Chicago White SoxChicago White Sox American League AAA Charlotte Knights AA Birmingham Barons A Winston-Salem Warthogs R Bristol White Sox The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are in the Central Division of the American League.
Franchise historyThe team was founded by Charles Comiskey, a former major-league ballplayer who starred with the St. Louis Browns in the 1880s. Comiskey originally founded the team in Sioux City, Iowa, as part of a minor league called the Western League. The Cornhuskers won the league pennant in 1894, then moved to St. Paul, Minnesota. When the Western League changed its name to the American League in 1900, a year before claiming major league status, the St. Paul franchise was relocated to Chicago, to compete directly with the National League club in that city. The club adopted the name "White Stockings", the original name of the Chicago Cubs, and acquired a number of stars from the National League, including pitcher and manager Clark Griffith, who paced the White Sox to the AL's first pennant in 1901. The White Sox would continue to be built on pitching and defense in the following years, led by pitching workhorse Ed Walsh, who routinely pitched over 400 innings each season in his prime. The Hitless WondersWalsh, Doc White and Nick Altrock paced the White Sox to their 1906 pennant and their first World Series victory, a stunning upset over the Cubs who had won a record 116 regular-season games. The Sox, dubbed the "Hitless Wonders" for having the lowest team batting average in the American League that year, nevertheless took the Series, and intercity bragging rights, in six games. "Say it Ain't So, Joe!"The White Sox contended over the next decade, but did not bring home a pennant until 1917. Led by second baseman Eddie Collins and outfielder Shoeless Joe Jackson, the White Sox now had offense to go with the pitching of Eddie Cicotte and Red Faber. After an off-year in the war-shortened season of 1918, the club bounced back to win the pennant in 1919 and entered the World Series heavily favored to defeat the Cincinnati Reds. However, this was the year of the infamous Black Sox scandal, in which eight White Sox players, including Cicotte and Jackson, were barred from organized baseball for life for taking part in a plot by gamblers to "fix" the World Series. The White Sox have never entirely overcome the stigma of being the only team to take a dive in the Fall Classic. The official evidence relating to participation in the 'fix' by the various accused players vanished mysteriously and none were ever tried. Judge Landis, Commissioner of Baseball, banned all the accused nonetheless. As the players were leaving a hearing, a boy fan (said by some to have been a newsboy) is claimed to have yelled out to Shoeless Joe, "Say it ain't so, Joe!". The phrase has become famous. The next four decades saw the White Sox lapse into mediocrity, particularly as the Yankees rose to become the American League's dominant team. The franchise would not win another American League pennant until 1959; in the meantime, the White Sox finished in the second division (fifth place or lower) 22 times, until the team rebuilt under managers Paul Richards, Marty Marion, and Al Lopez. In 1959, the team won its next (and, as of Spring 2005, last) pennant, thanks to the efforts of several eventual Hall of Famers -- manager Lopez, shortstop Luis Aparicio, second baseman Nellie Fox, and pitcher Early Wynn. In 1967, the White Sox remained in contention for the American League pennant until the final weekend of the regular season. Winning uglyIn 1983, the Chicago White Sox had a fantastic run. They started the season very poorly, but still went on to win 99 games and the AL West title. This team was led by catcher Carlton Fisk, outfielder Harold Baines, eventual Rookie of the Year outfielder Ron Kittle, designated hitter Greg Luzinski, and pitchers LaMarr Hoyt (who won the Cy Young that year), Floyd Bannister and Richard Dotson. Manager Tony La Russa also won the Manager of the Year award. A catchphrase of the team was "Winning Ugly" for the style of play, which reflected a tendency to win games through scrappy play rather than consistently strong hitting or pitching. While they had a great run in the regular season, they were not able to carry that over into the postseason as they lost to Baltimore 3 games to one in the AL Championship Series. In the late 1980s, the franchise was very nearly relocated to Tampa Bay, but frantic lobbying of the state legislature resulted in approval (by one vote) of public funding for a new stadium. New Comiskey Park, now known as U.S. Cellular Field, opened in 1991 to rave reviews, but was soon outdone by the wave of "nostalgia" ballparks, beginning with Camden Yards. It is often criticized for its sterile appearance and nosebleed-inducing upper deck. In recent years there have been renovations made in order to make the park more fan friendly. Most notable were the moving of the bullpens to be parallel to the field of play, extending the seats further to the field of play, renovating the concourse areas to establish a more friendly feel. In addition, the top third of the upper deck was removed in 2004 and an overhang was placed over most of it. The Renovation plan is a 5-phase plan and it will be complete next year with the 5th and final phase. "Good guys wear black"In anticipation of the move to the new ballpark, the White Sox of the 1990s adopted classic pinstriped uniforms and the occasional use of black jerseys, instantly jumping to the top of the league in merchandise sales. The 1990s teams also contended well, led by pitcher Jack McDowell and first baseman Frank Thomas. The team reached the ALCS in 1993 and the American League Division Series in 2000. Under manager Jerry Manuel, the White Sox fielded a talented but chronically under-achieving squad. On July 31, 1997, with the White Sox only 3.5 games back of the Cleveland Indians for the division lead, they traded veteran pitchers Wilson Alvarez, Danny Darwin and Roberto Hernández to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for 6 minor leaguers, most notably Keith Foulke. Many fans saw this as their ownership (led by Jerry Reinsdorf) betraying them and trading away their chance to win the division in exchange for next to nothing. This trade was deemed as the "White Flag Trade" by the Chicago newspapers due to the perception that the White Sox organization essentially surrendered to the Indians without a fight that year. This trade did considerable harm to the already small White Sox fan base. In the year 2000, the White Sox had one of their best teams since the 1983 club. This team, whose slogan was "The Kids can play," won 95 games en route to an AL Central division title. The team scored runs at a blistering pace, which enabled them to win all of these games despite a mediocre pitching staff led by Mike Sirotka. Frank Thomas nearly won the AL MVP award with his offensive output; he was helped by good offensive years from Magglio Ordóñez, Paul Konerko, Carlos Lee and Jose Valentin. A big key for this team was that they seemed always to get the clutch hit whenever they needed it. This team, like 1983, also could not carry any success over into the postsesaon, getting swept by the wild-card Seattle Mariners in 3 games in the AL Division Series round. In 2004, the Chicago White Sox hired former White Sox shortstop Ozzie Guillén as manager. In late 2004, general manager Ken Williams vowed to change the makeup of the team from one that relies on the home run to one that has good pitching and defense. They traded outfielder Carlos Lee for center fielder Scott Podsednik. They also signed outfielder Jermaine Dye and former Yankee pitcher Orlando Hernandez to complete a rotation that includes Freddy Garcia and Mark Buehrle. Additionally, former member of the Minnesota Twins A.J. Pierzynski was signed to fill the catching spot; a spot which has not been adequately filled since the departure of Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk over 10 years earlier. Finally, to complete the make-over, Williams signed Japanese second baseman Tadahito Iguchi to a contract. RivalryThe Chicago Cubs and the Sox are both in, respectively, the first and second longest championship droughts of any professional baseball teams; as such, a heated Sox-Cubs rivalry has developed. Most White Sox fans take joy in the in failures of their crosstown rival and the same is true for Cubs fans. The advent of interleague play has intensified the rivalry. Since 2000, a heated feud has grown between the White Sox and their Central Division rivals, the Minnesota Twins, fueled in large part by the unchallenged Central Division dominance of the Twins in the 2002, 2003 and 2004 seasons. Players of noteSee also: List of Chicago White Sox people Baseball Hall of Famers
Current 25-man roster (updated on June 2, 2005)
Award winnersMost Valuable Player
Cy Young
Rookie of the Year
Manager of the Year
Gold Glove Award
Silver Slugger
Retired numbers
Others not to be forgotten* First black player signed by the Sox * * First Latin player selected for the All-Star Game Other contributorsImportant managers(years and records, minimum 750 games)
Owners
Single-season records
This page about Chicago White Sox includes information from a Wikipedia article. Additional articles about Chicago White Sox News stories about Chicago White Sox External links for Chicago White Sox Videos for Chicago White Sox Wikis about Chicago White Sox Discussion Groups about Chicago White Sox Blogs about Chicago White Sox Images of Chicago White Sox |
|
(years and records, minimum 750 games). The film has also been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. * * First Latin player selected for the All-Star Game. The film is consistently in the Internet Movie Database's top 250 films, and was #30 on the American Film Institute's 100 Years, 100 Movies and #67 on its 100 Years, 100 Thrills. * First black player signed by the Sox. John Huston won the Academy Award for Directing in 1948 for his work on The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. See also: List of Chicago White Sox people. The film is the origin of a famous line, often misquoted as "We don't need no stinking badges!" The correct dialog (see also Stinking badges) is:. Since 2000, a heated feud has grown between the White Sox and their Central Division rivals, the Minnesota Twins, fueled in large part by the unchallenged Central Division dominance of the Twins in the 2002, 2003 and 2004 seasons. Traven. The advent of interleague play has intensified the rivalry. The film was based on, and is quite faithful to the novel of the same name (1927 in German, 1935 in English) by enigmatic author B. Most White Sox fans take joy in the in failures of their crosstown rival and the same is true for Cubs fans. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre was one of the first films to be shot almost entirely on location (though the night scenes were filmed back in the studio). The Chicago Cubs and the Sox are both in, respectively, the first and second longest championship droughts of any professional baseball teams; as such, a heated Sox-Cubs rivalry has developed. The old-timer accurately predicts trouble but is willing to go anyway. Finally, to complete the make-over, Williams signed Japanese second baseman Tadahito Iguchi to a contract. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a 1948 John Huston film in which two down-and-outers (Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt) in Mexico (bothering director John Huston for money in fun opening cameo) hook up with an old-timer (Walter Huston, the director's father) to prospect for gold. Pierzynski was signed to fill the catching spot; a spot which has not been adequately filled since the departure of Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk over 10 years earlier. Additionally, former member of the Minnesota Twins A.J. They also signed outfielder Jermaine Dye and former Yankee pitcher Orlando Hernandez to complete a rotation that includes Freddy Garcia and Mark Buehrle. They traded outfielder Carlos Lee for center fielder Scott Podsednik. In late 2004, general manager Ken Williams vowed to change the makeup of the team from one that relies on the home run to one that has good pitching and defense. In 2004, the Chicago White Sox hired former White Sox shortstop Ozzie Guillén as manager. This team, like 1983, also could not carry any success over into the postsesaon, getting swept by the wild-card Seattle Mariners in 3 games in the AL Division Series round. A big key for this team was that they seemed always to get the clutch hit whenever they needed it. Frank Thomas nearly won the AL MVP award with his offensive output; he was helped by good offensive years from Magglio Ordóñez, Paul Konerko, Carlos Lee and Jose Valentin. The team scored runs at a blistering pace, which enabled them to win all of these games despite a mediocre pitching staff led by Mike Sirotka. This team, whose slogan was "The Kids can play," won 95 games en route to an AL Central division title. In the year 2000, the White Sox had one of their best teams since the 1983 club. This trade did considerable harm to the already small White Sox fan base. This trade was deemed as the "White Flag Trade" by the Chicago newspapers due to the perception that the White Sox organization essentially surrendered to the Indians without a fight that year. Many fans saw this as their ownership (led by Jerry Reinsdorf) betraying them and trading away their chance to win the division in exchange for next to nothing. On July 31, 1997, with the White Sox only 3.5 games back of the Cleveland Indians for the division lead, they traded veteran pitchers Wilson Alvarez, Danny Darwin and Roberto Hernández to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for 6 minor leaguers, most notably Keith Foulke. Under manager Jerry Manuel, the White Sox fielded a talented but chronically under-achieving squad. The team reached the ALCS in 1993 and the American League Division Series in 2000. The 1990s teams also contended well, led by pitcher Jack McDowell and first baseman Frank Thomas. In anticipation of the move to the new ballpark, the White Sox of the 1990s adopted classic pinstriped uniforms and the occasional use of black jerseys, instantly jumping to the top of the league in merchandise sales. The Renovation plan is a 5-phase plan and it will be complete next year with the 5th and final phase. In addition, the top third of the upper deck was removed in 2004 and an overhang was placed over most of it. Most notable were the moving of the bullpens to be parallel to the field of play, extending the seats further to the field of play, renovating the concourse areas to establish a more friendly feel. In recent years there have been renovations made in order to make the park more fan friendly. It is often criticized for its sterile appearance and nosebleed-inducing upper deck. Cellular Field, opened in 1991 to rave reviews, but was soon outdone by the wave of "nostalgia" ballparks, beginning with Camden Yards. In the late 1980s, the franchise was very nearly relocated to Tampa Bay, but frantic lobbying of the state legislature resulted in approval (by one vote) of public funding for a new stadium. New Comiskey Park, now known as U.S. While they had a great run in the regular season, they were not able to carry that over into the postseason as they lost to Baltimore 3 games to one in the AL Championship Series. A catchphrase of the team was "Winning Ugly" for the style of play, which reflected a tendency to win games through scrappy play rather than consistently strong hitting or pitching. Manager Tony La Russa also won the Manager of the Year award. This team was led by catcher Carlton Fisk, outfielder Harold Baines, eventual Rookie of the Year outfielder Ron Kittle, designated hitter Greg Luzinski, and pitchers LaMarr Hoyt (who won the Cy Young that year), Floyd Bannister and Richard Dotson. They started the season very poorly, but still went on to win 99 games and the AL West title. In 1983, the Chicago White Sox had a fantastic run. In 1967, the White Sox remained in contention for the American League pennant until the final weekend of the regular season. In 1959, the team won its next (and, as of Spring 2005, last) pennant, thanks to the efforts of several eventual Hall of Famers -- manager Lopez, shortstop Luis Aparicio, second baseman Nellie Fox, and pitcher Early Wynn. The franchise would not win another American League pennant until 1959; in the meantime, the White Sox finished in the second division (fifth place or lower) 22 times, until the team rebuilt under managers Paul Richards, Marty Marion, and Al Lopez. The next four decades saw the White Sox lapse into mediocrity, particularly as the Yankees rose to become the American League's dominant team. The phrase has become famous. As the players were leaving a hearing, a boy fan (said by some to have been a newsboy) is claimed to have yelled out to Shoeless Joe, "Say it ain't so, Joe!". Judge Landis, Commissioner of Baseball, banned all the accused nonetheless. The official evidence relating to participation in the 'fix' by the various accused players vanished mysteriously and none were ever tried. The White Sox have never entirely overcome the stigma of being the only team to take a dive in the Fall Classic. However, this was the year of the infamous Black Sox scandal, in which eight White Sox players, including Cicotte and Jackson, were barred from organized baseball for life for taking part in a plot by gamblers to "fix" the World Series. After an off-year in the war-shortened season of 1918, the club bounced back to win the pennant in 1919 and entered the World Series heavily favored to defeat the Cincinnati Reds. Led by second baseman Eddie Collins and outfielder Shoeless Joe Jackson, the White Sox now had offense to go with the pitching of Eddie Cicotte and Red Faber. The White Sox contended over the next decade, but did not bring home a pennant until 1917. The Sox, dubbed the "Hitless Wonders" for having the lowest team batting average in the American League that year, nevertheless took the Series, and intercity bragging rights, in six games. Walsh, Doc White and Nick Altrock paced the White Sox to their 1906 pennant and their first World Series victory, a stunning upset over the Cubs who had won a record 116 regular-season games. The White Sox would continue to be built on pitching and defense in the following years, led by pitching workhorse Ed Walsh, who routinely pitched over 400 innings each season in his prime. The club adopted the name "White Stockings", the original name of the Chicago Cubs, and acquired a number of stars from the National League, including pitcher and manager Clark Griffith, who paced the White Sox to the AL's first pennant in 1901. Paul franchise was relocated to Chicago, to compete directly with the National League club in that city. When the Western League changed its name to the American League in 1900, a year before claiming major league status, the St. Paul, Minnesota. The Cornhuskers won the league pennant in 1894, then moved to St. Comiskey originally founded the team in Sioux City, Iowa, as part of a minor league called the Western League. Louis Browns in the 1880s. The team was founded by Charles Comiskey, a former major-league ballplayer who starred with the St. They are in the Central Division of the American League. The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. Bristol White Sox American League Walks: Frank Thomas, 138 (1991). Strikeouts: Dave Nicholson, 175 (1963). Hitting streak: Luke Appling and Albert Belle, 27 games (1936 and 1997). Stolen bases: Rudy Law, 77 (1983). Triples: Shoeless Joe Jackson, 21 (1916). Doubles: Albert Belle, 48 (1998). Hits: Eddie Collins, 222 (1920). Runs: Johnny Mostil, 135 (1925). Runs batted In: Albert Belle, 152 (1998). Home runs: Albert Belle, 49 (1998). Batting average: Luke Appling, .388 (1936). Jerry Reinsdorf (1981-present). John Allyn (1969-1975). Arthur Allyn, Jr. (1961-1969). Bill Veeck (1959-1961, 1975-1981). Dorothy Comiskey Rigney (1956-1959). Grace Comiskey (1940-1956). Louis Comiskey (1931-1939). J. Charles Comiskey (1900-1931). Jerry Manuel (1998-2003) (500-471). Tony La Russa (1979-1986) (522-510). Al Lopez (1957-1965, 1968-1969) (840-650). Paul Richards (1951-1954, 1976) (406-392). Jimmy Dykes (1935-1946) (899-940). Kid Gleason (1919-1923) (392-364). 72 Carlton Fisk. 42 Jackie Robinson (retired throughout baseball). 19 Billy Pierce. 16 Ted Lyons. 11 Luis Aparicio. 9 Minnie Miñoso. 4 Luke Appling. 3 Harold Baines. 2 Nellie Fox. Magglio Ordóñez (2002). Albert Belle (1998). Outfielders
none. Third baseman
Frank Thomas [2] (1993-94). First baseman
Julio Franco (1994). Harold Baines (1989). Frank Thomas [2] (1991, 2000). DH
Minnie Miñoso (1957). Ken Berry (1970). Tommie Agee (1966). Jim Landis [5] (1960-64). Outfield
Robin Ventura [5] (1991-93, 1996, 1998). Third base
Mike Squires (1981). Jim Spencer (1977). First base
Catcher
1993 - Gene Lamont. 1990 - Jeff Torborg. 1983 - Tony La Russa. 1985 - Ozzie Guillén. 1983 - Ron Kittle. 1966 - Tommie Agee. 1963 - Gary Peters. 1956 - Luis Aparicio. 1993 - Jack McDowell (AL). 1983 - LaMarr Hoyt (AL). 1959 - Early Wynn (MLB). 1994 - Frank Thomas. 1993 - Frank Thomas. 1972 - Dick Allen. 1959 - Nellie Fox. 59 KOR Man Soo Lee (bullpen catcher}. 28 PRI Joey Cora (third base). 30 USA Tim Raines (first base). 53 USA Art Kusnyer (bullpen pitching). 3 USA Harold Baines (bench). 29 USA Greg Walker (hitting). 21 USA Don Cooper (pitching). Coaches
Manager
Al Simmons 1933-35. Tom Seaver 1984-86. Ray Schalk 1912-28. Red Ruffing 1947. Edd Roush 1913. Ted Lyons 1923-42, 1946. George Kell 1954-56. Harry Hooper 1921-25. Clark Griffith 1901-02. Nellie Fox 1950-63. Carlton Fisk 1981-93. Red Faber 1914-33. Johnny Evers 1922. Larry Doby 1956-57, 1959. George Davis 1902, 1904-09. Eddie Collins 1915-26. Steve Carlton 1986. Chief Bender 1925. Luke Appling 1930-43, 1945-50. Luis Aparicio 1956-62, 1968-70. |