Miles To Go And All I Got Was This Doc

I've been extremely busy lately. A friend's mother passed away on Valentine's Day. My car needs the excess carbon forced out of the engine to pass emissions, which was the perfect excuse for a mini road trip to drop off the Twitter contest winnings to the winner. I also seem to be the on call tech for all of my friends' computer problems.

Yeah, there's been a lot going on this week. At least one of my problems requires me to venture out on the road and drive really fast while listening to Pearl Jam, Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath. It sounds like less of a problem and more like a solution.

While I was out buying a few items to help cleanse my car of its carbon problem, I snagged some more Topps packs. I received another code card (Ichiro) and it produced a card of Doc Gooden.

I'm no complainer. This is a card of a former superstar. Someone I've actually heard of that wasn't on a Chicago team. This kid was awesome in the eighties. A once promising career was derailed by drugs. It got so bad that Doc found anonymity in Tampa Bay for part of the 2000 season. I had no idea it had gotten that bad.

This card was ten years after what I would have wanted. It doesn't even show Gooden pitching. Just another pitcher wandering the base path, hoping not to be fooled by the hidden ball trick. It's bad enough that Ozzie Guillen was fooled by that lame play at least three times.

Tampa Bay in 2000 is easy enough to miss. I barely remember Wade Boggs or Jose Canseco on the Devil Rays in the early days of that team. How on earth did I miss Dwight Gooden on the Houston Astros????

Registered And Redeemed At Topps

I could have watched the Jersey Trilogy from Kevin Smith, in the time it took to register, then redeem four stinking cards. That is absolutely ridiculous!

Did I get any White Sox cards? No. Was I stuck with a bunch of junk wax? No. Was it worth the time and effort. Not really. Was it still cool? Yeah, kinda.

It's always a little cool turning insert cards magically into regular cards. Let's see how I fared after nearly six hours.

A picture featuring a 1963 Bob Gibson....

Magically turns into a 1987 Tony Gwynn!

Not an upgrade but a nice card of a Hall of Fame player.

A picture of a 2001 Ichiro...

Poof! Turns into a 2005 Mariano Rivera!

Not exactly an upgrade, but a great player in exchange for a great player!

A picture of a 1969 Mickey Mantle...

Shazaam! Turns into a 1971 Playoff card featuring Bob Tolan!

Vintage for vintage is something I can believe in!

A picture of a 1985 Mike Schmidt...

Kablooey! Turns into a 1966 Ralph Terry!

OK, I was fearing the worst, but I think I did pretty good. Not great, but pretty good. A Hall of Famer, a potential Hall of Famer and two vintage cards. Not too shabby!

Omar Vizquel, Sensitive Artist?

According to Adam Katz, Vizquel's agent, the main reason Omar chose Chicago (besides the token answer of the legacy of Venezuelan shortstops on the South Side) was the thriving art community and the museums. Apparently, Cleveland (which was also on Vizquel's short list) didn't have enough artistic integrity.

So, as a helpful guide to the Sox new number 11, here are a couple of links to all the information that Omar needs.

Art of Chicago

Chicago Museum Directory

OK, Omar. Have fun and be cultural, but don't shirk your responsibilities with the team. You really don't want to get on recently retired Ozzie Guillen's bad side. People end up crying.

Yo Mamma Cards

I instantly think of the classic Saturday Night Live sketch of Word Association, every time I hear about "Yo Mamma" cards.
Innocent reprints? Or is this little insert dredging up the past by opening old wounds and rubbing finely grained salt and lemon juice while disguising them as tasty margaritas?

Am I paranoid or is that "not a Topps card" in the lower right hand corner on the back of this "Yo Mamma" card?

Look closely.
Is that a 1992 Leaf card of some player on the Padres?

The plot thickens.

Happy Valentine's Day

One of the reddest cards of a current White Sox player that I could find. Paul Konerko sends the love out there to all the White Sox fans and loyal readers on this Valentine's Day.

I hope everyone's happy and healthy this February 14th.

White Sox fans, don't forget to check out a Twitter only contest. First one with all the correct answers will win some White Sox cards!

Card Spotlight: 2-12-10

1993 Leaf Thomas #7 - Frank Thomas (Control)

In 1993, Frank Thomas became the spokesperson for Leaf. He was featured on the packaging and was issued his very own set of ten cards.

Number seven features "control".

Frank had the ability to spray the ball to all fields and work the count into his favor. In his career, he has had more walks than strikeouts. This is just a testament to his natural ability to control the ball, while having a keen eye for an umpire's range.

Not many people realized how special a player Frank Thomas was, until he was gone. After years of constant production, fans started to take Frank for granted. Every player has their ups and downs. Frank Thomas is no exception.

Through it all, Frank ended up with a .301 average, 521 home runs, 1667 walks and only 1397 strikeouts. He also managed 495 doubles out of 2,468 hits over 19 seasons. Truly, Frank was in control.

Go Slovakia!

Slovakia is the country I will be rooting for in the Winter Olympics. Only because of this contest.

Slovakia, who only has one Winter Olympic medal (silver) for snowboarding in 2006.

This means that they are on the rise!

Yeah, I know... I'm toast.

If it were the Summer Olympics, I'd be a shoe-in for canoeing!

At least I have Marian Hossa on my side.

So I've got that going for me.
But I will not be watching any of the festivities on any NBC owned station because of my loyalty to this man.

Um, to clarify, the one on the right hand side of the picture.

Instead, I'll be watching Disney owned ESPN. Or getting updates online. Or listening to the radio. Or reading it in the newspaper the next day. Or waiting for a friend to tell me. Or figuring it out when I'm not asked for my address because I won a prize package.

I expect not to place in this contest.

Surprise me, Slovakia.

You have that rich history of Czechoslovakian Winter Olympic glory behind you. The normal hill ski jumping gold medal won by Jiří Raška at the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble, France. Or the figure skating gold medal won by Ondrej Nepela at the 1972 Olympics in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan.

Yeah. I'm boned.

Saying Goodbye To The Big Hurt

It's about to go down tomorrow. We all knew this day was coming. I held out a sliver of hope that Frank Thomas would appear in a White Sox uniform one last time, during the September call-ups in 2009.

Frank Thomas will officially retire on Friday. His number 35 is expected to be retired, but we all know how important that ceremony actually is, right Omar Vizquel?

Frank Thomas made me believe in this team. After the dreadful teams of the late 80s, Frank and other new and young blood, made the White Sox respectable. I can't even count how many times I saw Frank's big grin adorning any number of products back in the early nineties. It was definitely more noticeable in Chicago, but I'd see his face while traveling too.

Frank gave me thrills that only a pure line drive hitter can give. He was deadly with a rope to any part of the field and sometimes, over 500 times in his career, those line drives would get elevation and fly majestically.

Frank made me a fan of the walk. He certainly drew enough of them. Some were intentional. Most were not. All of them, he earned. Frank was a rare creature, who would find any and all ways to beat you on the diamond. He just didn't get along with the press very well.

Don't Believe The Hype

If I'm not mistaken, that is the advice that was given to him by his family. He lived by that motto in the early days, even going as far as displaying it prominently at his locker. At times, it looked as though Frank had lost his way, but he always found his way back.

I'll never forget his magical seasons in the early to mid-nineties or his improbable run at a third MVP in 2000, which he should have won. Is it too late for a recount, Giambi? I will always feel bad that Frank won his only World Series ring by cheering on the sidelines. In a perfect world, he would have been the one leading the way. His earnest speech at the victory parade still makes me tear up a little. It was a speech well earned for sticking with the White Sox for so long. It meant the world to him and to the fans.

Goodbye, old friend. I will always cherish those special memories that you gave Chicago.

Another Old Contest Winnings

A contest so old, I pretty much forgot about it after the drama of the holidays. Further proof that I actually won something can be found all the way back on December 10th. Procrastination is my middle name too regarding mailings, so don't fret. There are many positives to be had. Money was saved on postage. Everything arrived at once. Lots of cool cards came flying out of the package.

Thanks dayf! These contest prizes were worth the wait! Even with the included Bipping. Once I sort through the other cards in the package, I'll post those too.

Coolness On A Frigid Day

While I'm shoveling out three cars that the plows packed in tight, I thought I'd show off my eagerly awaited "Coolness Prize" from dayf, for knowing what this post was all about.

Triple Bipped

I knew it was coming sooner or later.

My first bipping.

By a Bip-happy mad Georgian.

I got Magglio Bipped!!!

This came in the middle of two contest packages that I had won from dayf. Little does he know... I've been preparing for this day. I sent out my first test-Bip last week. I have big plans. They will be implemented soon. May Bip have mercy on your soul.

I got...

WSC Vintage: Monty Stratton

Card #13 - Monty Stratton

Monty's Major League career is only tragic in regards to how short it was. From 1934 until 1938, he pitched for the White Sox. Stratton was becoming a fan favorite and a pitcher that could be counted on for a fantastic win-loss percentage and a low ERA.

His best year, 1937, saw Monty in the All-Star Game. That season he won 15 games, while losing only 5. He had a fantastic ERA of 2.40 that year. In 1938, he still won 15 games, but lost 9 and his ERA ended up in the low fours, which was still respectable for that era.

After the 1938 season, Monty was hunting when he fell and accidentally discharged his firearm. The bullet lodged in his right leg and caused enough damage to a main artery to require amputation.

The story doesn't end there though. Monty attempted several comebacks with a new wooden leg. He never again reached the majors, but remained active in minor league ball until 1953. In 1946, while pitching for the Sherman Twins of the East Texas League, Stratton won 18 games. Monty would never again reach double digit wins, but his story was made into a movie starring Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson, which featured cameos from Jimmy Dykes, Bill Dickey and Gene Bearden.

Correcting A Common Error

I know that most people in the world could care less about a baseball card blog right this second. There's some Big Game going on in another sport, preempted by an impromptu classic rock medley (with only two original members performing) in the middle. It may be hours or days before you stumble across this post.

Meet Tommy Davis. This is his 1968 Topps Game card. Number ten in a series of thirty-three.

Commonly, this card of Tommy Davis has him associated with the Dodgers. I can see where people would assume that. The picture on this card features no team identifiers. The card fails to mention his team affiliation. Tommy's best days up to this point were on the Dodgers. Hell, even the picture is likely to hail from his days in Dodger blue.

It just ain't so.

From 1959 until 1966, Tommy Davis was part of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He did very well during those formative years. In 1967, he found himself on the New York Mets. He wasn't a part-time player, who could get lost in the shuffle. Tommy played 154 games for the Mets.

By 1968, Davis found himself on the White Sox. How anyone could look at his stats and mistake him for being on the Dodgers, at this point, is beyond me. It happens. That's why I am here to point out this common error. The White Sox did wear a similar color on their uniforms during this time, which is probably where the genesis of this misinformation started. That certainly isn't a Mets uniform he's wearing.

That has been a White Sox PSA. Thank you for your time.

Bipped On The World's Stage

If you, or someone you know gets bipped, feel free to use any of the Bip Images from this blog to express your frustration.

Mailbox Joys: Deacon Jones

1963 Topps Rookie Stars #253 - Deacon Jones (Len Gabrielson, Pete Jernigan, John Wojik)

When I was searching for my counterfeit Rose rookie, I came across a few other rookie cards from the 1963 Topps set. This one caught my eye for two reasons. One; I discovered that I had overlooked this card when I was making my original White Sox '63 Topps list. Two; I was checking out this card for someone else and discovered a White Sox player in the lower left hand corner.

It was like stumbling across the Holy Grail or something of equal or lesser value. I jumped on the auction and ended up being the only bidder, which was fine by me. I didn't intend to get into a bidding war over this card. One bid would have knocked me out.

What struck me as odd was the choice of teams. Two Sox teams, who never left their respective cities after establishing themselves in the majors. Two teams who are caught in the second of each of their three city legacies. Out of the four, only one is from the National League. Out of the four, only one name doesn't make my spell checker spew smoke.

I am one card closer to completion of the White Sox 1963 Topps master team set. That may be the best news of all.