Rickey Henderson 1987 O-Pee-Chee

Rickey Henderson 1987 O-Pee-Chee

A few weeks ago I showed off my Wade Boggs card from the 1987 O-Pee-Chee baseball card set.

Well, I have scored another card from that same set for another PC that I am working on.

This time around, the featured payer is Rickey Henderson of the New York Yankees.

 

And just like that Boggs card from a few weeks ago, the lone difference on the front of the card is that the Topps logo in the lower-left corner has been replaced by the logo of O-Pee-Chee.

Great action image of Rickey here.  He definitely connected on this one!

1975 Topps Set Card 317/660 – #208 – 1970 Most Valuable Players

1975 Topps Set Card 317/660 – #208 – 1970 Most Valuable Players

Progress: 317/660

Player Name:  Boog Powell, Johnny Bench

Card Number:  208

Team:  Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds

Image Style: reprint baseball cards

How they got there:

Boog Powell hit .297 during the 1970 baseball season.  He connected for 156 hits that year including 28 doubles and 35 home runs.  Boog drove in 114 runs for the Orioles during the year while also scoring 82 times.

Johnny Bench hit .293 for the Reds in 1970.  He collected 177 hits in 158 games including 35 doubles and a league-leading 45 home runs.  Bench also paced the NL in RBI with 148 while scoring 98 runs.  He also won the Gold Glove in the NL for catchers.

Cal Ripken Jr. 1992 Donruss Triple Play

Cal Ripken Jr. 1992 Donruss Triple Play

I’m not a huge fan of the Donruss Triple Play brand.  Personally, I did not find that the cards were very exciting.  And I also thought that the large, shifted frame that held the player’s picture took up too much space and limited the effectiveness of a nice, larger image.

But, this Cal Ripken card from the 1992 set escapes that criticism.  This card is sweet!

Have a look:

 

I love the image that was used of Cal for this set.  Not only is the card action packed, but you get a good idea of what is happening.  It appears that Rickey Henderson (#24) was either picked off or an attempt to pick him off occurred.  Cal’s got the ball in his hand and based on the direction that Henderson slid, he looks like he is headed back to 2B.  Either that, or Cal snagged a liner off the hitter’s bat and tried to chase Rickey back to second…

A fine addition to my Cal Ripken Jr. player collection.

Bob Gibson’s Magnificent 1959 Topps Rookie Card

Bob Gibson’s Magnificent 1959 Topps Rookie Card

No, I don’t have this card.  But I sure would like one…

While not the most thrilling baseball card to look at, I think that what I like most about rookie cards in general is that as a collector you never really know what you’re going to get out of a player when they are a rookie…

Some come into the league and dominate from the start.  And then there are the guys that barely make a roster yet have a 20-year career.

In Bob Gibson’s case, I bet there were very few that thought that the 23-year old pitcher from Nebraska that turned in a 3-5 seasons in 1959 was going to become a Hall of Famer.

But that is what is wonderful about this sport that we love.  You never know what you’re going to get…

And I wouldn’t mind getting one of these!!!

Bob Gibson & The Hall Of Fame Class Of 1981

Bob Gibson & The Hall Of Fame Class Of 1981

Bob Gibson was elected to the Baseball Hall Of Fame in 1981.  He was awarded entry on his first ballot as he captured 337/401 votes cast.

His Hall of Fame plaque reads:

“Five-time 20-game winner.  His 3,117 strikeouts made him only second pitcher to reach 3,000.  First to fam 200 or more in a season nine times.  Set NL mark with 1.12 ERA in 1968, hurling 15 shutouts.  Twice World Series MVP, setting records for consecutive victories(7), consecutive complete games(8), and strikeouts in a game(17), and in a series(55).  Voted NL MVP in 1968 and Cy Young Award winner in 1968 and 1970.  Won nine Gold Glove awards.”

Bob Gibson = World Series Hero

Bob Gibson = World Series Hero

While Gibson played on some pretty poor Cardinals teams during the begining and end of his career, he also starred on their dominant squads that played in the mid 1960’s.

And during a span of 5 seasons, Gibson and his Cardinals teammates competed for 3 World Series championships – winning 2 of them.

And in those 3 match-ups, Gibson was unstoppable!!

Competing in 9 contests, Gibson went 7-2, while throwing an incredible 8 complete games including 2 shutouts.  His ERA in World Series play is a low 1.89.  And in 81 innings of work, Gibson struck out 92 batters while walking just 17.

It is no wonder that the Cardinals won the 1964 and 1967 World Series.  And it is also no wonder that Gibson collected the World Series MVP trophy in each of those triumphs!!

Bob Gibson’s 1971 No-Hitter Against The Pittsburgh Pirates

Bob Gibson’s 1971 No-Hitter Against The Pittsburgh Pirates

On August 14, 1971, Bob Gibson was masterful as he and his Cardinals teammates battled the Pirates in Pittsburgh.

Defeating the team by himself, Gibson did what everyone knew that his talents could offer.  Allowing no hits to a very talented Pirates squad, Gibson made major league history.  He went the distance in the contest while facing 28 batters.  His impressive numbers from this outing include:  10 strikeouts, 3 walks, 0 runs, and 0 hits allowed!!!

And ‘Hoot’ helped himself at the plate too.  Going 1-for-4, Gibson drove in three runs to help pad the team’s lead.  The Cardinals ended up winning the contest 11-0.

Congratulations and Happy Anniversary Mr. Gibson!!!

Bob Gibson Picked Up Another Cy Young Award In 1970…

Bob Gibson Picked Up Another Cy Young Award In 1970…

After securing his first Cy Young award in 1968, Gibson did it again just two years later.

In 1970, Gibson started in 34 contests for the Cardinals.  He amassed a 23-7 record, while finishing 23 of his starts, which included 3 shutouts.  During that season, Gibson amassed a 3.12 ERA while striking out 274 batters and walking just 88.

Bob Gibson’s 1968 Season Was Magical!!!

Bob Gibson’s 1968 Season Was Magical!!!

Bob Gibson’s 1968 season was one that makes players into legends.  His performance from the start of the season through the entire schedule and playoffs included is one of the most talked about and heralded seasons by a pitcher in major league history.

Let’s get right into the numbers:  34 starts, 22-9 record, 28 complete games, 13 shutouts, 268 strikeouts, just 62 walks, and the tiniest of ERA’s – 1.12.

Gibson took that dominance and rung up both the National League’s Cy Young and Most Valuable Player Awards.  And nobody could complain about that…

Bob Gibson And ‘Club 3,000′

Bob Gibson And ‘Club 3,000’

Date of entry into “Club 3,000” – July 17, 1974

The Story – At home, and battling ‘The Big Red Machine’, Bob Gibson had an ‘odd’ day by the standards he had set for himself.  Battling the talented Reds’ offense, Gibson pitched 7 innings while giving up 10 hits and only striking out 4.  But in those 4 strikeouts came #3,000 of his career against Cesar Geronimo.

Baseball History – Gibson struck out 3,117 batters over the course of his 17-year career.  He currently ranks in 14th place on the all-time list.