Lip Man 1

April 23, 1990 - It was an unusual event even though it happened in an exhibition game. Utility player Steve “Psycho” Lyons played all nine positions for the Sox during the annual “Crosstown Classic” game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Manager Jeff Torborg moved him all over the field during the contest won by the Sox 6-5. Outfielder Dave Gallagher threw out the potential tying run at home plate to end the game

January 22, 1960 - The White Sox introduced the first Major League baseball jersey that had a player’s name on the back. It was the brain child of owner Bill Veeck. At first the name was only on the road jersey but starting in 1961 names were also on the backs of the home jerseys. The White Sox then removed the player names in 1971 before bringing them back in 1976. Names were removed again from 1987 to 1990, but were added only on the road uniform midway through 1990. Their alternate black uniform would have player names when first introduced in 1991. Player names would return to the home uniform in 1997. January 22, 1996 - The Sox dealt two minor leaguers to Oakland for slugger Danny Tartabull. The enigmatic Tartabull who had as much talent as anyone, but often didn’t show it, put together a very good season on the South Side, with 27 home runs and 101 RBI’s. The two minor leaguers sent to the A’s were never heard from again. Danny then signed a free agent deal with the Phillies the following year. His best game for the White Sox came in Boston on September 14 that season when he drove in six runs in a 13-5 win at Fenway Park. He went 2 for 4 with two runs scored. Four of his RBI’s came on an eighth inning grand slam.

Sox Machine reviews the deal and Roberts time in Chicago: "Does trading Robert officially end the cycle of tearing down thinly-built would-be contending rosters, or simply reset it? Ideally, the new players and staff on hand get to determine that answer, even if Getz's first line of touting Acuña's merits began in a familiar way. "We're talking about a player that's five-plus years of control." https://soxmachine.com/2026/01/couldve-been-worse-couldve-been-better-white-sox-trade-of-luis-robert-jr-matches-his-tenure

Hard to argue with your timeline. It's good that Getz got something at all for him (and JR is VERY happy the Mets took on the entire salary) but it is a fact the Sox were going nowhere but to stinktown right after Robert had his very good year. Why Getz decided to keep him given the state of the franchise/organization is a real mystery to me.

The money will be spent!!! 😆

I am too which is why I hope to still be around when Ishbia takes over. Because until then, especially with the lockout coming, a "successful" season for the Sox will be if they don't lose 100 games.

https://soxmachine.com/2026/01/white-sox-trade-luis-robert-jr-to-mets-for-luisangel-acuna-truman-pauley

Tribune with a very nice follow up story on Wilbur speaking with Jim Kaat and Steve Stone: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/19/chicago-white-sox-wilbur-wood-steve-stone-jim-kaat/

JR is very happy tonight as the Sox payroll is hitting ridiculous lows. That being said Robert needed to go (a few years ago in fact...)

Get set for a long lockout potentially a lot of games missed in 2027: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6986854/2026/01/20/mlb-owners-salary-cap-push-dodgers-kyle-tucker/?campaign=16554845&source=athletic_breaking_targeted_email&userId=602876

January 20, 1965 - Another big deal pulled off by Sox G.M. Ed Short which kept the franchise’s streak of winning seasons going. The Sox were part of a three-team trade with the Indians and Athletics. When all was said and done, the Sox parted with outfielders Jim Landis and Mike Hershberger, pitcher Fred Talbot and catcher Cam Carreon. In return they got back power hitting catcher John “Honey” Romano, pitcher Tommy John and outfielder Tommie Agee. Agee would be named Rookie of the Year in 1966 becoming the first Sox player ever with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season. John would be part of the Sox brilliant starting rotation, making the All-Star team for the first time in 1968. He’d win 82 games in seven years, three times posting an ERA of under three. His trade to the Dodgers at the winter meetings in 1971 netted the Sox Dick Allen. Romano wasn’t a slouch either in his second stint with the club, banging out 33 home runs in two seasons before being traded. Romano originally came up in the White Sox system and played in 53 games during the 1959 pennant winning season. January 20, 1984 - Once again Sox G.M. Roland Hemond used the free agent compensation rule to the White Sox advantage, plucking future Hall of Famer Tom Seaver from the Mets. In his two full years with the Sox, Seaver would win 31 games, including his 300th one overall on August 4, 1985 against the Yankees. Earlier that same season he started his 14th opening day on the mound, a big-league record. In both full seasons he’d also throw over 236 innings, averaging 132 strikeouts and have an ERA both times under four. In 1985 his ERA was 3.17. Tom had to be convinced to join the Sox. It took co-owners Eddie Einhorn and Jerry Reinsdorf going to his hotel room at the winter meetings after they selected him to talk with him face to face before he agreed…. but, before Seaver let them in, he asked to see their ID’s since he had never met them before!

Try this one then which looks into the cap situation and how the bears may have to replace/revamp almost the entire defensive secondary: https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/whats-next-for-bears-nfl-playoffs-offseason-caleb-williams/

This is a spot-on realistic look at the Bears season and what they have to do this off season for next year to prevent a regression: https://chicago.suntimes.com/bears/2026/01/19/bears-rams-bemoan-missed-opportunity-cole-kmet-ben-johnson-caleb-williams-offseason-improvment-nfl-very-wishful-thinking

My complete interview with Wilbur from 2005: https://www.southsidesox.com/chicago-white-sox-history/119553/flashback-a-conversation-with-wilbur-wood

A part of a long interview I did with Wilbur in 2005: ML: The White Sox fell on miserable times in the late 60's and 1970. I think they lost more games in that three-year period than at any other time in franchise history. The Sox lost 106 games in 1970 alone, it had to be agony going to the park every day. I don’t know how you guys kept your sanity! WW: “It was awful. I’ll tell you how bad it was. The only games that I ever wanted to come into were games where I could pick up a save. I never wanted to go into games where the score was tied because I knew and everybody on the team knew, that we’d find some way to lose the game. We had no chance. The pitchers knew it and the position players knew it.” ML: Your teammate Joe Horlen told me about his 1971 spring training injury which caused him to miss most of the season. But that’s only half of the story because as a direct result of his injury, Chuck Tanner began considering the option of making you a starting pitcher. I have heard you were against the move but for the sake of the team decided to give it a try. Why the initial opposition? WW: “That was a strange situation because even before the injury I was almost traded. It’s true...the Sox had a deal in place with Washington. I was going to be traded for Darold Knowles. But I was holding out that year, I was fighting for more money and I never signed a contract. So the trade was null and void. It was pretty apparent that Chuck (Tanner) didn’t want me in the bullpen. He wanted hard throwing guys and we had players like Terry Forster and “Goose” Gossage coming up so I became a starter. Roland Hemond said this one time and it’s true, “Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make.”

January 19, 1909 - Sox owner Charles Comiskey purchased a piece of land on the corner of 35th and Shields from Roxanna Bowen. The site would be used to build the original Comiskey Park on, starting in March 1910. In only four months the steel and concrete stadium would be opened and ready for use. January 19, 1972 - Early Wynn, who helped the White Sox to the 1959 pennant, was elected to the Hall of Fame with 76 per cent of the vote. Wynn made it on his fourth ballot, slowly working his way up the vote count before crossing the 75 per cent threshold. He’d win exactly 300 games in his long career and in 1959 the year the White Sox won the pennant, he captured the Cy Young Award on the basis of 22 wins, an ERA of 3.17 and over 255 innings pitched. He played five years with the club winning 64 games.

Sox Machine with a nice recap of Wood's career: https://soxmachine.com/2026/01/wilbur-woods-workload-will-continue-to-astound By the way it's embarrassing that the Sox own website has a very generic story on him written by someone who only gives the basics of his career very little insight. And the Sun-Times is even worse, story written by someone who clearly knows very little about him.

The Tribune's Brad Biggs 10 points from the game has a terrific and honest look at the entire Bears stadium situation. It is point 10 in his long story: "Here’s what I know: There has been frustration at Halas Hall that the stadium project has not already started. There’s more optimism inside the building than there has been for some time that actual progress might not be far off. Here’s what I think: Indiana is moving quickly because the best chance the Hoosier state has is to play ball and prove the obstacles to a stadium in Illinois do not exist across the border. The Bears, whose leadership and lobbyists haven’t been savvy enough to get traction in Springfield on their own, are now going to use maximum leverage on folks in Illinois. “This is not about leverage,” President/CEO Kevin Warren wrote in a letter to fans last month. Phooey." He writes a lot more about the situation: https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/19/chicago-bears-brad-biggs-10-thoughts-rams-playoffs/

This is a well done story on the Dodgers and the upcoming labor situation: "The league needs a system that further incentivizes the low-payroll teams to spend. Give them more money, but force them to spend it on players. That sounds great in theory, but if owners raise the floor, they will want to lower the ceiling. That is a salary cap, and there’s no indication it will ever happen. The players stood firm against a cap in 1994, striking that August before the owners could unilaterally impose one. The standoff cancelled the World Series and delayed the next season. The lesson: insisting on a salary cap is a warhead so dangerous it should never be deployed again. You can’t win a war by destroying the planet." https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6981877/2026/01/19/los-angeles-dodgers-mlb-free-agency-economics/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983&userId=602876&source=dailyemail

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6982047/2026/01/18/wilbur-wood-knuckleball-white-sox-death/?source=athletic_thewindup_newsletter&campaign=16499593&userId=602876

For many years the Sox had a Hall of Fame located in the stadium I think it was by the home plate area, perhaps someone can correct me on this. I know when the stadium renovations took place it was removed. I don't know what became of it.

Again that another luck situation. How many times can you keep expecting to force 2-3-4 turnovers a game like they did this year which is why bringing in some game wreckers on defense has to be a priority this off season.

Fluke injury, it happens. Williams can also get hurt anytime he steps on the field. You have to measure that against the number of times in critical situations when you can't convert on 3rd and 1 or 4th and 1.

Williams converted two short yardage situations tonight on his own. He's more than big and strong enough. He's got better odds doing that then pitching the ball back to a running back five yards behind the line of scrimmage. (as was shown tonight as well)

When you come from behind eight times including tonight in the last 2:00 minutes of a game to win or tie, that's a lot of luck involved. Something like that you'd expect to happen once or twice. Eight times? That defies the law of averages, which is why it's never happened before in the history of the NFL.