Tag / Comiskey Park

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#33 – Ron Kittle

Name: Ron Kittle

Rank: 33

Position: LF/DH

Years With White Sox: 1982-1986, 1989-1990, 1991

Ron Kittle joined the White Sox organization in Septmber of 1978.  He worked his way through the minor leagues before making his major league debut on September 2, 1982, pinch hitting for Aurelio Rodriguez and striking out in the White Sox 6-5 victory over the Rangers at Comiskey Park.  Kittle got sporadic playing time over the final month of the season, earning just 29 at bats in 20 games.  He hit .241 with a single home run.

Kittle, and the White Sox, broke out in a big way in 1983.  While the team charged towards their first division title, Kittle earned an All Star nod and finished the year with a team rookie record of 35 home runs while hitting .254 and driving in 100.  Kittle was knocked out of the ALCS against the Orioles after getting hit by a pitch in Game 3, finishing the series with just 2 hits in 7 at bats.  His season earned him Rookie of the Year honors.

1984 was a bit of a letdown for both Kittle and the White Sox.  While the team failed to perform up to the expectations set the previous year, Kittle did the same, falling to a .215 average.  His power numbers remained, as he clubbed 32 home runs, but his OPS was down by 70 points.  There was a slight improvement in 1985, with his average improving to .230, but he hit only 26 home runs and drove in just 58 runs in 116 games.

In 1986, Kittle was hitting .213 with 17 home runs at the trade deadline when he, along with Joel Skinner and Wayne Tolleson, were sent to the Yankees for Ron Hassey, Carlos Martinez, and a player to be named later.  He rejoined the White Sox a year and a half later, signing as a free agent after the 1988 season.

Injuries limited Kittle to just 51 games in 1989.  In 169 at bats, he hit .302 with 11 home runs and 37 RBI.  He returned in 1990, seeing his average drop to .245 with 16 home runs in 83 games when, again at the trade deadline, he was sent to the Orioles in exchange for Phil Bradley.

Kittle returned for one final hurrah with the White Sox in 1991, signing as a free agent on June 19 before being released on August 15.  In between, he appeared in 17 games and hit only .191 with 2 home runs.

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

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#40 – Scott Radinsky

Name: Scott Radinsky

Rank: 40

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1990-1995

Scott Radinsky was selected by the White Sox in 3rd round of the 1986 draft.  He made his major league debut on April 9, 1990, retiring the only batter he faced in a 2-1 victory over the Brewers at Comiskey Park.  He earned his first major league victory the following day.  With the surprising White Sox competing for a divisional title, Radinsky was a key component of the bullpen, going 6-1 with 4 saves in 62 appearances.  His performance enabled him to finish 9th in Rookie of the Year voting.

Radinsky improved in 1991, lowering his ERA by nearly 3 runs, to 2.02.  He finished the year 5-5 with 8 saves in 67 appearances.  1992 was more of the same, with a 2.73 ERA in 68 games.  He went 3-7 with 15 saves.

1993 saw Radinsky fall off somewhat, with his ERA jumping up to 4.28 despite earning an 8-2 record.  Despite the higher ERA, he set a career high to date for appearances and contributed to the White Sox earning their first division title in a decade.  He appeared in 4 of the 6 games in the ALCS against the Blue Jays, giving up 4 runs, 2 earned, in 1 2/3 innings pitched.

Radinsky missed the entire 1994 season while undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s Disease.  “Oh, it sucks to have a doctor tell you that you have cancer, but in the same breath, he told me that with aggressive treatment they can treat this particular disease,” he said.  He returned in 1995, appearing in only 46 games and with a ballooning ERA of 5.45.  Following the season, he became a free agent.

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

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#41 – Craig Grebeck

Name: Craig Grebeck

Rank: 41

Position: SS/2B

Years With White Sox: 1990-1995

Craig Grebeck joined the White Sox as an undrafted amateur free agent On August 13, 1986.  He made his major league debut on April 13, 1990, pinch hitting for Scott Fletcher in the White Sox 6-2 loss to the Indians at Comiskey Park.  Splitting time between Triple A and the big leagues, Grebeck appeared in 59 games for the White Sox, hitting an anemic .168 in 119 at bats while playing as the smallest man in the American League.  He hit his first major league home run off Nolan Ryan on August 10.

Grebeck improved in 1991, as the White Sox moved across the street to their new digs.  Appearing in a career high 107 games, he hit .281 with a career high 6 home runs.

A severe knee injury that ended Ozzie Guillen’s season in late April saw Grebeck get significant time in the starting lineup in 1992.  While his total appearances dropped to 88 games, he started 85 of them, garnering more at bats and hitting .268 with the increased playing time.

With Guillen back and Joey Cora entrenching himself at second base, Grebeck was moved back to the bench in 1993.  His average dropped to .226 while making appearances in 72 games.  He had one at bat in the ALCS against the Blue Jays, singling in the Game 2 loss as a pinch hitter.

Grebeck bounced back in 1994, hitting .309 in only 35 games before the strike ended the season on August 12.  When baseball returned in 1995, Grebeck appeared in 53 games for the White Sox, hitting .260.  Following the season, he became a free agent.

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

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#72 – Ron Karkovice

karkoName: Ron Karkovice

Rank: 72

Position: C

Years With White Sox: 1986-1997

Ron Karkovice joined the White Sox organization as their first round selection in the 1982 draft.  He made his major league debut on August 17, 1986, going 1-4 in the White Sox 7-4 victory over the Brewers at Comiskey Park while catching future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton.  He appeared in 36 additional games, hitting .247, as the White Sox rolled to their worst record since 1980.

Karkovice broke camp with the White Sox in 1987, but was completely overmatched on offense.  He appeared in 39 games, getting only 85 at bats and hitting an anemic .071.  He didn’t do much better in Triple A, putting up a .183 average for Hawaii.

He returned to Triple A for 1988, but got some extended playing time in the big leagues when Carlton Fisk went down with a broken hand.  In 46 games, Karkovice hit .174 and drove in 9 runs.

Karkovice stuck in the big leagues for good starting in 1989.  Getting more regular playing time, he improved his average to a career high .264 while splitting time behind the plate with Fisk.  1990 was more of the same for Karkovice, as he appeared in 68 games and hit .246.

As the White Sox moved across the street to the new Comiskey Park in 1991, Karkovice had a near repeat of his 1990 season, finishing with the same average and nearly the same power numbers.  In 1992, Karkovice finally supplanted Fisk and became the primary backstop.  Appearing in 123 games, he hit .237 but saw his home runs increase to 13.

Karkovice appeared in a career high 128 games for the 1993 White Sox, as the team captured their first division title in a decade.  He went hitless during the ALCS as the White Sox fell to the Blue Jays in 6 games.  1994 saw his offensive numbers continue to fall, as his average dropped to .213, partially due to a sore knee, before the season came to an untimely end due to the strike.

When baseball returned in 1995, Karkovice was back behind the plate for the White Sox.  He appeared in 113 games and saw his average bounce back slightly to .217.  1996 was more of the same for Karkovice, as he appeared in 111 games and hit .220 with 10 home runs, before undergoing knee surgery in September.

Things went south for Karkovice and the White Sox in 1997.  By the middle of May, he had been replaced as the starting catcher by Chad Kreuter.  By the middle of July, he had fallen to third on the depth chart, behind the newly acquired Jorge Fabergas and veteran Tony Pena.  He had requested to be released at the end of May, but was refused by general manager Ron Schueler.  He finished the year with only 51 appearances and an average that had dropped to .181.  He became a free agent at the end of the year, but never played in the major leagues again.

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

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#75 – Donn Pall

thepopeName: Donn Pall

Rank: 75

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1988-1993

Chicago native Donn Pall joined the White Sox organization via the 23rd round of the draft in 1985.  He made his major league debut 3 years later, throwing a mop-up inning of relief at the end of the Sox 10-2 loss to the A’s on August 1 at Comiskey Park.  Pall appeared in 16 additional games down the stretch for a miserable White Sox squad, finishing the year with a respectable 3.45 ERA.

Pall returned to the White Sox bullpen in 1989, earning his first career win on April 27 in a 16 inning victory over the Red Sox.  He finished the year 4-5 with a 3.31 ERA and 6 saves in 53 appearances for the last place White Sox.

The surprising White Sox found themselves in a pennant race in 1990 as they said goodbye to Comiskey Park.  Pall continued to be a mainstay in the bullpen, going 3-5 with a 3.32 ERA in 56 appearances, including one appearance during the final weekend at the park he grew up attending.

Pall and the White Sox moved across the street for the 1991 season, where Pall put up the best numbers of his career.  He finished the year 7-2 with a sparkling 2.41 ERA in 51 appearances, including a scoreless inning of relief in the first game at new Comiskey Park.  Pall struggled in 1992, seeing his ERA jump to 4.93 and his appearances drop to 39 despite a 5-2 record.

In 1993, as the White Sox headed towards their first division title since 1983, Pall bounced back to put up 3.22 ERA in 39 appearances heading into September.  However, he found himself in a roster crunch and, to make room for the re-acquired Ivan Calderon, he was traded to the Phillies on August 31 for a player to be named later.  Pall, along with Carlton Fisk, who had been released earlier in the year, came to Comiskey Park before game 1 of the ALCS to wish their former teammates well.  Sadly, they were both turned away, souring Fisk’s relationship with the organization for years.

Pall returned to the White Sox organization in 1995, spending the entire year in Triple A before leaving at the end of the year as a free agent.

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

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#77 – Mike Squires

squiresName: Mike Squires

Rank: 77

Position: 1B

Years With White Sox: 1975, 1977-1985

Mike Squires joined the White Sox organization as their 18th round draft pick in 1973.  He made his major league debut on September 1, 1975, going 2-3 in the White Sox loss to the Royals at Comiskey Park.  He appeared in 19 additional games down the stretch, hitting .231 in 74 plate appearances.

After spending all of 1976 back in Triple A, Squires returned to the South Side for 3 games in 1977, going hitless in 3 at bats.  He was up in the big leagues to stay in 1978, appearing in 46 games and hitting .280 in 150 at bats.

1979 saw Squires getting his most extensive playing time to date, appearing in 122 games and hitting a modest .264, including his first major league home run.  1980 was more of the same for Squires, hitting a career-high .283 in 131 games.  He also became the first left-handed catcher in the major leagues since 1961 when he replaced Bruce Kimm in the 9th inning of an 11-1 loss to the Brewers on May 4.

During the strike-shortened season of 1981, Squires hit .265 in 92 games, failing to homer for the first time since 1978 and earning the Gold Glove award for first basemen.  1982 was more of the same for Squires, as he put up a .267 average in only 195 at bats, his lowest total since 1978.  As the White Sox ran away with the division title in 1983, Squires set a career high in games played with 143, but garnered only 153 at bats, hitting a meek .222.  He became the first left handed third baseman in at least 50 years when he replaced Vance Law in the 8th inning of a 10-2 loss to the Royals.  He went 0-4 in the ALCS against the Orioles, appearing in all 4 games.

1984 was the beginning of the end for Squires, as his average slipped to a career low .183 in only 82 at bats.  He was released during spring training in 1985, before being re-signed in September, appearing in 2 games without a plate appearance.  Following the season, his career came to an end.

Squires’ numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#82 – John Cangelosi

cangelosiName: John Cangelosi

Rank: 82

Position: OF

Year With White Sox: 1985-1986

John Cangelosi was selected by the White Sox in the 4th round of the 1982 January draft.  He made his major league debut on June 30, 1985, going 0-2 in the White Sox 4-3 loss to the Twins at Comiskey Park.  He appeared in 4 more games during the 1985 seasons, earning 1 additional plate appearance.

In 1986, Cangelosi surprised everyone by earning the center fielder job in spring training, beating out Rudy Law and Daryl Boston.  He finished the year with a .235 batting average, but set an American League rookie record with 50 stolen bases.

The following spring, Cangelosi did not repeat his impressive performance and, on March 27, he was traded to the Pirates for Jim Winn.  He returned to the organization on a minor league deal in 1991, but was traded to the Brewers for Esteban Beltre less than 2 months later.

Cangelosi’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#85 – Scott Fletcher

fletcherName: Scott Fletcher

Rank: 85

Position: SS/2B

Years With White Sox: 1983-1985, 1989-1991

Scott Fletcher first joined the White Sox on January 25, 1983 when he was acquired from the crosstown Cubs, along with Randy Martz, Pat Tabler, and Dick Tidrow, in exchange for Warren Brusstar and Steve Trout.  He split time at shortstop with Jerry Dybzinski for the 1983 squad, who ran away and hid with the Western Division title, their first post-season appearance since the 1959 World Series.  Fletcher appeared in 114 games, hitting only .237.  During the ALCS against the Orioles, he went hitless in 7 at bats across 3 games.

Fletcher became the primary shortstop in 1984 and saw his numbers improve.  His average jumped up to .250 while appearing in 149 games.  Despite the improvement, his job became less secure over the offseason, as the White Sox acquired a young shortstop named Ozzie Guillen.  When Guillen was named the starting shortstop for 1985 during spring training, Fletcher reacted poorly.  “Taking nothing away from the way Ozzie can play,” Fletcher said, “he hasn`t been that great to take the job away from me. He hasn`t just put it on fire and clearly won it.”  Despite the reduced playing time, Fletcher once again improved his numbers, with this average rising to .256 in only 301 at bats.

Following the 1985 season, Fletcher, along with Ed Correa and Jose Mota, was traded to the Rangers for Dave Schmidt and Wayne Tolleson.  He returned at the trade deadline in 1989, when he, along with Wilson Alvarez and Sammy Sosa, were acquired from the Rangers for Harold Baines and Fred Manrique.  With his former nemesis Ozzie Guillen entrenched at shortstop, Fletcher became the team’s starting second baseman.  He hit .272 for the White Sox after the trade, despite constant criticism from the fans who were angry at the loss of Baines.

1990 was the final season for the White Sox at Comiskey Park, and Scott Fletcher again manned second base for the suddenly contending team.  Ironically, Fletcher put up his worst numbers since 1983, the last time the team contended for a division title.  Across the street in the new Comiskey Park, Fletcher again saw diminished playing time as Joey Cora established himself as the everyday second baseman.  Appearing in only 90 games, his lowest total since getting cups of coffee with the Cubs in the early 80s, Fletcher’s average dropped to .206.  Following the season, he became a free agent.

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

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iTunes Top 200: #1 – 10

itunes_image3 years ago, we first counted down the then Top 100 songs in my iTunes library.  Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact.  So, I figured it was time to take another look, expanding out the field to the top 200 songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2016.

We wrap things up today with the top 10, which includes only 1 new song since we first looked at the top 100 3 years ago.  The remaining 9, all of which are, or were, part of my White Sox victory playlists, have simply moved around in order, including a surprising tie for the top spot.

#10: Harry Caray – Take Me Out To The Ballgame
iTunes stats: 17 plays, most recently on 9/30/2015
Previous ranking: #11

Moving up one spot into the top 10 is this mid-1970s recording of the Hall of Fame broadcaster, along with organist Nancy Faust, leading the Comiskey Park crowd during the 7th inning stretch.

#9: 2008 White Sox Central Division Champs Montage
iTunes stats: 106 plays, most recently on 5/12/2015
Previous ranking: #9

Radio highlights, courtesy of The Score, of the 2008 White Sox season, culminating in the team’s Division Series loss to the Rays.

#8: Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’
iTunes stats: 115 plays, most recently on 7/19/2015
Previous ranking: #8

The rallying cry for the 2005 White Sox after A. J. Pierzynski and teammates heard it being sung in a bar in Baltimore, it finally dropped off my playlist for the 2015 season.

Sox Win#7: Queen – We Are The Champions
iTunes stats: 120 plays, most recently on 7/19/2015
Previous ranking: #7

Reaching #4 on the Billboard charts in the late 70s, the song made it on to my White Sox playlist following their 2005 World Series championship.

#6: sox05_montage
iTunes stats: 126 plays, most recently on 10/24/2015
Previous ranking: #6

Radio highlights, courtesy of ESPN 1000, of the 2005 White Sox season, culminating in the team’s first World Series title since 1917.

#5: Gordon Beckham Intro
iTunes stats: 139 plays, most recently on 5/18/2015
Previous ranking: #2

The Outfield’s hit Your Love featuring Gene Honda introducing the former White Sox third baseman.

#4: Steam – Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
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#93 – Greg Hibbard

hibbard

Name: Greg Hibbard

Rank: 93

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1989-1992

Greg Hibbard joined the White Sox organization on December 10, 1987 when he was acquired, along with Chuck Mount, John Davis, and Melido Perez, from the Royals for Floyd Bannister and Dave Cochrane.  He made his major league debut on May 31, 1989, going 6 strong innings in the White Sox loss to the Tigers.  He remained in the starting rotation for the remainder of the year, going 6-7 with an impressive 3.21 ERA.

1990 was a special year for the White Sox, as they prepared to close down Comiskey Park and ended up surprising everybody by fielding their first competitive club in 5 years.  Hibbard played a big role in that resurgence, going 14-9 with a 3.16 ERA as the upstart White Sox battled the defending World Series champion Oakland A’s for the Western Division crown.

As the White Sox moved across the street in 1991, Hibbard started to struggle more than he had before in his career.  His record evened out at 11-11 and his ERA jumped up to 4.31, giving up the most runs (both earned and overall) of his career.

1992 was more of the same for Hibbard, as his ERA continued to rise, now to 4.40, despite posting a winning record at 10-7.  Following the season, Hibbard was left unprotected in the expansion draft and he was selected by the newly formed Florida Marlins, ending his White Sox career.

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

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