Controlled Chaos Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 Astros GM once loved the White Sox Oct. 24, 2005, 1:41AM Purpura, born near Windy City, and dad were loyal Chicago fans By NEIL HOHLFELD Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle CHICAGO - Tim Purpura stood in the Astros dugout down the first-base line at U.S. Cellular Field, watching a cold rain fall three hours before Game 2 of the World Series. He was asked if he would have sat in the nasty weather to watch the Chicago White Sox if they were playing in a World Series 35 or so years ago when Purpura was growing up in the south suburbs of Chicago. "Are you kidding? I'd find a way to be there no matter what I had to do," said Purpura, 47. "This is nothing. I've sat at Soldier Field watching the Bears in the middle of a snowstorm or when it was 15 below zero. "It's a badge of courage in this city. You learn to layer. And a lot of people learn to stay lubricated" Purpura grew up a die-hard White Sox fan in Oak Lawn, Ill., about 15 miles south of the land where U.S. Cellular Field is today. His father, Jim, who died 14 years ago, took him to 25 to 30 games a season when Tim was growing up. Purpura said his father went to a 1959 World Series game between the White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers at Comiskey Park, which stood adjacent to the site of the current park on the South Side, and brought home a program for his son. "I've renounced my (White Sox) citizenship, and most of my family has, too," said Purpura. "I've got a limo full of aunts and uncles coming to the game tonight (Sunday), and they'll all root for the Astros. "The free tickets might have something to do with it, I'm sure" White Sox wedding When Purpura and his wife, Shari, were married, they posed for one wedding photo wearing White Sox caps, just as Purpura's mom and dad did. On the day before the 2005 World Series began, Purpura stared wistfully over the top of U.S. Cellular Field and wondered what his father might make of all this. "He was a White Sox fan his whole life," said Purpura. "He taught me to love the game of baseball. I'm sure he's looking down with a big grin on his face right now" Purpura said his love of sports was nurtured during his childhood in a family of five children. Another factor was living in a city that loves sports. He went to Bears games, Northwestern football games, Blackhawks hockey games, and, of course, White Sox games. "One of the great things about this town is that everybody loves sports," said Purpura. "When we grew up, we played every sport all year long. There were no video games. "I've got some friends who are coming here tonight that I went to high school with, and we still talk about the 1976 Catholic League championship game that was played at Soldier Field. We all remember every bit of it" One black sheep Purpura said he knows of at least one holdout from his family. A younger cousin let Purpura know he wasn't switching allegiances from the White Sox to the Astros. "I wasn't able to get him tickets for the games here," said Purpura. "He jumped in his car and is driving to Houston with his family. He made it very clear to me that even though my aunts and uncles have changed allegiance, he is still a White Sox fan. "My wife is kind of handling all the tickets, and she told him she couldn't put him with the rest of the family if he wasn't going to cheer for the Astros. We told him we'd put him in the upper tank (deck) somewhere, but if you still want to drive to Houston, you can" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Gleason Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 One black sheep Purpura said he knows of at least one holdout from his family. A younger cousin let Purpura know he wasn't switching allegiances from the White Sox to the Astros. "I wasn't able to get him tickets for the games here," said Purpura. "He jumped in his car and is driving to Houston with his family. He made it very clear to me that even though my aunts and uncles have changed allegiance, he is still a White Sox fan. "My wife is kind of handling all the tickets, and she told him she couldn't put him with the rest of the family if he wasn't going to cheer for the Astros. We told him we'd put him in the upper tank (deck) somewhere, but if you still want to drive to Houston, you can" So there is one stand-up guy in the whole family? Nice. Somebody get that guy a seat next to JR!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 He can't sit with the rest of the family. I love that family! That's a true baseball family. They understand that blood is thicker than water, but pine tar and chew is thicker than blood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Gleason Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 QUOTE(Texsox @ Oct 24, 2005 -> 10:49 AM) He can't sit with the rest of the family. I love that family! That's a true baseball family. They understand that blood is thicker than water, but pine tar and chew is thicker than blood. That's not a true baseball family! They switched allegiance. The guy NOT switching is the true fan, IMO. He stuck to his guns, while the rest went with the money and tickets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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