Once again, I am working from a black and white print. This one looks about 1975 vintage due to the Toy Cannon in Dodgers blue. There was a lot going on here that I could not duplicate exactly. I tried to find a glove shape that would allow enough space for a decent photo. The font was just impossible to duplicate but I think mine captures enough of the original gist.
In typical fashion, I made some base card mockups using the Cy Young Award winners for the 1975 season. Jim Palmer won his second of 3 Cy Young Awards in 1975. He had career highs in victories (23), complete games (25) and shutouts (10). The NL also had a 3-time winner. Tom Terrific won his 3rd and final Cy Young. He led the NL in strikeouts (243) and wins (22).
The AL MVP, Fred Lynn, was also the Rookie of the Year. I decided to substitute Lynn (and save him for later) with the runner-up MVP in the AL, John Mayberry. Mayberry had career highs in home runs (34), RBIs (106), slugging (.547) and hits (162). He also led the league with 119 bases on balls. In the NL was Joe Morgan who won his first of two consecutive MVPs for the Big Red Machine.
Another departure on this set is the color selection. In 1975 the Topps set was all over the place with many color combinations for teams. For the Alt-Topps set I tried to match the team colors.
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Just a quick note to the usual suspects that have been following my blog these past years:
I've been trying to stay active on this blog but haven't been very successful lately. You can probably tell by the post season cards I posted. I missed the Wildcard games. Somehow I managed to post for the Divisional Series but again missed the Championship Series and World Series. So, I've got a bunch of half-finished projects that I may post at a later date.
Sometimes the real world comes crashing into the hobbies that were meant to take your mind off the real world. Having said that, I managed to finish this 1975 Alt-Topps project and will try to create a few requests, as usual. Just leave comments and I will do my best.
Mr. Hogan: These are just wonderful!!! Right back in the mid-70's - a happy time for me!!! It was a lousy time economically (remember WIN buttons?), but as long as you have a glove, a bat, a bucket of balls, and enough friends, you can still have some fun (of course it helps to still be young)! I sure appreciate you're comment about "the real world crashing in" - it does so with ever increasing frequency now. Anyway, I'll certainly be back with some ideas for you as this is a lovely design from one of my favorite eras. This just makes me feel so good "Buzz" (Bryant)
ReplyDeletenice job re-creating what looks to have been a fairly... um... *unusual* design!
ReplyDeleteExcellent cards as always. Agree with Shlabotnik that the design is unusual. However, you have made it interesting. My request is for All-Star cards, specifically Garvey and Brooks Robinson. Protocol has been for the cards to be based on the previous year's All-Stars. Garvey was MVP of the game and Robinson just epitomizes All-Star. Fred Lynn's 1975 card was a small head shot on the same card with 3 other small head shots (I have never liked these rookie cards). With the monster year that Lynn had, what a shame that this was his 1975 card. Hopefully when you get to him, it will be a dedicated card. Understand completely about real life affecting hobbies, but really enjoy your posts and will take them as you have time. Like "Buzz", you take me back to a happy time in my life.
ReplyDeleteGreat job as always!
ReplyDeleteJT, The Writer's Journey
Really enjoy your work! I'd like to see Ken Boswell if possible.
ReplyDeleteVery nice work!
ReplyDeleteYou've done a great job with it. :)
Ol' Buzz coming back with a full roster,(or is that - a laundry list?) for your consideration. No superstars here, just a whole bunch of pretty good players - many "in transition", and therein lies the difficulty. Before listing them I'd like to set the atmosphere by recalling the mid 70's a bit (for those who weren't there it might help, for those born before 1967 it's a refresher course). For starters we had an unelected president. Further, there were gas lines, disco, and something that would plague us all the way until 1983 - "stagflation". One relief from this was the seldom seen but widely publicised "streaking" Due to this, frivolity and unreasonable expectations had to be reined in. Out of necessity the simple pleasures of life were rediscovered; "Oh brother can you spare a dime - and a nickel"? If you could scrape that up that you could even get a "fresh" pack of Topps with what was probably a 2 decade old slab/brick of their "world class gum" to boot. If "friends and relations" weren't baseball fans you could always get 'em a PET ROCK. As for baseball, well, Rip Van Winkle types like me would now be confronted with a plethora of Astrodome knockoffs collectively known as "multipurpose" stadiums (but more derisively labeled as "donuts"). That was just the start, doubleknit polyester uniforms (some of absurd design and coloration) assaulted the eyes, and on occasion orange baseballs were tried for night games (or so I seem to remember). Finally there was a whole new position (which I initially approved of) - the DESIGNATED HITTER!! (yeah pull the wimpy pitcher out of the box!). Hope this little side bar wasn't too much! Now, on with my draft choices for 1975: 1st Deron Johnson, based on his 1974 performance one can see why Topps didn't allot him a card for 75 (when you're headed into your late 30's and all you can muster as a DH is .171 13 hr.'s and 43 rbi's well your probably lookin at "the door" - which is what he got. But Deron didn't give up, hooked on with the pale hose and had by mid 70's standards a decent comeback (.239, 19 & 75 rbi's). You can make his card "Brew", Bosox, or "pale" -your choice. "D.J." was a good guy who left us much too soon (53) R.I.P. Next on my list, Bobby Murcer. I feel that there is a paucity of good cards showing him as a SF Giant, which is where he would be by "75. Giant or Yankee your choice. Bobby, you are well remembered everywhere, you were called (62) to the big diamond too soon also RIP. #3 Jim Northrup. A fixture in Motown for a decade, he spent 75 as a part timer in the land of crabcakes. "Silver Fox" you didn't put up with #*@! from anybody - and for that I salute you RIP. We'll get a bit more upbeat with next two. I'm now thinking of two guys who were briefly battery mates in S.D.(75) - Randy Hundley and Sonny Siebert. the former a good catcher, the latter an underappreciated and (today) largely forgotten pitcher. My final choice is the one and only Walt "no neck" Williams. He appeared to be finished after an horrific "74 campaign that saw him flail away to the tune of .113 without a single dinger. But he came back in 75 with a very good .281 with 5 h.r.'s, (he was also above .300 as a pinch hitter). Despite this, the Yank's did not resign him, so it was off to japan where he morphed into the much loved "energy man". RIP energy man Sincerely, "Buzz" (Bryant)
ReplyDeleteIt's great to see new creations from you! I'd like to request cards of Frank Robinson and Reggie Jackson.
ReplyDelete