4 hours ago, oldsox said:

Oh, yeah.  Not a trade, they just cut him.  Stupid Bonus Baby rules back then. They kept another bonus baby named Bruce Howard; The White Sox just keep stepping on their dicks.

April 8, 1963 – On this date, one of the biggest ‘what if’s’ in franchise history took place. As per the rules at the time, the White Sox had to choose between two pitchers signed to “bonus baby” contracts. The rules stated that only one player signed to a deal for over a certain amount of money could remain in the organization. The other would have to be waived. With that in mind rookies Bruce Howard and Denny McLain squared off in an intra-squad game to see who would be released and who got promoted to Double A Lynchburg. Howard won 2-1. McLain got his walking papers and was claimed by Detroit the following week. He’d go on to win 131 big league games including 31 in 1968.  

42 minutes ago, Lip Man 1 said:

April 8, 1963 – On this date, one of the biggest ‘what if’s’ in franchise history took place. As per the rules at the time, the White Sox had to choose between two pitchers signed to “bonus baby” contracts. The rules stated that only one player signed to a deal for over a certain amount of money could remain in the organization. The other would have to be waived. With that in mind rookies Bruce Howard and Denny McLain squared off in an intra-squad game to see who would be released and who got promoted to Double A Lynchburg. Howard won 2-1. McLain got his walking papers and was claimed by Detroit the following week. He’d go on to win 131 big league games including 31 in 1968.  

This could be the absolute dumbest way I have heard of a team choosing a player to retain.  Amazing.

1 hour ago, Lip Man 1 said:

Incorrect, he did.

I thought he attended a game for some kind of honor.

Wrong thread

Edited August 10, 2025Aug 10 by Ducksnort