THIS DATE IN SOX HISTORY: JANUARY 10TH/Hall, Sax

[StatManDu]

THIS DATE IN SOX HISTORY: JANUARY 10TH

 

For more, see www.whitesoxalmanac.com

 

CLOSE BUT NOT INDUCTION

1945: Former White Sox Ed Walsh pitcher was one of a handful of legends who came close to induction into the Hall of Fame in balloting done by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Walsh finished third with 137 votes. His 55 percent of the vote was short of the 75 percent needed for induction. Frank Chance was first and Rube Waddell was second but they also fell short of the votes needed for induction. Walsh was eventually voted into the Hall by the Veterans Committee in 1946.

 

LONG OVER-DOOIE FOR LITTLE LOOIE

1984: On his sixth try, former White Sox shortstop Luis Aparicio garnered enough votes for induction into the Hall of Fame. Aparicio topped the balloting performed by the Baseball Writers Association of America with 341 votes. Also getting more than the 75 percent needed for induction were Harmon Killebrew and White Sox television announcer Don Drysdale. The Hall of Fame vote touched off a year of tributes for Aparicio, who was one of the top fielding shortstops in history and one of the top base stealers of his era. In addition to his induction in Cooperstown, N.Y., the White Sox retired his No. 11 in a ceremony at Comiskey Park.

 

A BUST OF A BLOCKBUSTER WITH THE BRONX BOMBERS

1992: Believing that they were well-stocked in the pitching rotation, the White Sox dealt right-hander Melido Perez to the New York Yankees for Steve Sax in a four-player exchange. In addition to Perez, the Sox sent promising minor league pitchers Bob Wickman and Domingo Jean to the Bronx. Sax, a five-time All-Star, turned out to be one of the bigger busts in recent Sox history. Sax was never able to give the Sox the punch at the top of the lineup which he did for the Dodgers and Yankees earlier in his career. He hit just .236 while committing an A.L.-high 20 errors for the 1992 Sox. By the end of his stint on the Southside, Joey Cora was firmly established as the White Sox second baseman and Sax was being shuttled around the outfield of all places. He hit .235 in 57 games for the 1993 A.L. West Division champions and while he was on the team’s postseason roster, Sax did not get into the League Championship Series against Toronto. On April 21, 1994, Sax’s bummer of a tenure with the Sox came to an end with his release. Perez never had a winning record in his four years in New York. The best player of this deal turned out to be Wickman, who went to become an accomplished closer who was still active in 2007.

 

BRONZE MEDAL FOR GOOSE

2006: Former White Sox reliever Rich Gossage received a career-best 336 votes but still fell short of induction for the Hall of Fame in balloting performed by the Baseball Writers Association of America, the results of which were released on this date. Gossage, who pitched for the Sox from 1972 to 1976, finished third and was 54 votes shy of garnering the required 75 percent for induction. Reliever Bruce Sutter was the only player on the ballot who received the required votes for induction. Other players with Sox ties who received votes were Tommy John (154 votes, 29.6 percent), Albert Belle (40, 7.7 percent) and Ozzie Guillen (5, 1 percent). By Hall rules, Guillen – in his first year eligible for election -- was dropped from the ballot because he did not receive at least five percent of the vote. Former Sox pitcher Alex Fernandez was dropped as well after he was blanked in his first year of eligibility. This was Gossage’s seventh year on the ballot and he would eventually be voted into the Hall of Fame on Jan. 9, 2008.

Edited January 10, 2008 by StatManDu

[Balta1701]

1992...And suddenly...every unsolved murder in Chicago was declared solved.

 

[Pants Rowland]

1992...And suddenly...every unsolved murder in Chicago was declared solved.

 

 

You just don't know when to quit, do you Saxie?!