1981 Kansas City Royals
On to the AL West. First up, the AL Champion Royals. Growing up I somehows liked the Royals, but I don't know why. Maybe it was because they were always in the playoffs, and were not the Yankees. They won the division 4 times in the years 76-80, and made the playoffs in 81. Not a bad run during this time as they seemed to pick up afterthe A's dynasty years. A total of 37 different players saw action during the 1980 season. Lets see each of the card companies did in featuring cards of the players. Any players shown with other teams will count in the team % as they are considered checklisted.
Topps
24 Different player cards + 2 of the 3 "Future Stars" Manny Castillo and Mike Jones for a total of 26 players. (70%)
Topps nailed most of the major players. Other than Dave Chalk (69 games) their were not major players missing. That is due to Kansas City fielding a regular lineup day in and day out, with a lot of "minor" players seeing time as spare parts.
Fleer
23 Player cards + an extra Willie Wilson, Amos Otis, and George Brett (62%)
Interesting note that Fleer has the only card of Steve Busby, who was released on 8/29. Jeff Twitty is another player only in the Fleer set, but at least I had heard of Busby.
Donruss
20 players + Manager + Darell Porter+ and extra George Brett (57%)
Manged to get all of the major players.
Player selection grade: Topps - A; Fleer - A; Donruss - B
Rankings by Team
Topps
Yankees (87%)
Tigers (85%)
Brewers (82%)
Indians (82%)
Orioles (79%)
Red Sox (76%)
Royals (70%)
Blue Jays (65%)
Fleer
Yankees (85%)
Orioles (74%)
Tigers (71%)
Brewers (67%)
Indians (67%)
Royals (62%)
Blue Jays (57%)
Red Sox (54%)
Donruss
Orioles (71%)
Tigers (71%)
Brewers (70%)
Indians (67%)
Yankees (64%)
Red Sox (59%)
Royals (57%)
Blue Jays (51%)
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
1981 Blue Jays
1981 Toronto Blue Jays
We finish up the AL East with the last place Blue Jays. The Blue Jays were horrible in the late 70s, but they were starting to put together a good solid team that would compete in the later half of the 80s. Good young players like Dave Stieb, Damaso Garcia, and Lloyd Moseby saw playing time in 1980 and George Bell would show up the next year. A total of 37 different players saw action during the 1980 season. Lets see each of the card companies did in featuring cards of the players. Any players shown with other teams will count in the team % as they are considered checklisted.
Topps
22 Different player cards + 2 of the 3 "Future Stars" Luis Leal and Ken Schrom for a total of 24 players. (65%)
By far the worst job by Topps to date. No posisiton players with less than 80 games played in Toronto with cards. That means no Doug Ault, Danny Ainge, Joe Cannon, Willie Upshaw, etc. Somehow we have a Phil Huffman who did not play in 1980. Among pitchers there is no Jesse Jefferson (claimed on waivers by Pittsburgh in Sept.) Jack Kucek, and tom Buskey were major omissions.
Fleer
21 Player cards +the manager (57%)
Blah. At least there is a Danny Ainge and the only card of Jesse Jefferson.
Donruss
18 players + Manager + Dave Lemanczyk (51%)
Worst job yet. No Lloyd Moseby or Jim Clancy.
Player selection grade: Topps - C; Fleer - C; Donruss - D
Rankings by Team
Topps
Yankees (87%)
Tigers (85%)
Brewers (82%)
Indians (82%)
Orioles (79%)
Red Sox (76%)
Blue Jays (65%)
Fleer
Yankees (85%)
Orioles (74%)
Tigers (71%)
Brewers (67%)
Indians (67%)
Blue Jays (57%)
Red Sox (54%)
Donruss
Orioles (71%)
Tigers (71%)
Brewers (70%)
Indians (67%)
Yankees (64%)
Red Sox (59%)
Blue Jays (51%)
We finish up the AL East with the last place Blue Jays. The Blue Jays were horrible in the late 70s, but they were starting to put together a good solid team that would compete in the later half of the 80s. Good young players like Dave Stieb, Damaso Garcia, and Lloyd Moseby saw playing time in 1980 and George Bell would show up the next year. A total of 37 different players saw action during the 1980 season. Lets see each of the card companies did in featuring cards of the players. Any players shown with other teams will count in the team % as they are considered checklisted.
Topps
22 Different player cards + 2 of the 3 "Future Stars" Luis Leal and Ken Schrom for a total of 24 players. (65%)
By far the worst job by Topps to date. No posisiton players with less than 80 games played in Toronto with cards. That means no Doug Ault, Danny Ainge, Joe Cannon, Willie Upshaw, etc. Somehow we have a Phil Huffman who did not play in 1980. Among pitchers there is no Jesse Jefferson (claimed on waivers by Pittsburgh in Sept.) Jack Kucek, and tom Buskey were major omissions.
Fleer
21 Player cards +the manager (57%)
Blah. At least there is a Danny Ainge and the only card of Jesse Jefferson.
Donruss
18 players + Manager + Dave Lemanczyk (51%)
Worst job yet. No Lloyd Moseby or Jim Clancy.
Player selection grade: Topps - C; Fleer - C; Donruss - D
Rankings by Team
Topps
Yankees (87%)
Tigers (85%)
Brewers (82%)
Indians (82%)
Orioles (79%)
Red Sox (76%)
Blue Jays (65%)
Fleer
Yankees (85%)
Orioles (74%)
Tigers (71%)
Brewers (67%)
Indians (67%)
Blue Jays (57%)
Red Sox (54%)
Donruss
Orioles (71%)
Tigers (71%)
Brewers (70%)
Indians (67%)
Yankees (64%)
Red Sox (59%)
Blue Jays (51%)
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Found in Retail
Last night me and the wife went to Target in search of Christmas decorations to add to our tree. We have a bigger tree this year and need more stuff. When we were done in the Christmas area I wandered over to movies and magazines to look for gift ideas and my wife wandered off. She comes back and tells me that there are 2 different Topps sets in the card area, one marked 59.99 and one marked 49.99 and that I should go look. I wait and then go over as we finish. Keep in mind that she knows I am wanting to order a set for Christmas (Dave and Adams have a set for 37.95). Anyway, she shows me the cheaper set and shows me that it is on clearance for 34.95!!!!!! Shoot yeah, I but that sucker in my cart. I am not into the "Target Exclusive" Ruth (or Mantle), but I could not pass up the deal.
I also bought a rack pack of Update. I know I said that I would not buy these things, but I was in a buying mood. The pack gave me a nice surprise.
No, that was not it. I showed this for the airbrush/photoshop job by Topps. I noticed something odd about the photo (the yellow on the bat on the uniform looks too bright) and then noticed something in the background. Look at the right leg of the gentleman sitting in the white uniform. Notice his stirrups? That is the color pattern of the Cardinals. That is a Cardinal home uniform. Feliz is in a Cardinal away uniform. You would think that Topps would have learned to pay attention to the background when doctoring the photos, they did in 1973.
I got a hit. Not a Met fan, so if anyone is interested drop me a line and I will trade it for some Update doubles.
I also bought a rack pack of Update. I know I said that I would not buy these things, but I was in a buying mood. The pack gave me a nice surprise.
No, that was not it. I showed this for the airbrush/photoshop job by Topps. I noticed something odd about the photo (the yellow on the bat on the uniform looks too bright) and then noticed something in the background. Look at the right leg of the gentleman sitting in the white uniform. Notice his stirrups? That is the color pattern of the Cardinals. That is a Cardinal home uniform. Feliz is in a Cardinal away uniform. You would think that Topps would have learned to pay attention to the background when doctoring the photos, they did in 1973.
I got a hit. Not a Met fan, so if anyone is interested drop me a line and I will trade it for some Update doubles.
Friday, November 19, 2010
1981 Cleveland
1981 Cleveland Indians
The 1980 Indians were one of two AL East teams that finished below .500, but they were only two games below. The 1980 season saw hope on the horizon with a fine ROY showing by Joe Charboneau and Andre Thorton coming back from injury (he missed all of 1980 with a knee injury). The sad thing is, the AL East was strong and it would take a lot to crack into the top 5 in that division. Celveland had a small roster, with only 33 different players suiting up (20 position players and 13 pitchers). the fact is that if you put all 3 sets together you would have cards of 31 of the 33 playes, with only Don Cllins the only one who I do not remember ever having a card. Lets see each of the card companies did in featuring cards of the players. Any players shown with other teams will count in the team % as they are considered checklisted.
Topps
24 Different player cards + 1 of the 3 "Future Stars" Sany Wihtol was the only one who played on the big club in 1980 + Cliff Johsnon (traded to Cubs in June) + Ron Pruitt (traded to White Sox in June) - Anrdre Thornton (DNP in 1980) - Eric Wilkins (Last ML action in 1979) for a total of 27 players. (82%)
I understand having a card of Thornton as he was agruably their best player, but the Wilkins card baffles me. I guess they needed someone to fill out the quota of tribers. No Mike Stanton, who appeared in 51 games, or Dave Rosello (71 games)
Fleer
21 Player cards +Johnson (67%)
Respectable job of player selection. they did miss out on Alan Bannister, Bo Diaz, Dave Rosello, John Denny and Dell Alston. Most of these players were semi-regulars, appearing in 52-76 games for the posistion players and 16 for Denny.
Donruss
20 players + Manageri + Johnson + Thornton + Bob Owchinko. Note on Owchinko, his team reads Pirates reflecting the trade of 12/9/80 that brought Bert Blyleven and Manny Sanguillen to Cleveland. None of the other players involved had their team name changed. (67%)
Not bad for Donruss with the only major omissions being Brohamer, Dan Spillner and Mike Stanton. Spillner was granted Free Agency in October and signed with Cleveland on 12/8/10, one day before the above trade. It is possible that Donruss removed the card from production and replaced it with another player thinking that Spillner would not be resigned.
As noted earlier, if you combine all 3 sets you get 31 of the 33 players and Andre Thornton. One of the missing is Andres Mora who had a card in a previous Topps set. I do not remember Don Collins.
Player selection grade: Topps - B; Fleer - B; Donruss - B
Rankings by Team
Topps
Yankees (87%)
Tigers (85%)
Brewers (82%)
Indians (82%)
Orioles (79%)
Red Sox (76%)
Fleer
Yankees (85%)
Orioles (74%)
Tigers (71%)
Brewers (67%)
Indians (67%)
Red Sox (54%)
Donruss
Orioles (71%)
Tigers (71%)
Brewers (70%)
Indians (67%)
Yankees (64%)
Red Sox (59%)
The 1980 Indians were one of two AL East teams that finished below .500, but they were only two games below. The 1980 season saw hope on the horizon with a fine ROY showing by Joe Charboneau and Andre Thorton coming back from injury (he missed all of 1980 with a knee injury). The sad thing is, the AL East was strong and it would take a lot to crack into the top 5 in that division. Celveland had a small roster, with only 33 different players suiting up (20 position players and 13 pitchers). the fact is that if you put all 3 sets together you would have cards of 31 of the 33 playes, with only Don Cllins the only one who I do not remember ever having a card. Lets see each of the card companies did in featuring cards of the players. Any players shown with other teams will count in the team % as they are considered checklisted.
Topps
24 Different player cards + 1 of the 3 "Future Stars" Sany Wihtol was the only one who played on the big club in 1980 + Cliff Johsnon (traded to Cubs in June) + Ron Pruitt (traded to White Sox in June) - Anrdre Thornton (DNP in 1980) - Eric Wilkins (Last ML action in 1979) for a total of 27 players. (82%)
I understand having a card of Thornton as he was agruably their best player, but the Wilkins card baffles me. I guess they needed someone to fill out the quota of tribers. No Mike Stanton, who appeared in 51 games, or Dave Rosello (71 games)
Fleer
21 Player cards +Johnson (67%)
Respectable job of player selection. they did miss out on Alan Bannister, Bo Diaz, Dave Rosello, John Denny and Dell Alston. Most of these players were semi-regulars, appearing in 52-76 games for the posistion players and 16 for Denny.
Donruss
20 players + Manageri + Johnson + Thornton + Bob Owchinko. Note on Owchinko, his team reads Pirates reflecting the trade of 12/9/80 that brought Bert Blyleven and Manny Sanguillen to Cleveland. None of the other players involved had their team name changed. (67%)
Not bad for Donruss with the only major omissions being Brohamer, Dan Spillner and Mike Stanton. Spillner was granted Free Agency in October and signed with Cleveland on 12/8/10, one day before the above trade. It is possible that Donruss removed the card from production and replaced it with another player thinking that Spillner would not be resigned.
As noted earlier, if you combine all 3 sets you get 31 of the 33 players and Andre Thornton. One of the missing is Andres Mora who had a card in a previous Topps set. I do not remember Don Collins.
Player selection grade: Topps - B; Fleer - B; Donruss - B
Rankings by Team
Topps
Yankees (87%)
Tigers (85%)
Brewers (82%)
Indians (82%)
Orioles (79%)
Red Sox (76%)
Fleer
Yankees (85%)
Orioles (74%)
Tigers (71%)
Brewers (67%)
Indians (67%)
Red Sox (54%)
Donruss
Orioles (71%)
Tigers (71%)
Brewers (70%)
Indians (67%)
Yankees (64%)
Red Sox (59%)
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
1981 Boston Red Sox
1981 Boston Red Sox
The 1980 Red Sox finished 5th in the AL East, but had a record over .500. This fact shows how competitive the AL East was during this time period as only two teams in the East finished with records belwo .500, and one of them was 2 games under at the end of the season. Boston has the largest roster to date, with 41 different players suiting up (24 position players and 17 pitchers). Lets see each of the card companies did in featuring cards of the players. Any players shown with other teams will count in the team % as they are considered checklisted.
Topps
26 Different player cards + 3 "Future Stars" Reid Nichols, Keith MacWhorter, and Bruce Hurst + Stan Papi (Tigers) + Jack Brohamer (Indians) - Tom Poquette (DNP in 1980) for a total of 31 players. (76%)
Interesting in that Poquette did not play in 1980 and yet had a card in the set. Only notable omission is Gary Hancock, a utility player who appeared in 46 games.
Fleer
20 Player cards +manager + Papi + Brohamer + and extra Yaz (54%)
Better job by Fleer than Detroit, but still quite a few omissions. Missing are Dave Rader (backup C, 50 games), Andy Allenson, John Tudor, Chuck Rainey, Win Remmerswaal (was the name to large to put on the card?), and Skip Lockwood.
Donruss
23 players +Papi + extra Yaz. Counted Butch Hopson, but his team name reads Angels (traded 12/10/80) (59%)
Donruss did better than Fleer and they included John Tudor. However they missed Brohamer, Rainey, Bill Campbell, and Hancock.
Topps benefited by having a larger checklist of players (only company to have Bruce Hurst), Fleer had the only Gary Hancock, and Donruss did not do to bad. Interesting note as Donruss changed the team name on Butch Hopson to reflect the trade but did not change the team name on any of the other parties involved in the trade (Rick Burleson, Mark Clear, Carney Lansford and Rick Miller)
Player selection grade: Topps - A; Fleer - B; Donruss - B
Rankings by Team
Topps
Yankees (87%)
Tigers (85%)
Brewers (82%)
Orioles (79%)
Red Sox (76%)
Fleer
Yankees (85%)
Orioles (74%)
Tigers (71%)
Brewers (67%)
Red Sox (54%)
Donruss
Orioles (71%)
Tigers (71%)
Brewers (70%)
Yankees (64%)
Red Sox (59%)
The 1980 Red Sox finished 5th in the AL East, but had a record over .500. This fact shows how competitive the AL East was during this time period as only two teams in the East finished with records belwo .500, and one of them was 2 games under at the end of the season. Boston has the largest roster to date, with 41 different players suiting up (24 position players and 17 pitchers). Lets see each of the card companies did in featuring cards of the players. Any players shown with other teams will count in the team % as they are considered checklisted.
Topps
26 Different player cards + 3 "Future Stars" Reid Nichols, Keith MacWhorter, and Bruce Hurst + Stan Papi (Tigers) + Jack Brohamer (Indians) - Tom Poquette (DNP in 1980) for a total of 31 players. (76%)
Interesting in that Poquette did not play in 1980 and yet had a card in the set. Only notable omission is Gary Hancock, a utility player who appeared in 46 games.
Fleer
20 Player cards +manager + Papi + Brohamer + and extra Yaz (54%)
Better job by Fleer than Detroit, but still quite a few omissions. Missing are Dave Rader (backup C, 50 games), Andy Allenson, John Tudor, Chuck Rainey, Win Remmerswaal (was the name to large to put on the card?), and Skip Lockwood.
Donruss
23 players +Papi + extra Yaz. Counted Butch Hopson, but his team name reads Angels (traded 12/10/80) (59%)
Donruss did better than Fleer and they included John Tudor. However they missed Brohamer, Rainey, Bill Campbell, and Hancock.
Topps benefited by having a larger checklist of players (only company to have Bruce Hurst), Fleer had the only Gary Hancock, and Donruss did not do to bad. Interesting note as Donruss changed the team name on Butch Hopson to reflect the trade but did not change the team name on any of the other parties involved in the trade (Rick Burleson, Mark Clear, Carney Lansford and Rick Miller)
Player selection grade: Topps - A; Fleer - B; Donruss - B
Rankings by Team
Topps
Yankees (87%)
Tigers (85%)
Brewers (82%)
Orioles (79%)
Red Sox (76%)
Fleer
Yankees (85%)
Orioles (74%)
Tigers (71%)
Brewers (67%)
Red Sox (54%)
Donruss
Orioles (71%)
Tigers (71%)
Brewers (70%)
Yankees (64%)
Red Sox (59%)
Monday, November 15, 2010
1981 - Brewers
1981 Milwaukee Brewers
The 1980 Brewers were a team on the rise in the AL East. They finished 3rd with 86 wins, and would go to post their first ever postseason appearance the next year. This team was just two years away from making it's first, and only, World Series appearance. The main componants of the 82 squad can be found in 80. 33 different players suited up for the Brewers (18 position players and 15 pitchers). Lets see each of the card companies did in featuring cards of the players. Any players shown with other teams will count in the team % as they are considered checklisted.
Topps
24 Different player cards + "Future Stars" of Ned Yost, Ed Romero, and John Flinn for a total of 27 players. (82%)
Player selection was very good. In fact the player with the most palying time not included was Mark Brouhard with 45 games played.
Fleer
22 Player cards. (67%)
Fleer did a good job, but there is one error card that is important to note. Card 514 is noted as Jerry Augustine but features a photo of Bill Travers. Fleer corrected the card by changing the name, so there are 2 Bill Travers. Again no Brouhard and no Paul Mitchell, who pitched in 17 games.
Donruss
23 players, plus the manager. (70%)
The only ommission was Brouhard.
Good job of player selection by all 3 companies. Donruss did a good job with getting the main players in the set.
Player selection grade: Topps - A; Fleer - A; Donruss - A
Rankings by Team
Topps
Yankees (87%)
Brewers (82%)
Orioles (79%)
Fleer
Yankees (85%)
Orioles (74%)
Brewers (67%)
Donruss
Orioles (71%)
Brewers (70%)
Yankees (64%)
The 1980 Brewers were a team on the rise in the AL East. They finished 3rd with 86 wins, and would go to post their first ever postseason appearance the next year. This team was just two years away from making it's first, and only, World Series appearance. The main componants of the 82 squad can be found in 80. 33 different players suited up for the Brewers (18 position players and 15 pitchers). Lets see each of the card companies did in featuring cards of the players. Any players shown with other teams will count in the team % as they are considered checklisted.
Topps
24 Different player cards + "Future Stars" of Ned Yost, Ed Romero, and John Flinn for a total of 27 players. (82%)
Player selection was very good. In fact the player with the most palying time not included was Mark Brouhard with 45 games played.
Fleer
22 Player cards. (67%)
Fleer did a good job, but there is one error card that is important to note. Card 514 is noted as Jerry Augustine but features a photo of Bill Travers. Fleer corrected the card by changing the name, so there are 2 Bill Travers. Again no Brouhard and no Paul Mitchell, who pitched in 17 games.
Donruss
23 players, plus the manager. (70%)
The only ommission was Brouhard.
Good job of player selection by all 3 companies. Donruss did a good job with getting the main players in the set.
Player selection grade: Topps - A; Fleer - A; Donruss - A
Rankings by Team
Topps
Yankees (87%)
Brewers (82%)
Orioles (79%)
Fleer
Yankees (85%)
Orioles (74%)
Brewers (67%)
Donruss
Orioles (71%)
Brewers (70%)
Yankees (64%)
Friday, November 12, 2010
1981 - Baltimore Orioles
1981 Baltimore Orioles
The defending AL champion Orioles won 100 games in 1980, but that was not good enough to win the division crown. It seemed that it was always the Orioles, Yankees and Red Sox battling for the crown during this time. 34 different players suited up for the Orioles (22 position players and 12 pitchers). Lets see each of the card companies did in featuring cards of the players. Any players shown with other teams will count in the team % as they are considered checklisted.
Topps
23 Different player cards + "Future Stars" of Mike Bodiker, Mark Corey, and Floyd Rayford for a total of 26 players. Also include Dave Skaggs who was sold to the Angels on 5/13 (79%)
Player selection was very good. All 3 of the Rookies saw time with the big club in 80. Of the players not represented in the set, only Lee May and Pat kelly were players that saw significant time with the team that did not have a Topps card. They were both granted Free Agency on 10/23.
Fleer
25 Player cards, with 2 Doug DeCinces and a card of Earl Weaver. Dave Skaggs is not in the set (74%)
Fleer had almost all of the same players as Topps, including Mark Corey. Rayford only played in 8 games, so was probably not photographed. Fleer did have a card of Pat Kelly.
Donruss
24 players, plus the manager, 2 Jim Palmers, and 2 Steve Stones. Again, no Dave Skaggs (71%)
No major ommisions, but they do have a card of Lee May.
Good job of player selection by all 3 companies. Topps does not inclued 2 players who were granted Free Agency after the season, normal if Topps felt they would not sign with anyone.
Player selection grade: Topps - A; Fleer - A; Donruss - A
Rankings by Team
Topps
Yankees (87%)
Orioles (79%)
Fleer
Yankees (85%)
Orioles (74%)
Donruss
Orioles (71%)
Yankees (64%)
The defending AL champion Orioles won 100 games in 1980, but that was not good enough to win the division crown. It seemed that it was always the Orioles, Yankees and Red Sox battling for the crown during this time. 34 different players suited up for the Orioles (22 position players and 12 pitchers). Lets see each of the card companies did in featuring cards of the players. Any players shown with other teams will count in the team % as they are considered checklisted.
Topps
23 Different player cards + "Future Stars" of Mike Bodiker, Mark Corey, and Floyd Rayford for a total of 26 players. Also include Dave Skaggs who was sold to the Angels on 5/13 (79%)
Player selection was very good. All 3 of the Rookies saw time with the big club in 80. Of the players not represented in the set, only Lee May and Pat kelly were players that saw significant time with the team that did not have a Topps card. They were both granted Free Agency on 10/23.
Fleer
25 Player cards, with 2 Doug DeCinces and a card of Earl Weaver. Dave Skaggs is not in the set (74%)
Fleer had almost all of the same players as Topps, including Mark Corey. Rayford only played in 8 games, so was probably not photographed. Fleer did have a card of Pat Kelly.
Donruss
24 players, plus the manager, 2 Jim Palmers, and 2 Steve Stones. Again, no Dave Skaggs (71%)
No major ommisions, but they do have a card of Lee May.
Good job of player selection by all 3 companies. Topps does not inclued 2 players who were granted Free Agency after the season, normal if Topps felt they would not sign with anyone.
Player selection grade: Topps - A; Fleer - A; Donruss - A
Rankings by Team
Topps
Yankees (87%)
Orioles (79%)
Fleer
Yankees (85%)
Orioles (74%)
Donruss
Orioles (71%)
Yankees (64%)
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Veterans Day
A Veteran's Day salute to Mickey Lolich. Lolich was a popular Tiger player in during the 70s, partially as a result of his his 3 complete game wins in the 68 series. But there is more to Lolich's career than just those 3 games. Most people do not realize that at the time of his retirement in 1979 he held the record for most career strikeouts by a lefthander. He is now third on the list of lefties, behind Steve Carlton and Randy Johnson.
Lolich enjoyed a solid career in Detroit, as he is stil number 1 on the all time strikeout, shutout, and games started list. He is also number 3 in wins, games pitched, and innings pitched. Those career numbers are part of the reason that he was a fan favorite. When he was traded to the Mets in 1975 for Rusty Staub (who was a favorite of mine) he did not move his family to New York and decided to sit out the second year of his contract to be a free agent after the 77 season. Lolich remained in the Detroit area after retirement and opened a donut shop.
Lolich also served in the Air National Guard during the late 60s, having to meet his guard obligations during the season. In 1967, during the Detroit riots, he was called up to active duty for 15 days during the pennent race to patrol the streets of Detroit. During the 68 season he also had to work playing time around his guard obligations. That seems strange now as players do not have to worry about being drafted into service while playing ball, but that was a common practice during the 60s. Most military posts had baseball teams in the early 60s and if a baseball player was serving in the Army, odds are that he would be on the post baseball team.
Looking back at the career numbers for Lolich I do wonder why he did not seem to get a lot of support for the Hall of Fame. He had a high career strikeout total, but never won a Cy Young award. He did have 2 outstanding seasons (1971, 1972) and of course his one appearance in the World Series. IMO, his series performance is the first thing that you think about when you see his name. This is a case where one big event overshadows a solid career. Do I think he will ever be in the HOF? Reality tells me no, but he is in my personal HOF, along with Bill Freehan.
If you know a vetern make sure you take the time to thank them for their service to their country.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
The Topps of Topps - Part 1
While looking at other blogs this morning I came across on entry on bdj's Topps cards blog about the selection of the Topps 100. In case you have not heard about the Topps 100, Topps selected their 100 best baseball cards from over the past 60 years and asked collectors to vote for their favorite 10 cards. The top 60 vote getters will have cards (or redemtions) in the 2011 Topps sets. Sounds cool. Small problem, some collectors are complaining about the compilation of the list. JB is proposing coming up with his own. I will attempt to do the same. Here it goes:
1. 1952 Andy Pafko (have to include the first card in what is considered the first set)
2. 1952 Mantle (duh)
3. 1953 Jackie Robinson
4. 1952 Willie Mays
5. 1954 Hank Aaron
6. 1954 Ernie Banks
7. 1954 Al Kaline
8. 1956 Roberto Clemente
9. 1956 Sandy Kofax
10. 1954 Ted Williams (card number 1)
11. 1957 Frank Robinson
12. 1959 Bob Gibson
13. 1958 Stan Musual All Star
14. 1961 Billy Williams
15. 1960 Carl Yastremski
16. 1990 Bart Giamanti (Yes I am including a non player card. It was a tribute card. It is my list)
17. 1965 Joe Morgan
18. 1965 Steve Carlton
19. 1962 Al Kaline
20. 1958 World Series Batting Foes
21. 1962 Manger's Dream (Mantle and Banks)
22. 1962 Gaylord Perry
23. 1963 Pete Rose Rookie
24. 1964 Willie Mays
25. 1966 Jim Hunter
26. 1967 Carl Yastremski
27. 1967 Tom Seaver rookie
28. 1968 Nolan Ryan Rookie
29. 1969 Rollie Fingers Rookie
30. 1969 Reggie Jackson
31. 1969 Mickey Mantle - White letter variation
32. 1970 World Series celebration
33. 1956 Milwaukee Braves team card - any of the variations
34. 1971 Thurman Munson
35. 1971 Willie Mays
36. 1972 Billy Martin - In action
37. 1971 Lowell Palmer (If you are not familiar with this card go find an image of it)
38. 1971 Steve Garvey
39. 1973 Mike Schmidt rookie
40. 1974 Dave Winfield
41. 1975 Robin Yount
42. 1975 George Brett
43. 1974 Hank Aaron Home Run King
44. 1976 Johnny Bench
45. 1977 Carlton Fisk
46. 1978 Eddie Murray
47. 1979 Ozzie Smith
48. 1979 Thurman Munson
49. 1973 Luis Alcevedo (I think that is the card. I am going off of memory. It is the one where he is turning a double play in spring training with the cars in the background).
50. 1973 Roberto Clemente
51. 1976 Dennis Eckersly
52. 1977 Bruce Sutter
53. 1978 Rookie Shortstops (Trammell, Molitor, UL Washington)
54. 1998 Alex Rodriguez
55. 1980 Rickey Henderson
56. 1971 Nolan Ryan
57. 1989 Traded Griffey Jr.
58. 1981 Dodgers rookies
59. 1982 Traded Cal Ripken Jr.
60. 1983 Cal Ripken Jr.
61. 1984 Traded Pete Rose
62. 1985 Mark McGwire
63. 1987 Bo Jackson
64. 1987 Barry Bonds
65. 1978 Andre Dawson
66. 1983 Ozzie Smith
67. 1991 Roger Clemens
68. 1992 Cal Ripken Jr.
69. 1990 Frank Thomas
70. 1988 Traded Jim Abbott
71. 2006 Alex Gordon (I will not let this gimmick die).
72. 1991 Cecil Fielder
73. 1986 Pete Rose Highlight
74. 1962 Babe Ruth tribute (pick one. Have to have Ruth in the set).
75. 1976 Brooks Robinson
76. 1987 Will Clark
77. 1984 Don Mattingly
78. 1985 Roger Clemens
79. 1985 Dwight Gooden
80. 1984 Darryl Strawberry
81. 2007 Derek Jeter
82. 1999 Mark McGwire Home Run (I think it card 220. there are 70 variations of the card.)
83. 2002 Hank Aaron greatest moments (I think this is the year it came out.)
84. 1969 Aurelio Rodriguez
85. 1959 Lou Burdette
86. 1964 Casey Stengell
87. 1957 Hank Aaron
88. 1993 Derek Jeter
89. 1994 Ryne Sandberg
90. 1996 Chipper Jones
91. 1992 Brien Taylor
92. 2000 Barry Larkin
93. 2001 Ichiro
94. 2002 Joe Mauer
95. 2003 Hanley Rameriz
96. 1993 Black Gold Frank Thomas
97. 1994 Barry Bonds
98. 1984 Rickey Henderson
99. 1961 Roger Maris
100. 1953 Satchel Paige
This is my initial list. Of course it leans heavy toward Vintage as that is what I think of when I think of iconic cards.
1. 1952 Andy Pafko (have to include the first card in what is considered the first set)
2. 1952 Mantle (duh)
3. 1953 Jackie Robinson
4. 1952 Willie Mays
5. 1954 Hank Aaron
6. 1954 Ernie Banks
7. 1954 Al Kaline
8. 1956 Roberto Clemente
9. 1956 Sandy Kofax
10. 1954 Ted Williams (card number 1)
11. 1957 Frank Robinson
12. 1959 Bob Gibson
13. 1958 Stan Musual All Star
14. 1961 Billy Williams
15. 1960 Carl Yastremski
16. 1990 Bart Giamanti (Yes I am including a non player card. It was a tribute card. It is my list)
17. 1965 Joe Morgan
18. 1965 Steve Carlton
19. 1962 Al Kaline
20. 1958 World Series Batting Foes
21. 1962 Manger's Dream (Mantle and Banks)
22. 1962 Gaylord Perry
23. 1963 Pete Rose Rookie
24. 1964 Willie Mays
25. 1966 Jim Hunter
26. 1967 Carl Yastremski
27. 1967 Tom Seaver rookie
28. 1968 Nolan Ryan Rookie
29. 1969 Rollie Fingers Rookie
30. 1969 Reggie Jackson
31. 1969 Mickey Mantle - White letter variation
32. 1970 World Series celebration
33. 1956 Milwaukee Braves team card - any of the variations
34. 1971 Thurman Munson
35. 1971 Willie Mays
36. 1972 Billy Martin - In action
37. 1971 Lowell Palmer (If you are not familiar with this card go find an image of it)
38. 1971 Steve Garvey
39. 1973 Mike Schmidt rookie
40. 1974 Dave Winfield
41. 1975 Robin Yount
42. 1975 George Brett
43. 1974 Hank Aaron Home Run King
44. 1976 Johnny Bench
45. 1977 Carlton Fisk
46. 1978 Eddie Murray
47. 1979 Ozzie Smith
48. 1979 Thurman Munson
49. 1973 Luis Alcevedo (I think that is the card. I am going off of memory. It is the one where he is turning a double play in spring training with the cars in the background).
50. 1973 Roberto Clemente
51. 1976 Dennis Eckersly
52. 1977 Bruce Sutter
53. 1978 Rookie Shortstops (Trammell, Molitor, UL Washington)
54. 1998 Alex Rodriguez
55. 1980 Rickey Henderson
56. 1971 Nolan Ryan
57. 1989 Traded Griffey Jr.
58. 1981 Dodgers rookies
59. 1982 Traded Cal Ripken Jr.
60. 1983 Cal Ripken Jr.
61. 1984 Traded Pete Rose
62. 1985 Mark McGwire
63. 1987 Bo Jackson
64. 1987 Barry Bonds
65. 1978 Andre Dawson
66. 1983 Ozzie Smith
67. 1991 Roger Clemens
68. 1992 Cal Ripken Jr.
69. 1990 Frank Thomas
70. 1988 Traded Jim Abbott
71. 2006 Alex Gordon (I will not let this gimmick die).
72. 1991 Cecil Fielder
73. 1986 Pete Rose Highlight
74. 1962 Babe Ruth tribute (pick one. Have to have Ruth in the set).
75. 1976 Brooks Robinson
76. 1987 Will Clark
77. 1984 Don Mattingly
78. 1985 Roger Clemens
79. 1985 Dwight Gooden
80. 1984 Darryl Strawberry
81. 2007 Derek Jeter
82. 1999 Mark McGwire Home Run (I think it card 220. there are 70 variations of the card.)
83. 2002 Hank Aaron greatest moments (I think this is the year it came out.)
84. 1969 Aurelio Rodriguez
85. 1959 Lou Burdette
86. 1964 Casey Stengell
87. 1957 Hank Aaron
88. 1993 Derek Jeter
89. 1994 Ryne Sandberg
90. 1996 Chipper Jones
91. 1992 Brien Taylor
92. 2000 Barry Larkin
93. 2001 Ichiro
94. 2002 Joe Mauer
95. 2003 Hanley Rameriz
96. 1993 Black Gold Frank Thomas
97. 1994 Barry Bonds
98. 1984 Rickey Henderson
99. 1961 Roger Maris
100. 1953 Satchel Paige
This is my initial list. Of course it leans heavy toward Vintage as that is what I think of when I think of iconic cards.
1981 Baseball - Yankees
1981 New York Yankees
In 1980 39 Different players wore the uniform of the A.L East Division Champion New York Yankees (26 position players and 13 pitchers). Lets see each of the card companies did in featuring cards of the players. Any players shown with other teams will count in the team % as they are considered checklisted.
Topps
29 Different player cards + "Yankees Rookies" of Tim Lollar, Bruce Robinson, and Dennis Werth for a total of 32 players (87%)
Player selection was very good. All 3 of the Rookies saw time with the big club in 80. Of the players not represented in the set, only Paul Blair played the most games (12) of the posisiton players. Blair was singed on May 28 and released on July 1. He would not appear in the majors after his last game of June 20. All of pitchers had cards in the set, with Ed Figueroa as a Ranger and Jim Kaat as a Cardinal the only players not featured in a Yankee uniform, but they were both sold from the Yankees before the All-Star break.
Fleer
31 Player cards, with 2 Reggie Jacksons (85%)
Fleer had all of the same players as Topps with the exception of Bruce Robinson. Kaat and Figueroa are with the Cardinals and Rangers in the Fleer set also.
Donruss
23 players, plus the manager, one coach (Yogi), and 2 additional Reggie Jacksons. Lets see if Donruss missed any major players. (64%)
A big time ommission is Rudy May, the 1980 AL ERA leader. Fred Stanley is listed as a member of the A's, but the Yankee checklist has Larry Milbourne as a Yankee. This is a reflection of 2 offseason aquisitions and is an indication that the Donruss set was finalized at a later date. Stanley was traded for Mike Morgan on 11/3/80 and Milbourne was received in a trade on 11/18/80.
Other players in Topps/Fleer and not Donruss are: Aurelio Rodriguez (52 games), Brian Doyle (34), Johnny Oates (39), Tom Lollar (14), Mike Griffin (13), and Doug Bird (22).
Overall, Donruss gets the worst grade due to the omission of May. I don't know why May was not included as he would pitch until 1983. It must have been beasue they were not able to get a photo of him as he was in future Donruss sets. Topps and Fleer are tied because they have the same basic players. This is to be expceted with this being a) the Yankees, and b) the AL East Champions.
Player selection grade: Topps - A; Fleer - A; Donruss - C
Rankings by Team
Topps
Yankees (87%)
Fleer
Yankees (85%)
Donruss
Yankees (64%)
In 1980 39 Different players wore the uniform of the A.L East Division Champion New York Yankees (26 position players and 13 pitchers). Lets see each of the card companies did in featuring cards of the players. Any players shown with other teams will count in the team % as they are considered checklisted.
Topps
29 Different player cards + "Yankees Rookies" of Tim Lollar, Bruce Robinson, and Dennis Werth for a total of 32 players (87%)
Player selection was very good. All 3 of the Rookies saw time with the big club in 80. Of the players not represented in the set, only Paul Blair played the most games (12) of the posisiton players. Blair was singed on May 28 and released on July 1. He would not appear in the majors after his last game of June 20. All of pitchers had cards in the set, with Ed Figueroa as a Ranger and Jim Kaat as a Cardinal the only players not featured in a Yankee uniform, but they were both sold from the Yankees before the All-Star break.
Fleer
31 Player cards, with 2 Reggie Jacksons (85%)
Fleer had all of the same players as Topps with the exception of Bruce Robinson. Kaat and Figueroa are with the Cardinals and Rangers in the Fleer set also.
Donruss
23 players, plus the manager, one coach (Yogi), and 2 additional Reggie Jacksons. Lets see if Donruss missed any major players. (64%)
A big time ommission is Rudy May, the 1980 AL ERA leader. Fred Stanley is listed as a member of the A's, but the Yankee checklist has Larry Milbourne as a Yankee. This is a reflection of 2 offseason aquisitions and is an indication that the Donruss set was finalized at a later date. Stanley was traded for Mike Morgan on 11/3/80 and Milbourne was received in a trade on 11/18/80.
Other players in Topps/Fleer and not Donruss are: Aurelio Rodriguez (52 games), Brian Doyle (34), Johnny Oates (39), Tom Lollar (14), Mike Griffin (13), and Doug Bird (22).
Overall, Donruss gets the worst grade due to the omission of May. I don't know why May was not included as he would pitch until 1983. It must have been beasue they were not able to get a photo of him as he was in future Donruss sets. Topps and Fleer are tied because they have the same basic players. This is to be expceted with this being a) the Yankees, and b) the AL East Champions.
Player selection grade: Topps - A; Fleer - A; Donruss - C
Rankings by Team
Topps
Yankees (87%)
Fleer
Yankees (85%)
Donruss
Yankees (64%)
Monday, November 8, 2010
1980s Baseball - Card Wars Project
This is an introduction to a project that I am starting to work on: the 80s. This decade comprised my main collecting years. I started collecting in 78 and stopped trying to hand collate sets in 1986, but I kept collecting actively until 1994. A few items to be noted before I get started, this is meant to chronicle a journey through the base sets of the 80s and not an assessment of who "won" the card wars of the 80s. You could argue that Topps won as they are the last company standing, but each of the 3/5 companies had their strengths and weaknesses. Donruss seemed to have some quality control issues (major errors for most of the years until 1992) and Fleer was decent.
First things first, an introduction. I was 9 years old when the 1979 cards came out and I was disappointed when Topps did not have any World Series cards in their set that year, like the previous year. But I collected because I liked baseball, and all of the stars were there. Fast forward to 1980 and again I was disappointed with no WS cards. I was mesmorized by the Pittsburgh teams that year (Pirates and Steelers) and thought for sure that there would be a card celebrating the Pirates title that year. Nope. Looking back I think that Topps moved up the deadline to finalize the checklist and photos starting in 79. This theory is due to a limited amount of airbrushed photos for players that changed teams in the off season. In both 77 and 78 you can try and pinpoint the date the checklist was finalized by looking at the transactions on Baseball Reference. Of course in 77 the expansion teams were included and 78 was another big Free Agent year. Topps got away from that starting in 79.
In 81 I first discovered a new set of cards, Fleer. Later that summer I found my first packs of Donruss. Fleer was more readilly available in my area, but I did not buy a whole lot as Topps was the one set I focused on. I organized my cards by teams during that time and did try and get "master" team sets containing cards from all 3 sets. Some players were in all three sets, and some in only one. Donruss had some crappy looking cards. If you have never seen one, just picture a photo on a 3 x 5 card. Diamond cut. With gum that was impossible to get off of the card. That was Donruss. I belive that Donruss decided to issue a set at almost the last minute and it shows.
There are differences in how cards were marketed that year. Topps branded itself as the Real One as it had been around for years. Fleer offered more cards per pack, and more packs per box as a way to get kids to buy the cards and retailers to stock the cards. Donruss offered more cards per pack also, but did not have the massive distribution channels that Fleer did. Other differences between the brands is that Fleer had complete career stats on the back. Yes, Steve Carlton did pitch in the minors at one time after looking at his Fleer card. Donruss decided to issue multiple cards of the superstars of the time period thinking kids would have a better chance of getting cards of the big names. Donruss backs had career highlights and minimal stats.
Another difference between the companies was in photography. If you notice where photos are taken on Topps cards, most of them were taken in the following locatins: New York, Chicago, and the Bay Area (SF/Oakland). These cities hosted teams in both leagues and gave the photographers living in those cities opportunities to catch teams from both leagues as they traveled thorough town. Spring training photos are also popular in all 3 sets and the teams train close by and you had opportunities to get photos of the prospects. Some of the Topps sets also had quite a few photos from Detroit and Cleveland. The Fleer set that year seems to have quite a few photos from Boston, San Diego. Los Angeles, and Toronto. Donruss has Chicago and Milwaukee as the main backdrops.
I had always considered the set to be a reflection of the prior year and that is the focus on player selection during the team writeups. I will look at the cards on a team by team basis more than a set by set. At the end of each year I will try and come up with a "best" set for each year, but that will be subjective.
First up: 1981.
Rough count of set breakdown, don't take this as gospel.
Topps set is 648 individual players, 26 three player "Future Stars", 26 Team Checklists, 6 checklists, 8 League Leaders, 8 Record Breakers, and 4 Postseason highlights
Fleet set is 618 different players, 16 managers, 14 cheklists, and 12 special cards of players (MVP, SB Leader, etc.)
Donruss is 564 different players, 21 mangers/coaches, 5 checklists, and 15 cards that are repeats of players (Steve Stone, George Brett, Reggie Jackson, etc) or multi-player cars (Brett/Carew)
Both Fleer and Donruss have a boatload of errors. I am not going to take the time to chronicle the errors as that would take a lot of time. An early favorite for best set would be Topps, due to the sheer number of cards in the set. It will be interesting to see what players were left out of which set as we go through this team by team.
Overview is division by division with AL East first, followed by AL West, NL East and NL West.
First things first, an introduction. I was 9 years old when the 1979 cards came out and I was disappointed when Topps did not have any World Series cards in their set that year, like the previous year. But I collected because I liked baseball, and all of the stars were there. Fast forward to 1980 and again I was disappointed with no WS cards. I was mesmorized by the Pittsburgh teams that year (Pirates and Steelers) and thought for sure that there would be a card celebrating the Pirates title that year. Nope. Looking back I think that Topps moved up the deadline to finalize the checklist and photos starting in 79. This theory is due to a limited amount of airbrushed photos for players that changed teams in the off season. In both 77 and 78 you can try and pinpoint the date the checklist was finalized by looking at the transactions on Baseball Reference. Of course in 77 the expansion teams were included and 78 was another big Free Agent year. Topps got away from that starting in 79.
In 81 I first discovered a new set of cards, Fleer. Later that summer I found my first packs of Donruss. Fleer was more readilly available in my area, but I did not buy a whole lot as Topps was the one set I focused on. I organized my cards by teams during that time and did try and get "master" team sets containing cards from all 3 sets. Some players were in all three sets, and some in only one. Donruss had some crappy looking cards. If you have never seen one, just picture a photo on a 3 x 5 card. Diamond cut. With gum that was impossible to get off of the card. That was Donruss. I belive that Donruss decided to issue a set at almost the last minute and it shows.
There are differences in how cards were marketed that year. Topps branded itself as the Real One as it had been around for years. Fleer offered more cards per pack, and more packs per box as a way to get kids to buy the cards and retailers to stock the cards. Donruss offered more cards per pack also, but did not have the massive distribution channels that Fleer did. Other differences between the brands is that Fleer had complete career stats on the back. Yes, Steve Carlton did pitch in the minors at one time after looking at his Fleer card. Donruss decided to issue multiple cards of the superstars of the time period thinking kids would have a better chance of getting cards of the big names. Donruss backs had career highlights and minimal stats.
Another difference between the companies was in photography. If you notice where photos are taken on Topps cards, most of them were taken in the following locatins: New York, Chicago, and the Bay Area (SF/Oakland). These cities hosted teams in both leagues and gave the photographers living in those cities opportunities to catch teams from both leagues as they traveled thorough town. Spring training photos are also popular in all 3 sets and the teams train close by and you had opportunities to get photos of the prospects. Some of the Topps sets also had quite a few photos from Detroit and Cleveland. The Fleer set that year seems to have quite a few photos from Boston, San Diego. Los Angeles, and Toronto. Donruss has Chicago and Milwaukee as the main backdrops.
I had always considered the set to be a reflection of the prior year and that is the focus on player selection during the team writeups. I will look at the cards on a team by team basis more than a set by set. At the end of each year I will try and come up with a "best" set for each year, but that will be subjective.
First up: 1981.
Rough count of set breakdown, don't take this as gospel.
Topps set is 648 individual players, 26 three player "Future Stars", 26 Team Checklists, 6 checklists, 8 League Leaders, 8 Record Breakers, and 4 Postseason highlights
Fleet set is 618 different players, 16 managers, 14 cheklists, and 12 special cards of players (MVP, SB Leader, etc.)
Donruss is 564 different players, 21 mangers/coaches, 5 checklists, and 15 cards that are repeats of players (Steve Stone, George Brett, Reggie Jackson, etc) or multi-player cars (Brett/Carew)
Both Fleer and Donruss have a boatload of errors. I am not going to take the time to chronicle the errors as that would take a lot of time. An early favorite for best set would be Topps, due to the sheer number of cards in the set. It will be interesting to see what players were left out of which set as we go through this team by team.
Overview is division by division with AL East first, followed by AL West, NL East and NL West.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Sparky
I just read today that beloved former manager Sparky Anderson has passed away. Link
Sparky was not the first Tiger manger that I remember, that honor goes to Ralph Houk, who also passed away this year, but he was there for the majority of my youth. Sparky came to the team in 1979 because he was available after being fired from the Reds the previous season. He had a burning desire to proved the Reds wrong for firing him and he wanted to field a winner. Detroit had a good team in place when he took over, but the team roster would change before the championship season of 84.
He would say that the 84 season provided the most pressure he had felt as a manager because of the great start of the team. It was said that if he failed to win the pennant the fans would hang him from the center field flag pole.
A lot will be written today and tomorrow about Sparky, the stories he told, his feats, etc. Sit back, read them and enjoy them as most of the funny stories are true. My only wish was that the Tigers would have retired his number 2 years ago during the 84 reunion.
If you want some light reading I recommend finding a copy of his diary of the 1984 season, Bless You Boys. It is a good look at what was happening during the season, the highs and lows.
Sparky was not the first Tiger manger that I remember, that honor goes to Ralph Houk, who also passed away this year, but he was there for the majority of my youth. Sparky came to the team in 1979 because he was available after being fired from the Reds the previous season. He had a burning desire to proved the Reds wrong for firing him and he wanted to field a winner. Detroit had a good team in place when he took over, but the team roster would change before the championship season of 84.
He would say that the 84 season provided the most pressure he had felt as a manager because of the great start of the team. It was said that if he failed to win the pennant the fans would hang him from the center field flag pole.
A lot will be written today and tomorrow about Sparky, the stories he told, his feats, etc. Sit back, read them and enjoy them as most of the funny stories are true. My only wish was that the Tigers would have retired his number 2 years ago during the 84 reunion.
If you want some light reading I recommend finding a copy of his diary of the 1984 season, Bless You Boys. It is a good look at what was happening during the season, the highs and lows.
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Tiger Heros - Bill Freehan
It has been to long since my last card post. Life has just got in the way lately, no other excuse. I have a couple of projects in my mind, but that will require scanning and preparation. Hopefully I can find the time to scan and prepare. This post will deal with one of the best catchers in Tiger history, Bill Freehan.
Bill Freehan was a Michigan native who spent his high school years in Florida. After high school he spent 2 years at the University of Michigan, where he played baseball and football. Made his debut with the club in 1961, his first year in professional ball. Spent the entire 62 season in Denver before coming up to stay in Detroit for the 1963 season. His rookie card is in the 1963 Topps set.
Not known as a great hitter, Bill would hit and even .300 in his first full major leage seaon. That was the first time a Tiger catcher has hit .300 since Mickey Cochrane. He won the Gold Glove award for 5 straight seasons in the 60s and was selected for the All-Star game 10 straight seasons. He set an AL record for being HBP in 1968.
In case anyone is wondering about the identiy of the coach in the background hitting fielding practice it is Wally Moses. I did find it interesting that according to the 1968 roster the four coaches were assinged numbers from 50-53.
Bill Freehan was a Michigan native who spent his high school years in Florida. After high school he spent 2 years at the University of Michigan, where he played baseball and football. Made his debut with the club in 1961, his first year in professional ball. Spent the entire 62 season in Denver before coming up to stay in Detroit for the 1963 season. His rookie card is in the 1963 Topps set.
Not known as a great hitter, Bill would hit and even .300 in his first full major leage seaon. That was the first time a Tiger catcher has hit .300 since Mickey Cochrane. He won the Gold Glove award for 5 straight seasons in the 60s and was selected for the All-Star game 10 straight seasons. He set an AL record for being HBP in 1968.
In case anyone is wondering about the identiy of the coach in the background hitting fielding practice it is Wally Moses. I did find it interesting that according to the 1968 roster the four coaches were assinged numbers from 50-53.
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