Can You Help?

When I started this blog, it was mainly to keep track of my growing collection. I never thought that the blog would evolve as it has. I wasn't even expecting people to read it. I never thought my fine arts background would be utilized on this blog either.

I branched out into custom cards and it has stimulated my dormant artistic side. This blog is about many things. White Sox, White Sox cards, custom cards, White Sox history, and many other facets. One thing I began to realize is how every other team impacts my favorite team. Most ex-White Sox players have played for other teams before and after.

As I prepare a book on the early origins of the White Sox, the history of other teams has peaked my interest again. I'm not about to start collecting everything under the sun, like I did in my youth. Part of the thrill as a collector is seeing everyone get their cards. It's always been a source of frustration for me to see the same handful of players get multiple cards, while another handful of players seem to get the shaft time and time again.

Over the past year, I've seen my custom cards gain a lot of attention from readers. I really enjoy making these cards, but I'm hitting a roadblock. The further back I go and the more obscure the player, the less likely I can find a usable color photograph of a player. This impacts the majority of my custom card projects. "Cards That Never Were" and WSC Birth Years" are affected by players that weren't used much, had cups of coffee with a certain team or had the unfortunate luck of being in the photographically unpopular roles of middle relief or pinch runner.

Other times, uniform changes complicate and abandon more custom projects than I care to admit. In the case with "WSC Vintage", some players before 1950 are just next to impossible to find usable photographic evidence of in a White Sox uniform.

How can you help?

Through first hand and second hand knowledge, I'm aware that friends and family of former players read this blog. In a few cases, I have knowledge of actual former players checking out the blog. For the record, I think any connection to a Major League player is pretty cool.

If you or someone you know has had a cup of coffee with the White Sox and you have usable photos of them in uniform, please get in touch with me. If you or someone you know got shafted out of a baseball card (on any team), I want to try to rectify that by making a custom card.

Examples of aborted projects include a 1986 card of Bobby Thigpen. I couldn't find a photo of him, that wasn't used on a 1987 card, in a 1986 White Sox uniform. A 1973 card of Tony LaRussa was canceled since I couldn't find a photo with him on the Cubs. This particular card has been created by another blogger, after I abandoned that project. There are countless others.

If you have photos of any player from the 1894 Sioux City Cornhuskers or the 1895-1899 St. Paul Saints minor league teams, I REALLY want to talk to you.