"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: BILL MADLOCK

Today on the blog we add four-time batting champ Bill Madlock to my custom "Classic Baseball" set, which will be a fun higher-end custom release later this year spread out over a few series:

Just a nice portrait shot of the man during his time with the Chicago Cubs, for whom he took home two of his batting titles.

"Mad Dog" was coming off of TWO straight National League batting titles in 1977 when he was traded to the San Francisco Giants in a multi-player deal, with Chicago landing Bobby Murcer among others.
Madlock didn’t disappoint, as he’d put in two solid seasons of .300+ averages with some pop before he was shipped off to Pittsburgh in the middle of the 1979 season.
He would go on to put together a very nice 15-year career between 1973 and 1987, but apparently not quite Hall material, finishing with a .305 average with 2008 hits, 920 runs scored and 860 runs batted in with 163 homers and 174 stolen bases.
Just one of those historical quirks that has him as a four-time batting champ, but not really one of the all-time greats.

As a matter of fact, I believe he is still the only eligible four-time (or more) batting champ NOT in the Hall of Fame.

OPC IMAGE VARIATION: 1977 BILL MADLOCK

On the blog today, a fun 1977 OPC/Topps image variation, this one of the reigning National League batting champ at the time, Bill Madlock, who went from the Chicago Cubs to the San Francisco Giants before the 1977 season began:

OPC version

Topps version

While Topps already went to press before the trade, OPC went ahead and hilariously airbrushed him into his new uniform, with stupendous results!

"Mad Dog" was coming off of TWO straight National League batting titles in 1977 when he was traded to the San Francisco Giants in a multi-player deal, with Chicago landing Bobby Murcer among others.
Madlock didn’t disappoint, as he’d put in two solid seasons of .300+ averages with some pop before he was shipped off to Pittsburgh in the middle of the 1979 season.
He would go on to put together a very nice 15-year career between 1973 and 1987, but apparently not quite Hall material, finishing with a .305 average with 2008 hits, 920 runs scored and 860 runs batted in with 163 homers and 174 stolen bases.
Just one of those historical quirks that has him as a four-time batting champ, but not really one of the all-time greats.

As a matter of fact, I believe he is still the only eligible four-time (or more) batting champ NOT in the Hall of Fame.

1977 N.L. CENTENNIAL SPECIAL: BILL MADLOCK

The next National League player in my new 1977 "Centennial Celebration" sub-set is reigning batting champ Bill Madlock of the Chicago Cubs:

Funny enough, Madlock was coming off of TWO straight National League batting titles in 1977 when he was traded to the San Francisco Giants in a multi-player deal, with Chicago landing Bobby Murcer among others.
The “Mad Dog” didn’t disappoint, as he’d put in two solid seasons of .300+ averages with some pop before he was shipped off to Pittsburgh in the middle of the 1979 season.
He would go on to put together a very nice 15-year career between 1973 and 1987, but apparently not quite Hall material, finishing with a .305 average with 2008 hits, 920 runs scored and 860 runs batted in with 163 homers and 174 stolen bases.
Just one of those historical quirks that has him as a four-time batting champ, but not really one of the all-time greats.

REVISITING A BLOG POST FROM NOVEMBER, 2014- "DEDICATED ROOKIE": 1974 BILL MADLOCK

Thought I'd go back eight years and revisit my blog post from November of 2014 featuring my "dedicated rookie" of eventual four-time batting champ Bill Madlock:

 

I found this really sweet image of "Mad Dog" batting during the 1974 season, his first in Chicago.

Madlock initially came up with the Texas Rangers at the end of the 1973 season, and was part of the mega-trade that sent former Chicago pitching-ace Fergie Jenkins to the Rangers in October.

Topps did get the "fixes" in time to have a Texas Rangers Jenkins card, while Madlock was portrayed as a Chicago Cub on the multi-player rookie (which I happened to profile the other day as part of my "#600" post!) he made his debut on.

As I stated at the top, Madlock was a four-time batting leader, which is easy to forget sometimes.

He led the National League in back-to-back seasons in 1975 and 1976 with the Cubs, then in 1981 and 1983 while a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In between he put in two and a half seasons on the West Coast with the San Francisco Giants, then after his Pittsburgh days he went on to suit up for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers before retiring in 1987.

A three-time all-star, Madlock finished off his career with a .305 average, 2008 hits, 163 homers and 860 runs batted in over 1806 games and 7372 plate appearances.

I pose this question: does four batting titles make you a Hall of Famer?

Madlock is the only eligible four (or more) title holder to not be in. Something to ponder...

EXPANDED LEAGUE LEADERS- 1977 N.L. BATTING

On the blog today, we move on to the 1977 Topps set and “fix” the league leader cards with “expanded league leaders”, starting off with the National League and their top three hitters of 1976:

 

 

We start off with Chicago Cubs hitting machine Bill Madlock, who won his second straight batting title in 1976, hitting .339 after hitting a blistering .354 the previous season.

Turns out the man would go on to win four batting titles before he was through, taking home the other two in 1981 and 1983 while with the Pittsburgh Pirates, hitting .341 and .323 respectively.

By the time he retired, he finished his career with a .305 batting average, with 2008 hits in 6594 at-bats over 1806 games between 1973 and 1987.

Just three points behind Madlock in the batting race, Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey (Sr.), who came into his own in 1976 (as if the “Big Red Machine” even NEEDED yet another star hitter!), hitting .336 with 189 hits in 562 at-bats.

He also scored 111 runs and stole 34 bases for the eventual World Champions, who possessed a line-up that was just silly: Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, George Foster and Griffey.

He would put in 19 seasons as a Big Leaguer, also topping 2000 hits (2143), with a career average of .296 between 1973 and 1991.

Of course, he also had a son who would go on to do a few things on the baseball diamond. Not too shabby!

In third place with a .330 batting average was the DEFENSIVE outfielder extraordinaire, Garry Maddox of the Philadelphia Phillies, who set his career-best average with 175 hits in 531 at-bats, slapping 37 doubles and stealing 29 bases for the N.L. East champs.

That season he also took home the second of his eight Gold Glove Awards, appreciated as one of, if not THE best defensive outfielder in the game at that time, leading to his now classic nickname, “The Secretary of Defense”.

By the time he hung up the cleats, he finished with 1802 hits in 6331 at-bats, good for a .285 average over 1749 games between 1972 and 1986.

Next week, we move on to the American League and THEIR top three hitters!

See you then!

FANTASY CARD- 1974 BILL MADLOCK

Here's a card I knew I'd be tackling one day, a 1974 fantasy card featuring a "dedicated rookie" for four-time batting champ Bill Madlock, the catch of course showing him as a member of the team he came up with in 1973, the Texas Rangers:

I already created a "dedicated rookie" years ago on the blog showing him as a Chicago Cub, but I figured another version as a Ranger would complete the "set".

He would put in 15-seasons under the Big League sun, hitting .305 with 2008 hits in 6594 at-bats over 1806 games between 1973 and 1987, while getting tabbed for three All-Star games.
Is he a Hall of Famer?
I’d say he falls a bit short, but then again, if there are NO other four+ batting title holders not in the Hall, does that raise the argument for Madlock?

Perhaps it does...

 

BILL MADLOCK AS TEXAS RANGER- A LOOK AT HIS ROOKIE CARD IMAGE PRE-AIRBRUSH

Always fun to look at stuff like today’s blog entry, the 1974 original image of future multi-batting champ Bill Madlock as a Texas Ranger before Topps took an airbrush to it:

Of course, as you can see from the image of his actual rookie card, he was already airbrushed over to his new team, the Chicago Cubs, for whom he’d immediately make an impact with two consecutive batting championships in 1975 and 1976.
But as you can see, the original image had him suited up with his first Big League club, the Texas Rangers, with whom he hit a blistering .351 in his first taste of Major League action over 21 games in 1973.
Nevertheless, after the blockbuster trade that saw him head North while former Cubs ace Fergie Jenkins went to Texas in October of 1973, Madlock did NOT disappoint, hitting .313, .354 and .339 over the next three seasons before the Cubs moved him to San Francisco before the 1977 season.
“Mad Dog” would go on to win another two batting titles while with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1981 and 1983, and finish with a career .305 average over his 15-year career which concluded after the 1987 season.
If I’m not mistaken he is still the only eligible player to win four or more batting titles and not be in the Hall of Fame.
Interesting...

1975 IN-ACTION: BILL MADLOCK

Quick: who is the only eligible player to win four or more batting titles and NOT be in the Hall of Fame? Why it would be today’s blog subject, Bill “Mad Dog” Madlock, who gets a 1975 “In-Action” card for the long-running thread:

Madlock was coming off his first full season in the Big Leagues, hitting .313 for the Chicago Cubs after coming over in a trade from the Texas Rangers a year earlier.
Of course, we all know what would happen next, as Madlock would win consecutive batting crowns in 1975 and 1976, then lead the league in batting again in 1981 and 1983 while with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The man could rake!
He would put in 15-seasons under the Big League sun, hitting .305 with 2008 hits in 6594 at-bats over 1806 games between 1973 and 1987, while getting tabbed for three All-Star games.
Is he a Hall of Famer?
I’d say he falls a bit short, but then again, if there are NO other four+ batting title holders not in the Hall, does that raise the argument for Madlock?

TRADED: 1977 BILL MADLOCK

Quick: who is the only eligible player in Major League history to win four batting titles and NOT be in the Hall of Fame?
Yep, it’s today’s “Traded” player, Bill Madlock.
As I was putting today’s post together it dawned on me that no other player won as many titles without getting into Cooperstown. Crazy huh?
Anyway, here’s the card:

Madlock was coming off of TWO straight National League batting titles in 1977 when he was traded to the San Francisco Giants in a multi-player deal, with Chicago landing Bobby Murcer among others.
The “Mad Dog” didn’t disappoint, as he’d put in two solid seasons of .300+ averages with some pop before he was shipped off to Pittsburgh in the middle of the 1979 season.
He would go on to put together a very nice 15-year career between 1973 and 1987, but apparently not quite Hall material, finishing with a .305 average with 2008 hits, 920 runs scored and 860 runs batted in with 163 homers and 174 stolen bases.
Just one of those historical quirks that has him as a four-time batting champ, but not really one of the all-time greats.

NICKNAMES OF THE '70'S #38: "MAD DOG" BILL MADLOCK

Let’s go and give former four-time batting champ Bill Madlock a “nickname card of the 70’s” shall we?
Take a look at my card for “Mad Dog”:

I used the 1977 template since he was fresh off two consecutive batting titles while with the Chicago Cubs.
He’d go on to win two more as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1981 and 1983 as well, putting him in rare company with four or more such titles.
He’d put in a very nice 15-year career which would see him top 2000 hits, a .305 average and get named to three all-star teams while playing for the Rangers, Cubs, Giants, Pirates, Dodgers and Tigers before retiring after the 1987 season.
Here’s to “Mad Dog” and his excellent career!

DEDICATED "ROOKIE CARDS" #11: 1974 BILL MADLOCK

Today's "Dedicated Rookie Card" goes to four-time batting champ, Bill Madlock, then of the Chicago Cubs.

Take a look at my design:

I found this really sweet image of "Mad Dog" batting during the 1974 season, his first in Chicago.

Madlock initially came up with the Texas Rangers at the end of the 1973 season, and was part of the mega-trade that sent former Chicago pitching-ace Fergie Jenkins to the Rangers in October.

Topps did get the "fixes" in time to have a Texas Rangers Jenkins card, while Madlock was portrayed as a Chicago Cub on the multi-player rookie (which I happened to profile the other day as part of my "#600" post!) he made his debut on.

As I stated at the top, Madlock was a four-time batting leader, which is easy to forget sometimes.

He led the National league in back-to-back seasons in 1975 and 1976 with the Cubs, then in 1981 and 1983 while a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In between he put in two and a half seasons on the West Coast with the San Francisco Giants, then after his Pittsburgh days he went on to suit up for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers before retiring in 1987.

A three-time all-star, Madlock finished off his career with a .305 average, 20008 hits, 163 homers and 860 runs batted in over 1806 games and 7372 plate appearances.

Watch for my "Mad Dog" "Nicknames of the 70's" design, which I'll be working on shortly!

POST #600!! SO LET'S LOOK AT THE 600'S OF THE DECADE!

Well, another hundred posts have gone by and I find myself at #600 for the blog!

Thank you all for reading this far. It's been a blast and I hope to keep it going for a long while!

So let's dive right in and check out cards numbered "600" through the decade of the 1970's…

1970 Willie Mays

 

 

Was never a fan of this card. The boring 1970 template paired up with a boring photo of the "Say Hey Kid" has always made this one of my least favorite Willie Mays cards.

What a shame, but then again the 1970 was a bit on the boring side anyway.

Nevertheless, it's Willie Mays, beyond super-star, beyond legend…

1971 Willie Mays

 

 

Well what do you know, two years in a row for Mays!

Nice card of the future Hall of Fame star at the tail end of his career.

The 1971 black-bordered template has always been one of my favorites!

Love this card!

1972 Al Kaline

 

 

Great card of the Tigers great!

What a set, and what a nice colorful slab of cardboard showing perhaps the most popular Detroit Tiger player ever!

1973 Dave McNally

 

 

The Baltimore star pitcher in the prime of his career. One of the anchors of that Baltimore pitching staff also featuring Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar, etc.

184 lifetime wins, 3.24 E.R.A., and a .607 winning percentage, and the winner of 20+ four years in a row between 1968 and 1971.

1974 Rookie Outfielders (Bill Madlock)

 

 

If not for Madlock, a forgettable card if there ever was one.

But hey, you have a future four-time batting champ, so it's a keeper for sure!

I'll be designing a "dedicated rookie card" for Madlock in the near future, so keep an eye out for it!

1975 Rod Carew

 

 

Great card of the perennial batting champ and future 3000-hit club member!

In the prime of his career, 1975 would be his fourth batting championship in a row, sixth of his career.

For good measure he'd go on to tack on two more in 1977 and 1978.

Another future Hall of Fame star on a beautiful piece of cardboard!

1976 Tom Seaver

 

 

I have always loved this card. I don't know why since it doesn't have a great action shot, but I've always been a fan of the 1976 set design, and it's "Tom Terrific" in the prime of his career.

Another future Hall of Fame player, winner of 311 games, and over 3600 career strikeouts.

One of those "legends beyond legends"! I was lucky enough to be at his 300th win at Yankee Stadium (Phil Rizzuto Day) in 1985. Will never forget it!

1977 Jim Palmer

 

 

Great card of the Orioles Hall of Fame hurler!

Beautiful action shot on the clean 1977 design.

Palmer was just incredible that decade! Eight-times a 20+ game winner, sub-3.00 earned run average, and six-time all-star in the '70's.

The best pitcher in the American League for the decade.

1978 Frank Tanana

 

 

A pitcher with a very bright future until injuries curtailed his career.

Great set and nice card for the Angels flame-thrower.

Even with his injuries he went on to win 240 games with 2773 strikeouts and 34 shutouts over 21 seasons.

Very underrated career!

1979 George Foster

 

 

I have always hated this card! I'm sorry, but the "blank" batting helmet Foster is wearing just annoys the heck out of me!

The reigning home run champ in the National league, former Most valuable Player in 1977, member of the "Big Red Machine", and yet the card reeks of "unauthorized" garbage!

Ugh. Lousy way to wrap up the decade and cards numbered 600.

But a nice collection nevertheless!

Six out of ten cards bearing future Hall of Famers isn't bad, right!?

Now onto 700!!!