Al Bumbry Private Signing + One More ’81 Star Sticker Catch-Up

Another 1981 Fleer Star Sticker success! Again by way of affordable through-the-mail private signing.

Al Bumbry was a mainstay in the Baltimore Orioles outfield for 13 seasons (1972-1984). He won the AL Rookie of the Year in 1973. He was an All-Star in 1980. He won a World Series ring in 1983.

Before his MLB career, Bumbry served in the U.S. Army and received a Bronze Star leading a platoon during the Vietnam War.

Bumbry still ranks high on the Orioles franchise leaderboard for stolen bases (4^th – 252) and runs (9^th – 772). He played the 1985 season – his last – with the Padres, serving mostly as a pinch hitter.

 

 

I recently blogged a catch-up post with five ’81 Star Sticker set returns that came in while I wasn’t writing. I missed one…

I received George Foster back from another private signing back in early August.

Foster is best known for his years with the “Big Red Machine.” A five-time All-Star, he won two World Series rings as the Reds went back-to-back in 1975 and 1976. He led the league in RBI in ’76, ’77, and ’78. He won the NL MVP in 1977, pacing the league in HRs (52), runs (124), RBI (149), total bases (388), and OPS (1.013).

After another great season in 1981 (he finished third in the NL MVP voting), the Reds – who were unwilling to give Foster the five-year deal he was seeking – traded him to the Mets.

Foster’s power numbers declined with the Mets (he maxed out at 28 HRs in 1983 and never exceeded 90 RBI). The Mets released Foster in August of their eventual World Series-winning 1986 season. He was awarded a ring.

Unknown to me before this write up: Foster bookended his career with the Giants and the White Sox. He broke into the Majors with San Francisco in 1969. The outfielder-rich Giants traded him to the Reds in 1971. After his release from the Mets, Foster latched on with Chicago. Foster hung up his cleats after 15 games with the White Sox.

 

***

1981 Fleer Star Sticker Progress: 56 of 125 (44.8%)

Catching Up on 1981 Fleer Star Sticker Returns (x5)

During my three-month reprieve from blogging, I did make some progress on my 1981 Fleer Star Sticker set. Let’s recap…

Tony Perez via Private Signing

I received the Hall of Famer back on July 20th from a private signing. Pictured as a Red Sox, Perez is best known for his days with the Big Red Machine. He also played for the Expos and Phillies.

“Big Dog” was a seven-time All-Star (1967-1970, 1974-1976) posting 2,732 hits, 379 home runs, and 1,652 RBI over a 23-year run. He picked up three World Series rings – 1975 and 1976 as a player, and 1990 as a coach for the Reds team that swept the favored A’s.

He was inducted into Cooperstown in 2000 (ninth ballot) with 77.15 percent of the vote.

Mickey Rivers through the mail

“Mick the Quick” signed TTM by way of his agency, MDM Sports. This one came back 7/25.

Rivers, a speedy leadoff type, is best remembered for his time in pinstripes, where he won two World Series (1977 and 1978). He began his career with the Angels and wrapped it with the Rangers, amassing a .295 batting average and 267 stolen bases.

After leading the league in steals (70) with the Angels in 1975, the Yankees acquired him (and Ed Figueroa) for Bobby Bonds via trade. Rivers posted his best season in ’76 and earned an All-Star nod.

And I don’t know if anyone remembers the ESPN’s 2007 mini series The Bronx is Burning, but I loved the way Leonard Robinson played Rivers.

Jack Clark via Private Signing

I love a good nickname. “Jack the Ripper” is a great nickname. I got Clark – a four-time All Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner (1985, 1987) – by way of another private signing (7/28/2020).

During his mid-80s prime, Clark was one of the most feared hitters in the National League. Over an 18-year career, Clark hit .267 with 340 home runs, 332 doubles, and 1,180 RBI.

Tony Armas, Ebay pickup

I scored Armas as a super-cheap pickup through Ebay.

Armas was a top power hitter of the early 80s. He was a two-time All Star and twice led the American League in homers (1981, 1984). In 1984, he also was the AL RBI leader and won a Silver Slugger Award for his efforts.

From 1980 to 1985, Armas hit more home runs (187) than any other American League player.

He was, however, hampered by injuries. He missed 302 games to the disabled list (12 visits) over his 14-year career.

Enos Cabell via Private Signing

Cabell – a first- and third-baseman by trade – was also received through private signing (8/4/2020). Cabell is dubiously remembered for two things:

1. A Bill James Abstract (1983) write up where the statistician wrote “the man can’t play baseball … can’t play first, can’t play third, can’t hit, can’t run, and can’t throw.”
2. He was one of seven suspended for the entire 1986 season for admitting to cocaine abuse during the Pittsburgh drug trials. His suspension was avoided after agreeing to large anti-drug donations and community service.

With due respect to Mr. James, Cabell played 15 MLB seasons and posted a .277 batting average. That was a Skip Bayliss take.

***
1981 Fleer Star Sticker Set Progress: 54 of 125 (43.2%)
Unofficially, I entered the year with a goal of getting to 50 in 2020. So this is the one thing in 2020 that’s gone as planned.

Two more 1981 Fleer Star Stickers: Bake McBride & Greg Luzinski

In my continued quest for a signed 1981 Fleer Star Sticker set, I've two new pickups to highlight.

Bake McBride via Private Signing

C'mon. Look at that card. Fantastic.

"Shake 'n Bake" played 11 (often injury-shortened) seasons for the Cardinals, Phillies, and Indians. He was the 1974 N.L. Rookie of the Year, a 1976 All-Star, and a World Series champion in 1980.

In that '74 ROY campaign, he slashed .303/.369/.394, stole 30 bases and scored 81 runs over 150 games. McBride hit over .300 the next two seasons as well, with a career-high .335 mark in 1976.

After struggling through 42 games with the Cardinals in 1977, he was dealt to the Phillies. He finished the season hitting .339 with 11 home runs and 27 stolen bases. He posted a career-best 87 RBI for the 1980 World Series champs.

Injuries forced McBride to retire at the age of 33. He retired with a .299 batting average, 1,153 hits, 63 home runs, and 183 stolen bases.

Greg Luzinski via Ebay

Another 1980 World Series champ.

Greg "The Bull" Luzinski was a four-time All-Star and the 1975 N.L. RBI leader. In each season from 1975 through 1978, he was finished in the Top 10 of the MVP vote.

Over 11 seasons with the Phillies, Luzinski slugged 223 home runs. He joined the Chicago White Sox after the 1980 title season and was resurgent in a designated hitter role. He hit 84 more home runs over four seasons with the ChiSox.

*** 

1981 Fleer Star Sticker Set Progress: 49 of 125 (39.2%)

Rollie Fingers TTM Success

Sent: 6/8/2020 | Received: 6/16/2020 | 8 days
1/1: 1981 Fleer Star Sticker
Address: Home (Las Vegas, NV) from SportsCollectors.Net

Another 1981 Fleer Star Sticker success, and a Hall of Famer to boot.

Fingers revolutionized the reliever role over a 17-year career with the Athletics, Padres, and Brewers. He helped usher in the age of the closer, and at the time of his retirement his 341 career saves were the most all time.

He is a three-time World Series champion, a seven-time All-Star, a four-time Rolaids Relief Man of the Year, and a three-time MLB saves leader.

In 1981, his first season in Milwaukee, Fingers won the American League's (AL) Most Valuable Player Award and Cy Young Award. He went 6-3 and racked up 28 saves while posting a 1.04 ERA over 78 innings. He edged Rickey Henderson by nine votes, despite a WAR deficit of 1.5.

*** 

1981 Fleer Star Sticker Set Progress: 47 of 125 (37.6%)

Bob Horner TTM Success

Sent: 5/20/2020 | Received: 5/29/2020 | 9 days
1/1: 1981 Fleer Star Sticker
Address: Home (Irving, TX) through PastPros.com

Before Horner ever played for the Atlanta Braves, he was an NCAA star. Manning second base for the ASU Sun Devils, Horner hammered a then-NCAA record 58 career home runs. He was selected College World Series MVP (1977) and won the Golden Spikes Award in 1978.

With that track record, it was no surprise that Atlanta took Horner with the first overall pick in the ’78 amateur draft. He is one of the handful of players to go directly from college to the majors without spending any time in the minor leagues.

Was he ready? In his first game, he homered off Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven. He’d play 89 games and slash .266/.313/.539, belt 23 homers, and drive in 63 en route to the Rookie of the Year Award.

Leg and shoulder injuries wiped out 79 games over his next two years. Nonetheless he was productive. In 1979 he batted .314 with 33 home runs and 98 RBI. A year later, he hit .268 with 35 home runs, and 89 RBI. In the strike-shortened 1981 season (79 games played), he hit .277, 15 HR, and 42 RBI.

His lone All-Star season came in 1982 when he tallied 32 home runs and 97 RBI, while slashing .261/.350/.501.

Through his age-25 season (’83), Horner had already amassed 158 homers, swatting them a prodigious pace: on every 17 at bats.

His 1983 and 1984 seasons, however, were shortened with separate fractures to each wrist. He returned to form in 1985 with 27 homers and 89 RBI in 130 games and in July of that year, he became the 11^th MLB player to hit four home runs in a single game.

Horner became a free agent in 1987, turned down several low-ball offers from the Braves, and received no interest from other teams. It was later found that MLB owners were colliding to keep salaries down. Horner opted to sign a one-year contract with Japan’s Yakult Swallows instead.

Postscript: In 2004, via player lawsuit over collusion, Horner would receive the biggest award: $7,034,112, including interest.

Horner returned to the Majors in 1988 with the Cardinals but was limited to only 60 games by should injury. He’d retire before what would have been his age-31 1989 season.

***

1981 Fleer Star Sticker Set Progress: 46 of 125 (36.8%)

Fred Lynn TTM Success

Sent: 5/2/2020 | Received: 5/28/2020 | 26 days
1/1: 1981 Fleer Star Sticker
Address: Home (Carlsbad, CA) from SportsCollectors.Net

Not going to lie: super pumped to get this one back. For those of you card collectors that aren’t in on the whole TTM scene, Fred Lynn is notorious for sending a signed blue index card in lieu of the requested card. Look, beggars can’t be choosers. A success is a success, but getting the on-card return is a pretty big deal here. Mr. Lynn made my day.

Lynn burst onto the scene with the Red Sox in 1975, and was the first player ever to win both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player Awards in the same year.

That year, the 23-year-old Lynn slashed .331/.401/.967. He led the league in slugging, OPS, runs (103), and doubles (47). He hit 21 home runs and drove in 105. He finished second to Rod Carew in batting average and earned his first of four Gold Glove Awards.

He was the 1979 batting champion with a .333 mark. In fact, he led the league OBP (.424) and Slugging (.637).

In seven seasons with the Red Sox, Lynn batted .308 with 124 home runs and 521 RBI.

However, Lynn's career was hampered by injuries attributed to his fearless play. He broke a rib crashing into the outfield wall (1980). He injured his knee breaking up a double play (1981). He suffered sprained ankles, a broken toe, and battled chronic back pain throughout his career. He never played more than 150 games in a season, and only topped 140 games four times.

Lynn went on to play for the Angels (1981-1984), Orioles (1985-1988), Tigers (1988-89), and Padres (1990).

Over 15 career postseason games, he batted 22-for-54 (.407) with two home runs and 13 RBIs.

Lynn was a nine-time All-Star, batting an overall 6-for-20 (.300) in All-Star Games with four home runs and ten RBIs, including the first grand slam in All-Star Game history (1983). All told, he hit four Mid-summer Classic HRs, second only to Stan Musial with six. 

***

1981 Fleer Star Sticker Set Progress: 45 of 125 (36%)

1st Private Signing, 44th Star Sticker: Graig Nettles

I’ve written it before: working a set, TTM is only going to get me so far. Sooner or later I’d have to supplement those efforts to fill some holes.

Not yet courageous enough to aim for some of the big (expensive) names in the set, when I saw a reasonably-priced Graig Nettles signing, I figured I’d give it a go. The signing was listed on SportsCollectors.net, conducted by “dugoutdug.” Other than the return hitting informed delivery one day earlier than my mailbox (causing 24 hours of mild concern), it went flawlessly.

(The promoter actually has another Craig Nettles signing scheduled for 7/31, if anyone is interested).

That brings me 44 signed 1981 Fleer Star Stickers out of 125 (35.2%). When I started the year, I was hoping to get to 50 in 2020. I’m on my way.

Anyways, Nettles was renowned for his defense at the hot corner. Over 22 years in the bigs, he was a six-time All Star, two-time Gold Glove winner (1977, 1978), and a two-time World Series champion. Despite modest batting averages (.248 for his career), he was productive at the plate and in 1976 led the AL in home runs with 32.

Nettles hit at least 20 homers in 11 seasons. His career high was 37 in 1977, a year he finished fifth in MVP voting.

In the infamous 1976 brawl with the Boston Red Sox, it was Nettles’ take down that resulted in Bill Lee’s broken collarbone.

Nettles would serve as New York Yankees captain (the first since Thurman Munson) from 1982 until he was traded to the Padres (for Dennis Rasmussen) in March of 1984.

“Some kids dream of joining the circus, others of becoming a major league baseball player. As a member of the N.Y. Yankees I've gotten to do both.” [source]

He’d play three years in San Diego, earning an All Star nod at age 40 in 1985. He’d wrap his career with with single seasons in Atlanta and Montreal. He finished with 390 home runs and a career fielding percentage of .964

Vida Blue TTM Success

Sent: 4/22/2020 | Received: 5/7/2020 | 15 days
1/1: 1981 Fleer Star Sticker
Address: Vida Blue Baseball (Pleasanton, CA) from SportsCollectors.Net

Vida Blue was an integral member of the Oakland Athletics three-peat (1972-1974). He won the A.L. Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards for his dominant 1971 season. That year, Blue went 24-8 with a 1.82 ERA over 312 innings. He threw 24 complete games (including eight shutouts).

2019 (pre-blog) return

I had gotten Vida through the mail in 2019, before I committed to working the Fleer Star Sticker set. Of course, I opted for how history best remembers him: as an Athletic.

Blue debuted with the A’s in 1969 as a 19 year old. He saw limited action over his first two seasons, but the talent was obvious. He was a power pitcher with a fastball up to 100 mph. On September 21, 1970, he no-hit the Minnesota Twins.

His fantastic 1971 season brought conflict with notorious cheapskate owner Charlie Finley. Blue held out for much of the 1972 season. When he returned, he was not sharp. Nonetheless Oakland defeated the Cincinnati Reds to capture their first of three consecutive titles.

Blue returned to form in ’73 and was one of the best pitchers for much of the decade.

In 1976, in the midst of Finley’s birth of the free agency era-fueled fire sale, commissioner Bowie Kuhn vetoed a proposed sale of Blue to the Yankees. In 1978, Kuhn cancelled a proposed trade of Blue to the Reds. In both cases, Kuhn alleged the trades would be bad for baseball because, benefiting already powerful teams without making them give up any significant talent in return.

By the end of the ’76 season, Finley had jettisoned nearly every other key cog of the A’s dynasty, but Blue was trapped.

In 1978, Blue was traded to the San Francisco Giants. He’d spent four seasons across the bay, three of them All-Star caliber. He then spent two seasons with the Kansas City Royals.

Blue battled drug addiction over the course of his career. After the 1983 season, he and former teammates Willie Wilson, Jerry Martin and Willie Aikens pleaded guilty to attempting to purchase cocaine. He was suspended for the 1984 season.

After the year hiatus, Blue would return to the Giants for two more seasons.

***
1981 Fleer Star Sticker Set Progress: 43 of 125 (34.4%)

Garry Templeton TTM Success

Sent: 4/15/2020 | Received: 5/7/2020 | 22 days
1/1: 1981 Fleer Star Sticker
Address: Home (San Marcos, CA) through PastPros.com

Hindsight is, as they say, 20/20. Because he was traded for the great Ozzie Smith, it's easy to forget (or ignore) the player Garry Templeton was.

At the time of the trade (before the 1982 season), Templeton was a 26-year-old, two-time All-Star, a three-time league leader in triples, and a Silver Slugger after leading the N.L. in hits (211) in 1979. He carried a .305 batting average over his first six seasons in St. Louis.

He wore out his welcome, however. In 1979 he had refused to serve as an All-Star reserve. During an August 1981 home game, Templeton flipped off Cardinals fans who were heckling after he failed to run to first on a ground ball. Manager White Herzog removed Templeton and he was traded that off-season.

The light-hitting, defensive wizard Ozzie Smith, of course, blossomed into a superstar and Cardinal legend.

Templeton played 10 season with the Padres, hit .252 and amassed 1,135 hits. He won a second Silver Slugger (1984) and was elected to the 1985 All-Star Game. He would, in 2015, be elected to the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame.

In his final season (1991), he was traded mid season to the Mets for Tim Teufel. He played in 80 games with New York.

***
1981 Fleer Star Sticker Set Progress: 42 of 125 (33.6%)
Milestone! I'm a third of the way there!

A Pair of ’81 Star Sticker Pickups

In my pursuit of an all-autographed 1981 Fleer Star Sticker set, sooner or later I was going to have to move away from TTM and make some purchases. There are some notoriously tough autographs to hunt down, and of course a handful of these players are now deceased. Sad but true.

After recently posting my Phil Niekro success, I was contacted by someone open to unloading three from the set. I didn’t have two of them – including the late Don Baylor – and the price was right, so I pounced.

Neither of the cards are in particularly good condition; Baylor’s edges are chipped to hell, but I knew that (and again, the price was right).

These two pickups bring me to 41 of the 125 (32.8%).

A fearsome power hitter known for crowding the plate, Baylor played for six AL teams over his 19 seasons in the majors. He was a three-time Silver Slugger (1983, 1985, 1986) and won the AL MVP in 1979 with the Angels.

In that MVP campaign, Baylor led the league in both runs and RBI. He slashed .296/.371/.530 and slugged 36 home runs. He played in all 162 games.

After parts of six years with the Orioles, he was traded to the Athletics before the 1976 season. The deal was a blockbuster: Oakland receives Don Baylor, Paul Mitchell and Mike Torrez. Baltimore receives Reggie Jackson, Ken Holtzman and Bill VanBommell. Charlie Finley was cleaning house.

After one season with the A’s, Baylor inked a deal with the California Angels as a free agent. After six productive years with the Angels – including the aforementioned 1979 MVP season – Baylor signed with the New York Yankees.

The Yankees would trade him to Boston for Mike Easler in 1986. For three years from ‘86 through ‘88, Baylor would reach the World Series (for three separate teams). Baylor reached the Fall Classic with the Red Sox in 1986, the Twins in 1987, and the A's in 1988. He would win his lone ring with Minnesota.

Baylor would retire after the ’88 season having compiled 338 home runs, 2,135 hits, and 285(!) stolen bases. He was hit by pitches 267 times, fourth-most all time.

The other pickup was four-time All-Star catcher Bob Boone.

Boone might be best known for his family’s incredible MLB lineage. He is the son of the late third baseman Ray Boone and the father of both Bret Boone and Aaron Boone. All four family members were named All-Stars during their careers.

Bob Boone was known as a phenomenal defensive catcher and won seven Gold Glove Awards over his career (1978, 1979, 1982, 1986-1989).

He was a member of the 1980 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies. In September of 1984, with the California Angels, he caught Mike Witt’s perfect game.

Boone was a career .254 hitter with 105 home runs and 826 runs batted. He caught 2,225 games over his 19-year big league career, a record which was later broken by Carlton Fisk (2,226) and Ivan Rodríguez (2,427). Boone caught 117 shutouts during his career.

***
1981 Fleer Star Sticker Set Progress: 41 of 125 (32.8%)

Bucky Dent TTM Success

Sent: 4/22/2020 | Received: 4/30/2020 | 8 days
1/1: 1981 Fleer Star Sticker
Address: Home (Lake Worth, FL) from SportsCollectors.Net

Before he was Bucky “Beeping” Dent, he debuted as a 21-year-old shortstop for the Chicago White Sox—the heir apparent to Luis Apariciio. Dent played four seasons in Chicago, finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting (1974) and earning an All-Star nod in 1975.

In early April 1977, he was traded to the Yankees in a package that included Oscar Gamble.

Dent is most remembered for his 1978 three-run home run that propelled the Yankees past the Red Sox in the AL East division’s one-game playoff. He continued his hot hitting in the playoffs batting .417 (10-24, 7 RBI) in their second consecutive World Series win over the Dodgers. Dent was named MVP.

Dent would remain the Yankees shortstop until 1982, earning two more All-Star appearances (1980, 1981). The Yankees dealt him to the Texas Rangers in August for Lee Mazzilli. He would finish his career with the Kansas City Royals in 1984. He retired with a .247 batting average, 40 home runs, and 423 RBI.

***
1981 Fleer Star Sticker Set Progress: 39 of 125 (31.2%)

Sparky Lyle TTM Success

Sent: 4/22/2020 | Received: 4/30/2020 | 8 days
1/1: 1981 Fleer Star Sticker
Address: Home (Gilbertsville, PA) from SportsCollectors.Net

"Sparky" Lyle – or Albert Walter Lyle – is likely best known for his dominant peek years with the New York Yankees, or for the 1977 tell-all book The Bronx Zoo that he co-authored with Peter Golenbock.

Lyle spent his first five years in Boston, before the Red Sox traded him to their rival for Danny Cater and a PTBNL. The 1972 deal was lopsided as Lyle morphed into one of the best relief pitchers of the decade.

With New York, Lyle earned three All-Star nods (1973, 1976, 1977), led the league in saves twice (1972, 1976), won the AL Cy Young Award (1977) and won two World Series rings (1977, 1978).

Lyle is the only Yankees reliever (sorry Mo) to win a Cy Young. He went 13-5 with 26 saves and a 2.17 ERA over 137 innings (72 games). He continued his dominance in '77 the postseason, winning three straight games in relief, starting with an amazing 5 1/3-inning outing in Game Four of the ALCS against the Royals, an elimination game for the Yankees.

The Yankees rewarded Lyle by acquiring Goose Gossage and reducing Sparky to a middle relief role. After another title in 1978, New York traded him (and others) to the Rangers for a package that included Dave Righetti.

He pitched five more season with the Rangers, Phillies and White Sox.

***
1981 Fleer Star Sticker Set Progress: 38 of 125 (30.4%)

Frank White TTM Success

Two TTM returns makes it a two blog post day…

Sent: 10/12/2019 | Received: 4/28/2020 | 199 days
2/2: 1981 Fleer Star Sticker, 2005 Donruss Champions
Address: Home (Lees Summit, MO) from SportsCollectors.Net

I tried Mr. Frank White twice in 2019 once through the Kansas City T-Bones of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball (he’s a coach) and once at home. I recently noticed he was on PastPros and was about to go that route when this landed in my inbox nearly 200 days after it went out.

Frank White spent his entire 18-year career with the Kansas City Royals (1973-1990). He and teammate George Brett had set a major-league record by appearing in 1,914 games together. That record was surpassed in 1995 by the Detroit Tigers’ duo Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker.

White earned his reputation as a slick fielder with eight Gold Glove awards. Among second basemen, only Roberto Alomar (10) and Ryne Sandberg (9) have more.

"Frank White, though, jumped and leaped and dived. He had this beautiful, light-footed way of moving, like a dancer, and so when the ball was hit his way there was a jolt of anticipation throughout the stadium. He threw from all angles -- overhand, sidearm, underhand, whatever the situation demanded. He contorted his body any number of ways to complete dazzling double plays. No one who saw Frank White play could doubt that they were watching a master. And this was something that would stay with them for the rest of their lives." Joe Posnanski [link]

He was a five-time All-Star (1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1986), the ALCS MVP in 1980, and won the Silver Slugger in 1986. He was a World Series champion in 1985.

He finished his career second on the Royals all-time list in games played (2,324), at bats (7,859), and hits (2,006). His #20 is retired by the franchise.

***
1981 Fleer Star Sticker Set Progress: 37 of 125 (29.6%)

Phil Niekro TTM Success

Another success in my 1981 Fleer Star Sticker project, and a Hall of Famer, to boot.

“Wait’ll it stops rolling, then go pick it up.” 

“Niekro stuck out a hitter once and I never touched the bal. It hit me in the shinguard, bounced to Clete Boyer at third base and he threw out the runner at first. Talk about a weird assist: 2-5-3 on a strikeout.” 

Bob Uecker

Sent: 4/15/2020 | Received: 4/23/2020 | 8 days
1/1: 1981 Fleer Star Sticker
Address: Home (Flowery Branch, GA) from SportsCollectors.Net

Surely there’s some irony to be found in the game’s most notorious knuckleballer also being one of the most consistently speedy TTM returns.

Niekro won 318 games (16th on MLB’s all-time wins list) over a 24-year career in the bigs. Yet crazily he only had six wins and on MLB start by the time he was 28 years old. Of course, the knuckleball lent itself to incredible longevity (he’d pitch into his age-48 season). He won 121 games after he turned 40, the most by anyone over that age in baseball history

He was a five-time All Star and Gold Glover. He led the NL in wins twice (1974, 1979). He was the MLB leader in ERA in 1967 (1.87) and led the NL in strikeouts in 1977 (262).

On August 5, 1973, he pitched a no-hitter against the Padres.

He and the late Joe Niekro are the all-time leaders in wins by brothers (539), besting Jim and Gaylord Perry (529).

***
1981 Fleer Star Sticker Set Progress: 36 of 125 (28.8%)

Catching Up (1981 Fleer Star Sticker Progress)

It’s been a while. Sorry. I don’t need to tell you life is crazy these days.

Everyone is affected. Personally, my wife and I are both in the work-from-home/homeschooling-our-children bucket. Let me tell you: it’s not easy to balance two work schedules, entirely too many conference calls, a third grader, a kindergartner, and a toddler. It doesn’t leave much time for things like blogging.

Of course, my wife and I are extremely fortunate to be working, so don’t interpret the above as complaining.

Anyways, I needed a little cardboard therapy so I figured I’d write up an update on my 1981 Fleer Star Sticker autograph project. Haven’t posted since December, so have some catching up to do. I’ll forego the write ups and stick to the pics/facts…

Goose Gossage (TTM)

Sent: 12/16/2019 | Received: 1/6/2020 | 21 days
2/2: 1986 Topps - [Base], 1981 Fleer Star Sticker
Address: Home (Colorado Springs, CO) from SportsCollectors.Net

Larry Parrish (TTM)

Sent: 12/7/2019 | Received: 1/6/2020 | 30 days
1/1: 1981 Fleer Star Sticker
Address: Home (Ft. Gaines, GA) through PastPros.com

Mike Norris (TTM)

Sent: 12/7/2019 | Received: 1/16/2020 | 40 days
1/1: 1981 Fleer Star Sticker
Address: Home (Oakland) through PastPros.com

Paul Molitor (TTM)

Sent: 1/16/2020 | Received: 2/18/2020 | 23 days
3/3: 1981 Fleer Star Sticker, 1994 Stadium Club (w/ Olerud & Alomar)
Address: Home (E. Hopkins, MN) from SportsCollectors.Net

Steve Rogers (TTM)

Sent: 8/24/2019 | Received: 2/27/2020 | 187 days
3/3: 1978 Topps [Base], 1981 Fleer Star Sticker
Address: c/o MLBPA

 *** Progress: These five returns plus a Fergie Jenkins (card #84) purchase brings me to 35 of 125 (28%).

Amos Otis TTM Success

Sent: 12/16/2019 | Received: 12/30/2019 | 14 days
2/2: 1975 Topps - [Base], 1981 Fleer Star Sticker
Address: Home (Palm Desert, CA) from SportsCollectors.Net

Marvel at those sideburns, gents.

Otis blossomed into one of the best outfielders of the decade after being dealt from the New York Mets to the Kansas City Royals before the 1970 season. Otis meshed with the team’s speed and defense philosophy and rewarded the Royals with All-Star nods in each of his first four seasons. He led the AL with 52 stolen bases in 1971. He won three Gold Gloves. Otis hit .478 with three home runs and seven runs batted in the 1980 World Series.

In a 17-season career, Otis posted a .277 batting average, with 193 home runs and 1,007 RBI in 1,998 games while stealing 341 bases. He twice led the league in doubles.

On the flip side of the coin, Otis later admitted to using a corked bat during his career.

*** 

1981 Fleer Star Sticker Set Progress: 28 of 125 (22.4%)

Steve Garvey TTM Success

Sent: 11/20/2019 | Received: 12/23/2019 | 33 days
2/2: 2004 Fleer Greats of the Game, 1981 Fleer Star Sticker
Address: Home (Palm Desert, CA) from SportsCollectors.Net

“Mr. Clean” returns two-of-two (at $5 per card). Whether or not Steve Garvey was in the 1981 Fleer Star Sticker set that I’m working, I’d have sent to the former NL MVP.

A career .294 hitter who notched 2,599 hits, 272 home runs and 1,308 across 19 seasons, Garvey is one of those fringe Hall of Fame candidates that we hear about seemingly every year (I don’t mind). In 15 years on the BBWAA ballot, he failed to reach the 75% threshold, maxing at 42.6% in 1995. He’s since been considered by the Expansion Era (2011, 2014) and Modern Baseball Era Committees (2018, 2020).

Garvey was the 1974 NL MVP, a two-time NLCS MVP (1978, 1984), a 10-time All-Star (twice winning All-Star Game MVP), and holds the NL record for consecutive games played (1,207).

He finished his career with five seasons with the Padres – San Diego has retired his #6 – though I struggle to think of him in anything but Dodger blue. He ranks among the all-time Los Angeles franchise leaders in hits (1,968; second), doubles (333; first), home runs (211; third), RBI (992; first) and games played (1,727; third)

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1981 Fleer Star Sticker Set Progress: 27 of 125 (21.6%)

Ron LeFlore TTM Success

I’m on a bit of a TTM cold streak of late. Today I received a RTS from Joe Torre and a note from someone connected to Casey Blake informing us that he’s stopped signing. So it goes.

So let’s look at another recent, but pre-blog TTM success…

Sent: 11/25/2019 | Received: 12/3/2019 | 8 days

1/1: 1981 Fleer Star Sticker
Address: Home (Pinellas Park, FL) through PastPros.com         

Point of order: I haven’t yet seen One in a Million: The Ron LeFlore Story, a 1978 movie starring LeVar Burton. It’s on the 'To Do' list. As you might suspect of the subject of a made-for-TV movie, LeFlore’s story is a fascinating one.

A school dropout and heroin user, LeFlore was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison for his January 1970 role in an armed robbery of a local bar (he was carrying a rifle). Incarcerated in April of that year, he gravitated to baseball in prison. A fellow inmate convinced a friend, who co-owned a Detroit bar frequented by sports celebrities, to speak to his good friend Tigers manager Billy Martin about LeFlore.

Martin visited the prison on May 23, 1973, then helped LeFlore get permission for day-parole to a tryout at Tiger Stadium. LeFlore impressed at his workout and was signed to a free-agent contract upon his release from prison – having served 3 ½ years.

LeFlore played six seasons with the Detroit Tigers before being traded to the Montreal Expos. He retired with the Chicago White Sox in 1982, a career .288 hitter with 455 steals in 1,099 MLB games.

Ron Guidry TTM Success

Sent: 12/7/2019 | Received: 12/16/2019 | 9 days
1/1: 1981 Fleer Star Sticker

Address: Home (Scott, LA) from SportsCollectors.Net

It’s a bit over the top to compare my 2019 pursuit of “Gator” to Ahab’s obsessive quest for Moby Dick or the Yankees 11-year effort to land Gerrit Cole, but it has been vexing. Today, after two previously unsuccessful attempts, the white whale landed.

Guidry was one of the very first TTMs I sent back in Spring Training. I tried him through the Yankees through their Tampa ST complex. It doesn’t seem he signed this spring. I tried him mid-summer at his home (the same SCN-sourced address that was at last successful).

For the last month or so, I’ve been privately stewing as others have posted their own successes. I resent a little over a week ago. Third times the charm.

[Editor’s note: The writer is aware that this is a common TTM occurrence and is portraying himself as an entitled diva complaining about a free experience, which ended successfully, because it took a couple attempts. He is thin-skinned and, indeed, prone to the feelings of the entitled.]

Ron Guidry, of course, played his entire 14-year career in pinstripes. “Louisiana Lightning” was a member of two World Series-winning teams (1977 & 1978). His Cy Young Award winning 1978 season was superb: a 1.74 ERA over 273.2 innings, 248 strikeouts, and a 0.946 WHIP, while posting a 25-3 record. Guidry was a four-time All Star, served as captain of the Yankees beginning in 1986. In 2003, the Yankees retired Guidry’s #49 and unveiled a plaque dedicated to him in Monument Park.

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1981 Fleer Star Sticker Set Progress: 26 of 125 (20.8%)

Incidentally, I reworked my 1981 Fleer Star Sticker page; it was a pain in the a--. That said, it looks much better on mobile now. Mission accomplished.

Dave Parker TTM Success

I’m officially mired in my longest TTM slump since my first returns back in February. USPS Informed Delivery tells me: nothing again today. Tomorrow is Sunday, so at minimum this drought will last nine days. Serves me right, I suppose; start a blog and the returns stop flowing.

Let’s share another pre-blog TTM success, Dave Parker.

I wrote about “The Cobra” the other day in advance of the new MLB Network Presents documentary. It was very good. It was up there with my favorites: “The Bird,” “The Swingin’ A’s,” and “Billy.” I also thought it was much better than any of its season 5 predecessors.

Sent: 7/10/2019 | Received: 7/20/2019 | 10 days

1/1: 1981 Fleer Star Sticker
Address: Home (Cincinnati, OH) through PastPros.com

Before I had committed to working the 1981 Fleer Star Stickers series set officially, I got this one back from “The Cobra.” It’s inscribed “78 MVP NL.”

My appreciation for Dave Parker and the set enticed me into what was my first autograph submission through the pay site PastPros.com. Parker is one of the more expensive signers available through the site. Still, the rate for a card was $20, plus $5 for the inscription. They added $3 for “Shipping,” which I don’t understand as you mail the card, the receipt, and a SASE to the subject, but whatever. $28 total.

The experience was good enough where I’ve used it again, notably for J.R. Richard.

As you might have gathered – given that this blog is just a week old and I’ve already pictured this card twice (the other, back in my intro post) – this is a favorite. It’s return encouraged me to see how far I can get with the set.

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1981 Fleer Star Sticker Set Progress: 25 of 125 (20%)

I’ve created the blog’s first page to track my efforts to complete this set. I built it last night; it looks good on my laptop. I noticed today though how terrible it looks on mobile. I will probably rework it.