November 26, 200718 yr THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: NOVEMBER 26TH For the rest of the day, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com 1976: Bill Veeck made one of the most prudent acquisitions in club history when he signed free agent Eric Soderholm. Soderholm had missed all of 1976 with an injury but Veeck, who prided himself on reclamation projects, took a chance on the 28-year old third baseman. Soderholm rewarded Veeck with two-plus solid seasons before he was shipped to Texas midway through the 1979 campaign in the Ed Farmer deal. Soderholm’s best year was 1977 when he hit a career-best 25 homers while leading A.L. third sackers with a .978 fielding percentage. 1980: The White Sox made their biggest splash in the modern era of big money free agency by signing outfielder Ron LeFlore. Backed by prospective owner Eddie DeBartolo’s money, the Sox gave the speedster LeFlore $2 million, according to Rich Lindberg’s definitive history on the White Sox “Who’s On Third?” Sadly, LeFlore, who chronicled his rise from prison to the big leagues in a biography called “Breakout,” could never equal the numbers he put up in Detroit or Montreal while he was with the Sox. LeFlore played in just 173 games for the Sox in 1981 and 1982 while stealing just 64 bases. His big league career ended when the Sox released him shortly before the 1983 season began. 1991: The White Sox hired Gene Lamont as manager. Lamont came to the Sox after serving as Pittsburgh’s third base coach under Jim Leyland from 1986 to 1991. Lamont, who took over for New York Met-bound Jeff Torborg, used a laid-back style to go 258-210 between 1992 and 1995. His stint with the Sox peaked with the 1993 American League West Division championship. Lamont was canned midway through the disjoined 1995 campaign after the Sox got off to an 11-20 start.
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