From the July 24, 2022, SB Nation "Mr. White Sox is finally in the Hall of Fame" by Chrystal O'Keefe.
Congratulations to the Chicago White Sox player Minnie Minoso.
Wonder how many of last years Injured Reserve Sox will make it to the Hall?
Baseball's Been Very Good to Mr. Sox. --Cooter
NORMAN MINETA, 90
** He broke racial barriers for Asian Americans serving in high profile government posts who ordered commercial flights grounded after the 9/11 terror attacks as the Federal Transportation Secretary. Died May 3.
MICKEY GILLEY, 86
** Country singer whose namesake Texas honky-tonk inspired the 1980 film "Urban Cowboy" and a nationwide wave of Western-themed night spots. Died May 7. No Bull!!
What great music. But, I never got on one of those mechanical bulls. My back is still okay.
BOB LANIER, 73
** The left-habded big man who muscled up beside the likes of Kareen Abdul-Jabbar as one of the NBA's top players of the seventies. Died May 10.
SHIREEN ABU AKLEH, 51
** A correspondent who became a household name synonymous with with Al Jazeera's coverage of life under occupation during her more than two decades reporting in the Palestinian territories. Died May 11.
RAY LIOTTA, 67
** Actor best-known for playing mobster Henry Hill in "Goodfellas" and baseball player "Shoeless " Joe Jackson in "Field of Dreams." Died May 26.
"Do I Amuse You?"
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
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
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
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
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
They now have a Facebook and Blog up and running. There are 2100 followers on Facebook with 8-12,000 views per article.
Today's presenter, Pat Wirtz is a bit like me, or the beloved Bill Shea down in Springfield, Illinois, in that he pretty much collects everything. And, like me, he is a White Sox fan, as is Double D. Must be a good guy.
His topic today: Board Games.
The first commercially-sold board game was The mansion of Happiness in 1843. It was a children's board game based on Christian morality. Players raced around a 66-space spiral track depicting virtues and vices. Land on a vice square and you go back.
At one time, the two major board game companies were Milton-Bradley (Pat says 2/3 of his games are made by them) and Parker brothers. Both are now owned by Hasbro.
The earliest board games were made by lithography companies. But production unfortunately was only limited to a few hundred copies. Then, they changed to using watercolors.
--Cooter
From the May 5, 2019, Chicago Tribune by Phil Thompson.
Will the real Harry Caray please stand up. Lots is known about the man, lots is possibly known about the man. Everybody has their memories.
I sure enjoyed him but WOULD like to point out to Cub fans that he was the White Sox announcer for eleven years. So we have our claim on him as well.
Author Don Zminda has written the new book "The Legendary Harry Caray: Baseball's Greatest Salesman.
He also includes lots of anecdotes and stuff about his life that some Harry Caray fans might not know.
1. WHEN IS HARRY'S BIRTHDAY?
It is difficult to know. His birthdate has taken place at several different times according to him and according to whatever audience e was speaking to at the time.
Caray died February 18, 1998, and at that time, the Tribune cited "Who's Who in America" saying that he was born in 1919, making him 78. But Cubs media has the year as 1920 Several other newspapers said he was born in 1919 and 1914.
Zminda wrote that it is fairly certain that he was born March 1, 1914, and that is the date listed according to St. Louis health records.
Always Loved Those Giant Glasses. --DaCoot
7. "ROOKIE OF THE YEAR" (1993)
It's the last game of the season and the Cubs are facing the Mets. A win and they go to the National League Championship Series. On the mound is 12-year-old Henry Rowengartner. After breaking his arm he learned that the healed tendons can allow him to throw 100 mph balls.
But, during this game, he reinjures it and loses the ability. Lots of shots of worried fans, a manager and announcer, but then mom tells him to "float it." An underhanded and backhanded pitch. The Mets slugger strikes out and the Cubs win!!
8. "MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING" (1997)
New Comiskey plays itself. A prewedding gathering brings everyone to a ballpark suite. That Julia Roberts doesn't spill a tray of beers as she makes her way up and down is movie magic.
9. "PERFECT STRANGERS" (1986-1993)
There is no better example of Wrigley Field being used to convey Chicago than in one of the opening credits of the old ABC sitcom.
Week after week Larry Appleton and his distant cousin from faraway Mypos, Balki Bartokomous, could not be more excited to attend a Cubs game.
DaCootRookie
5. THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN (2009)
The very first Conan O'Brien show after he replaced Jay Leno on June 1, 2009. He discovers that he needs to be in Los Angles instead of New York. Unable to get a cab, he sprints across the country a la Forrest Gump. To the tune of Cheap Trick's "Surrender" he runs and goes through Chicago and across the field at Wrigley with security guards in hot pursuit.
Watch the video on You Tube. Hilarious.
6. UNDERCOVER BOSS (2010)
New Cubs owner Todd Ricketts grew a beard and wore fake glasses with the name Mark Dawson (from Cubs players Mark Grace and Andre Dawson) and applied for jobs in and around the ballpark. Some of the jobs he did was cleaning restrooms and trying to organize a remote parking lot. He wasn't very good at either job.
But, he really failed at selling hot dogs. His solution was to buy them all himself and toss them in the garbage. But, his supervisor caught him.
--CootRicketts
Sorry, but it will always be Comiskey Park to me, no matter who has paid to put their name on it. And the Sears Tower still stands.
From the May 5, 2019, Chicago Tribune by Phil Rosenthal and Tim Bannon.
Here are nine memorable movie and TV scenes at Chicago baseball parks over the last 40 years.
"THE BLUES BROTHERS" (1980)
A great cameo for Wrigley Field, even if it is just a fleeting look. A Nazi group is looking for our boys, Jake and Elwood Blues. They had the address for Elwood Blues as being at 1060 West Addison. Cut to the cars with the Nazis pulling up to the famed Wrigley Field outside sign at night.
"A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN" (1992)
The tryout scene for the All American Girls Professional Baseball League with most of the movie's top characters is at Wrigley Field.
--Cooter
