2010 National Chicle White Sox In Pictures

2010 National Chicle

I've been waiting to review this set for awhile now. Bearing in mind that the previews for this card set have been some of the most polarizing in recent memory, I wanted a good majority of the White Sox set in my hand before I gave my final judgment.

I'm happy to say that the White Sox set, sans short prints and variations, are in my hand. Thanks to a mighty nice eBay seller and pure luck, 14 of the 15 cards.

The trend of the last few years is retro. This set is no exception. The difference maker is that Topps commissioned actual living and breathing artists to paint and design works of art for this set. The extra care is immediately apparent when holding one in your hand.

Some interpretations of players are sketchy. Some are unadulterated pure bliss. With artwork, the result is truly in the eye of the beholder. While the famed "Chipper Ruth" may look like a failed lab experiment, is was based on an actual photograph of Babe Ruth. It's just puzzling to see that image in an Atlanta jersey, since the only team in Atlanta during Ruth's playing days were the Crackers. The Braves were still in Boston.

Let's run down the fifteen White Sox cards in the set.

61 - Gordon Beckham
A smiling, sunglasses wearing Bacon, lit up like an angelic figure, washed in an ocean of blue. This was the first positive White Sox image I saw during the previews. It loses none of its luster in person.

67 - Mark Buehrle
Flailing among various shades of green stripes, Buehrle looks a little drunk. It's still a nice artist's rendition of his easygoing delivery style. Kudos for the glove tuck.

80 - Jermaine Dye
The background looks to be made of turmeric, which is a pleasant memory of Indian food. Dye looks generic enough to be included in an Upper Deck release. It's still recognizable as Jermaine though.

99 - Alexei Ramirez
Run Alexei! A gigantic atomic cloud is rushing towards you or you stole Ozzie Guillen's beans from lunch. Either way, it's bad news. That's a shame, since the painting of Alexei is really good, except for the spore colony mutating behind him.

111 - Paul Konerko
A classic Goudey-like background with Paul trotting around the bases. Simple, elegant.

161 - Juan Pierre
Another Goudey-like stadium background. Juan has a goofy smile, is running like an extra in Chariots of Fire, and looks too small for the uniform. These would all be negatives, until you realize that Pierre does have a goofy smile while running like an extra from a movie about running and wears a uniform that could fit two of him. Kudos!

168 - Jake Peavy
The artist manages to capture the intensity of a Peavy pitch. The eggplant and mauve color scheme strangely works.

172 - Gavin Floyd
The artist manages to make Gavin look like a younger brother of Roger Clemens. The stoplight background color scheme is interesting, to say the least.

179 - Carlos Quentin
I'll admit that green is my favorite color and the background is almost a light saber glowing shade of green, which to my eye is awesome. Why muck up that awesomeness with Carlos Quentin looking like a Lee Marvin doppelganger from "The Man Who Shot Liberty Vance"?

195 - Alex Rios
I love the effect of colored pencil on portraits. Just not here. It may be watercolor, but my money is on colored pencil. A wash of turpentine would have done wonders for the look of this. Alex looks like he's fading into the background.

205 - John Danks
The night and day aspect of the artwork works extremely well here. It's like Danks is emerging from the darkness and is about to shine in the limelight.

208 - Luis Aparicio
A really fantastic portrait of Aparicio. There's nothing going on in the background so the focus is brought to the subject. The harshness of the red background draws Luis out more and makes him pop. It works very well with the mid-tones used in the face.

256 - Tyler Flowers
The same effect is used on Tyler with the red background. Only the red is only used on the upper portion. A grass green is used on the majority of the body background. It doesn't make the uniform pop as much, but the softer color makes a warm feeling come over the viewer.

258 - Gordon Beckham
The second Bacon in the set is both a win and a fail. The win comes from the artist's use of softness and variations on sepia in the artwork. The fail comes from an oversimplification of the subject. The face reminds me of the worst strip panels from the late teens and early twenties. The uniform style screams tobacco cards from a decade prior to the strip panels. The technique is amazing, but not for a recognizable player.

312 - Tyler Flowers
This is the most polarizing card in the White Sox set. Tyler's second card of the set resembles the 1990 Topps Frank Thomas error with no name on the front. Tyler is put into Frank's body and it does not work on many levels. The original card is so iconic. This feels like a forced cube in a round hole. It might have worked better is the original card was actually a catcher.

Overall, the cards look fantastic. Even the bad paintings are better than most of what's out now.

Ladies And Gentlemen... The Beatles!

August 20, 1965

Shows at 3 and 8.

Four men.

An estimated 52,000 of their close personal friends.

Surprisingly, no accurate set list has been found.

This is the best estimation.

* Twist And Shout
* She's A Woman
* I Feel Fine
* Dizzy Miss Lizzie
* Ticket To Ride
* Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby
* Can't Buy Me Love
* Baby's In Black
* Act Naturally**
* A Hard Day's Night
* Help!
* I'm Down

(**- NOTE: For some shows, the Beatles would drop Act Naturally, and play I Wanna Be Your Man instead)

Contests Coming This Week

Look out for some giveaways this week, courtesy of Strat-O-Matic games!

Since 1961, Strat-O-Matic has created the most realistic simulation of statistically accurate baseball. Every player is rated by Strat-O-Matic’s unique rating system with statistical precision in each phase of the game – batting, pitching, defense and running.

Strat-O-Matic Baseball is played with the exact same rules as professional baseball. Each major leaguer has his own Strat-O-Matic Player Card based on his overall stats from the 2009 season. The gamer controls every aspect of each play from determining the starting line-up, stealing, hitting and running to replacing the starting pitcher. Instead of a bat and ball, the gamer uses dice, player cards and charts to play the game.

WSC Birth Years: Donny Lucy In Action

Card #56 - Donny Lucy - In Action

Born: August 8, 1982

A bonus card based on the 1982 Topps card set.

WSC Birth Years: Donny Lucy

Card #55 - Donny Lucy

Born: August 8, 1982

After making his debut in 2007, Donny has been stuck in the minors, behind parent club veteran catchers, until a heel injury to Ramon Castro forced the Sox to call upon Lucy's services again in 2010.

Donny has been making the most of his backup catcher role. Since rejoining the big club, he has seen an increase in his playing time and slugged his first Major League home run, which also turned out to be his first RBI.

Despite being a backup to workaholic A.J. Pierzynski, Lucy has found ample time to get in games. Donny has been waiting in the wings for a few seasons now. 2010 will be the time to make an argument to stay with the parent club.

Cards That Never Were #20

1968 Topps - Reggie Jackson

Reggie started his career with the Kansas City Athletics on June 9, 1967, the year before the team moved to Oakland. Despite being the second pick in the first round of the 1966 draft, the future Mr. October did not get his first card until the 1969 set.

Before I delve any further in making of this card, I want to give thanks to jimfromdowningtown and Johngy for their suggestions and overall help in this endeavor. From photos to lists of players, they have ensured that this project will be around for a long time.

This Reggie Jackson card was a source of frustration. There are two different cards that I created. The final 1968 version is the one at the top of this post. It's a nice photo of Reggie posing during what appears to be Spring Training. It appears that the photo might be from 1968, since the MLB 100th anniversary patch is not present on the uniform. Reggie also looks like a spring chicken in the photo.
The first attempt was the perfect storm, until I realized this was the exact same photo used on Reggie's 1969 card. I toyed with leaving the card as is, since Topps was either too broke or lazy to spring for new pictures in some of their 1969 cards. Many of the photos in that set are the same photos from the 1968 set.

After I expunged that silly notion, I went to work on finding a new photograph to use. Using the same photo that appeared on Reggie's rookie card was taking the easy way out. I do not want this project to fail like that. I will only use the same photograph used for an era card on a custom card when all other options are exhausted.

It took many hours, but I finally tracked down the posing photo. The main trouble is that the available photos are either from 1969 or later. I did not run across a color photograph of Reggie in a Kansas City uniform.

I did run across a great photo of Reggie leaning across the top of a dugout chatting it up with fans. There was only one problem... that 100th anniversary patch was clearly visible. Lucky for me and you, I was able to run across a great picture that I didn't see on any vintage era card.

Here is what Reggie Jackson's rookie card should have looked like... and a bonus alternate.

Card Spotlight: 4-30-10

1975 Topps Mini #35 - Ron Santo

I'm going to Wrigley today to see the Diamondbacks. How can I pass up a free ticket to a baseball game? So, what better way to commemorate this experience by showing a Cubs legend in a White Sox uniform.

I really want to like Ron Santo. I really do. He makes it really hard sometimes. Listening to the Cubs radio broadcasts are sometimes like listening to a dramatic reading of the Steinbeck classic, "Of Mice And Men".

Pat Hughes is a competent and intelligent announcer. He makes thoughtful observations and has a pleasant voice. Ron Santo says, "Yeah", after what seems like an eternity of radio silence.

I really feel for the guy though. I've heard about his struggle with diabetes and it breaks my heart to see someone go through all that pain and suffering. Many stories have been told about keeping the disease a secret, except for his teammates and having occasional near-disasters on the field because of low blood sugar. I feel bad for Ron Santo.

Then, I hear about his refusal to broadcast games in New York against the Mets. He certainly knows how to hold a grudge. It was forty-one years ago that the Mets passed up the Cubs on their way to a World Series victory, Ron. Get over it! The black cat didn't cause the Cubs to swoon, the inept defense did your team in. It probably didn't help that you were quick to criticize your teammate, Don Young, after he made key errors... on July 8th!

Pettiness is pretty selfish to hold onto for over forty years. I'll be sitting near the booth today. Hopefully, I can enjoy the game in peace. The more I hear about the 1969 Cubs, the more I think that it's been overblown into some mythological beast. The '69 Cubs lost the pennant by 8 games and the slump began over two months before the season ended. It's not quite the lost season everyone would have you believe. Still, if the Cubs went .500 that September, it might have been close.

WSC Vintage: Wally Moses

Card #16 - Wally Moses

When Wally was traded to the White Sox on December 9, 1941, he was four years past his best year (1937) and exactly two years past a voided trade to the Detroit Tigers. The aborted trade could have made the difference in the 1940 World Series. Instead, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis decided to nullify the proposed trade. This was one of many baffling decisions made during the tyrannical reign of baseball's first commissioner.

Moses took the opportunity to play in Chicago to heart. He showed off his speed by posting a career-high mark in 1943 with 56 stolen bases. Wally also co-led the league in triples that year, with Johnny Lindell of the New York Yankees, slugging 12.

Wally led the league in putouts in 1945 with 329. He also led the league with 35 doubles that year. It seemed to be a period of resurgence for Moses, as he finally made it back to the All-Star game. His first trip since 1937.

On July 23, 1946, Wally was purchased by the Boston Red Sox. He batted .417 and tied a World Series record with four hits in a game. Despite this, he was released after the season. He finished his career, where it began, with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1951.

Watashi O Tetsudatte Moraemasenka?

I figured that someone who can understand the title of this post might be able to help me find this card. To my understanding this translates as a polite way of saying "Could you help me?"

This is a 1995 BBM Bobby Thigpen card. I let it slip through my fingers once. I do not intend on making the same mistake twice.

Part of the problem stems from this card being part of a Japanese release. Unless the name on the card translates to Ichiro Suzuki, chances are that the card will not be readily available in the States. This would likely be the crown jewel in my Thigpen collection.

If anyone knows a place where I can find this, please leave a suggestion in the comments section.

UPDATE: In early 2011, I finally obtained this card! Now, the only card left to seek out is Thigpen's 1995 Takara Fukuoka Daiei Hawks card.

Cards That Never Were #19

1964 Topps - Dave Roberts

Dave played for the Colts in 1962 and 1964. At the end of 1965, a season he spent in the minor leagues, Roberts was drafted by the Pirates in the Rule 5 draft.

Dave has a rookie stars card in the 1963 Topps set, which he shares with three other players. Dave also has a card in the 1966 Topps set, as a Pirate, but nothing else.

I decided to make the card a 1964 Topps. Here's the reasoning. Dave L. Roberts never played a game as an Astro. Every game that he played for the Houston organization was when they were using the Colt .45s name. By 1965, the Colts had become the Astros and were reflected that way on Topps cards. Using that logic, the missing card would have to be a 1964.

Dave wasn't the best player, but he managed to stick around for parts of three different non-consecutive seasons. That was probably due to his versatility in playing the field.

Cards That Never Were #18

1975 Topps - Jerry Moses

Wait a minute. Doesn't Jerry Moses have a card in the 1975 Topps set? The answer is... yes. Unfortunately, that card of Jerry is on the Detroit Tigers, a team that he played on last in 1974.

Jerry was purchased by the New York Mets in January 1975. Moses never played a single game for the Mets, but was purchased by the San Diego Padres in April 1975. Jerry played in 13 games for the Friars.

Then, in July 1975, Jerry was purchased by the Chicago White Sox, where he appeared in the last two games of his Major League career.

As a result of not playing his first game of 1975 until May 7th, Jerry was denied a proper team designated card. If there was a traded set in 1975, more than likely the team choice would have been the White Sox.

Coming later in the series... a 1975 Topps Jerry Moses White Sox card.

Cards That Never Were #17

1951 Topps - Nelson Fox

After experimenting with baseball cards in the 1948 Magic set, Topps issued two sets of 52 baseball cards in 1951, which were used in a card game of baseball.

With only 104 cards between the two sets, not including the few update variations, there wasn't room for a lot of players. One of the overlooked players was Nelson Fox, better known to today's generation as Nellie Fox.

Nelson was traded to the Chicago White Sox from the Philadelphia Athletics, at the end of the 1949 season, for Joe Tipton. Fox's first season with Chicago saw a dip in his batting average as his games played increased from 88 to 130. Nellie's fielding was spectacular though.

How could Topps know that Nelson Fox would become one of the premier second basemen of the fifties? They couldn't. Topps also couldn't predict that Nellie's bat would come around too.

In hindsight, Nellie should have been an easy addition to one of the sets. Sometimes it's hard to see things in the moment. Topps also left out (shockingly) then rookie, Mickey Mantle. Topps has created a '51 Mantle as a modern day insert, but I've yet to run across a 1951 Topps Nelson Fox.

Attention All Card Bloggers!

From Andy at Baseball-Reference.com:

The Baseball-Reference.com Blog has a new weekly feature covering
baseball cards:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/blog/archives/category/card-of-the-week

Click on that link to call up the relevant posts.

We would like to feature some of the excellent card blogs out there.
If you would like to participate, please email me at 88topps at gmail
dot com to direct me to one or two posts on your blog that you would
like to have highlighted. It doesn't matter if they are recent or old,
but they must contain scans of the front and back of a card that can
be used on our blog (minimum size 400 pixels by 285 pixels.) If I
choose to use your scans as the basis of a post, I will credit your
blog by name and also include a writeup about (plus link to) your
original source post. In return, I ask that on your blog you include
either a link or a post for the Baseball-Reference.com blog located at
baseball-reference.com/blog (not a link for just the main
Baseball-Reference.com site.)

We currently get about 40,000 pageviews per week and would love to
send some traffic your way. Please pick out a couple of your favorite
posts and send them my way!

Thanks,
Andy

Can You Help?

When I started this blog, it was mainly to keep track of my growing collection. I never thought that the blog would evolve as it has. I wasn't even expecting people to read it. I never thought my fine arts background would be utilized on this blog either.

I branched out into custom cards and it has stimulated my dormant artistic side. This blog is about many things. White Sox, White Sox cards, custom cards, White Sox history, and many other facets. One thing I began to realize is how every other team impacts my favorite team. Most ex-White Sox players have played for other teams before and after.

As I prepare a book on the early origins of the White Sox, the history of other teams has peaked my interest again. I'm not about to start collecting everything under the sun, like I did in my youth. Part of the thrill as a collector is seeing everyone get their cards. It's always been a source of frustration for me to see the same handful of players get multiple cards, while another handful of players seem to get the shaft time and time again.

Over the past year, I've seen my custom cards gain a lot of attention from readers. I really enjoy making these cards, but I'm hitting a roadblock. The further back I go and the more obscure the player, the less likely I can find a usable color photograph of a player. This impacts the majority of my custom card projects. "Cards That Never Were" and WSC Birth Years" are affected by players that weren't used much, had cups of coffee with a certain team or had the unfortunate luck of being in the photographically unpopular roles of middle relief or pinch runner.

Other times, uniform changes complicate and abandon more custom projects than I care to admit. In the case with "WSC Vintage", some players before 1950 are just next to impossible to find usable photographic evidence of in a White Sox uniform.

How can you help?

Through first hand and second hand knowledge, I'm aware that friends and family of former players read this blog. In a few cases, I have knowledge of actual former players checking out the blog. For the record, I think any connection to a Major League player is pretty cool.

If you or someone you know has had a cup of coffee with the White Sox and you have usable photos of them in uniform, please get in touch with me. If you or someone you know got shafted out of a baseball card (on any team), I want to try to rectify that by making a custom card.

Examples of aborted projects include a 1986 card of Bobby Thigpen. I couldn't find a photo of him, that wasn't used on a 1987 card, in a 1986 White Sox uniform. A 1973 card of Tony LaRussa was canceled since I couldn't find a photo with him on the Cubs. This particular card has been created by another blogger, after I abandoned that project. There are countless others.

If you have photos of any player from the 1894 Sioux City Cornhuskers or the 1895-1899 St. Paul Saints minor league teams, I REALLY want to talk to you.