Tag / Mariners

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Ballpark Tour: Comiskey Park

comiskeyout2

Stadium Name: Comiskey Park

Location: Chicago

Home Team: White Sox

Years in Service: 1910 – 1990

Visits: 12 (that I’m aware of)

Comiskey Park, the so-called Baseball Palace of the World, was the home of the White Sox from 1910 through the 1990 season.  Built on a former city dump at the corner of 35th Street and Shields Avenue, the stadium opened as White Sox Park on July 1, 1910, as the White Sox lost to the St. Louis Browns 2-0.  In 1913, owner Charles Comiskey renamed the stadium after himself, and Comiskey Park was born.  From 1962 until 1975, the White Sox Park name was officially re-establshed, as new ownership groups tried to separate themselves from the Comiskey name.  However, Bill Veeck, in his second tour of duty as owner of the White Sox, put the Comiskey Park name back on the stadium in 1976, where it remained until 1990.  The final game for the old ballyard occurred on September 30, 1990, a 2-1 victory over the Mariners.

Comiskey Park was the host for 4 World Series contests, including 3 in a row from 1917-1919.  The White Sox won the World Series in 1917 against the New York Giants.  The Cubs, looking for a larger seating capacity, moved their home games in the 1918 series against the Red Sox to Comiskey Park.  The 1919 World Series, of course, was the Black Sox scandal, where the White Sox threw the series against the Reds.  The White Sox returned to the World Series 40 years later in 1959, but fell to the Dodgers.  The final post-season games to be played in Comiskey Park were games 3 and 4 of the 1983 ALCS, which the White Sox lost to the Baltimore Orioles.

Comiskey Park was also the host to 3 All-Star games.  The first All-Star game ever, in 1933, was held in conjunction with Century of Progress Exposition being held on Chicago’s lakefront.  The event returned to Chicago’s south side in 1950.  The final All-Star game at Comiskey Park was in 1983, the 50th anniversary of the first game.  Comiskey Park was also the frequent home of the Negro League East-West All-Star Game from 1933 to 1960.

In addition to White Sox baseball, Comiskey Park was also the home to the Chicago American Giants of the Negro Leagues, the Chicago Cardinals of the NFL, and the Chicago Sting of the NASL.  Comiskey Park also hosted numerous boxing matches, including the 1937 heavyweight title match where Joe Louis defeated then champion James J. Braddock.  The Beatles played two concerts at Comiskey Park in August of 1965.  Other musical acts to perform there include Aerosmith, AC/DC, The Eagles, The Police, Simon & Garfunkel, and The Jacksons, who performed 3 shows during their Victory tour in October of 1984.

Looking back, I’ve been able to piece together evidence of 12 games that I attended at Comiskey Park.  I know there are more, but I have not been able to pinpoint exact games yet.  The most memorable game I can remember would be the final night game, on September 29, 1990, where, after the game, the lights were symbolically turned off for the final time.

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#276 – Jon Rauch

jon_rauch_autograph

Name: Jon Rauch

Rank: 276

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2002. 2004

Jon Rauch was selected in the 3rd round of the 1999 draft by the White Sox.  Rauch worked his way through the minor league system and made his major league debut on April 2, 2002, closing out the White Sox loss against the Mariners.  Rauch, who remains the tallest player in major leage history, struggled against major league hitters and was quickly demoted back to Triple A.

Rauch returned to the major leagues in 2004, but again had difficulty getting batters out.  On July 18, he was sent to the Expos along with Gary Majewski in exchange for Carl Everett.

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

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2013 Final Standings

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersA miserable baseball season in the city of Chicago came to an end last weekend, with the White Sox and the Cubs combining for the most losses in the history of the teams sharing the city.  I saw less than half of the teams in the league this year, and attended on 29 games, the fewest I’ve seen since I started getting Cub season tickets back in 2002.  On the bright side, the White Sox and Cubs will both draft in the top 5 next June, which will hopefully help them both get back to the top of their respective Central divisions sooner rather than later.

That said, here’s our final look at the records in games I attended this past season.

 
TeamCity TeamName Won Loss Winning Pctg
Cleveland Indians 4 0 1
Tampa Bay Rays 2 0 1
Chicago Cubs 2 0 1
Minnesota Twins 4 1 0.8
Kansas City Royals 3 1 0.75
Los Angeles Angels 1 1 0.5
Chicago White Sox 11 16 0.407407407407407
Continue reading →
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Ballpark Tour: Miller Park

Stadium Name: Miller Park

Location: Milwaukee

Home Team: Brewers, Indians, Astros

Years in Service: 2001 – Present

Visits: 4

After spending the first 26 years of their existence in Milwaukee’s County Stadium, the Brewers broke ground on a new stadium on November 9, 1996, in a parking lot behind County Stadium, with plans to open the park for the 2000 season.  Construction was delayed in 1999 after a crane collapsed while lifting a 400-ton roof section, killing three workers.  This caused the opening to be delayed for a year, and the new Miller Park did not open until April 6, 2001.  In 2007, the stadium hosted an Indians series against the Angels after snow storms in Cleveland forced the cancellation of the previous series against the Mariners.  The Astros called Miller Park home for two games in 2008 when Hurricane Ike stormed through Houston.

I made the first of my four visits to Miller Park during the inaugural season of 2001.  That May 7th contest had the Cubs squeaking out a 7-6 victory against the hosting Brewers.  This was my first experience with a retractable roof stadium and I enjoyed it.  Miller Park was a vastly superior replacement over County Stadium, and I’ve enjoyed each of my subsequent trips up to Milwaukee.

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All Star Break Standings

With the All Star Game on the agenda for tonight, it’s time to take a look at the team records for the 16 games I’ve been to in the first half.  It’s been a disappointing 3 months for both Chicago teams, although one of them was expecting it.

Team Won Lost Winning Pctg
Tampa Bay Rays 2 0 1
Minnesota Twins 2 0 1
Cleveland Indians 3 0 1
Chicago Cubs 2 0 1
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 1 1 0.5
Chicago White Sox 6 8 0.429
Seattle Mariners 0 2 0
Milwaukee Brewers 0 1 0
Miami Marlins 0 2 0
Kansas City Royals 0 1 0
Houston Astros 0 1 0
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The Sell-Off Begins

matt-thorntonThe towel was officially thrown in last night as rookie general manager Rick Hahn began the dismantling of the very disappointing 2013 Chicago White Sox by trading veteran relief pitcher Matt Thornton to the Red Sox in exchange for minor leaguer Brandon Jacobs, a 2009 draft pick described as “toolsy”, but not considered a significant prospect.  Thornton had been the longest tenured member of the White Sox not named Paul Konerko, joining the team during spring training in 2006 in a trade with the Mariners for first round bust Joe Borchard.

Under the tutelage of pitching coach Don Cooper, Thornton found a home in the White Sox bullpen, eventually becoming their all-time leader in pitching appearances with 512.  The high point came in 2010, when Thornton was selected to represent the White Sox at the All-Star game, a rarity for a set-up man.  The only real knocks against Thornton were his inability to close, which he was asked to do occassionally when Bobby Jenks would go down with an injury, and his inability to consistently rely on a pitch other than his fastball, which has been his downfall more recently as his velocity has started to dip with age.

Personally, I have seen 1131 pitchers take the mound in games that I have attended, and Thornton leads them all in appearances, with his closest active competition 46 games behind.  It will be strange to not have him in the White Sox bullpen anymore, but all things must come to an end and, given his salary and the state of this year’s squad, it was time for him to move on.

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

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#302 – McKay Christensen

51VCBoan9tLName: McKay Christensen

Rank: 302

Position: CF

Years With White Sox: 1999-2001

McKay Christensen was obtained by the White Sox, along with Andrew Lorraine, Bill Simas and John Snyder, from the Angels in exchange for Jim Abbott and Tim Fortugno in 1995, while Christensen was in Japan as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He made his major league debut for the White Sox on April 6, 1999, going in as a defensive replacement in the White Sox 11-3 victory over the Mariners.

Christensen spent bits and pieces of the next three seasons with the big league club before getting shipped off to the Dodgers in July of 2001 for a minor league pitcher.

Christensen’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#306 – Jeff Liefer

sportsWhiteSox_t440Name: Jeff Liefer

Rank: 306

Position: OF/1B

Years With White Sox: 1999-2002

Jeff Liefer was the 25th overall pick in the 1995 draft and signed with the White Sox in August.  He worked his way through the system, finally making his major league debut on April 7, 1999, going 2-4 in a loss to the Mariners.  Liefer would go on to split the year between Chicago and Charlotte.

During the 2000 season, which saw the White Sox take home the Central Division title, Liefer spent the majority of the year tearing up Triple A, appearing in only 5 games in the big leagues.  He got another chance in 2001, appearing in 83 games and mashing 18 home runs.  He managed to get in to 76 games in 2002, but his production dropped drastically, with only 7 home runs and a 20 point dip in his average.

Following the 2002 season, Liefer was packaged along with Antonio Osuna, Rocky Biddle, and two minor leaguers in a three-way trade that sent Orlando Hernandez from the Yankees to the Expos and brought Bartolo Colon from Montreal to the South Side.

Liefer rejoined the White Sox organization in 2008 after signing a minor league deal.  He appeared in 40 games at Charlotte before deciding to hang it up and retire.

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

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30 For 30 – See A Game At A Classic Ballpark

Cubs_L_flag_070602The fine folks at away.com have come up with a list of 30 Things Every Traveler Must Do Before They’re 30.  Of those 30, I’ve managed to accomplish 12 of them, or roughly 40% of them, some of which was even before I turned 30.  Today we look at #20 on their list, see a game at a classic ballpark.  Thankfully, I’ve never had to travel far to do this.

From my birth in 1974 until the end of the 1990 season, I was lucky enough to have two classic ballparks right here in my own backyard.  Comiskey Park was at one time considered to be the “Baseball Palace of the World”, although it had fallen on hard times by the time I was old enough to enjoy it.  Struggling White Sox ownership groups over the years had put off necessary repairs and preventative maintenance so that, by the time the group led by Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn purchased the club from Bill Veeck, the stadium needed a lot of work.  After deciding that it would be prohibitavely expensive to repair the park, the new owners worked at getting funding for a new stadium and, on September 30, 1990, the White Sox defeated the Mariners in the last game ever in what is now known as Old Comiskey Park.

The almost exact opposite was happening on the other side of town.  The Cubs were also under new ownership in the early 80s, but instead of telling everyone who would listen how run down their stadium was, they sold the history of the ballpark and the experience of it to great success.  The lore of the Friendly Confines was born, and, thanks to the superstation status of WGN television, people came from all over the country to be at Wrigley Field.  For some of them, the game itself was unimportant.  Wrigley Field in general, and the bleachers specifically, became Chicago’s biggest (and most expensive) beer garden.  Time, however, doesn’t care how much fun people are having or how much Old Style is flowing, and Wrigley Field has shown its age in recent years.  As we sit here one month into the 99th year of baseball at the corner of Clark and Addison, the Cubs are working hard on a plan to renovate the stadium so that it can be used well into its second century.  Maybe the Cubs will even win a World Series there.

I’ve been able to identify 12 games that I attended at the Old Comiskey Park before they tore her down, including the final night game on September 29, 1990.  My Wrigley Field attendance is currently at 312 games and counting.

by jim

All Time Team Records

As we head into the 2013 season, here all the all-time team records in games that I have attended.

All-Time Team Records

Team Won Lost Winning Pctg
California Angels 1 0 1.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 12 2 0.857
Florida Marlins 15 8 0.652
Philadelphia Phillies 10 6 0.625
Toronto Blue Jays 9 6 0.600
Chicago White Sox 209 171 0.550
Colorado Rockies 7 6 0.538
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 14 12 0.538
New York Yankees 9 8 0.529
Continue reading →