Congratulations Harold!!!!

Congratulations, Harold! It's been a long time coming and well deserved.

When I first started this blog back in November 2007, it was mainly a way to keep track of my cards. I didn't envision anything else. Maybe a few people would see it and get a smile or two.

One of my earliest endeavors was being an unsolicited advocate for Harold Baines to be in the Hall of Fame. I got a lot of negativity towards my dream (but never to me personally) and if there were kind words for that goal, they were mostly there so I wouldn't pull out statistics and anecdotes.

There were a few believers, but the conversation usually went, "it would be nice if it happened, but it will never happen" or, "If he gets in before (insert favorite Hall of Very Good player), I'll be very angry". Every one of you had valid points and I respected those opinions. I held out hope, even when Harold was dropped from the ballot.

Both the players that I grew up admiring and respecting are now in the Hall of Fame. I'm happy. I chose my heroes very carefully and I feel like I've been rewarded for sticking with them and not choosing flashy, burn brightly and quickly type of players.

Carlton Fisk and Harold Baines both played the game right and had the patience to let their work on the field do the talking for them. This was especially the case with Harold. He is probably more shy than I am. He had a long career and I can only remember him speaking a handful of times.

I should also say congrats to Lee Smith. I always believed he should be in the Hall of Fame too and here he is.

I could gloat about Harold, but I'm not going to. I could break down reasons why this election is justified, but I won't. I'll just let the news do the speaking for me.

Congratulations, Harold!

Congrats To Hawk

I've enjoyed Andre Dawson's exploits since his days in Montreal. I was fortunate enough to have him in the same city (albeit on the other team) as I was, so I was able to keep track of his daily stats in a time before widespread computer use.

Congratulations to Hawk for being elected into the baseball Hall of Fame!

There is much joy to be had, even in the candidates who did not make it. Bert Blyleven was thisclose to getting in this year. Next year should be his year! Roberto Alomar just fell short of the required 75%. I would imagine that he would make it next year too.

Harold Baines gained a vote and is up to 33 votes, which is good enough for 6.1%. Once again, Baines is the cutoff. Anyone below him in the voting was under 5% and will not be back next year. My dream of Harold Baines getting into the baseball Hall of Fame is that much closer!

Good Luck Harold

Back in 1906, Connie Mack toyed with the idea of a designated hitter. Purists can stuff that in their pipes and smoke it. The idea that being a designated hitter makes a person any less of a player is complete bull.

Harold Baines not only defined what it was to be a designated hitter, he provided the definition of "clutch" to a generation of fans. Harold was a five tool player in the eighties and a premier middle of the order threat for the majority of the nineties.

He is a member of both the White Sox and Orioles Hall of Fame. Harold is a game changer. A pioneer in the art and style of the designated hitter and how it is used today. The notion that a player can still play if he can hit is nothing new today. Harold was the prototype for Frank Thomas and other players who could still add offense to the game, paving the way for more agile position players being able to hone their skills, instead of languishing on the bench and squandering a short window of opportunity.

I don't expect Harold Baines to get voted in today, but I would hope that he would still get enough votes to hold on for another year. Maybe even gain a few votes.

And in case you were wondering, the photo is a painting that I personally painted a number of years back.

Baines Surfaces In The Onion

Harold Baines sure is getting the accolades lately. Not long ago, he was honored by the Baltimore Orioles by enshrinement into their Hall of Fame. Now, Harold finds himself compared to some Yankee named Derek Jeter. I have no idea who this Jeter is because the Yankees get less coverage than the Canadian transplant team residing in D.C.

Cough. Cough.

Excuse me. That last sentence seemed hard to swallow, for some reason.

I think that Jeter was this single A kid on Brandon Wilson's rookie card. Anyway, the Onion reported about a mass celebration of Jeter. You can read it here. Harold Baines is mentioned prominently in the article.

If you were too lazy to click over, I have saved you a click by reprinting the article below.

NEW YORK—Following Derek Jeter's 2,722nd career hit Friday, Yankee fans and teammates took a moment to honor the all-star shortstop for having 144 fewer hits than former journeyman designated hitter Harold Baines.

Jeter, who reached the historic milestone in the third inning of his team's game again Baltimore, joined a pantheon of Yankee greats that includes Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, and Lou Gehrig—all of whom share the distinction of having fewer career hits than Baines, a one-time winner of the Silver Slugger Award.

"This is a very special moment for me and for the entire Yankee organization," said Jeter, who received a six-minute standing ovation, multiple video tributes, and hours upon hours of media coverage for being 144 hits behind Harold Baines. "As a young boy playing baseball, I never dreamed I would someday be mentioned in the same breath as [Harold Baines], let alone reach the level of having [12 dozen fewer hits than him]."

"They called him the Iron Horse for a reason," said Jeter, apparently referring to the retired designated hitter and sometime outfielder, whose 1981 Fleer rookie card is worth $9.99 in perfect mint condition. "He was a hero. Not just to baseball fans, but to the entire country."

Jeter's 2,722nd career hit not only puts him in the company of Yankee legends, but also ranks him with an elite group of 675,000 additional baseball players past and present with fewer hits than Baines, who played for the Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox again, Baltimore Orioles again, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles for a third time, and Chicago White Sox yet again, and is not a member of the Hall of Fame.

Though Jeter prides himself on his team-first attitude, the Yankee shortstop was visibly excited to step into the shadow of Harold Baines.

After hitting safely to right field, Jeter smiled, clapped his hands, and raised his helmet to the throngs of cheering fans, many of whom sat through an 87-minute rain delay to witness their hero fall well short of Harold Baines' 2,866 career-hit mark.

Baines led the American League in slugging percentage in 1984.

"I'm glad I can tell my kids that I was at the game when Derek Jeter [didn't come close to getting as many hits as 22-season veteran Harold Baines, who won his only World Series as a bench coach]," Yankee fan Nick Sullivan said. "[Harold Baines]."

Fellow Yankee players were equally excited for their teammate, rushing the field to congratulate Jeter on successfully becoming a professional baseball player who has fewer base hits than Harold Baines, and only slightly more than Omar Vizquel and Bill Buckner.

Even the team's principal owner, George Steinbrenner, who has largely avoided the public eye since the new Yankee Stadium opened, released a statement extolling his shortstop for taking his rightful place 13 spots below Harold Baines on the all-time career-hit list.

"For those who say today's game can't produce legendary players, I have two words: Derek Jeter," the statement read. "Game in and game out, he simply produces [a lot less than retired nonentity Harold Baines]. And that's why we are honoring this significant accomplishment tonight."

Born in 1959 in Easton, MD, Harold Baines attended St. Michaels High School, where he batted .532 as a senior and was named an all-American. He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1977 and would go on to a professional career in which he had more hits than Derek Jeter.

Baines was not on hand to witness Jeter's achievement, and is presumably still alive somewhere.

Harold Enters The Orioles Hall Of Fame

We're getting closer here! Tonight Harold was enshrined into the Orioles Hall of Fame. Next stop Cooperstown!

Check out this great post by Kevin, who provides some awesome statistical analysis.

Check out the story on MLB.com.

Congrats, Harold!

Harold At The Civil Rights Game

Confessions of a Sports Junkie has a great post about yesterday's Civil Rights game between the White Sox and the Reds, complete with pictures of the awesome 1964 uniforms!

In A World Full Of Cheaters

In a world of alcohol, cocaine,

performance enhancing drugs,

and steroids,


remember...


There is one man who never used PEDs.


Never succumbed to alcohol or cocaine when it was fashionable.


Never took steroids when they were all the rage.


There is one man who dared to do amazing accomplishments in silly uniforms.

That man is Harold Baines.

Elect a squeaky clean player to the Hall of Fame.

Vote Harold.

This message brought to you by the committee to elect Harold Baines to the baseball Hall of Fame.

Baines In The Field

Outfielder Harold Baines robbed a hitter during this 1982 game with the Yankees.

After what seems like a lifetime of searching, I finally found proof that Harold Baines was a force to be reckoned with in the outfield. Proof positive that Harold once roamed the outfield with cat-like reflexes, making amazing plays.

If only the card companies would have had the foresight to preserve an action shot of Harold in the outfield, maybe he would be getting more votes towards the Hall of Fame. Maybe there would be a better argument for his inclusion.

Instead, Topps, Donruss, Fleer and many other card manufacturers of the eighties decided to show Harold with a bat in his hand. Regardless if it was in the batting cage, the on deck circle, the batters box, or a casual photo op, he almost always had a bat in his hand. If a card didn't show his bat, it focused on a bust shot pose. This kind of treatment led to Harold being regarded as a statue.

Look at the majesty of an airborne Baines, leaping after a ball, eventually taking away a hit from some surprised Yankee batter. It is a thing of beauty. One that I was beginning to think only existed in my own mind. I knew my memories hadn't failed me. It had been over twenty years, but I can remember Harold's spectacular plays in the outfield, as well as his clutch hits and massive home runs.

My only regret is that the photo is in black and white. I can forget that minor detail and bask in the glow of a memory confirmed!

Getting Closer Every Year

While Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice got voted in, Harold Baines garnered a small victory today. Four more votes. His percentage went from 5.2 to 5.9.

It may not sound like much, but that's huge for Harold. Can next year bring 35 or 40 votes? Possibly. I know it's probably stretching the imagination to the limit, but it is still in the realm of possibility that Harold could get over 40 votes in 2010.

Stranger things have happened. Jim Rice magically found the missing votes to catapult him into the Hall in his last year. Could the same fate be on the cusp for Harold, if he keeps gaining. Probably not, but still, anything is possible.

It's the small victories that keep the spirit going. Harold in the Hall will not happen overnight. Hopefully, it will happen. If it does, I'd love to be in Cooperstown for the event.

Let's round up some more votes for Harold Baines in 2010!

Inspired By Comments From Kevin And Andy

Sorry guys, I couldn't resist. The premise was just too good to pass up!

See the comments that inspired this poster of lunacy!

It's the action thrill ride of the summer!

Hard Baines!

There's only one man you hope for in the clutch.

Hard Baines!

Anyone who is not playing for his team is the ENEMY.

Hard Baines!

Watch for it this summer at a theater or drive-in near you.

Cards That Never Were #1

Partially inspired by PunkRockPaint Enterprises LLC, and partially bummed that these cards do not exist, I have decided to try to create White Sox cards that never were.

Harold Baines was the number one overall pick of the 1977 draft. He played 141 games in his 1980 rookie year. He was scouted by Bill Veeck when he was 12! He tore through the minor leagues and was destined to be on the team in 1980.

Yet despite all these things, Harold Baines does not have a card in the 1980 Topps set. I suppose if Topps bothered to put out a traded set in 1980, Harold probably would have been in it. But history shows that they did not.

First of all, I scavenged the net for an image of Harold in the collared uniform that was not widely used on a card. Luckily, I found an image of a photo on eBay and that did the trick. I scanned in a 1980 card of Ralph Garr (since he played in the outfield too) and edited him out of the card. Sorry about that, Roadrunner!

I scanned in one of my Harold Baines autographs, cut out everything except the autograph and slapped it on. Since the 1980 Topps set has a facsimile autograph on the front, I knew that this fake card had to have one as well.

A quick font and color check to change the name... and there you have it. Topps couldn't have done a better job! Now we have an image of what should have been Harold's true rookie card!

Get Well Harold

While the excitement of the White Sox getting into the playoffs is a huge distraction, many have not noticed that Harold Baines has been missing. Harold has been in the hospital with an ulcer. He should rejoin the team when they come back to Chicago.

While it doesn't seem serious, any ailment can be troublesome. Here's wishing Harold a speedy recovery. Get well soon!

Will My Childhood Heroes Ever Let Me Down?

I've been noticing another trend lately within the blogging community. Heroes (childhood or otherwise) have been letting us down. Everyone from Jose Canseco to Manny Ramirez. Does everyone's hero eventually let them down?

It's getting increasingly difficult to pick a sports hero these days, without them getting into some type of trouble. Even my former classmate, Rob Mackowiak, has gotten a DUI. So, how do you know your children are picking out good role models? Sadly, I wish there was an easy answer to that question.

I consider myself lucky to have picked out two childhood heroes that have never steered me wrong.

Harold Baines has always been exemplary in showing proper manners and sportsmanship qualities. He's not outspoken, but commands respect by what he does, not by what he says. He helped out teammates and never spoke badly about anyone. He played by the rules and reaped the rewards because of it.

Carlton Fisk was a different type of player. He played the game right, but was never afraid to speak up against an injustice. He commanded respect by example and by voice. He would chew out a superstar for dogging it, but was the first to congratulate an opponent on an accomplishment. He walked the fine line between fierce competitor and elder statesman.

In this age of showmanship, how does one choose someone to admire and follow?

Look at how he reacts to teammates and to opponents. Does he do the right things or does he try to be selfish? Does he play the game the right way? If he was on your team, would you root for him? Is he all about the drama or does he try to fit in? Is he in it mostly for the money or for the love of the game?

I'm sure you can think of many more questions to ask.

I think I chose well when I was a kid. Unless Harold beats up his mother or Carlton kills his wife, I'd say I chose very well. As much as it pained me to write that last line, it now has to be said after the whole O.J. Simpson fiasco. He was well loved before that. That's happened to a lot of superstar athletes. Look at Michael Vick. How you treat animals is a preview of how you treat humans.

I put my faith in people like Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco when I was younger. I never considered them my heroes, but I enjoyed watching them play. When those issues were accepted as true, it didn't bother me that much. I didn't have my heart invested in those players. I never had my heart invested in Sammy Sosa either. Yes, I rooted for him when he was on the White Sox. He struck out too many times, in my opinion, to warrant any type of long term investment from me.

Sure, when Sammy started hitting those home runs on the North Side of town, I always thought it was good for a former Sox player to be doing that. But he always seemed a bit arrogant when he was admiring his home runs. When Ken Griffey Jr. passes Sammy on the all-time home run list, with two more homers, there will be a little justice in the world.

I had a third childhood hero, that I don't talk about too often. John Cangelosi. It's not that he ever did anything wrong, it's just that he kept bouncing between the majors and minors so much, it was very hard to keep track of him after he was traded away from the Sox. I was happy that he finally got a ring in Florida with the Marlins. I always thought he would blossom into a special player. He blossomed into a common, but that's OK too. Sometimes they make the best role models.

Baines Brought The Leather Too

I've been a little under the weather today. I was out, yesterday, at RidgeFest '08, which is an annual festival that a neighboring town puts on. In all the years that they have been doing this fest, I've never attended. I'm not usually one for gobs of people out in the sun, with $4 refreshments and no shade.

Anyway, Tracey and I were there to check out the reunion of her cousin's band, Dreams. They used to do these fests every year... about 13 years ago. Long story short, they reunited for kicks and were invited to play.

Dreams turned out to be better sounding than the 18 year old demo that I've been listening to for about a year. But with any concert, you have to shout over the music, if you want to have a conversation. I think I may have overdid the talking during the next act, because today I feel run down and have sinus issues.

This does have a good side though. I was able to watch Costas Now on HBO. Normally, I wouldn't stay on that program, but this episode was all about baseball. OK, that interests me. I checked the synopsis on the cable box and the lineup did not disappoint. Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Pete Rose, Dave Winfield, Evan Longoria, Jimmy Rollins, and a score of others.

There was talk of what exactly makes a Hall of Fame candidate Hall worthy. It was an interesting listen. My ears perked up when Jim Palmer spoke about Harold Baines. Jim mentioned that Harold was a five tool player until his knees gave out. That's certainly true.

I took away a lot from this episode. Mostly, though, Pete Rose may be Hall of Fame worthy, but he's still an ass as a human being. Well, that and the fact that Dave Winfield doesn't seem to like confrontation.

The Jim Palmer comment stuck with me. I know Harold was a five tool player. Jim Palmer knows Harold was a five tool player. Why do most other people not think of Harold in that way. So, I went to my collection of Harold Baines cards to find the answer. The likely answer is staring me right in the face.

Harold standing. Harold batting. Harold sitting. Harold with a bat in his hand. Harold waiting to bat. Harold standing with a bat. Harold running after swinging a bat. Harold bunting? OK, there's always the oddball in there. My suspicions were true. There was not one card of Harold on the White Sox, in my collection, where he was playing the field.

1989 was the first time I saw him in action on the basepath on a card. I had to go to a 1992 Leaf card, when Harold was with the Athletics, to see him chase down a ball in the outfield. Then there was another one, about to catch a fly ball, on a 1993 Upper Deck card, also on the A's.

Maybe no one, outside of baseball players and Chicagoans, saw Harold play right field on any regular basis. Maybe that is why Harold is just getting enough votes to make it to the next ballot. It is so ingrained in our brains that Harold grabs a bat, hits, then sits down, that we forget that he was a great outfielder, until his knees gave out.

Harold Baines Tribute Day

Well, I finally saw Harold Baines get his statue at U.S. Cellular Field. It stands proud on the concourse behind right field, which is only fitting because Harold patrolled right field for the White Sox before becoming MLB's best DH.

I have to say the ceremony was awesome! Many teammates, including Carlton Fisk, joined the festivities to honor Harold. Even Roland Hemond was there. Roland signed Harold to his first big league contract.

When the statue was unveiled, the crowd burst in applause. This will be a lasting tribute to a great man, on and off the field. I was happy to see that Harold's parents, siblings, wife and children were all there as well. Maybe Harold won't get in the Hall of Fame, but there are still people who love and admire him for who he is. Seeing that much family there to celebrate this honor with Harold was more moving than the actual ceremony. That is a testimony to the type of human being that Harold is.
The likeness is pretty uncanny. It looks just like Harold did 25 years ago. A few members of my family tell me otherwise, but this image has been approved by the most revered critics, Harold and his family.
Then, the biggest treat of all happened. Harold spoke. To those who haven't followed Harold Baines in his career, to hear Harold speak in public is to witness a rare occurrence, like a comet smashing into a planet. You hear about it, but you rarely ever see it happen. That made me smile more than anything that day. I actually teared up more than once. Apparently, Harold felt the exact same way that I did. He was choked up a few different times during his speech. It is a moment in White Sox history, that I have experienced, that I will never forget.Throughout the game, during breaks in the action, the Sox played highlights from Harold's career. It was fantastic to relive some of those moments and actually be in the ballpark. It was a very emotional day for me and most Sox fans.

Another highlight of the day was getting to hear Nancy Faust. She only plays day games, usually Sundays. That took me back to the old park and games with friends and relatives. Plus, seeing the mid-eighties uniforms on the field gave a real nostalgic feel to the entire day.

The pictures above are from the Tribune staff photographers. The one below is from me.

I've taken the liberty of highlighting Harold's statue. This was as close as Tracey and I got to it. Squint real hard. There's a small gathering of people in front of it. Tracey and I had tickets in the upper deck. The White Sox have changed their policy of letting people roam wherever they want between levels. I could not get onto the main concourse because I didn't have a ticket for that level. Oh well. The next time I'm at the park, I'll get tickets for that level.

I did, however get decent shots of Championship Plaza which I will save for another post.

The only complaint that I had about the day? Just because the White Sox are wearing their mid-eighties uniforms, doesn't mean that they have to play like it was the mid-eighties. At least I got to see Jim Thome get hit #2,000. Two class acts getting two rewards in one day. I can accept that in the face of defeat. Only for this day, of course.

A Digitized Gift From Dinged Corners

Patricia and Lucy are back from Tucson and they came baring a gift. A photo of Todd Helton playing first base. But wait... who's that fan favorite first base coach? It's none other than White Sox legend, Harold Baines!

That's so awesome! Thank you!

You can read all about their Spring Training adventure here. You can read about my summary of the game here. It seems that Patricia and Lucy aren't the only ones with exhibition tales. Mario and Tatiana have their own adventure here.

I would be jealous of everyone's good time, but in each case the heat was brutal. On second thought, that does sound better than the ice showers that have hit Chicago this week.

I'm glad to hear that everyone had a great time at their respective games, despite the heat. I'm just happy that the season is opening up on next week here in the States. A live baseball game at 5 AM is not my idea of a good time.

The Joys Of Blind Buying

Last year, there was an image uploading contest at Beckett.com. I'm not sure how the point system for that was decided upon. I thought it was 1 point per approved picture, but I ended up getting a few extra points for some reason.

Anyway, that's not the point. The point would be that Beckett was giving away prizes for having points built up. I was going for the huge price guide book, but ended up with just enough for a Beckett Marketplace gift certificate for $25. Still, that's not too bad!

Last week, I used the $25 gift certificate and went on a mini shopping spree picking up pesky singles. I picked up all the White Sox Father & Son cards and the Harold Baines draft pick card from the 1985 Topps set. The seller only had one of the Harold Baines, so the draft pick card will be going into my team set.

Other cards included an Alex Fernandez 1995 SP card that I needed to complete the team set and a bunch of Carlton Fisk and Harold Baines singles. Some cards had images attached and some didn't. I tried to pick up as many cards around 1999 and 2000 of Harold as the two sellers had. Ironically, both sellers ended up refunding me money because of one card that was out of stock in each of the orders. Both were Fisk cards.

One of the cards that I couldn't find an image of was the 2000 Pacific Harold Baines. It turned out to be another Cleveland Indians card! I know, I'm slightly obsessed about his short time there. I hold the same fascination with any Orioles card of Reggie Jackson. Reggie just doesn't hold a buying interest for me.

I'm very happy that I could find any Harold Baines cards featuring his Cleveland days. I didn't think there were any, but now I've found two. It just goes to show that there are undiscovered gems out there for any collector. Just when you think you know everything, you find that you know almost nothing. And knowing is half the battle.

2000 Stadium Club #28 - Harold Baines

I have to give a big thanks to Cliff from Capewood's Collections for cluing me in to this card of Harold Baines on the Indians. I will have to keep my eyes peeled for this card. Knowing it exists is over half the battle.

Every 2000 card of Harold Baines that I have come across features him in an Orioles uniform. I suppose since Harold signed back with the Orioles in December 1999, it was just easier to use older photos of Harold already in a Baltimore uniform, to stay current. My favorite part about this card is the little blurb on the back.

"The ageless Baines may be making a criminally ignored run at Cooperstown."

Isn't that the truth. He has enough votes to stay on the ballot each year, but if his numbers don't start improving, it may be a lost cause. I certainly hope that's not the case, but it looks that way.

Thanks again to Cliff for supplying me with these images of the card. It's always nice to know there are extra pairs of eyes out there making it a little easier on me.

St. Harold Baines Day?

I ran across this posting today about St. Harold Baines Day. I thought it was fun and wanted to share with the rest of the class.

It's funny and informative at the same time. The author suspects Harold to be part ninja. It may surprise you to know that Harold went 1 for 4 with 2 RBIs on the day he was born.

Could Harold be the only man to collect more hits than words spoken in his career? I know it was part of the joke, but it might actually be true. Harold did an interview on a White Sox Spring Training broadcast this year. It was the most I've ever heard him speak. I had actually forgotten what his voice sounded like.

This is truly a man of few words. He let his bat do the speaking for him in his career. Now that he's a coach, I'm sure he must have to speak slightly more often than when he was a player. A mute coach isn't really effective.

Happy Birthday Harold!

Even though I've barely been by the computer the last two days, I wanted to drop a quick note to wish Harold Baines a happy birthday today. Unless my math went horribly, horribly wrong, he turns 49 today. The White Sox celebrated with a 5-3 win over the Cubs.

The only time I've been by the computer since early Friday morning has been to check e-mail and quickly check out a couple of blogs. I plan on visiting in greater detail tomorrow night.

It's hard to forget Harold's birthday because it is only three days after my mom's. That's part of the reason that I've been a ghost on this site this weekend. Regular posting should resume by Monday. I hope to get a couple posts up late Sunday night though.

I have to applaud the readers. They have been reminding me all day that today is Harold's birthday. I didn't forget, I've just been doing things away from the land of computers. I hope Harold has a wonderful day today. It really sucks having to work on your birthday, but I imagine anyone in baseball doesn't mind too much.