High Quality Baseball Cards

In 1969, Pete Rose had his best offensive season, winning his second consecutive batting title with a .348 average, leading the league in hits (218) and runs (120), and hitting a career-best 16 home runs. He also won his first Gold Glove award as an outfielder that year. Rose’s .432 on-base percentage and .512 slugging percentage were also career highs, though his Reds narrowly missed the World Series, finishing second in the National League

Roberto Clemente’s life and baseball career are well known. Son of a sugarcane cropper. Both black and Latino. Double disadvantaged at a time when baseball was still integrating. He played 18 years for the Pittsburgh Pirates, with 15 All-Star games, 12 Gold Gloves, 3,000 hits, an MVP, and perhaps a legacy as the finest right fielder of his era.

On December 31,1972, Clemente was trying to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua when his plane crashed, killing him along with four others onboard.

As a child, Cleon Jones had visions of winning a World Series. Now, Jones is using that championship mindset to help the revitalization efforts in his beloved hometown, Africatown.

Ask the adults with gray in their hair. The ones who were pie-eyed, baseball-loving kids in that sprawling city of subways and fast-talking swagger back in 1969. They all knew Cleon Jones. He was the sweet-swinging hero of the 1969 New York Mets — dig that .340 average — who made, perhaps, the coolest last out in World Series history. As Davey Johnson’s towering fly ball fell to earth, Jones secured it in his mitt and knelt down, an unintentional genuflect to the Mets’ improbable one-year journey from lovable doormat to baseball. 

Books about the “Miracle Mets,” as the 1969 team has come to be called, practically constitute their own section at Barnes & Noble. Jones’ memoir, “Coming Home: My Amazin’ Life with the New York Mets,” is the latest — and Jones’ second title. He penned a post-championship autobiography in 1970. 

“Coming Home,” to be released on August 2, will satisfy fans of the perpetually doomed baseball team. They will learn of Jones’ ups and downs as one of the franchise’s best, if not most overlooked, players. They’ll also learn about Plateau, Alabama, where Jones was born and raised about 5 miles north of Mobile. What’s missing from the book is New York. There are no stories of Jones outrunning the night, no encounters with the city’s hip movers and shakers, not even a mention of how the pizza tasted. 

New York was where he worked, but he always returned home — to the place he called Africatown. One reason was obvious. The other took time to emerge. 

Career Highlights: https://youtu.be/0eQ4XMfi3u0

Louis Rodman Whitaker Jr. (born in Brooklyn, NY on May 12, 1957), nicknamed “Sweet Lou”, is an American former professional baseball second basemanwho played for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1977 to 1995. He won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1978, and was a five-time MLB All-Starin his career. He won four Silver Slugger Awardsand three Gold Glove Awards. Whitaker and teammate Alan Trammell comprised the longest running double play combination in MLB history (19 seasons). The Detroit Tigers selected Whitaker in the fifth round, with the 99th overall selection, of the 1975 MLB draft. He signed with the Tigers rather than attend college. He made his professional debut that year for the Bristol Tigers of the Rookie-level Appalachian League. He played for the Lakeland Tigers of the Class A Florida State League in 1976. The team’s starting third baseman, he batted .297 and was named the league’s most valuable player. After the 1976 season, the Tigers assigned Whitaker to the Arizona Instructional League, where they converted him into a second baseman and paired him with shortstop Alan Trammell. In 1977, they both played for the Montgomery Rebels of the Double-A Southern League, Whitaker batting .280 during the season. The two were both promoted to the Major Leagues late in the 1977 season and had become starters for the Tigers by the end of April 1978. They would remain teammates until Whitaker retired in 1995. In 1978, Whitaker won the American League Rookie of the Year Award, hitting .285 with 71 runs, 20 stolen bases and a .361 on-base percentage.

Yankeeography: https://youtu.be/Tb0kqYVfCVg

Louis Victor “Lou” Piniella (Born in Tampa, FL on August 28, 1943-) played for four different teams during an 18-year career as an outfielder before becoming one of the more successful managers in baseball. The Cleveland Indians signed Piniella as an amateur free agent in 1962, and the Washington Senators selected him later that fall in the 1962 first-year draft. He made his Major League debut with the Baltimore Orioles (1964), with his second Major League season coming with the Cleveland Indians (1968). Nicknamed “Sweet Lou” – a nod to his prowess as a hitter and a tongue-in-cheek reference to a fiery temper – found success following a trade to the Kansas City Royals (1969-1973). Named the 1969 American League Rookie of the Year, Piniella also the distinction of being the first player to come to bat in Royals history. He wrapped up his career with an 11-year run with the New York Yankees (1974-1984), where he helped the team win five AL East titles (1976-1978, 1980, 1981), four AL pennants (1976-1978, 1981), and back-to-back World Series titles (1977, 1978). Selected to the 1972 All-Star Game, he retired with a .291 batting average, 102 home runs, and 766 RBI. His post-playing career returned him to the game first as a Yankees hitting coach but most notably as a manager, taking the helm of the Yankees, Cincinnati Reds (leading them to a 1990 World Series championship), Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and Chicago Cubs during his career. He was named the 1995 and 2001 AL Manager of the Year and 2008 National League Manager of the Year.

Career Highlights: https://youtu.be/5CdRU1IzQ_0

Larry Kenneth Robert Walker (born in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada on December 1, 1966) is a Canadian former professional baseball right fielder. During his 17-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played with the Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals. In 1997, he became the only player in major league history to register both a .700 slugging percentage (SLG) and 30 stolen bases in the same season, on his way to winning the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player Award (MVP). The first player in more than 60 years to record a batting average of .360 in three consecutive seasons from 1997 to 1999, Walker also won three NL batting championships. He was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in the Class of 2009, and was named the 13th-greatest sporting figure from Canada by Sports Illustrated in 1999. In 2020, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, becoming the first member of the Hall to be depicted in a Rockies uniform on his plaque.

Career Highlights: https://youtu.be/TPLO2U6mLk4

Peter Edward Rose Sr. (born in Cincinnati, OH on April 14, 1941), also known by his nickname “Charlie Hustle”, is an American former professional baseball player and manager. Rose played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds team known as The Big Red Machine for their dominance of the National League in the 1970s. He also played for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Montreal Expos. During and after his playing career, he served as the manager of the Reds from 1984 to 1989. Rose was a switch hitter and is the all-time MLB leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053), singles (3,215), and outs (10,328). He won three World Series, three batting titles, one Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Gloves, and the Rookie of the Year Award. Rose made 17 All-Star appearances at an unequaled five positions (second baseman, left fielder, right fielder, third baseman, and first baseman). Rose won both of his Gold Gloves when he was an outfielder, in 1969 and 1970. He’s also credited with popularizing the head-first sliding technique in the majors. In August 1989 (his last year as a manager and three years after retiring as a player), Rose was penalized with permanent ineligibility from baseball amidst accusations that he gambled on baseball games while he played for and managed the Reds; the charges of wrongdoing included claims that he bet on his own team. In 1991, the Baseball Hall of Fame formally voted to ban those on the “permanently ineligible” list from induction, after previously excluding such players by informal agreement among voters. After years of public denial, Rose admitted in 2004 that he bet on baseball and on the Reds. The issue of Rose’s possible reinstatement and election to the Hall of Fame remains contentious throughout baseball. In June 2015, ESPN concluded its own investigation of Rose and determined that he had bet on baseball while still a player–manager. The results of the investigation were made public, revealing the records of bets that Rose had made on baseball. U.S. federal authorities had seized the records from one of Rose’s associates. Rose is the only person to be placed on the ineligible list by mutual agreement.

August 22, 1965 Juan Marichal hits John with a bat: https://youtu.be/TPLO2U6mLk4

John Junior “Johnny” Roseboro (Born in Ashland, OH on May 13, 1933 – August 16, 2002) was involved in one of the most horrible and dangerous black eyes in Major League Baseball as Hall of Fame San Francisco Giants pitcher attacked the Dodger catcher with a bat in 1965. After Marichal brushed back Maury Wills and Ron Fairly early in a game, Roseboro, from behind the plate, returned the ball back to pitcher Sandy Koufax grazing Marichal’s head on numerous occasions. Juan took exception to the gesture and retaliated by hitting Roseboro over the head with his bat three times, opening a two-inch cut in the catcher’s head. Johnny’s career was launched after the unfortunate automobile accident that paralyzed longtime Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers Hall of Fame catcher Roy Campanella. He spent 12 years in the Dodgers organization (1954-1967) and had the great fortune of catching two of Koufax’s no-hitters and was the starting catcher in four World Series (1959, 1963, 1965, 1966) winning the title in 1963 and 1965. He was an eight-time MLB All-Star and won the 1961 and 1966 Gold Gloves behind the plate. After 12 years in Dodger blue, Roseboro played two seasons with the Minnesota Twins (1968-1969) and one with the Washington Senators (1970). John Roseboro finished his career with 1,206 hits including 190 doubles and 104 home runs, 512 runs scored and 548 RBI while batting .249 in 14 years. Behind the plate he posted a .989 fielding percentage with a 42% caught stealing percentage. Despite the unfortunate incident in 1965 with Marichal, Johnny Roseboro forgave the Giants pitcher and later became close friends with his attacker, going so far as to petition the Hall of Fame in favor of Marichal’s induction. Marichal thanked him in his induction speech.

1974 All Star Game: https://youtu.be/URdCSvr-g

Joseph Oden “Joe” Rudi (Born in Modesto, CA on September 7, 1946-) is a retired Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman who spent 16 years playing for three different teams, most notably the Oakland Athletics. It was the Kansas City Athletics that signed Rudi as an amateur free agent in 1964, and he would play just 19 games with the squad while in KC before relocating with them to Oakland. While with the A’s franchise (1967-1976, 1982), Rudi batted .272 with 540 RBI, 1,087 hits, and 487 runs. Rudi batted a career-high .309 in 1970, and had a career-best (and league-leading) 181 hits and nine triples in 1972. That same year, he helped the A’s win the World Series while making a memorable … and game-saving … catch in Game 2. In 1974, he had career highs in home runs (22) and RBI (99), and led the league in doubles (39) and total bases (287). In Game 5 of that year’s Fall Classic, Joe hit a Series-clinching home run. (Rudi’s Athletics became the first team since the 1949-1953 New York Yankees to win three consecutive World Series). His days with the A’s also earned him three All-Star Game appearances (1972, 1974, 1975) and three consecutive Golden Glove Awards (1974-1976). Following four years with the California Angels (1978-1980) and a stop with the Boston Red Sox (1981), Rudi returned to Oakland before retiring. A lifetime .264 hitter, he accumulated 179 homers with 810 RBI and 1,468 hits in 1,547 games.

Talking About MLB History: https://youtu.be/qEbpnoITeTw

Kenneth Victor Rudolph (born in Rockford, IL on December 29, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player. A catcher, he appeared in 328 Major League games played between 1969–1977 for the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants and Baltimore Orioles. Rudolph threw and batted right-handed, stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 180 pounds (82 kg). In 328 games over 9 seasons, Rudolph posted a .213 batting average (158-for-743) with 55 runs, 6 home runs and 64 RBI. Rudolph is currently the head varsity baseball coach at Arcadia High School (Phoenix, Arizona).

Nolan Ryan Highlights: https://youtu.be/qVHezwMKNQo

Lynn Nolan Ryan (Born in Refugio, TX on January 31, 1947-) tops a handful of major pitching categories like strikeouts (5,714), walks (2,795) and most notably no-hitters with seven, including two in 1973. Shockingly, The Ryan Express never pitched a perfect game, nor did he win the Cy Young Award. The ultimate power pitcher, Ryan’s deadly fastball were often clocked at over 100 mph. even into his 40s. Nolan pitched 27 years in the big league for the Mets (1966, 1968-1971), the Angels (197201979), the Astros (1980-1988) and the Rangers (1989-1993) where he threw no-hitters in back-to-back seasons in 1990 and 1991 at age 43 and 44, respectively. Arguably the most dominant hurler of his era in either league, Ryan led the league in strikeouts 11 times and strikeouts per 9 innings 12 times at an impressive 9.5 average. Ryan was an eight-time All-Star selection, was a member of the 1969 World Series champion New York Mets and is the only player, other than Jackie Robinson, to have his number retired by three different teams (Angels, Astros, Rangers). Nolan Ryan retired posting a record of 324-292 with 5,714 strikeouts and a career 3.19 earned run average. Lynn Nolan Ryan was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.

More Nolan Ryan cards in my collection:

Hall of Famer Career Highlights: https://youtu.be/J0Mq18_Ozd4

Ryne Dee Sandberg (Born in Spokane, WA on September 18, 1959-) won his first of nine consecutive Gold Glove awards when he was moved to the second base position in 1983, where he would remain for the duration of his career. Ryno became a fan favorite and rightfully so with his defensive skill at second and the much-needed pop in his bat for which the Cubs were searching. Ryne’s .989 career fielding percentage remains a record for a second baseman. Sandberg had a breakout year in 1984 as he collected 200 hits, scored 114 runs, added a league leading 19 triples and another 19 home runs while batting .314 and driving in 84 runs. He was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player after the 1984 season. Ryne was a ten-time All-Star selection, nine-time Gold Glove winner and seven-time Silver Slugger winner. Sandberg played virtually his entire career with the hapless Chicago Cubs (1982-1994, 1996-1997) appearing in the postseason only twice in his career and joining Ernie Banks and Billy Williams as Cubs Hall of Famers to never reach the World Series. Ryne Sandberg retired with 2,386 hits, 1,318 runs scored, 1,061 RBI 282 home runs, 344 stolen bases and a career .285 batting average. Ryne Dee Sandberg was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.