But, Back to Mark Buehrle Got Us Drenched-- Part 3: We Get All Wet

I had to stop for a day on the drenched chroncicles to write about Mark Buehrle's next pitching outing which got exciting as well.  Imagine pitching back-to-back perfect games.  Well, it didn't happen, but wow, wouldn't that have been something!

To set the story, we had remained at Chopper's (bar and grill) up on Channel Lake in Antioch, Illinois, to see if Burehrle would get the perfect game despite knowing that a nasty storm was blowing in.  (We were in our boat, School's Out... Forever!)  Had we left in the 8th inning, we might have made it home, but we stayed.  Hey, how often do you get the chance to see a perfect game?

It hadn't started raining yet, but there was plenty of lightning and thunder off in the distance and getting closer.

We, (Kevin, Kelly, Liz and myself) decided to make a run for it.  We left and walked rapidly to the boat, cast off and started on our way.  It started  drizzling about half way to the Illinois Route 173 bridge and got steadily harder until a downpour.  (At this time we decided we probably should have just stayed at Chopper's.  But, too late.)  

The wind also picked up as well.  We ended up taking cover under the bridge until the worst had passed over about fifteen minutes later.  The rain let up some, but was still coming down enough to soak us pretty well on the rest of our way home.

So, as you can see, it was all Mark Buehrle's fault we got drenched.

And, he never apologized.

Thanks A Lot, Mark.  --RoadWet

Today in White Sox History: Buehrle Almost Has Another Perfect Game!!

From the July 28, 2022, SB Nation site.

Mark Buehrle  was perfect through 5 2/3 innings against the Minnesota Twins.  This was his next start after pitching a perfect game his last time on the mound.  I have written a lot about that outing in the previous posts.

In so doing, he set a MLB record for most consecutibe batters retired at 45.

That streak had started when he got the last out in his July 18th win over Baltimore and added substantially on his July 23 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers which was a perfect game on July 23.

In so doing this, he broke the previous record mark of 41 set by  Jim Barr in 1971 and tied by Buehrle's teammate Bobby Jenks in 2007.

However, the Sox lost the game that Buehrle broke the record to the Twins 5-3.

Doggone Twinkies.  --Cooter

Mark Buehrle Got Us Drenched-- Part 2: But, the Perfect Game Was Worth It

We had some discussion about staying or leaving and it was decided to chance the storm and stay.  Here was a chance to see only the 18th ever perfect game in Major League Baseball.  And, of course, for me, it was the Chicago White Sox, making it even better.

Eighth inning and Buehrle still had the perfect game.  By now, we could hear the thunder and see the lightning and it was going to be a really bad storm for sure.  Come on Mark, either get this over with or give up a hit so we can get out of there.

We wanted the Sox to go down fast in their part of the eighth.  They did.  Three up, three down.

Now, we have the 9th.  Will he do it or not?  Huge clap of thunder really close by as Tampa came up to bat.  The TVs flickered and went off.  Oh, NO!!!  Not now.  No rain yet, but, oh, no.  Thankfully the TVs came back on with one out.  

What we didn't know was that when the TVs went off, Tampa player Gabe Kapler had hit what would have been a home run ball, but was caught by DeWayne Wise, who had been put in the game that inning for his defensive ability.  He lived up to that name and leaped high to catch the ball as it cleared the outfield stands.  One out.  And, I should mention that the collision with the wall knocked the ball out of his glove and he juggled it once or twice on the way down to the ground before he caught it.  WHOA!!!

Buehrle got the next two out easily and we had our perfect game.

And, We Haven't Even Gotten Wet Yet.  --Cooter

Mark Buehrle Got Us All Drenched-- Part 1

I remember July 23, 2009,very well.  We were out with our friends Kevin and Kelly in our boat that day and cruising the Chain O' Lakes here in northeastern Illinois.  And, it was a perfect day in the morning and part way through the afternoon, but we had warnings of a major storm hitting the area around mid-afternoon.

We were all the way up in the upper lakes and we decided to stop at one more place called Chopper's on Channel Lake in Antioch before heading home before the storm hit.  We were going to have just a drink and be on our way.  

The White Sox game was on and I was kind of watching it until I saw a stat that here in the 7th inning, the Sox pitcher, Mark Buehrle,  had not given up a hit.  Even better than that, no Tampa Bay batter had reached base.  In other words, A PERFECT GAME!!  

Well, a perfect game is just something I had to see, especially since the one I was at back in 1983 where the Tiger pitcher, Milt Wilcox,  had a perfect game until Jerry Hairston pinch hit a single with two outs in the 9th to blow my chance of being in attendance at a perfect game.  (To see their pictures and read about this game, go to my Down Da Road I Go blog.  By the way, even though I am a Sox fan, I was pulling all the way for Wilcox.)

Well, we would just have to stay and watch.   Storm or no storm.

Tomorrow.  --Cooter

By the way, congratulations to Mr. White Sox, Minnie Minoso, who was indcted into baseball's Hall of Fame today.  It's about time.

Another White Sox Pitching Gem: Mark Buehrle's Perfect Game

JULY 23, 2009

It  had only happened 17 times before (and I was there back in 1983 when Milt Wilcox of the Detroit Tigers almost threw one against the White Sox.  You can read about that game in my Down Da Road I Go blog.).

On this date, Mark Buehrle became the 18th pitcher in MLB history to throw a perfect game when he shut out the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0.

Buehrle was helped by  Dewayne Wise in the top of the 9th inning when he made the catch of his career, leaping above the wall in left-center to snare a ball hit by Gabe Kapler.  On the way down, he started to lose the ball, then snatched it out of the air with his other hand as he tumbled to the ground.  That ball would have been a home run.

Wise had been inserted in the ninth inning as a defensive replacement, so this play-- among the  best in White Sox and baseball history -- was his first action of the game.

Buehrle completed his perfect game in just two hours and three minutes -- the exact same amount of time it took for his no-hitter in 2007.  He became only the fourth pitcher in MLB to ever throw a perfect game and a no-hitter (April 18, 2007), joining Cy Young, Sandy Koufax and Randy Johnson in that category.

Afterwards, Buehrle got a call from President Barack Obama, a big White Sox  fan.

And, I had a personal experience with Buehrle's perfect game that I will write about in the next post.

--CootFect

This Date White Sox History: Hoyt Wilhelm

Even as I am fed up with the futility of this year's White Sox team, they stink, I am still a Sox fan and on July 23 two major pitching gems occurred in Sox history.

Both of them I remember very well.

JULY 23, 1968

White Sox relief pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm appeared at both ends of a double header against the Red Sox at Comiskey Park (it is still Comiskey Park to me).  The future Hall of Famer set the record for most appearances by a pitcher and broke Cy Young's record of 905 games.  "Old Tilt" would appear in a staggering 1,070 games before he retired.

Chicago split the two games with Boston.

In Wilhelm's six years with the Sox, he won 41 games and saved 98 others, while producing  some astonishing low ERAs considering he threw the knuckleball, a very slow-moving baseball.  His highest ERA between 1963 and 968 was  2.64.  Every other season he was below 2.00!!

Clearly, he was the top relief pitcher of the 1960s.

I remember he taught Sox pitcher Wilbur Wood how to throw the knuckleball and Woods went on to be impressive as well.

That Hoyt!  What a Pitcher.  --CootKnuck

William J. Snow-- Part 3: Of Huge Importance in the U.S. Army's Field Artillery (and Anne Louis Toussant)

In July, 1917, he was selected to command the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and promoted to brigadier general.  At the school, he began the process of   reorganizing and modernizing the  program of instruction to meet the increased  demand for officers created by World War I.

In September 1917, Snow was assigned to command the 156th Field Artillery Brigade at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.  In February 1918, he was selected to serve as the first Chief of Field Artillery, an unofficial position created to oversee the field artillery branch's wartime mobilization and training and was promoted to major general in June.

In this role, he created a system of training centers and replacement depots, which enabled the artillery branch to meet the wartime demand for qualified artillerymen.

William J. Snow was obviously a very important man in the field artillery branch of the U.SA. Army.  Of interest, currently I am writing about a man named Anne-Louis Toussard in my Not So Forgotten: War of 1812 blog.  He was of great importance to  the American artillery in the American Revolution and wrote a book about artillery used in the 1800s by the United States.  He also was very important in the creation and early days of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.  Well worth a trip over there to read about him.

Just Some More RoadTripping Through History.  --Cooter

Some More on MG William J. Snow-- Part 2: All Sorts of Field Artillery Positions

In 1910, he played a key role in organizing the United States Field Artillery Association; he became its first Secretary and the first editor of the Field Artillery Journal.

In 1910, Snow was assigned to the Militia Bureau as senior inspector and instructor of National Guard artillery units.  Promoted to major in 1911 and from 1911-1914 commanded  2nd Battalion, 3rd Field  Artillery at Fort Myer, Virginia.

In January 1915, he was assigned to 2nd Field Artillery (Mountain) at Camp Stotsenburg, Philippines. and in June 1916, was  assigned command of the 1st Field Artillery Regiment at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.  Then promoted to lieutenant colonel in June and colonel in July.

On April 1917, the same month the United States entered World War I, he was assigned to command the 4th Field Artillery, which he led during training at Fort Bliss, Texas, and at a temporary camp at Syracuse, New York.

--Cooter

Some More on Major General William J. Snow: 1890 West Point Graduate and Early Service

William Snow graduated from West Point in 1890, ranking #24 out of 54 students.  Thirteen otther of his class went on to become generals.

Snow received his commission as 2nd lieutenant in the field artillery and was assigned to the 1st Artillery Regiment.

During the Spanish-American War he performed coast artillery duty at Fort St. Philip (it gained fame during the Civil War when Farragut ran past it and Fort Jackson on his way to capture New Orleans).  He was pomoted to 1st lieutenant.  Next, he served as quartermaster of the 7th Artillery Regiment at Fort Slocum, New York.

The regiment was ordered to the Philippines during the insurrection and served there until there until May, 1901.

Next, he was promoted to captain and stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, and was made commander of the 20th Field Battery (Horse).  It was later redesignated as the Battery E, 6th Field Artillery Regiment.  From  1907 to 1908 he attended the Army War College and then returned to the 6th Field Artillery where he served as adjuatnt.

--Cooter

Major General William J. Snow

From Wikipedia.

WILLIAM J. SNOW  

(December16, 1868 to February 27, 1947)

Career U.S. Army officer who reached the rank of major general.  Served as Chief of Field Artillery for seven years in the 1920s.

Native of Brooklyn, New York.  Graduated from USMA in 1890 and commenced a long career in the Army's field artillery branch.  Served in New York early in his career, then graduated  from the artillery school at Fort Monroe.  During the Spanish-American War  he was involved with coast artillery in Louisiana.

Served in the Philippines during the Philippine-American War before returning to the States to command a battery at Fort Riley (Kansas).  Then spent several years on duty at the Militia Bureau and commanded a battalion at Fort Myer (by Washington D.C.)

He commanded  the 1st Field Artillery Regiment in the period immediately preceding World War I.

--Cooter

William A. Snow's Father, William J. Snow, Was Army Major General

From Find-A-Grave.

MG WILLIAM JOSIAH SNOW 

His father was a career soldier who also graduated from the USMA at West Point.

BIRTH:  16 December 1868,  Brooklyn, New York

DEATH:   27 February 1947,   Washington, D.C.

BURIAL:  Arlington National Cemetery  Section 3, Site 3953,

Major General U.S. Army.

Major General William Josiah's Snow's father was  William Dunham Snow (1832-1910)   He was a U.S. Senator from Arkansas.  Raised a brigade of Arkansas troops for U.S. Army in 1865.  He was also an inventor.

Disco Demolition at Old Comiskey Park on This Date in 1979

July 12, 1979

On this night, between games of a double header with the Detroit Tigers, the infamous "Disco Demolition" was staged.  Fans rioted after deejay Steve Dahl blew up a load of disco records.  It was a real "Disco Sucks" event.

The second game was forfeited to the Tigers because of unplayable field conditions.

The idea for the event came from Mike Veeck, son of Bill Veeck, who worked for the Sox at the time and thought this would help get fans out to the park.  But, no one expected the turnout to be so high and the security at the park proved unable to handle it.

There were problems at the ticket booths outside and most of the security they did have was called to that.  Fans noticed that the field wasn't secure and stormed out onto it.

White Sox players and coaches were locked and barricaded in their locker room after the situation got completely out of control.

Among those in the stands that night were future White Sox relief pitcher Don Pall and future movie actor Michael Clarke Duncan ("The Green Mile"), who grew up to narrate the  2005 White Sox World Championship  highlight film.

By the Way, It's Still Comiskey Park to Me.  --CootDisco

William A. Snow-- Part 3: Distinguished Service Cross for Belleau Wood

He was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross.

From his citation:

For extraordinary herosim  in action while serving  with2nd Engineers, 2nd Division, American Expeditionary Force (World War I), in the Belleau Wood, France, June 12-15, 1918.

On order to consolidate the  position of his brigade, Major Snow personally led one company from his battalion through a heavy barrage.  After passing through the barrage, he discovered that part of his company had become separated because of the violent fire.

He returned through the barrage and in so doing, was wounded in the neck.   After having his wound  dressed at the aid station,  he refused to go to the rear, but went back and  conducted the remainder of his men through the barrage.

Despite his wound,  he remained on duty for 16 hours until ordered to the rear.

*******************************

U.S. casualties at Belleau Wood, June 1-26, 1918, amounted to 1,811 killed and 7,966 wounded.

William Arthur Snow-- Part 2: World War I Service and Engineering

World War I:  Engineer with American Expeditionary  Force and wounded.

1926-1930:  District engineer at Wilmington, North Carolina.

1930: Major and living in Harnett,  North Carolina.

1930-1935:   District and division engineer in St. Louis, Missouri.

Lieutenant Colonel:   September 25, 1940.

Died at Washington, D.C..

LTC William Arthur Snow-- Part 1: West Point Class of 1916, WW I and Snow's Cut

From Find-A-Grave.

BIRTH:  21 April 1891, Fort Hamilton,New York

DEATH:  25 September 1940 (aged 46), Washington, D.C.

BURIAL:  Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.

*********************************

Son of William J. Snow, Major General U.S. Army, and Isabella L. Snow.

Graduated from West Point June 13, 1916, 7th in class of 125.

1916-1917 Mexican punitive expedition.

Snow's Cut, Cape Fear Are Great for Flounder

From Carolina Sportsman site.

The waters of the Lower Cape Fear River and Snow's Cut are great for catching flounder, especially large flounder.  Indeed the state record for this fish, twenty pounds, was caight here in 1980.  However, flounder fishing isn't as good as it once was, but you can still catch ten pounders and heavier.

Snow's Cut is a manmade  channel that carries the Intercoastal Waterway from Carolina Beach to the Cape Fear River.  Named for Major William A. Snow, project manager for the U.S. Corps of Engineers for the initial dredging, it is about 1.75 miles long and originally dredged to 120 feet wide and  12 feet deep.

Many locals opposed its construction because of the introduction of more salt seawater through Carolina Beach Inlet into the Cape Fear River ten miles inland, the project was apprived and completed.  It killed many of the cypress trees lining the river banks.

--Cooter

About William A. Snow (Snow's Cut)-- Part 3: How It Came to be Named That

Following the war, Major Snowserved in the Army Corps of Engineers in Kansas after which he obtained a BS in Civil Engineering at M.I.T..  For the next two years he was in Washington, D.C., as an assistant to the Chief Engineer in that district.

In July 1926, he was assigned to Wilmington, N.C., as the Chief Engineer of the Wilmington District.  he was 32 years old at the time.  His assignment was to complete the 93 miles continuation of the Intercoastal Waterway from Beaufort, N.C., to the mouth of the Cape Fear River.

There was only parcel of land to be cut in that stretch and that was what we now call Snow's Cut.  This would be to connect Masonboro Sound with the Cape Fear River.  

This cut was completed in 1920 and transformed Federal Point Peninsula into an island requiring a bridge to cross over.

The cut and bridge have been known ever since as Snow's Cut, named for the young Army Corps engineer.

--CooterCut

About William A. Snow (Snow's Cut)-- Part 2: Service in World War I

William Arthur Snow was born in Fort Hamilton, New York, to Major General and Mrs. William J. Snow.  He graduated from West Point in 1916 and was assigned to the Corps of Engineers as a second lieutenant.

His first service was in Mexico from graduation to the spring of 1917.  In late September, 1917, he sailed to France with the 2nd Division.  There, he immediately started training his company in construction work and preparing for the ineviatble battle that was coming in World War I.

Snow was at the front in the Verdun Sector, Chateau Thierry, Belleau Woods and Soissons and was wounded twice and later served with the Army of Occupation in Germany.

By now he was a major and was awarded the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, Distinguished Silver Cross, Chevalier Legion d'Honneur, Croix de Guerre with Two Palms and the Silber Star Citation for his service during the war. 

--Cooter

July 4, 1964, in White Sox History: That's Some Pitching

I have always been a Chicago White Sox fan, even though I'm taking a break from them right now until they start playing baseball better than a sub-.500 team.

Anyway, back in the 1960s, when I started following them, they had some excellent pitching.

On July 4, 1964, over the holiday weekend, this pitching performance was definitely on exhibition.

On July 4th itself, Gary Peters blanked the Cleveland Indians (and they will always be the Indians to me, not that new name) on three hits, winning 4-0.  In the Sunday double header, it was  Juan Pizarro tossing  a seven-hitter in the opener, winning 2-0.  Then in the second game, Joel Horlen only gave up four hits, winning 5-0.

In 27 innings, the Indians managed no runs on 14 hits.  Now, that's some pitching.

The 1967 White Sox are still my all-time favorite team.  They really should have gone to the World Series that year, but it was not to be.

--CootSox

About Major William A. Snow (of Snow's Cut)-- Part 1: (How You Know You've Arrived at Carolina Beach, NC)

From the May 2017 Federal Point Historic Preservation Society Newsletter.

If you're driving on U.S. Highway 421 south of Wilmington, North Carolina, heading to the beaches on what is now referred to as Pleasure Island, you may notice crossing a pretty big bridge over some water.  That is the Snow's Cut Bridge.

That bridge always excited me growing up because that meant I got my first glimpse of the ocean and my favorite beach of all time, Carolina Beach.  The old heart started going pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat.  We have ARRIVED.  Hot Dog!!

Of course,  speaking of hot dogs, we already would have stopped at Paul's Place in Rocky Point for their famous hot dogs (with that sauce!!).  Just part of the going to the beach thing.

Well, that stretch of water that the bridge crosses has a name.  It is Snow's Cut.  It took its name from the man who engineered it, Major William A. Snow, a World War I veteran.  That water the bridge crossed is part of the Intercoastal Waterway and connects the Cape Fear River on the west side to sounds on the east side.

--Cooter

Seven Events That Led to the American Revolution

From the July 14, 2020 History.com site.

As we get into the anniversary of this country.

I am just listing them and if you want to know more, go to the site.

1.  The Stamp Act  (March 1765)

2.  The Townshend Acts (June-July 1767)

3.  The Boston Massacre  (March 1770)

4.  The Boston Tea Party  (December 1773)

5.  The Coercive Acts (March-June 1774)

6.  Lexington and Concord (April 1775)

7.  British attacks on coastal towns (October  1775-January 1776)

--Cooter