Lip Man 1

October 7, 2001 - Sox All-Star outfielder Magglio Ordonez became the first player in American League history to have a season with a .300 average, 40 doubles, 30 home runs, 100 RBI’s and 25 stolen bases. His hit against the Twins in the fourth inning went for his 40th double and the record. October 7, 2005 - At Fenway Park the White Sox won their first post season series of any kind since 1917 by beating Boston 5-3 to sweep the A.L.D.S. in three straight games. Paul Konerko’s two run home run gave the Sox some breathing room and then pitcher Orlando Hernandez saved it. Entering into a bases loaded, no out, one run lead situation in the sixth inning of game #3, “El Duque” got two pop outs and a strike out. It was an amazing performance in a pressure packed situation.

October 6, 1905 - The Sox lost the pennant on the next to last day of the season when pitcher Guy "Doc" White couldn’t beat the bottom feeding St. Louis Browns. White and the Sox lost 6-2 which handed the flag to the Philadelphia Athletics. The Browns scored five runs in the third inning. The Sox would finish the season two games off the pace. That year they had six games declared ties which factored in to the final standings. October 6, 1908 - The Sox lost the pennant on the last day of the season when Ty Cobb and Detroit won the decisive game 7-0. Guy "Doc" White again was the pitcher of record, only this time he may have had an excuse. He was working on two day’s rest having beaten the Tigers 3-1 on October 4. October 6, 1909 - Architect Zachary Taylor Davis submitted his design for a new ballpark on the South Side to owner Charles Comiskey. The concrete and steel structure was considered revolutionary for its time yet only took three and a half months to complete the following year, opening in July 1910. October 6, 1923 – It was his first year on the team and turned out to be his last appearances of the season but future Hall of Famer Ted Lyons had himself an afternoon in Cleveland. The right hander from Texas came in to pitch in the first game of a double header, threw three innings in relief and got the win as the Sox won 6-3 by scoring four times in the ninth inning. Later in the afternoon Lyons came in to pitch again in relief in the second game, tossing a little over four innings and yes, he got the win again as the Sox took the contest 7-6. Lyons threw almost eight innings total. When his career ended in 1946, he’d win 260 games, the most ever for a White Sox pitcher. October 6, 1959 - At the mammoth L.A. Coliseum, which was the temporary home of the Dodgers, the White Sox played small ball in game #5 of the World Series. They beat Sandy Koufax 1-0 to stay alive, cutting L.A.’s lead to three games to two. The only Sox run scored on a double play ground ball but it turned out to be enough. The Sox became the first team in World Series history to have three pitchers combine for the shut out (Bob Shaw, Billy Pierce and Dick Donovan). The game also featured one of the greatest catches in World Series history as “Jungle” Jim Rivera ran a long way and made an over the shoulder catch in the seventh inning with two men on base to save the game robbing Charlie Neal of a potential game winner. Also it was a day game and Rivera somehow located the ball against a murderous background filled with white shirts and white dresses worn by the fans. Alas the Dodgers beat the Sox in game #6 9-3, to win the series four games to two. October 6, 2000 - Another dramatic and fantastic season was ruined as the Sox fell apart and lost the divisional series in three straight games to the Mariners. The M’s clinched the series despite a heroic effort from pitcher James Baldwin. “JB,” pitching with a bad arm, held the Mariners to one run on three hits in six innings of game #3. Seattle scored the series clinching run in the 2-1 win on a suicide squeeze from Carlos Guillen in the ninth inning. Replays showed him clearly out of the batter’s box on the bunt attempt, stepping over home plate, but Sox manager Jerry Manuel never protested the play.

Both may be in good shape because the possibility exists of new ownership.

October 5, 1908 - Sox pitcher “Big” Ed Walsh won his 40th game of the season, as he beat Detroit 6-1. No one has come close to matching it in the ensuing seasons. Walsh led all of MLB in games (66), starts (49), complete games (42), shutouts (11), innings (464) and strikeouts (269). Oh, and he led the majors in saves as well, with six, had that been an official statistic. October 5, 1983 - Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt pitched a brilliant complete game, five-hitter in beating the Orioles 2-1 in game #1 of the A.L.C.S. It was the first time since divisional playoffs started in 1969 that Baltimore ever lost the first game of a post season series. It would be the high-water mark for the Sox in the next week. He struck out four and lost his shutout in the ninth inning on a bloop hit by Cal Ripken Jr. With Ripken on base, Hoyt got the dangerous Eddie Murray to hit a ground ball up the middle, he deflected the ball just enough to slow it down so Scott Fletcher could field it, step on second base, record the force out and end the contest played at Memorial Stadium. October 5, 1993 - Game #1 of the A.L.C.S. was a complete unmitigated disaster both on and off the field for the Sox. On the field, Toronto ripped the Sox 7-3 but by the middle of the game, not one fan cared. Michael Jordan who threw out the ceremonial first pitch confirmed reports that he was holding a press conference the next morning to announce his retirement from the Bulls. Fans at the game and around the city were in shock. Adding insult to injury, future Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk and Chicago native and former Sox pitcher Donn Pall were turned away by security guards when they attempted to wish the team good luck in the locker room before the game started. The White Sox claimed the rules were set by Major League Baseball but no fan or media member was fooled by that comment. Most media members felt Fisk was turned away on explicit orders from owner Jerry Reinsdorf. It was an insult Fisk never forgot. Reinsdorf then took an unprecedented step of apologizing to the team in the clubhouse before the start of game #2 saying he had no wish to take away their spotlight because of the Jordan situation. October 5, 2008 - Making the post season for the third time in the decade the Sox were on the brink of elimination in the 2008 A.L.D.S., but behind the strong starting pitching effort from John Danks they beat Tampa Bay 5-3 to survive another day. Danks pitched into the seventh inning of game #3 with seven strikeouts. A three run fourth inning set the tone for the Sox in the game. Dewayne Wise had two RBI’s for the Sox. October 5, 2022 – It was the end to one of the most disappointing seasons in White Sox history. Six years earlier Sox G.M. Rick Hahn started the rebuild with the words that the franchise was “Mired in mediocrity.” After the Twins pounded the Sox 10-1 to end the 2022 campaign the team finished…at 81-81. The very definition of mediocrity. It was only the fifth time in team history the club ended a year exactly at .500. The season was supposed to see the Sox make the postseason for a third straight year and potentially play in the World Series. Instead the team played listless, seemed to have little sense of urgency, couldn’t stay healthy and was saddled with bizarre in-game decisions by manager Tony LaRussa who resigned before the season even ended because of serious health issues. The year marked season 10 under G.M. Hahn whose track record was less than stellar. Seven losing years, two winning ones and a .500 year. The Sox had two playoff appearances but also two quick first round playoff exits under his watch.

Both he and McGuffy thinks TA will rebound and have a good season next year...with another club. Also has some interesting trade ideas since the free agent class is so poor (both feel trading is really the Sox only option and they have to be creative to even do that successfully):

Valid point to be sure but just for discussion sake let's say the four guys are OK offensively...surround them with crap for the other five lineup spots (which is what the Sox had) and the four guys would each have to put up MVP-type numbers for said offense to be any good. Obviously that didn't happen. Sox had way to many automatic outs in the lineup.

The dumpster diving world which what the Sox generally do.

Isn't there a complete section for talking non-Sox baseball? That's where you go to laugh at the Cubs collapse, or talk about the Rangers, Orioles, Cardinals or anybody else in MLB. This section is for talking Sox baseball and you are exactly correct, they are terrible.

Different players have different roles. Guys in the middle of a good batting order are expected to drive in runs, getting on base a lot, and note I said a lot, shouldn't be the primary focus. That's ideally for the numbers 1-2-7-8-9 in a good lineup. Guys hitting 3-4-5-6 should be driving in runs be it with a home run or an extra base hit or getting guys home with less than two outs productively. .

JR is probably going to form his own network with the Bulls and hawks when the NBC Sports Chicago contract ends next year. He'll join organizations like the Yankees/Nets (YES) and the Cubs (Marquee)

Without RBI's, you don't score...without scoring you don't win.

I believe Chuck said that was the only thing he could think off to rationalize why they weren't playing. It was clear from his other comments and demeanor that he felt they should have played.

Jimenez needs to be traded. Guy is an injury waiting to happen and any thought he'll ever have a 35-40 home run season is delusional. Keep Vaughn (for now.)

October 4, 1948 - Chuck Comiskey III was named vice president of the White Sox. He refused to see the team continue to be the laughingstock of the American League and immediately began to take steps to change things on and off the field. Those changes started to bear fruit during the 1951 season as the Sox vaulted into contention in the American League. For the next 17 seasons, through the end of the 1967 campaign, the White Sox produced a winning record and were usually in the running for the pennant winning it in 1959. October 4, 1981 - Jerry Hairston’s grand slam helped beat the Twins 13-12 setting off Bill Veeck’s original exploding scoreboard for the last time. The blast came off future White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper. The Sox trailed in the game 12-5 before scoring eight unanswered runs in the final two innings with Hairston driving home the game winner. The victory gave the Sox their first winning year since 1977 at 54-52. The game also marked the end of broadcaster Harry Caray’s association with the Sox after 11 seasons. October 4, 2005 – The White Sox opened the divisional playoffs against the Red Sox at home in U.S. Cellular Field before a capacity crowd…and they did it with a bang, blasting Boston 14-2. The White Sox hit five home runs in the game, an A.L.D.S. record. The home runs were hit by Paul Konerko, Juan Uribe, Scott Podsednik and two by A.J. Pierzynski.

Takes aim at the organization, Grifol and the players who sat out the "fan appreciation" day game Sunday among other topics:

I'd argue they had legit chances to win during the time period from 1951-1967 too.

Historically that isn't true. It is since 2007 but the time period from 1951-1967 was excellent. The time period from 2000-2006 wasn't bad either.

It always comes down to ownership and for a century or so Chicago sports teams owners have been less than willing to go all in, regardless of consequence, less than willing to hire the best and the brightest and less then willing to put personal beliefs aside in the interest of winning. It always starts at the top folks.

The 19 thousand surprised me as well but it's in the middle of the day on a work day. What did you expect?

The guy has barely pitched in what three years? Something like that. This isn't even a long shot.

More flotsam and jetsam. As if this bad bullpen doesn't already have a slew of those types. How did that work out this year?

https://soxmachine.com/2023/10/report-white-sox-coaching-changes-include-firing-daryl-boston-jose-castro/

https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2023/10/3/23902121/chicago-bears-cubs-white-sox-bulls-blackhawks

Hemond supercharged the Sox rebuild after the 1970 disaster by being able to make deals where the Sox would trade a player and get two back or trade two guys and get three back. They weren't as good individually as the player the Sox traded like Aparicio and Berry but they were solid returns. I don't think this current front office has the moxie to be able to duplicate what Roland did.

You can try to trade some of the guys who are at least decent but I don't think the current front office has the expertise of say Roland Hemond.