1980 Topps Brewers Future Stars: Danny Boitano, Willie Mueller, Lenn Sakata

I haven't posted in quite some time, but I still have a backlog of cards that I have created. So I haven't given up yet. I plan to continue this blog along with my other blog, Cards That Never Were. Probably less frequently as demands of everyday life dictate.

This time the random number generator has given me the most recent year to date. And given that I am only going after 1959-1980 rookie cards, there will be nothing newer.

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Dan Boitano was a middle reliever that pitched 71.1 Major League innings over 5 years with the Phillies, Brewers, Mets and Rangers from 1978-1982. This 1980 rookie card represents his entire big league catalog. With so many options to choose from, I went with 1982 Donruss for his Card That Never Was. Not only was 1982 his final year but it was also the year in which he had his most big-league exposure. He pitched 30.1 innings in 19 appearances.

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Once again we have a middle reliever for whom this is his only MLB card. Willie Mueller pitched 12.2 innings for the Brewers in 1978 then 2 more in 1981. But he was best known as the Yankees closer "Duke" in the 1989 movie "Major League". In 2014, Topps created a subset of cards from the movie with the 1989 design. For Willie Mueller's Card That Never Was, I included him in the subset.

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Lenn Sakata was a light hitting utility infielder for the Brewers, Orioles, A's and Yankees. He hit .230 and scattered 25 homers over 11 seasons. Primarily a middle infielder, Sakata was given the opportunity(?) to fill in at catcher for an inning in 1983. Sakata was brought into the game as a defensive replacement in the 8th inning, playing 2nd base. In the 10th inning he was moved behind the plate after a few pinch hitters moves left Baltimore without a catcher. Seeing Sakata behind the plate proved too tempting for the Blue Jays baserunners. Pitcher Tippy Martinez picked off 3 consecutive runners at first to end the rally. Sakata put the finishing touch on that game by hitting one of his 25 career homers in walk-off style.

Sakata was featured on Topps cards from 1980-1988 with the exception of 1987. For his Card That Never Was, I filled in that gap.

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I'm getting rusty, I almost forgot to "Rate" this rookie card. (After all that is only the name of this blog.)  This card's only saving grace is Mueller's cameo in "Major League" and Sakata's contribution to Tippy Martinez's incredible feat.  I will give this card a 2 "Good for Flipping".

1967 Topps White Sox Rookie Stars: Lee Elia, Dennis Higgins, Bill Voss

Lee Elia played a total of 95 big league games. 80 on the South side of Chicago in 1966 and 15 on the North side in 1968. He hit a meager .203 lifetime, yet he appeared on Topps cards in 1966, 67, 68 and 69. 

He likewise had a couple of short stints as a manager. He was the Cubs skipper in 1982 and the first part of the 1983 season. In 1987 he replaced John Felske as the Phillies manager 61 games into the season. In 1988 he was similarly dismissed just before the end of the season. Although his managerial career was just as dismal as his playing career, he still appeared on 3 more Topps. Oddly the only season he managed all 162 games was 1982 a year in which Topps didn't make manager's cards.

For Lee Elia's Card That Never Was I chose a 1982 Donruss design. Donruss was the only one of the big three that included manager cards at all in 1982, but they did not include one for the Cubs.

He had a record of 238-300 in parts of 4 seasons and never finished higher than 4th place in the division. He was best known for one of the greatest, profanity-laden rants ever recorded. A local DJ used to open his show every morning with the bleeped-version of this tirade. And every time I heard it, I couldn't help but laugh. Below I posted a YouTube video of his infamous rant. The publisher of this video even included his baseball cards, so I felt it was perfect for this site. Just a heads-up, this is not the bleeped version, it is loaded with F-bombs. Very NSFW.

In 1966 the White Sox pitching staff led the American League in ERA with a team ERA of 2.68. The next best were the Twins with 3.13. As a rookie on that staff, Dennis Higgins had a 2.52 ERA and struck out 86 batters over 93 innings, mostly in relief. After a 1967 season plagued with eye injuries he was dealt to the Senators in a six-player trade. During the 1969 season for the Senators, Higgins won a career high 10 games and had 19 saves. It was his 13th saves in 1968 that landed him on this Card That Never Was. I created this one for my other blog and have included it here:

Bill Voss was a September call-up in 1965. Although the outfielder had only 6 hits in 33 at bats one of them was a homer off Denny McLain. Voss spent most of 1966 and 1967 in the White Sox farm system. When he returned in 1968 he didn't even hit his weight but was given a second rookie card.

After the season he was dealt to the Angels. He fared better in California, hitting .255 over the next 2 seasons.  After being traded to the Brewers for the 1971 season he played on 3 different teams in 1972, the Milwaukee, Oakland and St. Louis. For his Card That Never Was I created a 1972 Topps Traded card of him with on the A's.

Although his career ended in a Cardinals uniform in 1972, he did appear on a 1973 card. It was the infamous Joe Rudi card that features 3 Oakland A's players, none of them Rudi. It shows Gene Tenace crossing the plate and being greeted by Voss and Marty Martinez  

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Once again this card appeals to me for no good reason. It could be Voss's inclusion on an infamous card of my childhood. It could be the inexplicable fact that Topps put 3 players on this rookie card while the others from 1966 only had 2.  It could be because the Sox are my team. Who am I kidding? It is Elia's rant. To this day, it makes me smile. I give it a 6 for "Guilty Pleasure".