Custom: Pedro Alvarez Rockin’ The Throwbacks

This past Sunday, the Pirates wore their Sunday alts which are based on the 1971 Pirates uniforms.  Even though I’m not a Pirates fan, I’ve loved these uniforms since I was a kid, so I couldn’t NOT make a custom from the game.  1971 or 1972 Topps might’ve been a better choice, but it’s been a busy week so I had to go with what was on  hand, which meant 1974 Topps.  I apologize for any pain and suffering brought on by this decision.

As for the throwbacks, I’m impressed by what I’ve seen in photos.  It certainly seems like they’ve gotten all the details down.  My only complaint, and one I don’t see a way around, is just that the players don’t wear their uniforms in a way that would’ve been appropriate in the 1970′s… Most of the players are going to wear “pajama pants” and even if they show some stirrups I don’t know whether the players have the knowledge of how to do it “right”.  I’m not blaming them, any more than I blame anyone under the age of 30 who can’t dial a rotary phone… It’s just a bit of lost knowledge.

Hostess Card Of The Week: 1975 Bake McBride

Today is Bake McBride’s 63rd birthday.  Arnold Ray “Bake” McBride was the 1974 Rookie Of the Year after batting .309 with 30 stolen bases in 150 games for the Cardinals. He was an All-Star in 1976, played in the 1980 World Series with the Phillies and finished his career with a .299 average.  He ranks 24th among the Phillies all-time batting average leaders (.292).

The photo on the card is obviously a Spring Training shot, and I’m guessing the building in the background is a hotel (my hunch says Hilton).  At first I thought the guys doing something on the ground were from the grounds crew, but it looks like they’re wearing Cardinal uniforms so I have no idea what they’re doing.

I featured Bake McBride’s rookie card in the Hostess Card Of The Week post from two weeks ago, only in that post I was focusing in part on one of his card mates, Rich Bladt, who had been traded along with Elliott Maddox, who was the subject of that week’s card:

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My prediction for the Super Bowl (Not that I’ll be watching…):
Niners 24, Ravens 21.
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At this point I’m going to revive a “feature” that may not be thrilling to many (or any) of you, but when my great uncle Beauregard was on his deathbed, I promised him that I would carry on with this….

Yes, it’s time for Weigh-in #45, this time we’re tracking my progress since 12/2/12.  I find that it making my progress a matter of public record helps to motivate (or shame) me, even if nobody reads them.  This time around, I feel good about what’s going on.

Net change in the collection: -1,311 (since 12/2: 557 added, 1585 purged)

Net change to the # of cards in the house: -8,904 (since 12/2: 530 in, 66 out)

Total # of cards which have left the house: 13,688

Number of cards tracked in my Access database: 20,418 (up from 4,740… I’m very happy with the organization that accompanies this surge)

Hostess Card Of The Week: 1975 Elliott Maddox

On this date in 1977, Elliott Maddox and Rick Bladt were traded to the Orioles for Paul Blair; all of the players involved were center fielders.

I didn’t remember Elliott Maddox playing with the O’s, and I found out that it’s because his stint lasted just half a season.

More to the point, he never appeared on a card as an Oriole… Therefore, it never happened.

After the 1977 season, Maddox became a free agent and signed with the Mets, and it was as a Met that he appeared on his 1978 card.

Aside from the Yankees, Orioles and Mets, Maddox also played for the Tigers and Senators/Rangers. His best season was probably 1974 when he batted .303, hit 26 doubles, scored 75 runs, drove in 46 runs and lead all Major League center fielders with 18 assists.

As for Rick Bladt, I believe that this is the extent of his cardboard immortality:

(Wow, I didn’t remember this card was in such poor condition until I scanned it…)

If Bladt had come along 15-20 years later, he’d have at least a dozen rookie cards.

Rick Bladt played in 10 games with the 1969 Cubs, and 52 games with the 1975 Yankees… Those 52 games came as a result of an injury to starting center fielder Elliott Maddox. He played 9 seasons in AAA, including 7 for the Yankees AAA team in Syracuse. You’d have to think he became a fan-favorite in Syracuse.

Master Set Completed: 1974

I accomplished a long-standing goal when I was at the National, but never wrote about it until now.  Bad Joe!  Bad!

With the purchase of this “Large San Diego” variation of the #599 Rookie Pitchers card, I’d completed my master set of 1974 Topps.  This particular card (one of three versions) seems to be relatively hard to find, and yet I got this one for 50 cents.  That’s the way it goes sometimes (not that I’m complaining).

I’d completed the base Topps and Traded sets back in the Seventies, and I’d pulled a McCovey “Washington Nat’l Lea.” card out of a pack in 1974.  That eventually lead to collecting most of the Washington variations and I was satisfied with that for years until I ran across a cheap “No Position” Jesus Alou card at a show.  At that point, I figured I may as well go all the way and collect the master set.

For the record, here’s what a master set of 1974 Topps consists of:

The 660 card base set.

The 44 card traded set.

The 24 team checklists.

The “Washington ‘Nat’l. Lea.’” Variations.

The “No Position” Jesus Alou card.

The Apodaco/Apodaca rookie card variation.

The three versions of the above card:  the common “Washington”, and the less common Small San Diego and Large San Diego.

Somewhere in my clutter, I’ve also got the “mail-in” version of the team checklists;  I haven’t seen it in years, but I’m too much of a pack rat to have gotten rid of it.  If I remember correctly (and by all means, correct me if I’m wrong), you’d mail in a wrapper or two and some small financial amount, and they’d send you a small, folded, uncut sheet of the team checklist cards.  Mine is checked off and probably creased 50 different ways, but I can’t say for sure what condition it is.  You can be sure that I’ll share it with you should I unearth it.

There is one more 1974-related thing I’d like to acquire… A wrapper from a wax pack.  I don’t think I’d try to get every variation on the 1974 Topps wrapper, but then again I never thought I’d try to complete the master set to begin with.  I wouldn’t go as far as to try to acquire an unopened wax pack unless a very, very cheap one presents itself to me.

Celebrating My First Anniversary With Cards From Another Universe

So, today is the first anniversary of The Shlabotnik Report.

I had thought I had a pretty good “mission statement” when I started, but I really didn’t know what I was doing for quite a while… It took me a while to realize that there were really two things I was looking for: First, something which would keep me accountable and on-track as I undertook the depressingly large task of purging my collection. Second, it also provided me with someone to “talk shop” with. None of my family or friends are collectors. My blogging spares my wife from listening to “Hey, check out this Willie Montanez card…”

I wanted to do something a little special to mark the occasion, and so I would like to share a couple of cards which I’d obtained from a source in another universe. Alternate universes are not just plot devices in TV shows and comics; There are infinite alternate realities, but without any sort of way to bridge the gap between universes, you’d never know about the other ones.

I have access to one particular alternate universe, but the rift between the universes is just big enough for messages and small packages to pass through… so while I haven’t been over there, I have acquired some cards from that side.

This other universe is exactly the same as ours, only American currency is blue…

…oh, and the Pilots never left Seattle. It’s amazing what proper financing will do for one’s long-term prospects. Their Athletics never left Kansas City, so without the threat of a Kansas City lawsuit hanging over their heads, the AL could allow the Pilots time to get their financing straightened out before taking the field.

Just like in our universe, Gorman Thomas was the Pilots’ top draft pick in 1969.

Similarly, Bobby Mitchell played for the Pilots for several years before going to Japan.

I’ve got a few other cards that I’ll share with you some other time.

…And All The Rest Are Here On Gilligan’s Island!

Fine, I’ll admit this has nothing to do with Gilligan’s Island, but is instead about “all the rest” of the top rookies of 1973

Steve Busby tied for third in the AL Rookie Of The Year voting, and was one of those promising guys who were derailed by injuries. Check out this timeline:
- 1973: Went 16-15 with a 4.23 ERA, 174 K’s and 105 BB’s. He no-hit the Tigers on 4/27
- 1974: 22-14, 3.39, no-hit the Brewers and was an All-Star
- 1975: 18-12, 3.08; All-Star
- 1976: 3-3 in only 13 games
- 1977: Missed the entire season due to injuries
- 1978 – 1980: 9-12 in 41 games over three seasons. He retired after 1980.

Elias Sosa got some votes in the NL ROY (10-4, 3.28); He ranked third in the N.L. in games (71) and 5th in saves (18). This is his rookie card.

Richie Zisk was 9th in NL ROY; going into the 1973 season, a spot in the Pirates outfield had opened up with the untimely death of Roberto Clemente, and Zisk did his best to show that he was worthy of a starting job by hitting .324 with 10 homers and 54 RBI.

…and that wraps it up for the 1973 rookies. Hope you weren’t too disappointed that this wasn’t about Gilligan’s Isle.

Gilligan, toss me that coconut!

<BONK!>

Ooooof!

Without A Cup, Part 10: Left-Handed Pitcher

In 1974, Topps didn’t use a cup… That is to say, they didn’t use the golden “All-Star Rookie” cups on the cards which feature members of Topps 1973 All-Star Rookie team. Since Topps didn’t honor those players, I will. Today we’ll be looking at the left-handed pitcher on that team.

This is Randy Jones’ rookie card. In 1973, he went 7-6, 3.16 with 6 complete games and one shutout, 77 K’s and 37 BB’s. He won Cy Young Award in 1976, leading the National League in wins, complete games, and WHIP, while pitching for a team that would go 73-89.

Randy was a two-time All-Star, and his #35 has been retired by the Padres.

The Mets, naturally, picked up Jones towards the end of his career, after his best days were behind him.

Randy Jones has his own line of BBQ sauce, and has a sports grill in the San Diego area (“Minutes from Qualcomm and Petco!”)

Teammate Rich Troedson (7-9, 4.29) was the Baseball Digest pick for LHP; Troedson pitched for the Padres in 1973 and part of 1974. Despite the fact that he made the majors in his second pro season, his entire career (Majors and minors) only lasted 4 years. It seems like there must’ve been an injury, but I couldn’t find anything about it; he was just… gone.

That wraps up the 1973 Topps All-Star Rookie team, but I have one more post involving players who weren’t on the Rookie team, but who got votes for 1973 Rookie Of The Year.

Without A Cup, Part 9: Right-Handed Pitcher

In 1974, Topps didn’t use a cup… That is to say, they didn’t use the golden “All-Star Rookie” cups on the cards which feature members of Topps 1973 All-Star Rookie team. Since Topps didn’t honor those players, I will. Today we’ll be looking at the right-handed pitcher on that team.

Steve Rogers had an impressive career;  so much so that you can’t help but wonder what his numbers would’ve been like had he been on a winning team before his 7th season.

Steve went 10-5, 1.54 in 1973 and finished second to Gary Matthews in the NL Rookie Of The Year voting.  He threw three shutouts that year, the first two coming in his second and third Major League starts…  and one of those was a one-hitter!  Steve was a five-time All-Star, two-time NL Shutout leader, and is the only player with a career longer than 5 years to have spent  his whole career with the Expos.

Rogers would lead the NL in losses twice:  22 in 1974, 17 in 1976.  You’ve got to be a good pitcher to lose that many games; otherwise they wouldn’t keep trotting you out there.

George “Doc” Medich was the Baseball Digest RHP (14-9, 2.95 with the Yankees)

Next time, on an all-new “Without A Cup”:  A player who had his number retired

A Few Random Customs I Figured I’d Share

No real reason behind posting any of these, other than I felt like it.

I like the way this card turned out, and I’ve liked Rodrigo Lopez since he was an Oriole, but the Cubs unfortunately designated him for assignment back in April before I could post the image.  At this point in the season, it just doesn’t matter.

I’ve been keeping an eye out for photos involving throwback uniforms which would not be anachronistic on a 1974 Topps card, and here’s another one; like the Josh Hamilton card I’d featured a little while ago, this is from a Rangers 40th anniversary throwback game.

And finally… A week or two ago, I featured one of my custom cards in a cello wrapper. I got some comments asking what the card looks like without the “wrapper”, so here you go:

Without A Cup, Part 8: The Scandalous Third Outfielder

In 1974, Topps didn’t use a cup… That is to say, they didn’t use the golden “All-Star Rookie” cups on the cards which feature members of Topps 1973 All-Star Rookie team. Since Topps didn’t honor those players, I will. Today we’ll be looking at the final outfield spot on that team.

Al Bumbry was the 1973 AL Rookie Of The Year, he batted .337 with 7 homers, 34 RBI and 23 stolen bases. He lead the American League with 11 triples and on 9/22/73 he tied a Major League record by hitting three triples in one game.

…so it goes without saying that the third outfielder on the Topps All-Rookie team would be the Baltimore Orioles’ own…

Rich Coggins!

Wait, WHAT???  <sound of a needle scratching across a record>

Rich Coggins batted .319, with 7 homers, 41 RBI and 17 stolen bases, was 4th in the AL with 9 triples, and finished 6th in the AL ROY voting.  Like Al Bumbry, he was listed at 5’8″, 170 lbs.  It’s interesting how similar both players were at the start.

Shoot, even both their cards are the same pose in foul territory in the old Yankee Stadium.

Coggins would be traded to the Expos with Dave McNally for Mike Torrez and Ken Singleton. You know how some trades take years to play out? For this trade… ehhhhh, not so much. The Expos sold Coggins to the Yankees in May of 1975, and McNally went 3-6, 5.24 for the 1975 Expos (in his last year in the majors). Meanwhile, Torrez went 20-9 in his one year with the Orioles, and Kenny Singleton would play 1,446 games over 14 years with the Orioles, appear in 3 All-Star games and be inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 1986.

It’s not uncommon for any sort of all-rookie team to have some debatable choices. Who gets selected depends on who you’re asking and what your definition of “all-rookie” is. Is it the guy who had the best rookie season? Is it the guy who has the biggest upside?

But if you’re picking an all-rookie team and the American League Rookie Of The Year gets left off?

Oops.

If his place is taken by his teammate instead?

Whoopsie.

If Topps left the rookie cups off the 1974 cards so as not to draw attention to the fact that the AL RoY didn’t have a little cup – and to be clear, that’s sheer conjecture on my part – I guess you can’t fault them for that.

By the way, Baseball Digest picked Bumbry for their All-Star Rookie team.

Next time, on an all-new “Without A Cup”: One of the greatest all-time Expos.