64 - Stolen Base Leaders (Lou Brock / Bert Campaneris)

About These Players
Lou Brock played 19 seasons with the Cardinals and Cubs.  A six-time All-Star, Brock led the National League in stolen bases eight times and, eventually, held the Major League record for stolen bases by the end of his career. Brock was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.

Bert Campaneris played 19 seasons with the A's, Rangers, Angels and Yankees.  Also a six-time All-Star, Campaneris led the American League in stolen bases six times.

About This Card
Brock and Campaneris both seemed to have similar careers.  In addition to both being multiple-time All-Stars and stolen base leaders, both played the same number of years and both started and ended their playing careers at about the same time. Both were also key players in multiple World Series wins for their teams, even though they never played against each other.  However, Campaneris seemed to be a poor man's version of Brock; Brock had the higher batting average and OPS, the stolen base record by the end of their careers and the plaque in the Hall of Fame.

66 - Victory Leaders

About These Players
Steve Carlton played 24 seasons in the Major Leagues and 15 seasons with the Phillies.  In his first season with the Phillies in 1972, Carlton lead the National League with 27 wins for his first time and earned his first Cy Young Award.  Gaylord Perry played 22 seasons in the Major Leagues and 4 seasons with the Indians.  In his first season with the Indians in 1972, Perry lead the American League with 24 wins for his second time and earned his first Cy Young Award.  Wilbur Wood played 17 seasons in the Major Leagues and 12 seasons with the White Sox.  Wood would also lead the American League with 24 wins for his first time and place second in Cy Young voting.

About This Card
Ten pitchers won 20 or more games in 1972.  In contrast, only three pitchers won 20 or more in 2010.

68 - Leading Firemen (Clay Carroll / Spark Lyle)

About These Players
Clay Carroll played 15 seasons in the Major Leagues and eight with the Cincinnati Reds.  A two-time All-Star, Carroll lead the National League in 1972 with 37 saves (20 more saves than his previous best number in one season.)  Sparky Lyle spent 16 seasons in the Majors and seven with the New York Yankees.  A three-time All-Star and a Cy Young Award Winner in 1977, Lyle recorded his best save total in 1972 with 35 saves.

About This Card
Early on after the Save had been recognized as an official stat by Major League Baseball in 1969, statisticians and baseball enthusiasts debated often on how to value closers.  In this case, Topps valued a combination of saves and wins by a reliever to recognize their leading "firemen."  Whether or not you count wins in addition to saves, Carroll and Lyle still stood out compared to their peers in the 1972 season.

61 - Batting Leaders (Billy Williams / Rod Carew)

About These Players
Billy Willams played 18 seasons with the Cubs and A's.  A Rookie of the Year in 1961 and a six-time All-Star, Williams won his only batting crown in 1972.  Williams was selected to the Hall of Fame in 1987.
Rod Carew played 19 seasons with the Twins and Angels.  A Rookie of the Year in 1967, an American League Most Valuable Player in 1977 and an 18-time All-Star, Carew led the American League in batting average seven times.  Carew won his second batting title in 1972 and another one in 1973.  Carew was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.

About This Card
For a League Leader card, you will no finer combination of two pure hitters in Rod Carew and Billy Williams: both Rookies of the Year and both Hall of Famers.  While Williams was nearing the end of his career, Carew was continuing to reach his peak.