Tag / White Sox

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#196 – Aurelio Rodriguez

91-369FrName: Aurelio Rodriguez

Rank: 196

Position: 3B

Years With White Sox: 1982, 1983

Aurelio Rodriguez first joined the White Sox on April 2, 1982, when he was traded from the Blue Jays in exchange for Wayne Nordhagen.

Rodriguez played decently for the 82 Sox, hitting .241 in 118 games while helping to stabilize the defense on the left side of the infield.

Following the season, Rodriguez left the White Sox as a free agent and signed on with the Orioles.  However, he played sporadically and saw his average drop to .119 before being released in mid-August.  On August 31, the last day to be eligible for post-season rosters, he re-signed with the White Sox and appeared in 22 games down the stretch.  His career came to an end with 2 appearances as a defensive replacement in the 1983 ALCS against, ironically, the Orioles.

Rodriguez’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#197 – Jerry Reuss

3995933638_ddab119bd9_zName: Jerry Reuss

Rank: 197

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1988-1989

Jerry Reuss signed with the White Sox toward the end of spring training in 1988, joining the rotation just 2 victories shy of 200 for his career.  He had to wait until May for the achievement, a 3-0 victory over the Orioles.

He finished the season with 13 wins, tops on the team that finished with a 71-90 record.  He also had the second lowest ERA among the team’s starters, coming in at 3.44 in 29 starts.

In 1989, Reuss, 39, along with 41 year old catcher Carlton Fisk, made history by becoming the oldest battery ever to start on opening day, surpassing pitcher Johnny Niggeling and catcher Rick Ferrell of the 1944 Washington Senators while beating the Angels 9-2.  That may have been the high point of the season, though, as his ERA ballooned up to 5.06 in 23 games.  With the White Sox again on their way to a 90 loss season, they traded Reuss to the Brewers in exchange for Brian Drahman.

Ruess returned to the White Sox for spring training in 1990, but did not make the team and was released.

Reuss’ numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#198 – Jose Canseco

JCansecoName: Jose Canseco

Rank: 198

Position: DH

Year With White Sox: 2001

When Frank Thomas went down for the season in late April of 2001, the defending AL Central champs found themselves needing some help offensively.  On June 21, they turned to former all star, and current Newark Bear, Jose Canseco.

Canseco appeared in 76 games for the White Sox as they fell to third place in the Central division.  He put up respectable numbers, hitting .258 with 16 home runs.  Following the season, he became a free agent and, after a brief stint in the Expos organization, he returned to the White Sox in 2002, appearing in 18 games for Triple A Charlotte.  At the end of the season, he was released.

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

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It’s Hard To Hold A Candle In The Cold November Rain

IMG_0550As the calendar turns to November, we celebrate Mr. Danny, who will become a teenager.  The main photo is from last summer, when he couldn’t get the fingerprint scanner to work while trying to enter Disney World.

We also take a look back at him through the years, including trips to the White Sox World Series parade in 2005 and our trip to Universal Studios in 2010. Continue reading →

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#199 – Manny Ramirez

manram

Name: Manny Ramirez

Rank: 199

Position: DH

Year With White Sox: 2010

With the White Sox 4 games behind the division leading Twins and looking for an offensive boost, they put in a waiver claim for Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers let him and the remaining $3.85 million on his contract go.

Unfortunately for the White Sox, Ramirez was not much help.  Over the final month of the season, in which the White Sox dropped another 2 games in the standings, Ramirez managed 1 home run and a whopping 2 RBI.  All told, the move didn’t quite work out the way GM Kenny Williams or manager Ozzie Guillen intended.  Following the season, Ramirez left the White Sox as a free agent.

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

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#200 – Corky Miller

corkymillerName: Corky Miller

Rank: 200

Position: C

Year With White Sox: 2009

Journeyman catcher Corky Miller signed a minor league deal with the White Sox following the 2008 season, with an invite to spring training.  Miller impressed during the spring and earned a job with the big league club as backup to starter A.J. Pierzynski.

Miller went 2-4 with 2 RBI in his first game of the season, but struggled offensively after that.  In 14 games, he hit just .205 with 5 RBI and had thrown out just 1 of the 9 runners attempting to steal against him.

On May 31, Miller was designated for assignment after the White Sox acquired catcher Ramon Castro in a trade with the Mets.  “Corky Miller was outstanding from the first day of Spring Training to today,” manager Ozzie Guillen said at the time.  “Corky did a tremendous job for us and I was very happy with him, but we made a decision that we had to get better there.”  Miller was assigned to Triple A, where he appeared in 4 games before the June 26 trade that sent him back to the Reds in exchange for Norris Hopper.

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

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Picking Up Some Hardware

abreuIt’s been a busy week for White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, first picking up the Sporting News AL Rookie of the Year award on Monday and then being named the first baseman for the AL All Star team announced yesterday, also from Sporting News.  Abreu is the first White Sox player to win the Rookie of the Year award since Gordon Beckham in 2009 and the first AL All Star selected by Sporting News voters since Alexei Ramirez in 2010.

Abreu should bring home another award next month when the BBWAA announces their Rookie of the Year award.  Hopefully, it’s just the start of a long and prosperous career that sees him get many awards, and maybe even a ring.

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#201 – Matt Karchner

karchnerName: Matt Karchner

Rank: 201

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1995-1998

Matt Karchner was acquired by the White Sox from the Royals via the minor league draft in 1993.  He made his major league debut on July 18, 1995, pitching a scoreless inning of relief in the White Sox victory over the Yankees.  He finished the season with 31 appearances for the year, with a stellar 1.69 ERA.

1996 did not go as well for Karchner.  He spent nearly the entire year with the big league club before knee surgery cost him the last six weeks of the season, appearing in 50 games, but his ERA skyrocketed to 5.76.

Karchner bounced back in 1997, after splitting time between the White Sox and Triple A.  He took over the closer role after Roberto Hernandez was shipped to the Giants as part of the White Flag trade, putting together a string of 15 consecutive converted save opportunities, until bone spurs ended his season early.

By early May of 1998, Karchner had extended his saves streak to 20, but, once again, injuries curtailed his effectiveness.  He went on the DL on May 10 to have hernia surgery and again in early July with a strained groin.  As the trade deadline approached, and with the White Sox out of contention, Matt Karchner made his most valuable contribution to the White Sox when he was traded to the crosstown Cubs in exchange for a young minor league pitcher named Jon Garland.

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

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#202 – Lucas Harrell

HarrellLucas

Name: Lucas Harrell

Rank: 202

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2010-2011

Lucas Harrell was drafted by the White Sox in the 4th round of the 2004 draft.  He made his major league debut on July 30, 2010 thanks to travel issues that kept newly acquired pitcher Edwin Jackson from getting to Chicago.  Harrell went six innings against the A’s in picking up his first major league victory.

Harrell found his way back to Chicago at the end of August when Matt Thornton and J.J. Putz both went on the disabled list.  Things did not go as smoothly on his second go around, as the White Sox fell out of contention during September while Harrell battled control issues, walking more batters than he struck out.

Harrell came to spring training in 2011 in line to compete for the 5th starter spot, but struggled and found himself back in Triple A.  When Tony Pena went to the DL in late May, Harrell got another shot in the major leagues, which lasted 1 game.  He returned a little more than a week later when Jake Peavy went down with a groin injury.  He pitched twice before being sent down again when Peavy returned.  By early July, Harrell was placed on waivers and was claimed by the Astros.

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

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Games Per Stadium By Year

With the 2014 season in the rear view mirror, let’s take a look at the number of games I’ve attended per year at a particular stadium.

Games Per Stadium Per Year

GameYear StadiumName TotalGames
2008 US Cellular Field 46
2003 Wrigley Field 46
Surprise playoff runs for the White Sox in 2008 and the Cubs in 2003 led to my highest single season totals ever, boosted by post-season play.
2007 Wrigley Field 43
2004 Wrigley Field 41
My highest non-playoff total saw me attending over half of the home games for the Cubs in 2004.
2011 US Cellular Field 40
2009 US Cellular Field 40
2010 US Cellular Field 36
2005 Wrigley Field 34
2008 Wrigley Field 34
2006 US Cellular Field 32
Post World Series championship started an attendance jump.
2012 US Cellular Field 31
2007 US Cellular Field 29
2014 US Cellular Field 29
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