Cards That Never Were: Tom McCraw Topps 1976

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I borrowed from far to many folks to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

First baseman-outfielder Tommy McCraw was signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent prior to the 1960 season. After making his MLB debut in 1963, he played 8 seasons with the Sox, before being traded to the Washington Senators before the 1971 season. Then he was traded to the California Angels before the 1972 season. Midway through the '74 season, he was sold to the Cleveland Indians, who released him midway through the 1975 season. In his 13 seasons, McCraw played in 1,468 games, hitting  .246 with 75 HRs, 404 RBIs and 484 runs scored.

Topps gave McCraw cards in every set 1964-'75. Having been released in June, it is understandable for Topps not to give him a card, but card purists like me, want players to have cards for their complete careers. Gio of When Topps Had (Base)Balls feels that way, too, as proven by the thousands of cards he created for his site. His work is masterpiece level, meaning there is no point in me attempting to duplicate his effort.

Remembering Garnet Bailey: Cards That Never Were

This is a very special Cards That Never Were. It honors the memory of former NHL player Garnet Bailey who died in the horrific events of 9/11.

CTNW is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I borrowed from far to many folks to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Born in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, Canada, Bailey was selected by the Boston Bruins in the 1966 amateur draft. After making his NHL debut in the 68-69 season, Bailey played with Boston until he was traded mid 72-73 to the Detroit Red Wings. In the middle of the next season, he was traded to the St. Louis Blues, who traded him in the middle of the following season to the Washington Capitals. After the 77-78 season, he joined the Edmonton Oilers for one season. He went on to play two more seasons in the minors, before retiring. All told, he played 568 NHL games and 38 in the WHA. He scored 107 and 5 goals with 171 and 4 assists in the NHL and WHA respectively.

For his efforts, Topps or OPC gave him cards in sets from 70-71 through 78-79, except for 73-74. I filled in those gaps.

Tragically, Bailey died when the plane in which he was traveling was hijacked and crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City during the September 11 attacks. His body was never recovered. Among the many tributes to Bailey, the Los Angeles Kings named their mascot Bailey after him.

RIP Garnet Bailey and all who perished on that awful day. Never forget.

Cards That Never Were: Jeff Torborg Topps 1974

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create trading cards for players missed in various sets over the years. It is a concept I borrowed from far too many to list, but I thank them all.

Catcher Jeff Torborg was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers sometime prior to the 1963 season. After making his MLB debut in 1964, he played with the Dodgers through the 1970 season. He was traded to the California Angels and played with that team for three seasons, before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. He never played for the Cards though, as he was released in Spring Training, ending his career. All told, in 10 seasons, he played in 574 games, batting .214 with eight homers, 101 RBIs and 78 runs scored. He caught no-hitters from Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan.

For his efforts, Torborg got cards in Topps sets 1965-73. He was omitted from the '74 set, which is understandable since he was traded in December and his future was uncertain. As I prepared to create his missing card, I found Gio from When Topps Had (Base)Balls already made a beauty. Gio's site has hundreds of awesome digital cards. He often beat me to creations, but at least I can give him his props.

Back to Torborg, he also appeared in some television shows during his career. Recently, Jeff Torborg: A Wonderful Baseball Life was released. I interviewed Jeff's son Dale (a former MLB coach) about the documentary at Talking Travel with Dale Torborg.

Cards That Never Were: Jake Brown Topps 1976

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I borrowed from far to many folks to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Outfielder Jake Brown was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 1st round (2nd pick) of the 1969 amateur draft (June Secondary). After making his MLB debut in 1975, he would split the '76 season in the SF and Atlanta Braves organizations after a midseason trade. For his MLB career, Brown played in 29 games, hitting .209 with no homers, 4 RBIs and 6 runs scored.

Topps did not give Brown a card, but I couldn't let that happen. Once again though, Gio of When Topps Had (Base)Balls beat me to it. A true master, Gio creates thousands of cards on his site. Knowing I couldn't do any better, I chose to feature his masterpiece instead.

Cards That Never Were: Randy Hundley Topps 1965-'66, '75 & '78

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series on which I create digital trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I borrowed from far too many to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Randy Hundley signed with the San Francisco Giants as a free agent prior to the 1960 season. He made his MLB debut with the Giants  in 1964 with two games, followed by six games in 1965. After being traded to the Chicago Cubs, Hundley blossomed into an everyday catcher. After eight seasons with the Cubs, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins. He played one season for the Twins, before being released and signed by the San Diego Padres for the 1975 season. The Cubs purchased his contract prior to the 1976 season. Hundley played two more seasons with the Cubs before retiring. For his career, hundley played parts of 14 seasons, playing 1,026 games, hitting .236 with 82 HRs, 381 RBIs and 311 runs scored. For his efforts, Topps gave Hundley cards from 1966-'74 and '76-'77. The '66 card was a multi-player card that should have been a regular card if Hundley had a card in '65. That meant, Hundley needed cards from '65-'66, '75 and '78.

Once again, I relied on the master, aka Lynn from the Custom Baseball Cards Facebook group, to create these masterpieces. Lynn has contributed thousands of his creations to the group, which isn't just baseball cards. It features cards of sports and nonsports. While I usually could create cards with these designs, I still wouldn't match Lynn's expertise.

My friend John Augustine and Randy collaborated to publish Ironman: Legendary Chicago Cubs Catcher Randy Hundley in 2023. The book is filled with great stories and the pictures are amazing.

You can order Ironman at lulu.com. I highly recommend it.

Cards That Never Were: Bob Beall Topps 1976, '80-'81

Cards That Never were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets.  It is a concept I have borrowed from far too many to list, but I appreciate all of them.
After starring at Oregon State University, Bob Beall was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 28th round of the 1970 MLB June Amateur Draft. In late 1973, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves. He made his MLB debut in 1975, but spent all of the 1976 and '77 seasons in the minors. After returning to the MLB in 1978, he was traded midseason 1980 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He spent 1981 in the minors before retiring. All told, he played parts of four seasons, appearing in 148 games, hitting .231 with one HR, 18 RBIs and 32 runs scored.

For his efforts, Topps gave Beall cards in its 1979 set. That left three to create to finish his set. The 1976 card was created by Gio from WhenToppsHadBall.blogspot.com. The site has hundreds of cards missed by Topps, including rookie cards, do-over's, career cappers and more. Gio does a fantastic job.

Cards That Never Were: Roger Weaver Topps 1981

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I borrow from far too many to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Pitcher Roger Weaver was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 16th round of the 1976 MLB June Amateur Draft. He made his MLB debut in 1980, going 3-4, with a 4.10 ERA in 19 games. Unfortunately, that would be it for his MLB career. He was traded to the Atlanta Braves prior to the 1982 season, but spent his last season in the minors for them.

For his efforts, Topps put Weaver on a tri-pictured Future Stars card. Thanks to Jeff from the Custom Baseball Cards Facebook group, Weaver now has his own card.

Cards That Never Were: Chuck Hockenbery Topps 1976

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I borrowed from far to many folks to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Prior to the 1969 season, pitcher Chuck Hockenbery was signed by the California Angels as an amateur free agent. He made it to the MLB in 1975, which would be his only season in the bigs. He retired after the 1978 season in the California organization. For his lone season, Hockenbery appeared in 16 games, going 0-5 with a 5.27 ERA.

Topps did not give Hockenbery any cards, but Gio of When Topps Had (Base)Balls did. Gio usually beats me to card creations and this was one of the thousands of awesome creations on his site. I chose to feature his instead of trying to duplicate his effort.

Cards That Never Were: Larry Lintz Topps 1978-79

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series featuring virtual trading cards I created for players missing in various sets. It is a concept I have borrowed from far too many to list, but I thank them all.

Larry Lintz was selected from San Jose State University by the Montreal Expos in the 6th round of the 1971 MLB June Amateur Draft. After making his MLB debut in 1972 with the Expos, he played for them until he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals midseason in 1975. After the '75 season, he was traded to the Oakland A's, who released him after two seasons. He finished his career in 1978 with the Cleveland Indians. All told, he played 350 games, hitting .227 with no homers, 27 RBIs and 137 runs scored. He also had 128 stolen bases. While with the A's, he played in 109 games, but only batted 31 times. He was part of the pinchrunning crew utilized by the A's.

For his eforts, Topps gave him cards in sets 1973-77. That left 1978-79 missing. Once again I was beaten to these by folks from the Custom Baseball Cards Facebook Group. It is filled with thousands of such creations. These two were made by Lynn and Jeff, two of the best and busiest creators.

Cards That Never Were: Joe DeSa Topps 1981

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I have borrowed from far too many to thank, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Joe DeSa was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 3rd round of the 1977 MLB June Amateur Draft. He made his Major League debut in 1980 by appearing in seven games for the Cards. Becoming a free agent after the 1983 season, DeSa signed with the Chicago White Sox and made it back to the bigs in 1985. It was back to the minors in 1986. He was released after the '86 season and signed by the Kansas City Royals, but he died tragically late in 1986. For his career, DeSa saw action in 35 games over two seasons, hitting .200 with 2 HRs, 7 RBIs and 5 runs scored.

Topps gave DeSa a card in its 1986 set, but failed to give him one for his time with the Cardinals. I set out to do that, when I saw Jeff in the Custom Baseball Cards Facebook group beat me to it. His was perfect, meaning I didn't need to do one. Still, I wanted to highlight his great work and the work of all in that group. There are thousands of creations and not just baseball cards.

Cards That Never Were: Pedro Borbon Topps 1981

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I borrow from far too many to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Pitcher Pedro Borbon was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964 as an amateur free agent. After being drafted by the California Angels from the Cardinals in the 1968 rule 5 draft, he made his MLB debut in 1969. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds after that season. He pitched for the Reds until midseason 1979, when he was traded to the San Francisco Giants. Prior to the '80 season, the Giants released him, but he signed with the Cardinals. He was released after the '80 season to end his MLB career. All told, he pitched for 12 seasons, going 69-39 with 80 saves and a 3.52 ERA. For his efforts, Topps gave Borbon cards from 1969-80. That left a missing career capper.

For once, I did not see any of the other master creators with that card. Fortunately, I found a decent picture and I righted the wrong.

Cards That Never Were: Bob Gallagher Topps 1973 & '76

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create digital trading cards for players missed in various sets. I borrowed this concept from far too many to thank, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Bob Gallagher was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 17th round of the 1968 MLB June Amateur Draft. In 1971, he was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 1971 rule 5 draft and appeared in a few games for the BoSox in 1972. Again in 1972, he was selected in the Rule 5 Draft, this time by the Houston Astros. He played two seasons for the Astros, before being traded to the New York Mets. After one season in the Big Apple, he was traded to the San Francisco Giants, but did not play in the MLB after the 1975 season. All told, Gallagher played parts of four seasons, appearing in 213 games, batting .220 with 2 HRs, 13 RBIs and 34 runs scored.

For his efforts, Topps gave Gallagher cards in 1974 and '75, skipping his first and last. Once again, I was beaten to the punch. Gio of When Topps Had (Base)Balls created the 1973 card, while Lynn of the Facebook group Custom Baseball Cards made the 1976 card. I can't improve on these beauties. I just highlight them and encourage all to checkout those sites for their thousands of other masterful creations.

Cards That Never Were: Rusty Torres Topps 1975, '78, '79 & '81

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I borrow from far too many to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Outfielder Rusty Torres was selected by the New York Yankees in the 54th round of the 1966 amateur draft. After making his MLB debut with the Yankees, Torres also played for the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians), California Angles, Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals, before retiring after the 1981 season, which he spent in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system. For his career, he spent parts of nine seasons in the MLB, playing 655 games, collecting 279 hits, with 35 HRs, 126 RBIs and 159 runs scored.

For his effort, Topps gave Torres cards in sets from 1972-'74, '77 and '80. That left four cards to be made. Once again, Lynn of the Custom Baseball Cards Facebook group beat me to all of them. Lynn is probably the most prolific of all creators in the group, with hundreds (thousands?) of cards created. The group is not just for baseball creations, either, despite the name.

Cards That Never Were: Craig Kusick Topps 1976

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I borrowed from far to many folks to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

After signing with the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent in 1970, fist baseman Craig Kusick made his MLB debut in 1973. He remained with the Twins until he was purchased by the Toronto Blue Jays midway through the 1979 season. In 1980-81, Kusick played in the minors for the San Diego Padres and Detroit Tigers, but never made it back to the MLB. For his career, Kusick played parts of seven MLB seasons, appearing in 497 games, hitting .235 with 46 HRs, 171 RBIs and 155 runs scored.

For his efforts, Topps gave Kusick cards in sets from 1974-'80, except for 1976, despite appearing in 57 games in 1976. When U searched for a workable picture, once again Gio of When Topps Had (Base)Balls beat me to it. Gio's site has thousands of awesome card creations. Why mess with perfection? So I feature his card instead of trying to make my own.

Cards That Never Were: Carl Yastrzemski Topps 1984

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create digital trading cards for players missed in various sets. I borrowed this concept from far too many to thank, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Carl Yastrzemski signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent.in 1958 and made his MLB debut in 1961. After 22 seasons all with the Red Sox, Yaz retired in 1983, before being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989. All told, Yaz played 3,308 games, compiling aa .285 batting average with 3,419 hits, 452 HRs, 1,844 RBIs and 1,816 runs scored.

For his efforts, Topps gave Yaz cards in every set from 1962-1983, leaving out his career-capper card. As I have previously written, all players, especially HOFers, should have a card after their final season. Once again though, Gio of When Topps Had (Base)Balls beat me to this creation. Knowing I can't improve on his creation, I featured his, instead of trying one myself. I also encourage everyone to check his site for hundreds (thousands) of other creations.

Cards That Never Were: Mike Torrez Topps 1985

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create digital trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I borrow from far too many to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Pitcher Mike Torrez was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent in late 1964. After making his MLB debut in 1967, Torrez went on to have a solid 18 year MLB career. Pitching for seven teams, he went 185-160 with a 3.96 ERA.

For his efforts, Topps gave Torrez cards from 1965-1984, leaving only a career capper to be made. Gio of When Topps Had Baseballs created a beauty as he always does. It has become a challenge for me to try to beat Gio to creating a missing card. Much more often than not, I do not win that challenge, but I keep trying.

Cards That Never Were: Jack Aker Topps 1965 & '75

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I have borrowed from far too many to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Jack Aker was signed by the Kansas City Athletics as an amateur free agent in 1959. He made his MLB debut with the A's in 1964. He was drafted by the new Seattle Pilots in the 1968 Expansion Draft, but only played a few games with the team, before being traded to the New York Yankees. Midway through the 1972 season, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs, who then released him after the 1973 season. The Atlanta Braves signed him for the 1974 season, but sold him to the New York Mets during the season. Aker retired after finishing the season with the Mets. For his career, Aker pitched in 495 games, going 47-45 with 12 saves and a 3.28 ERA.

Fot his efforts, Aker received cards from Topps from 1966 to 1974. That left out his first and last. When looking to create these cards, I saw two other master beat me to both of them. Lynn of the Custom Baseball Cards Facebook group beat me to the 1965 Topps card, while Gio of When Topps Had (Base)Balls site created the 1975 version. They are the best, each with thousands of beautiful creations.

Cards That Never Were: Tony Ghelfi Topps 1984

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets over the years. It is a concept I borrowed from far too many to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Pitcher Tony Ghelfi was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1st round (14th) of the 1980 MLB January Draft. He made his Major League debut in 1983, starting three games and going 1-1 with a 3.14 ERA. Unfortunately, that would be it for his MLB career. He pitched in the minors for Philadelphia, Cleveland and San Doego through the 1989 season.

Understandably, Topps did not give Ghelfi any card. Although perhaps justified, I couldn;t let that stand. As I set out to fix that omission, I saw Jeff in the Custom Baseball Cards Facebook group already created one for him. Despite the name, that group has thousands of cards of all types, not just baseball. Jeff is one of the best and busiest creators. Seeing his beautiful work, I simply highlight it, instead of trying to duplicate it.

Cards That Never Were: Ted Simmons 1969-'70 & '89

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I borrow from far too many to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

Ted Simmons was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1st round (10th) of the 1967 MLB June Amateur Draft. He made his MLB debut in 1968, appearing in two games. He followed that in 1969 with five games. Then he became a regular in 1970. After the 1980 season, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. Prior to the 1986 season, he was sent to Atlanta, where he finished his career in 1988. All told, Simba hit .285 with 248 HRs, 1,389 RBIs and 1,074 runs scored. In 2020 the Modern Baseball Era Committee voted him into the Hall of Fame.

For his efforts, Topps gave Simmons cards 1971-1988. That left two early cards and one career capper missing. Lynn from the Custom Baseball Cards Facebook group created these masterpieces to finish his career set. Lynn is a genius, creating thousands  of such cards in the group, which isn't just baseball cards. I couldn't come close to Lynn's wizardry, especially with these specific card designs. It is much better to highlight his work, than try to duplicate it and fail.

Cards That Never Were: Lamar Johnson Topps 1975

Cards That Never Were is a recurring series in which I create virtual trading cards for players missed in various sets. It is a concept I borrow from far too many to list, but I appreciate all of their efforts.

First baseman Lamar Johnson was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 3rd round of the 1968 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 1974 playing a few games in September after playing most of the year in AAA. After playing most of 1975 in AAA, he was up for good in 1976. He was part of several platoons at first base through the 1981 season, usually playing the most games. He became a free agent and signed with the Texas Rangers before the 1982 season, but was released before the 1983 season to end his MLB career. For his career, Johnson played in 792 games, hitting .287 with 64 HRs, 381 RBIs and 294 run scored.

Topps gave Johnson cards in sets 1976-'83. That left a 1975 card missing. His 1976 card was a multi-player rookie card, which I previously made into a solo card. Now his full run is complete.