1976 Kellogg's Card Backs - Card Numbers 55 - 57

Here are the last three cards in the 1976 Kellogg's baseball card set.  I really enjoyed spending time reading the backs of these cards.  I haven't decided which of the sets I will work on next.

#55 - Pete Rose

I was surprised to see that Rose is listed as "Bats Right and Left".  Have other cards done this?  Isn't more common to list "both"?

He's had 10 .300+ averages in the previous 11 seasons.  He was the World Series MVP.  I like that his nickname, Charlie Hustle, is on the card.  

#56 - Greg Gross

Gross was a surprise to see in this set.  He had a career .302 average after two seasons.  There is lots of text since he hadn't played much up until this point.

He finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting to Bake McBride in 1974.

His switch in outfield positions is considered as a possibility in this decreased stats in 1975.  One of my favorite comments in this set follows.

"it's a cinch that it didn't affect Greg's long ball production.  It's a fact that the line-drive hitting lefty is still waiting to celebrate his first major league home run."

Not on the card - he hit only seven homers in 17 seasons.  In only three of those seasons did he reach 400 at-bats and in 10 seasons he had less than 200 at-bats.

Not on the card - six of those homers occurred in his two seasons with the Cubs.

#57 - Ted Simmons

Simmons listed his hobby as motorcycles.  Did that impact contract negotiations?

He was second in the NL in batting in 1975.

He was a football and basketball star in high school, even though only 5-11.

He led the team in RBIs the last four years.  I forgot how good he was.

Not on the card - he was an all-star eight times and he hit at least .300 seven times.

1976 Kellogg's Card Backs - Card Numbers 52 - 54

Almost done with this set.  There are only 57 cards in this set, so I've only got one more post after this one.


#52 - Llindblad

He set a record by playing 385 games without committing an error - 1966 to 1974.  That wasn't enough to keep his Kellogg's card from having an error in the stats.

Not on the card - he pitched one inning of a combined no-hitter in 1975.

#53 - Thurman Munson

Munson won the 1970 Rookie of the Year award.  I like how they describe him as "stocky".

#54 - Steve Garvey

The 1974 NL MVP had a great season in 1975 with career highs in average, hits and doubles.  He made the all-star team in 1974 as a write-in candidate.  He then went on to win the MVP award in the game.

Not on the card - even though the Cubs finally won the World Series I haven't changed my thoughts on Steve Garvey.

Post #755

My generation knew what the number 714 meant.  When Hank Aaron hit his 715th homer we all talked about it the next day after watching it at home.

I've begun playing around with Photoshop to start making my own Kellogg's cards.  Hank Aaron cards will be near the top of the list.  Stay tuned this summer?

I don't remember #755 at all.  It proabably wasn't even newsworthy since it was months before his last game.

No Good Kellogg's News But I'm A Lot Closer to Retirement?

I was not having a good day.  I purchased what I thought was a unique Kellogg's item on ebay.  When it arrived it was anything but that.  As a result of the incorrect description I now need to send back the item - something I don't think I've done ever.

The evening was getting better when my daughter announced that my wife had already agreed that I was to take the teenager to Baskin Robbins.  That would be fine since I needed a smoothie to wash down my grief over the Kellogg's disappointment.

Everything was going along well.  Good service, two drinks coming up soon, etc.  It was difficult to avoid buying a Dunkin Donut, but I did.  The next steps changed the evening quickly.  

The computerized cash register was situated in such a way that the customers could see everything on their bills.  For some reason my daughter was watching intently.  Why?  There was really nothing else to do and we don't see this type of display at similar stores.

Here is what she saw...

Since there was nothing else to do, we kept looking intently.  What happened next caused my daughter's eyes to light up and I've never seen a bigger smirk/evil grin on her face.  She didn't say a word, but she looked like I felt (a) when I knew that I could blackmail a sibling for eating a part of dad's Hershey bar or my sister's Scooper ice cream,  (b) when my brother had the chance to do the same to me when I spent paper route money on cards and/or candy or (c) when the Grinch stole Christmas. 

The guy who made our drinks was probably closer to my daughter's age than mine.  There was a long delay after he entered the two drinks into the computer.  Maybe that's why we were staring at the display.  He looked at me, then her, then back to me - and probably at my slightly (cough!) gray hair.  

Here is what appeared after a long delay to cause her smirk.

OUCH!

She didn't say a word, but the smirk remained as we exited the store.  Both doors closed and all I heard was her loud cackle followed by a sustained laugh for the 50 foot walk to the car.  Her reaction caused me to start laughing as well.

At least I forgot about the lost Kellogg's item.   

So as not to feel too old, I took a look online at Baskin Robbins to find out about their senior discount policy.  That didn't make me feel better at all.  It turns out that it is set to work for those age 60 and over.  

OUCH again!

So, when he was looking at the two of us he must have figured that gramps was taking the granddaughter for ice cream since it was spring break.  

1976 Kellogg's Card Backs - Card Numbers 49 - 51

Back to the 1976 Kellogg's baseball card set.  I'm ready to stop seeing every third card back being mis-cut.  This group might have the oddest middle name, nickname and television commercial line.




#49 - Jon Matlack

I can't get past the biggest text - his middle name.  First off, no other MLB player has the phrase "Trump" in their name.  None have Obama either and 29 have "Clinton" in their first or middle name.  Two players have had last names of Clinton

Trumpbour?  It must have been his mother's maiden name.  

Wow, he is falling short of expectations.  Text includes "continues to fall short of his tremendous pitching potential", "one of baseball's most enigmatic pitchers", "inability to perform consistently" and more negative stuff.

Not on the card - how about something more positive like he led the league with seven shutouts in 1974 or that losing records came with a 2.41 ERA?

Not on the card - how about that fact that he shared the 1975 All-Star Game MVP with Bill Madlock?

#50 - Boog Powell

Not much is said on Powell's card since he has stats beginning in 1961.  Those are some nice career totals.  He ended up playing until 1977.

Powell later was part of a beer commercial where an umpire put on his glasses and screamed "Hey, you're Boog Powell!"

#51 - Mike Hargrove

He was the 577th pick in the 1972 draft.  This card says it was the 1973 draft.  This card show below is the corrected version of his card (934 AB), so this must not have been corrected.  I will check some other cards that I have.


Not on the card - how many of his cards mention his nickname "The Human Rain Delay"?

ebay - Win Some - Lose Some

I came home from a long day yesterday knowing that I had a purchase delivered during the day.  When I saw the package I immediately knew that whatever was inside was not what I had purchased on ebay.  How did I know that?  I bid on what I thought was a large item and I saw a package that looked like it contained one baseball card.

Much to my disappointment It did contain one card.  In a few cases it has been my mistake for missing something in the item description.  This was not one of those times.  I don't know if I've ever returned an item, but I guess that is going to happen on this one.

Missing Stop N Go Cards from 1979 and 1980

I was able to check my Stop N Go cards today.  It turns out I am missing  the following players for 1979 Football sets:

Preston Pearson (3)
Walter Payton (3)
Robert Newhouse (3)
Roger Staubach (2)
Jay Saldi (1)

For 1980 Sets I am missing the following:

Herb Scott (2)
Preston Pearson (2)
Archie Manning (1)
Jack Ham (1)
Henry Childs (1)

I have extras of most Cowboys, Steelers and Raiders.

Let me know if we can trade.

Did I Finally Complete a Stop N Go Set?

I just got a bunch of 1980 Stop N Go 3-D football cards yesterday.  I probably won't have time to sort through them and find out if I have completed the set for a few days.  I did get most of the Cowboys, so that should help.  I'm worried that I might not have a Herb Scott.

That certainly does give me something to look forward to next week.

All of them are curled, but none are cracked.  These don't seem to crack as much as Kellogg's cards.

I didn't get any of the 1979 Stop N Go cards.

Can You Name All of These Kellogg's Players?

Mark Fidrych only played in the majors for one team - the Tigers.  Can you name other players who appeared on a Kellogg's baseball card and also played on only one major league team or one franchise?

No hint - I haven't looked up who else might fit into this category but I can already think of some.

The Yankees Won This Trade

On this day in 1972 the Yankees acquired Sparky Lyle from the Red Sox for Danny Cater and Mario Guerrero.  Lyle played seven seasons with the Yankees, leading the league in saves twice and winning a Cy Young Award in 1977 as the Yankees won the World Series.

Lyle appeared in Kellogg's sets from 1973 - 1975 and then again in 1978 as shown above.

Cater was included in the 1971 set and played until 1975.  Guerrero got into the 1979 set, but he played his last game in 1980 at the age of 31.  

On This Day in 2002.....

....it was announced that a manager would get a one-game regular-season suspension after an altercation with an umpire in an exhibition game.

The manager - Larry Bowa.

MLB vice-president for on-field operations - Bob Watson.

I guess the pre-season games really do count for something.

I guess they were never golfing buddies - http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/bowa-watson-article-1.480494.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-dodgers-coach-bowa-suspended-3-games-2008apr02-story.html

1976 Kellogg's Card Backs - Card Numbers 46 - 48

Back to three more 1976 cards.  I was too lazy to take them out of the sheets, so there is some glare and some reflection of me taking the photos, which I find to be easier than scanning the cards.

This group includes three AL players from good teams.  What does that mean?  It means that I never got tickets to see them play the White Sox.  Cheap or free tickets never came around for the good teams.


#46 - John Mayberry

I don't remember Mayberry much as an Astro other than his Topps cards.  His trade to KC was one of the best in team history and one of the worst for the Astros.  At least that's what the card says.

He hit 255 career homers, which is 199 more than his son who was also named John Mayberry.

Not on the card - the trade comment makes sense since neither of the players that the Astros received had careers to match Mayberry's career.

Not on the card - he was 1975 MVP runner-up to Fred Lynn.

#47 - Vida Blue

Vida Blue's first high school fame was mentioned as being from the football field.  Blue wants to get to the World Series since he is currently sporting a 0-3 record in the Fall Classic.

Not on the card - he won 209 career games and three World Series rings.  He never got back to the playoffs to change that record.

#48 - Rod Carew

Carew has won four staight batting titles.

Not on the card - he won two more batting titles after this card was produced.

Not on the card - he played 10 more years and his batting average ended up being .328, just like it was after 1975.

Card Show Recap

I read some varying comments about the Rosemont show before going.  I ignored the negative ones and decided to go to the show for a while.

These shows occur twice per year and I tend to go to them for about an hour.  Unfortunately, since the dealers seem to end up in the same locations, the show can be a bit predictable.  It's gotten quick to look through because most of the dealers are not only in the same place, their displays don't change much from one show to the next.

I saw the usual Kellogg's cards on display with dealers who had primarily older cards.  I also ran into two 800-count boxes of them elsewhere.  The first box was at a dealer table that was quite organized with vintage cards.  On top of the box were about 10 heavily curls cards.  The box had a high price on it and when I opened it the cards inside all had horrible curling as well.  The cards also were lacking in the sharp color that can be found.  I moved on.

I found a booth that had a bunch of boxes of cards organized by year.  One would assume that these would be commons and the good cards would be in the display cases.  No, the dealer told me that it took too long so the boxes had a mix of stars and commons.

This guy also had the second 800-count box that I saw.  There were lots of nice 1970 Kellogg's baseball cards, a variety of other years and some stars.  I was planning to make an offer but I didn't bother for three reasons -

1.  He told me that commons would be .50 to 1.00 for the newer years
2.  I watched him take about 10 minutes to give a guy a steep price for a handful of Hostess cards.  I left while they continued negotiating.
3.  I didn't have the time to have him slower look over the 500 or so cards in the box to come up with a price.  I also didn't have more than a hundred dollars.

If I see the guy next time will I ask what the box price is?  Probably.  Do I regret not waiting around for that?  No.  There were a few good cards, but the two things that I am really missing were really present in the box - 1979 variations and 1971 variation.

I saw no unopened packs and no individually-wrapped card packs.

Overall, a nice show since it is close to home.   I don't collect autographs that I pay for, even if the signers include Ralph Macchio and Kristy McNichol.

1972 Kellogg's All-Time Greats Factory Set Questions

This is question about the 1972 Kellogg's All-Time Greats set and maybe also about the 1970 Rold Gold set which features the same cards.

I purchased a factory set of the Rold Gold cards recently and I didn't open it.  Does a similar factory set exist for the 1972 Kellogg's All-Time Greats?

Does anyone know if in the envelope the cards are on a sheet or if they are in a wrapper like what I saw below for a 1972 set on ebay?

If the 1972 All-Time Greats were not issued in a similar envelope, were they issued through a mail-in offer at all?

The box shown below doesn't mention any mail-in offer.  I actually remember that my friend had one of these empty boxes because they ate Danish Go-Rounds, something we never did at my house.  All of my friends collected cards, but that was the only time we ever saw an All-Time Great card.

How did Rold Gold Pretzels advertise a mail-in offer?

Three-Day Show - Which is the Best Day to Go?

There is a big show near O'Hare Airport (Chicago) this weekend.  Normally, I feel that if I go on Friday I might find some unique or hard-to-find Kellogg's or other oddball cards.  Sometimes I've had success going on Sunday when people are willing to budge more on their prices.

This is a big show.  I refuse to learn the name, but it used to be the Sun Times Card Show, named after one of the newspapers I delivered as a kid.  There are lots of paperboy stories, but I don't have a blog for that - yet.

For this show, I'm not available to go on Friday (dad duties) or Sunday (coaching) so it looks like I will be going on Saturday.   What I don't like about Saturdays is that when the show opens it is really crowded with those who work hard all week and get there early on Saturday.

 "I'm not complaining, I'm just explaining".   That was a favorite line of someone I used to coach.  I realize that I am spoiled living in the Chicagoland area since we have at least two great shows a year and the National almost every other year.  My three years outside of Chicago made me really miss going to good card shows.

I feel bad for those of you who live in the Mountain Time Zone and live hundreds of miles from a card show.  But, since I'm jealous that you live in the mountains I don't feel as bad for you as I would otherwise.

I picked up this Ruth above without the cards at one of these big card shows.  The first picture is something I saw online and didn't buy.  Maybe I will find something unique tomorrow?

More 1976 Cards - A Sheet This Time

I'll finish the discussion of 1976 Kellogg's card backs soon.  He's a picture of another beautiful uncut sheet that I will probably never get.  I think I've shown this before, but I just enjoyed looking at it today.

Look at the stars on this one - Rice, Eckersley, Sutton, Stargell, Lynn, Carter, Palmer, Brock and Rose - all times four.

Just a reminder, this is the kind of stuff that I am looking for - when I can afford it.

Where are the Kellogg's Cereal Boxes?

I've not had much luck getting Kellogg's cereal boxes from the 1970s.  Does anyone ever see them around at a fair price?

Just like my collecting of complete Hostess boxes with the baseball cards, I also would like to get the complete cereal boxes that we threw away in the 1970s.   

1976 Kellogg's Card Backs - Card Numbers 43 - 45

Back to these great 1976 Kellogg's card backs.

#43 - Jerry Reuss


The Cardinals and Astros weren't patient with Reuss.   Things worked out well for the Pirates since he won 18 games and had a 2.54 ERA.

He must have done some things right - he played from 1969 - 1990 winning 220 games.

Not on the card - he was traded four times and released five times during his 22 seasons.

#44 Ken Griffey


Through most of my childhood this guy was just known as Ken Griffey.  Did anyone ever call him by his first name - George?

That's a great hobby - drawing cartoons.

He was born in the same town as Stan Musial.

"He has had to overcome a weakness for striking out. ".  His numbers are not bad by today's standards or the standards in his era.

Not on the card - I had the same weakness.  I never overcame it.

Not on the card - former teammate Tom Seaver's first name is also George.

#45 Jorge Orta

The text starts by talking about how his average slipped.  He hit .304.

He prefers to be called "George".  That's what we always called him.  He signed a lot of autographs for us when he played for the White Sox.

The card projects him as one of the games top base running thieves.  Many also think he will be a home run hitter.

And now for my favorite lines on the card - "Jorge's power is undoubtedly inherited from his ball-playing father, Pedro.  The senior Orta was formerly billed as "The Babe Ruth of Cuba".

I talked about "The Babe Ruth of......" in a previous post.

Baseball.Reference.com mentions his speed, but not much about his homers.

1976 Kellogg's Card Backs - Card Numbers 40 - 42

Back for a few more 1976 Kellogg's card backs.  This is one of my favorite set designs - front and back.  I guess when I rank the sets I will need to factor in the backs too.


#40 - Lou Brock

There is not much text on this card since Brock had already played from 1961 to 1975.   There would be even one line less if his 1964 season didn't combine his Cub and Cardinal stats.  

He stole "only" 56 bases in 1975 after having 118 in 1974..  Brock was 73 steals short of Ty Cobb's record at this time.  Nice to have yourself compared to Ty Cobb, but probably only when it comes to baseball stats.  

Not on the card - he beat Cobb by 41.  Billy Hamilton is now listed with more than Cobb and someone else eventually passed Brock.  

#41 - Mickey Rivers

Rivers had only played two full seasons when this card was issued.  He led the AL in steals in 1975 with 70 - more than Brock had in the NL.  

Not on the card - Rivers had 267 career stolen bases but he had only two seasons of more than 30 steals.  

Not on the card - any quotes by Rivers.  Go check some out online.  

#42 Manny Sanguillen

Nice hobby - playing the guitar.  

Nice comment by Kellogg's - "the ever-smiling Panamanian".  That is exactly how I remember him.  

He's a free-swinger and one of the most difficult men to walk in baseball.  It turns out he walked only about once in every 25 at-bats in his career.