Lip Man 1

March 14, 1994 - Sports Illustrated took issue with former NBA superstar Michael Jordan and his attempt to play Major League Baseball. Jordan was on the cover of the magazine again but in a far different light. The caption read, “Bag It Michael! Jordan and the White Sox are Embarrassing Baseball.” From that day on, Jordan, who was always very cooperative with that magazine, would never speak to them again. His biggest objection to the story was that they never talked with him as part of it. During the documentary “The Last Dance” the writer of the story, Steve Wulf, said that after Jordan showed some potential and a sincere desire to play the game, he wrote another piece apologizing but the magazine never published it. No reason was ever given. March 14, 2022 - After the White Sox failed to even attempt to keep him with an 18.4-million-dollar qualifying offer, Carlos Rodon signed a two-year, 44-million-dollar deal with the Giants. Rodon was coming off of a tremendous season with the White Sox, pushing himself into Cy Young favorite status before running out of gas and being sidelined for a month late in the White Sox’s 2021 playoff season. But a combination of foolhardy overconfidence in his thin rotation depth and sheer frugality prevented G.M. Rick Hahn from extending any offer. The decision blew up in the White Sox’s faces, as the wildly-disappointing, 81-81 team could certainly have used what Rodon gave the Giants that season, 14 wins, a 2.88 ERA and 237 strike outs in 178 innings.

Thank you for your effort to get things back to normal.

March 13, 1954 - Think today’s streaming madness has made baseball too hard to watch, or the MLB’s blackout rules are an anachronism? On this day, ABC made an ill-fated effort to televise a Spring Training game featuring the White Sox at the Phillies in Clearwater, Fla. ABC intended the game as a national Game of the Week presentation, while G.M. Frank Lane of the White Sox felt it would not be shown in MLB cities and the Phillies believed the game was only going to be broadcast back to Chicago. ABC proceeded with its broadcast prep, which would feature just a single camera, in the stands behind home plate. A hole was cut in the protective screen and the sole cameraman, from a local affiliate in Ft. Lauderdale, donned full catcher’s protective gear in case of foul balls getting through the opening. The resulting chaos — during the game broadcast, mind you — forced ABC to cut its broadcast off after the third inning, without any explanation for viewers. The White Sox won the game, 6-3. March 13, 2000 - Sox slugger Frank Thomas was again featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. A lengthy story talked about his career, the controversies and his desire to return to the top of the game. The caption stated, “Don’t Question My Desire. Frank Thomas Comes Out Swinging.” Thomas would have a spectacular season losing out on his third A.L. M.V.P. Award to the A’s Jason Giambi, who’d later admit to using steroids in grand jury testimony. Frank’s numbers in 2000 included a .328 batting average, 43 home runs, 143 RBI’s, 112 walks and a slugging percentage of .625. Despite those gaudy figures he didn’t lead the league in any single category that year.

Saw a story on him in I think it was the Sun-Times and they weren't sure when he'd be back. He's got elbow soreness and was just starting to throw again.

Assuming he need to go back and get a rehab start in the minor leagues you are looking at May 1...maybe.

Teel, Baldwin, Vasil and who knows who else is going to be hurt.

And the beat goes on...and on...and on...and on.

A parent is not the same as the player itself.

I confess I'm not fond of the WBC just for the reason of injury potential as well as guys having to play hard (in theory) for something totally meaningless but over and above that what bothers me are these rosters. You've got guys who weren't born in a particular country playing for it because their grandmother on their step-mothers side had a distant cousin who lived in said country for a year or two. (I know that doesn't make sense but just trying to make a point). If you are going to have this exhibition series at least make the rule to play for a nation you have to be born there and be a citizen of it. Stop stretching things to try to field a roster. If you don't have enough legit players from your country you don't play, aren't invited.

Do you mean Brooks Robinson?

Will White Sox work to keep prospects who make it or sell them off? With Jerry Reinsdorf about to begin his 46th season as team owner, the big question for loyal Sox fans is: Where is this all going long term? https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/03/10/white-sox-prospects-chris-getz-will-venable-jerry-reinsdorf-munetaka-murakami-justin-mat-ishbia

Jerry Reinsdorf decides he's had enough and turns the franchise over to Justin ishbia. All remaining White Sox fans have a day of unfettered joy and celebration.

My dad used to say, 'wish in one hand, piss in the other, see which fills up first...'

It’s a staff without substance and texture. “That’s a big thing for us: not to care about what people are thinking outside of this clubhouse,” Martin said. “Face it, our staff is going to look different, than like say, the Dodgers. It’s not going to be as much copy and paste like other organizations because of where we’re at.” But it shouldn’t be worse than, say, the Rockies for that matter, either. Watch this space. https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2026/03/06/will-venable-white-sox-pitching-staff-seranthony-dominguez-shane-smith-anthony-kay-sean-newcomb-sean-burke-davis-martin

I understand but that doesn't change the fact like Dr. House was fond of saying, "everybody lies" especially when it comes to owners and their books. That fact of life hasn't changed be it 1994 or 2026.

I'm sure that these millionaires and billionaires and Fortune 500 companies that are involved can easily take on debt and do so for a very, very long time. Reminds me of when Lamar Hunt owned the Chiefs in the early days, it was reported he lost a million dollars one year. His father H.L. Hunt, who was extremely rich from oil and gas, was asked about this and he said, (paraphrasing). 'That means he can only lose that amount of money for another hundred years...' And again as was documented in the book The Lords of the Realm by John Helyar it's hard to take any numbers owners produce seriously given the way they and their accountants can manipulate them. Only one team has to produce and open their books, the Braves, which they recently did, and those numbers showed they were making a fortune. I'll have more sympathy for owners when they allow their books to be examined by certified independent forensic accountants and their like. If those people say they are losing money and badly then absolutely I'll have to rethink my position.

Noah's numbers were the best thing about today over and above a well played win.

That survey also reported the fans blame the owners for the situation. You aren't going to see a salary cap, the MLBPA will die on that hill before they ever agree to it (and rightly so in my opinion...)

Like I said who? 😆

Who? (No I'm not being facetious...)

March 12, 1921 - All eight members of the White Sox who reportedly conspired to throw the 1919 World Series, but were found innocent in a court of law, were banned by then commissioner Kenesaw “Mountain” Landis from ever playing in the Major Leagues again. The eight were “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, Eddie Cicotte, Claude “Lefty” Williams, Charles “Swede” Risberg, Fred McMullin, Arnold “Chick” Gandil, Oscar “Happy” Felsch and George “Buck” Weaver. Jackson was banned for life, despite hitting .375 in the series; Weaver was banned not for throwing the series, but simply for knowing of the plot and not reporting it. The only club capable of facing off against the emerging New York Yankee dynasty was thus destroyed. March 12, 1973 - Sox third baseman and former 1971 A.L. home run champ, Bill Melton, appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The caption read, “Chicago Comes Out Swinging. Slugger Bill Melton.” Melton would have a nice comeback season after missing most of 1972 with a herniated disc. He’d hit .277 with 20 home runs and 87 RBI’s. He’d be traded to the Angels after the 1975 campaign.

March 11, 1968 - Sox rookie pitcher Cisco Carlos was part of the cover shot for Sports Illustrated. The caption read, “The Best Rookies of 1968.” Unfortunately, Carlos didn’t turn out to be one of them, either in the short term or the long one. In fact, of the five players on the cover only Johnny Bench and Mike Torrez made a name for themselves in the sport. In two and a half seasons with the club Carlos went 10-17. His best pitching performance came on September 14, 1967 at Comiskey Park, when in the middle of a pennant race, he shut out Cleveland on five hits over 10 innings winning 4-0. March 11, 2003 – 16 White Sox players refused to allow themselves to be tested for performance enhancing drugs when testers approved by both Major League Baseball and the MLBPA showed up in Tucson before a game versus the Mariners. Their reasoning was that by not taking the test the players hoped it would be counted as a positive result thus greatly increasing the chances of tougher testing in 2004. Sox player representative Kelly Wunsch and Sandy Alomar Jr. convinced the players that this was an agreed deal and they had a responsibility to follow through on the commitment. All 16 players eventually decided to take the test although some privately told media members afterwards they felt they were being pressured by the union to do so.

March 10, 1995 - After two stints at White Sox spring training and a full season in Birmingham, Michael Jordan announced he was giving up baseball. Part of the reason was because of his struggles with the game, but the other, larger part, as he explained to author Bob Greene, in the book, “Rebound, The Odyssey of Michael Jordan” was because he was being pressured by Sox G.M. Ron Schueler to cross the MLBPA picket line. With replacement games set to start, Jordan stated that he was told if he didn’t cross the line, he’d be banished from the main clubhouse. Jordan was furious saying that he was promised by owner Jerry Reinsdorf, he wouldn’t have to take that step. Jordan explained that under no circumstances would he ever cross a labor picket line regardless of sport, that the day would never come where he would be forced to be, not a minor league prospect, but a Major League strikebreaker. “I told them from the beginning that I didn’t want them to use me to make money in the spring training games. We had an understanding. It was never supposed to even come up. I was disgusted that the promise wasn’t going to be honored,” he told Greene. Jordan would return to the Bulls and win three more championships.

March 9, 1927 - Popular Sox outfielder Johnny Mostil attempted suicide in a hotel room in Shreveport, Louisiana. Despite razor cuts to his wrist, neck and chest, Mostil survived and returned to the team in April although he’d only play in 13 games that season. Mostil suffered a number of injuries in his career, and had severe dental issues and neuritis in his jaw and shoulder; neuritis is an inflamed nerve condition, resulting in sharp and chronic pain. Given the severity of this suicide attempt — and the fact that Mostil plunged his hand into scalding water during his rehab, delaying his return to the White Sox — the star may have been simply trying to end significant suffering, suffering that the medicine of his time could not soothe. In 10 years with the team Mostil would hit over .300 four times with a high of .328 in 1926. Two other years he’d bat over .290. After his career he’d become a longtime White Sox scout/coach and help develop future players like All-Star and Gold Glove winning outfielder Jim Landis. March 9, 1972 – With talks at a standstill between the owners and the MLBPA over a new labor contract focusing on the pension plan, the White Sox became the first team to have their players vote to authorize a strike if things weren’t agreed upon and a new deal put in place. The vote was 31-0 in favor of it. When all was said and done the final vote of the players was 663-10 to strike if a new agreement wasn’t reached. As it turned out a new agreement wasn’t reached before the first few weeks of the season were impacted and regular season games were lost for the very first time. Those games were never made up and teams played a different number of games in the season. The White Sox that year only played 154 of them and would lose what would turn out to be a crucial three-game series against the A’s in Chicago.

March 8, 1948 – WGN, channel 9 in Chicago, announced that it would televise White Sox games for the first time during the upcoming season. Veteran radio sports broadcasters Jack Brickhouse and Harry Creighton would become the first White Sox TV announcers in history. The first game they ever showed was an exhibition game against the Cubs from Wrigley Field on April 16 in freezing cold weather! The Sox would beat the Cubs 4-1. WGN carried White Sox televised games from 1948-1967, 1981 and 1990 through 2019. March 8, 1951 – The White Sox held spring training in Pasadena, California after the war. It was near Hollywood and on this day the team had a special visitor as actress Marilyn Monroe came calling. Monroe was going to be the mascot for a charity game played at Gilmore Field, the home of the Pacific Coast League Hollywood Stars that Sunday. The game featured a number of All-Stars. Monroe arrived early and took a number of publicity photos with the players including Hank Majeski, Joe Dobson and Gus Zernial. All the Sox players would later receive autographed pictures from her.