Category / Baseball

by jim

2013 Tickets – Northside Edition

Say what you will about the Cubs play on the field in recent years, but their season ticket packaging has been superb for the last few years, and their winning streak continues this year.  First is the box itself, which contains all of the goodies.

Cubs-boxA nice old-timey feel that doesn’t give away the awesomeness inside.  First, just like last year, 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 an autographed baseball by first baseman Anthony Rizzo.

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by jim

Active Batting Leaders – Through 2012

Last month, we looked at the overall leaders on both sides of the ball from all of the games I’ve attended between 1984 and 2012.  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 today.

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 88
Aramis Ramierz 41
Jim Thome 35
Carlos Quentin 28
Corey Patterson 26

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 340
Aramis Ramirez 234
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by admin

#317 – Jason Dellaero

dellaero

Name: Jason Dellaero

Rank: 317

Position: SS

Year With White Sox: 1997

Jason Dellaero was the first round draft pick of the White Sox in 1997.  He got his only taste of the major league life as a September callup in 1999, appearing in 11 games.  His inability to consistently hit professional pitching hampered his big league hopes, but his powerful arm led the White Sox to also try him as a pitcher.

Sadly, the highlight of his White Sox tenure came in an exhibition game in 2002, when he homered twice in the Hall of Fame game against the Rockies and then pitched the ninth inning, where he gave up 2 homers.  Following the 2002 season, he was cut loose to continue his dream of major league success in other locations.

Dellaero’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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by admin

#318 – Bruce Tanner

Bruce_Tanner_(White_Sox)_8

Name: Bruce Tanner

Rank: 318

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 1985

Bruce Tanner, the son of former White Sox manager Chuck Tanner, spent his entire major league career with the White Sox during the 1985 season.  He was the team’s 4th round draft pick in 1983 and made his major league debut nearly 2 years later, subbing for an injured Richard Dotson, on June 12, 1985, picking up the victory against the Mariners in Seattle.  Tanner appeared in 9 more games for the big league club over the year, finishing with a 5.33 ERA.

Tanner spent the entire 1986 season back in Triple A Buffalo, where he finished with a losing record.  Following the season, he was sent to Oakland as the player to be named later to complete the earlier trade that brought Donnie Hill to the White Sox in exchange for Gene Nelson.

Tanner’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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by admin

#319 – Jhonny Nunez

Jhonny+Nunez+Chicago+White+Sox+Photo+Day+VTFxIGyxj7WlName: Jhonny Nunez

Rank: 319

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2009

Jhonny Nunez joined the White Sox on November 13, 2008 along with Wilson Betemit and Jeff Marquez in the deal that sent Nick Swisher packing to the Yankees.  Ironically enough, he made his major league debut the following summer against the Yankees, getting the only batter he faced, Johnny Damon, to ground out.  Unfortunately, his successes were few and far between, as he finished the season with only 7 appearances and an ERA over 9.  He spent 2010 and 2011 bouncing between Double A Birmingham and Triple A Charlotte, but was unable to recapture his earlier successes.  Following the 2011 season, he left the White Sox organization as a free agent, but has still never made it back to the big leagues.

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

by jim

Cashing In On A Sale

MLB: Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox

Rick Hahn made his biggest splash since becoming general manager in October by signing Chris Sale to a five year extension worth $32.5 million, plus 2 additional club options that could boost the contract up to $60 million.  Sale, the 23 year old who went 17-8 with a 3.05 ERA and made the All-Star Game in his first season as a starter, gets a lifetime of security and the White Sox get a potential ace starter at below market value through his arbitration years and beyond.

Hahn’s other moves in his first off-season have been mostly low key, resigning Jake Peavy and Dewayne Wise, picking up the option on Gavin Floyd, and signing Jeff Keppinger to a 3 year deal.  The biggest newsmaker may have been the move he didn’t make, allowing A.J. Pierzynski to leave as a free agent and sign with the Rangers.  With this move, he starts to put his own stamp on the franchise.

by admin

#320 – David Riske

David RiskeWimmer5206

Name: David Riske

Rank: 320

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2006

David Riske came to the south side on June 15, 2006 from the Red Sox in exchange for Javier Lopez and took Sean Tracey’s spot on the roster.  One week later, Riske was suspended for three games for intentionally throwing at the Cardinals’ Chris Duncan, which ignited a war of words between Dave Duncan, the Cardinals pitching coach and Chris’s father, and Ozzie Guillen.  And that was the highlight of his White Sox career.  Following the season, Riske left the White Sox as a free agent.

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

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by admin

#321 – Terry Leach

terryleach

Name: Terry Leach

Rank: 321

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1992-1993

Terry Leach joined the White Sox at the end of spring training in 1992 after being released by the Expos and became one of the most effective members of the bullpen over the course of the 1992 season.  He posted a 1.95 ERA in 51 games as the White Sox finished 10 games behind the A’s.  The next year, the 39-year old Leach battled elbow issues and was limited to 14 games for the eventual Western Division champions.  He pitched in the final game of his 11 year major league career on June 23 against the Rangers.

The following spring, Leach was released during spring training, and he retired in 1995 after a failed comeback attempt with the Tigers.

Leach’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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by admin

#322 – Joe DeSa

joedesaName: Joe DeSa

Rank: 322

Position: 1B

Year With White Sox: 1985

Joe DeSa joined the White Sox organization following the 1983 season.  After a strong spring training in 1985, he broke camp with the big league club.  With Greg Walker established at first base, DeSa was soon optioned back to Triple A Buffalo in order to get regular playing time.  He got another chance in August when Walker strained a knee and it became clear that Oscar Gamble’s usefulness to the team had run its course.  “I liked what Oscar did for the team,” manager Tony La Russa said.  “But he became the odd man out. Plus, DeSa has earned his shot.”

DeSa returned to Buffalo in 1986 and had another good year, being named the team MVP, but he was unable to make it back to the major leagues even with Greg Walker sidelined for half the year with a wrist injury, having been passed by Russ Morman and Bobby Bonilla.  Following the season, DeSa was released.

Sadly, DeSa would never get another chance to make it to the major leagues.  While participating in the Puerto Rican Winter League that December, DeSa died in a car accident.

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

by jim

Treating The Symptoms


stubhub-logo-300x239Towards the end of last season, there were a glut of Cubs tickets available on ticket reselling website StubHub, many of which of which were available well below face value, and in some cases were under $1.  To their credit, the Cubs saw that they had a problem.  Unfortunately, they decided that the problem was StubHub itself and the sellers trying to undermine the Cubs own ticket sales by offering the tickets at prices so low.  Which, of course, is utter hogwash.

Among the new “features” the come along with the Cubs new agreement with StubHub are:

  • A minimum listing price of $3
  • An additional “transfer” fee for sellers, in the amount of $1.50.
  • The ending of sales six hours before the game starts

So, if tickets are listed and sell for the minimum of $3, a seller will take home (assuming the good folks at StubHub round up) $1.28.

Instead of making sure that the $1 listings went away, the Cubs should have looked at why they were there in the first place: overpriced tickets for a team that had no chance of being competitive, let alone contending.  The choice wasn’t between listing the tickets for $20 or $1, it was between getting pennies on the dollar versus eating the whole investment.

With the Cubs looking like they are still a few years away from contending, the likely outcome of these moves will be another September with the stands half empty and season ticket holders once again left holding $30 tickets that they can hopefully exchange for $1.28.