Trading With Stampman12345

Going through stacks of cards by one team is quite an experience. Especially when the cards cover several years. Lots of memories came up with this batch of cards from Bill, who is better known as Stampman12345.

The cards ranged from 1987 to 2008, with a heavy focus on the late eighties and early nineties. Sorting these cards was an adventure. You may see a stack of over produced cards. I see unleashed moments that I will forever cherish.

One thing was evident. I could see the team relate to a Phoenix. In 1987, the White Sox were still riding the last good vibes of the amazing 1983 team. By 1987, one year blunder GM Hawk Harrelson managed to sell off the team for aging veterans and unproven rookies. Not every move was a bad one, but it is generally regarded as the worst year of general managing of the eighties.

Many of the moves made sense. A few paid off. The team would get worse before it would get better. Trading John Cangelosi for Jim Winn was a bad move to start off the 1987 season. This only compounded previous blunders by Harrelson. He traded away Bobby Bonilla. He traded off Tom Seaver, but that turned out to be advantageous to everyone involved.

The Sox would sink into the depths of the American League West by the end of the decade. In 1989, I can remember spending more time tracking down the Drumstick ice cream vendor than paying attention to the game. This was right after the Sox traded away Harold Baines. Then something magical happened. Everything started to click. The Sox turned everything around.

After some ups and downs, the Sox finally made it to the World Series and won. The team is at a crossroads entering the 2009 season. It takes baseball cards to map out the course of the past two decades of White Sox baseball.

Let's see what sparked the memories. See if you can pick out the moves that made this team rise from the ashes.

1987 Topps
54 – Bill Dawley
89 – Ozzie Guillen
113 – Neil Allen
149 – Ray Searage
201 – John Cangelosi
233 – Russ Morman
273 – Gene Nelson
299 – Joel Davis (2)
342 – Bob James
356 – White Sox Leaders
421 – Jose DeLeon
482 – Daryl Boston
511 – Steve Lyons
539 – Reid Nichols
685 – Jerry Hairston
703 – Dave Schmidt
720 – Richard Dotson
737 – Floyd Bannister (2)
772 – Harold Baines

1988 Donruss
47 – Jack McDowell
87 – Donnie Hill
211 – Harold Baines
247 – Bobby Thigpen
306 – Bill Long
334 – Kenny Williams
370 – Gary Redus
383 – Floyd Bannister
429 – Ray Searage
457 – John Pawlowski
493 – Fred Manrique
507 – Bob James
532 – Steve Lyons

1988 Score
582 – Daryl Boston
590 – Harold Baines

1988 Topps
108 – Steve Lyons
132 – Donnie Hill
184 – Ivan Calderon
281 – Jerry Hairston
309 – Bill Long (2)
321 – White Sox Leaders
334 – Dave LaPoint (2)
357 – Floyd Bannister
409 – Joel McKeon (2)
437 – Fred Manrique (2)
486 – Pat Keedy
511 – Joel Davis (2)
559 – Ken Williams
657 – Gary Redus (2)
688 – Jim Winn
714 – Jim Fregosi
739 – Daryl Boston
764 – Greg Walker
788 – Ray Searage (2)

1989 Fleer
501 – Bill Long
508 – Ken Patterson

1989 Topps
34 – Ken Williams
108 – Fred Manrique (2)
122 – Lance Johnson (2)
142 – Mike Diaz
133 – Bill Long
162 – John Davis
195 – Ozzie Guillen
209 – Jeff Bittiger
247 – Shawn Hillegas
308 – Ron Karkovice
334 – Steve Lyons
357 – Jerry Reuss
384 – Mark Salas (2)
408 – Greg Walker
434 – Ken Patterson
458 – Donn Pall
486 – Jack McDowell (2)
512 – Donnie Hill
585 – Harold Baines
616 – Steve Rosenberg
633 – Daryl Boston
656 – Ivan Calderon
786 – Melido Perez

1989 Upper Deck
548 – John Davis

1990 Score
329 – Shawn Hillegas

1990 Topps
21 – Jeff Torborg
93 – Shawn Hillegas
169 – Richard Dotson
193 – Andy Benes
219 – Donn Pall
243 – Barry Jones
255 – Bobby Thigpen
299 – Adam Peterson
326 – Tom McCarthy
365 – Ozzie Guillen
420 – Carlton Fisk
446 – Dan Pasqua
499 – Bill Long
524 – Daryl Boston
565 – Scott Fletcher
587 – Lance Johnson
612 – Dave Gallagher
621 – Melido Perez
692 – Sammy Sosa
751 – Steve Lyons
769 – Greg Hibbard

1991 Donruss
57 – Jack McDowell
220 – Ron Karkovice
276 – Scott Fletcher
327 – Wayne Edwards
378 – Craig Grebeck

1991 Fleer
114 – Phil Bradley

1991 Score
36 – Scott Fletcher
132 – Donn Pall

1991 Topps
93 – Ivan Calderon
156 – Carlos Martinez
243 – Lance Johnson
559 – Adam Peterson
768 – Donn Pall
785 – Scott Fletcher

1991 Upper Deck
75 – Len Brutcher

1992 Donruss
299 - Scott Radinsky
352 – Jack McDowell

1992 Topps
736 – Lance Johnson (2)

1992 Upper Deck
186 – Scott Fletcher

1994 Topps
421 – Scott Radinsky
724 – Kirk McCaskill

1996 Score
37 – Ray Durham

2000 UD Victory
317 – Brook Fordyce

2008 Topps
378 – Ozzie Guillen
384 – Carlos Quentin
420 – Nick Swisher
457 – Josh Fields
486 – Javier Vazquez
508 – John Danks
565 – A.J. Pierzynski
639 – Juan Uribe
649 – Joe Crede

2008 Topps Chrome
14 – Orlando Cabrera
76 – Jermaine Dye
109 – Nick Swisher

Thanks, Bill! The cards made me live some wonderful memories of the old park and the past teams. You can see the good moves and the bad moves in there. Hindsight is 20/20 though. Anything that pops up memories of the old park is great!