#134 Alan Bannister, White Sox

 

 

Card Front: It is hard to get much out of this card if you are any kind of fan of seeing much. It is great if you want to see the great collared shirts that the SOX would wear during these years. I can't say I'm big on the collars, but I did like the look and simplicity of the uniforms they did wear during this time and would welcome them back.



Card Back: I guess it was important to show us all his stats from his part time 311 games in the big leagues. I do like how Topps detailed his signing bonus and all the players involved in the deal that brought Alan to Chicago. It seems that the fact that he attended Arizona State was just a throw in. I do like that they were able to throw in a recent last season factoid on the sidebar instead of a hundred year old fact.

Six degrees or less to Seattle: During Alan's last season in Philadelphia in 1975, he played at the Vet with Dick Ruthven. Dick was a guy that was around the game for a very long time and would find his way to Wrigley to be part of the 1985 Chicago Cubs With Shawon Dunston. Shawon was another of those players that would be around for quite a long time. While making a stopover with the 1998 version of the Cleveland Indians, Shawon would team up with Russell Branyan. Russell would make his way tot the dugout in Seattle for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

Next Card: #135 Bobby Murcer, Cubs

#127 Thad Bosley, White Sox

 

 

Card Front: A very classic look. There is such focus and intensity on Thad's face. I know that many people like to rag on the White Sox for their uniforms of the 70's and 80's but I liked them. I think that the collars were a different look. I think the old look lettering of the jerseys and the simple hats were great.

 

Card Back: It always fun to see how a player progressed through the minors to make it to the show. Thad would take the time to make the show and bounce up and down all through his career that would last all the way through the 80's and see many teams along the way. How would you like to have been a pitcher for the Reds in 1949 and give up five HR's in one inning?

 

Six degrees or less to Seattle: During Spring Training of the 1982 season, the Brewers would trade Thad to the Mariners. He would see time in 22 games during that disappointing season. During Thad's second time as a California Angel in 1988 he would play with Terry Clark. Terry would be part of the 1997 Texas Rangers with Alex Diaz. Alex would be part of the Mariners for two seasons in 1995 and 1996. If wasn't for Alex's filling in for the injured Ken Griffey we wouldn't have had the magical run in the 1995 season to make the playoffs.

 

Next Card: #128 Ted Martinez, Dodgers

#88 Bob Molinaro, White Sox

Card Front: Bob looks like he might have gotten a hit, or did he just ground out? It is good photography to get the dust from his foot in the shot. It look like the Sox were on the road in the Bronx for this picture. I don't know why but I still kind of like the old uniforms with the collars they wore. I can't tell if Bob is wearing batting gloves or some kind of leather work gloves, they look awful strange there.

Card Back: It is amazing that a guy that had only been given 11 games experience in the big leagues got that much time all of a sudden. Granted, most of his time in '78 was at DH since the Sox brought in a hot shot outfielder named Claudell Washington. Bob did spend almost all of 1979 in the minors before being claimed by Baltimore and getting into a few games for the Birds in '79. Wow, 74 players used in a double header tells me they must have been long games...

Six degrees or less to Seattle: Bob only had a total of about 400 games in his career, but he did bounce to a few teams. During his few games with Baltimore in 1979, Bob was on the field with Tim Stoddard. Fast forward 10 years to 1989, and Tim would be a Cleveland Indian with Rudy Seanez. Rudy would stick around for an eternity to make it on to the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies. Another guy on that Phils team was Greg Dobbs, who saw limited playing time with Seattle in 2004, 2005, and the 2006 seasons.

Blog related to the team: The South Siders just won the World Series 7 years ago. You would think they would have a ton of bloggers. One guy that isn't afraid to fly his White Sox flag if Jeff. You might know him better as the author of My Sports Obsession. I could take or leave his baseball and football teams, but Jeff is a man after my own heart since he is a Michigan Wolverine fan(GO BLUE!!). If you have some extra White Sox, Colts, Wolverines, or 1981 Topps laying around get with him and help him out.

Next Card: #89 Dick Tidrow, Yankees

#42 Ron Blomberg, White Sox

Card Front: Here is Ron doing his best to look like a menacing hitter. It looks as though it was a nice sunny day in Sarasota, FL during the spring. I assume it was a little chilly since Ron's sporting the nylon windbreaker. How cool would it be to see the Sox go back to these old navy blue threads?

Card Back: As you can see, Ron didn't have the making of a great hitter. While his averages were high, the number of at bats are not very high. I like the historical fact Ron was the American League's first DH back in 1973. I think that Brooklyn's Karl Spooner started pretty well fanning 6 straight in his first MLB start. This card was Ron's last, since he was released on March 30 before the 1979 season.

Six degrees or less to Seattle: Most all of Ron's teammates would be Yankees. As part of the 1974 Yankees, Ron played with Rick Dempsey. Rick would be one the catchers to catch John Wetteland as part of the 1990 Dodgers. John would make his name and spend time on the same mound as Mike Gardiner for the 1993 Montreal Expos. Mike broke into the Majors for 5 games as a part of the 1990 Mariners team.

Blog related to the team: I think we all know the White Sox. One of the more well known teams. They never get the love that their city mates from the north get, but they have their devoted fans. One of them that was been blogging for a long time is Steve of White Sox Cards. He always has a card of the day, and I'm really looking forward to his season pass cards for 2012 since last year's were pretty cool.

Next Card: Wayne Twitchell, Expos