1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: WILLIE STARGELL

Today we go and add "Pops", Willie Stargell to my long-running thread celebrating the National League's 100th anniversary of 1976 with a 1977 sub-set:

Over 21 seasons, Stargell would lead the Pittsburgh Pirates to two world championships, take home an MVP Award in 1979 (shared with the Cardinals Keith Hernandez), and get named to seven All-Star teams.

"Pops" would also have a great three-year run between 1971 and 1973 that saw him finish second, third and second respectively in MVP voting, winning two home run titles, an RBI title and even lead the league with 43 doubles (1973).

Luckily, I got to see him towards the end of his career in the late-70's/early-80s before he retired after the 1982 season.

His final numbers? Hall of Fame worthy as he'd finish with 475 home runs, 1540 RBIs, a surprisingly high .282 batting average and 2232 hits over 2360 games and 7927 at-bats.

Think about those numbers in UNDER 8000 at-bats!

Of course when eligible for the Hall of Fame, he was in, with 82.4% of the vote in 1988.

So sad that he would pass away at only 61 years of age in 2001.

One of baseball's beloved players, especially among his fan-base, he left such a lasting legacy that resonates to this day.

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: TONY PEREZ

Up on the blog today, we go and add the "Big Dog" Tony Perez to my on-going 1977 National League Centennial sub-set, celebrating the league's 100th anniversary of 1976:

Perez truly was an overlooked star on a team that would also have guys like Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Joe Morgan, just to name a few, and it’s just plain criminal considering he logged 10 seasons in a row over 90+ runs batted in, with six of them over 100 as stated earlier.
With a batting average hovering around .280, he was a solid and steady force at the plate and out in the field for a team that would become legendary, on their way to two straight championships in 1975 and 1976.
He would play for 23 seasons in the Major Leagues, and end up with 379 homers, 1652 RBI’s, 2732 hits and a very nice .279 average before he left the game at the age of 44.
The “Big Dog”, Sparky Anderson always stated that what killed the “Big Red Machine” from dominating longer was trading away their slugging first baseman in December of 1976 to the Montreal Expos for Woodie Fryman and Dale Murray, a trade that still baffles me.
Nevertheless, after nine tries, he finally made it into the Hall of Fame in 2000, and rightly so. Hopefully Pete Rose can also join his former teammates someday as well.

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: TOM SEAVER

Good day all!

On the blog today, we go and add "Tom Terrific", Tom Seaver to my on-going 1977 National League Centennial sub-set celebrating the league's 100th anniversary of 1976:

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"!

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: TED SIMMONS

Today we add recent Hall of Fame (finally!) member Ted Simmons to my on-going 1977 N.L. Centennial thread, as the National League celebrated their 100th anniversary during the 1976 season:

Simmons was already firmly established as a top-notch catcher  in the Major Leagues. But sadly for him he happened to be playing at the same time that guys like Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Thurman Munson and then Gary Carter were doing the same, easily allowing people to lose him in the shuffle.
But look at this guy's career!
Simmons went on to post a Big League resume that included eight All-Star nods, six seasons of 20+ homers, eight 90+ RBI campaigns and seven years of a .300 or better average.
By the time he retired after the 1988 season, he finished with 2472 hits, 248 homers, 1389 RBIs and a .285 average.
At the same time, playing in the era of the free-swinging 70’s and 80’s, he struck out only 694 times in 9685 plate appearances while twice leading his league in Intentional Base on Balls.
I have always been stunned at the fact that “Simba” garnered a meager 3.7% vote in his first chance at the Hall of Fame, thus becoming a ridiculous “one and done” candidate.

But thankfully, in 2020 he was finally selected for Hall of Fame membership, voted in by the Veteran's Committee, and rightly so!

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: STEVE GARVEY

Today we add "Mr. Clean" Steve Garvey to my on-going 1977 National League Centennial sub-set, celebrating the league's 100th Anniversary of 1976, designated with a special sleeve patch as you can see in this image:

The festivities went on all season, with all teams sporting the patch, and having the All-Star game in Philadelphia for the Bicentennial celebration the nation was also celebrating.

As for Garvey, he made his Major League debut in 1969 as a 20-year-old, appearing in three games, going 1-for-3 at the plate.

Of course, we all know that the man would go on to be a perennial All-Star first baseman, and for ME, a lock for the Hall of Fame.

The fact that he was the premier first baseman in the National League from the mid-70’s through the mid-80’s, an All-Star year in and year out doesn't seem to matter to most however.
Modern metrics be damned, the man topped 200-hits six times, took home the NL MVP in 1974, won four Gold Gloves and strung together a run of 1207 consecutive games played, which is still the NL record.
The anchor of the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers teams of the era, they took over from Cincinnati as the preeminent team in the Senior Circuit in the late-70s, reaching the World Series three times over five seasons between 1977 and 1981, winning it all that final year, beating the New York Yankees and exacting some sweet revenge for their two losses in 77/78.
I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a few hundred times: the fact that this man is NOT in the Hall of Fame, representing his era of Major League baseball, is a joke. Flat out nonsense. Beyond the numbers, the personality, the leader of a team that was shattering attendance records, helping popularize the game further, the man was an All-Star year in-year out.
In my book, seeing that the most support he ever received was 42.6%, which was in his second-year of eligibility in 1994, is nothing short of a mark on what the Hall of Fame is.

That goes for Dave Parker and Dale Murphy as well!

 

1977 NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTENNIAL: STEVE CARLTON

On the blog today, we add Hall of Fame lefty Steve Carlton to my on-going 1977 N.L. Centennial sub-set, celebrating the Senior League's 100th anniversary season of 1976, marked with a special patch worn by all players that year:

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.

Of course, he would end up topping 200 strikeouts eight times, with a career-best 310 in his historic 1972 season that saw him win 27 games while pitching to a 1.97 ERA, all league-leading numbers, for a last-place Philadelphia Phillies team, while completing 30 of his 41 starts. Just insane!

From then on he just pitched himself straight to the Hall of Fame, winning 329 lifetime games, with 55 shutouts, a 3.22 E.R.A. and 4146 strikeouts.

He was also named to 10 all-star teams and was the first pitcher to win four Cy Young Awards: 1972, 1977, 1980 and 1982.

Throw in six 20-win seasons, eight sub-2.00 E.R.A. seasons, and eight 200+ strikeout seasons, and you see why he was named on 436 of 456 ballots when Cooperstown came calling.

Sure we already had "Lefty" Grove, and "Lefty" Gomez, but Carlton was more than worthy of the same nickname for all of his accomplishments.

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: RON CEY

Up on the blog today, we add the "Penguin", Ron Cey to my on-going 1977 National League Centennial sub-set, celebrating the league's 100th anniversary of 1876:

Cey had perhaps his finest season in the Big Leagues in 1977, hitting the aforementioned 30 "jacks" while also driving in a career-best 110 runs for the eventual National League champs, as he also made his fourth straight All-Star team while finishing eighth in the MVP race.

Over 17 seasons you could pretty much pencil him in for about 25 home runs, 80-85 runs batted in, and a .275 batting average.
After the 1982 season he moved on to the Chicago Cubs where he’d play for another four seasons, then finish up his career with a single season in Oakland.
By the time he retired, he collected 1868 hits, with 316 home runs, 1139 RBIs and 977 runs scored with a .261 batting average.
He was named to the All-Star team six straight seasons between 1974 and 1979, and garnered MVP consideration five seasons, with four of them consecutive from 1974 to 1977.

The man was as solid and dependable as they came between 1973 and 1985!

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: RICHIE ZISK

Today on the blog we go and add slugger Richie Zisk to my long-running 1977 National League Centennial thread, celebrating the league's 100th anniversary of 1976:

Zisk would make his MLB debut in 1971 with seven games before coming back in 1972 with 17 appearances for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
But in 1973 he made quite the impression, hitting a cool .324 over 103 games, giving everyone an idea of what was to come.

1974 saw him elevate his game, hitting 17 homers with a .313 average and 100 runs batted in, his first of two such seasons over his career.

He was sent from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the White Sox in the Rich Gossage deal in 1977, and had one of his best years in the Majors in his only season there, hitting a career high 30 home runs and 101 runs batted in.

He was named All-Star for the first time, and was part of the "South Side Hit Men" lineup that included Oscar Gamble, Eric Soderholm and Chet Lemon, fan favorites who hit a (then) high 192 homers as a team.

He would end up playing 13 seasons under the Big League sun, for the Pirates, Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners between 1971 and 1983, hitting 207 homers, with 792 RBIs and 681 runs scored, hitting .287 over 1453 games and 5144 at-bats.

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: RANDY JONES

Time to add 1976 Cy Young Award winner Randy Jones to my on-going 1977 N.L. Centennial sub-set, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Senior League during our Bicentennial Year of 1976:

 

Jones’ season in 1976 was brilliant, as he cruised to a record of 22-14, with an ERA of 2.74, leading the league in wins, starts with a whopping 40, complete games with 25 and innings pitched with 315.1.
Along the way he also tossed five shutouts, starting the All-Star game for the N.L., and ending up 10th in MVP voting at the end of the year.

Jones made his Big League debut in June of 1973 and went on to post a record of 7-6, with a nice 3.16 earned run average over 20 appearances, 19 of them starts.
Though he would have a forgettable sophomore season in 1974 which saw him lead the National League with 22 losses, along with an ERA of 4.45, we all know how that could have easily been different had he pitched for a better team.
Regardless, over the next two seasons he arguably could have taken home the Cy Young BOTH times, as he’d go on to post records of 20-12 and 22-14, leading the league in ERA with a 2.24 in ‘75 and posting another nice 2.74 mark in his Cy season.

Though he’d play through the 1982 season, he’d never again taste success in the Majors, never winning more than 13 games in any season between 1977 and 1982, finishing with a record of 100-123, with a 3.42 earned run average over 305 appearances.

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: PHIL NIEKRO

Good day all!

On the blog today, we add Hall of Fame knuckler Phil Niekro to my on-going N.L. Centennial 1977 sub-set, celebrating the National league's 100th anniversary season of 1976:

Incredibly, though getting a bit of a "late-start" in his career, the man would end up putting in 24 years in the Majors, pitching his knuckler until the age of 48 in 1987.

It is astonishing to think Niekro didn’t have a full season on Big League duty until 1967 at the age of 28, yet still went on to pitch those 24 seasons, winning 318 games with a very nice 3.35 ERA along with 45 shutouts and 3342 strikeouts before he was done at the age of 48!
I always thought it amazing that at the age of 44 in 1983, he took home the last of his five Gold Gloves, ALL of which were garnered beginning his age 39 season in 1978.

Just an amazing talent!

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: PETE ROSE

Time to add "Charlie Hustle", Pete Rose to my on-going 1977 N.L. Centennial sub-set, celebrating the Senior League's 100th anniversary of 1976:

This stud pictured here would win the Rookie of the Year in 1963, three batting titles, an MVP in 1973, be selected as an All-Star at FIVE different positions, and end up the all-time hit leader with his staggering 4256 knocks over his illustrious 24-year career.

At the time this card would have been pulled from packs in 1977, Rose spear-headed the "Big Red Machine" to two straight championships with his relentless play.

Growing up in the 1970's as a baseball nut, Pete Rose was an almost mythic figure. Even though his Reds steamrolled through "my" Yankees in the 1976 World Series, Rose, along with his all-star teammates, seemed like something made-up, not real.

I guess a part of that could be that the very first Pete Rose baseball card I ever saw, at the age of seven, was his 1976 Topps masterpiece, which had that glare of his, staring down the camera, showing that intensity that created the "Charlie Hustle" legend.

What a player, a Hall of Fame player. But I won't get into THAT here.

The "Player of the Decade" for the 1970's, Rose etched his name into the history of the game many times over.

Really, along with guys like Tom Seaver and Reggie Jackson, you just can't have too many Pete Rose cards from the 1970's in my eyes.

 

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: MIKE SCHMIDT

Today on the blog we add perhaps the greatest third baseman of them all, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Mike Schmidt to my N.L. Centennial 1977 sub-set, which celebrates the league's 100th anniversary of 1976:

What a career Schmidt had: 12 All-Star nods, 10 Gold Gloves, three Most Valuable Player Awards, all while anchoring a Philadelphia Phillies team that would reach their apex in 1980, taking home the World Series with a victory over the Kansas City Royals.
By the time he hung them up in 1989, he’d hit 548 home runs, drive in 1595 runs while scoring 1506, while also stealing 174 bases! Easy to forget he could steal a base or two. As a matter of fact, it’s real easy to forget that he came one stolen base short of joining the (then) exclusive 30-30 club back in 1975, slamming 38 homers to lead the league while swiping 29.
Nevertheless, “Schmitty” rode that success straight to a Hall of Fame induction come 1995, a lock if there ever was one.

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: MANNY SANGUILLEN

Today on the blog, we go and add catcher Manny Sanguillen to my long-running 1977 "N.L. Centennial" sub-set, celebrating the National League's 100th anniversary of 1976:

Sanguillen really gets overlooked when it comes to how well he played during his 13-year career, all but 1977 spent with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This was a catcher who hit over .300 four times, with a high of .328 in 1975, while also topping .280 another four times, before retiring with a robust .296 career average.

I personally think he may have been ripped off a Rookie of the Year in 1969 when he hit .303 with 62 runs scored and 57 runs batted in as a rookie catcher, losing to the Dodgers Ted Sizemore (a STRONG argument can also be made for Sanguillen's teammate Al Oliver, who also could have won).

He was named to three all-star teams, and even garnered some MVP support in 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1975 as a member of the Bucs.

A very nice career for a solid catcher during the 1970's who gets forgotten among the Benchs, Fisks, Munsons and Simmons of the Majors…

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: LOU BROCK

Good day everyone!

On the blog today, we go and add St. Louis Cardinals great Lou Brock to my 1977 "N.L. Centennial" celebration sub-set, marking the N.L.'s 100th anniversary of 1976, when players sported a commemorative patch on their sleeve:

Brock really was an under-appreciated player in my book, having to get what little spotlight he could playing the outfield in the National league when you had guys like Mays, Aaron and Clemente there as well.
Nevertheless, the man made six All-Star squads, finished second in the MVP race for the National League in 1974, and would go on to a Hall of Fame induction thanks to 3000+ hits, an MLB record 938 stolen bases, and 1610 runs scored.
Did you realize that between 1964 and 1974 the LEAST amount of hits he collected in any one season was 182!?
As a matter of fact in those eleven seasons he collected over 190 hits eight times, while scoring less than 90 only once.
Just an amazing 19-year career!

 

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: LARRY BOWA

Today on the blog, we add former All-Star Philadelphia Phillies shortstop to my long-running 1977 "N.L. Centennial" sub-set, celebrating the Senior League's 100th Anniversary of 1976, when they wore special patches to mark the occasion:

Bowa is really kind of overlooked these days when it comes to his playing days, taking home a couple of Gold Gloves and being named to five All-Star games during the 1970’s.
He was part of a resurgent Philadelphia Phillies team that also had guys like Steve Carlton, Mike Schmidt, Dave Cash and Greg Luzinski, helping the organization head to the post-season for the first time since 1950.
It’s funny to think that Bowa was given a nickname like “Gnat”, or even “Pee Wee” considering the man was 5’10” tall. In my neighborhood of Italian-Americans at the time of his playing days that made you one of the taller dudes!
Nevertheless, by the time Bowa hung up the cleats after 16-years, he finished with over 2000 hits, 300 stolen bases and just under 1000 runs scored.
I loved his time as a coach for the New York Yankees, and to be honest I was hoping he’d be the guy to take over for Joe Torre back in 2008, the gig that eventually went to Joe Girardi.
Oh well.

 

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: KEN GRIFFEY (SR.)

Today's blog post has us adding Ken Griffey Sr. to my long-running 1977 N.L. Centennial sub-set, creating cards featuring stars of the Senior League during the 100th anniversary 1976 season with the special patch designed for the occasion:

As for the Senior Griffey, he put in a brilliant 19-year career that saw him hit .296 with 2143 hits in 7229 at-bats, with 1129 runs scored, 152 homers and 859 runs batted in.
He was named to three all-star games during his career, and was a member of the “Big Red Machine” Cincinnati Reds of the 1970’s, taking home two consecutive World Championships in 1975 and 1976.
Of course, we HAVE to mention something else he did, which was father a kid who would become one of the players of his generation, Ken Griffey Jr, recent Hall of Fame inductee and super-star extraordinaire.
I still think one of the coolest moments in baseball history was when Griffey Sr and Griffey Jr BOTH hit homers for the same team in the same game!  I just couldn’t believe it actually happened.

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: JON MATLACK

Today on the blog, we have my 1977 "National League Centennial" card for underrated starter Jon Matlack of the New York Mets:

Matlack joined an already solid New York Mets staff in 1972 and proceeded to post a 15-10 record in his rookie year, with a very nice 2.32 earned run average over 32 starts, including four shutouts.

Those numbers got him a Rookie of the Year Award, easily finishing ahead of second-place Dave Rader and fellow teammate John Milner, who finished third.

It would pretty much be the prototypical Matlack season as he’d go on to lead the league in shutouts twice, and average about 15 wins over the next seven years.

Easily overshadowed by teammates like Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman through the 1970's, he was about as solid a #3 starter you could ask for.

Overall, he’d split his time as a big league pitcher evenly between the Mets and Texas Rangers, over 13 seasons, and retire with an excellent 3.18 E.R.A., along with a final record of 125-126 and 30 shutouts in 361 appearances, 318 of them starts, with 1516 strikeouts.

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: JOHNNY BENCH

On the blog today, we add the great Johnny Bench to my on-going 1977 N.L. Centennial sub-set, celebrating the league's 100th anniversary of 1976 designated with a patch you can see in all the photos used in these cards:

Bench already had two MVP’s under his belt by the time this card would have hit the market, and was also a two-time world champion with two straight World Series wins in 1975 and 1976 against the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees respectively.
He would put together a career rarely seen by ANY player, let alone a catcher: 14 all-star games, 10 Gold Gloves, two home run titles and three RBI titles, all while donning the “tools of ignorance” for 17 seasons, all with the Reds.

Arguably, he rewrote the catching position from both sides of the plate, with his incredible offense as well as his defense.

Legend!

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: JOHN MONTEFUSCO

Today we add former San Francisco Giant ace John Montefusco to my long-running 1977 "N.L. Centennial" sub-set:

The 1975 N.L. Rookie of the Year had a fine Sophomore season in 1976, winning 16 games with a 2.84 earned run average, leading the league with six shutouts while striking out 172 batters in 253.1 innings.

In his Freshman season of 1975 he cruised to the rookie-award by posting a record of 15-9 with a 2.88 earned run average and a very impressive 215 strikeouts.
He also chipped in four shutouts over his 34 starts, completing 10 of them while throwing 243.2 innings, even finishing fourth in the league Cy Young race.

He’d stick around in the big leagues through the 1986 season, but sadly for him never had the success of those first two years, though he did post a 14-4 record in 1983 split between the San Diego Padres and New York Yankees, for whom he’d pitch the final 3 1/2 years of his 13-year career.
All told Montefusco finished with a 90-83 career record, with a 3.54 ERA, 1081 strikeouts and 11 shutouts over 298 appearances, 244 of which were starts.
And of course...a cool nickname!
“The Count”!

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL: JOHN MILNER

Adding to my monster 1977 "N.L. Centennial" sub-set, celebrating the Senior League's 100th anniversary of 1976, we have "The Hammer" John Milner of the New York Mets:

Milner was a couple of years removed from the two best seasons of his career, hitting 20+ homers in both 1973 and 1974 while also manning first base and the outfield for the New York Mets.

He'd have a decent 1976 season, hitting 15 home runs with 78 runs batted in while hitting .271, bouncing back from a bad year in 1975 when he hit .191 over 91 games.

However he’d never quite reach those numbers again in his 12-year career, or even get the playing time, as he’d top 500 plate appearances only once more between 1975 and the end of his career in 1982,
By the time he was out of big league ball in 1982, he finished with 131 homers with 855 hits over 3436 at-bats, for a lifetime average of .249 with 455 runs scored and 498 runs batted in...and one cool nickname.