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About a year ago, thanks to Steve over at White Sox Cards, my 
old friend Rick Stelmaszek has a 1974 Topps Traded baseball card. Steve is a master at such creations. He has also helped me with a Mick Kelleher Cardinals card, a Ricky Seilheimer White Sox card and a couple Mike Squires cards. Steve is so dedicated that he sent me a corrected version after he realized he mistakenly listed Rick as a pitcher. Ironically, I didn't even catch the error!The Chicago Cubs would be Stelmaszek's last major league team. After finishing the 1974 season with the Cubs, Stelmaszek spent all of 1975 with the Wichita Aeros (the AAA affiliate of the Cubs). In January of 1976, he was traded to the New York Yankees for Gerry Pirtle (who never pitched for the Cubs, was released two years later and pitched in 19 games for the 1978 Montreal Expos).Stelmaszek played one season in Syracuse (the Yankees AAA affiliate) before heading back to the Texas Rangers organization for one season. Finally, he landed with the Wisconsin Rapids Twins (the A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins) as a player-manager. However, Stelmaszek's career started in the Washington Senators' (now the Texas Rangers) organization. There is an Ebay auction ending in two days which features a very young Stelmaszek while with the Senators. The picture has to be about 40 years old. It's a great piece of baseball nostalgia. 
Vintage Rick Stelmaszek photo as found on Ebay (#390211387607)
I have a recurring series called Pre-Fame...Pre-Johngy, which is about me, before I became Johngy, meeting people before they became famous. Today, I am starting a spinoff, featuring others in the Pre-Johngy slot. First up is Steve, from White Sox Cards.Before there was a White Sox Cards...
and before Rob Mackowiak played for the beloved White Sox (and the Pirates, Padres and Nationals)...
Steve and Rob were classmates at Oak Lawn Community
High School in Oak Lawn (IL). Not only were they classmates for three years, but they took gym class together.
I learned this fact while reading an April Fool's piece on White Sox Cards. The post was brilliantly done. Had it not been April 1, I would have believed it completely. Mackowiak is exactly the type of player who the Cubs would sign in hopes that he would regain his form of several seasons ago.
I asked Steve about his encounters with Mackowiak. Steve stated, "The thing I will always remember about Rob in school is that we took a gym class together and we would talk White Sox baseball during down time. It makes me laugh to think we used to talk about Ozzie Guillen as a player and that years later, Rob was being managed by him."
Awesome! Thanks to Steve for sharing this and for being the first person in the Pre-Fame...Pre- ?? spinoff series.
1993 Oak Lawn Community High School yearbook photos of Steve and Rob Mackowiak.
As I have previously detailed, I love the way my fellow bloggers create virtual baseball cards. Since I don't have great skills at PhotoShop or other such programs, I put out a blog enlisting the aid of those creative bloggers to help me in my quest to give former Chicago White Sox 1st baseman his full compliment of baseball cards. Over the holiday break, I received two such creations.One person sent me a version of a 1975 Topps Rookie Infielders featuring Squires in one of the slots. This card is very cool and very unexpected. I like the choice of including Squires in this card, because crosstown rookie Manny Trillo is also on the card. How often do you get a card featuring players from both Chicago teams?Unfortunately, the sender remains anonymous. Please shoot me an email with your info, so I can give you proper credit. 
The other creation was sent by Steve over at White Sox Cards. Steve is a virtual card genius! Every creation of his is a masterpiece and he has done several for me. I appreciate all of them.An interesting and difficult part of the 1976 Topps card Steve created is the position. I didn't even realize that Topps did not give the Sox a 1st baseman in this set. This is hard to believe, but it is true. See, they should have included Squires!
These cards have a special element. They depict Squires in the red pinstripes that the Sox wore in the early 70's when I first started following them. Maybe it is nostalgia, but I still miss those uniforms.I love these card creations. I can now rest easily, since all of the possible missing cards of Squires have been made. Thanks to everyone who has contributed!
Last week I put out a challenge for some creative bloggers to produce any of the 'missing' baseball cards of Mike Squires. A few days ago, I featured a 1986 Topps as created by Jason of The Writer's Journey and Jim of Garvey Cey Russell Lopes.In the comments section of that post, Steve at White Sox Cards wrote that he put together a 1978 card of Squires and had it posted on his site. That card is pictured below.Actually, it was Squires who lead me to White Sox Cards the first time. Steve wrote a series of posts discussing his choices for best players to wear each number for the White Sox. His choice for #25 was Tommy John, with a mention of Jim Thome. I politely objected and made my case for Squires. I've been following his site ever since.Steve's site has everything including several sets of specially created cards, card spotlights, White Sox thoughts and much more. He's also been known to veer slightly off-topic with random and interesting things (such as his recent Paul McCartney and Wings clip).This is another great creation by Steve. The picture seems a perfect fit for the 1978 Topps set. I also love how young Squires looks in the photo.I really appreciate Steve's efforts. This was his 4th creation for me and I love them all. A new bunch of White Sox goodness will be Steve's upon my next trip to his area.To recap, I now have a 1977, 1978 and 1986 Topps card creation of Mike Squires. Still outstanding are the elusive 1976 (with red and blue uni) and 1979 (non shared rookie) Topps cards.Thanks to everyone for their comments, assistance, creations and patience while I prattle on with my Squires mancrush.
Mike Squires 1978 Topps card as created by Steve at White Sox Cards.
Steve over at White Sox Cards has done it again. As I have featured before, Steve is the genius behind 'Cards That Never Were', 'Birth Year Cards' and other such gems.
Steve recently developed a new White Sox application for Facebook. Currently there are 143 items, although I haven't seen them all yet. Some are locked, but the more you send, the more get unlocked.Ordinarily, I don't use many of the applications on Facebook. Steve got me hooked on his White Sox creation by thoughtfully and wisely sending me a 'Mike Squires'. Yep, I am the proud owner of a 'Mike Squires'. How awesome!
This post could also be called 'Cards That Never Were', but I decided to stick with the 'Stelmaszek' theme. Besides, the CTNW title really belongs to Steve over at White Sox Cards.Steve has a great White Sox blog and occasionally creates specific cards for players, who either needed a different card or missed being part of a certain set. Steve is also producing a cool bunch of cards called 'Birth Year Cards',
an imaginative collection showcasing current White Sox players featured on cards from their birth year.A few days ago, I asked Steve if he would produce a card of Rick Stelmaszek in a Cubs uniform from a picture I had. Stelmaszek did have a Cubs card, but that 1975 Topps card was one of their trademark airbrushes. I gave Steve 3 options (1974 Traded, 1975 Regular or even a 1976 Regular, though that would be a stretch).Much to my surprise, I was catching up on stuff after a 3 day weekend in Milwaukee and Minneapolis, when I checked Steve's White Sox Cards site and saw 'Cards That Never Were #8', featuring Stelmaszek in a Cubs uni on a 1974 Traded card. How very cool.Steve selected the '74T because he felt it made the most sense. I totally agree, but I wanted to give Steve options.Steve's creation is very special for several reasons. First, it is now the only card of Stelmaszek legitimately in a Cubs uni. Ironically, his regular '74 card features him in an airbrushed Angels cap.Second, most '74T featured a close headshot or even some airbrushing. Steve's creation shows a nice posed shot of Stelmaszek.Finally, this brings to life my first autographed picture. I got this picture at an athletic banquet at my school in 1975. Now, Steve has breathed fresh life into it.I really appreciate Steve's efforts. I know creating these cards is no small task and I am thankful for his effort. I also highly recommend his site, whether you are a White Sox fan or not.
A 1974 Topps Traded card of Rick Stelmaszek as created by Steve at White Sox Cards.
When I discuss Cards That Never Were, I usually am talking about Steve over at White Sox Cards. Today, I am highlighting Paul over at Wrigley Wax, a great blog mostly about Cubs card collecting.On Saturday, Paul posted a piece entitled 'Topps 1969 Update Set, Cubs', in which he produced updated (better) versions of the 1969 Topps Cubs cards. His set featured all of the positional starters and a few pitchers. He even added Paul Popovich, the super sub. Ordinarily the Popovich card would be the one to really catch me...and it did. However, when I left a comment, I couldn't help but mention a couple others I would have liked to see. Who would have thought he would jump into action and produce my requests?I mentioned Ken Rudolph, the backup cather. Coincidentally, I had a post set to run today about meeting Ken Rudolph. As everyone knows, I have a special place in my heart for backup catchers and Rudolph was a pretty good backup.I also asked for Oscar Gamble, just because I always wanted to see a good card of Gamble with the Cubs. This would really have been Gamble's rookie card, as '69 was his first season.Late last night, while checking my blog, I saw Wrigley Wax had a new post entitled 'As Requested' and there was a small picture of a Ken Rudolph 1969 card. I eagerly clicked on the link and was greeted by the cards shown below. Paul had granted my request by producing 2 fantastic looking additional cards to his set.Thanks Paul and really great work!
1969 Topps cards of Ken Rudolph & Oscar Gamble as reproduced by Paul of Wrigley Wax.
Steve over at White Sox Cards was at it again. A couple months ago, Steve wrote some blogs about baseball cards that never were and then cleverly brought them into being. Recently, I gave him the challenge of making a Mick Kelleher baseball card depicting Kelleher with the Cardinals. Steve produced another masterpiece and I am grateful.Kelleher had several real cards, starting with the 1977 Topps issue. This card and the next few years, showed Kelleher in a Cubs uniform. Kelleher left the Cubs after the 1980 season. Subsequent Kelleher cards showed him as a Tiger and an Angel. Before all of that however, Kelleher's career started with the Cardinals. Kelleher played parts of 2 seasons with the Cardinals, 1 season with the Astros and 1 more season with the Cardinals before he joined the Cubs.Very few pictures exist of Kelleher with the Cardinals, but Steve did not take the easiest path and use Kelleher's SSPC photo. The photo Steve used had a blue signature across it, which Steve carefully eliminated.
The 1973 Topps design was a great choice for the picture. It fits perfectly. If mixed in with other 1973 cards, it would blend right in. It just has that feel.
I will be printing two. One just to keep and one to send to Kelleher for signing. The card looks so authentic, it might confuse Kelleher.
The scrappy Kelleher was one of my favorites. Kelleher was slick and versatile in the field, but weak at the plate, hitting 0 HR's in over 1,000 AB's. One of the more inspirational moments in his career occurred when the 5'9" Kelleher mixed it up with the 6'6" Dave Kingman after a play at 2nd base.Thanks to Steve for another masterful job of creating a much-desired card (at least by me) where none existed previously. Steve runs a great website and is a devout White Sox fan. Producing a card of an ex-Cub favorite might not have been Steve's first choice, but I really appreciate his effort! 
Mick Kelleher's 1973 Topps card as produced by Steve of White Sox Cards.
I interrupt my usual ramblings about the celebrities I have met to present something cool from another blogger, Steve over at White Sox Cards. Steve is a Chicago White Sox fan who produces 
a blog about his favorite team.Recently, Steve started making graphic images of baseball cards that were never issued, but would be interesting to see. For instance, he put Harold Baines on a 1980 Topps card, usurping the 1981 Topps card as the Baines rookie card. Steve is a maestro.Back in the day (meaning pre-pc's), I was a master of the 'cut and paste', but that meant actual 'cutting' and actual 'pasting'. It was a long 
and tedious process, but I became darn good at it. Unfortunately for me, as I reached my apex, computers and graphic programs made my skills obsolete. Over the years, I have learned enough to be able to do the basics with Photoshop, but I cannot come anywhere near Steve (and others, I suppose), when it comes to creating something like a card that never was.For me, these 'cards' are so cool. I grew up with mainly one baseball card company, Topps. That meant one baseball card of each player every year. Some less 
accomplished players didn't even have a card every year (or ever, in some cases).
As a baseball fan and card collector, this annoyed me. I wanted to see Mike Squires in the old red and blue White Sox uni on a 1976 card. I wanted a 1979 'rookie' card of Harry Chappas, the diminutive but highly-touted shortstop. I was disappointed that Ricky Seilheimer never appeared on any card.Thanks to Steve, my Seilheimer angst has subsided. As soon
as Steve learned of my quest, Steve created a 1981 Seilheimer card, adding it to his CTNW collection of Baines '80, Carlton Fisk '70 and Frank Thomas Upper Deck '90.Seilheimer seems out of place in the company of those other great players. I might have been the only person desiring a Seilheimer card. So, I really appreciate Steve's effort. Now, if I could just find an old picture of Squires circa 1975, I would really be content!
Posts
old friend Rick Stelmaszek has a 1974 Topps Traded baseball card. Steve is a master at such creations. He has also helped me with a Mick Kelleher Cardinals card, a Ricky Seilheimer White Sox card and a couple Mike Squires cards. Steve is so dedicated that he sent me a corrected version after he realized he mistakenly listed Rick as a pitcher. Ironically, I didn't even catch the error!
Vintage Rick Stelmaszek photo as found on Ebay (#390211387607)
