Rumors

Rumor has it that Kenny Williams is trying to get this guy for the White Sox.

Looks like a perfect fit with this guy.

WSC Birth Years: Lucas Harrell

Card #63 - Lucas Harrell

Born: June 3, 1985

It wasn't the prettiest MLB debut in history, but it was enough to get the job done for a win. Relying mostly on his defense, Lucas played to his strengths and ended up going six innings, giving up only one run.

Harrell's success is even sweeter when you realize that his development was stunted due to injuries. After seven years in the minors, he finally made the big time and left a positive impression. After the game, Lucas was sent back down to AAA, but it's good to know that he's waiting in the wings.

The top card is the official Birth Years card, which keeps the style of the photographs in the original 1985 set. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to create a second fun card. I spotted a picture of Lucas Harrell in the middle of the first victory beer shower celebration and had to make an extra card. This is not the type of photograph that would be on a 1985 Topps card, so I had to abandon it. Still, it's definitely worth seeing. Enjoy!

Card Spotlight: 7-30-10

1985 Fleer #513 - Carlton Fisk

I have a secret and I don't care who knows... I love '85 Fleer! It was always one of my favorite sets as a kid and the design has remained there ever since. I suppose that the childhood connection has a lot to do with it, but I definitely think it looks better than 1985 Donruss. 1985 Topps was cool, but this set was highly regarded around the neighborhood as gold.

Partly because of the scarcity around these parts and partly because of the look, any 1985 Fleer cards were hard to pry out of anyone's hands. I can remember trading away my '85 Fleer doubles to friends and getting a mother lode of cards back in trade.

A lot of the appeal of '85 Fleer was the picture selection. There were a ton of pictures with weird angles, interesting lighting and actions that you didn't really see on cards. This is probably the first Fisk card to feature him playing long toss. It may be the only one.

Lucas Harrell... Come On Up

After trading tonight's starter to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the White Sox called up starting pitcher Lucas Harrell, who will be making his MLB debut tonight.

Good luck, Lucas, we're all counting on you.

Welcome Edwin Jackson... For Now

Edwin Jackson officially has become a member of the White Sox, traded to Chicago from Arizona in exchange for right-handed pitcher Daniel Hudson and Minor League hurler David Holmberg.

Jackson may not stay with the White Sox long, if the Sox main target is Adam Dunn. At least this temporarily plugs up the hole left in the rotation left by Jake Peavy. Yes, Hudson did alright in the role, but he wasn't what the Sox needed this year.

In other news, Jon Adkins is back with the White Sox organization, after signing a minor league deal. Another piece of the 2005 team returns to the fold. Welcome back, Jon!

Welcome, Edwin! However brief your stay may be.

I Spy With My Camera Phone Eye...

My friend, Steve, decked out in a Tampa Bay hat, standing next to the White Sox bullpen.


Seattle Mariners outfielder, Michael Saunders.


Matt Thornton walking into the bullpen from the field.


Matt Thornton, Tony Pena, Erick Threets and Sergio Santos chilling on the bullpen bench.


Erick Threets warming up before the eighth inning.

Lack Of Posting This Week

The lack of posting this week has a lot to do with last minute free White Sox tickets through my friend, Steve. I was at Tuesday's 11-0 convincing win over Ryan Rowland-Smith and the Mariners.
Those tickets were a section over from the left field foul pole along the third base line. An older lady snagged a ball two seats in front of me. in the first inning. After nearly thirty years of attending ball games, that is the closest a ball has ever come by me during a game.
Not only was there a great view of the action, but we saw a nice view of the White Sox bullpen. Yes, I cringed every time I saw Scott Linebrink move. He has been mostly effective lately, but I'm still not comfortable seeing him enter a game, even with an eleven run lead.
I'll be going again tonight, with this guy, to see the same Mariners team.
I know the picture is small and crappy, but I'm not paying $15 for a bigger photo of me with my friend. Tonight, we'll be sitting in home run territory, on the other side of the White Sox bullpen. I'm hoping that I'll see a sweep tonight.

WSC Birth Years: Erick Threets

Card #62 - Erick Threets

Born: November 4, 1981

After failing to catch on in the Dodgers organization, Erick may have finally found a home with the White Sox. In his first six appearances with the Pale Hose, Threets has a 0.00 ERA. Erick almost made the club out of Spring Training, but was sent to AAA until needed.

Originally drafted by the Giants, Erick made his MLB debut with them and, at one time, his changeup was rated the best in the Giants minor league system. He is still searching for his perfect role in the bullpen, but if Threets can keep his pace up, the crafty left-hander might just stick around for awhile.

Card Spotlight: 7-23-10

1973 Topps #42 - Mike Andrews

In 1973, I wasn't even a gleam in someone's eye for another three years. The world existed, but not as I know it. Apparently, a different world existed for photographers too.

I can't remember running across another set in the past 100+ years that featured so many oddly angled shots. Sure, you can figure out who Mike Andrews is in this picture, but there are many others in this set where the player named on the card isn't the focus of attention. In fact, I can't remember any playing surface where second base appears next to a right angled dirt patch.

It's obvious that the runner is trying to break up a double play. Who that runner actually is... I have no idea. Mike only played with the White Sox in 1971, 1972 and a part of 1973. The runner looks like he's in a Yankees uniform, but there is no player listed as number 33 for any of those years.

My guess is that this picture was snapped during a Spring Training game. That might also explain the oddity of the infield. As for the far away shots and weird positioning focus of players in this set, that's a whole different story.

2010 Topps Tribute

At least one of my morning blog readings mentioned that 2010 Topps Tribute is live on eBay. I decided to investigate.

I found zero base cards of White Sox players. ZERO! I'm not holding out hope that the Ryan Braun listed is the White Sox minor league pitcher.

In a 90 card set, which includes 75 base cards and 15 "tribute to the stars" cards (I'm not including the additional 10 non-sport greatest rivalries cards that make up cards 91-100), do the Yankees really need over a dozen cards? Four of the Yankee players have two cards! While it is a base card and a "tribute to the stars" card, that's a bit of overkill in essentially a 90 card set. Did the tributes to George Steinbrenner and Bob Sheppard not make it in time for the print run?

Since I am a Carlton Fisk collector, I'll be seeking out his base card from this set, and if I'm lucky, maybe a parallel or two.

A supposedly high end set would not be complete without oodles of ridiculously priced autograph and relic cards. Here's where the White Sox start to show in this product. There are very few of these cards on eBay right now, so I have to assume nothing and everything all at once.

The only card that I am sure is a White Sox card is a dual relic of Gordon Beckham. There is a relic card of Jermaine Dye. I would assume that he is on the White Sox, but without picture verification, it could be a card of him on the Kansas City Royals for all I know.

Hoyt Wilhelm could be with the White Sox, Giants or Orioles on his relic card. With my luck, it could be the Cubs, Angels or Cardinals. Could Luis Aparicio's relic card be on the White Sox or the Orioles? Or could Luis be a Red Sox? I have no clue without visual confirmation. Could there be a Fisk White Sox relic? No idea. Will Early Wynn's relic card be on the White Sox or the Indians? For that matter, maybe he's on the Senators. Can't quite tell yet. I highly doubt that Steve Carlton or Tom Seaver's relic cards will be of the White Sox variety. Does the Bo Jackson dual relic feature him in a White Sox uniform?

These questions will likely be answered in the following weeks as more images make their way onto the internet.

I am slightly disappointed that there are no White Sox cards in the base card set, but I'm not that surprised. The design reminds me too much of 2007 Bowman's Best, which in turn reminded me of earlier Topps Tribute sets. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not wholly original either.

Releases like this are almost always a disappointment for the team collector, unless that team is the Yankees or a team that was New York based at some point.

Goose Joak 2010: Chris Sale

Check out the full set here!

New Obak

For every successful set, there will almost always be another one. Obak will be back for 2010. Out of the images previewed on the Beckett Blog, this one of Eddie Cicotte caught my eye.

Sure, Eddie spent time with the Tigers and the Red Sox, but he's best known (somewhat infamously) as a White Sox. It looks like more of the same (at least with the Cicotte image), and that's not a bad thing. 2009 Obak was a bright spot last year and looks like it will be more of the same this year.

It looks like there will be more to collect for the White Sox fan!

Card Spotlight 7-16-10

1916 Ferguson Bakery Felt Pennants BF2 #13 - Joe Jackson

The definition of "card" is sometimes stretched in the eyes of the hobbyist. It usually means a flat object made out of cardboard or some type of paper product. Today, with all the different types of "cards" floating around, the definition has expended to include almost anything with a player's picture or information on it.

Before cards were the norm, player's images were on everything from pins to cigar rings. One of the most natural places for a player's picture would be a pennant. After all, pennants go with sports like smiley faces go with the color yellow.

Pennants have fallen out of favor in the past few decades, but they are still around as a collectible. Sometimes you have to look hard to find them, but they are there, lurking in the shadows of most sports shops.

The pennants produced in the early part of the twentieth century stand out as some of the most unique examples of trading card history, without technically being a trading card. There are fewer examples of Joe Jackson items that were actually produced when he was playing. Part of that reason was due to the limited amount of sets produced during Jackson's career.

This felt pennant is only one of ten known issues (not including company name variations) released during his playing time with the Chicago White Sox. This pennant is the only one of those ten not to be made out of a paper product, so this may be the most unique Joe Jackson collectible released during his tenure with the White Sox.

White Sox All-Stars

In honor of the All-Star Game, here is a list of every White Sox player named to the All-Star team. That doesn't necessarily mean that they played, or in some cases even showed up, but they were chosen.

2010: Matt Thornton, Paul Konerko
2009: Mark Buehrle
2008: Joe Crede, Carlos Quentin
2007: Bobby Jenks
2006: Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, Jermaine Dye, Bobby Jenks, Paul Konerko, A.J. Pierzynski, Jim Thome
2005: Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Paul Konerko, Scott Podsednik
2004: Esteban Loaiza
2003: Carl Everett, Esteban Loaiza, Magglio Ordonez
2002: Mark Buehrle, Paul Konerko
2001: Magglio Ordonez
2000: James Baldwin, Ray Durham, Magglio Ordonez
1999: Magglio Ordonez
1998: Ray Durham
1997: Albert Belle, Frank Thomas
1996: Roberto Hernandez, Frank Thomas
1995: Frank Thomas
1994: Wilson Alvarez, Jason Bere, Frank Thomas
1993: Jack McDowell, Frank Thomas
1992: Jack McDowell, Robin Ventura
1991: Carlton Fisk, Ozzie Guillen, Jack McDowell
1990: Ozzie Guillen, Bobby Thigpen
1989: Harold Baines
1988: Ozzie Guillen
1987: Harold Baines
1986: Harold Baines
1985: Harold Baines, Carlton Fisk
1984: Richard Dotson
1983: Ron Kittle
1982: Carlton Fisk
1981: Britt Burns, Carlton Fisk
1980: Ed Farmer
1979: Chet Lemon
1978: Chet Lemon
1977: Richie Zisk
1976: Rich Gossage
1975: Bucky Dent, Rich Gossage, Jim Kaat, Jorge Orta
1974: Dick Allen, Ed Herrmann, Wilbur Wood
1973: Dick Allen, Pat Kelly
1972: Dick Allen, Carlos May, Wilbur Wood
1971: Bill Melton, Wilbur Wood
1970: Luis Aparicio
1969: Carlos May
1968: Tommy John, Duane Josephson
1967: Tommie Agee, Ken Berry, Joe Horlen, Gary Peters
1966: Tommie Agee
1965: Eddie Fisher, Bill Skowron
1964: Gary Peters, Juan Pizarro
1963: Nellie Fox, Juan Pizarro
1962 Game 1: Luis Aparicio, Jim Landis
1962 Game 2: Luis Aparicio, Ray Herbert, Jim Landis
1961 Game 1: Nellie Fox, Billy Pierce
1961 Game 2: Luis Aparicio, Nellie Fox, Roy Sievers
1960 Game 1: Luis Aparicio, Nellie Fox, Minnie Minoso, Sherm Lollar, Al Smith, Gerry Staley, Early Wynn
1960 Game 2: Luis Aparicio, Nellie Fox, Minnie Minoso, Sherm Lollar, Gerry Staley, Early Wynn
1959 Game 1: Luis Aparicio, Nellie Fox, Sherm Lollar, Billy Pierce, Early Wynn
1959 Game 2: Luis Aparicio, Nellie Fox, Sherm Lollar, Early Wynn
1958: Luis Aparicio, Nellie Fox, Sherm Lollar, Billy Pierce, Early Wynn
1957: Nellie Fox, Minnie Minoso, Billy Pierce
1956: Nellie Fox, Sherm Lollar, Billy Pierce, Jim Wilson
1955: Chico Carrasquel, Dick Donovan, Nellie Fox, Sherm Lollar, Billy Pierce
1954: Chico Carrasquel, Sandy Consuegra, Ferris Fain, Nellie Fox, Bob Keegan, George Kell, Sherm Lollar, Minnie Minoso, Virgil Trucks
1953: Chico Carrasquel, Ferris Fain, Nellie Fox, Minnie Minoso, Billy Pierce
1952: Nellie Fox, Minnie Minoso, Eddie Robinson
1951: Jim Busby, Chico Carrasquel, Nellie Fox, Randy Gumpert, Minnie Minoso, Eddie Robinson
1950: Ray Scarborough
1949: Cass Michaels
1948: Joe Haynes
1947: Luke Appling, Rudy York
1946: Luke Appling
1945: Tony Cuccinello, Thornton Lee, Wally Moses, Mike Tresh
1944: Orval Grove, Thurman Tucker
1943: Luke Appling
1942: Eddie Smith
1941: Luke Appling, Thornton Lee, Eddie Smith
1940: Luke Appling
1939: Luke Appling, Ted Lyons
1938: Mike Kreevich
1937: Luke Sewell, Monty Stratton
1936: Luke Appling, Vern Kennedy, Rip Radcliff
1935: Al Simmons
1934: Jimmy Dykes, Al Simmons
1933: Jimmy Dykes, Al Simmons

Another Round Of Goose Joak

A whole mess of brand new 2010 Goose Joak White Sox cards have been uploaded. Included are Spring Training hopefuls, current stars and rising minor league players.

Check them out (and many other cards) here!

400

Congrats to Andruw Jones on hitting his 400th home run!

Ticket Stubs

I'm helping out Bad Wax by posting ticket stubs and you can too! I've included a variety of different types of stubs against various teams. The most interesting part is the backs, which mostly have ads for old radio stations that are long gone, like Z95 and Hot 94.7FM. The frequencies still exist, but the formats have all gone through a laundry list of changes.

Enjoy! And don't make me drag out my concert stubs. I wouldn't want to bore anyone with my recollections of past concerts.

WSC Birth Years: Jeff Marquez

Card #61 - Jeff Marquez

Born: August 10, 1984

Jeff originally was drafted by the Yankees, but came to the White Sox in a deal that sent Nick Swisher and Kanekoa Texeira to New York.

On July 9, 2010, Marquez made his MLB debut for the White Sox against the Kansas City Royals. He promptly got his first man out, then gave up his first base hit and his first home run, before settling down and retiring the last two batters to finish off an eventual 8-2 victory for the White Sox.

Jeff only pitched one inning before being sent back down, but with his debut out of the way, he can have less butterflies the next time he is called upon by the parent team.

Card Spotlight 7-9-10

2009 O-Pee-Chee All-Rookie Team #AR3 - Alexei Ramirez

Alexei proved to be among the best rookies of 2008, when he batted .290 with 21 home runs and 77 RBI. His 2009 was an adjustment period. The league caught up with him at the plate and Ramirez was still adjusting to playing his third position for the White Sox since joining.

This year, Alexei has turned the corner defensively. The influence of Omar Vizquel cannot be taken lightly. Ramirez has gone from making the occasional splashy play to amazing acrobatic plays that defy explanation on a routine basis. His defense has jumped light years ahead of where Alexei was at the beginning of the season.

Part of that can be Omar's influence, but a lot has to be the stability of Gordon Beckham as a constant double play partner. They have found a sync that works for them and it is a thing of beauty to witness every game.

Alexei has come a long way from his rookie campaign. He may not be blasting grand slams on a regular basis, as he did in 2008, but he is more selective at the plate, which makes him even more dangerous. The White Sox went on their hot streak in 2010 when Ramirez solidified his defense and started making better contact at the plate. It's no secret that hitting is contagious and Alexei seems to be preparing the team for an offensive pandemic.

LeBron LeFool

If you're a follower of my Twitter account, you've seen many comments about LeBron James lately. Especially right after his announcement of his intention to play for the Miami Heat.

I have to commend him on allegedly taking a pay cut to play in Miami, and donating commercial time and money to the Boys & Girls Club of America. Those two moves brought early class to a classless act. Sadly, that was not enough salvation to offset the obscene display of ego that LeBron showed the world.

The one hour special, thrown together at the last minute, was one of the most self indulgent pieces of crap that I have witnessed on live television. This is coming from someone who thinks that all reality shows scrape the lowest forms of human degradation that manages to suck the intelligence out of every viewer. "The Decision" somehow makes reality programming seem on par with "Masterpiece Theatre" in quality.

First of all, I think that the proceedings of LeBron James, along with his lackeys Dwyane Wade and Chis Bosh reeks of collusion, the way each met repeatedly with multiple teams. LeBron alluded as much when he announced that an unnamed Pat Riley was informed that he would sign with the Heat, while the other five teams were left waiting and hoping that they would be the team announced. That moves demonstrates exactly how much LeBron thinks of others.

Secondly, I think it's horrible the way he strung Cleveland along and made every Cavalier fan watch the unholy spectacle on ESPN. It was a cowardly way to treat a region that he not only calls home, but spent every part of his career playing for, including high school. LeBron gave no considerations to how his fans would react to the news while he hid in Connecticut to announce his move. He basically severed ties with the majority of fans who cheered him on since day one.

I would imagine that most fans would have been understanding, in time, that he wanted to play somewhere else for whatever reasons that he could not achieve in Cleveland. The city is unfortunately used to this sort of treatment. Then again, this is still the same city that boos Jim Thome every time he passes through. Still, LeBron could have handled the situation a lot better by being straightforward with fans instead of turning the debacle into a spectacle all about himself.

I think it's pretty selfish of any player to hold an entire sport hostage, let alone several organizations, like LeBron did the past several weeks. Neither the owners nor the players should be allowed to wield that much power over the other. Each of the three players that agreed to play for the heat in the past few days all knew well ahead of time what exactly they were doing. This charade was not necessary. It's one thing to hear what other teams are offering, but to take multiple meetings with multiple teams is irresponsible and wastes organizations valuable time that could be spent on other free agents.

If LeBron just wanted to play with his friends, he should have just said so. Instead, many teams made real moves to try to lure him to their team. Some moves made by teams only made sense if LeBron actually agreed to play there. That's not just having fun at the organizations' expense, that screwing with players and coaches. It's not the sort of thing that's encouraged. It tends to have a negative impact on your opponents.

Why on Earth did ESPN allow this abomination of television to happen? Will Shaquille O'Neal be allowed the same hour special when he announces his next team or possible retirement? I don't think so. ESPN employees should be ashamed of themselves for adding fuel to the fire. This was totally unnecessary.

Super teams can work, but the all the players must be good and must be able to compliment each other. The Bulls teams of the nineties worked because everyone knew their role and excelled at it. The Celtics teams of late worked because the no name players stepped up and didn't fizzle out. The Lakers teams worked because they had a coach with experience in dealing with winning and egos and how to keep them in balance. Who was that Lakers coach? Oh yeah. The same coach who was at the helm for all six of the Bulls championships.

LeBron's game is too similar to Wade's game which is somewhat similar to Bosh's game. Will points be scored? Of course, but individual stats are going to suffer and three stars on a team does not guarantee results. How long will it take before tensions run high because LeBron's stats aren't up to his usual standards?

Cleveland fans reacted by cursing and setting fire to LeBron jerseys. Some would call this an overreaction, but it seems on par with a jilted lover. Isn't that kind of what James did to Cavaliers fans? I'm very happy that LeBron is not coming to Chicago. I think that Chicagoans would have eaten him alive with his "all about me" attitude. We don't tolerate that type of behavior unless you can back it up and so far, LeBron cannot. He hasn't won a championship yet, let alone a number of championships.

If LeBron wanted to be a superstar, he would have chosen New York. If he wanted his best shot at winning, he would have chosen Chicago. If he had any loyalty, he would have stayed in Cleveland. Instead, he chose to play with his friends in Miami, where he doesn't have to be burdened with being the star and can slack off when he wants to because there are two others who can do the same exact job. Those are the earmarks of a coward. A player who claims to idolize Michael Jordan but refuses to be a class act player like Mike. There are plenty of things wrong with Michael Jordan as a person, but as a player, he rarely hit a wrong note. He certainly wouldn't have paraded himself on a sports network after holding everyone hostage for what seemed like an eternity.

LeBron, no matter what you think of yourself, you will never be Michael Jordan. Jordan was a leader. LeBron is a follower.

Boo!

Can't Get Enough Allen And Ginter Contests?

Coolio Cards is having a contest to win a free box of 2010 Allen & Ginter!

Name your favorite player, what team he was on, and why he's your favorite! Simple, right? Head on over and enter!

Still Time To Win A Box of Allen And Ginter

There's still time to get your entry in to win a hobby box of 2010 Allen & Ginter.

All you have to do is name five subjects that you would like to see get cards in 2011 Allen & Ginter. It's that simple. Here are my five choices.

1. Sadaharu Oh autograph (Japanese baseball legend)
2. Robert DeNiro autograph (voted Greatest Living Actor)
3. Jeff Aug autograph (Guinness World Record for Most Concerts Performed In Different Countries in 24 Hours)
4. Usain Bolt relic (Fastest man in the world)
5. Jonathan Goldsmith autograph (plays "The Most Interesting Man in the World" in Dos Equis beer campaign)

I think those subjects would be varied enough and somewhat easy to obtain for the release. Never mind my entry, go enter yourself!

Matt Thornton - All-Star

Congratulations to Matt Thornton for being selected to his first All-Star game!

Paul Konerko has a chance to be the final player voted in for the AL. The White Sox have been pretty fortunate when it comes to that.

I could mention what a sham that All-Star voting is, but the fans actually impressed me with Joe Mauer being the top vote getter in the AL. He definitely deserves it. I am pleasantly surprised that Ken Griffey Jr. did not get voted in. Of course there will be a White Sox player on the team. MLB mandates that every team must have a representative.

I'm not going to defile myself with that type of thinking. Matt Thornton deserves a place on the All-Star team. He's deserved one for awhile as one of the best middle relievers in the game.

Happy 4th Of July

To everyone who is celebrating tonight, have a safe and happy holiday!

Card Spotlight: 7-2-10

2010 Allen & Ginter Mini #162 - Juan Pierre

When all the hype dies down on 2010 Allen & Ginter... When all the chase cards are pulled and the boxes are left for the collectors to rummage through... When the touted rookies fall back to Earth, what will be left? A pretty fine looking set, in it's own right.

When the chase cards are pulled and the gimmicks have worn out their welcome, there stand the minis. Sometimes they are so small that they get overlooked, but they are the bread and butter of this set. I don't mean the endless parallels, but the base card minis. These are the cards that make this set a winner year and year out.

The borrowed designs are classic and top notch, but they aren't for everyone. The mini cards, which mimic the size of the original source material, look fantastic. This is the real reason why collectors go gaga over Allen & Ginter. While other sets may have the mini card, no other set makes the mini look this good.

This design is made to support the mini card. It breaks all of the rules of the standard size set by Topps in 1957 and bring us back to a simpler time, where a father's smoking habits fueled a child's penchant for collecting. It brought families closer together by engaging something that the entire family could enjoy. I'm certainly not advocating smoking, but back when the original cards were offered, it was a much different time.

There was something for every member of the family to collect. Sports figures, birds, fish, celebrities and other subjects jumped off the cardboard and into families. There's something to be said for that type of togetherness. It's what we as collectors strive to accomplish, by accumulating and sharing pieces of cardboard with pictures.

Right now, the base card minis are underrated, like Juan Pierre. By the end of the season, both shall see a deeper appreciation as the newness of the set wears off and the season winds down to its inevitable conclusion. There's something for everyone in this set and the popularity will sustain because of that.