Today I'm showing off my latest vintage card purchase:
1967 Topps #423
Willie Mays and Willie McCovey are considered one of baseball's greatest home run hitting tandems of all-time. They spent just over thirteen seasons together in San Francisco and during that time they clobbered a combined total of 801 home runs. During a span of eight seasons (from 1962 to 1969), the NL Home Run Crown was taken home by one of these guys six times. The other two seasons were won by some guy named Henry Louis Aaron.
Between the two of them, they won two National League Rookie of the Year Awards, three National League MVP Awards, and a variety of other awards. To top things off... both were first ballot hall of famers. Just about the only thing these two didn't accomplish was bring home a World Series title to San Francisco Giants fans.
Anyways... getting back to the card. I've seen it on a few blogs before and have always thought it was cool. But it wasn't until I read Henry's post about his best cards for each National League West team back in mid-June that I decided to finally pick up my very own copy. I kinda feel like it's some sort of Bay Area native card collector's rite of passage or something.
Alright fellow collectors... here is your question of the day:
What is your favorite home run hitting tandem that you've had the pleasure of watching in person or on television?
You know I've gotta go with The Bash Brothers:
18 comments:
Yep, I had to have three copies of that 67'. I hope I do have all 3. No, I'm not going to look, what am I saying of course I am going to check.
Bautista and Encarnacion - representing all the Canadian Readers!
No doubt it was Mantle and Maris. I got to see them many times including during that '61 chase.
Have to give a shout out, though, to the Frank Robinson/Boog Powell duo, too.
Okay, I checked and still need 2 for the PC's. Set build is good though. Dang it. as for my choice for the HR tandems I watched (most often): There are 2:
As a kid had Horner, Matthews, and Burroughs, as an adult the Jones Boys. (All Braves of course).
That's a sharp looking Willie/Willie card! I find most of the '67 set to be very bland, but the combo cards are an exception. If I had a favorite slugging duo it would probably be David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. For all of his antics (some more harmful than others) Manny was an all-time great hitter.
Mike Schmidt / Greg Luzinski
Chris, in 10 years of blogging, yours is the first comment I've seen that has characterized the 1967 set as bland (or has had ANYTHING negative to say about the 1967 set, for that matter.)
Bryant and Rizzo are my current favorites, though the Derrek Lee/Aramis Ramirez combo of my youth is an underrated power tandem, in my opinion.
I always enjoy looking at some good vintage since I don't have much
Currently my favorites are Hotoka Yamakawa & Takeya Nakamura of the Saitama Seibu Lions. I never saw them in action but I have to mention the greatest home running hitting tandem in Japanese history was Sadaharu Oh and Shigeo Nagashima, the "ON Cannon" for the Yomiuri Giants in the 1960's and early 1970's.
I have to concur with Chris - That Ortiz/Manny combo was something to watch!
Clark/Mitchell in 1989 will always be my favorite.
Man, it's tough to beat Canseco and McGwire. As a second tandem, I'll add Darryl Strawberry and Howard Johnson with the Mets. In 1987 they were both 30-30 guys, which was pretty cool.
I'll go old school and say Billy Williams and Ron Santo. They played together for just about as long as any duo. They hit somewhere around 750 home runs as teammates and usually batted back to back in the lineup. I do love the 1967 combo cards. Did the Cubs have one? I don't think so.
What can I say, I'm an original :D
here's a list of favorite home run tandems (and trio) that commenters built:
horner/matthews/burroughs
jones/jones
bautista/encarnacion
maris/mantle
robinson/powell
ortiz/ramirez x2
schmidt/luzinski
bryant/rizzo
lee/ramirez
yamakawa/nakamura
oh/nagashima
clark/mitchell
canseco/mcgwire
strawberry/johnson
williams/santo
johnnys trading spot - during my search for this card, there were several affordable non-graded copies of this card (well... if condition isn't an issue for you).
anonymous - loved watching those guys hitting back to back in that lineup
commishbob - you got to watch maris and mantle? that's awesome!
chris - i'm a total closet manny fan. it's hard to admit, since he was such a jackass... and i don't like that he quit on his teammates. but the guy was definitely one of the scariest hitters in the game
jim from downingtown - great call on schmidt and luzinski. totally forgot about that tandem.
nick - not only are lee and ramirez an underrated tandem... they are underrated players as individuals. both of these guys hit for average and power.
sport card collectors - yeah... but your current hits more than make up for lack of vintage
npb card guy - love the npb selections. i don't know yamakawa or nakamura... but the other two guys are very familiar.
matt - yeah... some of those red sox teams were loaded. pretty sure i read somewhere that the 2003 team had four or five guys with 25+ home runs.
nick vossbrink - i had the pleasure of seeing those guys play together. clark and williams were also fun to watch.
gregory - i wonder how many 30/30 teammate tandems there are. can't imagine there are many. it was fun watching mets highlights back in the 80's
hackenbush - didn't banks play a lot of games with williams and santo? if so... that's a scary trio. as for the 1967 cubs combo card question... i didn't see any on comc.
That Mays and McCovey Fence Busters card ranks as one of my favorite cards of all-time. It's great that you were able to find one in such excellent condition.
Saw the card on your blog awhile back and immediately added it to my search list. Congratulations on picking up some really nice vintage at the National!
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