Category / Baseball

by admin

#240 – Antonio Osuna

osunaName: Antonio Osuna

Rank: 240

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2001-2002

When Bill Simas went down for the entire 2001 season during spring training, GM Kenny Williams struck a deal with the Dodgers on St. Patrick’s Day, acquiring Antonio Osuna for a collection of minor league talent. Unfortunately for Williams and the White Sox, a cyst in Osuna’s pitching shoulder limited him to 4 poor appearances in April before requiring season ending surgery.

Osuna bounced back in 2002, appearing in 59 games and posting a 3.86 ERA.  He, along with Damaso Marte, replaced Keith Foulke as the team’s closer at the All Star break, converting 11 out of 14 save opportunities.

In January of 2003, Osuna was sent to the Yankees as part of the 3 team deal that brought Bartolo Colon to the White Sox and sent Orlando Hernandez, Rocky Biddle, and Jeff Liefer to the Expos.

Osuna’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: Continue reading →

by admin

2014 Tickets – Northside Edition

Once again, the Cubs manage to far surpass their play on the field with their superb season ticket packaging.  This year, the team has upgraded from a cardboard box to a large tin featuring an old drawing of Wrigley Field.

2014CubBoxInside the tin was a cornucopia of treasures.  Once again, the team tried to save a few shekels on credit card fees by bribing encouraging people to pay by check.  This year’s enticement was a coffee table book celebrating the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field. Continue reading →

by jim

Active Batting Leaders – Through 2013

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersLast month, we looked at the overall leaders on both sides of the ball from all of the games I’ve attended between 1984 and 2013.  With Opening Day right around the corner, I thought it would be interesting to take another look at those numbers, limiting it to players that are still active heading in to the 2014 season.

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 89
Aramis Ramierz 41
Carlos Quentin 28
Corey Patterson 26
Adam Dunn 26

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 352
AJ Pierzynski 237
Continue reading →
by admin

2014 Tickets – Southside Edition

Word came down yesterday afternoon that Cub season tickets had started to arrive, so imagine my surprise when I got home and found this sitting on my doorstep:

2014soxbox

Inside the box were the two ticket books, a collection of parking passes, and some miscellaneous paperwork.  The tickets themselves have returned to a portrait orientation, and feature photos of all-time White Sox greats.

Continue reading →

by admin

#241 – Mike Myers

mmyersName: Mike Myers

Rank: 241

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2007

After spending 15 years in Smith’s Grove Sanitarium, Mike Myers escaped and returned to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois.  Oh wait, that’s the wrong Mike Myers.  After 6 seasons on Saturday Night Live, Mike Myers left to pursue a film career, where…what, still the wrong Mike Myers?  How many where there?

Baseball’s Mike Myers, a native of Arlington Heights, joined the White Sox in August of their lost 2007 season after being released by the Yankees.  He fit right in, which, sadly, means he did not pitch well, putting up an 11.20 ERA in 17 appearances.  Myers had a $1.1 million option for 2008, which the White Sox chose to decline.  Myers tried to latch on to a team the next spring, but never did pitch in the major leagues again.

Myers’ numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: Continue reading →

by admin

#242 – Rocky Biddle

rbiddleName: Rocky Biddle

Rank: 242

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2000-2002

Rocky Biddle was drafted by the White Sox in the first round of the 1997 draft.  In August of 2000, with the White Sox heading towards a Central division title despite a pitching staff falling by the day, Biddle was called up and made his major league debut on August 10.  Pitching on only three days rest against the White Sox eventual ALDS foe Seattle, Biddle gave up 6 runs in 5 1/3 innings.  He ended up starting 4 games that season as the White Sox limped to the playoffs and a three game sweep against the Mariners.

Biddle spent parts of the next two seasons as one piece of the black hole that was the fifth starter for the White Sox.  Biddle started 28 of his 74 games over those two seasons, although his ERA did improve each season.

His time with the White Sox came to an end on January 15, 2003 when he was included in a 3 team trade that sent Biddle, Jeff Liefer, and Orlando Hernandez to the Expos, Antonio Osuna and minor-league pitcher Delvis Lantigua to the Yankees, and brought Bartolo Colon and minor-league infielder Jorge Nunez to the White Sox.

Biddle’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

Continue reading →

by admin

#243 – Donny Lucy

dlucyName: Donny Lucy

Rank: 243

Position: C

Years With White Sox: 2007, 2010-2011

Donny Lucy joined the White Sox organization after being selected in the second round of the 2004 draft.  He made his major league debut for the White Sox on September 5, 2007 against the Tigers, getting his first major league hit against Kenny Rogers.  Lucy made his way into 8 games as the White Sox played out the string in what was a lost and disappointing season.

Lucy returned to the minor leagues until 2010, when he broke camp with the White Sox due to backup catcher Ramón Castro heading to the DL with a bruised heel.  Lucy hit his first big league home run and notched his first RBI against the Blue Jays on April 15.  When Castro was ready to return on May 3, Lucy was returned to Triple A.

Lucy returned to the White Sox in August of 2011 when AJ Pierzynski went down with a broken wrist.  He managed to appear in 6 games this time, with his final appearance coming in the Sox 3-2 loss to the Blue Jays on September 28.

On December 16, Lucy announced his retirement from baseball.

Lucy’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

Continue reading →

by admin

#244 – Tony Peña

Tony+PenaName: Tony Peña

Rank: 244

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2009-2011

Tony Peña, the pitcher, joined the White Sox via a July 7, 2009 trade that sent Brandon Allen to the Diamondbacks.  Peña was expected to bolster the bullpen for the remainder of 2009 and then take over Octavio Dotel’s role, who would be a free agent following the season.  Things started out well for Peña, who put up a 3.75 ERA down the stretch for the White Sox, a half run better than he had done for the Diamondbacks.

Things started to fall apart in 2010.  With Dotel gone, Peña was slated to become the main workhorse out of the pen, but control issues limited him to 52 games, including 3 spot starts.  His ERA jumped to 5.10 as he was relegated to long relief and mop up duty.

Unfortunately, 2011 was not any better for Peña.  His ERA jumped up to 6.10 as he made 17 relief appearances over the season’s first two months.  On May 29, he was placed on the disabled list with right elbow tendinitis, which is where he would spend the rest of the season.

He was released by the White Sox following the season, and he would never pitch in the major leagues again.

Pena’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

Continue reading →

by admin

#245 – Jason Frasor

Jason_FrasorName: Jason Frasor

Rank: 245

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2011

Jason Frasor joined the White Sox, along with fellow pitcher Zach Stewart, as part of a salary dump that sent Edwin Jackson and Mark Teahen to the Blue Jays on July 27, 2011.  Frasor, an Oak Forest native, was supposed to lighten the workload on Jesse Crain, but was mostly ineffective, giving up 10 runs in only 17 2/3 innings.

After spending nearly 5 months as a member of the White Sox, Frasor was shipped back to Toronto on January 1, 2012 in exchange for Daniel Webb and minor league pitcher Myles Jaye.

Frasor’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
Continue reading →

by jim

RIP Dr. Frank Jobe

WBKerryWoodDr. Frank Jobe, the surgeon who performed the first reconstruction of the ulnar collateral ligament of the elbow, died yesterday at the age of 88.  Jobe revolutionized sports medicine in 1974, when he operated on pitcher Tommy John, who had a 13-3 record for the Dodgers before injuring his elbow.  Jobe put the chances of John pitching again at 1 in 100.  John spent 18 months rehabilitating his arm before returning for the 1976 season, when he started 31 games and posted a 3.09 ERA.

Jobe waited 2 years before attempting a second UCL reconstruction, as he was unsure of the long term benefits.  As he performed more reconstructions, which became to be known as Tommy John surgery, Jobe became more confident that the repaired, or replaced, ligament would hold up.  What once was a career ending injury has now become one which can be overcome in a year, changing baseball forever.  While Dr. Jobe may no longer be with us, his work, and the pitchers’ careers he helped save, will be with us forever.