SI1020

There are too many teams today and the playoffs are way too watered down. Baseball used to be special, you used to have to win something to get into the post season. One thing I've been complaining about for years, and I don't seem to have any allies whatsoever, is the length of the season. Some day there is going to be a WS played in a driving snowstorm because of this. There is no way the WS should be played in late October let alone early November in the north. Having said that, I fully expect baseball to expand the playoffs soon. I also realize that our franchise is now so weak that if there is ever a decision to contract teams that we will now be on the short list of teams to be hit. I thank the great and magnificent Jerry Reinsdorf for that.

This is the first year I followed baseball and the year I became a White Sox fan. The Sox were 32-11 or 32-12 to start the season IIRC. My most vivid memory is the Yanks coming to town in late August and sweeping the White Sox. A fan threw some beer on Casey Stengel. I hated the Yankees. The Braves (they were the Milwaukee Braves then) beat the Yankees in the WS that year. It made me feel a little bit better. To this day they are my favorite NL team.

Or he'd go out to talk to one of them and no sooner would he be back in the dugout and the pitcher gives up a big hit.

Finally! I saw a commercial that addresses this problem. It's for Alltell the cellular company. Maybe I'm not the only one who finds this situation aggravating.

Unfortunately I think he developed a "habit" that shortened what should have been a really great career. I can still see him shutting down the Orioles in game 1.

I like our pitching coach. Can't say the same for our previous one.

I'm a Rust Belt native but I admit I really like the tri state NYC area. Had so many great times there. I could use a weekend in NYC right now. I never rooted for (usually strongly against) any of their teams, but to me its a great place. to NY and surroundings but I won't root for your teams.

Hoyt had some personal problems IIRC that may have contributed to his downfall. He was great for a while. I thought that 83 staff was set in stone for many years to come. Didn't happen.

Hurray for this columnist. However, he appears to be in the minority. Sammy Sosa is getting away with it and baseball is complicit in this coverup. Sammy's one of the biggest drawing cards and MLB is doing its best to see that this goes away. My feeling is he goes back on the roids big time. He's losing it and it scares him.

Thanks elrockinMT.

The Sox equaled their pennant winning record of 59 with a 94-60 mark in the regular season and still finished 17 games behind Cleveland. Al Lopez was the manager for the choking Indians who were swept by the NY Giants. This is the WS made famous by the running, back to the infield, cap falling off his head catch made by the great Willie Mays. Virgil Trucks was the ace of the staff that year, as Billy Pierce had arm troubles and slipped to 9-10. He was still among the leaders in SO's per IP and managed to throw 4 shutouts. Agree with Clujer on the number of teams and the ease of making the playoffs. One of these days the WS is going to be played in a snowstorm and MLB will be a laughingstock. Oh wait it already is with Bud Lite and crew at the helm. Jim Fainter is exactly right in describing the background problems hitters faced in many ball parks in that era. It took Paul Richards a few years but he was partly responsible for the Orioles becoming a perennial contender starting in 1960.

Glad I found this one. This was a near miss year for the Sox that everyone forgets. Chuck Comiskey, grandson of the original owner had teamed with GM Frank "trader" Lane to build the Sox Phoenix like from the ashes in the early 50's. Chuck Comiskey thought this was the team to win the pennant. They almost did. IIRC Dick Donovan had an emergency appendectomy in August and missed several starts at a crucial time. Billy Pierce had his best year ever despite posting only a 15-10 record. He lead the Major in ERA with a 1.97 which translates to an adusted ERA+ of 201 for stats freaks. He lost 4 1-0 games that year and had six shutouts. He started for the AL in the All Star game and once again like in 1953 he pitched 3 scoreless innings, leaving with a 5-0 lead. The NL came back to win, the guy just did have good luck when he pitched. Pierce and Donovan would be the most formidable 1-2 punch in the Majors from 55-58 with the exception of Spahn and Burdette of the Braves. Comiskey was so disappointed in this team that Lane was either fired or resigned in late Sept that year.

Actually it was the last year of the Marty Marion era. The death of Grace Comiskey set off a whole set of events that had a negative impact on the franchise. Her siblings got in to a protracted legal battle that resulted in the sale of the team to Bill Veeck. The Sox swept the Yanks in Comiskey in June. It was downhill after that.

I completely agree.

Checked it out with yahoo.com. All right! We win.

It's 1:59 Am in South Carolina and I just got home. We won right? Barry hit a blast but we won anyway right?

Thanks Roman. One of these days I'm just going to have to drop myself off somewhere in Latin America for a few months so I can get it right. Leo y escribo el espanol un poco pero no hablo el espanol muy bueno. Lo siento mucho.

I can't count, or else I'm trying not to add any years. It's now 46 years I've been rooting for the White Sox.

I've been rooting for the Sox for 45 years and Maggs is my 3rd or 4th all time favorite. I'd like to see him get back on track.

Ginter and Miles.

Es necessario a apprender el espanol. (My apologies to all spanish speaking posters here if I butchered that.)

Fox went 9 for 24 (.375) in the 59 WS and fielded flawlessly. He was one of few Sox players not to go in to the tank in a WS they had every reason to believe they should win. He played the game like witesoxfan said. I have read several accounts that he and Mgr Al Lopez had a falling out over Al's failure to start Billy Pierce in the WS. I remember Nellie defiantly pumping his glove after the Sox shut out the Dodgers 1-0 in game 5. Bob Shaw outdueled Sandy Koufax in that game.

They have a stat for EVERYTHING these days don't they?

I've studied the stats and must say for the most part I'm underwhelmed, especially in the pitching department. Perhaps those of you who are closer to the situation feel more hopeful.