Baseball Card Show Purchase #5 – Bob Gibson, Rod Carew, and Dennis Eckersley 2012 Panini Cooperstown Cards

Baseball Card Show Purchase #5 – Bob Gibson, Rod Carew, and Dennis Eckersley 2012 Panini Cooperstown Cards

It was nice to find a seller with a small bin of the cards from the 2012 Panini Cooperstown set.  By the looks of the size of the stack he was attempting to sell, he must have picked up a blaster box.

After sifting through the cards, I pulled out three for myself and I paid the man $1.00.

Here are the three:

You can’t go wrong with any of these guys – Bob Gibson, Dennis Eckersley, and Rod Carew!!

I still have not decided if I want to collect the entire set or not.  But it was a no-brainer to grab these three as they are of players that I actively collect…

1991 HEADLINE: Fergie Jenkins, Gaylord Perry, And Rod Carew Voted Into National Baseball Hall Of Fame

1991 HEADLINE: Fergie Jenkins, Gaylord Perry, And Rod Carew Voted Into National Baseball Hall Of Fame

Fergie Jenkins was a 4-time All-Star that amassed 284 wins as a starting pitcher.  Owner of seven 20-win seasons, a no-hitter, and a Cy Young award, Jenkins was one of the best and most consistent performers in the 1970s.

Gaylord Perry is a member of the ’300 Wins Club’ with 314 major league victories.  During his 22 years as a pro, Perry collected 3,534 strikeouts, with eight seasons of 200 or more.  Perry was a 5-time All-Star and a 2-time Cy Young Award winner.

Rod Carew is one of the greatest hitters in major league history.  A member of the ’3,000 Hits Club’, Carew amassed 3,053 hits in 19 major league seasons.  Carew was an 18-time All-Star, Rookie of the Year, MVP, and 7-time batting champion.

Jenkins was voted into the Hall of Fame on his third ballot in which he collected 334 of 443 votes cast.

Perry was voted into the Hall of Fame on his third ballot in which he collected 342 of 443 votes cast.

Carew was voted into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot in which he collected 401 of 443 votes cast.

1967 HEADLINE: Rod Carew Captures The American League’s Rookie Of The Year Award

1967 HEADLINE: Rod Carew Captures The American League’s Rookie Of The Year Award

On this day in 1967, Rod Carew captured the 1967 American League Rookie of the Year Award.  The voting was far from close as Carew captured 19 of 20 first-place votes, good for a 95% tally.

And the numbers certainly back up his prize – 150 hits, .292 batting average, 22 doubles, 7 triples, 8 home runs, 66 runs scored, 59 RBI, and an amazingly low 91 strikeouts in 561 plate appearances.

Not too bad for a 21-year old kid, huh??

Congratulations Mr. Carew.  Certainly a great start to a fantastic and brilliant career!!

Happy Birthday Rod Carew!!

Happy Birthday Rod Carew!!

Rod Carew turns 67 years old today.

I consider Rod Carew to be one of the most underrated superstars in baseball history.

Yes, I know he’s a Hall of Famer.  And yes, I know he is an 18-time All-star.  And yes, he was a constant threat to win the league’s MVP award for most of his career.

But when people talk about the greatest hitters in the sport’s history, Carew gets very little credit yet his numbers stack up quite well to the competition.  In 19 seasons, Carew collected 3,053 hits alongside a .320 batting average.  He also managed to score 1,424 runs, drive in 1,015 runs, and steal 353 bases.

The reason that Rod Carew remains under the radar is that he played for very low-profile teams – the Twins and Angels.

Happy Birthday Mr. Carew!!

Rod Carew 1974 Topps – Batting Cage Card!!!

Rod Carew 1974 Topps

Sweet, a baseball card of one of my favorite hitters in the history of the sport.  And he’s standing in front of a batting cage.

It doesn’t get much better than this:

Rod Carew 1978 Topps – 1977 Batting League Leaders

Rod Carew 1978 Topps – 1977 Batting League Leaders

Rod Carew captured his seventh and final batting crown at the end of the 1978 baseball season.  This card from the 1979 Topps baseball card set honors that achievement.

While winning seven batting titles, Carew was also the league leader in on-base percentage four times.

In 1978, Carew led the American League in batting average with his .333 clip, and in on-base percentage with a very respectable .411.

Atta Boy, Rod!!!

Rod Carew 2012 Topps Archives – 1968 Topps Design w/All-Star Rookie Trophy!!!

Rod Carew 2012 Topps Archives – 1968 Topps Design w/All-Star Rookie Trophy!!!

I had picked up one of these 2012 Archives of Rod Carew in a pack of Archives when the product was released a few months ago.  I quickly sent it to a loyal Twins fan and reader of ’30-YOC’ but I knew that I was going to want one for my collection as well.

So, during a recent shopping spree on www.sportlots.com, I scooped up one for myself.  And I paid just eighteen cents too!

Here is the card:

I really like Carew, and I am in the process of putting together a collection of cards that feature him that were issued during his playing days.

But every once in a while, I feel the urge to grab a modern card of him too.  And this time out, I think I struck gold!!  The card is gorgeous, and I have always been a fan of the Topps All-Star Rookie trophy.

Enjoy.

Rod Carew 1979 Topps – 1978 Batting League Leaders

Rod Carew 1979 Topps – 1978 Batting League Leaders

Rod Carew dominated American League pitching in the mid-to-late 1970′s.

Carew won seven batting titles during his playing days; 6 of which came during the 70′s.

This card from the 1979 Topps baseball card set pays homage to the batting champions from the 1978 baseball season.

Rod Carew and Dave Parker were the batting champs in 1978.  Carew hit .333 and Parker edged him out by 1/1000 by hitting .334.

Rod Carew 2003 Topps Gallery

Rod Carew 2003 Topps Gallery

One of the many reasons that I like to collect baseball cards that feature Rod Carew is that I really like the Twins and Angels uniforms of the 1970′s and 1980′s.

The colors of these uniforms is very representative of the sport from those decades, and Rod wore them well.

This card is just one example of how nice those old, vintage Twins uniforms looked.

Come see:

Rod Carew 1982 Donruss

Rod Carew 1982 Donruss

1982 was Donruss’ second year in the baseball card making business.

And while their 1982 issue was certainly not their best, it is a great improvement from their debut set issued one year earlier in 1981.

The design flows well.  The colors are vivid.  And the graphics have a fitting baseball theme.

But, they still had some issues with photo selection.  And cropping too…

One of those examples is the Rod Carew card.

Have a look:

If this card featured the same image but not nearly as zoomed in, it would be a HOME RUN!!!!

Instead, I will give it a double…