So, Which White Sox Team Will Show Up Today (A Sox Fan Worries)

In just a little bit, the Chicago White Sox will be starting their playoff game against the Houston Astros.

And, the big question is, which Sox team are we going to see.  Is it going to be the good one or the bad one.  If it is the bad one, it will be three and done.  And, there is no way of knowing which we will be getting until after the game gets underway.

The Sox can be unbelievably impressive at times and such a waste at others.  They can beat a team by ten runs and then lose the next four games by one run each.  Their pitching can be brilliant or I can't watch.  Relief is even a bigger question, especially with the Hendricks and Kimbrel.  Either brilliant or like throwing gas on the fire.

Now, I know I just put a whammy on the team by writing about it, but I just had too.

One thing I know, is that perhaps the team should be renamed the Chicago Hispanic Sox (sure are a lot of Hispanic names) or the Chicago Gold Chains (it seems most of the players always have those gold chains out bouncing around).

Plus, more than a few of the players require an interpreter when they speak to the media.  Looks like if you have been in the U.S. for several or more years, you ought to learn how to speak the language especially with how much money you're earning.

Any, just a few thoughts before the playoffs begin.

Go You White Sox and Bring It Back to Comiskey Park.  --RoadSox

About That Almost Perfect Game I Saw Back in '83-- Part 4: Do You Mention a Perfect Game During It

Back in April of 1983, I was at old Comiskey Park in Chicago on a very cool night and watching the White Sox play the Detroit Tigers.  A buddy and I had bought a White Sox twenty ticket plan and got tickets to twenty Sox games throughout the season.  The best thing about the plan was that we were guaranteed seats at the1983 All Star game which was played at Comiskey.  I think we paid around $100 each for the plan.

As usual, my buddy and I had parked in Bridgeport, just to the west of Comiskey and stopped at a bar for some food and drinks before walking to the park.  We got to our seats and settled in for some Friday night baseball.

Milt Wilcox was pitching for Detroit and the White Sox batters were being set down with regularity while Detroit was building up to a 6-0 lead.  As a matter of fact, by the end of the seventh inning the Sox had not gotten a hit or walk, nor had any reached on an error.  Could this be that rarest of the rare?

Of course, neither my Buddy or I said anything about it.  In baseball you just don't talk about no-hitters or perfect games while they ae underway.  It just isn't done by real fans.  It is especially true with announcers.  

Dan Holmes, a big Tiger fan, said that before Wilcox pitched to the Sox in the 8th inning, that the screen on his TV back in Detroit where he was watching the game ran the line score and announcer George Kell said:  "The Tigers have 13 hits tonight -- 13 more than the White Sox."

--RoadCox

TEENAGERS AND CATS:  You rarely see a cat walking outside of the house with an adult human being, and it can be safely said that no teenager in his or her right mind wants to be seen in public with his or her parents.

About That Almost Perfect Game I Saw Back in 1983-- Part 2

Milt Wilcox pitched for  16 years in the Majors and had a 119-113 record with a 4.07 ERA.  In 1983, he posted an 11-10 record with 3.97 ERA.  By far, his best year inn the majors was with Detroit he following year, 1984, when he was 17-8 with a 4.00 ERA.

I see in Wikipedia that his birthday is April 20, 1950, so this near perfect game was a nice birthday gift for him.

Wikipedia has this to say about that near perfect game:

On April 15, 1983, Wilcox came within one out of a perfect game, when White Sox batter Jerry Hairston, Sr., singled off him in the ninth inning.  The perfect game would have been the first no-hitter by a Tiger since Jim Bunning  in 1958.

So, Milt Wilcox had a very journeyman career.

And, on April 15, here he was, on the thresh hold of a baseball pitcher's perfection and there I was, freezing and watching him right there in old Comiskey Park.

--RoadDog

About That Almost Perfect Game That I Saw at Comiskey Park in 1983-- Part 1

In 1983, a buddy of mine and I bought a special White Sox ticket package where we got to see 20 games during the season, plus were guaranteed tickets to the 1983 All-Star game which was held at Comiskey and also we had tickets to any post season games (and that turned out to be a real good buy because the Sox did go to the playoffs before they broke my heart, but that is another story).

Anyway, Wednesday I was thinking about that game for some reason earlier in the day while I was online and I did a search and found a great account of the game.  "Remembering Milt Wilcox's Near-Perfect  Game in 1983" by Dan Holmes in Vintage Detroit Collection.  That sure brought the memories back to an April freezing night some 38 years earlier.

As a matter of fact, this magical game was on April 15, 1983.  Carlos Rodon's was on April 14, 2021.

Coincidence?

Yep, this was another near-perfect game and back then it was for Detroit pitcher Milt Wilcox against my beloved Sox.  From the 7th inning on, I became a big Detroit fan, especially for a guy named Milt.

--RoadMilt

Carlos Rodon's No-Hitter Last Night: 'One Shoelace Away From Perfection'

Good ol' frigid Comiskey Park (sorry, it will always be Comiskey Park for me) in April.  One place that is not good to be for night games in April and May because it is soooooo COLD!!  And I know, having been there many times over the years in April and May.

It was kind of strange because yesterday I was thinking about another near perfect game in which I was in attendance at Comiskey, and that one was back to 1983.  I was thinking about it during the morning and even went to a site about the game.  Of course, this was way before Carlos Rodon took the mound yesterday.

And, like 1983, it was a perfect game going into the 9th inning.  Last night, Rodon had one out in the 9th when he hit a Cleveland Indians' foot which put him on first and ruined the perfect game, but at least he still had a no hitter going.  He then got the next two outs to preserve his first no-hitter.

Sadly, though, in 1983, Detroit Tiger Milt Wilcox had a perfect game with two outs in the 9th, when it was all ruined by a White Sox pinch hitter.  The single ruined not only the perfect game, but the no hitter.  I am a huge White Sox fan, but not when I am about to see baseball history being made.

White Sox announcer Steve Stone, himself a former major league pitcher summed it up perfect with these words: "One Shoelace away from perfection."

--RoadSox

Clark Weber, Big Voice on Chicago Radio (WLS and WCFL and Others)

CLARK WEBER, 89

Died March 8, 2020

This was not on the Hope I Die Before I Get Old site.  I didn't know about it until this week.

A pioneer rock and roll disc jockey in the 1960s and for decades later.  Known as "Mother Weber's Oldest Son."

First rose to fame on Chicago's Powerhouse station, WLS, 890 AM.  In 1965, he introduced the Beatles on stage at Comiskey Park.  Born in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin (outside of Milwaukee).  In 2008, wrote "Clark Weber's  Rock and Roll Radio: 1955-1975."

In 1968, jumped to rival WCFLAM and in 1971 to WMAQ AM.

At age 43, feeling he might be too old to keep spinning 45s, he segued to Talk Radio.

One of my favorites from back then.  Clark Weber ad the other Ls and CFL jocks back then made growing up in the Chicago area a lot more fun.  Our music.

Sox-Cubs Crosstown Classic

After two games, the Sox and Cubs are split at one game apiece.  The  Sox won the first one at Wrigley Field 3-1.  The Cubs won the second one there, 7-2.  I figure if we can win just one game, that means victory for the series as this is going to be a long year, a rebuilding year, as they call it.

Monday, I bought Liz a Cubs World Series 2016 tee shirt at Jewel, as they FINALLY got around to dropping the price from $28.  And, I am a Sox fan.  She maybe is lucky to have such a wonderful guy.

Wrigley Field was sold out as were the rooftops.  Sadly, earlier this evening we saw Comiskey Park (I don't call it by the other two names), had a lot of empty seats.

Such is life here in Chicagoland.

Of course, there is a lot of put-downs between Sox and Cubs fans.

It Is Cubs All  the Way and Sox Who?  --RoadDog

SOX-CUBS PUT-DOWNS:  Sox Fan:  "Someone should trim those weeds on the outfield walls.  Cubs fan:  "It's ivy as in Ivy League."

Kennedy Center Honors, R&B Hall of Fame and Chicago Bands at Ballparks

**  Kennedy Center Honors will go to James Taylor, the Eagles and Mavis Staples on December 3, 2016, in Hollywood.

**  R&B Hall of Fame Inductees:  4th class will be inducted August 21, 2016, in Detroit:  Smokey Robinson, Supremes, Fats Domino, Sam and Dave, Prince, Jimi Hendrix, Dionne Warwick, Eddie Floyd and Eddie Holman.

**  The Buckinghams and Ides of March sang the National Anthem at Chicago baseball stadiums.  The Buckinghams performed for the Cubs at Wrigley Field August 2 (Cubs won 5-0).  The Ides of March were at Comiskey Park August 25.  (Sox won 7-6).

--RoadDog

Comiskey Park Gets New Name-- Part 2

Some more Chicago Tribune reaqder name ideas:

The G-Rate American ballpark

800-588-2300 Empire Today Field

Trump Steaks Arena

Disco Memorial Park  (Good One)

In a Wreck Field- Need a Check Field

Fire Robin Field

Peter Francis Geraci Field

Dan Ryan Construction Overlook Park

You'd Have to Be From Chicago to Get Some of These.  RoadDog

Comiskey Park Gets New Name-- Part 1: (But Still and Always Will Be Comiskey to Me

Last week, we got the news that the mortgage company called Guaranteed Rate (with their downward pointing arrow) has bought the naming rights for Comiskey Park (or that other name it is now called).  This is not the first time a major Chicago place has gotten a new name (see my Cooter's History Thing blog for today).

The August 25, 2015, Chicago Tribune had readers write in their ideas for a new name for the park.

Here are some:

Sox Stadium

Harold's Chicken Shack Park

Guaranteed Seats Field

Beggars Field

Harambe Memorial Stadium

Literally Anything Else Field

Crying Jordan Park

Guaranteed Loss Field

I Don't Think You Even tried At All Field

I vote for "Guaranteed Comiskey Park (if they want their name on it).  Otherwise, just Comiskey Park or White Sox Park.

I'll Have More the Next Blog Entry.  --RoadDog

MORE SOUTHEN-ISMS:  Only a Southerner knows exactly how long "directly" is, as in, "Going to town, be back dreckly (directly)."

Disappointed with the White Sox

Not only is my team giving us another sorry year on the field, but I can't believe that none of the players turned out for the parade this past Wednesday honoring the Jackie Robinson West National Little League Champions.

Their presence would have meant more to these young men than the appearance of the Sox owner, general manager and Harold Baines (my all-time favorite Sox player).  The Sox did shoot off fireworks and show them the 2005 World Series trophy, but why the team did not show up (even some of them, but should have been them all).  And, for that matter, the Cleveland Indians were playing at Comiskey (I don't call it that other name) and should have been there as well.

Shame on the Sox.  --RoadDog

My Journal Goes to April 15, 1983: The Near-Perfect Game-- Part 1

I have been keeping a journal since 1978 and really wish I had started it earlier.

Here is my entry for that day which was a Friday..

"Chilly.
Picked up Chester and drove to Chicago, stopping at Gemini on the way for hotdogs.  (Chester and I had purchased Sox 20-game season tickets for 1983 which guaranteed us seats at the All-Star game and any playoff games.  Both of us were huge Sox fans, but the prize was getting to see the All-Star game.  Gemini was a little hotdog stand on Il-134 in Round Lake.  I had forgotten about Chester until I read this. I haven't seen him since about 1985.)

Traffic as usual wasn't moving too well but we still managed to get to Bridgeport in 1 hr. 15 minutes.  We had a drink at Bridgeport Pub and walked the short distance to Comiskey.  (This was before the Cubs got their night games and everything went to parking stickers for locals only around Comiskey and Wrigley.)

Our tickets are between third and home and the only shortcoming I could find was that we couldn't see one side of the scoreboard because of camera equipment.  (This evidently was the first game we used our tickets.)  We weren't uncomfortably cold."

More to Come.  --RoadDog

That Great Near-Perfect Game Thirty Years Ago

Here is what the book "White Sox Journal" had to say about April 15, 1983.

"At Comiskey Park, Milt Wilcox of the Tigers retires the first 26 White Sox batters to face him, but his bid for a perfect game ends when pinch-hitter Jerry Hairston hits a clean single up the middle with two out in the ninth inning.  Wilcox then retired Rudy Law to close out a one-hit, 6-0 victory."

Those people cheering when Hairston got the hit must have been Cub fans.  They didn't know any better.

I found box scores for the game at baseball-almanac.com and baseball-reference.com.  Type in date and teams.

Maddening, Just maddening I Tell You.  --RoadDog

Not Only White Sox, But American League Too

Not only am I big White Sox fan (since 1965) , but I also back the American League in the All Star game and normally during the World Series (unless the Yankees, Cubs, Brewers, or Cards are in it).

It was nice to see the AL win for the 13th time in a row, especially since that gives them home field advantage in the World Series.

I can remember, though, when it was the National League winning year after year, that is until 1983 when it was played at Comiskey Park, and I was at the game!!! Now, that was a really good time.

Go You American League!! --RoadDog

Talking Baseball Here- White Sox, That Is

As the season gets to the halfway point, it is not a good one for the White Sox. Last weekend, they were swept by the, GADS!!!, Cubs, and managed to score a whole two runs in the effort. Cub fans are gloating, but, hey, they were playing the worst team in baseball. The Sox were only 6-22 as of last Sunday. Talk about your slumps.

Since then, they are 5-1, but still have one of the worst records in MLB. They're beating up on other bottom-dwellers, Tampa Bay and Kansas City. I still think the team is better than the record shows.

I was happy to see Frank Thomas hit his 500th home run. I always liked him and really thought he had a bona fide shot at the Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, he was plagued by injuries in his last years with the Sox, where he still holds lots of all-time records. He also developed a bad attitude after the Sox got Albert Belle. Then last year, he essentially ended any hopes for a return to the playoffs when we played him when he was with Oakland, a team the Sox have had a hard time defeating in recent years. He beat us with a vengeance.

I still remember going out to Comiskey Park when Andy was in his baseball phase. He had me wait while he got a Frank Thomas autograph. I wonder if he still has it?

Looks like a Long Season. --RoadDog