The 1970’s, A To Z: Robin Yount to Richie Zisk

Posted on October 13, 2023 by The Shlabotnik Report

Recap: I’m going through all of the notable and somewhat notable players and managers of the 1970’s and I’m basically making like it’s an all-encompassing 1970’s throwback baseball card set. For the “card front”, I’m sharing my favorite 1970’s card of that guy. I’m also including a card back’s worth of information and thoughts about him and his cardboard.

ROBIN YOUNT

1979 Hostess #55

Played 1974 – 1993
1970’s Teams: Brewers

1970’s Highlights:
Yount was the 3rd overall pick in 1973, just ahead of #4 Dave Winfield and behind #1 David Clyde and #2 John Stearns; Yount played just a half-season in the minors before Brewers manager Del Crandall named him the opening day shortstop in 1974; At the time he was 18 years old and the youngest player in the American League; Was named the shortstop on the 1974 Baseball Digest Rookie All-Star team, although Topps went with Bucky Dent as their Rookie SS

Career Highlights:
Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999; Also in the Brewers Walk of Fame and Wall of Honor; His #19 was retired by the Brewers; Won the 1982 AL MVP award as a shortstop and the 1989 AL MVP award as a center fielder; Was the third-youngest player to reach 3000 hits, getting there shortly before his 37th birthday; Holds the Brewers career record with 123 sacrifice flies; Batted .414 in the 1982 World Series but the Brewers lost to the Cardinals

Fun Stuff:
Despite being a HOFer and a two-time MVP, Yount was an All-Star just three times in the early 1980s… in his 1989 MVP season he was not an All-Star; Robin’s older brother Larry appeared in one Major League game as a pitcher, but was injured during warmups and didn’t actually face a batter

Card Stuff:
Appeared in all five 1970s Hostess sets

PAT ZACHRY

1979 Kellogg’s #8

Played 1976 – 1985
1970’s Teams: Reds, Mets

1970’s Highlights:
As a rookie with the 1976 Reds, Zachry went 14-7 with a 2.74 ERA and 143 strikeouts in 204 innings. He and pitcher Butch Metzger would end up tied in NL Rookie of the Year voting with 11 votes each (2 votes went to Hector Cruz); He’d pitch in the 1976 postseason, winning a start against the Phillies in the NLCS and a start against the Yankees in the World Series; In July 1977 he was traded to the Mets as part of the package for Tom Seaver and while he pitched well for some bad Mets teams, he never panned out to be the elite pitcher some had anticipated; Was an All-Star in 1978 in a season where he went 10-6 for a 96-loss Mets team

DON ZIMMER

1978 Topps #63

Played 1954- 1965
Managed 1972 – 1991
1970’s Teams: Padres, Red Sox

1970’s Highlights:
Was an Expos coach in 1971 and a Padres coach in 1972, but after San Diego manager Preston Gomez was fired 11 games into the 1972 season, Zimmer got his first Major League managing job; In 1974 he became a coach with the Red Sox and got promoted to mananger for the 1976 season; Won 90+ games three times with the Red Sox, and would be one of the winningest managers in Red Sox history… but the closest Zimmer’s Bosox came to winning the division was in 1977 when the AL East was decided by the infamous playoff game where Bucky Dent hit a homer to put the Yankees ahead to stay

Career Highlights:
As a player he was an All-Star in 1961; Was selected by the Mets in their expansion draft and on opening day would be the franchise’s first 3rd baseman, but a month into the season the Mets traded him to Cincinnati; Played in Japan in 1966 for the Toei Flyers

Managed the Rangers and Cubs and was NL Manager of the Year in 1989, when the Cubs won the division.

Overall he spent 57 years in baseball, and the Tampa Bay Rays have retired #66 in his honor

Card Stuff:
His 1962 Topps card shows him with the Mets but lists him with the Reds (which, I’d discovered, is easy to overlook because of the wood grain design of 1962)

RICHIE ZISK

1974 Topps #317

Played 1971 – 1983
1970’s Teams: Pirates, White Sox, Rangers

1970’s Highlights:
Started the 1977 and 1978 All-Star games while representing two different teams (ChiSox and Rangers)… interestingly those were his only All-Star appearances; Was traded to the White Sox for two relievers, Rich Gossage and Terry Forster; Signed a 10-year contract with the Rangers in fall of 1977; Had 100 RBIs in 1974 and 101 in 1977; Batted .400 (8 for 20) over NLCS’s in 1974 and 1975; Hit for the cycle against the Giants, 6/9/74

Career Highlights:
Hit 207 career homers; Was named the 1981 American League Comeback Player of the Year

Fun Stuff:
Hit the first American League home run in Canada, a 1st inning shot in Toronto on Opening Day 1977

Card Stuff:
Although his 1977 Topps card shows him with the Pirates, his 1977 O-Pee-Chee and 1977 Topps Cloth Stickers cards show him airbrushed into a White Sox uniform

1977 Topps #483 and 1977 O-Pee-Chee #152

…AND THAT’S A WRAP!

I started this series nearly four years ago – the first post was on January 8, 2020 – and in my excitement I had clearly not thought things through. I had originally imagined it going on for a year, maybe two… in fact, in the first post I pointedly make a comment that I didn’t want “to bite off more than I could chew”. As it turns out, it involved a whole lot of chewing.

I’m happy I did this – and I hope that all of you are happy I did it – but I’m also really happy that it’s over.

A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYBODY WHO READ THIS SERIES OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS!

The 1970’s, A To Z: Butch Wynegar to Steve Yeager

Posted on October 6, 2023 by The Shlabotnik Report

BUTCH WYNEGAR

1978 Topps #555

Played 1976 – 1988
1970’s Teams: Twins

1970’s Highlights:
As a 20-year-old rookie he became one of the youngest postion players to be selected to the All-Star Game in 1976; Was also named the 1976 Sporting News AL Rookie of the Year and was the catcher on the 1976 Topps All-Star Rookie Team; Was an All-Star again in 1977, but didn’t blossom into the superstar catcher that some saw as his ceiling

Career Highlights:
Caught Dave Righetti’s 7/4/83 no-hitter against the Red Sox

Fun Stuff:
His full name is Harold Delano Wynegar

Card Stuff:
Has rookie year cards from Hostess, Kellogg’s and MSA

JIM WYNN

1977 Burger King Yankees #20

Played 1963 – 1977
1970’s Teams: Astros, Dodgers, Braves, Yankees, Brewers

1970’s Highlights:
Was the NL’s starting center fielder in the 1974 and 1975 All-Star Games; In 1974 Was awarded the 1974 NL Comeback Player of the Year for a season where he hit 32 homers with 108 RBI, 104 runs and a .271 average; Although teammate Steve Garvey won the MVP award that year, Wynn had a higher on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS+; Wynn broke his own Astros team record in runs scored with 117 in 1972, which would stand until Craig Biggio’s 123 in 1995; Hit a homer, a double and walked four times in the 1974 World Series with the Dodgers; In 1970 he became the first player to hit a homer into the Astrodome’s upper deck during a regular season game

Career Highlights:
His #24 was retired by the Astros in 2005 and he was part of the inaugural class of the Astros Hall of Fame; His 148 walks in 1969 tied the NL record held by Eddie Stanky (1945 with Brooklyn) and stood until a guy named Barry Bonds exceeded and then decimated the record; His 37 home runs and 107 RBI in 1967 had both been Astros team records… The HR record stood for nearly 30 years until it was broken by Jeff Bagwell in 1994 while the RBI record only lasted for 10 (Bob Watson, 110 RBI in 1977); Wynn’s 223 home runs as an Astro stood until Jeff Bagwell passed him in 1999; Was the first player to hit three home runs in the Astrodome

Fun Stuff:
The 5’9″ Wynn’s nickname was “The Toy Cannon”; On September 27, 1963 the Houston Colt .45’s had a starting lineup made up entirely of rookies, including Wynn, Joe Morgan, Rusty Staub, Sonny Jackson and Jerry Grote

CARL YASTRZEMSKI

1976 Topps #230

Played 1961 – 1983
1970’s Teams: Red Sox

1970’s Highlights:
In 1970 he lead the league with 125 runs and narrowly lost the batting title to Alex Johnson; Started the All-Star Game in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1977 ad 1979; Was the MVP of the 1970 All-Star Game; Lead the AL in runs scored in 1970 and 1974; Was involved in turning a triple play vs. the Angels 7/23/79; Passed Ted Williams for most games played for the Red Sox on 5/19/76; Won Gold Gloves in 1971 and 1977

Career Highlights:
Was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989 and had his #8 retired by the Red Sox; Was an 18-times All-Star, 7-times Gold Glove winner and won three batting titles; In 1967 he was the league MVP and got a Triple Crown, batting .326 with 44 homers and 121 RBI; Has the American League records with 3,308 games (2nd in the Majors) and 11,988 At-Bats (3rd in the Majors); Holds Red Sox career records with 1,816 runs, 3,419 hits, 646 doubles, 1,844 RBI and 105 sacrifice flies; Yaz and Brooks Robinson are tied for the longest career with the same team (23 years); Was the first American League player to have 3000 hits and 400 homeruns

Fun Stuff:
His grandson Mike Yastrzemski plays for the San Francisco Giants

Card Stuff:
Was in every flagship Topps set of the 1970s

STEVE YEAGER

1976 SSPC #83

Played 1972 – 1986
1970’s Teams: Dodgers

1970’s Highlights:
Was the Dodgers starting catcher for the second half of the decade and played in the NLCS and World Series in 1974, 1977 and 1978; The 1974 Dodgers had a 24-game winning streak in games where Yeager caught; Lead the league with a 47% caught stealing percentage in 1978; Was in the top five in the league for assists by a catcher from 1975 to 1978, leading the league in 1976 with 77

Career Highlights:
Was the co-MVP of the 1981 World Series (along with Ron Cey and Pedro Guerrero) after hitting .286 with two homers and 4 RBI; Invented the throat protector that hangs down from catcher’s masks

Fun Stuff:
Played “Duke Temple” in the “Major League” films; As part of the “Big Blue Wrecking Crew” (along with Jerry Reuss, Rick Monday and Jay Johnstone) they recorded a version of “We Are The Champions” after the 1981 World Series; The Yeager family appeared on Family Feud in 1979; Played himself on an episode of 1970s kids show “Wonderbug”; His cousin is famous test pilot Chuck Yeager who was the first to break the speed of sound

ONE MORE “1970’s: A-Z” POST REMAINING!!!!

The 1970’s, A To Z: Dave Winfield to Clyde Wright

Posted on September 29, 2023 by The Shlabotnik Report

DAVE WINFIELD

1978 Hostess #63

Played 1973 – 1995
1970’s Teams: Padres

1970’s Highlights:
In the 1973 College World Series he was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and was named to the All-Tournament Team as a pitcher; Was the fourth overall draft pick of the Padres in 1973 and was playing for the Padres just days later, making him one of the few players to have never played in the minor leagues; Was named to the All-Star team from 1977 to 1988; In 1979 he lead the league with 118 RBI, was the NL’s starting center fielder in the All-Star Game, won a Gold Glove and got as many 1st place votes as NL Co-MVP Keith Hernandez (but Winfield finished behind Hernandez and Willie Stargell overall);

Career Highlights:
Was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the College Baseball Hall of Fame and the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame; Finished his career with 3,110 hits and 1,833 RBI; Won seven Gold Gloves, six Silver Slugger Awards and was a twelve-time All-Star; His 10-year, $23 Million contract with the Yankees was the longest and richest contract of the day; Won the 1990 AL Comeback Player of the Year Award after missing all of 1989 due to injury; His #31 has been retired by the Padres

No Do-Overs:
The three players drafted ahead of Winfield in June 1973 were David Clyde (Rangers), John Stearns (Phillies) and Robin Yount (Brewers)

Dave Winfield, College Pitcher:
Although the Padres drafted Winfield as a pitcher, he was also a dominant pitcher in college… In his senior season he had a 9-1 record with a 2.74 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 82.0 innings pitched; In the 1973 College World Series he went 1-0 and in 17.1 innings pitched he struck out 29 batters while giving up just 10 hits and 3 earned runs

Fun Stuff:
Was also drafted by the Minnesota Vikings (NFL), the Atlanta Hawks (NBA) and the Utah Stars (ABA); Had been drafted out of high school by the Orioles in 1969, but he went to the University of Minnesota instead; He is the only player with 3,000 hits who never hit more than 1,500 hits with any single team

Card Stuff:
Appeared in all five 1970s Hostess sets

RICK WISE

1976 Kellogg’s #35

Played 1964 – 1982
1970’s Teams: Phillies, Cardinals, Red Sox, Indians

1970’s Highlights:
Perhaps best known as the guy traded for HOFer Steve Carlton, Wise was no slouch, winning 16 games in each of his two seasons with the Cardinals; On 6/23/71 he no-hit the Reds and hit two home runs in the same game, the first pitcher to homer while pitching a no-hitter; In 1971 he was an All-Star for the first time and had his best season, going 17-14 with a 2.88 ERA; Was the starting pitcher in the 1973 All-Star Game; Lost a chance to no-hit the Reds again on 6/13/73 when Joe Morgan singled with one out in the 9th; With the Red Sox in 1975 he took another no-hit bid into the 9th when George Scott homered with 2 outs; Finished the 1975 season with 19 wins and got wins in the ALCS and World Series; Was the Indians opening day starter in 1979; Before the 1978 season he was traded to Cleveland for Dennis Eckersley (another future HOFer)

Fun Stuff:
Played in the 1958 Little League World Series

Card Stuff:
Appeared in every flagship Topps set of the 1970s; Was included in the 1970 Topps Posters insert set

WILBUR WOOD

1972 Topps #554

Played 1961 – 1978
1970’s Teams: White Sox

1970’s Highlights:
Knuckleballer Wilbur Wood was the White Sox closer in 1970, leading the team with 21 saves, when manager Chuck Tanner converted him to starting; In 1971 Wood struck out a career-high 210 batters and won 22 games, the first of four consecutive 20-win seasons; In 1972 he won 24 games, lead the league with 49 starts and 376.2 innings pitched and finished 2nd to Gaylord Perry in 1972 AL Cy Young voting… but was named that year’s Sporting News AL Pitcher of the Year; Won 24 games again in 1973, but also lost 20; Was named an All-Star in 1971, 1972 and 1974; Was the White Sox opening day starter from 1972 to 1976

Career Highlights:
Holds the White Sox record by pitching 88 games in 1968; Was also the AL Reliever of the Year in 1968

Fun Stuff:
On July 20, 1973 he started both games of a doubleheader against the Yankees and lost both games

Card Stuff:
Even though he didn’t pitch past 1978 he was still included in every flagship Topps set of the 1970s

CLYDE WRIGHT

1976 SSPC #258

Played 1966 – 1975
1970’s Teams: Angels, Brewers, Rangers

1970’s Highlights:
Broke out in 1970 with a career season, putting up a 22-12 record with a 2.83 ERA (third in the league), no-hitting the A’s on 7/3/70, getting named to his only All-Star team, getting Cy Young consideration (including a first place vote) and being named the AL Comeback of the Year; The 22 wins remains an Angels team record, although it was tied by Nolan Ryan in 1974; Unfortunately he also holds the Brewers team record by losing 20 games in 1974; Pitched 3 seasons in Japan from 1976 to 1978, all for the Yomiuri Giants

Fun Stuff:
He’s the father of former pitcher Jaret Wright

THE END IS NIGH!
Only two more “1970s: A-Z” posts remaining!!!!

The 1970’s, A To Z: Walt Williams to Don Wilson

Posted on September 8, 2023 by The Shlabotnik Report

WALT WILLIAMS

1974 Topps #418

Played 1964 – 1975
1970’s Teams: White Sox, Indians, Yankees

1970’s Highlights:
Singled to break up Stan Bahnsen’s no-hitter with two outs in the 9th, 8/21/73; Went 5-for-7 with a double, a stolen base, 2 RBI and 5 runs in the White Sox 22-13 win over the Red Sox, 5/31/70

Career Highlights:
Was named an outfielder on the 1967 Topps All-Star Rookie team; Played in Japan for two years with the Nippon-Ham Fighters

Fun Stuff:
His nickname was “No Neck”

BUMP WILLS

1979 Topps #369

Played 1977 – 1982
1970’s Teams: Rangers

1970’s Highlights:
Playing for the dominant Arizona State University, he was named to the 1972 College World Series All-Tournament team; In 1977 he got four 1st place votes in Rookie of the Year voting but finished 3rd behind Eddie Murray and Mitchell Page; Was named the 2nd baseman on the 1977 Topps All-Star Rookie Team; His 52 stolen bases in 1978 is still a Rangers team record; He and Toby Harrah hit inside-the-park homers on consecutive pitches, 8/27/77

Career Highlights:
Played two years in Japan for the Hankyu Braves

Fun Stuff:
The son of Maury Wills, Bump is one of two players to oppose the team his father managed in a Major League game (Moises Alou being the other)

Card Stuff:
Some of his 1979 cards incorrectly list his team as the Blue Jays (see above)

DON WILSON

1970 Kellogg’s #62

Played 1966 – 1974
1970’s Teams: Astros

1970’s Highlights:
Was an All-Star in 1971 and the Astros’ opening day starter in 1972; His 2.45 ERA in 1971 was third-best in the NL; Won 16 games in 1971 and 15 in 1972; He shut out the Braves in his last start of 1974

Career Highlights:
No-hit the Braves in 1967, the first no-hitter thown at the Astrodome; In 1969 he no-hit Cincinnati the day after Reds pitcher Jim Maloney had no-hit the Astros; Also in 1969 he set the Astros team record with 235 strikeouts, a record that he would hold until J.R. Richard struck out 303 in 1978 (Wilson currently sits in 10th place behind Gerrit Cole, Richard, Mike Scott, Justin Verlander and Nolan Ryan)

A tragic story:
Don Wilson died in January 1975 of carbon monoxide poisoning – He was found in the passenger seat of his car which was in the garage and the engine had been running; The following season the Astros retired Wilson’s #40 and wore a commemorative patch all season (which can be seen on a number of 1976 Topps cards)

The 1970’s, A To Z: Roy White to Earl Williams

Posted on August 11, 2023 by The Shlabotnik Report

ROY WHITE

1974 Topps #135

Played 1965 – 1979
1970’s Teams: Yankees

1970’s Highlights:
In 1970 he was named to the All-Star team for the second consecutive year; Lead the league with 17 sacrifice flies in 1971 (an American League record), 99 walks in 1972 and 104 runs in 1976; In three years of postseason play he appeared in 25 games, batted .278 with 14 walks, 6 doubles, 2 homers, 20 runs scored and 8 RBI

Career Highlights:
Surprised many by going to Japan to play for the Yomiuri Giants in 1980, he spent his first season batting cleanup behind legendary slugger Sadaharu Oh, and helped the Giants win a championship in 1981

Fun Stuff:
Originally was a second baseman, but played just 3 games at that position in the Majors; In high school he formed a double-play combination with fellow future MLB outfielder Reggie Smith

Card Stuff:
Appeared in every flagship Topps set of the 1970s

TERRY WHITFIELD

1979 Hostess #10

Played 1974 – 1986
1970’s Teams: Yankees, Giants

1970’s Highlights:
A first round pick who didn’t get much playing time with the Yankees, Whitfield established himself with the Giants after a March 1977 trade; Lead the 1979 Giants with a .287 average

Career Highlights:
Whitfield, like Roy White, was a former Yankees prospect who surprised people by going to Japan to play for three years

Fun Stuff:
Last Yankees player to wear #44 before Reggie Jackson

Card Stuff:
Appeared on two rookie cards before his first solo card in 1978

BILLY WILLIAMS

1974 Topps #110

Played 1959 – 1976
1970’s Teams: Cubs, A’s

1970’s Highlights:
In 1970 he lead the league with 205 hits and 137 runs, also batted .322 with 42 home runs (2nd best in the NL) and 129 RBI (tied for 2nd with Tony Perez) and finished 2nd to Johnny Bench in MVP voting; In 1972 he lead the league with a .333 average, finished second with 122 RBI and third with 37 homers, was named to the All-Star team and named the Sporting News NL Player of the Year; He got five first place votes in 1972 NL MVP voting, but again finished second to Johnny Bench; Was the starting right fielder for the NL in the 1973 All-Star Game; A streak of 1,117 consecutive games played came to an end on 9/2/70… The streak had broken Stan Musial’s National League record (but Steve Garvey would go on to have a longer streak)

Career Highlights:
Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987; His number #26 has been retired by the Cubs; Was named the NL Rookie of the Year in 1961 after batting .278 with 25 homers, 20 doubles, 75 runs and 86 RBI; His 25 homers had been a Cubs rookie record until broken by Kris Bryant in 2015; Was named to the All-Star team six times; Over his career he hit 426 homers with a .290 average, plus he hit 20+ homers in 13 consecutive seasons

DICK WILLIAMS

1977 O-Pee-Chee #108

Played 1951 – 1964
Managed 1967 – 1988
1970’s Teams: A’s, Angels, Expos

1970’s Highlights:
Was in the playoffs for each of his three years in Oakland, losing the ALCS in 1971 and winning the World Series in 1972 and 1973; Shortly after the 1973 World Series he resigned after one too many issues with A’s owner Charles O. Finley; Williams was hired to manage the Yankees in 1974 but as he was still under contract with the A’s it was decided that Finley would have to sign off on the hiring, and Finley demanded two of the Yankees best prospects, which quashed the deal; Williams did manage in 1974, taking over the Angels towards the end of the season, with the approval of Finley this time around; With little success in 1975 and 1976, the Angels fired him and he took over the Expos for 1977, where he would stay until fired during the 1979 season

Career Highlights:
Was elected into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 2007; Was inducted into the San Diego Padres HOF in 2009; Was named the Major League Manager of the Year in 1967 when he won a pennant with the Red Sox; Took three different teams to the World Series

Card Stuff:
Got his own card in 1977 O-Pee-Chee (featured above)

EARL WILLIAMS

1975 Topps #97

Played 1970 – 1977
1970’s Teams: Braves, Orioles, Expos, A’s

1970’s Highlights:
Newly converted to catching, he had a big rookie year in 1971, hitting .260 with 33 homers and 87 RBI, winning the NL Rookie of the Year and being named the catcher on the Topps All-Star Rookie team; The Orioles traded Davey Johnson, Pat Dobson, Roric Harrison and Johnny Oates to the Braves for Williams and a minor leaguer, but he did not work out as a catcher and after that he struggled to find a home at a position and with a team

Fun Stuff:
Was the last player to hit a homer off Jim Bunning

The 1970’s, A To Z: Herb Washington to Frank White

Posted on August 4, 2023 by The Shlabotnik Report

HERB WASHINGTON

1975 Topps #407

Played 1974 – 1975
1970’s Teams: A’s

1970’s Highlights:
Washington is famous among collectors from his unique “Pinch Run.” position; Had been a world-class sprinter with a couple of indoor records when the A’s came calling; In 105 career games he scored 33 runs, stole 31 bases and had ZERO plate appearances; His most infamous moment came in the 1974 World Series when he was picked off of first by Dodgers reliever Mike Marshall

Career Highlights:
Was inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000

Fun Stuff:
A wide receiver in college, he was drafted by the Baltimore Colts and the WFL’s Toronto Northmen; Later became the largest African-American-owned McDonald’s franchisee in the country

BOB WATSON

1977 Topps #540

Played 1966 – 1984
1970’s Teams: Astros, Red Sox

1970’s Highlights:
On May 4th, 1975 he narrowly beat Dave concepcion in scoring what was declared to be the millionth run in Major League history; Set an Astros team record with 110 RBI in 1977, a record that would hold until Jeff Bagwell hit 116 in 1994; was the first player to hit for the cycle in both leagues, first accomplishing it for the Astros against the Giants on 6/24/77 and then for the Red Sox against the Orioles on 9/15/79; Was an All-Star in 1973 and 1975

Career Highlights:
Was the second African-American general manager in MLB history, being promoted by the Astros from Assistant GM; Would later serve as the Yankees GM; Finished his career with a .295 career batting average, and also a .371 career postseason average

Fun Stuff:
Broke his finger trying to catch Jim Bouton’s knuckleball during a 1969 bullpen session; Appeared in the movie “The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training”

Card Stuff:
Was in every Topps flagship set of the 1970s

EARL WEAVER

1978 Topps #211

Managed 1968 – 1986
1970’s Teams: Orioles

1970’s Highlights:
Won a World Series in 1970, pennants in 1971 and 1979 and division titles in 1973 and 1974; Won 100+ games in 1970, 1971 and 1979; Was named the Major League Manager of the Year in 1977 and 1979;

Career Highlights:
Started to serve as a player/manager in the minors at the age of 25; Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Orioles Hall of Fame in 1983; Was 1480-1060 as the Orioles manager; Earl Weaver was honored with a statue at Camden Yards

Card Stuff:
Appeared in every flagship Topps set of the 1970s (although as an inset photo in 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1979); Despite the featured card above showing Earl in an Orioles uniform, he never made it to the Majors as a player.

LOU WHITAKER

1979 Hostess #117

Played 1977 – 1995
1970’s Teams: Tigers

1970’s Highlights:
“Sweet Lou” Whitaker was voted the 1978 AL Rookie of the Year in a decisive vote over Paul Molitor and others… while starting at 2nd base for the Tigers he batted .285 with 71 runs, 58 RBI and a team-leading 7 triples; Having turned 21 in May of that year, he was the youngest-ever AL ROY until Mike Trout won the award in 2012

Career Highlights:
Was a five-time All-Star, a four-time Silver Slugger and a three-time Gold Glove; Won a World Series with the 1984 Tigers; Although he had a career similar to Ryne Sandberg, Alan Trammel and Roberto Alomar, they are in the Hall of Fame but Whitaker is not

Fun Stuff:
He and double-play partner Alan Trammel appeared in a 1984 episode of Magnum PI (obviously the original version with Tom Selleck); Left his uniform behind for the 1985 All-Star Game and had to make do by adding his #1 by hand to a replica Tigers jersey

Card Stuff:
Whitaker had a solo rookie card in the 1978 Burger King set; Although he beat out Molitor for AL ROY, Topps named Molitor the 2nd baseman on their 1978 All-Star Rookie team

FRANK WHITE

1975 Topps #569

Played 1973 – 1990
1970’s Teams: Royals

1970’s Highlights:
Won Gold Gloves from 1977 to 1982 and again in 1986 and 1984 (eight in total); Was an All-Star in 1978 and 1979, starting at 2nd in 1979; Hit for cycle 9/26/79 vs Angels

Career Highlights:
Was named the MVP of the 1980 ALCS after going 6-for-11 with a double, a homer, a stolen base, 3 runs and 3 RBI, all within 3 games; inducted into the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame and had his #20 retired in 1995; Won a Silver Slugger in 1986 Hit a home run off of Mike Scott in the 1986 All-Star Game

The 1970’s, A To Z: Bill Virdon to Claudell Washington

Posted on June 30, 2023 by The Shlabotnik Report

BILL VIRDON

1973 Topps #517 (autographed version because I already had the image uploaded)

Played 1955 – 1968
Managed: 1972 – 1884
1970’s Teams: Pirates, Yankees, Astros

1970’s Highlights:
Won a division title with the 1972 PIrates but lost the NLCS to the Reds; Managed the Yankees in 1974 and was named the AL Manager of the Year after guiding the Yanks to an 89-win 2nd place finish; He had a 53-51 record in early August 1975 but was fired in favor of Billy Martin’s first stint managing the Yanks; Less than a month after being fired by the Yankees he was hired by the Astros, eventually leading them to their first-ever NL West title in 1980

Career Highlights:
As an outfielder with the Cardinals he was named the 1955 NL Rookie of the Year; Was a starting centerfielder for most of his career; In 1962 he won a Gold Glove and lead the NL with 10 triples; After retiring after the 1965 season he appeared in 6 games as a player/coach with the 1968 Pirates, and his last Major League hit was a 1968 pinch-hit, game-tying, bottom-of-the-9th home run against the Reds (but the Reds would win the game in 12)

Fun Stuff:
Appeared in the movie “The Bad News Bears In Breaking Training”; Started out in the Yankees farm system but was traded to the Cardinals in a deal that sent Enos Slaughter to the Bronx

PETE VUCKOVICH

1977 O-Pee-Chee #130

Played 1975 – 1986
1970’s Teams: White Sox, Blue Jays, Cardinals

1970’s Highlights:
Got the first save in Blue Jays history on opening day, 1977; Although he was used primarily in relief by the Blue Jays, he pitched the first shutout in Jays history, striking out 12 Orioles and out-pitching Jim Palmer, 6/26/77; Lead Toronto with 8 saves and 53 appearances in 1977;

Career Highlights:
Won the 1982 AL Cy Young Award after getting 18 wins, a 3.34 ERA and a league-leading .750 winning percentage; Lead the AL with 14 wins in the labor-stoppage-shortened 1981 season

Fun Stuff:
Played Yankees slugger Clu Haywood in the 1989 film “Major League”

Card Stuff:
His 1977 O-Pee-Chee card (shown above) features a photo from spring training; Appeared in 1979 Hostess; His 1981 Fleer card shows teammate Don Hood

LUKE WALKER

1974 Topps #612

Played 1965 – 1974
1970’s Teams: Pirates, Tigers

1970’s Highlights:
In 1970 he lead the division champion Pirates with 15 wins and his 3.04 ERA was 3rd-best in the NL; Threw the first pitch in the first night game in WS history, Game 4 in 1971; Had a no-hitter through 8 innings against the Dodgers at Three Rivers Stadium on July 18, 1971, but Joe Ferguson lead off the 9th with a homer; In his final MLB game he came in to face Boog Powell with men on 2nd and 3rd and two outs, and struck him out; Gave up Orlando Cepeda’s final homer (379 in 1974)

Personal favorite stuff:
Luke Walker was a favorite of mine as a kid, partly due to his being the first player for whom I had three cards (1974, 1974 Traded, 1975 Topps)… I also regarded him as a star player because I believed I’d heard of him before I got the cards (I was likely thinking of Mets coach Rube Walker)… little did I know at the time that Walker had been cut from the Tigers at the end of 1975 spring training and wouldn’t pitch in the Majors again; Even so, I have a decent Luke Walker player collection that is tied for 20th on TCDB

Card Stuff:
Appeared on three different Pirates “Rookie Stars” cards from 1966 to 1968; Appeared in the 1971 Topps Super Baseball set

CLAUDELL WASHINGTON

1976 Kellogg’s #2

Played 1974 – 1990
1970’s Teams: A’s, Rangers, White Sox

1970’s Highlights:
As a 19-year-old in 1974 he was named an outfielder on the Topps All-Star Rookie Team, and also won a World Championship with the A’s; Was an All-Star in 1975, a year where he had career highs of .308 and 182 hits; His 40 stolen bases in 1975 were good for 2nd in the AL (Mickey Rivers had 70)

Career Highlights:
Was also an All-Star with the 1984 Braves; Was the third player in Major League history to have a 3-homer game in each league (Babe Ruth and Johnny Mize had done it previously)

Fun Stuff:
In Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the foul ball that Ferris catches was hit by Claudell Washington

Card Stuff:
Appeared in 1981 Topps and Fleer but not Donruss

The 1970’s, A To Z: Del Unser to Tom Veryzer

Posted on June 2, 2023 by The Shlabotnik Report

DEL UNSER

1977 O-Pee-Chee #27

Played 1968 – 1982
1970’s Teams: Senators, Indians, Phillies, Mets, Expos

1970’s Highlights:
Set a Major League record in 1979 by hitting 3 consecutive pinch-hit homers, 3rd of which was a walk-off three-run shot off of the Padres Rollie Fingers; Lead NL Center fielders in assists three straight seasons (1973 – 1975); In his second game with the Expos in 1976 he was a single shy of hitting for the cycle

Career Highlights:
Was named the 1968 Sporting News AL Rookie Player of the Year and was voted runner-up to Stan Bahnsen for the 1968 AL Rookie of the Year voting; Lead the AL with 8 triples in 1969

Fun Stuff:
His father was Al Unser – not the race car driver, but a Major Leaguer of the 1940s; Del appeared on Family Feud in 1980 as the Phillies took on the Royals; Has a degree in Mathematics

Card Stuff:
Has a card in every flagship Topps set of the 1970’s; His 1977 OPC card has a different photo (as seen above); His pinch-hit homer record got him a Highlights card in 1980 Topps

MIKE VAIL

1976 SSPC #534

Played 1975 – 1984
1970’s Teams: Mets, Indians, Cubs

1970’s Highlights:
His 1970’s highlights are mainly about 1975: Tore up the Triple-A International League and would be named the league MVP; Homered in his first at-bat at Shea Stadium; Had a 23 game hitting streak after his August 1975 callup, tying a National League record for rookies; Was well-regarded enough as a prospect that, after the season, the Mets traded Rusty Staub to the Tigers to make room for Vail; After that 1975 season he dislocated his left foot, missed the first few months of the season and didn’t get on track for the rest of 1976

Fun Stuff:
As a Cardinals minor leaguer he was a roommate of Randy Poffo… a.k.a. Randy “Macho Man” Savage

Fun(?) Stuff:
Struck out 7 times in a doubleheader to set an NL record (9/26/75)

Card Stuff:
Has a rookie card in 1976 Hostess; That’s Ed Kranepool in the background on Vail’s SSPC card

BOBBY VALENTINE

1974 Topps #101

Played 1969 – 1979
1970’s Teams: Dodgers, Angels, Padres, Mets, Mariners

1970’s Highlights:
Served as a utility player for the Dodgers before being sent to the Angels in a 7-player November 1972 trade that also involved Frank Robinson and Andy Messersmith; Severely injured his leg when running into the center field fence in Anaheim, was out for the season and was never the same after that; In 1977 he was acquired by the Mets as part of a package for Dave Kingman (who would play for four different teams that year)

Career Highlights:
A 5th overall pick in the 1968 draft, Valentine was an athletic, highly-touted prospect who wouldn’t go on to superstardom but would play every position except shortstop; Was the MVP of the Pioneer league in 1968 and the Pacific Coast League in 1970

Career Highlights as a manager:
Managed the Rangers, Mets and Red Sox, with two different stints with Japan’s Chiba Lotte Marines mixed in; Won an NL pennant with the 2000 Mets but lost to the Yankees in the World Series

Fun Stuff:
Married former Dodger pitcher Ralph Branca’s daughter Mary; Was a talented ballroom dancer in his youth; Wore #13 with the Angels but after a broken nose, broken jaw and broken leg he switched to #11; While managing the Mets he was ejected from a game and then tried to sneak into the dugout while wearing sunglasses and a fake mustache

Card Stuff:
Appears in 1980 Topps with the Mariners, but he’d played his last game in 1979

ELLIS VALENTINE

1979 Hostess #50

Played 1975 – 1985
1970’s Teams: Expos

1970’s Highlights:
A right fielder with a cannon for an arm, Valentine was part of a young, promising Expos outfield that also included Andre Dawson and Warren Cromartie; Was an All-Star in 1977 and a Gold Glove in 1978; Was the named the right-fielder on the 1976 Baseball Digest Rookie All-Star Rookie Team; Lead all NL outfielders with 24 assists in 1978

Fun Stuff:
Appeared as himself on an episode of Fantasy Island

Card Stuff:
His 1977 OPC card has an updated spring training photo

TOM VERYZER

1976 Topps #432

Played 1973 – 1984
1970’s Teams: Tigers, Indians

1970’s Highlights:
Was named the shortstop on the 1975 Topps Rookie All-Star team; Broke up a Ken Holzman no-hitter, getting a double with 2 outs in the 9th, 6/8/75; Was a starting shortstop with the Tigers and Indians

Fun Stuff:
Well, this is “Fun Stuff” if you’re from Long Island like I am… Veryzer was born in Port Jefferson and is the only Islip High School alumnus to play in the Majors

Card Stuff:
Shares a 1975 Topps rookie card with Keith Hernandez and Phil Garner

THE HAPPY RECAP:
All five players featured here had played for the Mets at some point in their career.

The 1970’s, A To Z: Joe Torre to Manny Trillo

Posted on May 5, 2023 by The Shlabotnik Report

JOE TORRE

1971 Topps #370

Played 1960 – 1977
Managed 1977 – 2010
1970’s Teams: Cardinals, Mets

1970’s Highlights:
Was named the NL MVP in 1971 after hitting 24 homers and leading the Majors with a .363 average, 230 hits and 137 RBI; Was an All-Star each year from 1970 to 1973 and started at 3B in 1971 and 1972; Hired by the Mets as their manager 45 games into the 1977 season and briefly served as a player/manager; Hit for the cycle vs. the Pirates, 6/27/73

Career Highlights:
Was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014; 2,342 career hits; Won four World Series as a manager with the Yankees; Won a Gold Glove as a catcher in 1965; Was traded to the Cardinals for fellow future HOFer Orlando Cepeda; His 2,326 wins as a manager are 5th on the all-time list; Caught Warren Spahn’s 300th win in 1961

Fun Stuff:
His older brother Frank also played in the Majors; With the Mets in 1975, he grounded into four straight double plays with Felix Millan setting the table with 4 straight singles

Card Stuff:
Appeared in every flagship Topps set of the 1970s (although in 1979 Topps he’s reduced to a thumbnail manager photo on the Mets team card); The above 1971 card appeared in the 1975 Topps “MVP” subset

MIKE TORREZ

1976 SSPC #381

Played 1967 – 1984
1970’s Teams: Cardinals, Expos, Orioles, A’s, Yankees, Red Sox

1970’s Highlights:
Won 20 games for the Orioles in 1975; Won 15+ games in 6 other seasons (1972, 1974, 1976-1979); Was the opening day starter four times for three teams: Expos (1973), A’s (1976 & 1977) and Red Sox (1978); Had two complete game wins with the Yankees in the 1977 World Series, including the series-clinching game 6; Threw four consecutive complete games with the 1972 Expos

Trade Stuff:
Was part of one of the biggest trades of the 1970s when, just before the 1976 season, the Orioles sent him to the A’s along with Don Baylor and pitcher Paul Mitchell for Reggie Jackson, Ken Holtzman and a minor league pitcher; Just over a year later he was traded by the A’s to the Yankees for Dock Ellis and Marty Perez

Fun(?) Stuff:
Gave up the infamous 3-run homer to Bucky (F***ing) Dent in the 1978 single-season playoff game to determine the AL East winner

Card Stuff:
Is missing from 1972 Topps but is represented from every other 1970s Topps set; After his April, 1977 trade to the Yankees, he appeared in that year’s Burger King Yankees set

1977 Burger King Yankees #7

CÉSAR TOVAR

1970 Topps #25

Played 1965 – 1976
1970’s Teams: Twins, Phillies, Rangers, A’s, Yankees

1970’s Highlights:
Lead the league with 36 doubles and 13 triples in 1970; Lead the league with 204 hits in 1971; Was hit by pitches a league-leading 14 times in 1972; Batted .385 with a triple in the 1970 ALCS vs. Baltimore; Got a hit and a walk in 3 plate appearances for Oakland in the 1975 ALCS vs. Boston; Hit for the Cycle vs. the Rangers, 9/19/72; Went 4-for-10 with 2 runs and 2 stolen bases in the Brewers 22-inning 4-3 win over Twins 5/12/72

Career Highlights:
Was never an All-Star even though he got MVP votes each year from 1967 to 1971; Holds the Twins record with 164 games played in 1967; Played all nine positions in a game in 1968; At one point he held the Minnesota Twins record for career stolen bases

Card Stuff:
Appeared in 1977 Topps with the Yankees even though he had played in just 13 games for them in a 1976 season split between Oakland and New York, and he had been released in December 1976

BILL TRAVERS

1977 Topps #125

Played 1974 – 1983
1970’s Teams: Brewers

1970’s Highlights:
Was an All-Star in 1976 in a year when he went 15-16 with a 2.81 ERA for a 95-loss Brewers team; Was the Brewers’ opening day starter in 1977; Struggled with injuries throughout his career but rebounded to get double-digit wins in 1978 and 1979

Career highlights:
Was named to the Milwaukee Brewers Wall of Honor in 2014

Fun Stuff:
Was the last Angels player to wear #26 before it was retired to honor Gene Autrey

Card Stuff:
Appeared in the 1977 Kellogg’s 3D set and the 1977 Hostess sets

MANNY TRILLO

1979 Topps #639

Played 1973 – 1989
1970’s Teams: A’s, Cubs, Phillies

1970’s Highlights:
Had two cups of coffee with the A’s before an October 1974 trade to the Cubs gave him the opportunity to play every day; Tied for 3rd in 1975 NL Rookie Of The Year voting (John Montefusco won, Gary Carter was second); Was an All-Star in 1977; Won a Gold Glove at 2nd base in 1979; Tied a Major League record by hitting two doubles in the same inning, 4/15/77; Got a bases-loaded single in his first Major League at bat; Scored a run in the 1974 ALCS after pinch-running for Jesus Alou in the 9th inning of Game 1

Career Highlights:
Was the MVP of the 1980 NLCS, going 8-for-21 with 4 RBI and some clutch hits; Made three more All-Star teams in the 1980s; Won two more Gold Gloves in 1981 and 1982; Inducted into the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012; Inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame in 2021

Fun Stuff:
Was born on Christmas Day, 1950

Card Stuff:
Had an updated (and airbrushed) card in the 1979 Burger King Phillies set

1979 Burger King Phillies #14

The 1970’s, A To Z: Andre Thornton to Jeff Torborg

Posted on April 14, 2023 by The Shlabotnik Report

ANDRE THORNTON

1979 Topps #280

Played 1973 – 1987
1970’s Teams: Cubs, Expos, Indians

1970’s Highlights:
Thornton spent 7 seasons in the minors with the Phillies and Braves before being traded to the Cubs and making his Major League debut; Drove in 105 runs with 33 homers for Cleveland in 1978; Hit for the cycle against the Red Sox, 4/22/78

Career Highlights:
Was an All-Star with Cleveland in 1982 and 1984; Won the AL Comeback Player of the Year in 1982; Won a Silver Slugger as a DH in 1984; Hit 253 career homers; Inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame in 2007

Fun Stuff:
In 1979 he was the last player to hit a home run off off Jim Hunter; Is the brother-in-law of fellow Major Leaguer Pat Kelly

LUIS TIANT

1979 Topps #575

Played 1964 – 1982
1970’s Teams: Twins, Red Sox, Yankees

1970’s Highlights:
A fireballer who won 21 games in 1968, injuries forced Tiant to re-invent himself as a junkball pitcher, to great success; In 1972 he went 15-6, lead the league with a 1.91 ERA, was named the AL Comeback Player of the year and got a 1st place vote in Cy Young voting (Gaylord Perry was the winner); Had the league’s lowest WHIP (Walks/Hits per Innings Pitched) and won 20 games in 1973; Had 22 wins, lead the AL with 4 shutouts and was an All-Star in 1974; Was the Red Sox opening day starter from 1973 to 1975; In the 1975 World Series he had two wins (one a shutout) and a no-decision, plus at the plate he had a .400 on-base percentage, but Cincinnati won the series in 7; Won 21 games and was an All-Star in 1976

Career Highlights:
While with Cleveland in 1969 he lead the league with 20 losses, just a season after leading the league with a 1.60 ERA; Holds the Indians single-season mark with a .168 batting average against in 1968; Lead the AL in shutouts in 1966 and 1968; Won more games than any other 20th century Cuban pitcher; Started the 1968 All-Star Game; Was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011

Fun Stuff:
His father, also Luis Tiant but with a different middle name, pitched in the Negro Leagues in the 1930s and 1940s; Was the subject of a 2009 documentary, “The Lost Son Of Havana”; Made a guest appearance in an episode of “Cheers”

Card Stuff:
Appears in every Topps flagship set of the 1970s; His 1979 Burger King card (shown below) reflects his signing with the Yankees as a free agent

1979 Burger King Yankees #8

DICK TIDROW

1975 Topps #241

Played 1972 – 1984
1970’s Teams: Indians, Yankees, Cubs

1970’s Highlights:
Broke in with the Indians as a starter and was named to the 1972 Topps All-Star Rookie Team; Shifted to the bullpen with the Yankees and stayed a reliever for most of his career; Pitched for the Yankees in the 1976, 1977 and 1978 World Series

Career Highlights:
Lead the NL with 84 appearances in 1980

Fun Stuff:
His nickname is “Dirt”; Was the last Cleveland pitcher to bat before the DH was implemented; Is one of a small number who have played for the Mets, Yankees, Cubs and White Sox

Card Stuff:
His card in the 1981 Topps/Coca-Cola Cubs set is different from his 1981 Topps card

1981 Topps/Coca-Cola Cubs #10

BOBBY TOLAN

1976 SSPC #132

Played 1965 – 1979
1970’s Teams: Reds, Padres, Phillies, Pirates

1970’s Highlights:
In 1970 he scored a career-high 112 runs and lead the league in both steals (57) and caught stealing (20); In game 2 of the 1970 NL Playoffs he went 3 for 4 and scored all of the Reds runs in a 3-1 win over the Pirates; After missing 1971 to injury due to a torn achilles tendon, he won the 1972 NL Comeback Player award; Played in Japan for the Nankai Hawks in 1978

Career Highlights:
Played in the postseason with the Cardinals (1967 & 1968), Reds (1970, 1972) and Phillies (1976); Was a player-manager for the St. Petersburg Pelicans of the Senior Professional Baseball Association

Fun Stuff:
Is related to Eddie Tolan, a sprinter who won two Olympic Gold Medals in 1932

Card Stuff:
Appeared on postseason cards in 1971 and 1973 Topps but his 1973 card was just a “cameo”

JEFF TORBORG

1978 Topps #351

Played 1964 – 1973
1970’s Teams: Dodgers, Angels

Managed 1977 – 2003
1970’s Teams: Indians

Career Highlights:
Caught three no-hitters over his career: Sandy Koufax vs. the Cubs 9/9/65 (a perfect game), Bill Singer vs. the Phillies 7/20/70 and Nolan Ryan vs. the Royals 5/15/73

Managed over four decades for the Indians, White Sox, Mets, Expos and Marlins and was named the AL Manager of the Year in 1990

The Shlabotnik Report

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Tag Archives: The 1970’s