Players from Maine and New Hampshire

I'm Hoping to get the Vermont and Maine this summer.  Today while stuck in traffic forever I decided to check out how many major leaguers were from these states.

Remember, I haven't updated the database in 1-2 years, so my numbers could be slightly off.  I found 81 players who were born in Maine.  Unfortunately, none got onto a Kellogg's baseball card.

Only 38 players hail from Vermont.  One of them found his way onto a Kellogg's card.  Carlton Fisk stayed and attended high school and college there.

Is everyone playing hockey there?

Who is Next?

Yesterday I was golfing and it started raining.  I kept golfing.  That was fun.  As kids we often golfed in the rain.  Good memories.

Today I was running at a track meet and it started raining.  I kept running.  That was fun.  I've always liked running in the rain.  Good memories.

With Tim Raines in the Hall of Fame, who else should be in?  Let me know who you think should also be there.  I will start with Dale Murphy whose career certainly was similar to that of Raines.

Kellogg's Cereal Box Dream #36 - Yes, Chicago Loved Him

Bill Buckner had a great career with the Cubs.  Although he's remembered from the Red Sox and the Dodgers, he played more games with the Cubs (974) than the Dodgers (773) and Red Sox (528).  He hit .289 for his career with an even .300 average from his days with the Cubs.  He won an NL batting title in 1980.

1983 Kellogg's Bill Buckner #59 

1978 Rating                    -- 8  comment -- he was certainly a fan favorite with the Cubs.  Why?                                                     He hustled and played the way we'd hope everyone would.  

2017 Rating                    -- 6 comment --  like lots of the players, the mentality is now star or                                                        common.  The in-betweens are now commons.   At least he's a Cub.

More Numbers in 1973 Kellogg's Cards

I quickly checked the 1973 Kellogg's baseball card set to see how many cards show complete numbers on the uniforms.  Only six of them seem to show the full numbers on the jerseys.  I assume that this is more than cards in the other sets.  I will look into that.

Carlos May is a great example of what I like in the 1973 Kellogg's set.

The jersey number can be seen on his shoulder.  A scoreboard can be seen in the background so I will need to figure out more about what stadium is shown.

Number 0 - Kellogg's Baseball Cards

Al Oliver wore number 0 for eight years (1978 - 1985).  He's on Kellogg's cards while he had that number in 1981 and 1982.

George Scott wore number 0 at the end of his career in 1979 as a member of the Royals.

--- I'm too busy / lazy to get their photos here today.

Baseball-Reference.com's Number Database

I enjoyed checking out the #56s yesterday, so I think I will look into that database further.  Since I know of a few players who wore number 0 in their careers I will start by checking that out.

It turns out that 18 players have worn #0 in their careers.  Seven of the 18 players had either a first or last name that began with the letter "O".  Two of the players on this list also had a Kellogg's card but only one of them actually wore the number 0 for the team that he was on when he wore #0.

People my age can probably name the one player since he wore 0 for eight years.  The other player wore it for less than an entire season.

Oscar Gamble is not the correct answer.  It would be great to have a Kellogg's card of him but he never got into a set.

Players Who Wore #56

Today I attended Mark Buehrle day at Comiskey Park, a name many still call the ballpark even though it has gotten two new names since it was last officially known as Comiskey.   It was a nice, fun event even for someone like me who isn't a fan of the White Sox.

I was wondering if any other Kellogg's cards featured players who wore #56.  After reading the following story about top players at each number (bleacherreport) I was worried that not many guys wore that number.

The Sporting News also did a list and said no one else was worthy of even being compared to Buehrle as the best player to wear #56.

A Sporcle quiz had twenty players who wore that number.  None appeared on Kellogg's cards.

Baseball-Reference.com came to the rescue.  I searched for who wore #56 from 1970 - 1983, so I could have missed some guys who wore the number during other years.

1983 - Bert Campaneris (Yankees).  He normally wore #19 in his career but Dave Righetti had that number when Bert arrived in New York.

1970 - Don Gullett (Reds).  He normally wore #35 in his career.

Others may have worn the number only at the beginning of their careers, like Gullett, or as their career ended, like Campaneris.

That's it.  I went further to check out all of those who wore #56 in baseball history.

I did find that Gus Polidor wore #56 in 1985 for the Rangers.  He was featured in an early post about the Venezuelan Kellogg's card set.

One eight White Sox players have worn #56 and only Buehrle did so for more than three years.

1973 Kellogg's Cards Are Not All Bad

The 1973 Kellogg's baseball card set gets a lot of negative comments because it isn't 3-D and the red color.  There are a few benefits to not being 3-D.  The obvious ones are the 1973s not curling or cracking.  Yeah!

What I like about the 1973s are the normal baseball card pictures.  One can try to figure out what stadiums are shown or, in a rarity for Kellogg's, who else is shown in the picture.  Here are a few examples of people in the background.

I like that Bob Gibson's card shows people in the stands.  I don't know what else is going on behind him.

One of Nolan Ryan's teammates or coaches is watching him pose.  They are probably laughing because that is one of the worst throwing poses ever.  

Like Ryan, Rod Carew had a jealous teammate who wanted to find his way to get on the card.  

Ron Santo has someone lingering too.  I like the batting glove.  

1973 Kellogg's Baseball Card Backs #01 - 03

I'm finally finishing my look at the back of the 1973 Kellogg's baseball card sets.  Here are the last three cards.

#03 - Mickey Lolich

Lolich was a rare switch-hitting pitcher.  With 217 career wins I figured he'd be near the top of the all-time wins list for switch-hitting pitchers.  He's 10th.   Only two of those ahead of him were born after 1900 - Robin Roberts and Early Wynn.

After leading the league in losses in 1970 with 19, Lolich won over 20 games during the next two seasons.

Not on the card - nothing is mentioned about his hitting.  He batted .110 for his career (.114 versus righties and .100 versus lefties).  He walked almost 10% of the time so his OBP was .215.

#02 - Ellie Rodriguez

So being 5-11 and 185 allows Kellogg's to call him "chunky".  He was taken by the Royals from the Yankees in the Expansion Draft.  

He was a Golden Glove boxer before entering baseball.  Did anyone dare mess with him around home plate?

#01 - Amos Otis

Amos likes dancing.  So do I but I have no skills.  Amos probably had dance moves.

The Mets tried to make him into a third basemen.  It didn't work out.  

Both Otis and the Royals struggled in 1971.  He was a star kicker in high school, averaging almost 50 yards per boot. 

Not on the card - I think that this is an error.  They meant 1972 in the comment about Otis and the Royals.  Otis was much better in 1971 than he was in 1972 but the Royals had a better record in 1972 than in 1971.  

Update - I read the back of the card again.  I guess it can be read two different ways.

1973 Kellogg's Baseball Card Backs #04 - 06

Almost done with this set.  I've really enjoyed the write-ups and I learned a few things about some players.

 #06 - Pete Rose

Rose batted .300 for the eighth straight season.  He led the league in hits for the fourth time.  Rose admitted that "he'd like to reach 3000 hits someday".  He expects to hit the 2,000 mark in 1973.

Not on the card - he did surpass 2,000 in 1973.  He passed 3,000 on his way to 4,256 hits.  I like the commas.

Not on the card - his son had two career hits - one off of Kevin Appier and one off of Jason Schmidt.   Neither of these two pitched while Pete Sr. was still playing.

#05 - Don Sutton

Sutton had what Kellogg's called "a habit of throwing home run balls".  The card did go on to say that he's lowered that number greatly in the last two years.

Not on the card - he gave up 472 homers so I guess that trend didn't continue.  That puts him fifth on the all-time list behind Jamie Moyer (522), Robin Roberts (505), Fergie Jenkins (484) and Phil Niekro (482).  

To be fair to Sutton, he never led the league in homers allowed.  Moyer (1 time), Roberts (5), Jenkins (7) and Niekro (4) all led the league at least once in that category.

#04 - Tony Oliva

Did anyone play less games in the previous season that Oliva and still get a card?  He played in 10 games due to a knee problem.   He currently has the highest lifetime average of any AL player - .313.  

Not on the card - Carew was only at .309 at this point in his career.  Oliva finished at .304 and Carew ended up at .328.

1973 Kellogg's Basball Card Backs #07 - 09

Getting close to finishing my look at the backs of these cards.

09 - Wilbur Wood

He became a starting pitcher and 1971 and has had two 20-win seasons.  From 1961 to 1971 he never started more than eight games in any season.  

His knuckleball has allowed him to be a workhorse for the White Sox.  He's the last pitcher to start both games of a doubleheader - he lost both.  He did win two games on the same day pitching the final five innings of a suspended game and then throwing a shutout.

Not on the card - he was a 20-game-winner for two more years before losing 20 games in 1975.  He played in parts of three more seasons, winning 21 more games in those three years.  Too bad he didn't become a starting pitcher until age 29.   

08 - Bobby Bonds

Barry's dad was quite the all-around player.  He's consistently among the league leaders in steals.  He already has 179 of them in five seasons to go with 126 homers.

His sister is a former Olympic sprinter.  His older brother, Robert, was a pro football player.

On the card - Bobby Lee Bonds is his given name.  Good thing it isn't Robert since he has a brother by that name.

My interest in track caused me to look up his sister.  She indeed as in the 1964 Olympics as a hurdler.  She advanced to the finals but finished 8th.

07 - Steve Carlton

Carlton had his best season in 1972.  It's the one everyone talks about since his team was so bad.  The paragraph below is worth reading to describe his first season in Philly.

1973 Kellogg's Baseball Card Backs #10 - 18

Back for three more cards from the 1973 Kellogg's baseball card set.


#12 - Jon Matlack

My first memory is Matlack and Bill Madlock sharing the All-Star Game MVP Award in 1975.

He was "one of the few pleasant experiences the Mets enjoyed last year".  Not a good season for the Mets - I liked that.

Not on the card - he finished his 13-year career with a 125-126 record.  He never reached the All-Star Game again after 1975.

He finished 8-8 against the Cubs.  That's just about right based on his career totals

#11 - Steve Blass

Blass liked skiing and reading.  He became a "national celebrity following Pitt's 1971 World Series victory".  We all certainly knew who he was at this point.  

Not on the card - this is the most difficult common 1973 card for me to find.  

Blass was 103-76 in his career including a 13-11 record against the Cubs.

#10 Billy Williams

Williams was my favorite player when I was a kid.  I've already mentioned a lot about him so let's see how he performed against Matlack and Blass.

He had no homers and no RBIs against Matlack in 25 plate appearances.  The batting average was also only .212.    

He had 87 plate appearances against Blass.  He had seven homers and 14 RBIs while batting .313.

Why the difference?  Matlack threw lefty and Blass threw righty.  Blass faced Williams throughout most of his career whereas Matlack didn't deal with him until the 1970s.  

1973 Kellogg's Baseball Card Backs #13 - 15

Another group of 1973 Kellogg's baseball cards.

#15 - Sparky Lyle

Lyle set the AL record for saves with 35.  That doesn't rate high now since the record is 62.  

The 6-1, 190 pound Lyle is mentioned as a "chunky southpaw".

His high school didn't even have a baseball team.

He has yet to start an MLB game in six seasons.

Not on the card - he pitched 899 career games, none of which he started.  Only three players have pitched in more games without getting any career starts.  None have Kellogg's cards, but can you name them?

#14 - Bob Gibson

Unlike Lyle, Gibson, a 6-1, 193 pounder, is not listed as "chunky".  Gibson always seemed taller probably since the old highlights show him on the higher mound that MLB used in the 1960s.  

He needed only 70 strikeouts to move into second place on the all-time list.  

Not on the card - he got those strikeouts and ended up with 3,117.  That puts him currently in 14th place on the all-time list.  

#13 - Cesar Cedeno

The card says Cedeno is "deemed the best young player in baseball".   He became Houston's starting centerfielder at the age of 19.  

He overcame "parental objections to his ballplaying" in the Dominican Republic because his dad thought he should work more in the family business.  His mom encouraged him to play and got him equipment.  

Not on the card - he played 17 years in the majors.  Most wouldn't put him on the list of top base stealers but he amassed 550 in his career which puts him 27th on the all-time list.  

He averaged less than 120 games per season, so his career stats are less than I'd expect.  Injuries seemed to be an issue for him.  

1973 Kellogg's Baseball Card Backs #16 -18

Finally, back to finishing off the 1973 Kellogg's card back discussion.  It took me some time to get going on this.  Lots of stuff getting in my way.

#18 - Ray Fosse

Kellogg's somehow knew that even though Fosse had an off year at the plate, other teams were interested in trading for him.  

His signing bonus included tuition at Southern Illinois University.  He has played catcher since his Little League days in Marion, Illlinois.

He resisted signing with Bear Bryant and Alabama for football.

Not on the card - Fosse, the pride of Marion, Illinois, had his career derailed by Pete Rose's hard slide in the 1970 All-Star Game.  I didn't know that Fosse was from Marion until reading the back of this card today.  Marion is known for its prison.  Fosse fans in the area probably found it fitting that one of Marion's most well-known inmates was (did you guess this?) Pete Rose.

Not on the card - He was traded to Oakland on March 24, 1973.  I guess there never was an update to this card but I will check.

#17 - Jim Palmer

Palmer was the starting pitcher in the 1970 All Star Game mentioned above.  

He recovered from major shoulder issues to resurrect his career.  

He threw a World Series shutout at age 20.  

Lots more could be said, but he was a regular in Kellogg's sets anyway.

#16 - Nolan Ryan

Ryan wasn't in the 1970 All Star Game because he didn't make the team until his sixth season.  

"Nolan's pitching was about all the Angels had to boast about last season."  That sums up a lot of the teams he played on.  

He led the league in strikeouts (329), walks (157) and wild pitches (18).  Ryan is the career leader in all three categories.    

The Card That Came Three Days Later

This is the Kellogg's card that took three more days to travel the same route.  1976 Kellogg's cards are among my favorites, but the corners chip easily and the white border can get yellowed.

Rose cards were good to get then and they are good to get now.  I just saw a headline that his last chance to get into the Hall of Fame has passed.  I don't know if that's true but I didn't read the article.

When I see 1976 Kellogg's lots available there is usually no Pete Rose card.   People keep that one.

I would really love to get the 1976 Frosted Flakes box that this card came in.  Does anyone see them around?

Inconsistencies in Mail Delivery

I've been very pleased with the mail service when I order cards.  I think only one package has been lost over the years.  Something odd happened recently with the Jerry Rice card that I purchased.

This card was in a package by itself as was another card.  Both cards went through the same NC post office at the same time on a Friday or Saturday - that's not important.  The Rice card showed at my house on a Monday and the other card on a Thursday.

I'm just glad when they show up since I don't need them at any time.  I just had never seen two of my purchases come through the same post office at the same time.  They were from different sellers too.

Interesting Stat During Cubs-Mets Game

A few minutes ago the announcers mentioned that Ian Happ hit a grand slam and struck out four times in the game yesterday.  They mentioned that this had only been done a few times since 1913 (and probably ever).

I think that it happened either five or six times.  One player from the Kellogg's era was the first to do this and he did it twice.  He only had a total of 11 career grand slams, so how did he do this twice?  Simple he struck out a lot - it helps to be the all-time leader in strikeouts as a hitter.

Kellogg's Cereal Box Dream #35

I've had a stack of Kellogg's cards that are yet to be sorted.  Al Cowens happens to be on the top of the pile.  It's time to check out this card a bit more.


1978 Kellogg's Al Cowens #05 

1978 Rating                    -- 6  comment -- he had a great season for a good team.  He was AL                                                                             MVP runner-up to Rod Carew.

2017 Rating                    -- 3 comment --  He was one of the few players to get a Kellogg's card                                                                          without making an all-star team. 

That's a nice start to his career.  He's rated as a strong outfielder with an accurate arm.

He played 13 years, but never got another MVP vote.  His career average of .270 is solid but more was probably expected after his 1977 season.  He won a Gold Glove in 1977 only.

I was surprised by some things in the paragraph above.  That's partially because I was a lot more in tune with the NL.  I do remember Cowens being a good fielder so I decided to check out that.  Cowens played in the AL from 1974 to 1986.

From 1974 to 1986 here are some Gold Glove winners (# times won) -

Dwight Evans (8)
Dwayne Murphy (6)
Fred Lynn (4)
Dave Winfield (4)
Joe Rudi (3)
Paul Blair (2)
Gary Pettis (2)

Those guys account for 29 of the 40 Gold Gloves awarded during that time.  That explains why Cowens didn't win more than one award.

I thought that the total would be 39, but one year they must have awarded four Gold Gloves.  Sure enough, in 1985 four Gold Gloves were awarded.