Frank Thomas

Frank Thomas, the best hitter in White Sox history, called it a careeryesterday, after 18 big league seasons.  Thomas was third of former GM Larry Himes four #1 draft picks that all helped lead the White Sox renaissance of the early 90s, culminating with the 1993 AL West title and the lead in newly created AL Central when the strike wiped out the 1994 season.  Thomas, of course, brought home the AL MVP trophy both seasons.

The Big Hurt, as he came to be known for the hurt he put on the ball when he hit it, would start to break down in later seasons, and, unfortunately, was mostly a spectator in the magical 2005 season, playing in only 34 mid-season games and missing the entire post-season.  Following the excitement of winning the World Series for the first time in 88 years, the White Sox sent their best all-time player packing.

Over the years, I managed to see Thomas play only 66 times, and he was not at his best when I was in the ballpark.  A career .301 hitter, he managed only a .256 mark in those 66 games, with 15 of his 521 career home runs.  Two of those home runs came in his first game in Chicago as a visitor, after a standing ovation before his first trip to the plate got national attention and produced my first (and, to this point, last) appearance on SportsCenter.

Thomas will make one more official trip to US Cellular Field on August 29th, when the White Sox retire his number 35, just over 20 years after his debut, and I’ll be there cheering him on for the penultimate time.  The last time will be in 2014, when he’s elected to the Hall of Fame.