2002 Topps Gallery Heritage

I consider it my duty to keep the White Sox collectors informed of what's out there. I know I have trouble keeping track of it all, so I can imagine the daunting task that awaits a casual fan trying to collect the White Sox. Let's face it, the White Sox don't get a lot of card love. Some players are hard to ignore in a White Sox uniform.

Frank Thomas for instance. He got a lot of card love in the 90's. Not as much now, but it's still out there. Harold Baines was a superstar in the Chicagoland area and the Baltimore area. Not so much anywhere else. That's a shame only two areas in the US really care about Harold, but it doesn't result in much card love.

When Sammy Sosa is pictured as a rookie, it's usually with the White Sox. People seem to ignore the fact that his debut was with the Texas Rangers. Let's call it a bit of revisionist history. That's OK. I may not care for the player that much, but if it means another White Sox card, I'll take it.

There is only one White Sox card in the 2002 realease of Topps Gallery Heritage. It's Sammy!

• GH-SS - Sammy Sosa

Silly me for thinking that Harold Baines or Frank Thomas would get a card in this set. I shouldn't get my hopes up like that. At least a popular Cubs player is shown in his first Chicago uniform. Even if that player is Sammy Sosa.

I was completely out of collecting baseball cards at the time this release came out. I'm finding it very interesting playing catch up. I've got a lot of information to cram in. Like studying for a test 10 minutes before, not all the info is going to stick in your brain. I feel that way when I look at the releases between 1993 and 2006. I'm getting more familiar with them, but I'll never memorize them all. That's something that you can do only when living through it.

These Topps Gallery Heritage cards intrigue me. I like the look of them. It's as if someone painted an existing card. I could apreciate that. It adds another dimension to the original card. I'm just disappointed that there wasn't another White Sox card in the set. I guess I'll be happy with one.