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.

Sports Stars Lost in 2015: Mr. Cub and Mr. Sox

From the Dec. 31, 2015, Chicago Tribune "2015 in Review: Unforgettable."

ERNIE BANKS--  Mr. Cubs.  Hall of Famer.  Died Jan. 23 at age 83.  Hit 512 home runs during 19-year career that included National league MVP in 1958 and '59.

STEVE MONTADOR--  Chicago Blackhawks defenseman on Feb. 15.

GORDIE GILLESPIE--  Illinois coaching, won 2,402 games at Lewis University and Joliet Catholic.  Died Feb. 28.

MINNIE MINOSO--  White Sox legend, known as "The Cuban Comet.  Died March 1 at age 90.  Chicago's first black major league player.  Played parts of 12 seasons for Sox, including a game in each of five decades.  Nine-time All-Star.  Mr. Sox.

--DaCoot

Goodbye "Mr. White Sox": Minnie Minoso-- Part 2

Teams Minnie Minoso played with:

1949, 1951--  Cleveland Indians
1951-1959--  Chicago White Sox
1958-1959-- Cleveland Indians
1960-1961--  Chicago White Sox
1962--  St. Louis Cardinals
1963--  Washington Senators
1964, 1976 and 1980--  Chicago White Sox

He is the only major league baseball player to have played in five different decades and was always greatly disappointed that he was not on the 1959 American League Champion Chicago White Sox.  Like Ernie banks, he never had the opportunity to play in a World Series.

After retirement, he became a White Sox ambassador.

I was able to meet him on two occasions: once at the Old Comiskey Park and I saw him speaking once.

He'll Be Missed.

Goodbye "Mr. White Sox": Minnie Minoso-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

Chicago and I were saddened greatly Sunday morning to hear of the death of White Sox favorite Minnie Minoso, the "Cuban Comet" and "Mr. White Sox."  This coming just weeks after the death of "Mr. Cub," Ernie Banks.  He died March 1, 2015 at what is believed to be the age of 90, but no one knows for sure.

He came over from Cuba before Castro took over in 1959 and played in the Negro Leagues in 1948 with the New York Cubans.  In 1949, playing with the Cleveland Indians, he became the first black Cuban to play in the major league.  As such he is often called the Jackie Robinson of Latino baseball players.

A seven-time all-star, he came to the White Sox in 1951 as a rookie left fielder and was the first black player on the White Sox (just as Ernie Banks was for the Cubs).

His career stats included a .298 batting average, 186 home runs and 1023 rbis

Should Have Been in the Hall of Fame.