More 1965 Alt -Topps

Rookies, Team Cards and Managers

Love them or hate them, here they come.  First is the multi-player Rookie Stars card.  For the rookie card I let the photos take a backseat to the design and went with a 1963 rookie card feel.  I know people dislike the multi-player design because for every card with a "Steve Carlton" you get a "Fritz Ackley".  But with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, these are loaded.

The AL card has the top two Rookie of the Year nominees, Blefary and Lopez. It also has 1966 ROY Tommie Agee and Skip Lockwood. Lockwood came up as a 3rd baseman. He batted .121 in 33 at bats in 1965. He went back to the drawing board and was reborn as a pitcher. He pitched for 12 years in the majors from 1969-1980.

Once again in the NL, I have the players with the most ROY votes. Lefebvre, Morgan and Linzy. The fourth was future Hall of Famer, Fergie Jenkins. In 1965, Houston was transitioning from .45s to Astros. During spring training they had several cap logos.  This shot of Morgan has the plain embroidered star. There also were a couple variations with just an 'H' and a few sewn-on-patch variations before the final version.

The team cards are about as basic as they get. I used the same script and a simple white border.

The Manager cards are the same as the regular issue cards.  I went with a pair of teams that will surely upset Yankee fans.

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I got a lot of good requests for this set so far.  Some of them are a bit challenging, but keep them coming.

1968 Topps NL Leading Firemen: Ted Abernathy, Roy Face, Frank Linzy

Ted Abernathy was the Fireman of the Year in 1965 with the Cubs, leading the league with 31 saves. In 1966 he was dealt to the Braves who let him slip through their hands. The Reds picked him up in the Rule 5 draft after the 1966 season. Abernathy rewarded them with 28 saves and another Fireman of the Year award.

By 1967 Elroy Face was a wiley bullpen veteran. At 39 years old he had led the league in saves 3 times (1958, 1961, 1962) and won the Firman of the Year award in 1962. His 17 saves and 7 wins was enough for 2nd place in the N.L. in 1967.

In his 3rd full MLB season, Frank Linzy also had 17 saves and 7 wins for the Giants.

1966 Topps NL Leading Firemen: Abernathy, Linzy, McCool

In 1965 the Fireman of the Year awards went to Chicago pitchers on the North Side and the South Side. On the North Side, Abernathy also led the league in Saves with 31. His nearst competition came from Frank Linzy and Billy McCool with 21 saves each. Both Linzy and McCool had 9 wins but Linzy had the better record with 3 losses compared to McCool's 10.