Today in White Sox History: April 9

Spirit of ’76: Rudy Schaffer, Paul Richards and Bill Veeck went all-out in Veeck’s return to Chicago on Opening Day.

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1963
The start of the season found the White Sox in Detroit, and it was a highlight game for third baseman Pete Ward. Ward smacked a seventh-inning, three-run home run off Jim Bunning to push the Sox into the lead, and he also made a barehanded pick-up-and-throw-out of a slow roller hit by Al Kaline. The Sox would win, 7-5, and it would be the start of Ward’s co-American League Rookie of the Year campaign.

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1971
It was the largest home opener in years, as 43,253 fans poured into Comiskey Park to see the “New Look” White Sox under GM Roland Hemond and manager Chuck Tanner. Ownership was completely caught with their pants down by the turnout, as concession stands and vendors ran out of items by the middle of the game!

The Sox wouldn’t disappoint, as Rich McKinney’s two-out, ninth-inning single scored Rich Morales with the game-winning run in the 3-2 victory over Minnesota.

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1976
Owner Bill Veeck was back, and 40,318 fans turned out to say welcome home on Opening Day. They got their money’s worth, as in a tribute to the U.S. Bicentennial, Veeck, manager Paul Richards and front office executive Rudy Schaffer presented the colors dressed as the fife player, drummer and flag bearer of the Revolutionary War. Wilbur Wood tossed a complete game six-hitter and Jim Spencer had a two-run home run in the 4-0 win against Kansas City.

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1977
The White Sox defeated the Blue Jays, 3-2, in Toronto for the franchise’s first-ever regular-season win outside of the United States. Oscar Gamble’s home run in the fourth put the Sox on top to stay, and the team added two more in the fifth. Chris Knapp got the win and Lerrin LaGrow earned his first save in what would be the best season of his career. He’d end 1977 with 25 of them and a 2.46 ERA.

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1985
For future Hall-of-Famer Tom Seaver, it was his record 14^th Opening Day start. For Ozzie Guillén, it was his major league debut. The two of them combined to help the Sox beat Milwaukee, 4-2, at County Stadium. Guillén would get his first hit in the big leagues that day, a bunt single off of future Sox pitcher Ray Searage in the ninth inning.

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1990
It was the last home opener at the original Comiskey Park, and the Sox made it a good one in beating the Brewers, 2-1. Scott Fletcher’s sacrifice fly scored Sammy Sosa with what turned out to be the winning run. Barry Jones got the win, with Bobby Thigpen picking up the first of what would be a record-setting 57 saves in a season.

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1993
During the home opener with the Yankees, Bo Jackson showed that the human spirit is simply amazing. Jackson, playing with an artificial hip, hammered a Neal Heaton pitch into the right field seats for a home run. It was Jackson’s first at-bat since his hip replacement, caused by an injury he suffered during his days as an All-Pro running back for the Raiders.

Jackson would end up with 16 home runs, including one in late September against Seattle that won the White Sox the Western Division title. As far as the baseball hit off Heaton, a fan returned it to him and he later had it encased and welded to his late mother’s headstone.

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Today in White Sox History: March 15

Round Two: Veeck came back to the White Sox, saving the team from a move to Seattle. (Sports Illustrated)

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1976
After stepping in at the last minute to buy the White Sox and prevent them from being moved to Seattle, Bill Veeck appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated: “Baseball Couldn’t Shut Him Out.” Veeck would own the team from 1976-80 in his second ownership stint.

 

Today in White Sox History: March 7

Probably not coffee: Veeck officially became the White Sox owner for the first time 61 years ago.

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1959
After the courts ruled in his favor and denied petitions by members of the Comiskey family, Bill Veeck and his partners, including Hall-of-Famer Hank Greenberg, bought the White Sox. Veeck owned 54% of the team. At the introductory press conference Veeck jokingly told the media that “You can have 54% of the coffee!”

Today in White Sox History: January 29

The Sunshine Boys: 39 years ago, this pair took over the Chicago White Sox.

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1981
Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn gained control of the White Sox after American League owners turned down Bill Veeck’s attempt to sell to Eddie DeBartolo. Reinsdorf’s original partner was William Farley, but Farley dropped out in part because the Sox went out and signed free agents Ron LeFlore and Jim Essian. Farley didn’t approve of the team spending $3 million on free agents — even though Veeck got the money for the signings from DeBartolo!

Reinsdorf originally was part of a group trying to buy the New York Mets. Einhorn originally was part of a group trying to get the San Diego Padres.

 

Today in White Sox History: January 22

A coach to be named later: Current White Sox minor league coach Charles Poe helped deliver Danny Tartabull to the White Sox. (Kim Contreras/South Side Hit Pen)

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1960
The White Sox introduced the first major league baseball jersey that had a player’s name on the back. It was the brainchild of owner Bill Veeck. At first the name was only on the road jersey, but over time, teams would have names on the backs of both road and home shirts.

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1996
The White Sox dealt minor leaguers Charles Poe and Andrew Lorraine to Oakland for slugger Danny Tartabull. The enigmatic Tartabull had as much talent as anyone but often didn’t show it; however, he put together a very good season on the South Side, with 27 home runs and 101 RBIs. Tartabull signed a free agent deal with the Phillies the following year but would have just 11 more career plate appearances after the White Sox.

Today in White Sox History: December 26

Stubborn: Think Bill Veeck was colorful? Charlie Finley would’ve been a bag of melted Skittles.

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1958 – In the middle of a family fight involving the Comiskeys and the attempt to sell the White Sox, Charlie Finley (yes that Charlie Finley) offered $500,000 for the club. Dorothy Comiskey immediately began to give serious consideration to selling it to him, since the offer surpassed the initial bid that came from Bill Veeck’s group. However, Veeck had purchased, for $100, an option period where he would have the first right to buy the team. Dorothy Comiskey and her advisors tried to determine a fair price to buy that option back and sell to Finley, but were never able to do so.

(It would prove to be only the first of two times, 17 years apart, that Veeck would thwart Finley’s attempt to own the Chicago AL team, as in 1975 a plan had been afoot to move the White Sox to Seattle and have Finley’s Oakland A’s to Chicago.)

Thanks in part to a final judicial ruling in March 1959 (and because he raised his initial offer), Veeck’s group finally took control of the club right before the start of the regular season. Finley would eventually get into baseball as the controversial owner of the Kansas City and later Oakland Athletics.

 

Today in White Sox History: December 20

Big boss: Veeck took control of the White Sox for the first time on this day, thanks to the courts.

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1958
Bill Veeck got a court ruling in his favor which allowed him to get majority control of the White Sox. Members of the Comiskey family went to court in an effort to stop the sale of the franchise. There would be more court rulings before the sale was made final in March 1959.

 

Today in White Sox History: December 17

Spirit of 76: Paul Richards, flanked by Rudie Schaffer and Bill Veeck, made his final Opening Day as a manager a memorable one.

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1914
Pants Rowland was named White Sox manager. He would guide the club to a 100-win season and the World Series title in 1917.

1975
Under new owner Bill Veeck, the Sox went retro with the naming of former manager Paul Richards to become the new manager, replacing Chuck Tanner. Richards was the man who turned around the franchise in 1951. He was one of the smartest baseball men in the game, but it had been years since he was involved in the day-to-day operations of a franchise. Apparently he didn’t even really want the job, agreeing to do it only as a favor to Veeck. He would last one season.

Years later, Tanner would reveal that Richards asked him to stay on as his third base coach, with the promise of getting the manager’s job again in 1977.

2004
The Sox claimed pitcher Bobby Jenks on waivers from the Angels. Jenks had a reputation as a reckless individual who wanted to party more then play baseball. Somehow, the White Sox found a way to reach him, and Jenks proved a godsend down the stretch in 2005, then followed it up with 41 saves in 2006.

 

Today in White Sox History: December 12

All heart: Bernazard was a core member of La Russa’s early -1980s White Sox teams. (@RonVesely)

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1975
In an effort to start improving a desultory offense, White Sox GM Roland Hemond and new owner Bill Veeck acquired former NL batting champ Ralph “Road Runner” Garr from Atlanta for three players, including outfielder Ken Henderson and pitcher Dick Ruthven. Garr would have severe limitations on defense, but he did become the catalyst for the South Side Hit Men in 1977 with his speed and ability to hit to all fields. That year, he’d hit .300 with 10 home runs, 54 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.

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1980
Sometimes, smaller moves can turn out to be important:Hemond traded pitcher Richard “Tex” Wortham to the Expos for switch-hitting second baseman Tony Bernazard. Bernazard would be part of the “New Deal” Sox in 1981 and would eventually be traded for another productive second baseman, Julio “Juice” Cruz in June 1983. Manager Tony LaRussa called Bernazard the heart of the club while he was on the South Side.

 

Today in White Sox History: December 11

Fan club: There doesn’t seem to be a Sox fan alive who doesn’t adore Wimpy, including sometime partner Jason Benetti. Paciorek came to the White Sox on this day in 1981.

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1973
In was one of the worst deals ever made by GM Roland Hemond, the White Sox acquired Cubs star Ron Santo after Santo refused a deal to the California Angels. Santo, who may have been able to be picked up on waivers, was acquired for three players, including pitcher Steve Stone.

Santo did very little in his one season with the White Sox and was considered a clubhouse cancer, tormenting some younger players, which raised the ire of Dick Allen. Santo’s White Sox highlight was probably the inside-the-park home run he hit on June 9, 1974 against Boston’s Bill Lee at Comiskey Park. Santo was also one of the few players who disliked playing under manager Chuck Tanner.

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1975
Hemond sent third baseman Bill Melton and pitcher Steve Dunning to California for first baseman Jim Spencer and outfielder Morris Nettles. Melton had a bad back and had worn out his welcome with the team, getting into a shouting match in a Milwaukee hotel lobby with broadcaster Harry Caray.

Spencer, meanwhile would win a Gold Glove for his defensive prowess. He also had 18 home runs and 69 RBIs for the South Side Hit Men, twice driving in eight runs in a game in 1977.

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1980
Edward DeBartolo was voted down by American League owners in his attempt to buy the White Sox from Bill Veeck. DeBartolo, the man who invented the modern shopping mall in Boardman, Ohio, owned horse racing tracks and wasn’t from the Chicago area — both considered “red flags” by the other owners.

In an effort to appease then commissioner Bowie Kuhn, DeBartolo agreed to live in Chicago at least 20% of the time to have a direct idea of what was going on with the franchise. His compromises fell on deaf ears, as he only received three yes votes. The way was then opened for the group headed by Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn to get the franchise.

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1981
In another fine deal pulled off by Hemond, he sent shortstop Todd Cruz and outfielder Rod Allen to the Mariners for Tom “Wimpy” Paciorek. Tom made the All-Star team with the M’s in 1981 and would lead the Sox in hitting in 1983. He was also one of the craziest guys to ever do commercials for the club. After he retired, he worked in the Sox broadcasting booth from 1988 through 1999 and to this day does fill-in games for the club.

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1996
After losing star pitcher Alex Fernandez to free agency and claiming that starting pitcher Kevin Tapani was faking an injury to his pitching hand (an injury so “fake” it forced Tapani to miss the first half of the 1997 season with the Cubs …), GM Ron Schueler signed pitcher Jaime Navarro to a four-year, $20 million deal. Navarro was a complete bust. His three-year record with the Sox was 25-43, and by many statistical measures he was the worst regular starting pitching in White Sox history.

Making matters worse was Schueler’s refusal to talk with the agents for Roger Clemens after Clemens had expressed an interest in joining the team, saying “Roger Clemens is over the hill.” During that same three-year period that Navarro was with the Sox, Clemens would win two Cy Young awards and 55 games.

Navarro eventually did do something positive for the franchise — he was part of a deal that brought José Valentín and Cal Eldred to the Sox in January 2000.