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#292 – Andrew Lorraine

Andrew_Lorraine

Name: Andrew Lorraine

Rank: 292

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 1995

Andrew Lorraine joined the White Sox near the trading deadline in 1995 when he, along with McKay Christensen, Bill Simas, and John Snyder came over from the Angels in exchange for Jim Abbott and Tim Fortugno.  Lorraine made it in to 5 games for the 1995 White Sox, giving up 3 runs in 8 innings.

The following January, Lorraine was packaged to the A’s along with minor leaguer Charles Poe for Danny Tartabull.  He rejoined the White Sox organization in 2006, putting up a 1.95 ERA in 17 appearances for Charlotte, but that was not enough to get called up and it was the final affiliated stop of his long career.

Lorraine’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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Adios Rios

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The Alex Rios era came to an end today as the enigmatic right fielder was shipped to the Texas Rangers for a player to be named later who may or may not be Leury Garcia.  Rios first joined the White Sox in August of 2009 in a waiver claim from the Blue Jays, in a move widely assumed to block the first place Tigers from acquiring him.

Rios spent the final 41 games of the 2009 season with the White Sox, finishing up with a disappointing .199 batting average and only 9 RBI as the team failed to repeat as champions of the AL Central and missed the playoffs.  He rebounded in 2010, hitting .284 and putting together the fourth 20/20 season in White Sox history.

2011, however, was a train wreck, as his average dropped back down to .227 with only 13 home runs and 44 RBIs.  The only person standing between Rios and the title of worst player in baseball for the season was Adam Dunn, who just so happened to be in the same lineup every night.

To his credit, Rios bounced back once again in 2012, hitting over .300 and becoming the first White Sox player to have 2 20/20 seasons.  It looked like 2013 would continue to be good for Rios, but, like the rest of the White Sox offense, he mostly disappeared starting in mid-May, keeping his average above .270 but losing his power and getting pulled out of a game late last month for dogging it.

For the White Sox, this move opens up more salary flexibility for next season and, more immediately, provides a slot for Avisail Garcia, acquired in the Jake Peavy trade, to join the big league club.

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

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Ballpark Tour: Cinergy Field

Stadium Name: Cinergy Field

Location: Cincinnati

Home Team: Reds

Years in Service: 1970 – 2002

Visits: 1

Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati’s version of the cookie cutter stadium that popped up in the late 60s and early 70s, opened on June 30, 1970 as the Reds hosted the Atlanta Braves.  In 1996, the stadium was renamed Cinergy Field thanks to a sponsorship deal with the local energy company.  Prior to the 2001 season, after the Bengals moved to their new home down the street, the stadium was reconfigured for baseball-only use, and portions of the outfield stands were removed to make room for the construction of the Reds’ new home, the future Great American Ballpark.  The 2002 season was the final one for the stadium, with the final game played on September 22 and the stadium was imploded on December 29.

In 2000, Ken Griffey Jr. joined the Cincinnati Reds, which put two of the most feared sluggers in the game in the NL Central.  When Sammy Sosa and the Chicago Cubs were scheduled to make an opening week visit to Cincinnati in 2000 to face Griffey for the first time, the idea a roadtrip was hatched.  Friday, April 7, 2000 started with Krispy Kreme donuts at the house before heading towards Cincinnati.  Along the way, there was a brief stop at Purdue. because why not, and the trifecta of a KFC/Taco Bell/Pizza Hut for lunch.  We arrived in Cincinnati well before the stadium opened, so some time was spent walking around the bustling metropolis that was, and continues to be, Cincinnati.

Our tickets were in the upper deck and, to be honest, I have little to no recollection of the game itself.  My one and only memory of the game is losing my balance and tumbling down 5-10 rows, landing on a group of fans below.  Certainly not my proudest moment.  I do recall some of the drive home after the game, which included listening to the White Sox/A’s game where Jose Valentin committed a number of errors for the eventual AL Central champs.  I would return to Cincinnati numerous times for games at Great American Ballpark, but those are tales for another day.

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#293 – Horacio Ramirez

Chicago+White+Sox+v+New+York+Yankees+C0Iftp-TclamName: Horacio Ramirez

Rank: 293

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2008

On August 8, 2008, the White Sox beat the Red Sox to remain tied with the Twins for first place in the AL Central.  The following day, they made a move to bolster their bullpen, acquiring Horacio Ramirez from the Royals for minor leaguer Paulo Orlando.

Ramirez appeared in 17 games in the final two months of the season, only 2 of which came after September 8, putting up a horrible 7.62 as the White Sox furiously battled the Twins for the division title.  Unsurprisingly, he was left off the playoff roster and, after the White Sox dropped the division series to the eventual AL champion Rays, his White Sox career came to an end.

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

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Sweet Home Alab… er, Boston

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Jake Peavy, the hard throwing 32-year old right hander, saw his tenure on the south side come to an end today when he was traded to the Red Sox in a three-way deal that would send Jose Iglesias to the Tigers and Avisail Garcia and three low level prospects to the White Sox.

The White Sox first traded for Jake Peavy on May 21, 2009, but Peavy invoked his no-trade clause to block the deal.  The next day, in a game against his soon-to-be cross town rival Cubs, Peavy injured his ankle running the bases and headed to the disabled list.  When the White Sox came around again at the trade deadline despite the lingering ankle injury, Peavy agreed to the deal and left the Padres to join the White Sox in exchange for Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Adam Russell and Dexter Carter.  Peavy eventually managed to make 3 starts for the White Sox, winning all 3 and giving fans hope for the 2010 season.

After getting off to a rough start in 2010, Peavy got on a roll and strung together five consecutive victories until July 6, when he suffered a detached latissimus dorsi muscle, a rare injury that ended his season.  Peavy worked his way back to the White Sox rotation in 2011, but he needed time to adjust to his reattached muscle and rebuild his strength.

In 2012, Peavy led the surprising White Sox to a summer in first place and was named to the All Star team.  Unfortunately, the team faded down the stretch and finished behind the Tigers for the AL Central crown.  After the season, he avoided free agency by reupping with the White Sox, signing a two year, $29 million dollar extension with a vesting option for 2015.  Unfortunately, the late season collapse that doomed the White Sox in September of 2012 continued into 2013, as the team fell into the cellar and saw an opportunity to improve themselves by moving Peavy.  Only time will tell if the move will work out.

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

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Ballpark Tour: 3 Com Park

Stadium Name: 3 Com Park

Location: San Francisco

Home Team: Giants

Years in Service: 1960 – 1999

Visits: 1

When the New York Giants moved west in 1958, the city of San Francisco began constructing a new ballpark for them, and Candlestick Park was born.  The stadium opened in 1960 and was the home of the now-San Francisco Giants through the 1999 season.  Along the way, the stadium has also played host to the Oakland Raiders, the San Francisco 49ers, dozens of commercials and movies, and, in 1965, the final commercial concert appearance by the Beatles.

In September of 1999, I headed out to the Bay Area to visit an old friend.  One of the items on our agenda was to head out to Candlestick, which had been renamed 3Com Park by this point, to see a game before the Giants moved to their new home the following season.  With only 13 home games left on the schedule, we set out to see the Giants take on the Phillies on September 2.  The Giants, behind starter Joe Nathan, defeated the Phillies 3-2 on a cool autumn afternoon.  I would return to San Francisco 9 years later to check out the new stadium, but that is a tale for another day.

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#294 – Tony Castillo

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Name: Tony Castillo

Rank: 294

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1996-1998

Tony Castillo joined the White Sox from the Blue Jays via a waiver trade in August of 1996, along with Domingo Cedeno, in exchange for Luis Andujar and Allen Halley.  Castillo shined for the White Sox, putting up a 1.59 ERA over 15 appearances and earned himself a 2 year contract extension.

That contract did not exactly work out for the South Siders, as Castillo, pitching in a career high 64 games in 1997, saw his ERA jump to nearly 5.00.  Things got worse in 1998, as Castillo’s ERA ballooned up to 8.00 and, on June 21, the White Sox threw in the towel and released the lefty reliever, ending his major league career.

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

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Soriano Goes Bye Bye

alfonso-soriano-wallThe Jim Hendry era on the North Side officially came to an end today as Alfonso Soriano was traded to the Yankees for what is expected to be a lower tier pitching prospect.  Soriano signed an 8-year contract with the Cubs prior to the 2007 season and helped lead the team to back-to-back division titles in 2007 and 2008.  Unfortunately, the Cubs were swept in both division series and the team started to unravel from there.

As new leadership came in and the team started to rebuild, Soriano and his $18 million contract no longer fit with the team’s needs.  Unfortunately for the Cubs, however, former GM Jim Hendry passed out No Trade clauses like a drunken sailor, so moving Soriano has been easier said than done.  There was talk of a deal last year that would have sent Soriano to the Giants, but he declined the move.  This year, however, he appears willing to accept the move that will reunite him with the franchise with which he started his career.

Soriano’s numbers in a Cub uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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Ballpark Tour: PNC Park

Stadium Name: PNC Park

Location: Pittsburgh

Home Team: Pirates

Years in Service: 2001 – Present

Visits: 1

After 30 1/2 seasons at Three Rivers Stadium, the Pittsburgh Pirates moved into their new home for the 2001 season, starting with an 8-2 loss against the Reds on April 9th.  Since then, the stadium has ranked at or near the top of most rankings, with the only drawback being the woeful state of its main occupant.

I made my one trip to PNC Park on May 15, 2005 to see the Cubs defeat the Pirates 3-2.  Southwest Airlines was introducing service from Chicago to Pittsburgh and was offering fares for $30 each way, so plans were made for a daytrip out to Pittsburgh.  We arrived in town and took a bus from the airport to the stadium, where we ate a pregame meal of ribs at the in-stadium Outback Steakhouse.  Yeah, you read that right.  There was an Outback Steakhouse in the stadium.  After the game, there was another bus trip back to the airport for the flight back to Chicago, which seemed to be made up strictly of people who were at the game, as a rousing rendition of Take Me Out To The Ballgame broke out mid-flight.

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#295 – Paul Phillips

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Name: Paul Phillips

Rank: 295

Position: C

Year With White Sox: 2008

Paul Phillips joined the White Sox organization as a minor league free agent prior to the 2008 season.  He spent the year at Triple A Charlotte before getting a September call-up, making it into 4 games and getting 2 at bats as the White Sox held off the Twins for the Central Division title.  After the season, Phillips once again became a free agent and his tenure on the south side came to an end.

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

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