I Love the 80s - 1982 Philadelphia Phillies

 This is a series of posts on a 1980's Frankenset. Each page features a different team, with 9 of my personal favorite cards from that year's team. You might find players repeated, you'll definitely see brands repeated, but hopefully you'll agree that there are some interesting selections from the 1980s!

1981 saw the Phillies attempt to repeat as National League and World Champions. A strong 2nd half vaulted the team into the playoffs, where they came up just short losing the 5th and final game of the NLDS to the Montreal Expos. During the year, Pete Rose passed Stan Musial as the National League's all time hits leader, and Steve Carlton recorded his 3,000th career strikeout. The individual accolades were nice, but the team had higher aspirations.

With the window to win starting to close for the veterans like Rose and Carlton, the team would make a few moves to try to make another championship run in 1982. They cut ties with 33 year old Bob Boone, turning to Ozzie Virgil Jr and Bo Diaz to be the new every(other)day catchers, traded for starting pitcher Mike Krukow to solidify the rotation, and decided to turn to veteran SS Ivan DeJesus to bolster the middle infield. None of these moves would prove fruitful in the long run, with the last trade suffering mightily in hindsight as the return for that investment in DeJesus was future Hall of Fame Second Baseman Ryne Sandberg and veteran Larry Bowa, who provided roughly the same production as DeJesus in 1982. Still a strong presence in the NL East, the Phillies would stay close all season but ultimately finish in 2nd place. 

 The Cards:

Donruss #42 Steve Carlton - In 1982, Carlton was his usual superlative-laden self, winning the Cy Young Award (his 4th), on the back of a league leading 6 shutouts. He was also the NL's best with 23 victories, the last Phillie to win 20 games in the 20th Century, and led the NL in strikeouts for the 4th time. If you're more new school than old-school, you may be pleasantly surprised to know that not only were the counting stats good (Leading all NL pitchers in batters faced, innings pitched, complete games, and Games started), he also led the NL in FIP! Carlton was a no-doubt Hall of Fame case, pairing the 4 Cy Young awards with 2 World Championships. He was a 10 time All-Star, and is one of just 4 players in MLB history to surpass 4,000 career Strikeouts. 

Fleer #251 Tug McGraw - McGraw was another of the Phillies 35+ year old veteran stars in the early 80s. Arguably his finest season came in 1980 as the 35 year old closer for the Phightin' Phils. He finished the regular season with a 1.46 ERA and an ERA+ of 260. He notched 20 saves, but finished another 28 games for the Phillies, striking out 75 batters. He was a member of the 1969 Miracle Mets (but did not pitch in the World Series), and an integral part of the 1980 World Champion Phillies. The 2 time All-Star was a solid to spectacular relief arm for nearly 20 seasons in the big leagues. He struck out nearly twice as many batters as he walked over more than 1,500 innings pitched. McGraw was best known for his signature pitch, a devastating screwball.

Topps #781 Pete Rose - Few players can lay claim to establishing a team's identity the way that Pete Rose did for the Phillies. They were a very good team in the mid to late 70s, but were often on the losing end of battles with in-state rivals the Pittsburgh Pirates as well as Rose's former team, the Big Red Machine Cincinnati Reds. When Rose left Cincy for Philly in free agency, the fortunes of both teams flipped. As mentioned above, Rose became the all time leader in hits in the National League in 1981, but more importantly, his style of play and leadership helped get the Phillies over the hump against their NL East rivals and win the 1980 World Series. The team hadn't been to the World Series in 30 years, and hadn't won a world series game since 1915! Rose changed that culture in Philadelphia.

Donruss #606 Lonnie Smith - Lonnie Smith is possibly the most underrated player of the 1980s. In the Phillies championship season, Smith led the team in Stolen Bases, but also sported an OPS+ of 130, finishing 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting. Used sparingly in 1980 and due to the strike-shortened 1981 season, his first full season would be 1982. He was traded to Saint Louis, where Smith would finally get the chance to play everyday. He was an All-Star and amassed 6.2 WAR, placing 2nd in the NL MVP race. He hit .307 with 68 Steals and scored a league leading 120 runs for the wild run and gun Cardinal offense that won the 1982 World Series. He'd win 3 World Series championships in the 1980s, for three different teams- the Phils in 1980, the Cardinals in 1982, and the Royals in 1985 - playing key roles on defense, at the plate, and on the bases. The last season of the decade was his best- leading the NL with 8.9 WAR, certainly an MVP worthy season. However, he compiled that season for the lowly Braves, finishing well out of contention and out of sight, out of mind for MVP voters.  Time would catch up to Lonnie and his 1990s career paled in comparison to his 1980s numbers. He'd retire with a 118 OPS+, and a triple slash of .288/.370/.420. It amounted to a solid MLB career that doesn't get talked about that often.

Fleer #258 Mike Schmidt - Not too often do you see Schmidt sporting a full beard - nearly mistook him for Bill Walton! The Hall of Fame Third Baseman was right in the middle of his prime career years, the reigning NL MVP from 1980 and 1981. His 1982 season may have seen a slight dip in batting average, but he led the league (again) in OBP and Slugging. He was also right in the middle of a run of 9 consecutive Gold Gloves (he'd add one more before his career was over), and 5 straight Silver Slugger awards. In all, he'd be a 10 time All-Star, 10 Gold Gloves, 6 Silver Sluggers, 3 MVPs (80,81, and 86) and is generally regarded as one of the best third basemen of all time. He was the NL HR king 8 times, and his 548 career homers still ranks 16th, even after the steroid era saw 13 more members join the 500 HR Club. 

Topps #581 Ron Reed - Reed's career in many ways is reminiscent of Dennis Eckersley in miniature. Reed started his career in the Braves rotation and was pretty good. He was an All-Star in 1968 as a rookie, and followed it up with an 18-10 record in 1969. Reed transition from the rotation to the bullpen in 1976 for the Phillies, and became a mainstay in their relief corps until after his 40th birthday. Reed was essentially the team's closer in 1982, saving 14 games and sported a 2.66 ERA over 57 appearances. For his career he started 236 games and finished 300 as a reliever. He faced over 10,000 batters and still had a better than league average ERA+ of 108. Fun fact about Ron Reed - before playing baseball, he played for the Detroit Pistons for 2 seasons, averaging 8 points and 6.4 rebounds a game.

Donruss #441 Gary Matthews - "Sarge" came to the Phillies after the 1980 World Championship season from Atlanta in exchange for the legendary Bob Walk. Matthews was known for a blend of power and speed and was extremely durable. He played all 162 games for the Phillies in 1982, and would go on to show his skills at their peak in the 1983 NLCS. His three homers against the Dodgers powered the "Wheeze Kids" to the 1983 World Series, earning him MVP honors in the process. Matthews was the 1973 Rookie of the Year and was an All-Star in 1979 with Atlanta. He'd go on to have a magical season with the Cubs in 1984, leading the NL in walks and OBP, scoring 101 runs to mark his career high. Matthews finished his career with 2,011 hits, 234 homers, and scored 1,083 runs.

Fleer #260 Manny Trillo -You have to be pumped when you can wear a "World Champions" patch on your jacket. Trillo was the Phils All-Star/Gold Glove/Silver Slugger winning second baseman in the early 80s, earning each accolade at least once between 1979 and 1982. Timely hitting in the 1980 NLCS made him the MVP of the Series. He hit .381 with 4 RBI for the Phils against Houston. He won all 3 of his Gold Gloves with the Phillies, but he was highly regarded for his defense throughout his career. He was best known for his rifle throwing arm, somewhat rare for a second baseman. His defensive prowess was so tantalizing that it was the subject of a controversy in Oakland during the team's three-peat in the mid 70s. In 1974, A's Owner Charlie Finley wanted Manny to be on the active roster so badly he tried to coerce infielder Mike Andrews to sign a statement saying he was injured to make room for Trillo on the roster. The move was met with a near team-wide mutiny, and it took a ruling from MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn to re-instate Andrews and restore peace in the locker room. Trillo was then traded after the 1974 series to the Cubs in exchange for Billy Williams. 

Donruss #189 Sparky Lyle - Best known for his seasons in Yankee pinstripes. Lyle was a 16 year veteran pitching for elite teams in both leagues. He was a late season acquisition of the Phillies in 1980, and was not eligible for the post-season. His 14 innings of work down the stretch included a pair of saves and a miniscule 1.98 ERA. He's known as the first AL reliever to win a Cy Young award (1977), and one of the first to enter the game with a signature song playing to announce his arrival on the mound. (The same music used by High School graduations all over the country as well as Macho Man Randy Savage, "Pomp and Circumstance") Lyle credits Red Sox great Ted Williams with the advice that made him a big leaguer. Williams told him he'd never make it to the show without a slider. After perfecting the pitch in the minor leagues, Lyle would debut with Boston during the 1967 Impossible Dream Season. Lyle is quoted as saying "when Ted Williams told you something, you tried it."

Page 12 At the Bat Rack Frankenset

 Rules -

9 different players

9 different card sets

9 different teams

player is at the bat rack (or bat pile) in or near the dugout

Have fun (most important)

PAGE TWELVE!

and the backs . . .

100 - Pete Rose 1985 Renata Galasso Pete Rose

101 - Kiki Hernandez 1993 Classic Best Gold

102 - Rhys Hoskins 2019 Topps Gypsy Queen

103 - Larry Walker 1999 Upper Deck

104 - Garry Moses 1970 Topps

105 - Kevin Kiermaier 2016 Topps Chrome

106 - Joe Niekro 1987 Fleer

107 - Ozzie Guillen 1995 Pinnacle

108 - Ron Gant 1997 Pinnacle Inside

The Kevin Kiermaier card is a pretty big stretch - once again the big bat racks at Comiskey come to the rescue. I'll keep my eyes peeled for #105 in the future to try to find a more legit back rack card. The set is now into triple digits! Happy also to have a 1970 Topps card on this page, as that set is the unofficial granddaddy of them all when it comes to bat rack cards. There are earlier examples to be sure, but the 1970 set has several to choose from, which makes it a personal favorite. Larry Walker makes his 2nd page in a row.

Thanks for reading!

Happy Ellis Valentine's Day

ROSE'S WITH THE REDS;

VIDA OF THE A'S? BLUE.

THE CANDY MAN'S SWEET;
VALENTINES ARE TOO!

Happy Valentine's Day.

A Rose, With Any Other Team, Makes More Sense - The 1984 Topps Traded Set

I'm a traditionalist- when I think of Rose, I think Reds. But that makes this card all the more interesting - Rose was determined to catch and pass Ty Cobb, and he would wear any uniform to get it. The Expos in 1984 had Dawson, Raines, Gary Carter, and Tim Wallach. The didn't have the best options at first base, however, with 25 year old Terry Francona and 32 year old Dan Driessen. Rose was 43, but fresh off a NLCS / World Series appearance where he hit .344 over all 9 post season games.

Rose was just 10 hits shy of 4,000 - and it only took until the Expos home opener for Rose to reach the milestone. Love the 1984 Topps backs, by the way, with the big team logo in the corner.

Rose is not in the Hall of Fame, but these 7 guys are. Gossage would be a key acquisition for the Padres, shoring up the bullpen and providing the necessary leadership and fire to help San Diego make their first World Series appearance. Yogi was replacing Billy Martin with the Yankees  - Tony Perez was returning to the Reds after a tour with Rose in Philadelphia.

This set was loaded with rookies- here are just a handful of the pitchers. No Roger Clemens in the set, but there was Mark Langston, Mark Gubizca, and Ron Darling.... But the real star was Gooden.

I mean.... come on! 300 strikeouts in 191 innings. 6 shutouts. How did he lose 4? Gooden was a revelation. The Mets were set in their rotation for their World Series run in '86.

There were some good rookie hitters as well - Topps missed the boat on Kirby Puckett, but they had the real Gary Pettis!

No Kirby, but there were a trio of Twins. Smithson would still be around to help the Twins in 1987. Butcher, part of the same trade that brought Smithson over from Texas, was probably the Twins best starter in 1984. Teufel was on the '86 Mets squad, traded to New York for Billy Beane!

There were plenty of star players in the set, right on the fringes of Hall of Fame consideration, but undisputed stars of the game.

And Mustaches. Lots of Mustaches.

Sorry, I'm nine years old.

Let's book-end this set with another Montreal Expos player. Breining was a solid bullpen arm for the Giants . . .  and for 6 games in Montreal. No wonder they couldn't find a photo of him with the team...

Scenes from the last Card Show of 2018

There was an oversaturation of card shows in the Twin Cities, this month - with shows on each of the first three weekends. I planned ahead for this craziness, and I went to just one show. My birthday is in December, so I had some extra cash to spend. Even though I only went to one show, I've split the trip into three parts. This is the odds and ends entry!

Joe Mauer is featured here in a card from 2002, printed up not long after his rookie league season had ended. The front has a picture from his high school days with Saint Paul's Cretin-Durham Hall Raiders - where he was the #1 ranked player in both Baseball and Football. He passed on a scholarship to play Quarterback for Bobby Bowden at Florida State so he could catch for his hometown team. The $5.15 Million dollar signing bonus from the Twins helped too. The back calmly explains that Mauer is probably going to be one of the best players in baseball for the next decade plus. The back was not wrong.

I revealed to one of the vendors that I was looking for cards with players on the phone. He gave this card to me for a quarter - close enough! Bud Grant was a unique multi-sport star as well. A three-sport star at the University of MN, he was on the 1950 NBA Champion Minneapolis Lakers team as a reserve, but he also played Defensive End and Wide Receiver for the Eagles. Unhappy with his NFL salary, Grant moved on to the Winnepeg Blue Bombers of the CFL, where he led the league in Receptions three times and receiving yards twice. He also set a CFL record by intercepting 5 passes in a playoff game. He went into coaching later on of course, first in the CFL winning 4 Grey Cup titles. He returned to the NFL, leading the Vikings to all four Super Bowl appearances in the team's history.

Speaking of Vikings greats, this was the only other card I picked up at the show more recent than the 1980s. Cris Carter was a tremendous talent at WR for the Vikings. He was an 8x Pro Bowl selection, and finished his career with over 1,100 Receptions, 13,000 yards, and 130 Touchdowns. He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in his home state of Ohio in 2013

Speaking of Hall of Famers, here's College Football Hall of Famer Jim Plunkett. He was the 1970 Heisman Trophy winner, beating out Archie Manning and Joe Theismann for the honor. Drafted #1 overall by the Boston Patriots, the longtime Patriot and Raider was a 2-time Super Bowl Champion, including an MVP winning performance in Super Bowl XV.

What the heck are these? The vendor I purchased them from said he was "pretty sure" they were 1971 Bazooka cards, hand cut from a cardboard box. they have plain brown blank backs.

Say Hey! Not a bad pick up for less than $10 for the pair. Next up, I'll share the 60s and 70s vintage I found at the show. 

Day Twelve - 1984 Topps Traded Pete Rose #103T

Day 12: A Favorite Card From the 1980s

Taking the lead from Tony at Off-Hiatus Baseball Cards this will be the twelfth of 30 posts, using the prompts provided. I won't necessarily post one every day, but I will do one for each card, toss in a few "insights" (as insightful as I can be, anyway), and usually include an honorable mention or two, just because I'm like that.

Here's my pick - with the 50s, 60s and 70s the difficulty was picking the best out of several standout cards. Once the 80s hit, sheer volume of options is enough to overwhelm the senses. I decided to go with this Pete Rose card because it is so jarring visually to see him in an Expos uniform. "Visually jarring" is a fair assessment of the 80s (and an understatement for the 90s). I associate him with the Reds first and foremost, a little bit as a Philadelphia Phillie, but rarely is his stop in Montreal at the forefront of my mind. He was north of the border for 95 games - just long enough to reach the 4,000 hit mark - before returning to Cincinnati to close out his playing career and start a stormy and infamous stint as the Reds' Manager.

Since these are essentially one card posts, why not share the backs, too? That's some tiny print! His effectiveness at the plate was severely diminished in his final Philadelphia season, with the lowest batting average and hit total of his career. Getting a chance to play regularly at first base for the Expos, he had slightly better numbers in 1984. After the trade back home to the Reds in August, Rose found a fountain of youth, hitting .365 in the final 26 games of the year. His hot finish would set the stage for passing Ty Cobb's all-time hit mark in 1985.

Here are some honorable mentions:

Mentioned earlier were rookies of Rickey Henderson and Kirby Puckett, and I could probably name a top ten for each team for each year of the decade, there are so many interesting cards in the decade. Pops Stargell is sporting his awesome "STAR" hat, which was well deserved. The prank of the decade may have been Billy Ripken's bat knob, but Gary Pettis getting his little brother to pose for his card is a noteworthy oddity as well. One of the highlights of the 80s was the introduction of box bottom cards, and this 1985 Donruss box bottom card is one of my favorites. A post about the 1980s wouldn't be complete without the cringe-worthy Diamond Kings series. Rick Rhoden's 1987 card is a celebration of the format.

Day Six - 1964 Topps Pete Rose #125

Day 6: A Card You Spent More Than $10 to Get

Taking the lead from Tony at Off-Hiatus Baseball Cards this will be the sixth of 30 posts, using the prompts provided. I won't necessarily post one every day, but I will do one for each card, toss in a few "insights" (as insightful as I can be, anyway), and usually include an honorable mention or two, just because I'm like that.

Here's my pick- When I came back to collecting in 2014, I wasn't sure what I would be trying to collect. As a kid I never collected cards that were older than me - - it was hard for me to find any (none of my friends had any older cards), and if I saw any in a card shop, I certainly didn't have the money to buy them. So now that I am a relative high roller compared to the 10 year old version of myself, I figured I could take a look at some of the vintage offerings at the shows and shops.
My dad grew up near Dayton, OH and the Cincinnati Reds were the favorite team of his youth, and of my cousins that still live in the area. Combine the love of the Rookie Cup (as I knew it from 1987 on) with an all-time great from my dad's favorite team, and this Pete Rose card became the first card I spent more than $10 to get. This card was a gateway to collecting vintage in general, and All-Star Rookies in particular.

Since these are basically one card posts, why not show the backs, too? I'm still impressed by the fact that Rose hit 30 Triples in 1961 in the minor leagues. That's some serious "Hustle".



Here's an honorable mention:

Just to bookend this post, I found this Roberto Clemente card at a vintage/nostalgia shop that was primarily selling retro video games, comic books, and board games. The vast majority of the cards were for Magic: The Gathering. They did have a glass case with sports cards, and Clemente stuck out. This is the most recent card purchase I've made for over $10.

I love the 80s : 1981 Philadelphia Phillies

The 1980 World Series Champions, representing the NL East, were the first Phillies World Series Champ, and in fact, quintupled the team's World Series victories, having only one win in two other appearances in the Fall Classic. The Phillies in 1980 were known as a veteran team. Their average age was just a shade under 31. Pete Rose was 39; The Ace Steve Carlton and Closer Tug McGraw were both 35, and the roster included 35 plusers Ron Reed, Tim McCarver, and Sparky Lyle. There were three rookies, however, that made their mark for the Phils in 1980. Lonnie Smith led the team with 33 steals and a .339 batting average. Keith Moreland served as Bob Boone's backup backstop, catching 50 games and hitting above the .300 mark. In the rotation, rookie Bob Walk was called up in May and rejected his name, showing good control all season long. He started Game One of the 1980 World Series and gutted out the win. The Stars carried the team, NL MVP Mike Schmidt was in the prime of his career, smashing 48 homers in the regular season, and two more in the World Series to capture the World Series MVP award as well. Steve Carlton was the NL Cy Young award winner, just one vote short of a unanimous decision. He won 24 games in the regular season, and 3 more in the playoffs. His accolades were not just in traditional stats, Carlton led the league in FIP, ERA+, and strikeout to walk ratio along with innings, strikeouts, and wins.  

Here are the cards!

and the backs:

Topps #566 Del Unser - Another 35 year old, Del Unser was a utility man for the Phillies in 1980. In the late 60s / early 70s, Unser was a solid Center Fielder for the 2nd version of the Washington Senators. She shifted to the National League in 1973 and bounced from team to team in the 70s. He settled in with the Phillies (for the second time) by the end of the decade and was a valuable bench piece. This Topps card features Unser studying the opposing pitcher from the on deck circle.

Donruss #393 Bob Walk - Shown here in a start at Wrigley, Walk became a solid part of a shaky rotation. After Hall of Famer Carlton, the Phillies had a piecemeal group of starters that struggled at times. Walk was called up May 26th to try to shore up the staff, but gave up 5 earned runs and was pulled with two outs in the 3rd inning. He rebounded and had a pair of complete games, finishing the season with an 11-7 record, third best on the team.

Fleer Star Sticker #9 Mike Schmidt -  All Schmidt did in 1980 was win a Silver Slugger, A Gold Glove, the NL MVP, WS MVP, lead the league in Homers, RBI, Slugging, Total Bases, OPS+, and even Sacrifice hits! Spoiler, he won the MVP again in 1981, again leading the league in Homers, OPS, OPS+, Walks, Runs Scored, and so on. In the past, Schmidt had struggled a bit on the big stage, not having much success in the NLCS in 1976, 77, and 78. He broke through in the 1980 World Series, though, and helped the Phillies to the victory in 6 games. He definitely earned the star sticker.

Donruss #284 Sparky Lyle - Lyle was a late addition to the Phillies, coming over from the Rangers in a September trade. Down the stretch, Lyle pitched 10 times, finishing 5 of those games. Because he was added in September, he was not on the postseason roster, but his contributions may have secured the Phils' spot in the playoffs. His moustache is in mid-season form on his Donruss card.

Topps #404 Phillies Win World Series (Tug McGraw) - McGraw had arguably his best season in 1980, featuring a career best 1.46 ERA in 57 games. He recorded 20 saves, though his usage was more of a classic fireman than a "modern" one inning closer. McGraw is shown on this card after striking out Willie Wilson for the final out of game 6 

Fleer #20 Nino Espinoza - Nino's first appearance in 1980 came on the 4th of July, and he tossed 8 shutout innings against the Cardinals, though the Phils took the loss in the bottom of the 10th. He finished the season in similar fashion, shutting out the Cards again for 7 innings, but the bullpen gave up 5 runs after his exit from the game. His best start came in a Complete Game victory at Shea stadium. Nino did not appear in the postseason, but his fro was championship level on this Fleer card.

Fleer Star Sticker #85 Steve Carlton - Whatever you say about Mike's Schmidt in 1980, Steve Carlton was every bit the Pitching equivalent. Cy Young winner, All-Star, and league leader in WAR, Strikeouts, Wins, FIP, ERA+ and on and on. It was The Lefty With the Golden Arm's 3rd of 4 career Cy Young awards. Carlton was the winning pitcher in Game 2 and the deciding 6th game of the World Series. Critics of this Phillies squad have pointed out that the team was "nothing special" after Carlton, Schmidt, and McGraw. But "Ya Gotta Believe" that the best Starting Pitcher, The best Position Player, and the best Closer in Baseball gives you a pretty good foundation.

Topps #290 Bob Boone - Boone was not quite the star he had been in the 70s, but his offensive decline was buoyed by a refinement of this receiving skills and his acumen as an on the field manager. He would go on to win 5 more Gold Gloves in the 80s, and though his bat was not up to his usual standards, his defense brought him back to being at least replacement level behind the plate. He would have a late career renaissance with the Angels, but his championship year was no less memorable. Topps features Boone with a gutsy play at the plate.

Donruss #251 Pete Rose - Pete Rose. What can you say? This card is great, he's got Magilla Gorilla arms. Rose came over to Philadelphia in 1979, having twice been a champion in Cincinnati, and was expected to bring that pedigree to a team that had been bounced out of the NLCS three years in a row. Rose may have been 39 years old in 1980, but he was still a machine, leading the NL in doubles, still single-mindedly chasing Ty Cobb and scratching out every possible advantage from his opponents that he could. 

Three White Sox, Two Reds, and One Grand Orange

Here they are - the third class of the Topps All-Star Rookie Team, selected "by the Youth of America" following the 1963 season and featured in the 1964 Topps set. 

I have completed the run of these up through 2015, at least all regular issue cards that bear the All-Star Rookie Trophy. Mets Catcher Jesse Gonder didn't get a trophy on his card despite being named to the 1963 squad.

Outfielder - Jimmie Hall
Rookie Card
Jimmie Hall was a revelation for the Twins in 1963. Hall crushed 33 homers (a new major league record for Rookies) and drove in 80 runs, finishing third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. His first four major league seasons in Minnesota hitting at least 20 homers each year and holding his own in a formidable batting order. He was a key piece in the trade that sent last year's Topps All-Star Rookie Dean Chance to the Twins from the Angels. In California, Hall had a decent first year, but his production fell off precipitously after going west. His loss of power is traced by many to a vicious beaning he suffered while still with the Twins. The Angels' Bo Belinsky hit Hall in the cheek with a pitch that Hall seemed to not see until it was too late. The lefty slugger had extreme lefty/righty splits, managing only 4 of his 121 career homers against left handed pitchers. His lack of power against lefties started to catch up with him, and his role as a regular diminished by the late 60s. The writing was already on the wall in 1965 - during the World Series, Hall was benched against lefties Claude Osteen and that other Dodger lefty... Sandy Koufax. His 8 at bats in the Series came against righties, but still had disastrous results. 5 strikeouts and no hits. In his 4 years with Minnesota, Hall averaged 25 homers. After the trade, Hall bounced from LA to the Yankees, to Cleveland, Chicago, and a brief stint with the Atlanta Braves. His last four uniforms came in just two seasons of baseball.
 

Third Baseman - Pete Ward
Pete Ward came to the White Sox from Baltimore in the Hoyt Wilhelm/Luis Aparicio trade. Ward's 1963 season was tremendous. He totaled career highs in homers and batting average, and racked up an OPS+ of 134. Ward finished just ahead of Jimmie Hall on the AL Rookie of the Year ballot, finishing in second place.
Ward was a mainstay of the White Sox lineup in the 60s, appearing in over 900 games for the pale hose. The son of an NHL player, Ward was born in Montreal, but moved to the states by the time he was in high school. His second year with the Sox saw his star status rise even higher, he continued his excellent performance at the plate and finished the season in the top ten for the MVP award.

Ward was known for his unorthodox batting stance:

Ward's Rookie Card was in the 1962 Topps Set.

First Baseman - Rusty Staub
Pete Ward was born in Montreal, but it is the place that Rusty Staub became a star and a fan-favorite. Staub had a pretty unremarkable rookie campaign for the Colt .45s - except for the fact that Rusty was just 19 years old. By 1967 Staub had grown into his body and started a run of 5 straight All-Star appearances. twice in Houston, then three with the expansion Montreal Expos. His career high 30 homers came in 1970 as a member of the Expos. Le Grand Orange, as he was known by the Montreal faithful, was already a fan favorite in Houston. Staub is the only major leaguer to have more than 500 hits with four different teams (Houston, Montreal, the Mets, and the Tigers). Staub nearly lasted as long in the majors as the next guy on this list, retiring in 1985 after a successful run as a pinch hitter for several seasons with the Mets. Only 12 players have played in more Major League games than Rusty Staub, and all of those players above him on the list are in the Hall of Fame... well, almost all of them.
Rusty's Rookie Card was in the 1963 Topps set.

Second Baseman - Pete Rose
Oh Boy. Where to begin? Pete Rose was a hometown hero, growing up in Cincinnati then becoming a star for the Reds. He was the emotional leader of their run of World Series champion teams of the 70s, as well as a key contributor to the 1980 Phillies team that won it all. You know about the hits, you know about the "Hustle," so what can be said about Peter Edward Rose that hasn't been said hundreds of times before? Rose was the 1963 NL Rookie of the year - with 170 base hits, scoring over 100 runs, 25 doubles, and stole 13 bases. Rose started his career with an 0 for 12 streak, but Reds manager Fred Hutchinson stuck with him, and once he got his first hit, they just kept piling up. Rose won Batting Titles, led the league in Hits multiple times, and finished his career as the All Time leader in base hits. Is there a more divisive figure in sports than Pete Rose? Loved, hated, respected, feared, and reviled.  
You know all about Pete Rose's Rookie Card. This ain't it. But it's a better card.

The Backs... wait 30 Triples and just 20 Doubles in 1961?!?

Left Handed Pitcher - Gary Peters
How do you beat the guy that set the major league record for homers as a rookie and win the Rookie of the Year award? How about leading the league in ERA, throwing 4 shutouts, and winning 19 games? Not bad. And hey, Gary Peters was no slouch at the plate himself - he managed to hit 19 homers in his career (3 in his rookie season), quite respectable for a pitcher! He was used regularly as a pinch hitter throughout his career. Peters followed up his exceptional rookie campaign with a 20 win season in 1964, losing the Cy Young race to that pesky Topps All-Star Rookie Dean Chance. Peters anchored the White Sox rotation in the 60s, named twice to the All-Star squad and finishing on top of the ERA race again in 1966 with a 1.98 mark for the season.  A back injury in 1968 and a rotator cuff injury in 1969 did not keep him out of the rotation, but limited his effectiveness. The cumulative effect of the injuries caught up with Peters and his was out of the league by 1972. In 2000, the White Sox honored Peters by naming him to the White Sox All-Century team.
Peters had a long road to a regular gig in the Majors, his Rookie Card is from the 1960 Topps set!

Shortstop - Al Weis
The third White Sox player named to the All-Star Rookie team, Al Weis wasn't a starter for his team, playing behind Nellie Fox and fellow All-Star Rookie Ron Hansen (formerly of the Baltimore Orioles). Weis seemingly got the nod at Short by virtue of playing on the same team as Peters and Ward. Or possibly for having the same rookie card as Pete Rose? Weis did lead the White Sox in Stolen bases, which he did again in 1964. Weis' other claim to fame was his involvement with the 1969 Miracle Mets. Despite being a lifetime .219 hitter, Weis played in all 5 World Series games and hit .455 ! His game 5 homer off the Orioles' Dave McNally tied the game late.
Weis' rookie card is worth thousands of dollars. He shares it with Ken McMullin, Pedro Gonzalez, and some mouthy kid from Cincinnati. You'll find it in the 1963 Topps set, but beware of fakes!

Outfield - Tommy Harper
Harper's rookie season was not that far off from his teammate Pete Rose. He didn't hit leadoff, so he had about 200 fewer plate appearances, but hit .260 with 10 homers and 12 steals. Harper combined speed with power for 15 seasons in the majors, finishing with just under 1,000 career runs scored and over 400 stolen bases. His best season came with the expansion Seattle Pilots in 1969. He got the franchises' first hit and over the course of the season stole 73 bases, the most in the majors since Ty Cobb stole 96 waaay back in 1915.  Or maybe his best season was in 1970 with Milwaukee, when he belted a career high 31 homers and stole 38 bases. Or maybe his best season was in 1965 with Cincinnati, when he lead the league in runs scored and collected 166 hits. Tommy Harper could beat you a lot of different ways.
Tommy's Rookie Card is also in the 1963 Topps Set

Right Handed Pitcher - Ray Culp
Culp made the NL All-Star Team as a rookie and hurled 5 shutouts. He was a little wild, leading the league in Walks allowed, but was still an effective pitcher. In 1964, Culp struggled with an elbow injury, and missed the final two months of the season. Some point to his absence as a contributing factor to the Phillies late season swoon that year. He later found success in Boston as the team's Ace pitcher, winning 14 or more games in 4 straight seasons. His signature pitch was the palmball.
Ray's first Topps Card was in the 1963 set, a savvy collector will seek out his 1960 Leaf card, his true rookie card.

Outfield - Vic Davalillo 
When Ichiro Suzuki came to the states and set the majors on fire, his style of play was reminiscent of the swift footed Vic Davalillo. A great centerfielder with a strong arm, Vic was one of the few players from Venezuela to become an MLB regular (following in the footsteps of superstar shortstop Luis Aparicio and Chico Carrasquel) in the 1960s. He only appeared in 90 games in his rookie campaign, but he hit .292 which was saying something in the offense starved and pitching rich era. Davillilo was traded in 1968 for fellow Topps Rookie All-Star Jimmie Hall. He was a regular contributor in Cleveland before that trade, making an All-Star team in 1965, winning a Gold Glove in 1964, and stealing over 20 bases 3 times for the tribe. His other claim to fame later in his career. Along with Manny Mota, Davalillo formed a dynamic pinch hitting duo for the Dodgers in the late 70s and early 80s. Davallilo played in to the 80s and played his final game at the age of 44. After his major league career ended, he continued to play in Venezuela, hitting over .400 for his team in 1981. His final game as a player came in 1987(!). He was part of the inaugural class of the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame. Not only for his MLB contributions, but also his dedication and love for his home country and the development of baseball in Venezuela and throughout Latin America.

Temptation

I purchased some sealed vintage wax packs awhile back - Here's one of 1979 O-Pee-Chee

 There are ten cards to a pack, I just know there's a Met in this one. I'm very tempted to bust it open and see what other cards might be in there! It's very hard to resist, so thankfully I bought two. Here's what I saw when I opened the pack:

Two cards get eaten by gum and wax, respectively, so here's most of the pack. I think Joaquin is my favorite, I'm a fan of the rainbow sunrise Astros uniforms...

But


wait


what's

this?

I have to say that I never, ever, ever, get the "hit" in a pack or box of packs. Pulling Ozzie's Rookie card is definitely the best card I've ever gotten out of a pack in my life. Sweet sideburns, dude.

I'm less tempted to open that other pack now.

I'm geared more towards vintage, so this made me happier than if I had pulled a relic or auto - what is the best pack you've ever opened? Is there any single card that made you do a little happy dance?

How to Choose?

I've been back in the game of cardboard accumulation for about 7 months now, and one of the things that has really held my interest is the variety and depth of just how specific a collection can get.

It took me some time to decide on what kinds of things I would collect, and then building those sets started to get a bit easier.

Where to begin?

I have to thank the blogging community for being so vibrant and having so many unique voices. I can't remember how I found it, but it was this post from GCRL that convinced me to take a closer look at what I wanted to collect. I had been poking around online (mostly just checking listings on eBay) for several weeks before finding out that there were several places in the Twin Cities where I could find cards and buy them in person. Aimlessly looking online was not really cutting it.

The 1957 Topps Elmer Valo from the GCRL post was a key to unlocking several things in my collecting: I realized that the story of the player, and the composition of the card's photo was often more important to me than how valuable the card might be.

The first show I went to in the Twin Cities I got the opportunity to look up close at and hold a 1963 Pete Rose rookie. I didn't have the money to purchase the card (even though the card had some serious paper loss on the back and was highly discounted). I found after spending some time looking at the various table's offerings, that the Pete Rose Rookie was not really for me - it's iconic, yes, and has a an interesting history (the scandal of the fakes in the 1980s), but the card itself didn't really do it for me.

I did end up getting the 57 Valo, and now I am building a small PC of Elmer Valo cards.

I also got a chance to look at Rose's 2nd year card, which was more in my price range (on the higher end), and really liked the trophy associated with it. So, I ended up starting a collection of all the Topps All-Star Rookie cards, which has been a ton of fun to chase.

What are some of the more specific collections you've developed, and how did it occur to you to start it?