"CLASSIC BASEBALL" CUSTOM WTHBALLS SET: TOM SEAVER

Today on the blog we add the great Tom Seaver, my pick as pitcher of the 1970s, for my upcoming custom set, "Classic Baseball", celebrating the sport I have loved for just about five decades now:

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"!

 

SPECIAL REQUEST: 1986 "NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION" JOE SAMBITO

Well, here's a special request that came out of nowhere!

For my buddy Rich, I post up my "not so missing" 1986 card for former pitcher NJoe Sambito, who funny enough would actually have a card in the year-end 1986 Topps Traded set, but NOT the base set:

After appearing in only eight games for the Mets in 1985, Topps didn't feel the need to include him in the base set that year, especially when you consider his 12.66 earned run average over 10.2 innings over those eight games.

But after finding himself with the Boston Red Sox for the 1986 campaign, and rediscovering his form somewhat, to where he became an important part of the American League champions' bullpen to the tune of a 2-0 record with a 4.84 ERA over 44.2 innings, with 12 saves, Topps did go ahead and include him in the traded set.

Between 1976 and 1984 Sambito was an excellent relief pitcher with the Houston Astros, especially his 1979 season that saw him make his only All-Star team when he went 8-7 with a brilliant 1.77 ERA over 63 games, with 22 saves and 83 strikeouts in 91.1 innings of work.

Two years later he'd post a 1.84 ERA over 49 games, followed by a 1982 season that saw him post a 0.71 ERA, albeit over only nine games due to injury.

All told, Sambito would play 11 years, going 37-38 over 461 games, with a very nice 3.03 ERA and 84 saves in 629 innings pitched.

 

A SET THAT NEVER WAS: 1971 ALL-STAR TICKET SET: BUD HARRELSON

Next up in my "set that never was" WTHBALLS custom archive is my 1972 All-Star ticket card for the starting shortstop in the 1971 Midsummer Classic, New York Met Bud Harrelson:

Harrelson made his second straight All-Star team in 1971, arguably his two best seasons in the Big Leagues, in which he got MVP consideration at the end of the year, as well as winning his only Gold Glove.

The typical "light-hitting/good fielding" middle infielder of the time, he gave the Mets a solid glove man up the middle between 1965 and 1977 before taking his leather to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1978.

By the time he retired after the 1980 season after one year with the Texas Rangers, he finished with a career .236 average, with 1120 hits in 4744 at-bats, with 539 runs scored, 127 stolen bases and 267 RBIs over 1533 games.

REVISITING A "MISSING" 1978 CARD FOR PAUL SIEBERT

Time to go and revisit a "missing" 1978 card for former New York Mets pitcher Paul Siebert, originally on the blog in October of 2015:

Siebert appeared in 25 games with the Mets after coming over from the San Diego Padres during the season.
He posted a 2-1 record (all with the Mets), with a 3.69 earned run average over 29 games and 31.2 innings of work.
In his short five-year career he went on to post a 3-8 record with a 3.77 ERA and 59 strikeouts over 129 innings and 87 appearances.
Keep an eye out for his “missing” 1979 card in the near future as well!

 

THE WHOLE NINE: SERIES 2- CAREER-CAPPER: 1982 MIKE MARSHALL

On the blog today, from my custom "Whole Nine: Series 2" set, my 1982 career-capper for reliever extraordinaire Mike Marshall, who famously refused to be in Topps baseball card sets through the 1970's into the 80's:

Marshall appeared in 20 games for the New York Mets in 1981, putting in 31 innings and pitching to a 3-2 record with a nice 2.61 earned run average.

Thus would close out quite a unique Big League career that began in 1967 with the Detroit Tigers.

Mike Marshall is about as interesting a character in Major league baseball during the 1970's as any other. And considering some of the characters we've looked at in the past, that is saying something.
How else can you describe a guy who seriously considered retiring from the sport so he could focus on his P.H.D. studies before his record setting 1974 season?
If you've ever read Jim Bouton's hilarious and landmark book "Ball Four" you read about Marshall's legendary battles with his then-manager Jim Schultz while both were members of the ill-fated single-season organization Seattle Pilots.
This guy was something else. And his arm was undoubtedly something else as well. In no less than three seasons, Marshall appeared in 90 or more games, including his record-setting mark of 106 in 1974 that still stands today.
And UNLIKE today with specialty pitchers who come in and face a batter or two, when Marshall came into a game, he pitched.
In 1974, purely a relief role, Marshall threw an astounding 208.1 innings, going 15-12 with a 2.42 E.R.A. and a league-leading 21 saves. Amazing by any standard, any era.
This easily got him a Cy Young award that year, beating out fellow teammate Andy Messersmith, while also finishing third in M.V.P. voting as well.
When it came to baseball cards, Marshall was equally as "unique". Rumor has it that he was a bit of a headache for Topps, refusing to "pose" for pictures. Because of this, his cards featured action shots between 1974 through 1977.
Then, after his '77 card, he disappeared altogether. Why I have no idea. But even though Marshall played through the rest of the decade, there were no cards for him in the 1978 and 1979 set.
I'll come back to his missing 1978 card at a later date since I have to do some extensive Photoshopping to have him in a Texas Ranger uniform (I can't find a good shot of him while pitching for Texas).
But for today, I'll go ahead with a "gimmie" and design a 1979 card for him.
1979 was another amazing year for Marshall. He appeared in an A.L. record 90 games, closing out 84 of them, good enough for a 10-15 record with a league-leading 32 saves. Those numbers got him a fifth-place finish in the Cy Young voting that year, which marked the fifth time he was in the running for the award in his career.
He even finished in 11th place for M.V.P. as well, which was the fourth time he garnered serious attention as "Most Valuable Player" during his playing days.
But because of what I understand as "problems" between Topps and Marshall, he was not included in the set that year, leaving a gaping hole for a guy who was as good as any coming into a game as a reliever.
It must have been frustrating for fans of the Twins, and more specifically Marshall, to rip open packs during the late '70's only to find that one of your best pitchers wasn't even depicted on a card.
Then again, from everything I've read online, he's about as tough an autograph to get as anyone else out there, long refusing to sign his name for fans, so perhaps they weren't really missing him too much after all.

REVISITING: "MISSING IN ACTION" 1975 JACK AKER

Thought it'd be fun to revisit a post from just about ten years ago featuring my "missing" 1975 card for former reliever Jack Aker, who wrapped up a very nice MLB career in 1974:

For the 1974 season, his last as a Major League player, Aker appeared in 41 games for both the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.

He posted a record of 2-2 with a couple of saves and a 3.57 earned run average, all out of the pen.

As a matter of fact, in his entire 11 year career he never started a single game, appearing in a total of 495 games in relief, posting a (then) very respectable 124 saves, including 32 in 1966 alone when he had his best season in the big leagues for the Kansas City Athletics, going 8-4 with a 1.99 ERA to go along with those league-leading saves.

Between 1964 and 1974 he'd suit up for the Athletics, Pilots, Yankees, Cubs, Braves and Mets, finishing with a 47-45 record with a nice 3.28 ERA and 404 strikeouts over 746 innings of work in 495 appearances.

DEDICATED ROOKIE: 1968 JERRY KOOSMAN

On the blog today, we dip into the 1960s and post up my 1968 "Dedicated Rookie" card for New York Mets pitcher Jerry Koosman, who had himself a wonderful Major League career:

“Kooz” spent the first 12 years of his Major League career as a New York Met, and performed marvelously, posting solid seasons which saw him finish behind Johnny Bench in 1968 for National League Rookie of the Year in 1968, and in second-place for Cy Young in 1976 when he won a career high 21 games to along with a 2.69 earned run average and 200 strikeouts.
But over the following two seasons, and not entirely HIS fault, Koosman posted a combined 11-35 record, even though his ERA was around 3.62 and he struck out 352 batters.
That was enough for the Mets to ship him to Minnesota on December 8th, 1978 for a relief pitcher that would pay off years later, Jesse Orosco.
Koosman immediately made an impact in Minnesota, posting another 20-win season (at the time one of the few to do so in both leagues), while posting a 3.38 ERA and 157 strikeouts.
By the time he retired after the 1985 season he’d win 222 games, while collecting a nice 3.36 ERA with 2556 strikeouts and 33 shutouts over 612 games, 527 of which were starts.
I remember hearing years ago that Koosman loved to tell people how his “rookie card” was worth a lot of money and was the hottest card in the 1968 set, only to follow up and casually mention that “Oh yeah, some guy named Nolan Ryan is on there too.”
Love it...

NOT REALLY MISSING IN ACTION: 1975 JOHN STROHMAYER

Up on the blog today, we have a "not so missing" 1975 card for former New York Mets pitcher John Strohmayer, who wrapped up a brief Big League career with a single game in 1974:

After about three and a half years with the Montreal Expos, Strohmayer was selected off waivers by the Mets in July of 1973 and appeared in seven games, good for 10 innings before the year was up.

For the year he appeared in 24 games and 44.2 innings between the two organizations, so I went and created a "missing" 1974 card for the blog a while back.

In 1974, he appeared in one game for the Mets, only pitching one inning, never to appear in another Major League game again.

Over those five years between 1970 and 1974, Strohmayer went 11-9 with a 4.47 earned run average in 143 games, 18 of which were starts.

As an aside, here's something I don't get to post everyday: seems Strohmayer was one of 15 employees of the Gateway Unified School District to share a $76 Million lottery jackpot in 2009!

Good for you John! We should all be so lucky!

REVISITING A POST FROM 10 YEARS AG: "MISSING" 1979 MARDIE CORNEJO

On the blog today, we revisit my "missing" 1979 card for former New York Mets pitcher Mardie Cornejo:

Cornejo is a bit of a mystery since he appeared in only one season of Major League ball (1978), and performed rather well, posting a 4-2 record with the Mets while posting a 2.45 earned run average over 25 appearances and 36.2 innings, all out of the bullpen.
So why no other action in his career? Anyone familiar with Cornejo and what happened?
Nevertheless it was awesome finding this photo of the guy so I could whip this card up for the blog.

REVISITING A POST FROM 2015: MISSING IN ACTION 1974 JOHN STROHMAYER

Good day all!

On the blog today, we revisit a post from January, 2015, my "missing" 1974 card for former New York Mets pitcher John Strohmayer:

Here's the original write-up from way back when:

After about three and a half years with the Montreal Expos, Strohmayer was selected off waivers by the Mets in July of 1973 and appeared in seven games, good for 10 innings before the year was up.

For the year he appeared in 24 games and 44.2 innings between the two organizations, so I figured he'd get a 1974 card for his efforts.

In 1974 however, he appeared in one game for the Mets, pitching one inning, never to appear in another Major League game again.

Over those five years between 1970 and 1974, Strohmayer went 11-9 with a 4.47 earned run average in 143 games, 18 of which were starts.

As an aside, here's something I don't get to post everyday: seems Strohmayer was one of 15 employees of the Gateway Unified School District to share a $76 Million lottery jackpot in 2009!

Good for you John! We should all be so lucky!

CAREER-CAPPER: 1972 AL WEIS

Time to create and post up a long overdue career-capper for one of the "Amazin'" New York Mets, Al Weis, who capped off a nice 10-year Big League career with 11 games in 1971:

Weis went 0-11 at the plate over those 11 games for the Mets, also putting in time at Second and Third at the age of 33 in what turned out to be the last action of his Major League tenure.

He originally came up to the Big Leagues with the Chicago White Sox in 1962, playing in the South Side of Chicago for six years before getting traded to the Mets along with Tommie Agee in December of 1967 for four players, including Tommy Davis and Jack Fisher.

Never a full-time player, he'd usually see time as a defensive replacement late in the game, or some pinch-hitting duties, which saw him accumulate only 1763 plate appearances over 800 games, hitting .219 with 346 hits in 1578 at-bats.

Though he did manage to hit .296 over 135 at-bats in 1965 for the White Sox, every other season saw him usually South of the .250 mark.

By the time he retired, he finished with the aforementioned .219 average, along with 195 runs scored, 115 runs batted in, seven homers and 55 stolen bases, and of course a World Championship as a member of those historic 1969 Mets.

Not too shabby!

REVISITING ANOTHER 10 YEAR OLD POST: MISSING IN ACTION- 1973 BOB RAUCH

On the blog today, we revisit an early "Missing in Action" card for the blog, this one my missing 1973 card for "one year wonder" Bob Rauch of the New York Mets:

Here's the original write-up for that post way back when:

Ok, so this guy really didn't put in a lot of tome to warrant a card the following year, but I did find a great high-resolution image of him so I went ahead and designed a card anyway.

Check out my 1973 Bob Rauch Topps card.

Rauch's entire Major League career encompassed 19 games for the Mets in 1972, saving one and posting a record of 0-1.

Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1967, Rauch would end up playing for the Dodgers, Mets, Indians and A's minor league systems, finally calling it a career in 1975.

I think it's fun working on cards of guys that barely registered a "blip" on the Major League scene, and I think I'll try coming up with more and more of them as time goes on.

Hope you enjoy them as well…

THE WHOLE NINE: SERIES 2- 1964 REDO FOR GIL HODGES

Today on the blog we spotlight another card from my recent custom set, "The Whole Nine: Series 2", this one my 1964 redo for Hall of Famer Gil Hodges:

Topps originally issued a card showing Hodges as the manager for the Washington Senators for the upcoming 1964 season, thus ending a Hall-worthy career as an elite slugger mainly for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers.

I created an alternate New York Mets card to cap-off his playing career, which was understated and stellar, finishing up at the time as one of the game's greatest sluggers of all-time.

I still cannot figure out why it took so long for him to get into the Hall, as he was a MAJOR part of those "Bum" Dodger teams, slamming 370 career homers, driving in 100+ runs seven years in a row between 1949-1955, and topping 30+ homers six times.

Later on he went on to a managerial career that includes one of the all-time great surprises in Major League ball, leading the "Miracle Mets" over the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles in 1969, an incredible turnaround that saw the Mets as World Champs just a few short years after perennial last place finishes, including their all-time futile 1962 season which saw them lose 120 games.

One of baseball's Hall of Fame snubs that thankfully finally got "fixed" with his election in 2022, 50 years after his sudden and shocking death from a heart attack at the young age of 47.

One of the era's best players finally getting his place in Cooperstown, and rightly so!

 

REVISITING A POST FROM 2014: MISSING 1977 LEON BROWN

On the blog today, we revisit a post from June of 2014, my "missing in action" card for Leon Brown of the New York Mets, who was left out of the 1977 Topps set:

Here's the original write-up for the card from that post over 10 years ago.

"Here's one for all you Mets fans out there!

Although he only appeared in 64 games in his Major League career (all in 1976), I came across a nice photo of former New York Mets outfielder Leon Brown recently and decided to design a 1977 card for him.

While I normally never designed cards for "missing" players with so little Major League action, I've decided to branch out a bit and start designing cards of players that fit the bill if I come across a decent enough photo, like Brown here.

As I stated earlier, Brown only appeared in 64 games in 1976, batting .214 with 15 hits in 70 at-bats while playing all three outfield positions.

While his Major League action was sparse, he did manage to pull together a 13-year Minor League career, playing for six organizations along the way: the Orioles, Giants, White Sox, Mets, Cardinals and Royals.

Ironically enough, he fared much better than his brother Curtis, who got into one Major League game, for the Montreal Expos, in 1973, going 0 for 4."

 

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!

 

MISSING ALL-STAR MANAGER: 1971 GIL HODGES

Today we add former New York Mets manager to my "missing All-Star manager" cards I've recently created for the blog, joining my Earl Weaver 1971 card from last week, to celebrate the managers that led their respective leagues in the "Midsummer Classic" during the 1970s:

Because of his World Championship season of 1969, when he led the improbable "Miracle Mets" team to a shocking win over the juggernaut Baltimore Orioles, Hodges was tabbed as the skipper of the N.L. for the 1970 All-Star game.

Played at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, the National League would pull-out the win in the 12th inning, remembered as the Pete Rose run when he barrelled into young Cleveland Indians catcher Ray Fosse for the game winning run.

Excelling on the field for the Dodgers as well as in the dugout for the Mets, Gil Hodges became a legend in the New York area, and his name still has recognition around here thanks to the top-notch little league that kids flock to every year (of which I also took part in as a kid 40-45 years ago).
After his Hall-worthy playing career Hodges was the first successful manager of the New York Mets, and was depicted on Topps cards in the late-60's and early-70's.

After a ninth place finish his first year as manager of the Mets (just one game above the last place Houston Astros), Hodges and the Mets did the unthinkable in 1969.
Led by a young corps of talented guns like Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and a yet "unknown" Nolan Ryan, they managed a historic 27-game turnaround, good for first place in the new N.L. East with a record of 100-62.
Once into the postseason, they stunned the baseball world by sweeping the Atlanta Braves in the playoffs, then defeating the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles in the World Series four games to one, claiming about as unexpected a championship as anybody could have dreamed of.

Hodges, who finally made the Hall of Fame recently, should have been in decades ago based on his playing and managing career.

Gone far too soon after dying at the age of only 47 just before the 1972 season from a heart attack.

MISSING IN ACTION: 1975 N.L. ALL-STAR MANAGER: YOGI BERRA

Today on the blog, we go and add the "missing" 1975 National League All-Star manager card to compliment my recent A.L. counterpart, the Senior League's skipper in Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra, who led the N.L. for the 1974 Midsummer Classic based on his pennant winning 1973 season with the New York Mets:

Sadly for him, Berra was coming off a disappointing 1974 season that saw the reigning National League champs fall from first to fifth after a World Series loss in 1973 to the Oakland A's.

Turns out the 1975 season he would be let go about three quarters into the year, having the Mets in third place with a record of 56-53. Not exactly a horrible year, and ironically winning at a higher clip than their 1973 season when the team made the World Series with a record of only 82-79.

Berra wouldn't manage again until 1984 after years of coaching, coming back to the New York Yankees and guiding them to a record of 87-75, good for a third place finish.

The following season he'd be let go after only 16 games, with the Yanks at 6-10, which would be the last Managerial position of his long baseball career.

His only other manager spot was way back in 1964 when he led the Yankees to the World Series with a record of 99-63 before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals and Bob Gibson.

Little did Yankee fans know it would be the last time they'd be in the World Series until 1976 after an incredible run of Postseason berths the previous 40 some odd seasons.

For Berra, the Hall of Famer finished his managing career with a record of 484-444, good for a .522 winning percentage, with two pennants.

WTHBALLS GUM PACK CUSTOM SET: TOM SEAVER

Good day all!

Today we'll start to spotlight cards from my recent custom set featuring mini-cards packaged like a pack of gum, a fun little set I created on a whim a few months back capturing the flair of the 1970's, the era I first got into the sport:

We begin with quite possibly my favorite pitcher of all-time, the great Tom Seaver, who was a force of nature in the mid-70's, when I first fell in love with baseball as a little kid in Brooklyn, New York, though admittedly a Yankee fan:

 

Just a fun idea to see come to fruition, imagining if there was a set of cards sold as packs of gum, complete with wrapper and foil, and luckily I found a great printer who could handle the job!

As for Seaver, 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"!

1969 "DO-OVER" SET: TOM SEAVER

Next up in my spotlights of cards from my recent custom "1969 Gimmie A Do-Over" set, Tom Seaver, perhaps my favorite pitcher of all-time, "Tom Terrific", three-time Cy Young winner, New York Mets legend, Hall of Famer:

Topps originally reused the image they had on his 1968 card, I'm sure much to the annoyance of young collectors pulling cards from packs way back when.

Here I used a nice posed shot, showing the young pitching ace smiling as he would soon guide the young Mets franchise to the most unlikely of World Championships later that year.

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"!

DEDICATED ROOKIE (#2): 1972 JON MATLACK

Time to go and create a second "dedicated rookie" for former New York Mets pitcher Jon Matlack, who was on two straight multi-player rookie cards in 1971 and 1972. As I have previously created a 1971 edition, today we have the 1972 version:

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.