When 500 HR meant something

Today in baseball history two HOF'ers hit their 500th home run. Two of the greatest players of any era; Willie Mays and Frank Robinson.

Mays hit his 500th in 1965 while Robinson hit his in 1971. Back in the day when hitting 500 home runs was a commodity for a select few both Mays and Robinson were tops in their class.
September 13th certainly does mark a special day in baseball lore.

Willie Mays Topps 1970, # 600: the eyes awaiting a home run pitch
(I know it is a photo from spring training but I still love those intense "eyes")

Frank Robinson Topps 1967 #100: another shot of the "home run" eyes

Ranking 4th (Mays with 660) and 7th (Robinson with 586) in career round trippers, I salute Mays and Robinson for reaching that 500 HR club on the same day, albeit six years apart.

1970 Topps: card # 5

Maurice Wesley Parker; the first legitimate "star" that appears in this set as card number 5. Playing first base for the Los Angeles Dodgers for nine years, six consecutive gold gloves (1967 thru 1972 and one World Series ring (1965) is only part of his story.

Parker had a career batting average of .267 had 1110 hits, 64 HR's while driving in 470 runs. His best offensive year was in 1970 playing in a league leading 161 games, batting .319 with 111 RBI's and 47 doubles; coming in 5th in MVP voting that year as well. Defensively, Parker was phenomenal; not only those six gold gloves but he had a career fielding percentage of .996 ! In 2007, Parker was named to the Major League Baseball All-Time Gold Glove Team, being the only eligible member of the team who is not in the Hall of Fame.

Parker was part of a string of outstanding first baseman for the Dodgers, being sandwiched between Gil Hodges and Steve Garvey.

In typical Topps fashion for 1970 , the back of his card notes a non-baseball factoid stating that Parker "is an excellent bridge player".

Interesting to note is that after his life in baseball, Parker had a successful stint as an actor, about 12 years worth. He might be most known (in the crowd aged under 30) as "that ballplayer" that appeared in a Brady Bunch episode promising Greg Brady "two tickets to a game if he gets an A in math". He also had appearances in several other show including being the "star" in All that Glitters a show that ran in 1977.

A star on and off the field . . . . Wes Parker the first "star"card of 1970.

a horrible rookie star card

In thumbing through some of my "vintage" cards I came across three Chicago Cubs 1965 Rookie Stars cards.

The first (#549) highlighted Roberta Pena (six years in majors)and Glenn Beckert (long time Cubs 2nd baseman); the second (#386) had Paul Jaeckel (played in only four games in 1964 for the Cubs) and Fred Norman (19 year career and two world series rings with the Cincinnati Reds in 75 and 76) and then there was this card . . . probably one of the worst displays of stardom on one card that one could imagine.

Billy Ott went 11 for 67 (a .164 BA) and appeared in just 32 games in his major league career (actually played in 1962 and 1964 only). He did hit one homerun and had 3 RBI's.

And Jack Warner, well he played in only 33 games, pitched 54 innings with a 0 - 2 record and a 5.10 ERA in his entire big league career.

One heck of a duo on one card . . . Rookie Stars, not really.

Bubble Mailer # 2 - "I am getting into the '90s"

I received a bubble mailer in the mail on Friday, culminating a trade with Kevin at The Great 1965 Topps Project .

I had sent him about 25, 1965 Topps cards, last week and in return he sent me an assortment of 91 cards (that is right 91) from 1991. From the various sets including a Topps Stadium Club and Fleer Ultra, he has gotten me kick started in my quest to complete a "real" 1991 set before my daughter returns from her year in Finland (scheduled to return sometime in July of this year). If anybody else can help . . .I am open to many ideas of trades.

Thank you Kevin for getting me started.

A sample of what he sent me includes the following:

an unremarkable Cubbie and a Hall of Famer

he really looks like a caveman

a most unflattering action photo

Ryno . . . record breaker and Hall of Famer

My wife says it is about time I "got into the nineties" as I have been stuck in the late sixties and early seventies "forever". She thought I understood that to mean my "state of mind" and not with collecting cards . . . just another difficulty in communication between the sexes.