1951 Bowman Warren Spahn

Boston Braves CTNW Favorites #3

Warren Spahn pitched for the Braves in Boston and Milwaukee. Even though he never pitched in an Atlanta Braves uniform, he is immortalized in bronze outside Turner Field in Atlanta. Spahn is known not only for his heroics on the mound but also his heroics in World War II.

Spahn came up to the Boston Braves at the age of 21 in 1942. Following the 1942 season, he was drafted into the US Army where he served with honor. He was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart and fought in the Battle of the Bulge. After 3 years in the service Spahn returned to baseball. He went on to be selected to 17 All Star teams, led the league in victories 8 times, ERA 3 times, strikeouts 4 times, shutouts 4 times and complete games 9 times. He also hit at least one homerun in every season from 1948-1964.

UPDATE

OK this post started as a 1949 Leaf Warren Spahn because I looked at a website that I use for reference and it had Spahn listed under Boston Red Sox. Not the Boston Braves, so I made another card this time a 1951 Bowman. Guess what? That already exists too. In fact Spahn is on every single Leaf, Bowman, Topps, Red Man and Berk Ross card during his Boston Braves years. I officially give up. I can't think of another way to portray Spahn as a Boston Brave.

1949 Leaf Johnny Sain

Boston Braves CTNW Favorites #2

"Spahn and Sain and pray for rain".  We've all heard the saying. I didn't know that it was just paraphrasing a poem that first appeared in the Boston Post in 1948.

First we'll use Spahn 

Then we'll use Sain

Then an off day

followed by rain

Back will come Spahn

followed by Sain

And followed

we hope

by two days of rain.

During a stretch of 10 games, Spahn and Sain each won 4 times. More amazing is that they pitched complete games in every start. In fact they pitched in 2 double headers in a row, September 5th and the 11th.  Separated, I assume by rain.

While the two were teammates, Spahn was more consistent, but Sain was considered the staff ace. From 1946-1951 Sain was the opening day starter 4 times, Spahn once and Vern Bickford once. In 1948 the Braves won the NL Pennant but lost to the Indians in the World Series. Sain was runner-up to Stan Musial in MVP voting with 24 wins and 28 complete games.

I had originally planned to make bookend 1949 Leaf cards of  Spahn & Sain. Once I realized Spahn already had a 1949 Leaf card I had make a different card for Warren Spahn. It's too bad because I kinda like the way these turned out.

1966 Topps Warren Spahn - 30 Tribute Card Project - Part 10

This part 10 of a continuing 30 tribute card project inspired by this article from Sports Collectors Daily. In previous posts I have shown 4 cards that Topps had produced and 15 cards that I have found on various blogs pages. Now I have my turn: 

I had to cheat a little on this one. I had actually found this image, colorized it and used it on a 1965 card I had made for Spahn back in 2011. I did find a couple of shots of Spahn in a Giants uniform but the were of such low resolution that they would make for a terrible looking card. The fact that Topps often re-used photographs (even if the player was traded to another team) allowed me to rationalize the repeat usage of this image.

In 1964 Warren Spahn posted his first losing record with the Braves sin 1952. The Mets purchased his contract and used him as both a pitcher and a coach for the young team. In fact his 1965 Topps card has his position listed as "P-Coach". After going 4 and 12 in 19 starts, the Mets released him. The Giants picked him up 2 days later. He fared somewhat better with the Giants going 3 and 4 the remainder of the season. At 44 years old and after 21 MLB seasons interrupted by 3 years of military service, Spahn retired from active duty.

 Here is the list so far. The Black X represents cards produced by Topps, The red X represents those made by other baseball card geeks, and now the blue X represents the cards made by yours truly:

1.       1952 Joe DiMaggio X

2.       1956 Ralph Kiner X

3.       1957 Bob Feller X

4.       1957 Phil Rizzuto X

5.       1957 Jackie Robinson X

6.       1961 Ted Williams X

7.       1962 Jackie Jensen X

8.       1964 Stan Musial X

9.       1964 Early Wynn X

10.   1965 Duke Snider X

11.   1966 Yogi Berra X

12.   1966 Warren Spahn X 

13.   1967 Sandy Koufax X

14.   1967 Robin Roberts X

15.   1968 Whitey Ford

16.   1969 Rocky Colavito X

17.   1969 Roger Maris 

18.   1969 Eddie Mathews

19.   1970 Don Drysdale X

20.   1972 Ernie Banks X

21.   1973 Maury Wills X

22.   1974 Willie Mays X 

23.   1977 Hank Aaron X

24.   1977 Frank Robinson X

25.   1978 Brooks Robinson X 

26.   1978 Jim Wynn

27.   1980 Lou Brock

28.   1980 Thuman Munson X

29.   1984 Johnny Bench X

30. 1984 Carl Yastrzemski X

To be Continued......

1981 All Star Game Honorary Captains: Warren Spahn & Bob Feller

The All Star break in upon us once again. So here a few additions to my All Star Game Honorary Captain collection.

Warren Spahn represented the National League as Honorary Captain in the 1981 All Star Game.  Spahn's heroics on the field earned him 17 All Star appearances and 13 20-win seasons, He led the league in ERA 3 times, strikeouts 4 times, shutouts 4 times, victories 8 times and complete games 7 times. He earned The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award 4 times, The Cy Young award in 1957 and The Lou Gehrig Award in 1961. In 1973 he was voted into the Hall of Fame.

The hometown hero, Bob Feller represented the American League as honorary captain at the 1981 All Star game in Cleveland. Feller was a triple crown winner in 1940, leading the league with a 2.61 ERA, 27 wins and 261 strike outs. He was an 8 time All Star and led the league in victories 6 times and in strikeouts 7 times. He had 3 career No-Nos and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962.

It is worth noting that both of these pitchers left the comfort of the MLB to join the armed forces in their prime. Feller was the reigning pitching champion, having led the league in victories 3 consecutive years leading up to his 3+ years serving as an anti-aircraft gunner chief aboard the USS Alabama. In his first full season back he led the league again and was selected to the AL All Stars.

Although Spahn was a rookie before serving, in his first full season back he led the league in ERA and was selected to the NL All Star Team. Spahn's military career held nearly as many awards as his baseball career. He was a combat engineer who fought in the "Battle of the Bulge". He received a Purple Heart after taking shrapnel to his foot. His unit was awarded the Distinguished Unit Emblem and he received a battlefield commission to second lieutenant.

As for the game itself, this would be the 4th and final time the game would be held at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. The game was rescheduled to August 9th because of the baseball strike. It still holds the attendance record for All Star games with 72,086 and the most players used with 56. The NL won 5-4 with all of its runs scored via the long ball. Gary Carter had 2 solo homers and was named MVP. Dave Parker also soloed and Mike Schmidt had a 2 run homer to give the NL the victory.

1965 Topps Traded Warren Spahn

At the end of the 1964 season the Braves sold the 44 year old Spahn's contract to the New York Mets. Span pitched and acted as coach for the Mets until he was released on July 17th. Two days later the Giants signed Spahn who went 3-4 for the remainder of the season. After retiring from the mound, Spahn coached in the Cardinals, Indians and Angels organizations. He also coached in Japan and the Mexican Baseball League.

Topps All-Star Misses: 1958 NL Battery

After a long holiday break, I have a few more All Star Cards That Never Were to share.  In 1958, Topps created the first All Star series of cards to appear as part of the regular set. In that set, Topps had Bob Friend as the "Sport Magazine '58 All Star Selection".  Warren Spahn was the left handed "selection".

As it turns out, Spahn was the starting pitcher for the NL in the 1958 ASG and Friend was the first righty to come on in relief.  Solid, picks by Topps, specially seeing how this was a late enough series in the 1958 set and they most likely used the power of hindsight.  

But just for the sake of argument, and to be consistent with my own agenda, here is a couple cards that never were based on the 1957 ASG.  In 1957 Curt Simmons was the starter and Lew Burdette was the first righty to come on in relief.

Here is where Topps takes a turn that only Topps could.  For their "58 All Star Selection" they chose Ed Bailey, who was the starter in the 1957 game.  Del Crandall was the starter in the 1958 ASG.  Crandall was also the Sporting News All Star selection for 1958. 

 

1956 Topps Ralph Kiner - 30 Tribute Card Project - Part 5

Good day and welcome to day 5. So far I've managed to find 19 of the 30 cards on the list that inspired me to take on this project. And so far I haven't had to make a single card. That ends now.

After serving as a Navy Pilot in WWII, Ralph Kiner began his Baseball career with the Pirates. Under the tutelage of future Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg, Kiner led the league in homers 7 consecutive years from his rookie season in 1946 until 1952. Kiner was traded to the Cubs in 1953 as part of a 10 player trade in part because of a salary dispute. Branch Rickey who was at that time the Pirates GM told him "We finished last with you, we can finish last without you." Kiner was traded to the Indians after the 1954 season. Back injuries limited him to 87 games with Cleveland in 1955 and at the age of 32 his playing days were over. 

He began his broadcasting career as a radio announcer on WCFL for the White Sox in 1961 but was taken in the expansion draft by the New York Mets and has been their broadcaster ever since. 

 Here is the list so far. The Black X represents cards produced by Topps, The red X represents those made by other baseball card geeks, and now the blue X represents the cards made by yours truly:

1.       1952 Joe DiMaggio X

2.       1956 Ralph Kiner X

3.       1957 Bob Feller X

4.       1957 Phil Rizzuto

5.       1957 Jackie Robinson X

6.       1961 Ted Williams X

7.       1962 Jackie Jensen

8.       1964 Stan Musial X

9.       1964 Early Wynn

10.   1965 Duke Snider

11.   1966 Yogi Berra X

12.   1966 Warren Spahn 

13.   1967 Sandy Koufax X

14.   1967 Robin Roberts X

15.   1968 Whitey Ford

16.   1969 Rocky Colavito X

17.   1969 Roger Maris 

18.   1969 Eddie Mathews

19.   1970 Don Drysdale X

20.   1972 Ernie Banks X

21.   1973 Maury Wills X

22.   1974 Willie Mays X 

23.   1977 Hank Aaron X

24.   1977 Frank Robinson X

25.   1978 Brooks Robinson X 

26.   1978 Jim Wynn

27.   1980 Lou Brock

28.   1980 Thuman Munson X

29.   1984 Johnny Bench X

30. 1984 Carl Yastrzemski X

To be Continued......

30 Tribute Card Project - Part 4

I am continuing on with the 30 tribute card project I started based on  this article on the Sports Collectors Daily website. In my last post, I was able to check 5 more off the list ( numbers 16,19,21,22 and 23)with cards created by other people on the web.

 Another repeat offender, Uncle Doc's Card Closet gives us #24 on the list. Frank Robinson is represented in the 1977 Topps set, but only as a manager on the team card. Just as in 1976, he didn't have a card that represented him as a player also. The minor issue I have with the 1977 cards on this list is that both the Robinson and the Hank Aaron card on my previous post are missing the facsimile signature.

This bright orange Brooks Robinson card come from When Topps Had (Base) Balls. This site actually has several final tribute cards and all are done beautifully but in the interest of giving other card creators their due, I limited it to #25 on the list. I encourage you to browse his site.

I can't help coming back to Keith Conforti. This Thurman Munson tribute card has appeared on several sites including The Virtual Card Collection. This is not only a brilliant tribute card, but a great concept, borrowed from the 1964 Ken Hubbs card. #28 just might be my favorite card that never was.

The Writer's Journey is one of my daily stops. Among other things The Writers Journey features several "Fun Cards". That is where I found #29 on the list. In 1984 Fleer was the only card company to include a Johnny Bench card.

Like Johnny Bench, Yaz was only include in the 1984 Fleer base set. #30 on the list is the 3rd card from Keith Conforti. Here is another link to his Picasa Web Album.

 Here is the list so far. The Black X represents cards produced by Topps, The red X represents those made by other baseball card geeks:

1.       1952 Joe DiMaggio X

2.       1956 Ralph Kiner

3.       1957 Bob Feller X

4.       1957 Phil Rizzuto

5.       1957 Jackie Robinson X

6.       1961 Ted Williams X

7.       1962 Jackie Jensen

8.       1964 Stan Musial X

9.       1964 Early Wynn

10.   1965 Duke Snider

11.   1966 Yogi Berra X

12.   1966 Warren Spahn 

13.   1967 Sandy Koufax X

14.   1967 Robin Roberts X

15.   1968 Whitey Ford

16.   1969 Rocky Colavito X

17.   1969 Roger Maris 

18.   1969 Eddie Mathews

19.   1970 Don Drysdale X

20.   1972 Ernie Banks X

21.   1973 Maury Wills X

22.   1974 Willie Mays X 

23.   1977 Hank Aaron X

24.   1977 Frank Robinson X

25.   1978 Brooks Robinson X 

26.   1978 Jim Wynn

27.   1980 Lou Brock

28.   1980 Thuman Munson X

29.   1984 Johnny Bench X

30. 1984 Carl Yastrzemski X

Now it's my turn.

To be Continued......

1968 Topps Whitey Ford - 30 Tribute Card Project - Part 11

This part 11 of a continuing 30 tribute card project inspired by this article from Sports Collectors Daily. In previous posts I have shown 4 cards that Topps had produced and 15 cards that I have found on various blogs pages. Now I have my turn: 

Whitey Ford did not last long into the 1967 season. He had shoulder surgery in 1966. Starting his 7th game of the 1967 campaign he felt pain in his shoulder and took himself out after just one inning. Shortly after he announced his retirement. A native New Yorker, Whitey was signed by the Yankees at 18 years old and never left the organization. 

 Here is the list so far. The Black X represents cards produced by Topps, The red X represents those made by other baseball card geeks, and now the blue X represents the cards made by yours truly:

1.       1952 Joe DiMaggio X

2.       1956 Ralph Kiner X

3.       1957 Bob Feller X

4.       1957 Phil Rizzuto X

5.       1957 Jackie Robinson X

6.       1961 Ted Williams X

7.       1962 Jackie Jensen X

8.       1964 Stan Musial X

9.       1964 Early Wynn X

10.   1965 Duke Snider X

11.   1966 Yogi Berra X

12.   1966 Warren Spahn X 

13.   1967 Sandy Koufax X

14.   1967 Robin Roberts X

15.   1968 Whitey Ford X

16.   1969 Rocky Colavito X

17.   1969 Roger Maris 

18.   1969 Eddie Mathews

19.   1970 Don Drysdale X

20.   1972 Ernie Banks X

21.   1973 Maury Wills X

22.   1974 Willie Mays X 

23.   1977 Hank Aaron X

24.   1977 Frank Robinson X

25.   1978 Brooks Robinson X 

26.   1978 Jim Wynn

27.   1980 Lou Brock

28.   1980 Thuman Munson X

29.   1984 Johnny Bench X

30. 1984 Carl Yastrzemski X

To be Continued......

1965 Topps Duke Snider - 30 Tribute Card Project - Part 9

This part 9 of a continuing 30 tribute card project inspired by this article from Sports Collectors Daily. In previous posts I have shown 4 cards that Topps had produced and 15 cards that I have found on various blogs pages. Now I have my turn: 

In 1963 Duke Snider returned to New York and was the sole representative of the Mets in the All Star game. In 1964 he was purchased by the Giants where he finished his career. He was used mostly as a pinch hitter but at 38 years old the Duke of Flatbush could muster only a .210 average. Significantly lower than his lifetime .295 average. He retired at the end of the season

In 1964 Topps produced a card of Snider in a Mets uniform. In 2011 Bob Lemke made a nice looking 1964 card of him on the Giants.

 Here is the list so far. The Black X represents cards produced by Topps, The red X represents those made by other baseball card geeks, and now the blue X represents the cards made by yours truly:

1.       1952 Joe DiMaggio X

2.       1956 Ralph Kiner X

3.       1957 Bob Feller X

4.       1957 Phil Rizzuto X

5.       1957 Jackie Robinson X

6.       1961 Ted Williams X

7.       1962 Jackie Jensen X

8.       1964 Stan Musial X

9.       1964 Early Wynn X

10.   1965 Duke Snider X

11.   1966 Yogi Berra X

12.   1966 Warren Spahn 

13.   1967 Sandy Koufax X

14.   1967 Robin Roberts X

15.   1968 Whitey Ford

16.   1969 Rocky Colavito X

17.   1969 Roger Maris 

18.   1969 Eddie Mathews

19.   1970 Don Drysdale X

20.   1972 Ernie Banks X

21.   1973 Maury Wills X

22.   1974 Willie Mays X 

23.   1977 Hank Aaron X

24.   1977 Frank Robinson X

25.   1978 Brooks Robinson X 

26.   1978 Jim Wynn

27.   1980 Lou Brock

28.   1980 Thuman Munson X

29.   1984 Johnny Bench X

30. 1984 Carl Yastrzemski X

To be Continued......

30 Tribute Card Project - Part 1

A while back, I was reading a post on Sports Collector's Daily that really seemed to be right up my alley. Rich Klein, one of the contributors to this site, wrote about the desire for Topps to make "Tribute" cards for their next Archives set. Tribute cards are basically cards from the year after the player retires. The part of the article that intrigued me was his list of players that he wanted to see tribute cards for. 

 I had seen many of the cards on his list somewhere on the web before, so I started doing a little research. As it turns out, Topps made versions of 4 cards on the list. I found 15 "card creations" from his list on various other baseball card blogs. I thought I could post them here and give a shout-out to the bloggers who made the cards and have inspired me. That still leaves me with 11 cards to complete the list.

Here is his "Wish List":

1.       1952 Joe DiMaggio 

2.       1956 Ralph Kiner

3.       1957 Bob Feller

4.       1957 Phil Rizzuto

5.       1957 Jackie Robinson

6.       1961 Ted Williams

7.       1962 Jackie Jensen

8.       1964 Stan Musial

9.       1964 Early Wynn

10.   1965 Duke Snider

11.   1966 Yogi Berra

12.   1966 Warren Spahn 

13.   1967 Sandy Koufax

14.   1967 Robin Roberts

15.   1968 Whitey Ford

16.   1969 Rocky Colavito

17.   1969 Roger Maris 

18.   1969 Eddie Mathews

19.   1970 Don Drysdale

20.   1972 Ernie Banks

21.   1973 Maury Wills

22.   1974 Willie Mays

23.   1977 Hank Aaron

24.   1977 Frank Robinson

25.   1978 Brooks Robinson 

26.   1978 Jim Wynn

27.   1980 Lou Brock

28.   1980 Thuman Munson

29.   1984 Johnny Bench

30. 1984 Carl Yastrzemski

First I gotta give Topps credit where credit is due:

Topps created these Promo cards tor the National Sports Collectors Convention. Taking care of #1 & #3 on his list.

Just this past year Topps produced these two. The Stan Musial was a special autographed insert in the 2013 Heritage set. And the Banks was part of the Series 2 - 1972 mini subset. That takes care of #8 and #20 on the list.

In my next few posts will share some of the cards on this list that I found on the internet made by my fellow baseball card geeks.

MLB Dream Bracket Alt-Topps Cards Part 7

Reds v Nationals

Braves v Marlins

Dodgers v Padres

Seems to be a theme in the first round to pit teams with long histories with newer teams. This is no exception. The Nationals were born as the Montreal Expos in the 1969 expansion. That same expansion brought the Padres (who almost moved to Washington in 1974).  The Marlins were part of the 1993 expansion along with the Rockies.

In the Reds - Nationals game we have Jim Maloney, Ted Kluszewski, Pete Rose and Joey Votto going for the Reds. The Expos/Nationals have Stephen Strasburg, Gary Carter, Tim Raines and Bryce Harper. If you want to see the results of this series click here for the story and video.

In the Braves - Marlins match up, Warren Spahn is pitching with Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron and Dale Murphy in the field. The Marlins have Dontrelle Willis, Gary Sheffield, Derek Lee and Giancarlo Stanton.  If you want to see the results of this series click here for the story.

The Dodgers -Padres series has Don Newcombe, Cody Bellinger, Jackie Robinson and Steve Garvey for the Dodgers, all of them are former NL MVPs. The Padres have reliever Trevor Hoffman, Nate Colbert, Dave Winfield and Tony Gwynn.  If you want to see the results of this series click here for the story.

******************************************

These cards are base on the MLB Dream Bracket.  Not sure who picked the "all-time players". It is a product of Twitch, Out of the Park and Draft Kings.  I take no responsibility for their choices, good or bad.  The cards themselves are based on a rejected Topps design from the late sixties.

To check the status of the bracket click here.

1962 Topps Jackie Jensen - 30 Tribute Card Project - Part 7

This part 7 of a continuing 30 tribute card project inspired by this article from Sports Collectors Daily. In previous posts I have shown 4 cards that Topps had produced and 15 cards that I have found on various blogs pages. Now I have my turn: 

The Jackie Jensen story is an interesting one. He began his MLB career in the Yankees outfield but became expendable with the arrival of Mickey Mantle. He was traded to Washington early in the 1952 season then to Boston in 1954. In 1958 he was the AL MVP and in 1959 he was a Gold Glove award winner, led the league in RBI's, hit 28 HRs and had 20 stolen bases. Yet seemingly at the top of his game, he retired from baseball due in part by his crippling fear of flying. After sitting out in 1960, he returned in 1961 but his production at the plate dropped dramatically causing him to retire for good at the end of the season.  

Not only was there not a tribute card of Jensen in 1962 after his retirement in 1961, Topps also neglected to make a tribute card of Jensen in 1960 after his initial retirement in 1959. Fortunately, Bob Lemke was recently able to right this wrong. Click here for the link to Bob's 1960 Jackie Jensen card.

 Here is the list so far. The Black X represents cards produced by Topps, The red X represents those made by other baseball card geeks, and the blue X represents the cards made by yours truly:

1.       1952 Joe DiMaggio X

2.       1956 Ralph Kiner X

3.       1957 Bob Feller X

4.       1957 Phil Rizzuto X

5.       1957 Jackie Robinson X

6.       1961 Ted Williams X

7.       1962 Jackie Jensen X

8.       1964 Stan Musial X

9.       1964 Early Wynn

10.   1965 Duke Snider

11.   1966 Yogi Berra X

12.   1966 Warren Spahn 

13.   1967 Sandy Koufax X

14.   1967 Robin Roberts X

15.   1968 Whitey Ford

16.   1969 Rocky Colavito X

17.   1969 Roger Maris 

18.   1969 Eddie Mathews

19.   1970 Don Drysdale X

20.   1972 Ernie Banks X

21.   1973 Maury Wills X

22.   1974 Willie Mays X 

23.   1977 Hank Aaron X

24.   1977 Frank Robinson X

25.   1978 Brooks Robinson X 

26.   1978 Jim Wynn

27.   1980 Lou Brock

28.   1980 Thuman Munson X

29.   1984 Johnny Bench X

30. 1984 Carl Yastrzemski X

To be Continued......

1964 Topp Early Wynn - 30 Tribute Card Project - Part 8

This part 8 of a continuing 30 tribute card project inspired by this article from Sports Collectors Daily. In previous posts I have shown 4 cards that Topps had produced and 15 cards that I have found on various blogs pages. Now I have my turn:  

In the 1950s only 2 AL teams other than the Yankees saw post-season play. Both were managed by Hall of Famer Al Lopez and both had 20+ game winner and future Hall of Famer Early Wynn. At the age of 39 he won the Cy Young award. And he was a workhorse for the Go Go Sox, leading the league in Wins, Starts, Innings and Batters Faced. Like most of us, his performance declined steadily in his 40's and at the end of the 1962 season he was released by the White Sox with a career win total of 299. The Indians picked him up in mid-June and on July 13, 1963 he finally got his 300th victory. For the remainder of the season he was mostly used out of the bullpen. He would remain with the Indians as a coach through 1966.

 Here is the list so far. The Black X represents cards produced by Topps, The red X represents those made by other baseball card geeks, and the blue X represents the cards made by yours truly:

1.       1952 Joe DiMaggio X

2.       1956 Ralph Kiner X

3.       1957 Bob Feller X

4.       1957 Phil Rizzuto X
5.       1957 Jackie Robinson X

6.       1961 Ted Williams X

7.       1962 Jackie Jensen X

8.       1964 Stan Musial X

9.       1964 Early Wynn X

10.   1965 Duke Snider

11.   1966 Yogi Berra X

12.   1966 Warren Spahn 

13.   1967 Sandy Koufax X

14.   1967 Robin Roberts X

15.   1968 Whitey Ford

16.   1969 Rocky Colavito X

17.   1969 Roger Maris 

18.   1969 Eddie Mathews

19.   1970 Don Drysdale X

20.   1972 Ernie Banks X

21.   1973 Maury Wills X

22.   1974 Willie Mays X 

23.   1977 Hank Aaron X

24.   1977 Frank Robinson X

25.   1978 Brooks Robinson X 

26.   1978 Jim Wynn

27.   1980 Lou Brock

28.   1980 Thuman Munson X

29.   1984 Johnny Bench X

30. 1984 Carl Yastrzemski X

To be Continued......

1980 Topps Lou Brock - 30 Tribute Card Project - Part 15 of 15

This the 15th and final part of a continuing 30 tribute card project inspired by this article from Sports Collectors Daily. In previous posts I have shown 4 cards that Topps had produced and 15 cards that I have found on various blogs pages. Now I have my turn: 

Here is a shot of Lou Brock that I've been waiting for an excuse to use. I stole, er "borrowed", it from the Topps Vault. He just looks so bad-ass in those shades. This would have been a much more fitting tribute to the stolen base king than the highlight card he shared with Yaz in the 1980 set. I'm not sure why the photo was framed with the background on an angle but I decided not to level it when I saw that it seemed to parallel the pennants used on the 1980 design. 

 Here is the complete list. The Black X represents cards produced by Topps, The red X represents those made by other baseball card geeks, and now the blue X represents the cards made by yours truly:

1.       1952 Joe DiMaggio X

2.       1956 Ralph Kiner X

3.       1957 Bob Feller X

4.       1957 Phil Rizzuto X

5.       1957 Jackie Robinson X

6.       1961 Ted Williams X

7.       1962 Jackie Jensen X

8.       1964 Stan Musial X

9.       1964 Early Wynn X

10.   1965 Duke Snider X

11.   1966 Yogi Berra X

12.   1966 Warren Spahn X

13.   1967 Sandy Koufax X

14.   1967 Robin Roberts X

15.   1968 Whitey Ford X

16.   1969 Rocky Colavito X

17.   1969 Roger Maris X 

18.   1969 Eddie Mathews X

19.   1970 Don Drysdale X

20.   1972 Ernie Banks X

21.   1973 Maury Wills X

22.   1974 Willie Mays X 

23.   1977 Hank Aaron X

24.   1977 Frank Robinson X

25.   1978 Brooks Robinson X 

26.   1978 Jim Wynn X

27.   1980 Lou Brock X

28.   1980 Thuman Munson X

29.   1984 Johnny Bench X

30. 1984 Carl Yastrzemski X