The Chicago White Sox are a team with a long and storied history. They started waaaay back in 1894 in the old Western League. In 1900 when the WL turned into the AL, they stayed on board to become one of the charter teams of the league under the name of the White Stockings. The team officially became the White Sox in 1903 and like they say, the rest is history. In a nutshell, the White Sox have been around FOREVER.
My earliest memories of the White Sox consist of watching the movie “Eight Men Out” in addition to the players from my early childhood who graced my Baseball card collection. Names such as Carlon Fisk, Steve Lyons, Ozzie Guillen, Bobby Thigpen, Harold Baines, and Jack McDowell were all players whose cards I highly valued on a sentimental level. I was incredibly young and impressionable when it came to Baseball and I admit that these White Sox from this era quickly became some of my favorite players. Specifically Fisk who I would call “Fist” for some reason or another and Ozzie Guillen as I remember liking him because my Dad did. I believe it may have to do with the fact that Ozzie was drafted by the Padres and came up through the their system before being traded to Chicago?
Once I got a little bit older my interest in the White Sox spiked with the emergence of Frank Thomas as he was (and still is) one of my favorite players of all time. This love of The Big Hurt coincided with the White Sox revamping their logo in 1991. If you are from my generation and grew up a Baseball fan then you probably remember the hype when they introduced their new uniforms and caps. A fond memory I have is being the first kid in my school to have the new Sox cap as the compliments and envy of many of my peers seemed to be never-ending. Who would have guessed that something as simple as a Baseball cap could bring such popularity to a 5th grade kid?
Unfortunately these days, I can’t say that I am much of a fan of the team. I guess this started with the awkward departure of Frank Thomas after the 2005 season as I became somewhat bitter on Kenny Williams as a GM. With the additional departure of Mark Buehrle this off-season, I admit that I kind of lost whatever interest I had left in the White Sox. I don’t mean this as a diss to the team, but hey I can’t help how I feel.
Well, I guess I have written about all that I can about the White Sox and my feelings and memories regarding the team. I hope you enjoy this segment of “30 teams. 30 Posts” as there are some very cool photos below in my opinion.
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From 1972 to 1974, Dick Allen played for the White Sox. He was an All-Star all 3 of those seasons in addition to winning American League MVP in 1972. Without a doubt, Allen is one of my all-time favorite members of the White Sox and one of my favorite players of all time.
I have made it no secret in this blog that I believe he deserves to be in Cooperstown. Watch THIS video along with the other videos that YouTube user “DickAllenHOF” has uploaded if you want to watch some great footage and news segments regarding his deserved place in the Hall of Fame.
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Although their time together was short lived, I think I speak for many Baseball fans when I say that idea of having both Jim Thome & Ken Griffey Jr on the same team is almost too much to handle. With well over 1000 career home runs combined between these 2 sluggers and with high socks you have the definition of “cool.”
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1960. Minnie Minoso, Jim Landis, Luis Aparicio, and Nellie Fox show off their Gold Glove awards. ChiSox fans were spoiled during these years as watching these guys flash the leather on a regular basis had to be amazing.
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August 2nd, 1990. A great photo from Frank Thomas’ MLB debut in Milwaukee. Can I just say that this photo is incredibly awesome? If you disagree then you potentially have a misdiagnosed mental issue that needs needs proper medical attention asap.
Photo courtesy of It’s A Long Season via Stirrups Now!
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Carlton Fisk in action. As a kid, it blew my mind when I learned that Fisk left the RED Sox to go to the WHITE Sox and in turn switched his number from 27 to 72. Now as an adult I think it’s incredibly cool. Over time I have come to the conclusion that Carlton Fisk could do absolutely nothing wrong as a Baseball player.
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The 1919 Chicago White Sox aka. the Chicago Black Sox. While this team embodies one of the most unfortunate incidents in the history of Baseball; I still find the team, the series and trial’s aftermath incredibly fascinating.
Sometimes I think I am way too nerdy about the game of Baseball. When I realized I can name all 8 of the players who were banned, it sort of validated this idea. When I correctly identified 5 out of the 8 players in this photo I realized I need to get a life.
Posted in Baseball
Tags: 1919 Black Sox, 30 teams. 30 Posts., American League Baseball, baseball, Bobby Thigpen, Buck Weaver, carlton fisk, chicago white sox, Chick Gandil, Claude Wiliams, dick allen, Eddie Cicotte, Eight Men Out movie, frank thomas, Fred McMullin, george bell, Happy Felsch, harold baines, jack mcdowell, Jim Landis, Jim Thome, ken griffey junior, Kenny Williams, Kid Gleason, Luis Aparicio, Major League Baseball, mark buehrle, minnie minoso, MLB, National Baseball Hall of Fame, Negro League Baseball, negro leagues, Nellie Fox, ozzie guillen, pacific coast league, PCL, shoeless joe jackson, steve lyons, Swede Risberg, The Big Hurt, tim raines, Western League Baseball
ninety feet of perfection. 