other than Willie Mays, perhaps the greatest of them all:

This set features greats of the game during the "Golden Era" of baseball, with special home field background art from the 1950s and 1960s.

Just a fun creative set to work on, which will come in a special package that I conceived some time ago.

Keep your eyes peeled for it!

As for the man himself, 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.

1960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: N.L. OUTFIELDER WILLIE MAYS

Today we have my pick for the second outfielder on my national League team of the 1960s, and about as easy as it gets as I go with the Sporting News Player of the 1960s, all-time great Willie Mays:

The man flat-out raked during the decade of the '60's!

All the man did was finish in the top-10 in M.V.P. voting seven times, taking home the award in 1965 (with many remarking that HE should have won in 1962 over Maury Wills), top 30-homers six times, 40 homers four times, and 50 in 1965 (being the last to reach that mark until George Foster hit 52 in 1977).

Throw in seven 100+ R.B.I. seasons, six 100+ runs seasons, five .300+ years, nine Gold Gloves and all-star appearances every single year, and you see why it was so easy to choose the "Say Hey Kid" as the player of the decade.

Is it me, or is being voted "Player of the Decade" pretty freakin' big?!

I think such an honor speaks volumes historically, and it's a shame it goes so unnoticed through the years.

Anyway, so far an outfield of Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays both in their prime is ridiculously elite! And with the addition of my third outfielder on the N.L. team, which I'm sure you can all guess, it would easily be the greatest outfield the game would ever see if they had the chance to play together.

1969 "DO-OVER" SET: WILLIE MAYS

The next card from my custom "1969 Gimmie A Do-Over" set released last year, one for the great, if not the greatest, Willie Mays:

Originally having his 1966 card image reused by Topps in 1969, I used a nice close-up of that "Million-Dollar Smile" for my re-do, giving us another unique card for the "Say Hey Kid".

As we all know by now, Topps was in the middle of a licensing problem with the MLBPA at the time, leading to some questionable image use in the late-60's/early-70's.

Over half a century later, I'm more than happy to fix some of this!

As for 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.

NEGRO LEAGUES TO MAJOR LEAGUES: WILLIE MAYS

On the blog today, we add to my 1972 "Negro Leagues to Major Leagues" sub-set, as a 25th anniversary celebration (at that time) of Jackie Robinson's MLB debut of 1947, with all-time great Willie Mays:

Mays made his professional debut as a high school kid back in 1948 with the Birmingham Barons in 1948, and would suit up for them until signed with the New York Giants in 1950.

In 13 games for the Barons that first year, Mays hit .233 with 10 hits over 43 at-bats, picking up six runs batted in and scoring six.

Once in the Giants' Minor League system in 1950, he just tore the cover off the ball, hitting .353 in Class-B and a torrid .477 in Triple-A before getting his call-up in 1951, cruising to a Rookie of the Year Award that season, hitting 20 homers with 68 RBIs and a .274 batting average.

As for the rest of his career, really at this point what else needs to be said about arguably the best all-around player in baseball history. 3000+ hits, 660 homers, 1900+ R.B.I.'s., 1951 Rookie of the Year and N.L. M.V.P. in 1954 and 1965. But he was much more than just stats. He was the "Say Hey Kid".
By the time the 1970's hit, he was a walking legend of the sport, and being enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 was the cherry on top of it all.

VINTAGE SPECIAL! "MISSING" 1954 WILSON'S FRANKS WILLIE MAYS

On the blog today, we add the great(est), Willie Mays to my "missing" 1954 Wilson's Franks set, perhaps the greatest oddball set of the 1950s:

While I do hope to print this set in the future to add to the WTHBALLS stable, I may have some issues because of the super thin white borders on the original set.

My printer may not be able to handle this in the automated cutting process. We shall see!

As for 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.

 

STARS RETIRE: 1974 WILLIE MAYS & LUIS APARICIO

On the blog today, another in my "Stars Retire" thread, this time a 1974 edition celebrating the careers of recently retired Willie Mays and Luis Aparicio:

 

To start, Major League baseball saw one of the greatest ever, Willie Mays, call it a career after finishing up where it all started, New York, with the Mets with whom he made it back to a World Series before losing to the three-peat Oakland A's.

Really, at this point what else needs to be said about arguably the best all-around player in baseball history. 3000+ hits, 660 homers, 1900+ R.B.I.'s., 1951 Rookie of the Year and N.L. M.V.P. in 1954 and 1965. But he was much more than just stats. He was the "Say Hey Kid".
By the time the 1970's hit, he was a walking legend of the sport, and being enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 was the cherry on top of it all.

Along with Mays, the great Luis Aparicio hung up the cleats after a wonderful career that saw him become one of the great base-stealers of his era.

He actually wrapped up his playing days by the end of the 1973 season, but Topps (for a change) went ahead and issued a card for him in their 1974 edition. So we were given an "accidental" career-capper" with his final Topps card.

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

Two giants of the game finishing up Hall-worthy careers, celebrated on this one card.

Hope you enjoy them!

TURN BACK THE CLOCK: 1978- 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF WEST COAST MAJOR LEAGUE BALL

Today on the blog I thought it’d be fun (yet still painful for many here in the NYC area) to create a 1978 “Turn Back the Clock” card celebrating the debut of West Coast baseball in the Major Leagues, with the sudden departure of both the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers from the New York metropolitan area over the off-season:

 

  

As we all know by know, after failed negotiations with the city and state for new and improved “modern” ballparks, the owners of both much-loved New York City National League teams agreed to take the organizations West, the Giants to San Francisco and the Dodgers to Los Angeles, leaving a HUGE hole in the hearts of many.

Both teams did flourish in their new digs, becoming powerhouses with stars like Willie Mays, Duke Snider, Sandy Koufax, Willie McCovey et. Al, lending the aura of the West Coast an even larger presence in American culture through the early-70’s.

On April 15^th, 1958, the Dodgers squared off against the Giants, with San Francisco winning the game 8-0 on a Ruben Gomez shutout, in the very first game played on the West Coast in Major League history, played at Seal’s Stadium in San Francisco.

I can’t even imagine what this must have been like for Dodger and Giant fans here on the East Coast, crushed by the reality of their teams now located over 3000 miles away.

1970 IN-GAME ACTION: WILLIE MAYS

Very happy to introduce what will be a great new thread, "1970 In-Game Action", a sub-set of action cards for the otherwise drab 1970 set had Topps jumped the gun a year earlier, using action photos like they did in 1971. 

We begin with the great Willie Mays. using an image of him up at bat, showing the swing that got him to the Hall of Fame as one of the all-time greatest to ever pick up a bat:

 

This is a set I have created to actually print up in two series, and should see the light of day early in 2022.

There will be 50 cards total, showing the game's best players of the era, and will come in a printed box ala those Topps $0.25 33-card boxes that were used at the time.

As for Mays, really at this point what else needs to be said about arguably the best all-around player in baseball history. 3000+ hits, 660 homers, 1900+ R.B.I.'s., 1951 Rookie of the Year and N.L. M.V.P. in 1954 and 1965. But he was much more than just stats. He was the "Say Hey Kid".
By the time the 1970's hit, he was a walking legend of the sport, and being enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 was the cherry on top of it all.

Hope you will enjoy this thread as much as I had creating it!

1972 ALL-STAR SUB-SET: WILLIE MAYS

Moving along in my on-going 1972 All-Star sub-set thread today, we have the great, if not greatest, Willie Mays as the next outfielder who started for the National League in the classic 1971 Midsummer Classic:

 

Though Mays was winding down his incredible baseball career by the time the 1971 season rolled around, he was still producing, finishing the season with 18 home runs and 61 runs batted in for the San Francisco Giants, leading the league with his 112 base on balls and .425 on-base-percentage.

Anyway, not much to get into about arguably the best all-around player in baseball history. 3000+ hits, 660 homers, 1900+ R.B.I.'s., 1951 Rookie of the Year and N.L. M.V.P. in 1954 and 1965. But he was much more than just stats. He was the "Say Hey Kid".
By the time the 1970's hit, he was a walking legend of the sport, and being enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 was the cherry on top of it all.

CAREER-CAPPER- 1974 WILLIE MAYS (PORTRAIT EDITION)

Hey, I can't help myself. When you find as sweet an image of Willie Mays as this one, you create a card for the man no matter what. So since I created a landscape edition 1974 "career-capper" here on the blog years ago, I will go ahead and create a portrait edition:

 

 

Mays capped off a tremendous career following the 1973 season, finishing up with the Mets in which he got to appear in his first World Series since 1962.
As a matter of fact, Mays actually did appear in the 1974 set, on card #473 which highlighted Game #2 of the series where the Mets won 10-7.
Anyway, not much to get into about arguably the best all-around player in baseball history. 3000+ hits, 660 homers, 1900+ R.B.I.'s., 1951 Rookie of the Year and N.L. M.V.P. in 1954 and 1965. But he was much more than just stats. He was the "Sey Hey Kid".
By the time the 1970's hit, he was a walking legend of the sport, and being enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 was the cherry on top of it all.

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- WILLIE MAYS

Today on the blog I present a new thread idea I’m excited about creating, my “Minor League Days” 1971 sub-set, beginning with the great Willie Mays:

I picked the 1971 year because of the great blend of “old” and “new-up and coming” stars, so it will make for a great set when it is all said and done.
Before beginning what would be one of the great Major League Baseball careers, the “Say Hey Kid” played 35 games for Minneapolis Millers in 1951 and hit a scorching .477 over 35 games, going an insane 71-for 149 at the plate with 18 doubles, three triples and eight home runs.
He also scored 38 runs while driving in 30, with an on-base-percentage of .524 and slugging .799, totaling 119 bases in those 35 games!
Needless to say, he was ready to make his impact on the Big Leagues, and would get his chance that same year, earning National League Rookie of the Year.
I’m really psyched about working on this thread, and already have a couple dozen stars ready to be created, shown during their Minor League days.
Keep an eye out for them!

1972 FANTASY CARD: "TRADED" WILLIE MAYS

Up on the blog today I have a card that I’ve contemplated for a while now, a “fantasy” 1972 “Traded” Willie Mays card for the all-time legend:

I’m not the biggest fan of Topps 1972 Traded sub-set. To be honest I never liked them.
However I always wondered if Topps could have squeezed out a Mays version since he was traded to the New York Mets in May of the 1972 season.
I don’t know the print-schedule for the series regarding the 1972 set, but it must be pretty close, no?
Nevertheless, as we all know Mays was traded back to where it all began for him, New York, for pitcher Charlie Williams and $50,000 cash.
He’d end up playing through the 1973 season, even appearing in the World Series as his final action as a Major League player in a losing cause against the juggernaut Oakland A’s three-peat champions.
By the time he hung them up, he finished with over 2000 runs scored, 3000 hits, 660 home runs and 1900 runs batted in, while being named to 20 All-Star teams and winning 12 Gold Gloves.
Easily the greatest player of the last 50-years, if not ever.
“Say Hey” Willie Mays.

 

A 1973 SPECIAL: "PASSING THE TORCH" WITH WILLIE MAYS AND CESAR CEDENO

I came across this really nice photo and decided to create a 1973 “Special” card of the great Willie Mays and emerging superstar Cesar Cedeno, who was following in the “Say Hey Kid’s” footsteps as a power-hitting speedster:

Of course, time would reveal that NO ONE is another Willie Mays, but Cedeno put together a wonderful 17-year career that saw him top 2000 hits, 500 stolen bases one one home run short of 200.
Along the way he also took home five Gold Gloves while making the All-Star team four times, topping 50 steals six straight seasons between 1972 and 1977.
As for Mays, what needs to be said? One of, if not THE greatest player to grace a baseball field. The man did it all, 20 All-Star teams, 12 Gold Gloves, two National League MVP’s while hitting 660 homers, stealing 338 bases and collecting over 3000 hits while driving in over 1900.
Even writing what I just wrote about the man seemed silly. It’s Willie Mays for God’s sake. L-E-G-E-N-D.
I would have loved to listen in on the conversation these two were having when the photo was taken!

TURN BACK THE CLOCK 1969- WILLIE MAYS SLUGS HIS 600TH CAREER HOME RUN

Just four seasons after clubbing his 500th career home run, Willie Mays was at it again in 1969, smashing his 600th career homer, so let’s celebrate that feat with a 1979 “Turn Back the Clock” card:

Mays became only the second player all-time to reach the lofty height, joining Babe Ruth and eventually retiring with 660 homers.
And if it wasn't for military service in 1952-53, he easily would have been the second "700 Homer" guy, beating Aaron to the finish line by a couple years for sure.
As we all know, there would be quite a few more players joining Ruth, Aaron and Mays with 600+ homers decades later.
But if you were a kid growing up in the 1970's and '80's, those three were the "Mount Rushmore" of home run power, forever burned into our minds.
Ruth…Aaron…Mays.
Classic…

TURN BACK THE CLOCK 1965- WILLIE MAYS SMASHES HIS 500TH CAREER HOME RUN

Here’s a “Turn Back the Clock” card for the 1975 set celebrating the 10th anniversary of  Willie Mays 500th career home run, which he hit on September 13th, 1965 off of  Houston Astros starter Don Nottebart:

The blast was the 47th of the season for Mays, on his way to a career-high 52 for the season leading to his second career Most Valuable Player Award, the first which came eleven years earlier while the Giants were still in New York.
He would go on to slam another 160 homers before he was through, ending up with 660 to cement his legacy as one of the greatest sluggers, and most importantly players in baseball history.

SPECIAL CARD- 1973 WILLIE MAYS AND HANK AARON

I came across this great photo of Willie Mays and Hank Aaron from around 1972 and couldn’t help but create a card for it:

Two legends at the tail-end of their incredible careers.
Imagine, over 1400 home runs and about 7000 Major League hits along with around 4000 runs scored and RBI’s in just under 50 years of playing time.
Just awesome.
If you like this sort of stuff I plan on creating more of these “specials” that I’ll sprinkle in to the different sets through the decade.