Lip Man 1

They have done everything but come right out and say they are running it back next year. You know it, I know it, the media knows it and so does the front office.

One year after JR has left the scene.

August 2, 1921 - A Chicago jury found the eight “Black Sox” players innocent of conspiring to commit fraud by virtue of fixing the 1919 World Series. The players expected to go back to the Sox but then Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis permanently banished them, destroying the only team that could have played with the Yankees throughout the 1920's. It also sunk the franchise into a spiral that saw only seven winning seasons between 1921 and 1950. One of the players George “Buck” Weaver maintained his innocence until his death and applied for reinstatement many times without success. August 2, 1968 - The Sox and Senators completed a trade as infielders Tim Cullen and Ron Hansen were exchanged for each other. Why the notoriety? Because the same two players were traded for each other by the same two clubs on February 13th! The players even wore the same uniform number with the White Sox (#4) and had the same identical locker location! Hansen had been with the club since 1963 and played a solid shortstop. August 2, 1979 - Tony LaRussa replaced Don Kessinger as White Sox manager. The Tampa native, who had passed the bar exam in Florida, was only 35 years old. He remained as manager until June 1986. LaRussa posted winning records in 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1985. He won the Western Division title in the 1983 season. LaRussa was fired because of basic conflicts on how the team should be run by new G.M. Ken “Hawk” Harrelson. Owner Jerry Reinsdorf later publicly admitted letting LaRussa go was one of the worst mistakes he ever made and he’d eventually correct it (in his mind) by getting LaRussa out of retirement to come back as manager for the 2021 season that saw the Sox win the division with 93 victories. August 2, 1985 - An incredible weekend in New York started with perhaps the most unusual play in White Sox history. As a national TV audience watched on Friday Night Baseball on NBC, and with pitcher Britt Burns on the mound, Rickey Henderson slammed a double to left center over the head of outfielder Luis Salazar. Yankee runner Bobby Meacham was unsure if the ball would be caught by center fielder Salazar or left fielder Reid Nichols, so he went back toward second to tag up before reversing course, and then stumbled slightly. Meanwhile, Dale Berra (Yogi’s son) had taken off from first and didn’t hesitate as Meacham had. So, when the ball finally came to rest on the warning track in deep left field near the 411-foot mark, only about 20 feet separated the two runners. Salazar picked up the ball and fired it to shortstop Ozzie Guillen as Meacham and Berra rounded third. Third-base coach Gene Michael tried to get Berra to hold up at third but it was too late. Guillen relayed the ball to catcher Carlton Fisk in plenty of time to tag Meacham, who didn’t slide and instead tried unsuccessfully to knock the ball out of Fisk’s glove. Fisk did a ‘matador’ on Meacham for the first out of the inning. Meacham did succeed in twirling Fisk around slightly so that he wasn’t facing the field, but he recovered in time to tag Berra, who also did not slide. It was scored an 8-6-2 double play. That’s two for the price of one at home plate! To cap things off the Sox won the game 6-5 in 11 innings. August 2, 1990 - In the first game of a double header first baseman Frank Thomas made his Major League debut in Milwaukee. The greatest hitter in franchise history went 0-4 in his first game. The next night Frank narrowly missed a home run in the seventh inning when his line shot hit the top of the wall in right field and went for a triple. It would be his first Major League hit. The Sox would sweep five games from the Brewers that weekend. A bit of trivia; when Thomas came up with the Sox, he did not wear #35. His first number was #15. August 2, 2016 - When White Sox outfielder Charlie Tilson was helped off the field in Detroit he became, incredibly, the fourth player making their Major League debut for the club to be injured and not be able to finish the game that season. Catcher Kevan Smith injured his back in pregame warm up’s and was placed on the disabled list, outfielder Jason Coats suffered a cut lip and a mild concussion after a collision, infielder Matt Davidson broke a bone in his foot running the bases and was placed on the disabled list and Tilson tore his left hamstring, he also went on the DL.

“Most of the fan interaction that I’ve had in recent months is fan question-and-answer sessions,” he said. “You can feel the frustration and you can feel the disappointment. They feel better for having been heard." - Rick Hahn You mean like at Sox Fest? ?

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/8/1/23816609/mlb-trade-deadline-white-sox-news-gm-rick-hahn-spins-another-tale-about-a-lost-season

19 straight innings being shut out...and counting.

They have a good chance to make the playoffs unlike the Sox.

DeLuca is one of the sports editors at the Sun-Times and doesn't often write columns anymore: https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/8/1/23816609/mlb-trade-deadline-white-sox-news-gm-rick-hahn-spins-another-tale-about-a-lost-season

An excerpt from my story that I posted the link for: "On July 31, according to Schueler, Reinsdorf called Scott Boras (Hernandez’s agent) to see one final time if a contract extension could be reached. Boras said it would have to be at least for four years. Schueler told the Chicago Tribune that at that point, he knew he’d have to make a trade because the Sox would not offer pitchers that long of a deal. (Ironically, after accusing Tapani of faking a hand injury and rebuffing the efforts of Roger Clemens’ agents to have him join the White Sox saying Clemens was “over the hill,” Schueler signed Jamie Navarro to a four-year $20 million deal.) Navarro was an unmitigated disaster. At the time of the Giants trade, he was 8-9 with a high ERA and a disruptive clubhouse presence."

Isn't Ramos a third baseman?

August 1, 1983 - On a nationally televised ABC Monday Night Baseball game, Greg Luzinski drove a Ray Fontenot pitch over the left field roof at Comiskey Park. It was “the Bull’s” second roof shot in 1983 and the first home run ever allowed by Fontenot. The Sox would win the game 4-1 over the Yankees starting a torrid stretch where they went an incredible 46-15 to close out the regular season and finish with 99 wins. August 1, 2003 - The Sox won their 8,000 game in franchise history as they buried the Mariners in Seattle 12-1. Carl Everett had a huge evening going 2 for 4 with five RBI’s including a three-run home run off future teammate Freddy Garcia. August 1, 2005 - Pitcher Mark Buehrle’s streak of 49 straight starts with six or more innings ended when he was thrown out of a game in Baltimore by umpire Brian Gorman. Sox TV announcer Ken “Hawk” Harrelson became extremely upset in the TV booth “You’ve GOT to be kidding me!” over it. Buehrle got tossed without warning for hitting B.J. Surhoff after White Sox hitters were struck earlier in the game. The Sox would get the last laugh however winning the game 6-3 and sweeping the four-game series increasing their divisional lead to 15 games over the Indians.

because like the White Flag Trade it made the Sox a national embarrassment.

They could make an offer but when was the last time JR allowed a nine figure deal? There you have it. Not happening.

Balta: I don't know the answer to that myself maybe someone else has it.

DVS of the Sun-Times takes a closer look at it (and it wasn't good): https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2023/7/31/23814668/white-sox-focus-loosen-up-have-some-fun It dovetails with what I was told by multiple sources for the story I put together on the "State of the Sox" headed into this year: “The problem with this team is there was no real leadership, nobody to hold guys accountable. No red-asses like the Sox had in the past… Carlton Fisk, Jack McDowell, A.J. Pierzynski. Paul Konerko was a quiet guy but when we weren’t doing well he’d get really pissed. Elvis Andrus tried to supply some leadership when he came and Lucas Giolito tried.” “I’d come into the locker room after a game and you couldn’t tell if they won or lost, just nothing.” “You’d go in the locker room and all the Latino guys would be in one place, the whites in another and the African-Americans someplace else.” “I had heard that groups were apart and not close but part of that could be human nature, language divisions for example. I know the Latin guys were always around Jose’s locker, Moncada was always there. The Sox locker room is a big square so guys aren’t close to start with, the Cubs locker room is circular. I don’t know if that was by design or what but that lends itself to guys getting together.” “The problem is some of these guys just don’t care, they want to win sure but they already have gotten their money with these contracts before they proved anything. Moncada would strike out and just walk back to the dugout like no big deal, he fouls a ball off and now he can’t play for three days? His contract makes him untradable but he needs to go.” “There was a lack of urgency the entire season. People would say the right things but they never translated.” “To me it was the May 9 game with Cleveland, (Author’s Note: The Sox blew an 8-2, 9th inning lead and lost in extra innings which snapped a six-game win streak.) That showed Cleveland that they could play with the Sox but what I noticed was the only person that game seemed to bother was Tony LaRussa. Another one was the Triple Play Game against the Twins. (Author’s Note: The Sox ran themselves into an 8-5 triple play on July 4. They wound up losing the game 6-3 in extra innings) Adam Engel faced the music afterwards, he made a mistake and owned up to it. Moncada who also made a mistake was nowhere, he was already gone. Then the next day he was saying that he didn’t know people wanted to talk with him.” “They were the most disappointing team in baseball. They were consistently redundant, by that I mean day after day they’d make errors, have dumb base running mistakes, take bad approaches at the plate and lack effort. They were the dumbest, laziest team in baseball, I don’t know if they were the most disappointing team ever in Chicago but I’ve used the phrase that the 2022 White Sox were “Trying Barely”… they reminded me of the 2004 Cubs.”

14 times so far the Sox had a lead in the 7th inning or later and wound up losing the game.

Speaking of the "White Flag Trade" a detailed look from both the Sox and Giants perspectives: https://www.southsidesox.com/2022/7/31/23286626/white-sox-white-flag-trade-theres-a-hole-in-the-toe-of-my-white-sox

The most significant change will come when JR is gone and new ownership arrives although no one knows when that will happen so Tony does have a valid point.

They split the four game series.

From what a source told me this past winter: “People, his friends… have tried to tell him what has been going on, “Hawk” Harrelson, the late Ed Farmer… God rest his soul, Darrin Jackson, Scott Reifert (Author’s Note: Scott is the Senior Vice-President for Communications) , Bob Grim and others but it’s just not registering for some reason.”

Exactly, Kenny is not running things, he's got one foot out the door to retirement already.

Mine as well when I had to write his obit for the Chicago Baseball Museum. And speaking of 1977: https://www.southsidesox.com/2023/7/31/23813733/dish-deluxe-3-the-1977-chicago-white-sox-best-july-record-ever-chet-lemon-steve-stone-eric-soderholm

I don't think they want to. I think they simply realize the reality of the situation and that by the time the Sox are (maybe) good again he'll be on his way out the door. Another 'between a rock and a hard place' situation created by the Sox themselves.

July 31, 1910 - Lee Tannehill hit the first White Sox home run at Comiskey Park when his ball rolled under the fence. According to the rules at the time it was still considered a home run and a grand slam to boot. It’s ironic that he’d be the first player to get a home run as he was considered one of the worst hitters in the early days of the American League. The Sox lost to the Tigers that afternoon 6-5. July 31, 1964 - Sox star left hander Juan Pizarro struck out 14 Senators in a 6-0 win in Washington. Pizarro allowed only four hits striking out at least once, eight of the nine starters. Pizarro would make the All-Star team that year and win 19 games with an ERA of 2.56 July 31, 1972 – It was another baseball rarity. Dick Allen’s magical season continued with two inside the park home runs in a single game. That tied the Major League record. It happened in Minnesota at old Metropolitan Stadium as the Sox beat Bert Blyleven 8-1. Bobby Darwin was the Twins center fielder who misplayed both of Allen’s drives. He slipped on the first one which saw the ball bounce completely over his head in right center, then on the second one he mistimed his dive in left center and the ball got by him and rolled all the way to the wall. Allen was credited with five RBI’s on the day. It started a stretch that saw the Sox win 14 of the next 17 games. July 31, 1977- It was the high point of the 1977 season. The “Southside Hit Men” had won the first two games of the crucial four game series with the Royals by coming from behind each time. In the first game of a Sunday double header, Chet Lemon’s two run home run in the last of the 10th tied the game at four, then Ralph Garr’s single drove in the game winner. The Sox were now six and a half games in the lead, the franchise’s largest margin at the top since 1967. Three straight come from behind wins had the crowd of over 45-thousand in a frenzy. The second game also produced fireworks as the Royals routed the Sox 8-4. Hal McRae homered, then did a slow trot around the bases, tipping his cap as he touched home plate, mocking Sox fans who had called for ‘curtain calls’ all season long. Sox fans reacted by throwing garbage at McRae and the Royals from the stands. Pitcher Steve Stone, now a Sox announcer, always felt that manager Bob Lemon made a major mistake by not putting his best lineup out for the second game and going for the jugular. The Sox would finish the surprising season with a record of 90-72 in third place. July 31, 1991 - The white-hot White Sox capped off a sizzling month with one of the most dramatic moments in team history. The Sox trailed the Rangers 8-6 going into the bottom of the ninth inning. Texas brought in former Sox All-Star pitcher Rich "Goose" Gossage to close things out. But the goose got cooked on this night as with two out, Robin Ventura hammered a grand slam into the right field stands winning the game 10-8. A full house, which included noted Cub fan Bill Murray sitting almost directly behind home plate, went wild as Ventura was bodily lifted off the ground by massive Frank Thomas in a celebration hug at home plate. The Sox went 19-8 that month. July 31, 1993 - With the Sox looking for any type of reliable starting pitching help in the middle of a pennant race, G.M. Ron Schueler was finally convinced to deal two of his ‘can’t miss kids,’ to Cincinnati for pitcher Tim Belcher. Belcher provided some consistency to help the rotation including throwing a shutout against Oakland, but came up big when it was really needed, in the post season. In game #4 of the A.L.C.S., he relieved a shell-shocked Jason Bere, pitched nearly four innings, and picked up the win which tied the best of seven series at two games each. July 31, 1996 - The White Sox infuriated their fans and angered their own players by refusing to make any significant trade moves at the deadline, settling for relief pitcher Tony Castillo later in August, to try to help a bullpen that was among the worst in baseball. In fact, the 1996 White Sox would set the record (since broken) for most blown save opportunities. The Sox were in the midst of losing a substantial lead in the Wild Card race at the time after having started the season at 40-21 and fighting Cleveland for the divisional lead. The following week, Sox players, pitcher Roberto Hernandez and outfielder Tony Phillips ripped the organization to The Sporting News. The Sox ended the year a disappointing 85-77 and out of the post season. July 31, 1997 - Perhaps the lowest point in the history of the Chicago White Sox franchise occurred as owner Jerry Reinsdorf issued his "Anybody who thinks this club can catch Cleveland is crazy" comment and gutted the team. Reinsdorf allowed General Manager Ron Schueler to trade Wilson Alvarez, Roberto Hernandez and Danny Darwin to the Giants with the Sox only three and a half games out of first. The Sox got back six minor league prospects. The "White Flag Trade” resulted in catastrophic consequences for the team from an attendance and public relations standpoint both locally and nationally. No team before had ever traded their top pitchers when they were only a few games off the lead. Joe Morgan went on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight and angrily denounced Sox management saying how sorry he felt "For the fans and the season ticket holders." Dave Campbell echoed those remarks on the same show. Sports Illustrated had the “Sox Surrender” as their feature story the next week and quoted both Alvarez and Hernandez as stating that when manager Terry Bevington told them they were traded he was "Laughing." Many Sox fans never forgave Reinsdorf and refused to ever attend games again in person. Sox star third baseman Robin Ventura, who worked his way back from a grotesque injury to his lower leg in late March, then issued his famous "I didn’t know the season ended in August" quote. July 31, 1998 - Albert Belle clocked his 16th home run in the month which set the Major League record at the time. The old mark was 15, set by Joe DiMaggio, Hank Greenberg, Juan Gonzales and Joe Adcock. The Sox would hammer the Rangers in Texas 10-2. He had 32 RBI’s for the month as well. July 31, 2004 - At the trade deadline, G. M. Kenny Williams made a pitching swap that would dramatically alter the franchise. He sent former All-Star Esteban Loaiza to the Yankees for disappointing Jose Contreras and cash. In 2005, Contreras would become the best pitcher in baseball after the All-Star break and help lead the Sox to the World Championship. He then set the club record with 16 straight wins spanning the 2005 and 2006 seasons. July 31, 2005 - In a very minor deal, the Sox picked up utility man Geoff Blum from the Padres for a minor league pitcher. Blum wrote his name into Sox history with his extra inning home run in game #3 of the 2005 World Series less than three months later, helping the Sox beat the Astros 7-5 in 14 innings. July 31, 2007 - Less than two seasons removed from winning a World Series title, the Sox allowed the most home runs ever in a single game in franchise history. The Yankees hit eight of them in a 16-3 pounding at Yankee Stadium. Jose Contreras gave up three, Charlie Haeger a pair and Gavin Floyd the other three. July 31, 2015 – He was one of the greatest players in franchise history and was a key part of the “Go-Go” Sox of the 1950’s. Pitcher Billy Pierce passed away on this day at the age of 78. Pierce was acquired from the Tigers in 1948 and immediately moved into the starting rotation the following season. He’d win 183 games in a Sox uniform, represent them in seven All-Star games, starting three of them with four one-hitters and at various times led the American League in games started, complete games, strikeouts, wins and ERA. He was a two-time A.L. Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News and for one season, 1970 was color analyst on White Sox TV broadcasts. He was named to the team’s all-Century team in 2000. By WAR Pierce was the highest rated pitcher for the decade of the 1950’s. After retiring, for many years, he helped raise millions of dollars through Northwestern’s Cancer Research Charity for Children, and as a White Sox ambassador he’d visit kids, retirement homes, people at the ballpark… he was beloved by the city. July 31, 2021 – It was a night to remember for Sox catcher Seby Zavala. The light hitting catcher blasted three home runs in a stunning 12-11 loss to the Indians. The White Sox had a 6-1 lead in the game before the bullpen gave it up. Zavala became the first player in big league history to hit his first three career home runs in the same game. In the losing effort he went 4 for 4 with four runs scored and six RBI’s.

Who would I like to see traded? Rick Hahn