Note: this article on the Topps monopoly era is part of a series on the overall history of baseball card collecting. It will run in portions here and on the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America newsletter. Remember opening your first ever wax pack of Topps baseball cards? Oftentimes, the back bookend of the card came with a stain on it, from having been wedged … [Read more...] about History of Baseball Card Collecting: The Topps Monopoly Era
Chicago White Sox
White Sox Flop Brian Anderson Takes Over Embattled Northwestern Program
F. Scott Fitzgerald is infamously misquoted whenever people claim he once said "there are no second acts in American life." They just didn't understand what Fitzgerald meant. We'll now see if Brian Anderson the baseball coach is superior to the Brian Anderson the Major League Baseball player. Anderson, the 15th overall pick in the 2003 MLB Draft, and a five tool player if … [Read more...] about White Sox Flop Brian Anderson Takes Over Embattled Northwestern Program
Ozzie Guillen Provides Emotional, Powerful Reaction to Highland Park Shooting
As it's the one year anniversary of the Highland Park, IL Independence Day Parade mass shooting, we now re-publish our stories from one year ago, spotlighting the reactions and commentary from local sports figures. Fourth of July 2022 will unfortunately always be synonymous with the deadly mass shooting that transpired in the in the affluent Chicago suburb of Highland Park, … [Read more...] about Ozzie Guillen Provides Emotional, Powerful Reaction to Highland Park Shooting
White Sox Closer Liam Hendriks Calls for Action on American Gun Laws
As it's the one year anniversary of the Highland Park, IL Independence Day Parade mass shooting, we now re-publish our stories from one year ago, spotlighting the reactions and commentary from local sports figures. Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks is a two-time All-Star who led the American League in saves last season with 38. As great a baseball player as he is, … [Read more...] about White Sox Closer Liam Hendriks Calls for Action on American Gun Laws
Inflation Hits Home Especially Hard with Event Ticket Prices
These days, you can take the word inflation and attach it to just about anything. "Tipflation," "gasflation," "foodflation"- all these words and more are all part of the lexicon now. Just how bad is inflation right now? Hard to say because the official government statistics for core inflation deliberately exclude food and energy costs. What we do know is that this is a … [Read more...] about Inflation Hits Home Especially Hard with Event Ticket Prices
White Sox 2023 MVP So Far? Beef the Ginger Tabby
Your Chicago White Sox are currently 7-19 right now, on pace to finish 43-119. Yes, you read that right. And this is all during the supposed "competitive window" that we all waited so long to see too. Owner Jerry Reinsdorf clearly doesn't care, and he's letting his club just wither and die. More on all that in another post coming up shortly. For now, let's beef. By that I … [Read more...] about White Sox 2023 MVP So Far? Beef the Ginger Tabby
Five Most Iconic Baseball Cards of the 1980s
In this time of having to stay home more, and go out less (and even if you did go out more- where exactly are you going to go? What's open?) nostalgia is huge. With little to nothing to put in our calendars and look forward to, it's a time for looking back. Thus, I reflected back to when I was a hard core baseball cards collector: 1985-1992. Memories of opening up my first … [Read more...] about Five Most Iconic Baseball Cards of the 1980s
You Can Wish Tony LaRussa Well, and Fired at the Same Time
Of course, at least I hope it's "of course" that you wish Tony La Russa well, from a medical standpoint. Whatever your feelings are about the on the field performance of your 2022 Chicago White Sox, you never wish bad health upon someone. I genuinely hope Tony La Russa is physically and mentally okay. While I do think his second stint as Sox manager has been a total … [Read more...] about You Can Wish Tony LaRussa Well, and Fired at the Same Time
Time to Rethink Black Sox Legacy Amid Field of Dreams Game
Shoeless Joe Jackson, and the rest of his teammates who are banned from baseball forever, due to the Black Sox scandal, are not in the Hall of Fame. However, they still have a very strong presence in Cooperstown. On the main level of the baseball hall of fame, you'll see prominent photos of Shoeless Joe, the 1919 Chicago White Sox, and various artifacts relating to both the … [Read more...] about Time to Rethink Black Sox Legacy Amid Field of Dreams Game
Travelogue: Visiting the Field of Dreams Movie Site in Iowa
The moral of the 1989 Kevin Costner film Field of Dreams is that no matter what happens between a parent and child, the possibility of redemption will always still exist. The movie's plot revolves around an ex-hippy turned farmer in Iowa who hears voices in his cornfield telling him to build a ball field on his property. In doing so, the ghosts of Shoeless Joe Jackson and … [Read more...] about Travelogue: Visiting the Field of Dreams Movie Site in Iowa