Black Wednesday

Sorry for my recent absence. I'm afraid it will be longer. The current epidemic of crashing hard drives hit me Wednesday night. I should be up and running again by the end of the month.

Congrats to J.J. Putz for signing with the White Sox. You'll love it here and you'll be able to continue your bromance with Matt Thornton.

As a result of the crashed hard drive, all regular features will be put on hold, as if you haven't already noticed. If I didn't need all the information that was on the hard drives, I'd already be back up and running. Yes, I do back up, but I can't back everything up. The sudden loss of the hard drives made backing everything up an impossibility.

For those of you who e-mailed with your concern, thank you. If I can't get back before December 25th, please have a happy holiday. I'm hoping my computer guy can squeeze me in before then.

WSC Birth Years: Scott Podsednik

Card #32 - Scott Podsednik

Born: March 18, 1976

In 2009, Scott and the White Sox formed a symbiotic relationship. Pods needed a place to play and prove himself and the ChiSox needed a contact leadoff man with some speed and an outfielder. The partnership proved invaluable.

Things started to immediately improve for the White Sox and Podsednik seemed to enjoy a return to his 2005 form. While the Sox didn't make the playoffs in 2009, Scotty Pods proved his worth by keeping them in the race until September.

One can only speculate if Podsdenik is on the club in 2010. His accomplishments in a White Sox uniform speak volumes to the type of player he can be when healthy.

WSC Birth Years: Wilson Betemit

Card #31 - Wilson Betemit

Born: November 2, 1981

Wilson was supposed to turn it all around in Chicago. That never really happened. What the White Sox did get was five errors in thirteen appearances in the field. It wasn't exactly gold glove material.

Betemit is a complex player. On paper, he looks like he will do well and break out of whatever funk he is in. In reality, Wilson is a streaky player who thrived in the National League and did well enough in the American League when the teams were unfamiliar with him.

The White Sox have nothing to worry about in 2010, except revenge. Betemit was picked up the the Kansas City Royals and could possibly be in the lineup when the White Sox face KC next year.

WSC Birth Years: Brent Lillibridge

Card #30 - Brent Lillibridge

Born: September 18, 1983

Brent has an incredible upside. Youth and speed are among his many tolls. Experience will eventually tell the tale on Lillibridge. If he is peaking in his career right now, he will be an adequate utility infielder and backup outfielder, but Brent may just be finding out what his ultimate role in the majors will be.

Lillibridge may just be perfect for the two spot in the lineup. He can produce enough contact and have enough speed to be a threat. He was one of Atlanta's best organizational prospects before a trade landed him with the ChiSox. 2010 looks to be the litmus test for Brent. If he can improve offensively, look for him to explode on the scene, wherever the Sox can find room for him.

Midnight Hootenanny

A tiny Don Slaught of packages have made their way into my house in the past week or so. Don Slaught is my term for onslaught, ever since I was a kid. Now you know, and knowing is roughly equivalent to but not more than half the battle.

In today's mail was an eBay non-baseball card package. If your prying eyes must know, it was the horror/comedy film "Student Bodies" on DVD. I know I can watch it anytime on YouTube for free, but I like owning a copy of movies.

That will be my viewing agenda for tonight. My card agenda for tonight has been taken care of by the Night Owl.

There were a small amount of cards from my want list and a few off the beaten path. With packages like this coming in the mail, how could I not enjoy the monthly festivities? I am forced to enjoy them to the fullest. This is why I'll be shopping for the ingredients this week to make cookies. Sugar cookies with festive sprinkles, snickerdoodles and Kahlua cookies. Yum!

Enough about my daily habits and multi-holiday preparations. Bring on the cards!

1984 Fleer
White Sox cap & logo sticker

2000 Upper Deck Gold Reserve
105 - Frank Thomas
106 - Mike Sirotka
111 - Paul Konerko

2002 Donruss Classics
93 - Carlos Lee

2009 Goodwin Champions Mini
75 - Carlton Fisk

2009 OPC
65 - Alexei Ramirez

2009 Topps Ticket To Stardom Perforated Parallel
189 - Jim Thome

2009 Topps Updates & Highlights
UH169 - Mark Kotsay

2009 Topps Updates & Highlights Gold Parallel
UH319 - Ramon Castro (1294/2009)

2009 Tristar PROjections
123 - Daniel Hudson

2009 Upper Deck "Fool You" Upperdeckstore.com Insert
Ken Griffey Jr.

2009 Upper Deck X
21 - Jermaine Dye

Thanks, Greg! The mini Fisk and my first non-custom card of Daniel Hudson are definite highlights. Small card packages certainly pack a mighty wallop!

WSC Vintage: Dixie Leverett

Card #12 - Dixie Leverett

Dixie (born Gorham Vance Leverett) started his rookie season in 1922 on a hot streak. He compiled a 13-10 record with a respectable 3.34 ERA. Each year after was slightly worse.

In 1925, Leverett reported to camp ten pounds overweight. He was quickly sent down to the minors and stayed there the rest of the season. Dixie eventually shed the weight and was back with the White Sox in 1926.

By that time, he was a shell of his former self. He only appeared in six games in 1926 and his ERA ballooned to 6.00 for the year. Dixie pitched well enough with the minor league Indianapolis Indians, in 1927 and 1928, to get picked up by the Boston Braves in 1929.

1929 was not kind to Dixie and the Braves dropped him after the season. By the end of the 1931 season, there are no further records of Leverett playing professionally.

A Trade From The Birthday Boy

A few weeks ago, a box of Lipton Tea arrived in the mail. Twenty four family sized Iced Tea Brew bags. Being the iced tea connoisseur that I am, I excitedly opened the box. In my horror, I discovered that there wasn't any tea bags to be found. To my delight, there were baseball cards inside instead.

These weren't just any baseball cards. These were White Sox and White Sox player related baseball cards! All the way from the other side of 355. Chris from On Card Autos sent over a mother lode of Sox related cards.

I decided the best way to tackle the enormous amount of cards was to whittle it down to the cards I needed. The rest will go straight into my White Sox redistribution program. The anointed cards from my want list and a few select upgrades will be reported here.

This past weekend, I decided to get off my duff and sort the cards. I originally went through the cards when they first arrived, but put off sorting because of a wake, a funeral and a holiday. Now that everything is back on track, let's go through the stack of needs.

1989 Topps Rookies
8 - Dave Gallagher
16 - Melido Perez

1991 Fleer
712 - Bobby Thigpen (John Franco)

1993 Ultra
174 - Lance Johnson

1994 Pinnacle
347 - Jason Bere
531 - Darrin Jackson

1994 Select
311 - Alex Fernandez

1994 Topps Gold
270 - Frank Thomas

2002 Upper Deck
545 - Edwin Almonte

2003 Studio
20 - Frank Thomas

2003 Topps
109 - Frank Thomas

2004 Fleer Legacy
50 - Magglio Ordonez

2004 Fleer Tradition
183 - Mark Buehrle

2004 SkyBox LE
62 - Bartolo Colon

2004 Topps Opening Day
112 - Paul Konerko

2005 Donruss
143 - Carlos Lee

2006 Topps
44 - Carl Everett
98 - Geoff Blum

2006 Ultra Rising Stars
URS10 - Tadahito Iguchi

2007 Fleer Mini
262 - Joe Crede
333 - Jerry Owens

2007 Ultra SE
35 - Paul Konerko
38 - Mark Buehrle
39 - Tadahito Iguchi

2007 Upper Deck
615 - Nick Masset
618 - Toby Hall
624 - Jim Thome

2008 Topps Opening Day
175 - Javier Vazquez

2008 Upper Deck Documentary
1269 (CWS49) - May 24th
2164 (CWS74) - June 20th

2009 Upper Deck
589 - Chris Getz

Thank you, Chris! This was a real treat to go through. I'm still working on your return package, but it will get there soon.

Before it gets too late, make sure you wish Chris a happy birthday today!

Relic In The Tin

Relic In The Tin

Goodbye Wax Heaven
Though we never met at all
You had the content to mesmerize
While lesser blogs did fall
They crawled out of the woodwork
And they commented into your brain
They came to see Canseco
And stayed when you changed your name

And it seems to me your blog lived its life
Like a relic in the tin
Never knowing which game was played
When the cards came in
And I would have liked to have met you
But I’m in the city of wind
McGwire's card burned up long before
Your legend ever did

Exclusives were tough
The toughest scoop you ever made
Blogosphere created a superstar
And time was the price you paid
Even when you retired
The readers still hounded you
All the blogs had to say
Was that Mario we’ll be missing you

And it seems to me your blog lived its life
Like a relic in the tin
Never knowing which game was played
When the cards came in
And I would have liked to have met you
But I’m in the city of wind
Pinnacle closed up long before
Your legend ever did

Goodbye Wax Heaven
Though we never met at all
You had the content to mesmerize
While lesser blogs did fall
Goodbye Wax Heaven
From the man on the South Side of Chicago
Who wishes you the best in your new life
You are more than just Wax Heaven’s Mario

And it seems to me your blog lived its life
Like a relic in the tin
Never knowing which game was played
When the cards came in
And I would have liked to have met you
But I’m in the city of wind
Fleer went bankrupt long before
Your legend ever did

Cleaning Finds

Today, while I was getting the mail, a small white envelope almost slipped by me. Fortunately, I recognized it in time to be addressed to me. If not, it might end up in another pile of mail and i might not see it for a week.

Matthew of the excellent blog, The #5 Baseball Card Type Collection, sent over a few goodies unbeknownst to me.

Found these while cleaning - must be for you!

An astute observation indeed. Out of the envelope came five cards. One had me initially puzzled. I wasn't sure if it was a card or not, but one quick look into the SCBC and the mystery was solved.

Let's see what Matthew sent over this time.

1969 Globe Imports Playing Cards Blank Back
6H - Joel Horlen

1981 TCMA 1959 White Sox
2 - Nellie Fox

1984 Ralston Purina
33 - Carlton Fisk

1992 Cracker Jack Donruss Sealed Pack
33 - Robin Ventura

2007 UD Masterpieces Windsor Green
39 - Frank Thomas

Thanks, Matthew! This little bundle of happiness is just the thing to start the weekend off right. I'm still looking out for number 5 cards to send your way.

Card Spotlight: 12-4-09

1968 Topps Game #13 - Gary Peters

Inserts are nothing new. In packs of 1968 Topps, there were cards depicting a baseball game. One could either purchase many packs trying to complete the set or send away for a set of 33 cards.

These cards are notable in a few different ways. The cards are a throwback to the 1951 set. The backs have a similar feel to them and the fronts are reminiscent of the baseball game on those original cards.

If sixties cards of stars are a little out of your budget, this is a perfect way to complete a vintage set. Stars like Mickey Mantle, Roberto Clemente, Carl Yastrzemski, Hank Aaron and Pete Rose are just some of the players that make up the set.

If you are patient enough, you can find most of these cards for a song. That's one of the advantages to most vintage insert cards. They tend to be overlooked and packed with stars of the day.

Gary Peters is one of the forgotten stars of the sixties. From his Rookie of the Year season in 1963, he dominated the American League. He led the AL in ERA in 1963 and 1966. He reached the 20 game win mark in 1964. In 1963, he missed that mark by one game.

So, with numbers like that, why isn't Gary Peters a household name? Mostly, it has to do with the "just missed the playoffs by a game or two" record of the White Sox in the sixties. Most years, the White Sox were right in the thick of things until the last week of the season. By the time Gary made it over to Boston, his career was winding down.

Keep an eye out for Topps inserts of the sixties. They are an inexpensive way to pick up vintage star cards. Hurry, before everyone else realizes it.

2009 Topps Unique

Everyone seems to be focusing on the inserts of Topps Unique, which are not unique in the least. That's what most of the collectors will be focusing on with this release.

I choose to ignore the inserts in Topps Unique. I'm certainly not going to balk if any should come my way, but I won't be fighting off people for them either. Instead, I'm focusing my interest on the base set.

Most people tend to forget about the base set in releases like this. Everybody is paying all their attention to the uniform pieces and the autographs and such, that the base set gets left behind.

I've finally seen the checklist and a smattering of base cards. Let me tell you, the base set is pretty sharp looking. There seems to be some real care going into the throwaway cards of the set. These will most likely be tossed aside, like advertising inserts, while collectors frantically search for their pot of gold. That's a real shame.

From looking over the checklist and scoping out some cards on eBay, there appears to be seven White Sox cards in the base set.

9 - Jermaine Dye
49 - Carlos Quentin
99 - Paul Konerko
120 - Jake Peavy
122 - Mark Buehrle
133 - Alexei Ramirez
187 - Gordon Beckham

The one thing that you'll notice is the lack of Jim Thome. Thome is still in the set, but I am proud to announce that he is in Dodger blue in this set. While it's a minus for White Sox fans, it's a huge plus for Dodger fans.

Overall, I'm pleased with the design of 2009 Topps Unique's base set. I'm not a huge fan of the inserts that I've seen from the release, but the base set is sharp. I will be looking forward to completing this White Sox team set.

1909-1911 T206

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of this set, Topps has issued a set of their own. That set is very polarizing. A lot of people do not like it. A lot of people love it too.

Perhaps the most iconic set in the history of trading cards, thanks to the Honus Wagner card (which inspired a great book called, The Card), the T206 tobacco series is what most people think of when they think of vintage cards.

Collectors are still trying to piece together this set. There are so many back variations and pose variations, it's almost impossible to own a complete set. Good luck trying to track down a few of the rarer cards. Unless you are very lucky or have disposable income to burn, you likely aren't going to succeed.

There are 523 cards in the set (that are currently known) and 16 different back variations. Not all cards will have the same brand variations, which makes the actual number of cards for a master set still a mystery. Card variations are still being discovered.

The back variations include American Beauty (thinner cut cards), Broadleaf, Carolina Brights, Cycle, Drum, El Principe De Gales, Hindu (found in both brown ink and red ink), Lenox (found in both brown ink and black ink), Old Mill, Piedmont, Polar Bear, Sovereign, Sweet Caporal, Tolstoi, Ty Cobb and Uzit. The card combination and variation possibilities are mind numbing.

There are 27 cards featuring the White Sox.

Atz, Jake
Burns, Bill
Davis, George
Donohue, Jiggs
Dougherty, Patsy (Arm in Air)
Dougherty, Patsy (Portrait)
Duffy, Hugh
Fiene, Lou (Portrait)
Fiene, Lou (Throwing)
Gandil, Chick
Hahn, Ed
Isbell, Frank
Jones, Fielder (Hands at Hip)
Jones, Fielder (Portrait)
Owen, Frank
Parent, Fred
Payne, Billy
Purtell, Billy
Scott, Jim
Smith, Frank (F. Smith)
Smith, Frank (White Cap) (Chicago & Boston Amer.)
Sullivan, Billy
Tannenhill, Lee (L. Tannehill on Front)
Tannenhill, Lee (Tannehill on Front)
Walsh, Ed
White, Doc (Pitching)
White, Doc (Portrait)

If you choose to chase any of the set, good luck. Here is a gallery of every card to help you identify cards along the way. The distinct white borders were the first thing that Jefferson Burdick noticed about the set. The mysteries of the set keep drawing people in. Happy 100th anniversary!

The End Of The Darren Clarke Saga

What once promised to go out with a bang, trickled out with a whimper. I'm left with more questions than answers. A little part of me is sad to come to that conclusion.

Truthfully, I had forgotten all about my bizarre encounter with Darren Clarke. Silence has a tendency to do that. I haven't heard any more developments in well over a year. No word from Topps. No word from Mr. Clarke, himself.

For some odd reason, Darren Clarke's name popped into my head today. I wondered what became of him. I hadn't heard anything about him lately, but that shouldn't be a surprise. National League relievers have a sneaky way of hiding from me. It's not their fault. It's just the nature of the game.

I went looking for answers, only to find nothing definitive. What I did find raised an eyebrow. After having a literal cup of coffee with the Rockies in 2007, he was back in the minors. I couldn't find any mention of him playing past 2008 with the Rockies AA team.

Baseball Reference even lists his final game as May 20, 2007. After eight seasons in the Rockies organization only resulting in two games pitched with the parent club, maybe Darren made peace with the fact that he wouldn't return. Maybe he focused on something else entirely. Maybe it wasn't his decision.

Whatever the reasons behind his leaving the Rockies, I wish him well. I hope that he appreciates that he pitched in two big league games. It's a lot more than most of us will ever accomplish. I am officially moving this saga to cold case. At least Darren Clarke can say that he has an unblemished ERA in the majors. Now that's something!

The 2nd Annual Stale Gum Trade

For the second year in a row, Chris of Stale Gum fame, has sought me out for a trade. We'll go want list hunting and reach some sort of an agreement on card exchanging.

For the second year in a row, I've been lucky enough to score a 1/1 authentic Chris Harris autograph. Very cool indeed!

I'm glad I only trade with Chris once a year. I don't have the back stock of cool stuff to send his way. It takes me all year to compile a worthy enough package to send over. Some of you know this fact a little too well. Sorry about that. I'm still working on some packages to send out to a few of you.

Without any further delay, let's see what Chris sent over!

1992 Baseball Enquirer
9 - John Smoltz
37 - Len Dykstra (Chris Harris auto 1/1)

1994 Leaf Limited Rookies
23 - Norberto Martin

1995 Finest
161 - Roberto Hernandez

1995 Leaf
69 - Alex Fernandez

1996 Bowman
2 - Ray Durham
54 - Frank Thomas

1997 Pinnacle New
12 - Albert Belle

1999 Metal
174 - Mike Caruso

2001 Bowman Heritage
223 - Joe Borchard

2001 Topps Stars
26 - Paul Konerko

2001 Ultra
255 - Jon Garland

2001 Upper Deck Ovation
65 - Joe Crede

2003 Upper Deck Game Face
121 - David Sanders

2005 Cracker Jack
151 - Paul Konerko

2005 Ultra Gold Medallion
135 - Frank Thomas

2006 Bowman Chrome Draft Picks
BDP7 - Brian Anderson
DP14 - Justin Edwards
DP59 - Tyler Reeves
DP60 - John Shelby
FG12 - Josh Fields

2008 Baseball Heroes
42 - Jim Thome

2008 Baseball Heroes Charcoal
32 - Carlton Fisk
42 - Jim Thome
43 - Jermaine Dye

2008 Topps Gold Foil
293 - Gavin Floyd

2008 Topps Heritage Black Back
301

2008 Topps Heritage High Numbers
588

2008 Topps Heritage High Numbers Black Back
541

2008 Upper Deck StarQuest
SQ-54 - Paul Konerko (uncommon)

2009 Allen & Ginter
12 - Jermaine Dye

2009 Allen & Ginter Mini A&G Back
265 - Paul Konerko

2009 Allen & Ginter Mini Black
167 - Jim Thome

2009 Bowman
BCP23 - Tyler Flowers
BCP84 - Steven Upchurch

2009 Bowman Blue
169 - Carlos Quentin

2009 Bowman Gold
108 - Jermaine Dye
127 - Paul Konerko
169 - Carlos Quentin

2009 Finest Refractor Gold
56 - Mark Buehrle (33/50)

2009 O-Pee-Chee
474 - Mark Buehrle
489 - Wilson Betemit
503 - White Sox Team Checklist

2009 Topps Attax
Mark Buehrle
Orlando Cabrera
Jermaine Dye
Bobby Jenks
A.J. Pierzynski
Jim Thome

2009 Topps Attax Silver Foil
53 - Jim Thome

Thanks, Chris! These cards were awesome! I look forward to next year's trade! Hopefully, I'll be able to hit more from your want list by then.

A Writer's Journey Trade

Sometimes the best trades don't seem like trades at all. That is how the latest trade with Jason of the Writer's Journey felt like.

There was no haggling over what was sent. It just happened. I saw JT left a comment about the Reds cards from a set I had purchased on the cheap just to get the White Sox cards. So I gathered the few meager Reds cards that were in the set and shipped them off, with a few extras thrown in for good measure.

I received a package shortly after from Jason. Inside were a few White Sox cards and 44 cards for my friend. I won't mention what cards, just in case my friend stumbled upon this post. Long time readers should know what I'm talking about though. Let's just say that the 44 cards hit right on the nose.

The White Sox cards in the package:

1988 Donruss Baseball's Best
11 - Harold Baines
25 - Ivan Calderon
67 - Carlton Fisk
81 - Ozzie Guillen
123 - Dave LaPoint
137 - Dan Pasqua
179 - Melido Perez
193 - Greg Walker
235 - Bobby Thigpen
249 - Ken Williams
291 - Steve Lyons

1989 Upper Deck
711 - Ron Kittle
715 - Steve Rosenberg
790 - Eddie Williams

Thanks, Jason! If I had any holes (too lazy to check right this second) in the 1988 Baseball's Best, I'm sure they are filled now. My friend will be excited when I finally get everything together. Thanks for helping!