Even More 1979 Alt-Topps

World Series, All-Stars and Leaders

Oddly, Topps did not have post season cards in the real 1979 set. Fortunately, I make the rules for the Alt-Topps version. After winning games 1 & 2, the Dodgers lost 4 straight to the Yankees.

For the 1979 All-Stars I changed up the base cards just a little.  Here is Sweet Lou giving Pudge a closer look at his spikes. I'm sure they laughed it off and had a few drinks together after the game, right?

Vida Blue crossed the bay in 1978 and Earned his 3rd All-Star start. He was the first pitcher to start in both leagues. Since then he's been joined by Clemens, Randy Johnson, Halliday and Scherzer.

In 1978 Ron LeFlore led the leagues in runs and stolen bases. In 1980 he would lead the NL in stolen bases with 97 for the Expos. Rounding out the top 3 are Julio Cruz and Bump Wills. Cruz had a career high 59 and would later play 2B for the 1983 "Winning Ugly" Sox. Bump was, of course, the son of stolen base artist Maury.

J.R. Richard won his first strikeout title in 1978. He repeated that feat in 1979. By 1980 he was out of the game. Tragic story. The other two are future Hall of Famers, Niekro and Seaver. 

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As usual, if you want to help me fill out this set, leave your suggestions in the comment section.  I'll create a few more cards for this set and post them later this month.

The Many, Many Rookie Cards of Lou Piniella

Sweet Lou made his cardboard debut as a Senator after batting .310 with 16 homers for their single A ball club. He made his Big League debut in September of 1964 but by that time he was dealt to the Orioles as the "player to be named later" to complete an earlier trade. Although he played in 4 games he would have only one plate appearance. He pinch hit for Hall of Famer Robin Roberts. He grounded out to second base.

He next appeared on a card in 1968. This time as an Indian. 1968 would also be the next year he would play in the Majors. Again he was a September call-up. He did manage to score a run as a pinch runner, and get an RBI on a sac-fly but his first big league hit still eluded him.

In 1969 Topps would recycle his 1968 photo and put him on a Rookie Stars card for the 3rd time. This time as a Pilot. Of course Lou would be traded before the start of the season to the Royals and eventually be named A.L. Rookie of the Year.

If Topps saw fit to include him on a Rookie Stars card in 1964, 1968 and 1969, why not 1965 or 1966 or 1967?  Since the name of this blog is Cards That Never Were, it is my duty to fill in the missing years.

In 1965 Piniella was in the Orioles Farm system. After his single at bat in 1964, Baltimore placed him in AA where he hit a mediocre .249. Topps had plenty of other Oriole prospects to choose from in 1965 other than Piniella. There was the eventual 1965 R.O.Y. Curt Blefary as well as future All-Stars, Paul Blair, Davey Johnson and Darold Knowles. Apparently there wasn't room for Lou. So I made a 1965 Rookie Stars card for him along with another guy who made his MLB debut as an Oriole in 1965.

In March of 1966 Piniella was dealt to the Indians. Topps opted to put first baseman Bill Davis and pitcher Tom Kelley on the Indians Rookie Stars card. I teamed Lou up with a seldom used utility infielder Vern Fuller for this version of the 1966 Rookie Stars card. In 1966 Piniella was promoted to AAA ball and his batting average improved to .289

In 1967 Topps would again put first baseman Bill Davis on its Rookie Stars card. This time along with utility infielder Gus Gil. I chose the Indians 4th string catcher from 1966, Buddy Booker to keep Piniella company on this version of the 1967 Rookie Stars card. Although Piniella remained at the AAA level in 1967, his hitting improved again. This time topping the .300 mark at .308. He would spend most of the next season in triple A as well. Finally getting called up in September of 1968.

1975 Topps 1969 Rookies of the Year

The 1969 Rookies of the Year were far from unanimous winners. 9 different players received votes. Ted Sizemore got 58% of the vote among 4 others in the National League. Lou Piniella received a mere 38% of the AL vote, beating out the 3 other AL candidates. Both Piniella and Sizemore would go on to have productive MLB careers and both of them received MVP votes in 1969. However, strictly by looking at their numbers arguments could be made for other candidates. 

1969 Topps Lou Piniella R.O.Y.

This is my second 1969 Topps Lou Piniella card. The first one I made he was on the Seattle Pilots. Both the Pilots and the Royals were American League expansion teams in 1969. In Ball Four, Jim Bouton writes of Piniella's time in Seattle: "Lou Piniella has the red ass. He doesn't think he's been playing enough....He says they know they don't want him and that he's going to quit baseball rather than go back to AAA."

Lou was right, they didn't want him. He was a 25 year old "prospect" with a reputation as a troublemaker and the Pilots traded him just before the start of the season to Kansas City for outfielder Steve Whitaker and relief pitcher John Gelnar. Whitaker played in less than half the games that season hitting .250. Gelnar posted a 3-10 record with 3 saves. Piniella won the AL Rookie of the Year award.

1969 Topps Lou Piniella

Seattle Pilots CTNW Fan Favorites #5

I'm putting together 5 "Cards That Never Were" fan favorites from each team. These are not necessarily the 5 best players from the franchise. So as David Letterman used to say before Stupid Pet Tricks, "This is only an exhibition. This is not a competition. Please, no wagering."

The Pilots played exactly one season on the MLB.  An inadequate stadium, lack of cash flow and poor management decisions resulted in the Pilots being sold to a Milwaukee car dealer named Bud Selig.  An example of poor management decisions was the decision to trade Lou Piniella to the Royals after spring training in 1969. The decision was based on his salary more than his performance. Piniella was a 26 year old rookie who was set to earn $175,000. Piniella went on to win the Rookie of the Year award for the other AL expansion team, the Kansas City Royals in 1969.

Piniella had a few false starts, coming up for a "cup of coffee" for the Orioles in 1964 and the Indians in 1968. Topps considered him enough of a prospect to appear on 3 different rookie cards.