3-5-08: Sox 5 - Rockies 2

A game without errors! This spring seems to be shaping up after all. Paul Konerko got a well deserved day off. Mark Buehrle pitched 4 strong innings. The bullpen held the opposition to two runs. Alexei Ramirez continues his hot hitting ways by going 2 for 4.

The good:
Jermaine Dye and Brian Anderson both had home runs. Jermaine was 2 for 2, with a walk. Brian's home runs was his only hit, but it was the go ahead run!

Danny Richar went 2 for 3. Things are heating up in the race for second base.

The bad:
Carlos Vasquez was charged with a blown save.

The ugly:
Center field combined production at the plate was 0 for 5.

There just weren't too many bad or ugly things about this game. That's a wonderful thing. Most of the players are playing to or beyond their potential. It should make for a very interesting spring.

No Soup For You!

Another day, another mail delivery without my 2008 Topps Heritage box. At least I got an e-mail yesterday claiming that it shipped. It just didn't specify which day it shipped. I've resisted the temptation of going to one of the two hobby shops close by to pick a pack up. As much as it pains me to watch everyone else open their boxes up, mine will arrive soon enough.

I did, however, get one package in the mail today. It was from Jeff of On Base Autos. My first thought was that I hadn't won the monthly contest. Then I remembered an e-mail from Jeff telling me to be on the lookout for a package. This must be it. Cool!

If there's anything that I like better than eBay packages or trade packages, it's free packages. Mostly because it symbolizes a nice gesture. Then, there's always the fact that it's free!

So, what did I receive in my package from Jeff?

1986 Topps #313 - Joe DeSa
1986 Topps #390 - Tom Seaver
1989 Topps Traded #75T - Tom McCarthy
1989 Topps Traded #120T - Jeff Torborg
1990 Bazooka #13 - Carlos Martinez
1990 Fleer #540 - Carlos Martinez
1990 Fleer #541 - Tom McCarthy
1990 Fleer #543 - Donn Pall (2)
1990 Fleer #544 - Dan Pasqua
1990 Fleer #545 - Ken Patterson (2)
1990 Fleer #549 - Bobby Thigpen (2)
1992 Donruss #191 - Alex Fernandez
1992 Pinnacle #253 - Roberto Hernandez
1992 Score #635 - Tim Raines
1994 Upper Deck #395 - Jack McDowell
1995 Pacific #93 - Norberto Martin (2)
1995 Pacific #95 - Tim Raines
1995 Upper Deck #433 - Chris Sabo
1997 Score #58 - Danny Tartabull (2)
1997 Score #245 - Kevin Tapani (2)
1997 Score #348 - Jaime Navarro
1998 Pinnacle #153 - Jaime Navarro
1998 Pinnacle Plus #62 - Magglio Ordonez
1998 Score #12 - Chuck McElroy
2004 Upper Deck #119 - Magglio Ordonez

I opened the package and staring back at me was Joe DeSa. He looked like the Soup Nazi. I could almost hear him say, "No Sox for you! Come back, one year!" Even though there was a Larry Thomas on the White Sox in the early nineties, he looked nothing like the actor who played the Soup Nazi. Joe looks eerily like him here.

No Soup Nazi with a greasepaint moustache and eyebrows is going to keep me away from the White Sox. If Seinfeld was on during the 1930's, maybe Groucho Marx would have played the Soup Nazi. If it was on in the mid-eighties, Joe DeSa definitely would have played him. I know, it's scary, but this is how my brain works.

Yes, there were a few that I actually needed for my collection. A few will probably be sent off for autographs. A few may show up in a future contest, to be passed from person to person like a doobie. I'm not sure what the future holds for some of these cards, but it certainly will be entertaining to me to find out.

Thanks Jeff! The cards are very much appreciated!

One sad note, Joe DeSa was killed in a head on collision on December 20, 1986. You can read his obituary here.

Mailbox Joys: A Legendary Baines

2005 SP Legendary Cuts - Legendary Lineage #LE-HB - Harold Baines

Despite a run of bad luck this winter (I can never remember being under the weather so much in one season), I seem to be getting luckier in my eBay game-used Harold Baines finds. This one comes from the same seller my previous two uniform swatches came from. All for the insanely low price of 99 cents, plus shipping.

Granted, this one does not have an awesome rocking stripe that instantly identifies it as being a White Sox uniform, but it does have an awesome smiling picture of Harold. In addition, the card just looks nice. The layout is eye-pleasing. The background doesn't pop out at you, the subject does. That's the way a card should look.

The back of the card assures me that this piece of uniform was from a White Sox game. If I can't trust the facsimile signature of Richard P. McWilliam, then frankly, who can I trust? I've never been disappointed in any Harold Baines card. I don't see that changing any time soon. Although, one card would put all of my others to shame, if a company ever decides to make it. A Harold Baines Cleveland Indians game-used card. I'm not even sure if Harold has an Indians card out there. I haven't been able to find it.

3-4-08: Angels 6 - Sox 7

Things are starting to heat up for the regulars. Paul Konerko is a quiet 10 for 14 in Spring Training. If Paul keeps this pace up, he will set a new Cactus League record for average.

All in all, it was a solid effort in the desert today.

The good:
Paul Konerko went 3 for 3, raising his Cactus League average to .714.

Jose Contreras walked no one and was solid through three innings.

The bad:
Oneli Perez blew the save today.

Anderson and Bourgeois were both caught stealing. This isn't a bad thing though. It shows the the Sox are committed to running this year, which is always good.


The ugly:
Joe Crede had his second throwing error.

13 missed opportunities for the batters moving the runner along.

The Sox definitely are picking up speed. They are running more. They are getting on base more. They are leaving less men on base. A.J. Pierzynski doubled two runs home with a bases loaded shot. Nick Swisher doubled in the ninth to get the tying and winning runs across the plate.

It's definitely good to see the Sox getting doubles and 2 out RBI. If they keep this up in the regular season, they will be a force to be reckoned with.

Stone Goes Full Time

Chris Singleton made a surprise departure for a career in sports broadcasting. Wait, didn't he already have that? Well, it must have been a better offer, because as Hawk would say... "He gone!"

Steve Stone has agreed to take over Chris Singleton's radio duties. I had a feeling that this part time Stoney gig wouldn't last long. He is a definite upgrade from Chris Singleton, but he really should replace Darrin Jackson on the television side. Maybe the Sox management could lure Tom Paciorek back on the television side? I'd love to see the Hawk and Wimpy show again.

Steve Stone moving to a full time position can only help the White Sox. He commands enough respect in a booth that even Ed Farmer may behave with him around. I liked Ed Farmer much better when he was second banana to John Rooney. Although Rooney is now the voice of the Cardinals. Lucky them. They've got a great sports announcer in John Rooney.

Steve could be the magical answer that the radio booth needs. He is a seasoned veteran, who gives his opinions, even when it conflicts with management. That is the type of broadcaster I like to listen to. He has a fan's point of view and isn't afraid to express it. Plus, he has the knowledge of someone who has seen it all. He brings both perspectives to the booth.

If someone can wake Darrin Jackson up from his nap long enough to get excited over the game, the White Sox would really have something. DJ is more awake, but it still sounds like he's sleepwalking. Perhaps if Steve Stone was peering over his shoulder, it would wake Feisty up?

Sox Or No Sox: 3-4-08 - WSC Edition

Let's play America’s favorite pack opening game, Sox Or No Sox.

The following pack was donated by John from the UK.

The rules are simple. We take one unopened pack of baseball cards that was randomly selected by yours truly. We then go through the pack card by card looking for those hard to find White Sox cards.

Our player in tonight's game is a 2003 UD Victory pack. The pack contains 6 cards and features a certain infamous ex-White Sox player on the package in that other Chicago uniform. Let's begin.

#1: Hank Blalock – 96 - Rangers
A card featuring the team from one of my newest links!

#2: Todd Helton – 34 - Rockies
A career Rockies man.

#3: Jorge Posada - 60 - Yankees
Jorge sometimes gets lost in the shuffle of more high profile Yankees.

Not that much to the pack. No trap cards. No White Sox cards. Some decent players though. 3 cards left to go. Let’s see if we can get a White Sox card!

#4: Rafael Palmeiro – 95 - Rangers
I used to like him. I used to root for him. Now he’s just another statistic. It’s a shame.

#5: Greg Maddux – Winning Formula – 197 - Braves
Trade bait for dayf? Nice simple card with a pretty wild back. The back looks like it’s moving. Some kind of spooky hologram haze surrounds Greg Maddux.

#6: Nick Johnson (Green Parallel) – 61 - Yankees
A green parallel? OK.

OK, our pack opening is complete. Very interesting pack. No trap cards and no White Sox cards. It also came with an instruction card? Very mundane, but that’s OK sometimes.

So, that’s ½ point for each card in the pack.

Final score: 3 points

No White Sox cards in this game, but there's always next time on Sox Or No Sox.

#61 - Jesus Pena

This will be a fairly easy task. I can safely say that the best player to wear number 61 on the White Sox is Jesus Pena. He played in 46 games for the White Sox between 1999 and 2000. His ERA was over 5 for both years.

Jesus originally was signed by the Pirates in 1993. The White Sox drafted him from the Pirates in a minor league draft in 1996.

Jesus' strikeouts and walks were around the same amount each year. He was the extra bullpen guy. He had the stuff to get the job done, but you didn't call on him too much. The more exposure he had to lineups, the more he was going to get hit. Plus, he was a lefty. Southpaws almost always got to hang around longer on the Sox for the sole reason that they were left handed.

In the heat of a pennant race, the White Sox dealt Jesus to the Red Sox for a player to be named later, in late September 2000. The player to be named came in March of the next year. Jesus only played in 2 games for the Red Sox in 2000. Those were his last two games in the majors.

The White Sox got right handed pitcher Mike Rupp in return. He never made it past A+ ball and was out of baseball after 2002.

3-3-08: Sox 6 - Royals 7

Surprise! It's more Cactus League action. OK, I'll admit it. I just like the name of the town the Royals train in. Surprise, Arizona. It's kind of fun to say. It's the little things like that which make me happy (and kept me out of the good schools).

This was the first televised game for the White Sox. The ending was lousy, but it was an enjoyable game. I got to see Alexei Ramirez, Brad Eldred, Octavio Dotel, Cole Armstrong and Carlos Quentin for the first time in a White Sox uniform. They all left their impressions on me.

The good:
Alexei Ramirez got to show off his speed when he hit a gapper for a triple.

John Danks had a great start with 3 strikeouts and no walks.

The bad:
2 errors, but both by rookies who aren't expected to break with the club.

Boone Logan had a rough time and some tough luck. He should be fine when the season starts.

The ugly:
The bullpen continues to be hit or miss. Something has to give.

Mike MacDougal's ERA is 22.50. He confounds the White Sox. He has the stuff and brings it often. He just doesn't bring it to an actual game.

The Golden Age Of Links

I'm not sure if people have been reading more of what I write or taking action upon themselves. I have gotten a lot of e-mails lately asking to exchange links. I normally would just post them among the other links and let everyone stumble upon them.

Today, I would like to highlight a few links that I've added recently. I update the links fairly frequently, so if anyone feels snubbed that they aren't on this post, it's probably because they've been in the links awhile.

I'll add a site one of three ways. I'll run across it and decide to link to it, without contact with the owner of that site. I'll also find that out that a site is linked to me, so I'll add it as a thank you. The third way is a request through e-mail.

I usually have no problem adding a link if it is baseball card related in some way and the content isn't completely trashy. If my niece and nephew can't visit the site without seeing a bunch of objectionable material, I'm likely not going to link to you. A swear word here and there and an attempt to hide objectionable material will not hinder a link exchange. It's excessive material that I try to avoid linking to. Thorzul is usually my acid test. If you beat Thorzul in raunchy content, you're not getting linked here.

In no particular order, new links!

The Golden Age Of Baseball Cards
A great site about older cards with unique perspectives.

Texas Rangers Cards
A site about my grandfather's adopted team, the Texas Rangers.

The Hamiltonian
A site about collecting Josh Hamilton cards.

Capewood's Collections
A Phillies fan who writes about Philadelphia and cards. Plus a song of the week.

A Burly Man

Mark Buehrle (pronounced BUR-lee) gets no respect. He doesn't even get that much respect in Chicago. He's like the Southside's little secret. Players know who Mark Buehrle is. White Sox fans know who Mark Buehrle is. The rest of the world doesn't seem to know.

Let's go through the list of things that would seemingly make a pitcher known throughout the country.

A World Series ring? Yup, got that.

A World Series victory? He got a no decision.

A World Series save? He's got that in the game after his no decision start.

A complete game in the playoffs? Check.

An All-Star Game victory? You betcha!

No-hitter? Got that covered! He walked one, picked him off and faced the minimum batters. Three years before that, he also faced the minimum amount of batters in a two-hit shutout against the Indians in Cleveland.

He also pitched over 200 innings in every year that he started. Mark pitched 5 consecutive opening days. He has had a winning record in 7 out of 8 seasons. The losing season featured a 12-13 record.

In 2005, Mark had 49 consecutive starts of 6 innings or more broken, when he was ejected for hitting B.J. Surhoff.

The one statistic that I am very surprised that many people don't remember? In 2006, Mark became the first pitcher since 1900 to give up 7 runs in the first inning and still win the game. The Sox won the game in Minnesota 9-7. Mark pitched 6 innings and gave up 7 runs. Only 1 run was earned.

Now, you may be wondering what prompted this Mark Buehrle love-fest, as it were. I was watching a video box break the other day and saw someone completely butcher Mark Buehrle's name. That person shall remain nameless, but I'm sure it won't be that hard to figure out. I don't mean to call this person out. I love the job that this person does in the box break videos. This just prompted me to write about how to properly say Mark Buehrle's name. Call it White Sox pride or whatever you like.

Maybe if Kenny Williams lets Mark slide on the tarp during rain delays again, he'll become a more recognizable name? Somehow, I doubt it. I'll just chalk it up to being the White Sox open secret. It probably suits Buehrle better that way. It's more his style.

3-2-08: Sox - D'Backs Split Squad

The White Sox and Diamondbacks both played split squad games against each other on Sunday. Instead of doing each game separately, I'll combine them into one.

Game One
Diamondbacks 12 - White Sox 5

Game Two
White Sox 6 - Diamondbacks 7

The good:
Jason Bourgeois was 4 for 4!

Nick Swisher was 3 for 4.

The bad:
Cabrera and Dye both went 0 for 3.

The B game was closer in score than the A game.

The ugly:
17 men left of base in Game 1 and 20 were left on base in Game 2.

Wes Whisler has a 21.60 ERA and Jason Childers has a 40.50 ERA! Egads!

Question. How did Joe Winkelsas get on the roster? Are the White Sox picking up players and not putting them on the roster list? There's no mention of him on the 40 man roster or the Non-Roster Invitee list. There he was, posting an ERA of 18.00 in one inning of work on Sunday.

Not that it mattered. The game was lost long before Joe entered the game. Ozzie says that he's playing to win. From what I've seen, I believe it. But this was a hard double loss to take. The B game was winnable, until Jason Childers came in and blew the save.

This is what Spring Training is all about. It's nice to win games, but the weeding out of players and the fine tuning of others is the real goal. Let's hope the White Sox do better on Monday. It's their Spring Training television debut. I can't wait!

A Britt Burns Card Adventure

In 1985, I had my first unobtainable card experience. No matter how many packs of 1985 Topps I bought, I could not get Britt Burns. I was all for completing sets back then, but I wanted my White Sox cards completed first. I could get my hands on everything else later. The White Sox came first.

It must have been my luck of the draw. I never got certain cards. Most of them were White Sox players. I never got the Harold Baines draft pick card. I never got many of the Father & Son cards. Although, I had four Mark McGwire's. The luck was there, just not the luck I wanted.

I had absolutely no clue as to what book value was in those days. I'd never even heard of it. I just knew what I had to budget from my allowance each week to get what I wanted. This allowed for some candy, some comic books and some packs of cards.

I had two friends that I would trade with at that time. Keith and Mark. Keith had a lot of older Fleer and Mark had a lot of newer Topps. By older, I mean 1981 and 1982. Every couple of weeks, I would rubber band my cards together and stick them in my bag and make the rounds.

I would trade Fleer cards with Keith. He was a Cubs fan, so I pawned off all my Cubs and he gave me all his White Sox in return. Then we would get to trading other cards. He was more of a National League guy and I was more of an American League guy. Although, we still liked all the teams.

I remember trading an Ozzie Smith to Keith for some American League shortstop. More than likely, it was a veteran who had a long career. I loved looking at the stats and seeing teams that no longer existed and dates that seemed like a million years ago.

Keith and I would spend all afternoon watching a Cubs game on WGN and trading cards. We had to keep the door open, but also keep his little brother out of the room. It was some weird rule his parents had. The door had to be open so they could hear what was going on, but his brother couldn't associate with his friends. But like little brothers will do, he always tried to find an excuse to come in the room.

The tougher trade was Mark. He could not be tempted with any trade unless he was looking to get rid of the card. It had to be a double and it had to be a card he didn't want a double of. We ended up making very few trades. I did fool him once though. I signed my 1985 Fleer Eric Davis and told Mark that it was Eric's autograph. He bought it hook, line and sinker. I finally got a common White Sox card for that. I know it was wrong, but I was a kid. Cut me some slack.

Mostly, Mark and I would look at each other's collections. That was a fine time for me. I got to see cards that I wasn't able to get in the packs I was getting and I'm sure he got some enjoyment out of it. He did keep inviting me back.

One day I saw the 1985 Topps card of Britt Burns in his collection. Mark was actually in a rare trading mood that day. I thought I would strike while the iron was hot. I tried my best to get Mark to trade that card, but it was no use. I offered Cal Ripken Jr. No deal. I offered Kirby Puckett. Not a chance. I pulled out my ace. Nolan Ryan. Not on your life. As a joke, I offered Don Aase. He just rolled his eyes at me. He just wasn't biting on any of the 1985 Topps I was offering.

I went home empty handed that day. I decided that I didn't want to trade if I couldn't get that double of Britt Burns that he had. That was the last time I ever attempted to trade with Mark. Trading with Keith trailed off shortly after that too. In fact, I wasn't collecting at all a few years later. There was no one to trade with and I had other interests I wanted to pursue.

I finally did get that 1985 Topps Britt Burns card. 23 years later. I didn't get it from a trade. I had pretty much forgotten about that card after that amount of time had passed. I got it from a contest. It was actually a bonus throw in. No one knew of the history of that card except for me. I finally got the card in the most unlikely of ways. It's almost comical.

3-1-08: Sox 12 - D'Backs 8

Another day, another win. The Sox are starting to look serious. It's still Spring Training, but things are finally looking up in most areas.

The good:
Joe crede's first home run!

Paul Konerko was 3 for 4.

The bad:
The bullpen continues to struggle, but it's getting better.

Alexei Ramirez is coming back down to Earth. He only went 1 for 5.

The ugly:
20 men left on base.

The Sox continue to improve in most areas. The starters are coming around slowly. The more they play, theoretically the better they will get. It's still early, and there's always room for improvement, but the Sox seem to be on the right track.

The White Sox got 6 RBI with 2 outs. That's a statistic that makes me hopeful. The 20 men stranded makes me less hopeful. It does seem to improve though. That's all we can ask in Spring Training. This is where the bugs are shaken out of the system. It's getting there. It's just a slow process.

Card Gifting: UK Edition

Two gift packages in two days. What are the odds? Pretty good, since I was expecting this one. I was contacted by John from the UK about a possible gifting. He had already gifted Thorzul, so I knew what I was up against. A serial gifter. The best kind.

I replied back to John with my address and asked what I could give him in return for his generous gesture. He simply replied that I should keep blogging and he'll keep reading. Brilliant!

I, like Thorzul before me, received a package through Royal Mail. I think that's so cool. I'd probably think it was less cool if I got mail like that all the time, but I don't. Every once in a while, I'll get a package from Canada. This would be my first from the UK. I send plenty out that way though.

Right now, John is probably thinking to himself that I am someone from the states who is easily amused. He may be on to something.

What did I get in my package from overseas?

2006 Bowman Heritage #89 - Scott Podsednik
2006 Sweet Spot Update #20 - Jim Thome
2006 UD Ovation #78 - Jim Thome
2006 UD Ovation #80 - Scott Podsednik
2006 Upper Deck #119 - Scott Podsednik
2006 Upper Deck #562 - Javier Vazquez
2006 Upper Deck #564 - Matt Thornton
1 sealed pack of 1993 Donruss Triple Play
1 sealed pack of 2003 UD Victory

John, that's so awesome! I needed most of the cards and I am super psyched about the two new packs. They will both be a part of Sox Or No Sox history.

John is one classy guy. I can't say enough good things about this gift. It's one thing to get a gift from somewhere in North America. It's quite another to get one from Europe. Especially, when you're dealing with a North American sport. I'm obligated to say that because there is still one team left in Canada. But I have a good shot at getting an Expo in the Triple Play pack!

Cheers, John! Your generosity is very much appreciated. White Sox cards and unopened packs are always welcome here!

2-29-08: Sox 7 - D'Backs 5

Friday, the Sox moved on to Arizona. Having finally beat the Rockies in Spring Training, (the 12th time's the charm?) their reward was to face another team in the NL playoffs last year. The Sox had a secret weapon. Mark Buehrle.

Mark didn't disappoint in his two innings of work. 1 hit, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts. No runs. Sounds like Buehrle to me. Let's recap the good, the bad and the ugly.

The good:
Jeff Liefer was 2 for 4, with a double and 2 runs scored. I'm surprised and a little pleased that he's back in the Sox organization. I guess he is too.

Jerry Owens was 2 for 4 with a walk, 1 RBI and 2 runs scored.

The bad:
Lance Broadway blew a save and gave up three hits.

Mike MacDougal gave up three hits.

The ugly:
Josh Fields had 2 strikeouts in three plate appearances.

13 men were left on base today.

The Sox seem to be getting better little by little. The bullpen needs to keep working the kinks out. Jeff Liefer was a huge surprise. The last I heard, he was in the Indians organization. The regulars are starting to warm up more. Maybe playing the Spring Training games to win is having a good mental outlook on the team. They seem more focused.