Chicago White Sox Holiday Gift Guide

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Jul 21, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Santa Claus throws out a ceremonial first pitch before the game between the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The season of giving gifts is upon us, and no matter the reason you are giving a gift, you want to buy the Chicago White Sox fan in your life the right gift.

Now, the question is: what do you purchase and why? Maybe you have a a budget, or a spending limit if it is a Secret Santa type of deal. Maybe the White Sox fan in your life needs a new cap, but with hundreds to choose from, which one do you select?

There are many sites that have White Sox items for sale, whether it be their official team store, Amazon or even eBay. If there is a White Sox item out there, you should be able to find it.

Maybe you want to purchase an autographed picture, a game-used item or even dirt from the final time Paul Konerko played at US Cellular Field. You can do all of that with this gift guide.

Maybe there is something from the Hall of Fame ceremony of Frank Thomas you are still looking for, maybe a book to read over the winter months or even a rare baseball card that your White Sox fan is searching for … we can most likely find it.

This Chicago White Sox Holiday Gift Guide will show a wide variety of gifts you can purchase your White Sox fan this holiday season.

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As for the White Sox … they’ve already given their fans an early holiday surprise with the additions they’ve made this offseason!

Happy shopping everyone, and we hope you find just the right gift you are looking for this holiday season.

Go White Sox!

Man Crate
www.mancrates.com
Retail Price: $89.99 plus s&h

There is one Man Crate that has the logo of the 1983 Chicago White Sox, and earlier this year I received one of these crates and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The site writes the following about the crate and what is included in the crate:

“Praiseworthy Relics: 4 officially-licensed MLB Cooperstown pint glasses, 4 numbered coaster/bottle openers. It also includes: Classic ballpark style peanuts, BEER NUTS Original Peanuts, Box of Cracker Jacks and BIGS Sunflower Seeds.”

All of those items are delivered in a wooden crate.

Here is the link for the Legends of Baseball crates.

Here is one for the current MLB logos.

I recommend this time for a White Sox fan that basically has everything, or one who enjoys a cold beverage on game day because the glasses that come in this set are worth the price alone. This is a nice, high-quality and unique item.

Click here to visit their site. Also, here is a review I wrote about the item this summer on Southside Showdown.

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Cooperstown Collection Caps
shop.mlb.com
Retail Price: $19.99-$35.99

I’m a really big fan of White Sox caps, especially the retro caps from the Cooperstown Collection. The good thing about being a White Sox fan is the fact there are many hats to choose from, because if one thing is true about the White Sox, it is the fact they’ve been very creative when it comes to designing a cap in the past.

One of my favorites is the 1941 cap, and I’m not being paid by any of these companies to promote the product, but I really enjoy the way these caps fit that were made by the ’47 brand.

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They are a good quality cap, and recently I received the 1929-32 version of the White Sox hat, and I love it. I like the quality the cap is made, and having already received one of these caps as a gift last month, it was a great purchase by the giver of the gift.

Also with the Cooperstown Caps is the fact there are a few designs that I’ve never seen or just don’t remember seeing, so it is like a history lesson when checking about how good the White Sox team was that wore these individual designs on their cap.

What are some of your favorite retro style hats that you own or want when it comes to the White Sox?

100 Things White Sox Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die
By Bob Vanderberg
Retail Price: $14.95
Triumph Books

I absolutely love this book. It is full of great history of the White Sox and nuggets of information that any fan of the White Sox will enjoy.

The start of the book grabbed my attention right off the bat when it said the following:

“Men in Chicago White Sox uniforms were jumping on top of each other, hugging each other, celebrating something the franchise had not accomplished in 88 years: the winning of a World Series. For the first time since 1917, the White Sox —our White Sox—were world champions …”

To this day, nearly 10 years later, that is still the single greatest moment I can recall being a White Sox fan, and the first chapter in this book describes how White Sox fans felt on the October night in 2005.

This book covers all aspects of the White Sox history, including but not limited to Bo Jackson, Jack McDowell, the rivalry with the Chicago Cubs and of course Frank Thomas.

The overview of the book says the following:

“This is the ultimate resource guide for true fans of Chicago’s South Side team, whether a die-hard booster from the days of Billy Pierce or a new supporter of Paul Konerko and Chris Sale.”

It is a fun but also informative read that I don’t know how any White Sox fan wouldn’t enjoy, and it is a good way to get through the cold winter months before the start of Opening Day.

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Minnie Minoso Autographed 8″ X 10″ Photograph
Mounted Memories
mountedmemories.com
Retail Price: 24.95 (SALE)

For under $25, this is a perfect gift for a White Sox fan, because who doesn’t want a nice autographed photo of Mr. White Sox?

Ordering from a company like Mounted Memories is safe because you know their autographs are real, and I trust their products, as I’ve attended some shows they’ve held at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Plus, this is a perfect gift if you are on a budget, because this is a gift that a White Sox fan will keep and display for the rest of their lives.

Mounted Memories says the following about their products:

“To ensure authenticity, the hologram can be reviewed online. This process helps to ensure that the product purchased is authentic and eliminates any possibility of duplication or fraud. Comes fully certified with Certificate of Authenticity and tamper-evident hologram.”

To give a little history on Minoso, he played in parts of 17 seasons in the Majors, playing at least one game in the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Minoso played parts of 12 seasons with the White Sox. While on the South Side, he batted .304 with 135 home runs and 1,523 hits.

Minoso was 54 years old when he played his final game.

Now with that said, what White Sox fan wouldn’t want this piece to add to their collection?

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MLB.TV Subscription
MLB.com
Price: $129.99 (2014 Price)

This is a gift that can’t be used until spring training, but for out-of-market White Sox fans, this is a perfect gift to give the White Sox fan in your life.

I’m an out-of-market fan of the White Sox, and for three seasons I’ve had MLB.TV, and now I can’t live without it during the MLB season.

Right now, the offseason package is $24.99 to watch the games from this past season, but this would be an IOU type of gift where you purchase it when the ’15 package becomes available.

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It says spring training games begin on or around March 3, 2015 for MLB.TV.

Here is a link to all of the devices that work with MLB.TV.

This gift to out of market fans hopefully will include lots of wins by Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzija, along with many home runs from Jose Abreu.

Plus, with MLB.TV, you can watch any baseball game live or even on demand. Like I’ve said, I enjoy this product and highly recommend it to any baseball fan.

Field Dirt from Home Plate from Paul Konerko’s Last Game
White Sox Charities
Retail Price: $20.00 ($3.95 s&h)

Yes, this is a strange product or gift, but here is something to get the White Sox fan that has everything of the White Sox, right? How many folks have a jar of dirt for the final game of Paul Konerko’s career?

I think it is a neat idea, and you are supporting a good cause in the process with this. They are selling these at $20 until Dec. 31, but this would be a fun gift to get someone, and if nothing else, the packaging of the dirt is at least a good talking point for conversation.

Plus, it is a small way to have a keepsake of the Captain’s final game with the White Sox, so there is that as well.

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Here is how the product is described:

“Purchase a jar of field dirt from home plate from Paul Konerko’s final game with the White Sox on September 28th, 2014. The picture is a representation of the field dirt jar. The buyer may not receive this exact jar. Each jar is authenticated by MLB.”

They also give information about the White Sox Charities:

“Established in 1990, Chicago White Sox Charities (CWSC) provides annual financial, in-kind and emotional support to hundreds of Chicago-based organizations, including those leading the fight against cancer or dedicated to improving the lives of Chicago’s youth through education, providing health and wellness initiatives, and those offering services to children and families in crisis.”

Jeff Samardzija T-Shirt
Fanatics.com
Price: $27.95

Will this be the hottest-selling White Sox item this holiday season? With the addition of Samardzija, the White Sox became instant contenders in the AL Central since he was added to a rotation with Chris Sale and Jose Quintana.

What I like about this shirt is the White Sox logo on the front of the shirt isn’t giant, and it is a product fans will be excited about.

I suggest buying one of these new Samardzija T-shirts and trading it for a Cubs Samardzija, then since it is the holiday season and basically winter time … toss the Cubs one in a fireplace and set a warm tone while celebrating the White Sox and the holiday season with family and friends.

With Samardzija on the White Sox, he brings a 2.99 ERA and over 200 strikeouts from the ’14 season, which makes the White Sox a better team (hopefully) right off the bat in ’15.

The description of the White Sox T-shirt of Samardzija says it is made of 100-percent cotton and is officially licensed.

One other plus by ordering this T-shirt … Fanatics is having an up to 40-percent off sale, and sometimes you can find coupon codes on the web for free shipping.

2005 World Series Champion Merchandise
Varying prices
ebay.com

There are many items you can purchase a fan of the White Sox when it comes to the 2005 World Champion team. There are way too many items to list here, so there are a wide variety of ways you can go with this White Sox topic.

On eBay, there are 668 items that are listed when you type in “2005 World Series baseball.”

When “2005 World Series White Sox” is searched for, there are 677 listings.

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I’m a big fan of the cap the White Sox received when they were the World Series champions. I still have the hat I purchased over a decade ago, so it is a worthwhile item to purchase.

Also with this topic of White Sox history, there is the ability to go back in time when the White Sox were the best team in baseball for a season, including the DVD Box Set of the World Series for ’05.

This will always be a special time for any White Sox fan, and you can’t go wrong in purchasing an item from when the White Sox were ’05 World Series champions.

Frank Thomas Hall of Fame Autographed Baseball
National Baseball Hall of Fame
shop.baseballhall.org
Retail Price: $214.94

This gift is a bit on the expensive side, but this baseball not only has the National Baseball Hall of Fame logo on it, but it also has the autograph of the greatest White Sox to ever wear the uniform in Thomas.

The baseball also has the “HOF 2014” inscription by Thomas with his autograph, and I just think this is a great item to look back at the career of “The Big Hurt.”

In their description of the baseball, it says:

“This Hall of Fame logo baseball has been personally hand-signed by Hall of Famer Frank Thomas with the inscription ‘HOF 14.’ It is officially licensed and authenticated by Major League Baseball and comes with an individually numbered, tamper-evident hologram from Fanatics Authentic. To ensure authenticity, the hologram can be reviewed online.”

Thomas played 16 seasons with the White Sox, where he was a two-time AL MVP. He finished his White Sox career with 448 home runs and his MLB career with 521 home runs in 19 seasons (2,322 games).

White Sox Handbag
MLB.com
Price: $128.00

Here is a gift for the ladies in your life who are White Sox fans … a handbag. There are many types of White Sox handbags, and though I’m no expert on such items, these are still a very solid gift that can be used year=round.

On the official White Sox site, they have a “Triple Zip Crossbody” bag by Dooney & Bourke that looks like a “White Sox Winner.”

With it being an officially licensed item by MLB, that is a good start. Plus, you can buy a matching scarf for the winter months or cold spring days, and there is no way this gift won’t be a hit this holiday season.

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