Lip Man 1

All I can say is WOW...just wow!

Jeff Agrest of the Sun-Times has the story on the documentary and how it can be found on You Tube tonight: https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/3/2/23622204/last-comiskey-documentary-chicago-white-sox-nancy-faust-ozzie-guillen-jack-mcdowell-matt-flesch

Just a reminder, tonight a *PM Chicago time, part I of the documentary is available on You Tube. Part II will be on March 9 and Part III on March 16. Enjoy!

Remember fiscal responsibility is more important than winning.

March 1, 2015 - Saturnino Orestes Armas Minoso Arrieta aka “The Cuban Comet” aka “Mr. White Sox” best known as “Minnie”, died in Chicago, of a torn pulmonary artery. Depending on whether you believe “Minnie” or the official records, he was either 92 or 89 years old. Minoso was a six-time All-Star with the White Sox and two-time Gold Glove winner while in Chicago, and also a Negro League World Series winner with the 1947 New York Cubans. In the majors, he started for Cleveland but is best associated with the “Go-Go” White Sox, of which he was the heartbeat. He was a true five-tool player, and was revered by Cubans as their “Jackie Robinson” for the groundbreaking role in integrating the Major Leagues for Latin players. Players such as Roberto Clemente, Tony Perez and future Sox coach Orlando Cepeda sung his praises. In retirement, Minoso remained a beloved member of the White Sox family and worked tirelessly in White Sox P.R. and with charities for the final four decades of his life. Though the honor came too late for him to appreciate it, in 2021 he was voted by Veterans’ Committee into the Baseball Hall of Fame, after nearly two dozen previous tries.

I just heard about this tonight and have put together a story for another site that the write for: Sadly, another member of those terrific White Sox teams of the mid-1960’s has passed away as outfielder Dave Nicholson died Saturday, February 25th at the age of 84. Nicholson came to the White Sox in that huge deal with the Orioles on January 14, 1963. The Sox got Nicholson, Hoyt Wilhelm, Ron Hansen and Pete Ward for Luis Aparicio and Al Smith. The deal completely transformed a club that was getting older and more removed from its “Go-Go” days of the 1950’s. Nicholson had incredible raw power and strength but always had trouble harnessing it. At a time when players simply didn’t strike out that often “Big Nick” was prone to doing so. He struck out 175 times in 1963 to lead the league and followed that up by striking out 126 more times in 1964. But when he connected the baseball went a very long way. That 63’ season Dave slugged 22 home runs, walked 63 times and drove in 70 RBI’s for a White Sox team that won 94 games. He also blasted what may have been the longest home run ever hit in Major League Baseball history. On May 6 in the first game of a double header in the fifth inning, versus the A’s, Nicholson blasted a shot off future Sox pitcher Moe Drabowsky that went over the roof and was found across the street in Armour Square. Some Sox fans claimed they heard the ball hit the top of the roof but White Sox officials said when they found the ball it had no signs of tar on it nor was it scuffed. Long time Chicago baseball reporter Jerome Holtzman was at the game and claimed he saw the ball bounce back up after hitting the roof and then go back out of sight. Nicholson’s shot went over the roof around the 375-foot sign in left center field. It was found 135 feet from the base of the wall. Plus, you have to add in the elevation needed to get the ball over the roof, approximately 70 feet. Hitting a ball on to the roof or over it required a ground-to-ground distance of at least 474 feet. Unofficial estimates place the drive as traveling 573 feet eclipsing Mickey Mantle’s shot at Griffith Stadium in Washington in 1956. That shot went an unofficial 565 feet. For the night Dave would hammer three home runs and drive in five RBI’s in the twin bill as the Sox swept both games, 6-4 and 11-4. So how strong was he? Teammate Jim Landis confirmed a story I had heard that after a particularly frustrating game for Dave, he went into the showers and twisted the knobs for the hot and cold faucets so tight that no other player could get them loose to clean up after the game. The Sox had to call in plumbers to repair things. Dave was involved in another odd episode in that same 1963 season in (where else?) Baltimore. On May 19, 13 days after his titanic home run, Sox starter Ray Herbert’s consecutive scoreless inning streak ended controversially in Memorial Stadium. Herbert, a 20-game winner in 1962 and who passed away this past December, had thrown 38 straight scoreless innings when he faced the Orioles Johnny Orsino in the third inning. Orsino then hit what appeared to be a home run to left field...or did he? Both manager Al Lopez and Nicholson argued that the ball Orsino hit passed between the top of the wall and an iron railing mounted on top of it with support posts to help keep fans from falling over on to the field of play. By going through the gap, it should have been ruled a ground rule double. They lost the argument; Herbert lost his scoreless streak but the Sox won the game 4-3 in 10 innings to get a double header split. In 1964 Nicholson started to see his playing time reduced and he only hit 13 home runs with 52 walks and 39 RBI’s. In 1965 his playing time was cut even more only seeing action in 54 games with two home runs and 12 runs driven in. He was traded that off season to Houston. Landis summed up Nicholson perfectly when I asked him about his former teammate. "Dave fought it too hard. He was a young kid who had high expectations and he just couldn’t handle it. He had tremendous power. I was in awe when he hit that one over the roof.” The White Sox from 1963 through 1965 won a total of 287 games and Nicholson despite his limitations played a part in that success.

Just like so many Sox players this guy has been stealing his money, just an injury waiting to happen. He's had an entire off season to get better and yet the issue is still apparently there. The Sox "crack" medical, training and conditioning staffs strike again. LOL. ?

February 28, 1966 - Sox manager Eddie Stanky was part of the cover for Sports Illustrated along with Cubs manager Leo Durocher. The caption read, “The Lip and The Brat Invade Chicago.” Stanky who played for Durocher in New York both with the Dodgers and Giants, would have solid years in his two complete seasons as manager almost winning the pennant in 1967 and he was considered a tactical genius when it came to the game. But his shortcomings as far as his temperament, his ability to deal with the media and some of his players led to his undoing. He was fired 79 games into the 1968 season replaced by the man he originally replaced, Al Lopez.

I think it was Joe McEwing who did those.

February 27, 1973 - Coming off of his 1972 M.V.P. season, Dick Allen signed a three-year, $750,000 contract with the White Sox, making him the highest-paid player in baseball. While contract details for early baseball are sketchy, this is believed to be the first time a White Sox player had been the highest-paid in the game. Allen earned his deal by leading the A.L. in homers (37), RBIs (113), on-base percentage (.420), slugging percentage (.603) and OPS (1.023). It would be 24 years before the White Sox would boast the highest-paid player in the game again, when Albert Belle signed a deal that paid him $11 million for the 1997 season.

How difficult is it to catch a pop up? Double A, Triple A or on the 40 man roster for the big club we're talking about simple fundamental pop up's here. Why do the Sox seem to have issues with something basically any high school or college player does easily? The Sox have been brutal for decades, not just the past few years at fundamentals, it has cost them a lot of games. Fans have seen enough of it so they are sensitive to this area of the game. I use the term "baseball stupid" when talking about the Sox players in general...I mean who else has ever run themselves in an 8-5 triple play before? Compounding things is we've heard for years the same pap nonsense from the organization on 'how defense is important,' 'we're working on stuff in spring training' et al. Yet nothing ever seems to change. Pedro has already talked a lot about how it has to improve. OK...we'll see if it in fact does. So far it looks like more of the same.

DVS of the Sun-Times recaps the first two days and the numerous mistakes: https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2023/2/26/23615871/careful-what-you-wish-for-white-sox-off-to-sloppy-start-in-cactus-league-play

Original lineup had both Moncada and Robert hitting one/two. Both have now been replaced. Don't know why. Manager says Benintendi and Andrus will play Monday.

Paul Sullivan of the Tribune has a column on this documentary, speaking with the guy who put it together and providing a link to the "teaser": https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/white-sox/ct-chicago-white-sox-comiskey-park-documentary-20230226-4tngjenrjnarpfgqg5apgltysy-story.html

Because of the tax hit, he's not going to do so. His estate will sell the club after he passes.

To each his own but to me that's shortsighted. Making the playoffs 95% of the time means you had a hell of a season. This franchise isn't the Yankees, Dodgers, Cardinals or Braves who seemingly make the playoffs every year. The Sox make the post season about as often as Republicans gets elected Mayor of Chicago. When it happens you need to enjoy the hell out of it.

February 25, 1946 - The White Sox created what is regarded as the first media guide, handed out to beat writers. Now, clearly there were programs and even media guides published before 1946, even by the White Sox themselves. However, those were often (always?) Spring Training and/or player rosters-only. The guide, written by Marsh Samuel and running 17 pages, actually just triggered a deeper, more interesting story ... that the White Sox were once forerunners of the metrics revolution! According to researcher Alan Kornspan at Cleveland State, beginning in 1946 and following in the footsteps of some other innovative figures (Branch Rickey, for one), Samuel began tracking advanced statistics, likely of his own creation but resembling some of what we see in the metrics world today. Cleveland owner Bill Veeck got wind of what Samuel was doing — and hired him away! At that point, Sox successor Ward Stevens took the reins and continued the work, which was still merely siloed in the P.R. department — not player evaluation. However, once Frank Lane was hired as G.M. he added Earl Flora as both publicity director but also statistician. Lane’s pet stat, tracked as a child rooting for the Cincinnati Reds, was RBI with RISP. Under Lane’s direction, Flora started tracking reach percentage (i.e. on-base percentage), base runs (both bases advanced by runners, as well as bases a batter’s hit moved runners) and GWRBI. In fact, Lane felt so strongly that RBIs were an overblown stat that he created his own offshoot: OBR (Opportunities to Bat in Runs), the percentage of time batters drove in RISP. Without extending this too long, Flora returned to sports editing, to be replaced by future White Sox G.M. Ed Short, a tireless worker who drove statistical analysis on the South Side to new heights.

Rick is good at engaging with fans who reach out to him.

Interesting that yesterday on the MLB Network talking about the White Sox he was not mentioned at all even under the graphic of significant transactions. Maybe they know something?

health is the #1 issue with the team this year because they have very little depth.

From my State of the Sox story released November 1, this from sources: “The White Sox playing shorthanded started in 2007 when Jermaine Dye got hurt and Kenny Williams refused to call up Brian Anderson or Ryan Sweeney. Maybe they were cheap, maybe they wanted to protect Herm’s record of keeping guys off the DL.” (Author’s Note: Herm Schneider was the Sox longtime head trainer and for years the Sox were among the league leaders in keeping players healthy.) “Jake Peavy made the comment one time, ‘They have no reservations about playing shorthanded.”

https://chicago.suntimes.com/white-sox/2023/2/24/23613765/its-clear-that-tim-anderson-doesnt-understand-white-sox-fans-at-all-tony-larussa-jerry-reinsdorf

February 24, 1948 - Sox G.M. Les O’Connor sent pitcher Eddie Lopat to the Yankees for three players. Lopat, was a soft tossing, off speed pitcher who won 50 games in four years with the Sox, twice having an ERA under three. He would quickly develop into one of the aces on the Yankees dynasty clubs of the 1950's winning 113 games in seven and a half years. He also went 4-1 in World Series play. Of the players the Sox got in return, only pitcher Bill Wight had any success on the South Side winning 34 games in three seasons. Another one of the players acquired, catcher Aaron Robinson, would be sent that November to the Tigers for a youngster named Billy Pierce. Pierce would win 186 games in a Sox uniform pitching for them from 1950 through 1961.

I understand what you are saying and there is some truth to it that when a team is going south it is difficult on the players however most players get millions and millions of reasons to deal with it. Fans don't have that luxury.

From the White Sox media guide (these are only the times he was hurt bad enough to be placed on the disabled/injured list, not counting other times he missed games but didn't go on it) Sprained right ankle (6/26-7/29 2019) Strained right groin (8/1-8/10 2020) Strained left hamstring (4/5-4/21 2021) Strained left hamstring (8/29-9/13 2021) Torn finger ligament (8/9-10/5 2022) And we haven't even gotten into his suspensions and fines that have caused him to miss games.