GO! GO! White Sox!
For those of you who are not aware, I need to state that I am a White Sox fan. Have been all my life.
As a kid I went to many White Sox games at Comisky Park with the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts as they had half priced days for the scouts. These were always games against the Boston Red Sox. I don't know why but that was the tradition. So for years the only team I ever saw was the Sox-Sox games. I grew to have a respect for the Red Sox and knew their players almost as well as those of the White Sox. I hoped they would lose but never grew to hate them like I did the New York Yankees. Memories of the 1959 pennant winning White Sox were a bright part of my memory. The night that Sherm Berry (I think that was who it was) was driving us home from dinner over at thier house at 95th and Halstead or there abouts and the bomb alarm going off are still bright in my mind. The Sox had won the pennant!! or maybe the Russians were coming? The star of the White Sox pitching staff was Billy Pierce. A few years later I got to know Mr Pierce and he was such a nice man. He took me to the father-son banquet once as my dad when mine was not available.
When John and Jean lived within walking distance to the ballpark we would often gather at their place and truck over to the game with a crowd. The team was mediocre then but we would have a great time yealling and shouting. Even when they lost it was still a good time.
As a young man I would go to games with my friends or wife for a fun afternoon or evening. As a father I enjoyed taking my sons to the game, teaching them the nuances of baseball and trying to instill in them a love for the White Sox.
The Cubs were purchased by the Chicago Tribune, the owners of WGN the superstation. They used their media outlets to promote the Cubs and ignore the Sox. The Cubs were in a trendy neighborhood while the Sox were located in a working class area just west of a "colored" area. The Cubs became trendy, popular with people from out of town and those who thought they were "cute". The fact that they played in the daytime made them the darlings of the old ladies who watched them in the afternoon.
But I remained a loyal Sox fan. Trace and Alex and I had many great father-son times watching the games at home and at the park. I have a warm spot in my heart for the game of baseball and especially the White Sox.
Back in the 1980's the Sox hired a Venesualian shortstop by the name of Ozzie Guillen. He was in the tradition of Minnie Minoso as he was from the same area, played the same position and enjoyed the game as fun. Last year he became the coach of the White Sox. He instilled his love of fun and the game in the team. That fun and joy has made them play well this year and a lot of fun to watch.
The White Sox were in first place the entire year. At one point they were 15 games ahead of the rest fo the league. They play baseball the way I enjoy it: "small ball". Get a walk, bunt the guy to second base, steal third and a fly ball to drive him home. Get a run without a hit. Make the other team nervous and they will make mistakes. Throw in a long ball once in a while to score big and keep them on their toes. Lots of fun, lots of close games. Light up the scoreboard and set off the fireworks for show and effect.
The did not play too well the last couple of weeks and got within 1 1/2 games of losing first place. But they game thru in the end winning the last four games of the season, three of them against their division rivals, the Cleveland Indians. Now they are in the ALDS, the semi-finals for the pennant against those same Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox are the wild card team, same as last year. They play hard and are fun to watch. Last year they were down 0-3 agains the (hated) New York Yankees and won the next for to go to the World Series. They won that as well and are the current Wold Champions.
Yesterday was Valerie's birthday (thanks to all who sent her greetings, she likes to be be included in the family clan). For her birthday we had plans but she emailed me at work asking if could change them. What she wanted to do was to walk the beach near our old place in Miller and then grab a beer and burger at the Flamingo Tap in Miller Beach. What a gal. I love her so much. For her birthday she wanted to watch the White Sox with me. I am not sure that she is that much of a Sox fan but she did enjoy the game, the outcome and watching me enjoy the game. Thanks, Babe!
BTW: The Sox played Tuesday during the day. The game started with the Good Sox scoring five runs in the first inning on their way to a 14-2 victory. I was holding baby Jerremy when a run was scored and I started my usual holloring. He broke into a terrible fright at the noise and the screaming. Big tears streamed down his face. I hope he is not traumatised and scared of baseball, though his mother did dress him in a White Sox outfit the next day. I hope he grows up to be a loyal White Sox fan and not one of those sissy, go with the crowd Cubs fans.
Go White Sox!
As a kid I went to many White Sox games at Comisky Park with the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts as they had half priced days for the scouts. These were always games against the Boston Red Sox. I don't know why but that was the tradition. So for years the only team I ever saw was the Sox-Sox games. I grew to have a respect for the Red Sox and knew their players almost as well as those of the White Sox. I hoped they would lose but never grew to hate them like I did the New York Yankees. Memories of the 1959 pennant winning White Sox were a bright part of my memory. The night that Sherm Berry (I think that was who it was) was driving us home from dinner over at thier house at 95th and Halstead or there abouts and the bomb alarm going off are still bright in my mind. The Sox had won the pennant!! or maybe the Russians were coming? The star of the White Sox pitching staff was Billy Pierce. A few years later I got to know Mr Pierce and he was such a nice man. He took me to the father-son banquet once as my dad when mine was not available.
When John and Jean lived within walking distance to the ballpark we would often gather at their place and truck over to the game with a crowd. The team was mediocre then but we would have a great time yealling and shouting. Even when they lost it was still a good time.
As a young man I would go to games with my friends or wife for a fun afternoon or evening. As a father I enjoyed taking my sons to the game, teaching them the nuances of baseball and trying to instill in them a love for the White Sox.
The Cubs were purchased by the Chicago Tribune, the owners of WGN the superstation. They used their media outlets to promote the Cubs and ignore the Sox. The Cubs were in a trendy neighborhood while the Sox were located in a working class area just west of a "colored" area. The Cubs became trendy, popular with people from out of town and those who thought they were "cute". The fact that they played in the daytime made them the darlings of the old ladies who watched them in the afternoon.
But I remained a loyal Sox fan. Trace and Alex and I had many great father-son times watching the games at home and at the park. I have a warm spot in my heart for the game of baseball and especially the White Sox.
Back in the 1980's the Sox hired a Venesualian shortstop by the name of Ozzie Guillen. He was in the tradition of Minnie Minoso as he was from the same area, played the same position and enjoyed the game as fun. Last year he became the coach of the White Sox. He instilled his love of fun and the game in the team. That fun and joy has made them play well this year and a lot of fun to watch.
The White Sox were in first place the entire year. At one point they were 15 games ahead of the rest fo the league. They play baseball the way I enjoy it: "small ball". Get a walk, bunt the guy to second base, steal third and a fly ball to drive him home. Get a run without a hit. Make the other team nervous and they will make mistakes. Throw in a long ball once in a while to score big and keep them on their toes. Lots of fun, lots of close games. Light up the scoreboard and set off the fireworks for show and effect.
The did not play too well the last couple of weeks and got within 1 1/2 games of losing first place. But they game thru in the end winning the last four games of the season, three of them against their division rivals, the Cleveland Indians. Now they are in the ALDS, the semi-finals for the pennant against those same Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox are the wild card team, same as last year. They play hard and are fun to watch. Last year they were down 0-3 agains the (hated) New York Yankees and won the next for to go to the World Series. They won that as well and are the current Wold Champions.
Yesterday was Valerie's birthday (thanks to all who sent her greetings, she likes to be be included in the family clan). For her birthday we had plans but she emailed me at work asking if could change them. What she wanted to do was to walk the beach near our old place in Miller and then grab a beer and burger at the Flamingo Tap in Miller Beach. What a gal. I love her so much. For her birthday she wanted to watch the White Sox with me. I am not sure that she is that much of a Sox fan but she did enjoy the game, the outcome and watching me enjoy the game. Thanks, Babe!
BTW: The Sox played Tuesday during the day. The game started with the Good Sox scoring five runs in the first inning on their way to a 14-2 victory. I was holding baby Jerremy when a run was scored and I started my usual holloring. He broke into a terrible fright at the noise and the screaming. Big tears streamed down his face. I hope he is not traumatised and scared of baseball, though his mother did dress him in a White Sox outfit the next day. I hope he grows up to be a loyal White Sox fan and not one of those sissy, go with the crowd Cubs fans.
Go White Sox!
2 Comments:
Ho ho ho! I am coping this and sending it to all the Cub fans I know. very good! You should have added the articles I read to you on the way to work Wednesday morning and how bias the Trib was. Unbelievable! but then that would be expecting journalist professionalism. Oh yeah! That doesn’t exist any more. Keep forgetting that.
Any way…plans with you are always enjoyable. That’s what I like about us. And I hope we get to go crazy as your team goes through the pennant and on! Go Soxs!
Jay, I never thought of that. Back then the Cubs werer the poor stepchild and the White Sox were the favorite sons. Cubs games were held in that little park that did not have any lights and no fans. What a fine job the Tribune did with boosting the team.
BTW: Did you know that Bill Veeck who would later own the White Sox and invent the exploding scoreboard helped to plant the ivy in Wrigley Field as a young man?
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