JoshPR Posted June 20, 2004 Share Posted June 20, 2004 With Paul Richards gone after one bad season, Bob Lemon became the manager and he wasn't the only new face. Bill Veeck, acting as his own General Manager, rounded up a collection of Free Agents and castoffs to bolster the team and they combined to produce one of the most exciting seasons in several years. Powered by a club record 192 homers (Second highest in the league) the SOx moved to third (90-72), 12 games out. Oscar Gamble hit .297 and socked 31 homers (most ever by a sox lefthanded hitter) with 83 RBI's; Richie Zisk (.290) had 30 homers and 101 RBI's while Jim Spencer (.247) hit 18 as did Lammar Johnson (.302). Eric Soderholm, who missed the entire 1976 season due to injury, was comeback player of the year with 25 homers and 67 RBI's and a .280 average. Ralph Garr hit .300 again. Steve Stone (15-12), Francisco Barrios (14-7), Chris Knapp (12-7) and Ken Kravec (11-8) were the top pitchers as Wilbur Wood (7-8) struggled back from Injury Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwsox Posted June 20, 2004 Share Posted June 20, 2004 'twas the year Kiss Him Goodbye began (na na na na, hey hey hey hey, etc goodbye). Nancy always played oldies and by 1977 Steam's song was an oldie and she thought to play it once and people started singing it and a tradition was born. Also the year Brooks Robinson made his last appearance at Comiskey. I skipped studying for my very last seminary finals to see him. At All Star break, we and the minor league northsiders were both in first I think, or we were and they were very close. I remember getting into a huge brawl in an elevator at All Star break at the Univeristy of Michigan Medical Center, in the staff elevators, I was a chaplain there that summer, and another chaplain made a comment in a crowded elevator about the Cubs and the National League and I said something not usually heard from a chalain abut the cubs and the NL and all these doctors and nurses and chaplains joined in a verbal brawl, AL vs NL, and cubs vs tigers vs Sox. It was really funny!!!!! of course we had no 1978 because traitor Veeck (old timers will get the allusion) traded everyone away to make payroll as always as usual as was his custom as was his fancy as usual -- and I like the guy less each year as I think of how he always screwed us over talentwise to cover his cash flow. That is one reason I can never really dislike JR. Veeck was really bad for our team in every long term sense (and long term, I eman more than two days...). He always seemed like a hero but his actual business deals also killed us long term and stop me before I rant some more. 1977 was magic and it was just a thing that happened, the magical South Side Hitmen. And we still finsihed a distant third. But until september what a fun season - then in September the usual Veeckian strip the tram so he can have a cash flow for later today deals all came together and we tanked the last month but we still had a geat seasona nd 90 wins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshPR Posted June 20, 2004 Author Share Posted June 20, 2004 1977 Team was bad defensively. Alan Bannister was Brutal at short and Jorge Orta was awful too. Jim Spencer was a good Glove man tho and probably saved them a whole bunch of Errors. Bannister made 40 and Orta 18. Harry Carey would go.. He threw it away.. Bannister threw it away.. He could have walked the ball to first and he threw it away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshPR Posted June 21, 2004 Author Share Posted June 21, 2004 With Paul Richards gone after one bad season, Bob Lemon became the manager and he wasn't the only new face. Bill Veeck, acting as his own General Manager, rounded up a collection of Free Agents and castoffs to bolster the team and they combined to produce one of the most exciting seasons in several years. Powered by a club record 192 homers (Second highest in the league) the SOx moved to third (90-72), 12 games out. Oscar Gamble hit .297 and socked 31 homers (most ever by a sox lefthanded hitter) with 83 RBI's; Richie Zisk (.290) had 30 homers and 101 RBI's while Jim Spencer (.247) hit 18 as did Lammar Johnson (.302). Eric Soderholm, who missed the entire 1976 season due to injury, was comeback player of the year with 25 homers and 67 RBI's and a .280 average. Ralph Garr hit .300 again. Steve Stone (15-12), Francisco Barrios (14-7), Chris Knapp (12-7) and Ken Kravec (11-8) were the top pitchers as Wilbur Wood (7-8) struggled back from Injury ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.