1973 Topps All Star Cards - American League East

In the AL East, I once again get to utilize the Manager/Coaches format for the Team All Star cards. Freehan was the starting catcher in the 1972 All Star Game. Joe Coleman made his only ASG in 1972 but never left the bullpen. Lolich pitched 2 scoreless inning for the AL. Norm Cash came in to relieve Dick Allen and struck out in his only at bat.

Yaz was not the only Boston Red Sox elected to the All Star team. Aparicio was also picked to start but had to sit out due to injury. 1972 Rookie of the Year Carlton Fisk singled and scored on Cookie Rojas's 8th inning homer. Reggie Smith struck out pinch hitting for Gaylord Perry.

The Orioles had 3 starters plus the All Star Manager. Pat Dobson and Dave McNally were reserves. Dobson never saw action but McNally got the loss by giving up a walk a sacrifice bunt and a single in the 10th inning.

Bobby Murcer was the Yankees' sole representative in the 1972 ASG. These were dark times for Yankees fans. It had been 10 years since their last World Series Championship and it would be another 5 years until their next. My heart bleeds. Call me when you get to 106 years.

According to Baseball-Reference there were 3 blown saves in the 1972 ASG. The first belonging to the Indians only All Star, Gaylord Perry who gave up a 2 run homer to Hank Aaron. 

In their 3rd year of existence the Brewers had one player representing them in each ASG. In 1972 it was Ellie Rodriguez who never saw action. In 1971 it was pitcher Marty Pattin who didn't leave the bullpen. Tommy Harper was still the only Brewer to see action in an All Star Game. He was a pinch runner in 1970 and was promptly caught stealing.

1964 Topps Football Checklist - Cards That Never Were - 22nd Series

I needed to interrupt the remake of the 1973 All Star cards because I forgot to document the completion of yet another 25 cards created for this blog. You might have noticed that I abandoned the 1961 Topps baseball format. This is a modified 1964 Topps football checklist. Also abandoned were the video checklists. I found another way to get all the cards from the checklist in one place. Well sort of. I have created pages that can be accessed by clicking on the checklists on the right border. Unfortunately, google limits the supplemental pages to 20. Since this is my 22nd series, I was already over the limit. So I doubled up. Each one of those links will get you to the 50 cards created for the corresponding series.

1973 Topps All Star Cards - National League East

When posting the 1973 All Star cards that never were, I let it be known that it was not my first version. I had created a 1973 All Star card for Don Kessinger which included all of the Cubs All Stars from 1972 even the reserves. I had based it off the 1973 Topps Manager/Coaches cards. This was not a format that would work for all teams. In fact it worked for very few of them. Long story short with a little prodding I decided to create team-based 1973 All Star cards. Because of the wide range of players representing different teams in the 1972 All Star game, I had to employ various designs. I've broken them down by division and posted them in the order they finished the 1972 season.

This is the card that I wanted to make the most. Mainly because it fit the same format I used for the Cubs already. But also because of the great players like Clemente, and Oliver. Clemente was actually supposed to be a starter but was out due to an injury. Willie Mays replaced him in the starting line up.

This is the card that started the thread. I made this first. Before I decided to create All Star cards that never were. In fact I made it before I created this blog.

Here is another concept I had toyed with before settling on the final version. I think it works especially well for the Mets as Mays was in the starting line up and Seaver and McGraw were in the bullpen. I think I would have really liked to find this card back in the day. Everyone seems so happy. I came across the picture of Mays smiling at the plate and had to find similarly joyous photos of the other two.

Yet another format. I could have made this fit the same format as the Cubs and the Bucs but who would get the big picture? Both Torre and Gibson were starters.

Bill Stoneman was the sole representative of the Montreal Expos so I just gave him a card like all the other All Stars.

Ditto for "Lefty".

1973 Topps All Star Cards : The Managers

Managing his first All Star game since 1961, Danny Murtaugh remained undefeated. Interestingly, all 3 games he managed were tied up at the end of regulation. In the 1st All Star game of 1961 he led the NL to a 5-4 victory in 10 innings. In the 2nd All Star game of 1961 the teams were knotted at 1 run after 9 inning when the game was called for rain. It was the only All Star game to end in a tie until Bud Selig called off the 2002 All Star game after 11 innings. The 1972 game went into the 10th inning before the NL broke the 3-3 tie with a walk off single by Joe Morgan.

Appearing as manager in his 3rd consecutive All Star game, Earl Weaver fought the good fight. In an era in which the NL has dominated All Star play, Weaver was no push-over. From 1963-1982 the AL had only won 1 game. That was in 1971 with Weaver at the helm. Book-ending that victory, Weaver's AL All Stars took the NL to extra inning in 1970 and 1972 before ultimately falling.

1973 Topps All Star Cards : American League Battery

In his 2nd All Star start, Jim Palmer gave up 1 hit and 1 walk in 3 innings. He also helped at the plate advancing battery-mate Freehan on a bunt. Freehan scored on a Rod Carew single.

Bill Freehan had been the starting catcher for the American League All Stars since 1966. But with the 1970 Rookie of the Year, Thurman Munson and the 1972 Rookie of the year, Carlton Fisk coming up behind him, 1972 would be his last start behind the plate.