My vintage card of the week: The 1965 Topps AL RBI Leaders card. Brooks is my guy, and I always loved this card because it showcases the fact that Brooks was not just a defensive magician with 16 gold gloves. He was also a clutch offensive performer for the Orioles throughout his career, and he won AL MVP in 1964. He hit .317 with 28 HR that year, and as shown on this card, he drove in a league-leading 118 runs. And for fans of the new-fangled stats, Brooks produced an .889 OPS and also led the AL with 8.1 WAR in ‘64. Everyone knows Mantle was an offensive juggernaut, but Brooks got the headline portrait on this card.

My vintage card of the week: The 1965 Topps Steve Carlton rookie card. Carlton is one of the GOATs, but is somehow undervalued by the hobby. 329 wins. 4,136 strikeouts (4th all time). 4 Cy Young awards (first ever to win 4). 10X All Star. Two World Series wins. Easily among the top 5 left-handed pitchers of all time, no question. And the bonus on this card: Fritz Ackley with the no-doubter HOF eyebrow.

My vintage card of the week: The 1965 Topps Joe Morgan rookie card. I love this card for several reasons. First, I’d argue that Joe Morgan was the greatest second baseman of all time. Second, I love this card because of the Colt .45s hats. The Astrodome opened in ’65 and they became the Astros, so this card represents a nice piece of baseball history. But the biggest reason I love this card is my fond memories of Joe Morgan. I don’t remember seeing him play ball, but he played an important part in my falling in love with baseball because of the years he spent covering Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN. Tuning in every week was an important part of my youth. Hat tip to Joe.

The first player to win MVP in both leagues. The 65 set is quite a vibe!