WHEN TOPPS HAD (BASE)BALLS!: NBL

Showing posts with label NBL. Show all posts

Monday, July 31, 2023

NEGRO BASEBALL LEAGUES ALL-TIME LEGENDS: RAY BROWN

Time to add one of the great pitchers of the Negro Leagues to me long-running "Negro Leagues All-Time Legends" thread, celebrating the greats of the game that were not given the chance to play in the (then) Major Leagues, Ray Brown:

Brown put in most of his Hall of Fame career with the Homestead Grays, playing between 1931 and 1945, and he put up some incredible numbers.

Finishing his career with a ridiculous .721 winning percentage, he went 119-46, leading the NBL in wins five times, while also taking home two ERA titles and three strikeout titles.

His 1938 season could be the greatest year of any pitcher in the long history of the NBL when he posted a record of 14-0 with a 1.88 ERA, completing 11 of his 20 starts with four shutouts and three saves and 70 strikeouts, ALL league-leading marks!

On top of all that, the man his .286 at the plate with 20 runs scored and 20 runs batted in over 32 games, proving he could do it all!

So often overshadowed by teammates such as Josh Gibson, Buck Leonard and Jud Wilson, Brown was rightfully celebrated in 2006 with his spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Thursday, February 2, 2023

NEGRO BASEBALL LEAGUES ALL-TIME LEGENDS: DOBIE MOORE

Today on the blog, we add another Negro Leagues great to my long-running 1972 sub-set, former shortstop/outfielder Dobie Moore:

Though only active for seven seasons, Moore has been considered one of the greatest shortstop in the Negro League timeline, hitting .359 in his short career while playing Gold Glove defense.

He played his entire career with the Kansas City Monarchs, winning a batting title in 1924 when he hit a blistering .453, and held the highest career batting average in the California Winter League when he hit .385.

Sadly, during the 1926 season Moore was shot by his girlfriend, suffering a compound fracture which pretty much ended his career, though there were reports that he played later on in Semi-Pro ball at first base, not nearly the player he was before.

He finished his career with a .350 batting average, while hitting .270 over 23 games of Postseason play, helping the Monarchs to three consecutive league titles between 1923-1925.

Friday, January 6, 2023

NEGRO BASEBALL LEAGUES ALL-TIME LEGENDS: JOHN BECKWITH

On the blog today, we give former Negro leagues legend John Beckwith a card in my long-running 1972 sub-set, my way of celebrating what was the 25th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's MLB debut in 1947:

The slugging infielder was one of the most powerful players to ever play in the Negro Leagues, swinging his 38-ounce bat and consistently batting over .300, including his 1925 season where he batted .404.

Babe Ruth once quipped, " Not only can Beckwith hit harder than any Negro ballplayer, but any man in the world," as evidenced by blasts such as his 460-foot bomb at Griffith Stadium, which would have actually traveled further had it not been for the 40-foot sign that stopped it.

Beckwith ranks among career leaders in Negro League history in batting average, home runs, runs batted in and slugging percentage, hitting .349 with 76 homers, 461 RBIs and a very nice .583 slugging percentage between 1920 and 1935.

For some more info on the all-time great, check out his Wiki-page here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Beckwith_(baseball)

Friday, November 11, 2022

NEGRO BASEBALL LEAGUES ALL-TIME LEGENDS: DICK "CANNONBALL" REDDING

It's been a while since I added to my long-running "Negro Baseball Leagues All-Time Legends" thread, so today we add Dick "Cannonball" Redding:

One of the top pitchers of the dead-ball era, Redding was revered for his incredible fastball, he is widely considered to have had THE fastest fastball in Negro League history.

According to legend, he once threw seven no-hitters in a season, and over 30 in his career, though sadly accurate record-keeping was not kept at the time, leaving us to wonder just how incredible his numbers were before he left the game in 1932 after both playing and managing the Bacharach Giants.

What is recorded is a career record of 40-20 as a pitcher, mainly with the Lincoln Giants between 1911 and 1916, though these numbers are also admittedly incomplete.

Nevertheless, he did recieve some attention back in 1952 when the Pittsburgh Courier held their now famous Negro league poll of greatest players ever, while also being selected to the Hall of Fame's "Early Days" ballot in 2021, though failing to gain the necessary votes for induction, some 73 years after his death in 1948.

Saturday, September 24, 2022

NEGRO BASEBALL LEAGUE ALL-TIME LEGENDS- VIC HARRIS

On the blog this fine day, we add the great Negro Leaguer Vic Harris to my long-running "Negro Baseball Leagues All-Time Greats" thread:

Harris' career spanned 26 years, between 1922 and 1947, playing and managing mainly for the Homestead Grays.

Over his extensive playing career he hit .305 while making seven All-Star teams, leading the league in runs once, doubles once and triples twice.

Known as one of the toughest players of his era, he also managed the Grays to eight first-place finishes, which is the most of any Negro league skipper, while winning a Negro World Series.

As manager, he finished with a career record of 547-278, good for a fantastic winning percentage of .663, including his incredible 1937 campaign when he led the Grays to a record of 60-19 with a ridiculous .759 winning percentage.

Only Hall of Famer "Bullett" Joe Rogan has a higher career winning percentage in Negro League ball as manager, finishing with a .698 figure, but in only 257 games to Harris' 547.

Sadly, Harris, though considered for Hall of Fame induction twice so far, he has not garnered the necessary amount of votes for enshrinement.

Hopefully this will change soon enough.

Friday, September 9, 2022

NEGRO BASEBALL LEAGUE ALL-TIME LEGENDS- GEORGE SCALES

On the blog today, we add the great Negro league player George Scales to my long-running 1972 "Negro Leagues All-Time Greats" thread, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's debut in the Major Leagues:

The second baseman put in a 25-year professional career that saw him bat .320, while also going on to manage 12 seasons in the Puerto Rican Winter League, winning six pennants.

An incredibly versatile player, he put in time at every single position except for catcher, playing the most of his career at third base with 235 games and second base with 161 games.

In 1927, while with the New York Lincoln Giants, he hit .419, a career-best though he did top a .380 batting average three other times over the course of his career.

His .510 career slugging average ranks ninth among all Negro League players with 3000 or more plate appearances, with all eight of the players ahead of him already in the Hall of Fame, for which Scales has not been yet honored.

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

NEGRO BASEBALL LEAGUE ALL-TIME LEGENDS- DICK SEAY

Today up on the blog, we celebrate the great Dick Seay, Negro League legend and part of the famed "Million Dollar Infield":

The only member of that famous infield to still wait for his place in the Hall of Fame, Seay played alongside Ray Dandridge, Willie Wells and Mule Suttles to form one of the great infields in baseball history.

A light-hitting player known for his defensive skills, he was particularly known on the offensive side of things as a bunt-specialist and hit-and-run guy.

He eventually put in 16 years in the Negro Leagues, hitting .216 and making three All-Star teams along the way, appearing in 535 "official" games while accumulating 412 hits over 1905 at-bats.

Thursday, August 25, 2022

NEGRO BASEBALL LEAGUE ALL-TIME LEGENDS- JOHN DONALDSON

Today on the blog, a nice addition to my long-running "Negro Baseball Leagues All-Time Legends" thread, including one of the great pitchers the game has ever seen, John Donaldson:

The man's career spanned approximately 30 years, and it is estimated that he won over 400 games, struck out over 5000 batters, amassed 86 shutouts and finished with a ridiculous earned run average at 1.37.

He is also credited with 14 no-hitters, a perfect game, and DOZENS of one-hitters, while also recording TWO 30-strikeout games, and 30 other games with over 20 strikeouts.

Oh, and by the way, could he hit? The man also finished his career with a .334 clip in over 1800 at-bats.

Legendary manager John McGraw stated about Donaldson, "I think he is the greatest I have ever seen."

Sadly, he is STILL waiting for his rightful place in the Baseball Hall of Fame, something he fell just short of in 2021 when he received 8 of the necessary 12 votes for induction.

Hopefully this will be taken care of sooner than later.

Saturday, July 9, 2022

NEGRO BASEBALL LEAGUE ALL-TIME LEGENDS- PETE HILL

It’s been a long while since I added to my original 1972 thread celebrating the greats of the Negro Leagues, so I thought today would be a fine time to add the great Pete Hill to the blog:

Considered the greatest Negro League outfielder before Oscar Charleston came along, Hill was a complete five-tool player, playing the bulk of his career in the pre-league era in the earliest part of the 20^th century.

Credited with multiple batting crowns, sadly statistics were not as reliably kept in the pre-league Negro Leagues, so we rely on information handed down from generation to generation.

However, he is credited with hitting .452 in 1906, .349 in 1907, .457 in 1910, .406 in 1912 and .382 in 1913 in those pre-league days, while also documented as a career .303 hitter in the Negro League days from 1920 (at the age of 37) to 1925 (aged 42), collecting 154 hits over 508 at-bats in 159 games.

For more information on the Hall of Famer (elected in 2006 by Special Committee), please click the link below to the wonderful Baseball-Reference page:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Pete_Hill

If and when I create my Negro League Legends “Second Series” custom set, he will most assuredly be one of the key players featured.

Stay tuned…

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

NEGRO LEAGUE LEGENDS- "BULLET" JOE ROGAN

Well, I thought today's blog post was an oversight on my part, however I JUST found that I originally added the great "Bullet Joe" Rogan to my "Legends of the Negro Leagues" way back in 2017, not too long after beginning this sub-set. In that case, let us revisit the man and his greatness:

Casey Stengel once claimed Rogan was, “one of the best, if not the best, pitcher that ever lived.”

According to some records, Rogan won the most games in Negro Leagues history, while ranking fourth all-time in career batting average!
Consider these numbers: 116-50 career win-loss record, along with a 2.59 earned run average, as well as an incredible .338 batting average. Just amazing numbers.
In 1924, the man would hit .395 while going 18-6 on the mound, leading the Kansas City Monarchs to their second title, then going on to defeat the Hilldales of the Eastern Colored League in the very first Black World Series.
The following year, all he would do is post a record of 17-2 while batting .381, once again leading the Monarchs to a league title, though he would injure his knee before a rematch with Hilldale in the World Series, in which the Monarchs lost in six games.
Historian Phil Dixon compiles all of Rogan’s stats in all league play over his 23 years and has him at over 350 games won with over 2000 strikeouts, while also collecting over 2500 hits with 350+ home runs and over 500 stolen bases!
Just an amazing pro career that needs further appreciation, though the ultimate compliment would come Rogan’s way in 1998 when Cooperstown came calling.

Thursday, July 29, 2021

NEGRO LEAGUE LEGENDS- DICK LUNDY

On the blog today I'm happy to add to my long-running "Negro League Legends" series started years ago, today including shortstop Dick Lundy:

Considered one of the greatest shortstops in Negro League history, it’s a crime that Lundy hasn’t been selected to the Hall of Fame as of this release.

He spent 33 years years as a player and manager in the Negro Leagues, once hitting as high as .484 in 1921 and of course being one of the “Million Dollar Infield” along with Oliver Marcell, Frank Warfield and Jud Wilson, playing for the Baltimore Black Sox in 1929.
Nicknamed “King Richard”, he was both an incredibly gifted fielder with a cannon for an arm as well as a magnificent hitter, credited with a batting average of about .320 between 1916 to 1937.
As a player-manager of the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants, he led them to a Pennant in both 1926 and 1927 in the Eastern Colored League.
Among the players he is credited with mentoring are future Hall of Famers Ray Dandridge and Monte Irvin.
When will Cooperstown give him his rightful place in their Museum? Long overdue.

Sunday, July 11, 2021

"NEGRO LEAGUE LEGENDS" SPECIAL EDITION SET AVAILABLE NOW!

Hello everyone!

For those interested, my newest custom set, "Negro League Legends", is now available for purchase! See below all photos for ordering instructions.

I've included images of every aspect of the set to give you all as full an idea of what went into this as possible:

There are 25-individual player cards, as well as a title card featuring Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson. There is also a raised glossy insert celebrating one of the greatest ballclubs ever to take the field, the 1931 Homestead Grays.

I have also included a four-stamp panel of the stamps I had printed up for the packaging, figuring you'd all like a few of those thrown in to help complete the release.

All of this comes bound in gold foil, then packaged inside a special fold-out folio you see in the images attached.

These sets are numbered, and I have made 80, with an additional 20 possible if needed.

The sets are $20 plus $5.00 shipping, and if you buy more than one set the shipping stays the same, just like with my pack releases. So $5 shipping no matter how many sets you buy!

On top of all of that, once the sets are sold, I will ask you to check your sets to see which one of you ALSO had an extra tag inserted into your set. Only ONE of you will then also win at no extra charge the special 1-of-1 Josh Gibson card I mentioned last week.

I didn't add images here so as not to confuse anyone. But once the set is sold I will send out another email with all the images you need to see which one of you gets the special bonus card!

The 1-of-1 Josh Gibson card is mounted on a gold foil block, which was then mounted on the center panel of the fold-out folio, with special glossy photos of the all-time great decorating the sides. There is only ONE made, and it was a blast creating it!

If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask!

To order, it is the usual paypal address: slogun23@gmail.com

$20 per set, one-time $5.00 postage fee.

Thanks for looking!

Gio

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

NEGRO LEAGUE LEGENDS- LOUIS SANTOP

Today's blog post has the latest addition to my long-running celebration of Negro League Legends, this one honoring the great catcher Louis Santop:

Often called the “first Negro League superstar”, Santop was a presence behind the plate with his 6’4”, 240-pound frame, garnering the nickname “Big Bertha” once he made his debut in 1909 with the Fort Wayne Wonders.
Shortly after, he moved on to the Philadelphia Giants where he became battery-mates with another all-timer, “Cannonball” Redding, becoming the “kid battery” while also developing into a force at the plate, consistently hitting above .350, with a .400+ season thrown in.
Over the course of 14 seasons in the Negro Leagues, Santop became a top drawing card and fan favorite, even playing outfield and the corner infield positions throughout his career.
Officially, Santop is credited with a career .333 batting average between 1911 and 1926, hitting as high as .412 in in 1918 split between the Philadelphia Hilldale Club and Brooklyn Royal Giants.
Thankfully, in 2006 Cooperstown came calling, selecting him for enshrinement over 60 years after his death in 1942.

Thursday, April 29, 2021

NEGRO LEAGUE LEGENDS- CHINO SMITH

Time to add the great Negro League legend Chino Smith to my long-running 1972 sub-set celebrating the greats of the Negro Baseball Leagues:

Smith, one of the most feared hitters in Negro League history, was called one of the greatest hitters by none other than Satchel Paige.

His career .434 batting average is 50 points ahead of the #2 player, Hall of Famer Larry Doby, while also finishing with a .335 career average in Cuban Winter play.

For a better idea of his hitting accomplishments, please click this link for his Baseball_Reference page, as it certainly does more justice to the man than I could here:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Chino_Smith

Sadly, in one of the great "what could have been" tales of the game, Smith contracted Yellow Fever in 1932, still only 29 years of age, and passed away, leaving behind an already stellar career but full of "what if's" we can only dream about.

Thursday, April 15, 2021

NEGRO LEAGUE LEGENDS- HILTON SMITH

On the blog today, always happy to add another Negro League great to my long-running "Negro League Legends" 1972 sub-set, celebrating the greats of the NBL who were never given the chance to play Major League Ball:

Often overshadowed by his teammate Satchel Paige (who wouldn't be?!), Smith Played for the Monarchs from 1936 through 1948, officially posting a record of 71-31 with a 1.68 earned run average, while making six all-star teams and winning the Negro League championship in 1942.

According to Negro League Museum Director Bob Kendrick, the old saying was, "...if you were going to hit anything, you better hit it off Satchel because you weren't going to touch Hilton Smith."

The reason for this was because there were many games where the great Satchel Paige would start and pitch about three innings to appease the crowd before Smith would come in to finish the last six innings,often with great results.

Fellow Hall of Famer Monte Irvin, who played in both the Negro Leagues and big leagues, said: “He (Smith) had one of the finest curveballs I ever had the displeasure to try and hit. His curveball fell of the table. Sometimes you knew where it would be coming from, but you still couldn’t hit it because it was that sharp. He was just as tough as Satchel was.”

But he was also a very good hitter, posting a career .323 batting average over his career.

Though he passed away in 1983, thankfully this baseball great was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001.

Saturday, January 30, 2021

NEGRO LEAGUE LEGENDS- BEN TAYLOR

It has been nearly three years since I've added a player to my "Negro League Legends" thread, so today I present a card for Ben Taylor, former first baseman and manager:

Taylor spent over 20 years playing in the Negro leagues, beginning with the Birmingham Giants in 1908 through to the Baltimore Black Sox in 1928, while managing until 1938 when he led the Washington Black Senators.

Originally a pitcher when his career began, he eventually established himself playing for his brother. C.I. Taylor, who managed and owned the Indianapolis ABCs.

According to record books, Taylor hit .300 or better in all but one of his first 16 seasons, and even went on to mentor young Buck Leonard at first base.

He finished his career with a .318 batting average, hitting as high as .371 in 1922 with Indianapolis, while scoring 410 runs and driving in 354.

He also ended with a record of 8-6 as a pitcher, with a 4.30 earned run average over 24 appearances and 161.1 innings of work.

In 2006 he was given his rightful place in Cooperstown, being selected by the "Committee on African-American Baseball".

Sunday, April 22, 2018

NEGRO LEAGUE LEGENDS- JUD WILSON

It’s been some time since I added to my “Negro League Legends” series, so today I’ll post a card for legend and Hall of Fame first and third baseman Jud Wilson:

Wilson put in 23 seasons in the Negro Leagues, as one of the most powerful and fiery players of his day, and finished his incredible career with a .351 batting average, the fifth highest in league history.
He topped .300 sixteen season, including four of over .400, while also going on to bat a combined .372 over six Cuban Winter League campaigns.
Against Major League pitchers in two seasons of the California Winter League, Wilson hit .469 and .385, including hits off of future Hall of Famer Lefty Grove.
Stories of his temper abound, and are something to read about. It seems no one wanted to mess with the short yet powerfully built player. Players and umpires were at the wrong end of his wrath. Look it up, they are unique anecdotes of a man’s competitive nature!
On July 30, 2006, Wilson was posthumously elected for the Hall of Fame, joining his former teammates and contemporaries with his rightful place in baseball history.
As I often state with a lot of these Negro League stars, please do yourself a favor and look up their bio’s to really get a sense of the player, the teams and the league’s. Some incredible stuff out there to get acquainted with the history of the leagues for those who haven’t done so already.

Sunday, January 21, 2018

NEGRO BASEBALL LEGENDS- TURKEY STEARNES

Definitely time to add Negro League legend and baseball Hall of Famer Turkey Stearnes to my on-going NBL series:

Over the course of 18 seasons between 1923 and 1940, Stearnes put up impressive numbers, finishing his career with a .344 batting average while clubbing 183 home runs, unofficially the NBL record.
The man was such an accomplished all-around five-tool player that Bill James ranked him 25th in all-time players, regardless of league!
The great Satchel Paige was even quoted as saying that he considered Stearnes just as good as legend Josh Gibson, or anyone else who held a bat in his hand.
Sadly, as was the case with so many NBL greats, by the time Stearnes was recognized by Cooperstown with induction to the Hall of Fame, he had passed away 21 years prior in 1979 at the age of 78.
It was tough finding an image for Stearnes to create this card! If anyone has a better one I’d love to re-do it for the set. Please let me know, it’d be greatly appreciated!
Such a great player, I’d love to have a better card for the series.

Thursday, November 2, 2017

NEGRO BASEBALL LEGENDS- JOSE MENDEZ

Today we celebrate a grossly-overlooked star of the Cuban and Negro Leagues, Jose Mendez, who was a dominant pitcher and threw some legendary games against Major and Minor league teams in the early part of the 20th Century:

Mendez, whose career spanned 20 seasons between 1907 and 1926, put up some monster years in the Cuban League, posting documented records of 15-6, 11-2, 10-0 and 7-0 while winning three pennants in six years with Almendares.
His performance in 1908 made him a legend when he pitched 25 consecutive scoreless innings against the Cincinnati Reds including a one-hitter, then a few days later throwing a couple of shutouts including a no-hitter against a Minor League All-Star team, giving him 43 consecutive shutouts innings pitched.
His career record in the Cuban League was an incredible 76-28, good for a sparkling .731 winning percentage.
In the very first Negro League World Series in 1924, pitching for the Kansas City Monarchs, he appeared in four games against the Hilldale Club, going 2-0 with a shutout in the final game.
An early member of the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame, elected in 1939 1939, he would add to that honor by being inducted to the U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Sunday, October 29, 2017

NEGRO BASEBALL LEGENDS- NEWT ALLEN

Today we celebrate the somewhat overlooked great Negro League second baseman Newt Allen, who is sadly not in the Hall of Fame with some of his peers, but nevertheless was and still is considered one of the great players of his time:

A veteran of about 25 Negro League seasons spanning 1922 to 1947, he spent the bulk of it with the Kansas City Monarchs, building a reputation as one of the fastest base runners of his time, while also becoming arguably the greatest fielding second baseman of his era.
Sadly I can’t find much on this forgotten star, but am more than happy to have him included in this thread honoring the guys that paved the way for others after them!
He did make the list of 39 finalists in 2006 for the special Negro Leagues Hall of Fame election, but fell short of the 17 players who eventually were voted in.
Hopefully this can be rectified sooner than later, bringing him into the Cooperstown fold for countless more baseball fans to appreciate by seeing and reading his plaque.