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

The second WTHBALLS "card that never was" from my never-released 1972 "All-Star Ticket" bookmark set celebrating the classic 1971 Midsummer Classic is that of Willie McCovey, starting first baseman for the National League:

Just a fun set I thought of producing a few years back before finally deciding on the All-Star set I eventually released, which sold-out quickly funny enough.

What needs to be said about the man at this point here on the blog?

When he got called up to the Big Leagues in 1959, all he did was tear the seams off the ball by hitting .354 with 13 homers and 38 runs batted in along with 32 runs scored in only 52 games, copping a Rookie of the Year Award and setting the tone for his 22-year career.

In 1969 he had his finest season, as he made his fifth All-Star team, on his way to taking home the league MVP Award after a year that saw him lead the league with 45 homers, 126 RBIs, a .453 OBP and a .656 slugging percentage, as well as a whopping 45 intentional base on balls.

The man put it ALL together that year!

By the time he retired in 1980, he crushed 521 home runs, collected over 2000 hits, drove in over 1500, and left his mark as one of the most feared sluggers of his generation.

In 1986, his first year of eligibility, he was voted into the Hall of Fame with 81.4% of the ballots cast.

Man, what a threesome McCovey, Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda made back in the 1960's for San Francisco, huh?

Just incredible.

 

CAREER-CAPPER: 1981 WILLIE MCCOVEY

On the blog today, we break away from the 1970s and create a 1981 Career-Capper for Willie McCovey, something I plan on doing more of in the upcoming new year:

When he got called up to the Big Leagues in 1959, all he did was tear the seams off the ball by hitting .354 with 13 homers and 38 runs batted in along with 32 runs scored in only 52 games, copping a Rookie of the Year Award and setting the tone for his 22-year career.

In 1969 he had his finest season, as he made his fifth All-Star team, on his way to taking home the league MVP Award after a year that saw him lead the league with 45 homers, 126 RBIs, a .453 OBP and a .656 slugging percentage, as well as a whopping 45 intentional base on balls.

The man put it ALL together that year!

By the time he retired in 1980, he crushed 521 home runs, collected over 2000 hits, drove in over 1500, and left his mark as one of the most feared sluggers of his generation.

In 1986, his first year of eligibility, he was voted into the Hall of Fame with 81.4% of the ballots cast.

Man, what a threesome McCovey, Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda made back in the 1960's for San Francisco, huh?

Just incredible.

1960S "IN-ACTION": 1969 WILLIE McCOVEY

Today on the blog we have what is going to be a SWEET card from my next "1960s In-Action" set, Series Three, that of "Stretch" Willie McCovey:

I just love this image of him at the plate, probably about to launch another homer our of the stratosphere at the expense of another poor National League pitcher.

He was at the height of his career at the time this card would have seen the light of day, about to put in an MVP year in 1969, obliterating everything in sight!

From the moment he got called up to the Big Leagues in 1959, all he did was tear the seams off the ball by hitting .354 with 13 homers and 38 runs batted in along with 32 runs scored in only 52 games, copping a Rookie of the Year Award and setting the tone for his 22-year career.

In 1969 he had his finest season, as he made his fifth All-Star team, on his way to taking home the league MVP Award after a year that saw him lead the league with 45 homers, 126 RBIs, a .453 OBP and a .656 slugging percentage, as well as a whopping 45 intentional base on balls.

The man put it ALL together that year!

By the time he retired in 1980, he crushed 521 home runs, collected over 2000 hits, drove in over 1500, and left his mark as one of the most feared sluggers of his generation.

In 1986, his first year of eligibility, he was voted into the Hall of Fame with 81.4% of the ballots cast.

Man, what a threesome McCovey, Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda made back in the 1960's for San Francisco, huh?

Just incredible.

1960S ALL-DECADE TEAM: N.L. FIRST BASEMAN WILLIE McCOVEY

Good day all!

On the blog today, my pick for the National league's first baseman of the 1960's, and I went with Hall of Fame slugger Willie McCovey:

McCovey, who did also see a significant amount of time over in the outfield between 1962 and 1964, put in just enough time at the first base position to get my pick for the decade honor.

All he did was lay down the foundation for a future Hall of Fame induction, leading the league in homers three times, runs batted in twice, slugging three twice, and also capping off the decade with an M.V.P. award in 1969.

He was so feared at the plate, that even in a line-up that featured other hitters like Willie Mays and Bobby Bonds, he was intentionally walked 45 times in 1969, setting the Major League record at the time (later obliterated by Barry Bonds decades later).

A Rookie of the Year in 1959, M.V.P. in 1969, and six-time all-star, "Stretch" was part of an incredible slugging trio during his early days in San Francisco, teaming up with two other future Hall of Famers, Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda.

By the time he retired in 1980, he crushed 521 home runs, collected over 2000 hits, drove in over 1500, and left his mark as one of the most feared sluggers of his generation.

In 1986, his first year of eligibility, he was voted into the Hall of Fame with 81.4% of the ballots cast.

JUST FOR FUN-1977 WILLIE McCOVEY OAKLAND A'S VARIATION

Just for fun today on the blog, I finally went and created a 1977 variation card for Hall of Famer Willie McCovey celebrating his brief time as an Oakland A's player:

McCovey spent only 11 games with Oakland at the tail end of 1976, hitting .208 after starting the year with the San Diego Padres, for whom he played since 1974.

In 1977 he'd be back where it all started, San Francisco, where he would finish his brilliant Big League tenure, playing through to 1980.

McCovey was beginning to enter the twilight of his Hall of Fame career which spanned 22 seasons between 1959 and 1980.
Over that time he took home a Rookie of the Year when he burst onto the Major League scene with a .354 average and 13 homers in 52 games in 1959, an MVP in 1969 when he led the league with 45 homers, 126 runs batted in, a .453 OBP and a .612 slugging percentage, while getting six All-Star nods.
By the time he hung them up for good, he finished with 521 homers, 1555 RBIs, 1229 runs scored and 2211 hits playing for the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, and a brief 11-game stretch with the Oakland A’s at the end of the 1976 season.
In 1986, in his 1st year of eligibility, he was voted into the Hall with 81.4% of the vote, an easy first-try inductee for the man from Mobile, Alabama.

1970 "IN-GAME ACTION": WILLIE McCOVEY

Time to go and spotlight San Francisco Giants slugger Willie McCovey from my 1970 "In-Game Action" set here on the blog:

 

The reigning MVP at the time this card would have seen the light of day, he was easily the most feared hitter in Major League baseball.

From the moment he got called up to the Big Leagues in 1959, all he did was tear the seams off the ball by hitting .354 with 13 homers and 38 runs batted in along with 32 runs scored in only 52 games, copping a Rookie of the Year Award and setting the tone for his 22-year career.

In 1969 he had his finest season, as he made his fifth All-Star team, on his way to taking home the league MVP Award after a year that saw him lead the league with 45 homers, 126 RBIs, a .453 OBP and a .656 slugging percentage, as well as a whopping 45 intentional base on balls.

The man put it ALL together that year!

By the time he retired in 1980, he crushed 521 home runs, collected over 2000 hits, drove in over 1500, and left his mark as one of the most feared sluggers of his generation.

In 1986, his first year of eligibility, he was voted into the Hall of Fame with 81.4% of the ballots cast.

Man, what a threesome McCovey, Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda made back in the 1960's for San Francisco, huh?

Just incredible.

ALL-STAR HIGHLIGHTS- 1970

Today on the blog I start a brief thread on a subject that quite frankly, I'm surprised took me so long to do, a highlight card for each All-Star game between 1969 and 1978, so I can create cards for all Topps sets between 1970 and 1979.

We begin with a 1970 "All-Star Highlights" celebrating the 1969 Midsummer Classic:

 

You can say that the game, which took place at RFK Stadium in Washington DC, was the "Willie McCovey Show", as the big man went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three runs batted in for the National League.

Two other N.L. starters also collected two hits apiece (Johnny Bench & Matty Alou), while Felix Milan of the Atlanta Braves went 1-for-4 with two RBIs, but "Stretch" was clearly the star of the show on this day, helping the Senior Circuit win 9-3, with Hall of Famer Steve Carlton picking up the win.

Hometown fan favorite Frank Howard did not disappoint, as he'd hit a homer in the second inning off of Carlton for the American League's first run of the game.

Blue Moon Odom of the Oakland A's got hit hard, allowing four earned runs and five hits in just a third of an inning, though starter Mel Stottlemyre of the New York Yankees took the loss, giving up the initial three runs (two earned) over the first two innings of the game.

Next up on the thread, the 1970 All-Star game and the unforgettable ending that of course made the front of the card...see you then!

SPECIAL SPOTLIGHT: "LOST" 1963 FLEER SECOND SERIES: WILLIE McCOVEY

Today on the blog, we take a closer look at my custom 1963 "Lost" Fleer Willie McCovey card, which was part of my "Lost Second Series" released last year (it even came with a cookie!):

 

When he got called up to the Big Leagues in 1959, all he did was tear the seams off the ball by hitting .354 with 13 homers and 38 runs batted in along with 32 runs scored in only 52 games, copping a Rookie of the Year Award and setting the tone for his 22-year career.

In 1969 he had his finest season, as he made his fifth All-Star team, on his way to taking home the league MVP Award after a year that saw him lead the league with 45 homers, 126 RBIs, a .453 OBP and a .656 slugging percentage, as well as a whopping 45 intentional base on balls.

The man put it ALL together that year!

By the time he retired in 1980, he crushed 521 home runs, collected over 2000 hits, drove in over 1500, and left his mark as one of the most feared sluggers of his generation.

In 1986, his first year of eligibility, he was voted into the Hall of Fame with 81.4% of the ballots cast.

Man, what a threesome McCovey, Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda made back in the 1960's for San Francisco, huh?

Just incredible.

1972 ALL-STAR SUB-SET: WILLIE McCOVEY

On the blog today, we move on to the National League's starting first baseman in the classic 1971 All-Star game, "Stretch" Willie McCovey:

 

Celebrating what is now considered one of the historic moments in the game's evolution, the 1971 Midsummer Classic was a turning point where the "old" eased into the "new". A passing of the torch in a sense of the country's cultural change, with old stars such as Aaron, Mays, et. al. handing it all over to the "new", like Reggie Jackson, Vida Blue and Johnny Bench.

As for McCovey, he was one of the "tweens" in this scenario, as he was already a 12 year veteran of the game, but somehow was a new breed of player that brought a refreshing change to the Major League landscape.

McCovey was three years removed from his MVP season of 1969 when this card would have been out, but still a feared hitter terrorizing N.L. pitching.

It was his fourth straight All-Star game, and and sixth overall, and he'd even get some MVP support at season's end, with a 15th place finish in the voting.

By the time he retired in 1980, he crushed 521 home runs, collected over 2000 hits, drove in over 1500, and left his mark as one of the most feared sluggers of his generation.

In 1986, his first year of eligibility, he was voted into the Hall of Fame with 81.4% of the ballots cast.

Man, what a threesome McCovey, Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda made back in the 1960's for San Francisco, huh?

Just incredible.

MINOR LEAGUE DAYS- WILLIE McCOVEY

Next up in my 1971 "Minor League Days" thread is "Stretch" Willie McCovey, who was terrorizing Minor League pitching while playing for the Phoenix Giants before getting the call up to the Majors in 1959:

 

McCovey was tearing the cover off the ball while at Triple-A, hitting .372 with 29 homers and 92 runs batted in over just 95 games, posting a ridiculous .759 slugging percentage while scoring 84 runs as a 21-year-old.

When he got called up later that year, all he did was continue to tear the seams off the ball by hitting .354 with 13 homers and 38 runs batted in along with 32 runs scored in only 52 games, copping a Rookie of the Year Award and setting the tone for his 22-year career.

By the time he retired in 1980, he crushed 521 home runs, collected over 2000 hits, drove in over 1500, and left his mark as one of the most feared sluggers of his generation.

In 1986, his first year of eligibility, he was voted into the Hall of Fame with 81.4% of the ballots cast.

Man, what a threesome McCovey, Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda made back in the 1960's for San Francisco, huh?

Just incredible.

 

ON CARD ALL-STARS: 1970 WILLIE McCOVEY

Next up in my new thread of 1970 "on-card" All-Stars is the National League starting first baseman for 1969, "Stretch" Willie McCovey, who was in the midst of his monster MVP season:

McCovey made his fifth All-Star team that year, on his way to taking home the league MVP Award after a season that saw him lead the league with 45 homers, 126 RBIs, a .453 OBP and a .656 slugging percentage, as well as a whopping 45 intentional base on balls.

The man put it ALL together that year!

McCovey came into the Majors with a bang in 1959, tearing the seams off the ball by hitting .354 with 13 homers and 38 runs batted in along with 32 runs scored in only 52 games, copping a Rookie of the Year Award and setting the tone for his 22-year career.

By the time he retired in 1980, he crushed 521 home runs, collected over 2000 hits, drove in over 1500, and left his mark as one of the most feared sluggers of his generation.

In 1986, his first year of eligibility, he was voted into the Hall of Fame with 81.4% of the ballots cast.

Man, what a threesome McCovey, Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda made back in the 1960's for San Francisco, huh?

Just incredible.

1979 SPECIAL- WILLIE STARGELL AND WILLIE McCOVEY

Been meaning to create a “special” 1979 card for this great image of Hall of Famer Willie Stargell and Willie McCovey towards the end of their brilliant careers, so here goes:

Two giants of the game just sitting in the dugout one afternoon, talking about what, I have no idea, but I sure wish I was there to just soak it all in!
McCovey, a former Rookie of the Year and MVP, with Stargell also an MVP, would both find their way to Cooperstown slugging just about 1000 home runs while striking fear into the hearts of many a Major League pitcher over the course of about 20 years.
Just two awesome players of their era who were sharing a friendly moment hanging out on a sunny afternoon. Wish they were both still with us to keep sharing their stories.
Rest in Peace “Pops” and “Stretch”.

1975 IN-ACTION: WILLIE McCOVEY

Time to go and add “Stretch” Willie McCovey, who recently passed away on Halloween day, to the growing “1975 In-Action” sub-set I’ve been creating over the past couple years:

McCovey was beginning to enter the twilight of his Hall of Fame career which spanned 22 seasons between 1959 and 1980.
Over that time he took home a Rookie of the Year when he burst onto the Major League scene with a .354 average and 13 homers in 52 games in 1959, an MVP in 1969 when he led the league with 45 homers, 126 runs batted in, a .453 OBP and a .612 slugging percentage, while getting six All-Star nods.
By the time he hung them up for good, he finished with 521 homers, 15555 RBIs, 1229 runs scored and 2211 hits playing for the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, and a brief 11-game stretch with the Oakland A’s at the end of the 1976 season.
In 1986, in his 1st year of eligibility, he was voted into the Hall with 81.4% of the vote, an easy first-try inductee for the man from Mobile, Alabama.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS- 1970 SUB-SET

Here’s the second installment in my new “Awards” sub-set, adding award winners from the “big three” (Cy Young, MVP & Rookie of the Year) to each set of the 1970’s, which is something I hoped Topps would do when I was a kid:

In the National League, Willie McCovey edged out Cy Young winner Tom Seaver with 265 points to Seaver’s 243, though both were tied with 11 1st place votes.
While Seaver took the New York Mets to an improbable World Championship, McCovey helped the Giants to a second place finish in the West behind the Atlanta Braves in the first year if divisional play.
In that MVP season he led the National League with 45 home runs and 126 runs batted in, while also having the highest on-base and slugging percentages.
As a nod to his offensive prowess National League pitchers also intentionally walked him 45 times, giving him a total of 121 walks against only 66 strikeouts.
In the American League, Harmon Killebrew took home the top prize with yet another “typical” Killebrew season that saw him slam 49 homers, tying his career-high, along with setting other career-highs in runs batted in (140), walks (145) and runs scored (106).
He led the Minnesota Twins to a Division title, though they’d lose to the Baltimore Orioles in the playoffs.
Nevertheless, after finishes of second, third and two fourths in MVP voting in the past six seasons, Killebrew finally took home the Award over the eventual 1970 winner, Boog Powell, who came in second.

TURN BACK THE CLOCK: WILLIE McCOVEY DEBUTS WITH A BANG!

Today’s “Turn Back the Clock” card celebrates Willie McCovey’s “Hello” to the Major Leagues, a game that saw him go 4-for-4 including two triples against a future Hall of Fame pitcher no less, Robin Roberts:

McCovey absolutely lit the baseball world on fire the rest of his abbreviated big league season, hitting .354 over 52 games with 13 home runs and 38 runs batted in along with nine doubles and five triples!
Granted when you’re put between two OTHER future Hall of Fame players in Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda the line up there’s bound to be some help, but McCovey proved to fit right alongside them, as well as anybody else you could try stacking him up against.
All he’d do is go on to play 22-years in the Majors, hitting 521 homers, slamming 18 grand slams, winning an MVP Award in 1969 and of course cop the Rookie of the Year Award back in ‘59.
The man truly was a BEAST, evidenced by his 85 intentional walks in 1969/1970 with opposing teams not even wanting to give him a chance to punish them with his bat.
Needless to say when his chance for Hall of Fame induction came along in 1986 he was voted in on his first try.
No-brainer!

NICKNAMES OF THE '70'S #28: "STRETCH" WILLIE McCOVEY

Time to give Hall of Fame slugger Willie "Stretch" McCovey a nickname card in my "Nicknames of the '70s" thread.

Check out my card:

I gave McCovey a 1970 template since he was smack in the middle of his prime, coming off of an M.V.P. season which saw him blast 45 home runs and drive in 126 along with a nice .326 batting average.

He wouldn’t disappoint in 1970 either, as he hit 39 homers with another 126 runs batted in, along with a league leading 137 walks, finishing in the top-10 in MVP voting for the fourth time in his career.

McCovey came into the Majors with a bang in 1959, tearing the seams off the ball by hitting .354 with 13 homers and 38 runs batted in along with 32 runs scored in only 52 games, copping a Rookie of the Year Award and setting the tone for his 22-year career.

By the time he retired in 1980, he crushed 521 home runs, collected over 2000 hits, drove in over 1500, and left his mark as one of the most feared sluggers of his generation.

In 1986, his first year of eligibility, he was voted into the Hall of Fame with 81.4% of the ballots cast.

Man, what a threesome McCovey, Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda made back in the 1960's for San Francisco, huh?

"GIMME A DO-OVER"- PART XXXV: 1974 #250 WILLIE McCOVEY (AND A PHOTO-BOMB TOO!)

Here's a fun card to redesign, mainly do to the fact I found an awesome image to use that allowed me to also create my first "photo-bombing" card at the same time! A do-over of the 1974 Topps Willie McCovey card.

And for all of you "completists" out there, I created one for BOTH the Padres AND the "Nationals" versions.

Take a look:

 

Original Topps "San Diego" version

Original Topps "Washington" version

Look at "Winnie" in the background!

A "Washington" version for the completists out there

 

First off, as we all know, the airbrushed image Topps used for "Stretch" just plain-ole stinks! So THAT needed addressing on this blog to begin with. 

So when I was trolling for a nice image of McCovey to use circa 1974, I came across this great shot of him posed with none other than a young Dave Winfield in the background! 

Very cool!

Of McCovey's 22 years in the Major Leagues, three were spent outside San Francisco, from 1974 to 1976 with the Padres and Oakland A's for a brief 11 games at the tail end of the '76 season.

He was a Rookie of the Year in 1959, an M.V.P. in 1969, and eventually a Hall of Fame member when he was inducted in 1986.

"Stretch", "Big Mac", whatever. The man was a monster at the plate, slamming 521 homers before calling it a career in 1980.

MISSING IN ACTION-"IN ACTION" #6: 1972 WILLIE McCOVEY

Here's another big-time player who should have had an "In Action" card in the 1972 Topps set: San Francisco Giants slugger Willie McCovey.

Take a look at my "missing" In-Action card:

"Stretch" was one of THE most feared power hitters of the era, muscling homer after homer on his way to 521 career blasts by the time he was done in 1980.

A Rookie of the Year Award in 1959, an M.V.P. in 1969, and a Hall of Fame induction in 1986, he did it all.

It's amazing to think about those Giants teams in the 1960's that had McCovey, Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda anchoring their line-up...

THEN AND NOW #5: WILLIE McCOVEY 1979

My next "Then and Now" subject is San Francisco slugging great Willie McCovey, who was finishing out his stellar career by the end of the 1970's.

Take a look:

By 1979 he was already a member of the 500 home run club (still an exclusive accomplishment at the time), and was well on his way to Hall of Fame induction in 1986, his first year on the ballot.

A Rookie of the Year in 1959, M.V.P. in 1969, and six-time all-star, "Stretch" was part of an in credible slugging trio during his early days in San Francisco, teaming up with two other future Hall of Famers, Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda.

If you're enjoying this series of "super veterans", keep an eye out for more of them in the near future, as I am continuously working on many of them at the moment and will sprinkle them in on this blog in the coming months.

"HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 1970'S" #23: McCOVEY SLAMS 500TH HOMER

Here's a card that would have been nice to pull fresh from a Topps pack in 1979: a "highlight" card celebrating Willie McCovey hitting his 500th home run.

Take a look:

McCovey reached the lofty mark on June 30th of 1978 against the Atlanta Braves, and became the twelfth slugger to reach that mark at the time.

Before McCovey, the last player to reach 500 home runs was Frank Robinson towards the end of the 1971 season.

"Stretch" would end up with 521 homers in his career, tying the great Ted Williams on the all-time list.

It's amazing to think, but McCovey missed a chunk of time throughout his career because of injuries, and it's hard not to wonder if 600 was possible for him had he stayed healthy.

Nevertheless, his 22 year career was worthy of Hall of Fame induction in 1986, capping a brilliant run that saw him suit up for the Giants, Padres, and A's between 1959 and 1980, making him one of those rare "four decade" players as well.

I followed the design for this card after my Gaylord Perry 3000th strikeout "highlight" card which I posted a couple months ago, and it seems to make for a decent "virtual" sub-set for the otherwise bland set Topps put out there, 35 years ago.

Hope you all agree…