In a way, this is fitting. After last year's debacle of a season, this is one of the few remaining recognizable names on the team (as of this writing). I was so wrapped up in other things in my life last year, that I didn't even make a first card post last year. For those of you that were disappointed and were anxiously waiting... it was Andrew Vaughn from Topps series one. I know. Now you can get a good night's sleep after an entire year.
Work, family and household projects dominated my year in 2024. That doesn't mean that I didn't pay attention to baseball. I caught my fair share of games on MLB.TV. I even attended a game with my family for the first time in awhile. We had fun, but of course the Sox lost the game 13-4. My grandson got his first in play baseball at his first game. There wasn't the usual energy in the ballpark. The air had been sucked out before the game even began.
It was probably the worst game I have ever attended. Not because of the score. I've attended worse blowouts before. Nobody seemed to be into anything going on. The team didn't even seem to hustle much. They were on par with hits, but Detroit managed to move the runners along and score them much more often. Almost to an embarrassingly degree.
We even managed to get on television once. You'd never know it was us, unless you knew who to look for and a general location of our seats.
After the game, my grandson wanted to get his ball signed. So he went down to the fence and started asking players walking to the dugout. They ignored him, but the Tigers manager threatened to have him escorted out of the park. Needless to say, it was a first game experience that had its ups and downs.
Despite this, he's game to go again, even though A.J. Hinch made him cry.
Maybe Luis Robert Jr. will be traded as the rumor mill suggests. Maybe he stays with the team the entire year. Maybe things will click and the White Sox will surprise everyone this season. I'll be happy with a better record than 2024 and positive signs that the team is headed in the right direction. Maybe this first card will be a positive sign.
