Nov 21, 2015

Inkquest: Greg Luzinski, 1980 Phillies

Here is the first entry representing the 1980 Phillies.  I am in serious baseball withdrawal right now. Whomever said April is the cruelest month had no idea what they were talking about.  Luckily, videos have been found online with full baseball games, including a few 1980 World Series games.    I was watching game 2 of the 1980 World Series last night and what struck me most was two things: the broadcasting style and the pace of the game was very different.  For broadcasting, they used maybe 4 or 5 cameras to show the action on the field, with none of them being super close-ups of someone's face.  In terms of pace of the game, Carlton sometimes threw 3 pitches within 20 seconds.  It was explicitly stated in the broadcast that a Kansas City strategy was to make Carlton wait between pitches to try and disrupt his rhythm.

Baseball Biography:  Greg Luzinski was the 1st round pick of the Phillies in the 1968 draft and made an appearance in the majors by 1970 at the age of 19.  He established himself as a regular for the 1972 season and first displayed his prodigious power in 1973, hitting .285/.346/.484 with 29 home runs.  Through the rest of the mid-1970s, he established himself as the Robin to Schmidt's Batman in the Phillies lineup, powering the Phillies to 3 division titles in 1976-1978 and also earning two 2nd place MVP finishes and three seasons of >150 OPS+.  During that time, he also established himself as a quality offensive postseason performer, contributing a >1.000 OPS in all three NLCS losses.  Luzinski stayed with the Phillies until after the 1980 season, then moved onto the White Sox, where he finished out his career in 1984, showcasing one last 30 HR season.  He finished his career with 307 HRs and 130 OPS+.

Role on the 1980 Phillies: Luzinski was the starting left fielder for the team that year, and somehow he had his career worst year for the championship Phillies.  He slumped to .228/.342/.440 with 19 HR and 56 RBI.  He was a key contributor in the intense NLCS victory over the Astros, hitting the only tater of the series and extended his playoff hitting streak to 13 games.  

Card Facts: This is a 2004 Topps Retired Signature Edition card. This set was distributed in 5 card packs with 5 packs per box (SRP: $150) with one slabbed auto card per pack.  The signature is on-card, and the photo is a classic photo of the old Phillies baby blues.

Nov 14, 2015

Inkquest: Dick Sisler, 1950 Phillies

The 1950 Phillies.  The Whiz Kids.  The mid-point of the century.    This part of the project will probably be the most challenging.  This was not a championship team, so they're not as well-remembered among the general baseball public like the Gashouse Gang or the Yankees or the Boys of Summer.   After all, it was 65 years ago, finding autographs of players from this era (especially the non-stars) will be a challenge.  

Baseball Biography:  Dick Sisler was the son of a MLB HOFer himself (George Sisler, he of the season of 257 hits, which stood as a record until Ichiro came along).    He was signed by the Cardinals as an amateur free agent in 1939 during his age 18 season.  He progressed through the minor leagues until after the 1942 season, when he joined the Navy for World War II, missing the 1943-1945 seasons.  He came back to the Cardinals for the 1946-1947 seasons, winning a championship in 1946, and striking up a friendship with Ernest Hemingway.  He was traded to the Phillies before the 1948 season, and established himself as a starting first baseman in 1949.  He played in the majors until 1953 for the Phillies, Reds, and Cardinals, and continued playing in the minors until 1958.

Role on the 1950 Phillies: Dick Sisler was the starting left fielder on the 1950 Phillies, hitting .296/.373/.442, a 115 OPS+.  It was the best year of his career, earning him his only all-star game nod.  He also set or tied career highs in home runs, RBIs, runs, BB, 2B, hits, total bases, etc.  His moment in the sun was on the last day of the season.  The Phillies were 1 game up on the Dodgers.   With the game tied 1-1 in the top of the 10th inning, he hit a 3-run home run off Don Newcombe and sent the Phillies to their first pennant in 35 years.

Card Facts: This is a 2012 Leaf History of Baseball card.  This set was a pure cut signature set, with cut auto per pack/box.  The checklist was enormous, so it had a variety of players from the greatest of the great to all-stars to team favorites.  The SRP of this set was $40 per card, a value product.  Many of the harder to find players could probably be found through this set.