1972 Kellogg's Baseball Card Backs - #01 - 03

This set took a while to do, but I really liked what the writers had to say on the card backs.  Here are the first three cards in the set.

 #03 - Willie Davis

He likes golf and music.  Only Al Czervik could do both at the same time.  

Davis hit .300 for three consecutive years.  He's one of the first native "Los Angelinos" signed by the Dodgers.  That's a term that isn't used often.

Not on the card - he had a great career but those were his only seasons hitting over .300.

#02 - Amos Otis

Otis was a big reason that the Royals were competitive in 1971.  He also led the league with 52 steals.  The Mets regret trading him for Joe Foy - that's what Kellogg's said.

He averaged nearly 50 yards per kick in high school on a team that went undefeated for three years.

#01 - Tom Seaver

Tom's hobbies are quite varied - golf, hunting and bridge.  

The card mentioned that Seaver isn't a "blowhard" just because he says he's the best pitcher in the NL.  

Kellogg's also says he's a "handsome California-born Connecticut resident."  Why?  

Statisticians believe that he was the youngest pitcher to strike out 1,000 hitters.  It is still being checked but he's said to have gotten there faster than Walter Johnson or Lefty Grove.  

1972 Kellogg's Baseball Card Backs - #04 - 06

This set has been taking me a long time.  School is over in a few days so I hope to get some other topics going soon.  I haven't been picking up any new cards lately, so maybe I can update my want lists. 

Back to the countdown. 

#06 - Pete Rose

Rose hit .304 and it was considered a bad season.  His career average at the time was only .309. 

Rose is proud to be the first "singles" hitter to make at least $100K. 

Kellogg's says he has "inexhaustible pep at all times."

#05 - Bill Parsons

Parsons is listed at 6-6.  That can be intimidating on the mound.  

GM Frank Lane is mentioned since the Brewers traded Marty Pattin.  Parsons is now set to be the team's ace.  

He played Little League, Pony League, Colt League and Connie Mack League.  Other than Little League, the others aren't mentioned at all.  We still used those terms when I played.

Not on the card - he only played four MLB seasons.  Check out ESPN's review of his career.

ESPN's Summary of Bill Parsons

#04 - Wilbur Wood

Wood threw left and batted right.  I always like to see that since that is mostly what I did.  

Not on the card - from 1961 to 1965 he started his career by going 0-for-36 at the plate.  The next year he was 1-for-16.  He managed 17 hits in 1972 and his career average was .084.

He went from pitching 88 games in relief to becoming a starter winning 22 games a few years later.

1972 Kellogg's Baseball Card Backs - #07 - 09

I got home early today just in time to spend three hours in the yard on a hot, muggy day.  Good thing I wasn't planning to run today.

Here are the next three card backs.  I've really enjoyed the writing style on these cards so I have high hopes for cards #01 - 09. 

#09 - Vida Blue

Kellogg's called him the most exciting pitcher since Sandy Koufax.   They also called him "Mr. Everything" since he won the MVP and the Cy Young Award in 1971.   I didn't realize that 1971 was really his first season as a regular starting in the majors.  

Not on the card - he had 10 starts before 1971.  Of his six starts in 1970 he had a no-hitter and a one-hitter. 

He had a 17-3 record at the all-star break.  That includes him getting a 1-0 loss on Opening Day, 

Not on the card - after the all-star break he was 7-5, losing 1-0 twice and 2-1 once.

He threw 35 touchdown passes as a high school senior. 

#08 - Fergie Jenkins

Jenkins won his 20th game for the fifth straight year in 1971.  He led the league in innings (325), complete games (30!) and wins (24). 

He walked only 37 batters in those 325 innings. 

Not on the card - in his career he averaged two walks (1,9937) per nine innings.  In modern times, the career leaders are at 1.4 walks per nine innings.  Most of the pitchers less than 2.0 W/9 pitched before WWI.

In 1968 he was 2015 but lost 1-0 five different times. 

#07 - Willie McCovey

McCovey liked movies.  There isn't much to say on the card since he'd already played from 1959 to 1971.  He played until 1980.

He had knee surgery in the off-season.  He missed a lot of games in 1971.  That was the first time since 1962 that he didn't appear in at least 130 games.  

Kellogg's mentioned his nickname of "Stretch".  The card also mentioned that he was the only major league player to hit at least 30 homers in each season from 1965 to 1970.

Not on the card - his highest single-season HR total from 1972 to 1980 was 29.

1972 Kellogg's Baseball Card Backs - #10 - 12

Back for more card backs.  I'm getting close to finishing the look at 1972 Kellogg's baseball card backs.

#12 - Bill Melton

Melton is mentioned as the "heir apparent to the home run crown".    He surpassed Norm Cash and Reggie Jackson by one in 1971.  

Not on the card - his highest yearly total after 1971 was 21.   1971 was his only all-star selection.

Bill has a "strikeout problem" that has gotten him several records.  

Not on the card - he never exceeded 107 strikeouts in a season.  Last year 119 players had 108 or more strikeouts.  

He played football in high school, but not baseball.  

#11 - Merv Rettenmund

Even though I've seen lots of his cards, I don't think that I would have spelled Merv's name correctly.  I don't remember announcers pronouncing the first "N" in his last name. 

Wow, the Orioles traded Frank Robinson since Merv was playing so well. 

Not on the card - 1971 was his only season with more than 107 games played.  He never neared his 1971 stats again though he played until 1980.  He was traded after the 1973 season.  Robinson hit 91 homers in the next four seasons compared to Merv's 66 career homers.

He played football and baseball at Ball State and he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. 

Not on the card - he was drafted in round 19 of 20 by the Cowboys.  He was a year too early for the MLB draft, which didn't exist yet.  The Orioles signed him in November of 1964.

After the 1970 season he went on an MLB trip to Viet Nam military bases and other Asian military hospitals. 

#10 - Joe Torre

Joe listed popular music as a hobby.  In 1971 would that still make him a "hippie"?

Here is a link to the 1971 year-end top 100 Billboard hits - 

1971 Billboard Top 100

Kellogg's is back with more comments that Topps would never make.  The card mentions his shrinking waistline and the corresponding increase in his batting average.  The next line mentions his diet during the last two seasons.

He won the 1971 MVP Award.  He led the majors in batting, hits and RBIs.  

Not on the card - Torre had a .305 career average after 1971.  He finished at .297 

1972 Kellogg's Baseball Card Backs #13 - 15

Back for more after a long weekend at the State Track Meet. 

#15 - Dave Roberts

I should have been a pitcher.  They all love golfing.

He is shown as a Padre in both pictures, but the first thing mentioned in the text is his trade to Houston.  At least they didn't attempt (and fail) to airbrush the hat and uniform like Topps tried in the 1970s.  The Astros gave up three players for him, but they are not mentioned.

Not on the card - Derrel Thomas was the most well-known guy involved in the trade. 

Kellogg's called the team the "lowly Padres".  I love that attitude.

He was second in ERA to Tom Seaver. 

Not on the card - he won 103 games in his career.

#14 - Doug Rader

I've mentioned before getting confused about Dave Roberts and Dave Roberts both being Padres.  I also confused Lee Maye and Lee May.  Doug Rader was a problem for me too since there was Dave Rader playing at the same time.

Dave was a catcher so that helped me figure it out.  

The first line says that Rader was "endowed with power".  Couldn't they find a better way to say that.

Ron Santo is mentioned as being involved in one more double play than Rader did. 

Can any card back top the mention of Foghorn Leghorn?  Rader's nickname of "Rooster" was inspired by him looking like the great Looney Tunes rooster.  

So, one of my favorite players (Santo) and one of my favorite cartoon characters (Foghorn Leghorn) are mentioned in the same paragraph.  Here is another reason that I like to read the card backs.  

#13 - Jim Palmer

He was the youngest pitcher to throw a shutout in the World Series.  His back injury in 1967 almost ended his career.  

Not on the card - he pitched only nine games in 1967 and none in the majors during 1968.

1972 Kellogg's Baseball Card Backs #16 - 18

Back for a few more cards from the 1972 Kellogg's baseball card set.

#18 - Joe Coleman

Coleman likes golf.  So do I.  I hope he's gotten more chances to play that I did.  

His dad pitches in the majors too.   Junior was involved in a trade to Detroit for Denny McLain.  Kellogg's assumed that the Tigers traded for Coleman since he was 8-0 against Detroit while pitching for Washington. 

He won his first two major league starts at the age of 18.

Not on the card - Sr. played 10 years and Jr. lasted for 15 years.  Sr. made his debut at the age of 20 pitching six innings in one game - a loss.  He didn't appear again until 1946 after three years in the military.  

#17 - Wes Parker

There are a few cards in this set that look like there is a portion cut out.  To me, the top left box inside the blue border always looks like it was cut out of the card. 

Lots of hobbies.  Maybe he should have worked more on baseball?

Really, erudite?  As a kid I probably stopped reading the back of the card when I got to this word.  How do I remember that?  I stopped reading it now when I got to that word.  Note to Kellogg's - that word was never on any spelling bee list throughout all of my grade school years.

He is working with former Ebbetts Field hero Dixie Walker to get back to his 1970 form.

Not on the card - I never knew much about Dixie Walker because he played from 1931 - 1949, which are eras when card sets weren't produced consistently.  He played nine seasons in Brooklyn and hit .311 for the Dodgers.

#16 - Bobby Murcer

He was the star of the Yankees last year.  He was second in the league with his .331 average.  

Mickey Mantle is mentioned three times in the paragraph.  Is that a card-back record for someone being mentioned on another player's card?

Kellogg's also mentioned that is is vain to try to pull the ball into the seats.   After that the card mentioned his goal it the World Series.

Not on the card - he only appeared in the playoffs in 1980 and 1981.  He was on the losing end of the 1981 World Series as he went 0-3 at the plate.  

Sometimes a Fuzzy Picture is Okay

I picked up a small lot of cards last week on ebay.  The pictures weren't good so I didn't bid very much.  I just couldn't resist because they were 1972 ATG cards.  I was the same way with Kenner Starting Lineup Figures.  I always wanted to get the 1989 Baseball Greats.

Other than the curling, I was happy with the cards.  Would I buy a set with a blurry picture?  Sure, if the price were right.  

1972 Kellogg's Baseball Card Backs - #19 - 21

Finally back from some time away from my computer.  Getting four hours of sleep each night didn't help either.  School and track coaching will end this week so I hope to get back into my routine.

Back for three more 1972 Kellogg's baseball cards.

#21 - Ralph Garr

Even though I'm focusing on the backs of these cards, I can't get away from the pictures of Garr on the front and back as well as the lack of Braves logo.  He's the only Brave in the set.  Were they making uniform changes or was he being traded?  Phil Niekro's uniform on his 1973 Kellogg's card is certainly a new style.

I always liked his nickname of "The Roadrunner".   On a trip to Chula Vista, California I finally saw an actually roadrunner.  Beep-Beep.  

Garr attended Grambling College.  

#20 - Reggie Jackson

Reggie's hobby was already automobiles.  He actually collected them.  I wish I had his budget for my collections.

He has led the league in strikeouts in all four of his seasons.  Kellogg's called his style "all-or-nothing" swinging.  

Not on the card - he is the career leader in strikeouts but he only led the league in only one more season.  

Jax, as Kellogg's called him, already has 70 stolen bases.  

Not on the card - he finished his career with 228 steals, even though he had only 26 in his last nine years.  

#19 - Manny Sanguillen

He liked playing the guitar.  Kellogg's called him the "smiling Panamanian."

Kellogg's thinks he might not play catcher much longer because he's a good outfielder.  

Not on the card - as mentioned on a later Kellogg's card, he did play a lot of outfield in 1973 after the death of Roberto Clemente.  But, Sanguillen remained a catcher throughout his career.

He teaches baseball and the Bible in his native Panama City.  

It's a baseball fact - this isn't on many cards.  Ron Hunt got hit-by-pitch 50 times in 1971.

1972 Kellogg's Baseball Card Backs - #22 - 24

Back for three more cards from the 1972 Kellogg's baseball card set.  I won't get pictures in here until the weekend.

#24 - Glenn Beckert

The back of the card starts with the fact that he's "short on power".  19 homers in seven seasons, so I guess they are correct.  He's an all-star who rarely strikes out.

Not on the card - he struck out 243 times in 5,208 career at-bats.  That's one in every 21.4 at-bats, almost the same ratio that Tony Gwynn had in this career.   Reggie Jackson struck out every 3.8 at-bats.

He ended his career with 22 HRs, or one in almost every 237 at-bats. 

He never hit over .300 in his career until hitting .342 in 1971. 


#23 - Rick Wise

Wise had 17 complete games in 1971 along with zero errors and six homers.  In his career he pitched in 506 games and he committed only 13 errors.  He had 15 career homers, a total that might have been greater had he not spent six years in the AL immediately after the DH began being used.

#22 - Jim Hunter

Hunter threw five no-hitters, including a perfect game, in high school.  He added a perfect game in 1968 for the A's.  He missed an entire season due to surgery to remove shotgun pellets from his foot. 

Trades Have Begun

Does anyone like hand-me-downs or leftovers?

This week I've been without my old, private-school-teacher car because it has brake problems and I drive a long way in stop-and-go traffic.  Instead, I have my son's car, itself an old hand-me-down from my wife.  

Yesterday I got news of another hand-me-down headed my way.  We need to change our phone plan for some reason.  That's fine by me since I'm not that much of a phone user.  Then the embarrassing news - with the new plan I'm getting my son's phone.  Ugh!  Another hand-me-down from a teenager.

My son does have a job now, so maybe he makes more than me?  What will I get stuck with next week?  Do I get to still sit at the grown-up table?

Luckily, I got a extra Kellogg's card from Lee who has added many great comments to my posts.  Lee sent along the card below to help me with my 1972 Kellogg's unopened set.  We've sent a few cards to each other lately.  It's something I hope to continue in the future.

Now I am down to needing nine cards to complete this unopened set.  Thanks Lee.

Does Anyone Use Card Trading Sites?

I've seen a few trading sites.  Do any of you use any of these or others?

Do you have any suggestions for using these sites?

http://www.oldcardtraders.com/


http://www.vintagecardtraders.org/


http://www.tradnbases.com/tradingbases.htm


I've never used any site above, so this is not an endorsement.  I just want to find out how I can get into some trading.

I Usually Only Eat Cereal at Home ........

...so that I don't have to let the world know that I love Frosted Flakes, Mini Wheats, Cinnamon Life, Cap'n Crunch, etc. 

So there is a cereal store in NYC. 

Can I slurp my cereal when I eat?

Can I drink the leftover milk right out of the bowl?

Do I get prizes inside the cereal boxes?  This would definitely help the baby boomers.  I'd take cards, a license plate, stickers, etc.  Someone tell them to get going on that.

Here is a link to the story about this store. 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/12/14/fresh-eggo-waffles-frosted-flakes-and-kumquats-try-kelloggs-new-cereal-cafe-nyc/952049001/

Has anyone been there?

Which Pitchers Had a Kellogg's Card and Threw 2+ No-Hitters?

A pitcher's chances of getting on a Kellogg's card really increased if he   threw a no-hitter.  I counted at least nine guys who appeared on a Kellogg's card and were involved in at least two no-hitters.

Can you name the two who are in the Hall of Fame?

Can you name the other seven without looking them up?

Hints - 

One pitcher in this group had a losing career record of 54-85.  

On pitcher was the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter without coming to bat in the game.  That clue makes this one too easy.

One guy won over 200 games.

One pitcher went 10 innings in his first no-hitter, but last a no-hitter in the 11th inning as well.

One guy struck out none in one no-hitter and then scored the only run in his other no-hitter.

One guy had a brother who threw a no-hitter.

The last guy on the list threw the first indoor no-hitter and the first one on artificial turf, of course.

Two of the guys on this list threw no-hitters on back-to-back days in a two-game series between the teams.

Old, But Nice Discussion About PSA Grading of Kellogg's Cards

It was a long track meet day and I found a nice discussion from way back regarding PSA grading of Kellogg's cards.  Check it out.

Why Does PSA Grade Kellogg's Cards?

I picked a few All-Time Greats today even though the picture on ebay wasn't that clear.  Luckily, all of the cards were great and there were two Ruths and a Gehrig.  The cards shown above are not the ones that I picked up today.  These cards are the ones that will be put onto the Babe Ruth display.

My Daughter Has a New Project - Kellogg's All-Time Greats

I'm still waiting for my daughter to put my Kellogg's All-Time Greats cards onto this Babe Ruth display.  What is she waiting for?

How Would You Rank These Hostess Products?

I'm interested in collecting the Hostess panels from 1975 - 1979.  I really prefer to get the entire box as that is how I remember them.  About five years ago I would see some lots on ebay, but that hasn't happened at all lately.

Here is my ranking of Hostess products that I've tasted -

1.  Ding Dongs - frozen
2.  Ho Ho's - frozen
3.  Suzy Q's - frozen
4.  Cup Cakes - frozen
5.  Donettes
6.  Fruit Pie
7.  Crumb Cakes
8.  Twinkies
9.  Snow Balls

Which ones did I eat the most?

1.  Fruit Pies - my friend's brother drove a Hostess truck and that was the only product he seemed able to give us for free.

2.  Twinkies - they lasted longer in our kitchen than other Hostess products when my parents bought them.  Don't get me wrong, they didn't last long, but sometimes the box of Twinkies would be around for at least an hour if everyone was out.

3.  Ding Dongs and Ho Ho's - I could easily eat these while riding my bike home from the golf course after a long day of caddying. 

Which one did I not want to buy if I were home with my many siblings?

1.  Donettes - I'd have to share them which would leave me with hardly any of them.

My question - how many players in the 1975 - 1979 Kellogg's sets did not make it into the Hostess sets?  I will probably do the analysis when school gets out, but if someone has already done that please let me know.