WSC Birth Years: Jose Contreras

Card #12 - Jose Contreras

Born: December 6, 1971

Jose has always had the talent, but sometimes it would result in a meltdown. When Contreras came to the White Sox, many thought it was another problem pitcher dumped onto the team. Since that, Jose has turned into a dominating pitcher.

In 2008, everything started to come together for him. Then, while running to cover first base, Jose ruptured his Achilles. He was out for the rest of the season and the injury was severe enough that it could have been career ending.

Jose was given a timetable of August 2009 to come back. With the healing powers of the White Sox training staff and against all odds, Contreras began the year in the starting rotation. He was tested early on and passed with flying colors.

The body was fine, but the pitching was not. Jose demoted himself after starting the season 0-6. He got back into pitching mode down in AAA and has been dominant once again, since his return to the parent club.

***Helpful hints in making a card set***

Be sure to double check everything. When making a card set based on birth years, make sure that you have the correct birth date. I had written down the wrong year for Jose Contreras in my original notes. Many foreign born players have multiple birth years listed in their documentation. Somewhere, in my original research, I had put down that Jose was born in 1972. According to both baseball-reference.com and whitesox.com, Jose was born in 1971. That's good enough for me.

Rather than throw out two cards for having the wrong year, I will display them here. One, to show off the work. Two, to be a warning for all other virtual card makers. Three, because some people really, REALLY like the 1972 Topps set.

Enjoy your unofficial bonus cards.

Many Miles Traveled

Yesterday, I received one package in the mail. It was from the UK. That can only mean one thing. A package from John!

Indeed it was John form The Pursuit of 80's(ness). It always amazes me what American cards find their way to Europe, only to be sent back to the States. It's an improbable journey, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

John always sends the most wonderful packages across the ocean. He always includes a small personal note. I wish I could remember to do the same always, but sometimes I am focused to much on the package itself. It's a problem that I hope to rectify more often than not.

The one thing that really struck me about this batch of cards was the 1975 Topps Mini card of Skip Pitlock. As many of you will find hard to believe, this is my first 1975 Topps Mini card. We'll wait for the master of the '75 mini, dayf, to recover from his sudden spill on the floor.

Recovered, dayf? Good. It's true. There are just some releases that have eluded me, for whatever reason and that is one of them. I can only focus on completing so many White Sox team sets at the same time and some just fall to the wayside. I had to scan the mini in front of a 1976 Topps card, just to believe what my own eyes were seeing. All things considered, that's a pretty big mini card.

Let's see what John sent over.

1975 Topps Mini
579 – Skip Pitlock

1976 Topps
237 – Dave Hamilton
309 – Bill Melton
437 – Terry Forster

1986 Topps
657 – Juan Agosto

1989 Topps
414 – Jim Fregosi

1991 Donruss
477 – Frank Thomas

1991 Fleer
137 – Bobby Thigpen

1991 Topps
785 – Scott Fletcher

1994 Score
379 – Tim Raines
513 – Bo Jackson

1995 Score
503 – Norberto Martin (2)
544 – Kirk McCaskill (2)

1995 Topps Embossed
116 – Ozzie Guillen

1995 Zenith
33 – Frank Thomas
90 – Robin Ventura
123 – James Baldwin

1995 Zenith All-Star Salute
17 – Frank Thomas

1996 Topps
345 – Chris Snopek

1997 Bowman International
290 – Frank Thomas

1997 Topps
46 – Harold Baines

1997 Topps Chrome
82 – Roberto Hernandez

1997 Upper Deck
238 – Mike Cameron

1999 Skybox Premium
103 – Mike Sirotka

1999 Skybox Thunder
13 – Jeff Abbott
71 – Mike Caruso
96 – Ray Durham

2000 Fleer Mystique
83 – Frank Thomas

2000 Fleer Tradition
211 – Aaron Myette, Josh Paul

2000 Upper Deck MVP
205 – Mike Sirotka

2001 Donruss
112 – Paul Konerko

2001 Fleer Platinum
13 – Sandy Alomar Jr.

2001 Fleer Tradition
397 – Frank Thomas

2001 Topps
727 – Jon Rauch

2002 Upper Deck
619 – Frank Thomas

2007 Upper Deck Masterpieces
62 – Luis Aparicio

2009 Goudey
50 – Alexei Ramirez

2009 Topps
548 – John Danks

2009 Upper Deck First Edition
67 – Alexei Ramirez
71 – Paul Konerko

Thanks, John! That was a great package from you, as always. I should get something in the mail to you next week, after the holiday. I already have the cards set aside.

Card Spotlight: 7-3-09

1997 Bowman International #290 - Frank Thomas

Here in the United States, we are heading into our Independence Day weekend. It's a unique time, where you celebrate the birth of your country by blowing up a small chunk of it. It's grand, spectacular and noisy... all at the same time. I love watching pretty lights in the sky as much as the next person, but I leave the handling of those pretty lights to a trained professional. Mostly, this weekend will consist of spending quality time with family and friends, watching some baseball and medicating my dog, so she doesn't have a heart attack from the fireworks.

My original plan was to be in Kansas City with my fiancee to watch the White Sox take on the Royals tonight. Due to budgetary constraints, we'll have to make that trip another time. Instead of exploring Kauffman Stadium, we'll be watching the White Sox on television. This gives me time to flip through my binders of cards. It's a compromise that I can live with.

When I actually take the time to carefully look through my collection, there are certain cards that just pop out. They can be the simplest designs or ones with imaginative colorful backgrounds. Sometimes it's the juxtaposition of a card next to another one that will make it stand out. Other times, a card is just begging to be noticed. Then there are the times where everything in your life converges perfectly on display through a tiny piece of cardboard.

Enter 1997 Bowman International. I must confess, when this set came out, the last thing on my mind was baseball cards. I had stopped collecting after the 1994 strike canceled the World Series. I was a little bitter about it. I was secretly hoping for a White Sox/Expos World Series that year. I think I would have gotten it too, if it hadn't been for the strike. If the Expos made a World Series appearance that year, maybe they would still be in Montreal. It didn't work out that way and we must move on.

The idea of flags as a backdrop on cards is really nothing new. I can remember some early nineties Fleer inserts that featured some players in front of an American flag. Score even put out a card of the American flag as a baseball card. Something about Frank Thomas in front of a flag really stood out.

The obvious reason would be the upcoming Fourth of July festivities that are currently underway. Another reason this jumped out at me was because this was a parallel of the regular 1997 Bowman set. The background was edited out and a flag of each player's origin was placed in the void. If I were actively collecting in 1997, I would have busted packs of Bowman to get the one International parallel per pack.

Even with those reasons making the card jump out, I think it is the road uniform of Frank Thomas that helped the card resonate with me today. Not only is there talk of Frank Thomas ending his career with the White Sox, but that road uniform reminds me of the trip not taken this weekend. No matter what you're doing in life, it can all be summed up in cards.

Cards That Never Were #7

1971 Topps - Tommie Sisk

I can understand the logic behind the lack of a Tommie Sisk White Sox card being included in the 1971 Topps set, but since when has logic been a big part of card sets?

The San Diego Padres traded Tommie to the White Sox right before the start of the 1970 season. Tommie already had a Padres card for the 1970 set and it was too late to airbrush a crude White Sox uniform on his card. Tommie's last game with the White Sox was June 14, 1970. The next day, Tommie was traded to the Indians. His last appearance with the White Sox was Tommie's last game in the Major Leagues.

Back in 1970, Topps didn't have an update set, so fans had to eagerly await the next year's release to see the players that were new to their favorite teams. Since Tommie spent the rest of the season in the Indians' minor league AAA farm club, I could see Topps reluctance to issue a card of Tommie in a White Sox uniform for the 1971 set.

Complicating things even further, Tommie wound up in the Expos' minor league system for the start of the 1971 season. Would Topps show Sisk in the last Major League uniform he wore, the uniform for his second half 1970 parent club, or his new 1971 parent club? Rather than wrestle with that complex issue, Topps decided not to include Tommie in their 1971 set. After 1971, there are no statistics for Tommie, so I would assume that he went into retirement.

Goose Joak Originals: D.J. Carrasco

View the full set here.

Blogger photo credit: csd

What If Babe Ruth Went To The White Sox?

It almost happened. Babe Ruth came extremely close to playing for the White Sox instead of the New York Yankees. The owner of the Red Sox was becoming frustrated with Babe Ruth's behavior, so at the end of the 1919 season, Harry Frazee decided to trade Babe Ruth.

The only two teams that could take on Babe Ruth were the White Sox and the Yankees. The White Sox were a powerhouse and the Yankees were bad, but improving a little each year. The White Sox had a deal in place with the Red Sox for Babe Ruth. In exchange for Ruth, the White Sox would send Shoeless Joe Jackson and $60,000.

The Red Sox franchise was in debt and in desperate need of money. When the Yankees offered a strictly cash deal of $100,000, Harry Frazee jumped at the offer. Frazee then worked out a deal where Red Sox would get $125,000 in cash and three $25,000 notes payable every year at 6 percent interest. Plus, the Yankees owners also secured a personal loan of $300,000 to Frazee with Fenway Park as collateral. Ruth signed a contract with the Yankees, sealing the financial deal given to the Red Sox owner.

Had Frazee contacted Charles Comiskey, they may have been able to work out a similar deal. Once Frazee sniffed out the cash deal, he concentrated only on that and let other offers fall to the wayside. We all know how Babe Ruth turned out for the Yankees.

Let's pretend that Frazee accepted the offer from the White Sox. They were able to work out additional monetary deals and the swap of Ruth for Jackson took place. Would this have been a good deal for the White Sox, right after the fixing of the 1919 World Series? I say yes. Let's explore this, shall we.

The 1920 White Sox finished in second place, two games behind the first place Indians and one game ahead of the Yankees with Babe Ruth. No players were banned at this point. We'll start with the eight players who were banned from baseball for their alleged parts in the World Series scandal.

Pitcher Eddie Cicotte

Eddie was already 36 in 1920. Realistically, he wouldn't have had too many more years left in the game. My guess is that the White Sox were already preparing for his eventual loss during the 1920 season, due to impending retirement or a possible trade. He was replaced in the rotation by a less than stellar Roy Wilkinson. Not a smart replacement.

First Baseman Chick Gandil

Chick had a dispute over the financial aspect of his contract at the end of the 1919 season. When he was refused a substantial raise for the 1920 season, he retired from the Major Leagues. The White Sox still won 96 games with 34 year old Shano Collins at first base.

Center Fielder Oscar "Happy" Felsch

Happy was a big loss. In 1920, he hit .338 and drove in 115 runs. He was 28 in 1920 and could potentially be the center field option for the rest of the decade. He was replaced in 1921 by a Johnny Mostil and Amos Strunk. They put up respectable numbers, but not quite as good as Happy was.

Utility Infielder Fred McMullin

The average hitting McMullin turned into an anemic hitting McMullin in 1920. His usefulness was in his versatility. Harvey McClellan stepped up in the versatility role with a lower average, but a higher fielding percentage. No great loss. No great gain. The biggest loss was his head for baseball.

Shortstop Swede Risberg

33 year old Ernie Johnson filled in at shortstop in 1921. He sported a higher average and a higher fielding percentage in more games. Risberg had youth on his side and that is always a big loss, but not devastating.

Third Baseman Buck Weaver

The high average of Buck Weaver was a big loss. Eddie Mulligan appeared in more games and had a higher fielding percentage in 1921, but his average was eighty points lower than Buck's. Ouch! Plus, there have been indications that Buck Weaver was wrongfully accused. Double ouch!

Pitcher Claude "Lefty" Williams

His ERA took a giant leap in 1920. He had a .611 winning percentage, but gave up 15 home runs and 130 earned runs, which was the highest in the American League in 1920. He was replaced in the rotation by Dominic Mulrenan and a succession of others in 1921, none of which were eliciting many cheers.

Now let's say that Babe Ruth came to the White Sox and Joe Jackson went to the Red Sox. Babe Ruth played all three outfield positions in 1920 for the Yankees. If Bibb Falk was in left field, the platoon of Mostil and Strunk in center field and Babe Ruth in right field for the 1921 season, there would be no reason to trade for Harry Hooper, unless Comiskey wanted to split Ruth between the outfield and the pitcher's mound.

Babe Ruth would post league leading numbers in home runs, walks, runs, OBP and RBI in 1920. Joe Jackson would lead the league in triples and post a higher average than Ruth.

Joe Jackson would be out of baseball after the 1920 season, but there would be no way of knowing that when the trade would have been made. The Red Sox would have gotten one great year out of Shoeless Joe and would still potentially have their Hall of Fame outfielder Harry Hooper with them. Babe Ruth would have played for roughly a decade and a half for the White Sox, posting outrageous numbers for most of that time.

The Yankees may have continued their climb to the top, but it probably would have taken a few more years. The White Sox could have been saved from years of mediocrity by acquiring Ruth and trading away what appeared to be a sure-fire Hall of Famer in Jackson.

While this is all just speculation, the numbers and events after this potential trade support this theory. The biggest devastation of the Black Sox scandal was not Shoeless Joe or Buck Weaver being banned. Comiskey found a suitable defensive replacement for Buck Weaver and he almost found a permanent upgrade for the soon to be banned Jackson.

What Comiskey couldn't find was a suitable replacement for Cicotte and Williams. His answers for both pitchers were poor at best. That is what killed the White Sox for the next few decades. Great pitching would be just around the corner for the White Sox, but the bats that could keep them afloat until then were missing. If the Babe Ruth deal went through, chances are that the offense and defense would stay long enough for the pitching to come around.

Stats On The Back Out Of Left Field

Packages of cards that seemingly come out of nowhere are one of my favorite things. No, I'm not going Oprah on you. I just received a package from Mark from the awesome site, Stats On The Back.

With cards that span five decades, this has to be one of the most wide ranging packages that I've gotten in a long time. Things start in 1969 with some killer sixties White Sox uniforms. Then we travel to 1973, where the White Sox become red with powder blue. Seriously, can we bring these back as a second alternate?

Let's travel to 1982, where disco appears to be alive and kicking with the collared uniforms. Then we go to 1986 with the fan designed pajamas, which could have been much worse. MUCH worse.

Then for some reason, in 1987, we are magically transported to 1939 and then to the early seventies. We visit 1988 for some cursive writing, which has been universally cursed. Then we end up with a numerous display of present day uniforms.

What a trip! Confused? You won't be after this episode of Soap, er, I mean this list of cards Mark sent over.

1969 Topps
97 – Buddy Bradford
309 – Walt Williams

1973 Topps
379 – Cy Acosta
455 – Bill Melton

1982 Donruss
495 – Carlton Fisk
637 – Bill Almon

1986 Donruss Highlights
44 – Joe Cowley
51 – John Cangelosi

1986 Fleer
643 – Carlton Fisk/Rich Gedman

1986 Fleer Limited Edition
15 – Carlton Fisk

1986 Fleer Update
3 – Neil Allen
19 – John Cangelosi
31 – Joe Cowley
75 – Joel McKeon
103 – Dave Schmidt
118 – Wayne Tolleson

1986 Topps Traded
67T – Steve Lyons

1987 Hy-Grade
Luke Appling
Jim Kaat

1988 Fleer Sluggers Vs. Pitchers
7 – Ivan Calderon

1989 Fleer
507 – Dan Pasqua

1990 Donruss Baseball’s Best
5 – Carlton Fisk

1990 Score Rookie & Traded
105T – Craig Grebeck

1991 Conlon
20 – Chief Bender

1992 Stadium Club Dome
72 – Ozzie Guillen

1993 Topps Traded
104T – Ellis Burks

1994 Pinnacle
520 – Julio Franco

1994 Ted Williams
19 – Eddie Collins

1994-1995 Fleer Excel
25 – James Baldwin

1997 Collector’s Choice
75 – Harold Baines

1998 Skybox Dugout Access Double Header
17 – Frank Thomas

1999 Metal Universe
24 – Mike Sirotka

2001 Upper Deck Decade Dateline
118 – Wilbur Wood

2002 Upper Deck 40 Man
397 – Magglio Ordonez

2003 Upper Deck
269 – Magglio Ordonez

2004 Fleer Tradition
359 – Carlos Lee

2004 Topps
166 – Tony Graffanino
644 – White Sox Team

2004 Topps Total
6 – Billy Koch

2005 Authentix
92 – Magglio Ordonez

2005 Donruss
147 – Paul Konerko

2005 ESPN
24 – Magglio Ordonez

2006 Allen & Ginter
31 – Mark Buehrle
190 – Scott Podsednik

2006 Bowman Heritage
89 – Scott Podsednik

2006 Fleer
374 – Dustin Hermanson

2006 Topps
149 – A.J. Pierzynski

Thanks, Mark! This was a very pleasant and unexpected surprise. I will keep my eyes peeled for things from your want list. I love going through the history of the Sox all in one package. It certainly boggles the mind how many uniforms the Sox have gone through. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

There's Something About O-Pee-Chee

When Upper Deck announced O-Pee-Chee for 2009, I was thrilled. I have very fond memories of the Canadian brand. These memories include better card stock, updated player affiliations and exclusive cards of the Blue Jays and Expos, in a familiar Topps setting. In the nineties, O-Pee-Chee branched out from Topps shadow and produced a few baseball card sets of their own.

Upper Deck bought out O-Pee-Chee a few years ago. The purchase was intended to resurrect the O-Pee-Chee brand back into hockey. The NHL had revoked all card licensing renewals, except for Upper Deck. Since Topps had a long standing relationship with O-Pee-Chee, this must have been a slap in the face. Without a license, Topps couldn't do anything with the hockey card company anyway.

It was only a matter of time before someone at Upper Deck thought of the baseball side of things. Retro cards are big sellers and with the rights to O-Pee-Chee, why not find a way to incorporate older O-Pee-Chee designs into a new product? The only problem was that the old designs were actually Topps designs.

Upper Deck's lawyers must be a cunning bunch. One of them figured out that Upper Deck could move forward with a retro set using a Topps design because technically it was an O-Pee-Chee design. Full stealing of a Topps design would surely attract the attention of the sleeping giant, so Upper Deck tweaked the base card design to be reminiscent of a vintage seventies O-Pee-Chee design, but would save the full Topps robbery for the planned parallel base on the 1971 Topps set via the fully licensed O-Pee-Chee 1971 set.

Now, Topps (the sleeping giant) would be forced to take notice. Topps filed lawsuits and eventually prevailed through the court system, for the moment. Here's the thing though... since O-Pee-Chee had the proper licensing to use the Topps designs on their cards for any year in which they produced a set incorporating said design, wouldn't Upper Deck be able to use the designs from a company they rightfully purchased? My first instinct would be yes, but it would depend on how the contract between Topps and O-Pee-Chee was actually worded.

From an outsider perspective, I'm going to side with Upper Deck on this one. Licensing issues have long plagued the baseball card industry, even in the fifties. In 1994, Topps issued an archive set of their 1954 baseball card set. Included in the archive set, were players that were not issued a card in the original 1954 set, for whatever reason. During this time, Upper Deck had licensing rights to Ted Williams. The Splendid Splinter had two cards in the 1954 Topps set.

Upper Deck produced both Ted Williams cards and added them as inserts to their All-Time Heroes set in 1994. The backs of each Ted Williams card was numbered in accordance to their place in the original set. There was absolutely no reason for Upper Deck to do this. There was not much to gain from including a few Topps Archives cards in their product.

Upper Deck did one better. Due to licensing issues, Mickey Mantle could not be included in the 1954 Topps set. Mickey had an exclusive contract with Bowman at the time. Topps buying out Bowman solved that snafu back in the fifties, but in 1994, Mickey Mantle had an exclusive contract with... Upper Deck.
So Upper Deck also produced this card for the Topps Archives set, to be included in their All-Time Heroes packs as an insert. Again, Upper Deck had nothing to really gain from producing this original Mickey Mantle card to help Topps with their set. When I think about the 2009 O-Pee-Chee lawsuit, I will be reminded of this 1994 Mickey Mantle card. I will be reminded of the generosity of Upper Deck and the pettiness of Topps.

Can Topps and Upper Deck put aside their differences? If they don't, the hobby is likely going to suffer. Topps and Upper Deck may find themselves out of business, if they can't learn how to work together.

Might I offer a suggestion to each company that will prove beneficial to both parties? Between Topps and Upper Deck, there are numerous exclusive contracts. Why don't both companies come together on a joint product featuring retired players? Many of which will have exclusive contracts with one company or the other, so this could help revitalize the industry.

Each company could have an x amount of players with exclusive contracts. The number must be equal on both sides. The rest of the set would feature retired players without exclusive contracts. These would be divided equally between the two companies, using the best unique pictures from company archives. The cost and profits would be split evenly between both companies.

Stop the silly bickering and let's start to work together!

Goose Joak Originals: Clayton Richard

Check out the ful AL/NL Central set here.

The #5 Baseball Card Type Trade

Back when I first started looking for contributors for Things Done To Cards, Matthew was one of the select few who answered the call. His posts for the site have been amazing! Most of the time that my jaw drops in the rarity and age of a card, it's been one of his.

If you haven't had the chance to check out his own blog, The #5 Baseball Card Type Collection, it's a real treat. There are so many different types of cards posted on there, it truly is a feast for the eyes. The only stipulation is that all the cards are the fifth card in the set. I've seen a lot of unique, antique cards on the blog, as well as some newer issues.

Imagine my surprise, when I get a direct message from Matthew on my new twitter account. Do I have a want list? Check. Would I like some White Sox cards from my want list? Double check. Can I send my address? You bet!

Here are the cards that Matthew sent over.

1972 O-Pee-Chee
73 - Steve Huntz
98 - Chuck Tanner

1987 Score Great Moments In Baseball
5 - Comiskey Park: July 11, 1950

1991 Topps Archives 1953
5 - Joe Dobson

2008 UD Documentary
967 (CWS37) - Alexei Ramirez (White Sox 3 - Mariners 6)
1261 (CWS41) - Paul Konerko (White Sox 4 - Angels 3)
4550 (CWS153) - Ken Griffey Jr. (White Sox 9 - Royals 4)

Thanks, Matthew! Those were awesome! I had never seen the Score card before. That was during one of my collecting lulls. The 1972 O-Pee-Chee cards really pop with more color over their Topps counterparts. I'm slowly making my way through the 2008 season. I've still got a long way to go, but I am three cards closer to my goal.

If you are curious, here's the front of that number 5 card from up top.
Beautiful, isn't it? They certainly don't make cards like that anymore. Matthew, I'll send along some number 5 type cards soon.

Goose Joak Originals: Octavio Dotel

See the full set here.

Card Spotlight: 6-26-09

2004 Topps Total #767 - Mike Jackson

By now, everyone has heard the news about pop singing sensation Michael Jackson. There has been a frenzy of coverage about his death, even in forums that normally wouldn't be mentioning his name. I have seen almost every sports card blogger comment about his death and how his music helped shape who they are today.

It's not far fetched to say that everyone who has even listened to music in the past thirty years was listening to something influenced by either Michael Jackson or the Beatles. In some cases, both.

Michael Jackson's influence has even infiltrated the world of sports, like it or not. There have been seven Michael Jacksons in the world of sports. Two in baseball, two in football, one in basketball, one in rugby and one in soccer. All but one (the left handed baseball pitcher) have played in the heyday or the aftermath of Michael Jackson's solo career explosion. That Michael Jackson's career ended in 1973 with the Cleveland Indians.

Let's talk about the other Michael Jackson in baseball. He had a lengthy career that started in 1986 with the Phillies and ended in 2004 with the White Sox. In between, he played for the Mariners (twice), the Giants, the Reds, the Indians, the Astros and the Twins. I remember him from most of the other teams, but I recall him on the White Sox most vividly.

Mike was at the end of his career, when he landed on the Sox. His stats weren't the best. He played in 45 games, finished 12 and had a 2-0 record in 2004. His ERA was a ghastly 5.01, the worst of his career. Basically, he was a mop up guy. The game had already been decided most of the time and Mike came in to save the rest of the bullpen.

My memory may be faulty, but I seem to recall the White Sox playing "Thriller" or some other Michael Jackson song when Mike would come in. If I'm remembering incorrectly, so be it. I think if the Sox would play the "Halloween theme" when they brought in Mike Myers, they would play a Jacko song when Mike Jackson came in. It only seems logical, right?

Mike Jackson may have been on the White Sox from opening day until early September of 2004, but he only has one card. 2004 Topps Total. There are also four printing plates and a silver parallel, but essentially only one card. That seems to be the trouble with middle relievers. There aren't many opportunities given for cardboard glory.

Still, I'm happy that one set included Mike Jackson with the White Sox. I hope each year that there will be a set that incorporates everyone on each team, in a given year. I am usually disappointed. The 2004 Topps Total White Sox team set includes 26 players. This is a far cry from the 42 men who actually played for the team that year.

No set is perfect, but this came closer than most in 2004. I do appreciate the fact that Mike looks like he's trying to pitch in the middle of a track and field event. There's something smile inducing about that, but I'm not quite sure why. Maybe it reminds me of high school, where every sport had to share the same field and facility. Whatever the reason, this card is still the only one of Mike Jackson produced in a White Sox uniform. That's pretty special, in its own right.

A Gift Of Flowers

Not all the news was bad today. I did receive in the mail today, a gift of Flowers from The Pettitte Pursuit.

Two cards featuring White Sox prospects, in fact.

2009 Bowman
BP12 - Kenneth Gilbert
BP23 - Tyler Flowers

Thanks, Eric! That was a great pick me up today. I should have a mailing out to you shortly. Sometimes the coolest unexpected surprises come in the smallest white envelopes.

First Farrah, Now This?!

OK, seriously... WTF?! Are all the good memories from my childhood dying today?

Farrah Fawcett dying of cancer was expected. She was fighting a losing battle and took a turn for the worse, in the last week. It still doesn't make it any less shocking.

Michael Jackson died from a cardiac arrest. He was only 50 years old. Sure, he hasn't been relevant in almost twenty years, but the Thriller and Off The Wall albums were awesome. Clerks II made me appreciate his work with the Jackson 5 again.

Despite the downturn of events in his life the past two decades, he still held that allure to many fans. I was actually looking forward to his new album. It was supposed to be his best since the early eighties. I have no idea how completed that album is. It may be a posthumous classic like George Harrison's last album was or it could be a complete disaster like the most recent posthumous releases from 2Pac.

The sadness with both of these deaths isn't the fact that they are gone. We can relive many past moments of each celebrity through the magic of television and the internet. The saddest part is that they both left family behind. In Michael's case, it is especially tragic because there are three young children left behind. No matter how tragic these deaths are to us, imagine how devastating it is to their loved ones.

May both of you rest in peace. Maybe Ed McMahon will reserve a spot for you on the couch, next to Johnny.

1972 Durochrome Decals

There have been some very interesting promotions in the history of baseball. One of the most beloved is the giveaway. Every time that I am at a ballpark where a giveaway is being offered, I see people scrounging to locate discarded treasures or simply asking people if they want theirs.

In 1972, the White Sox had six different "Decal Days", where a different decal would be given away. The giveaway dates were April 9, May 14, June 7, July 1, July 29 and August 23. I haven't been able to track down which decal was given out on which day, but if any reader could volunteer the correct information, it would be greatly appreciated.

The giveaways had a slit in the middle of the backing typical with decals, but they were closer to a sticker than a decal. Regardless of what these technically are, the colors are more vibrant than the 1972 Topps set. The red in the uniforms really pop with each decal. A facsimile signature completes the front. The backs have limited personal statistics, giveaway dates, and are printed in green lettering.

The set contained six decals and was produced by Durochrome Products Inc. of Los Angeles, California. They are unnumbered, so they will be listed in alphabetical order.

1 - Richard Allen
2 - Ed Hermann
3 - Bart Johnson
4 - Carlos May
5 - Bill Melton
6 - Wilbur Wood

I really miss giveaways of this nature. This really speaks to the inventive nature of past promotional days. Presently, there are usually a few bobblehead promotions or a youth jersey here and there. I haven't seen a sticker, decal or card promotion for some time. If there are any of that nature, it's strictly for kids.