Meet the Players: Owen Schoenfeld

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Owen Schoenfeld was born in Chicago but grew up in the North Side burbs, being the rare White Sox fan in a sea of blue before finishing high school in Austin, Texas, where his fandom was even more a rarity. He has his father and grandfather to thank for making sure he grew up donning the right Chicago cap.

His writing career began in college when he studied business at the University of Texas at Austin. Owen’s written for a barrage of publications, including FanSided and FutureSox, where his work was regularly featured on Sports Illustrated and Fox Sports team sites.

In 2017, Owen co-founded the Chicago-centric sports website The Loop Sports, which grew to be a notable player in the Chicago media landscape for three years before recently running its course and dissolving into separate projects.

You might know Owen as @The_Xsport on Twitter, or for his Photoshop mashup of SI predicting the White Sox as 2020 champions. He still thinks a title is a non-zero possibility (with the right offseason), and hopes his edit can give Chicago some positive mojo.

On a similar note, he also published a fiction book with his identical twin brother called “It Isn’t Just a Game,” featuring a sci-fi twist on the 2005 season, where two kids control the real-life season through their gaming console. That was back when he was 12, but the rumor is that there are still some copies lurking around at the stadium’s Chicago Sports Depot.

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Hometown Chicago

White Sox fan since 01/12/1996

First White Sox memory First game was at a mere six months old, but my first memory was when I was about three and at a summer game. My family would play a game where you’d pick a player at the start and if they hit a home run, you’d get a crisp dollar bill. My favorite player “Magglio Ordoñez” hit a deep drive to left field in the seventh inning. I still have the dollar.

Favorite White Sox memory World Series Game 2, hands down. I was lucky enough to be in Section 143 and witness Konerko’s grand slam and Podsednik’s walk-off bomb in person. Those moments are the loudest I’ve ever heard a pro stadium — and I’ve been to a Texas Longhorns football game with 100,000-plus fans.

Favorite White Sox player Magglio as a little kid, Konerko as my all-time favorite, and José Abreu on the current roster. Although Eloy, with his patented red batting gloves, is a fast-approaching second.

Next White Sox statue Mark Buehrle

Next White Sox retired number Abreu, if he keeps production up and plays an integral role in a championship. He’s a Jerry favorite.

Go-to concession food at Sox Park The strawberry-stuffed churros. Used to be the popcorn chicken, when they had it.

Favorite Baseball movie Little Big League. It’s every kid’s dream to be the manager, GM, or the owner of a major league team at one time or another. This kid got to be all three –– and all in the same classic film.

Hall of Fame: Speed Round

Mark Buehrle Yes
Joe Jackson No
Paul Konerko No
Minnie Miñoso Yes
Omar Vizquel Yes
Chris Sale Yes, but with the wrong cap

South Side Hit Pen on the field Center field (see photo). I played CF in Cooperstown at age 12 as part of the Dreams Tournament. I could chase down anything, throw out runners from the wall, and swipe bags in a pinch. My OBP was also .100 so …

True or false: Every jumbled pile of person has a thinking part that wonders what the part that isn’t thinking isn’t thinking of: True

 

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