A little more than a month after Cub icon Ernie Banks passed away, word broke early this morning that long time White Sox great Minnie Minoso died overnight. The 90 (or 93, depending on who you believe) year old broke the color barrier in Chicago when he debuted with the White Sox in 1951.
Minoso, born in Cuba, came to the United States in 1945 to play in the Negro Leagues. He joined the Indians organization in September of 1948, after his contract was purchased by Bill Veeck. He made his major league debut the following year, appearing in 9 September games for the Tribe. After returning to the minor leagues in 1950, Minoso returned to the Indians for 8 games in 1951 before being traded to the White Sox.
He became Chicago’s first black player on May 1, 1951, getting 2 hits and driving in 2 runs in his White Sox debut. Minoso spent the next 7 years with the White Sox, earning 4 All Star nods, 1 Gold Glove, and 3 top 10 MVP finishes. Following the 1957 season, Minoso was traded back to the Indians, bringing Al Smith and Early Wynn, key players for the 1959 pennant winners, to the south side.
After the 1959 season, new owner Bill Veeck brought Minoso back to the White Sox. While the Sox failed to repeat as AL champions, it was through no fault of Minoso’s, as the left fielder again made the All Star team and finished 4th in MVP voting. After a sub-standard (for him) season in 1961, Minoso was traded to the Cardinals.
After struggling in 1962 and 1963, Minoso returned to the White Sox for the third time in 1964. He appeared in only 30 games, batting .226, and was released in mid-July. At 38 years old, this appeared to be the end of the line for Minoso.
In 1975, Bill Veeck bought the White Sox for the second time. The next year, he brought back Minnie Minoso, now 50 years old, to allow him to become a four decade player. Minoso appeared in 3 games, and managed to get a hit in 8 at bats. The stunt was repeated 4 years later, with Minoso going 0-2 in 2 games and becoming the first person to appear in games during 5 decades.
His number 9 was retired by the White Sox in 1983. In his later years, he became an official team ambassador for the White Sox. As a season ticket holder, I had the opportunity to meet him on a few occasions, and, despite his age, he seemed energized to be interacting with fans. The coming season is expected to be a good one for the White Sox. It will seem emptier without his presence.
The Cubs kicked off the 2015 baseball season by hosting the Cardinals Sunday night, giving the world their first look at the first stage of Wrigley Field renovations. Despite the best laid plans of Crane Kenney and the Cubs business team, the stadium was, sadly, not ready for prime time.
As expected, the renovations that were planned to be completed over this past offseason were not completed on time. The Cubs had peviously announced that the bleachers would not be ready for the beginning of the season. To mask their emptiness, they were covered with tarps featuring images of the late Ernie Banks.
The new video board planned for right field has not been installed yet, but the big Budweiser sign certainly was in place. There were small changes to the centerfield scoreboard: removing the ribbon board underneath the board and replacing it with the new between-inning timer. In left field, the new monster video board was in place, having been installed within days of Sunday’s ballgame. Continue reading →
