15 From 2005 - # 1 Season Tickets

 15 from 2005

Snapshots from a Championship Season

1 - Season Tickets

Today, we look back at the wonder that was the 2005 White Sox.  Many people have already said so many things about the 2005 White Sox.  I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here, I just want to take time and reflect and reminisce about that magical season from my point of view.

In 2005 I was working in the research department for a mortgage company.  I was just a regular hourly employee there.  However my position as the person who responded to correspondence directed to our company president and other high level correspondence made me fairly well known around  the company as I interacted with most every department in responding to these issues.  It was also fairly well known that I was a White Sox fan.  One morning one of the mailroom employees who would bring me some of the correspondence I would research came to my desk with a flyer. 

It was an extra White Sox 2005 Season ticket sales flyer that was sent to our company.  She thought I would get a kick out of seeing it.  She, of course, was absolutely right. I love all things White Sox and did enjoy looking at the different ticket plans available for the then upcoming season. 

I took the flyer home to show my wife. I really had no real thought of buying tickets.  We went  to 3 or 4 games a year, but many of those tickets we received through promotions or other modes of frugality.    I  had never had season tickets for anything, so it really wasn't on my radar and we had 2 children at home so it also wasn't in our budget

AI showed Amy the flyer and went on with my regularly scheduled life.  The next day AMy calls me  at work and say, I think we should buy season tickets. Color me flabbergasted!   Before I could un gast my flabber, she reminded me of a gift my parents gave us the previous Christmas.  

My parents (who are huge Cubs fans) had given each of their children a sizable amount of money. They had done so almost every year and almost every year we had it spent it, or at least earmarked it by New Year's Eve.  

This particular year we had held onto it, and had not really set it aside for any expenditure.  The money hadn't even crossed my mind when I  received the flyer. It evidently had crossed my wife's mind. She suggested that we could use some of that money and purchase 2 tickets to the 9 game plan (cleverly called the Minnie Plan after White Sox legend Minnie Minoso). 

I wasn't so sure.  It seemed like an extravagance to spend so much money on something that would mainly benefit me.  Even so, there was another problem lurking in the ether, an Elephant in the Stadium that needed to be addressed.  

The White Sox have been playing in the same stadium since 1991. From 1991 to 2002 IThe stadium was  called Comiskey Park, which was also the name of the stadium it replaced.  In 2003 the name  the name  changed to U.S. Cellular Field.  I attended 8 to 9 games there  in 2003 and 2004 and the White Sox lost every single one of them! This included a 7-0 loss to the New York Yankees on September 23rd.  I remember that game specifically because a) It was my 39th birthday, and b) it eliminated The White Sox from the playoffs by that loss and a Minnesota Twins victory over the Cleveland Indians. 

It wasn't like the Sox stunk at home since the name change. In fact, they went a combine 97-65 at home during those 2 years that's a winning percentage of .599! They won 6 of every 10 games but 0 of the 9 I went to! I'm pretty sure the White Sox Marquis had a sign that read Welcome to U.S. Cellular Field, except you Dave Roller! 

So why would I possibly think of  buying seasons tickets to a team I hadn't been to a home winner in since the name change? It was a valid question.  But the thing about me, is I'm an optimist.  I mean who isn't before a season starts?  It's a new beginning.  I took a leap of faith and bought the Minnie plan.  I took different people to different games.  We even went to a few more games not on the plan.  

And when we went to games, they won. They actually won.  I attended only one loss the entire season. Then they won the World Series for the first time since 1917.

Wait a minute, am I saying the White Sox won the World series because I stood up to my U.S. Cellular slump and had the courage to buy a ticket plan? Yes, yes, I am. It's not the only reason,  as we will see there is plenty of credit to go around.  The players had a lot to do with it.  Ozzie Guillen sure deserves some acclaim.  The general manager did a superb job picking up several players who did not play for the White Sox in 2004, who had major parts in the success of the 2005 season.  Even the guy who watched the waiver wire had his part to play.  What's a waiver wire? I'm both  getting ahead of myself and setting the scene for future installments of 15 from 2005. 

Join us next time, won't you?

Ed Farmer 1949 to 1920

Ed Farmer was a hero of mine from childhood and for a few minutes in 2004 I was a hero of his. The former White Sox pitcher and raidio announce passed away on April 1st of this year. Hear his what his former radio partner Ed Rooney had to say about working with Ed. Here is a video from last year where farmer relected on his life in baseball.
 For Christmas 2003 my wife got me tickets to Sox Fest, an annual White Sox fan event held each January. The Sox had just hired Ozzie Guillen to manage their squad and I was very excited about meeting  the players and attending some of the panel discussions. During the panel discussions fans were able to go to the microphone and ask questions. During a White Sox media panel discussion I asked Ed Farmer, whon was a incredible advocate for organ donation and a recipient of a kidney from one of his brothers to talk a little about that. In asking my question I related that I had donated a kidney and appreciated his advocacy for organ donation. This is when Farmer turned the tables on me. I remember him saying something like let's hear it for this guy, he's a true hero. There in the middle of Sox Fest I got an ovation from a bunch of Sox Fan strangers.

 From all I've read and herad about Farmer,this was his way. Heexcelled at relating to people on a personal level. After the panel He talked with me for about 5 minutes even though other people were waiting to talk with Him. Farmer would often address his radio audience as his friends and he seemed to truly  treat and deem  each person he encountered as a friend.

 Farmer grew up on the south side of Chicago in Evergreen Park and was a life long Sox fan.He pitched in the big leagues from 1971 to 1983 in what some have called a nomic career,  splitting 11 seasons between 8 teams. Farmer was  a career long reliever with the occasional start.  He appeared in 370 games starting only 21 times ( 4 in his first season, 4 in his final season with 13 in between).

Prior to 1979 Farmer would fluctuate between the minors and the big clubs.  This changed when Farmer came back to the south side for arguably his best 3 seasons.  He filled the role of a closer for the Chisox with 54 of his 75 lifetime saves in a Sox uniform.  He had 30 of those saves in 1980 where he earned his first and only all star appearance. 

After Farmer  stopped playing he worked a short time as a scout and then in the White Sox front office and in 1991 started in the radio booth in a limited capacity.  In 1992 he became the full time color commentator aside play by play man John Rooney.  When Rooney left in 2005 after the world championship season, Farmer became the play by play announcer.  In total nearly 30 years behind the microphone.

In August of 1999 I brought our young adult group from church to a Sox game.  I had ordered the tickets in advance and had to go into the office to pick them up. While waiting for the tickets A tall lean tanned man strolled into the office talking with a few people on his way to the elevator. It took me a while to realize that this was Farmio.  In retrospect I should not have been surprised.  He displayed all the warmth , good humor and boyish exuberance that seemed to be his only gear.

I am confident that White Sox baseball will start again after the shelter in place lifts  and that games will again be broadcasted on e achieved on and off the field.  The few times I saw Farmer in person I was always taken aback about how tall he was.  At 6'5 He's nearly a half foot taller than myself and I'm no slouch.  Now I realized that he had to be that tall because his personality , zeal , and love for the game  would not fit in a smaller package.

U is forUribe

White Sox Homerun hitters from A.J. to Zeke

U is for Uribe 

Juan Uribe

When I think of Juan Uribe, I think of the 2nd out of  the ninth inning of game4 of the 200 World Series

I will show it to you.

Juan Uribe is still playing major league baseball almosts  10 year dcerneafter that epic play.  To date he as 178 homers.  87 of them came was a member of the Sox.  Hie best 2 seasons were 2004 and 2006 as far as the long ball was concerned.  He hit 23 in 2004 and 21 in 2006.  He averaged 18 homeruns over an 162 game season or 1 dinger every 8 ganes.

For more A to Z blogging click here.   

P is for Paulie

White Sox Homerun hitters from A.J. to Zeke

P is for Paulie

4

Paul "Paulie Longball" Konerko

I'll admit that nobody calls Konerko Paulie Longball except me.  I named him it and was never able to make it catch on.  What did catch on was Konerko's baseball prowess and love for the game.   Konerko was the heart and soul of the 2005 team and instead of following the money he opted in 2005 and again in 2010 to stay with the Sox.

When Konerko retired in 2014, his 432 homeruns was 2nd only to Frank Thomas on the Sox all time list.  His 439 total major league homers is good enough for 42nd all time.   He averaged  30 homers over a  162 game season or 1 home run  in every 5.4  games.  

Pauls best 2 HR totals came in 2004 with 41 and 2005 with 40.

For more A to Z blogging click here.   

O is for Ordonez

White Sox Homerun hitters from A.J. to Zeke

O is for Ordonez

Magglio "Mags" Ordonez

I talked earlier about White Sox players who left after the 2004 season and missed the World Championship.  Magglio Ordonez was one of those guys.  Ordonez played for the Sox from 1997 to 2004 and then played with the Detroit Tigers from 2005 to 2011.  While his batting average went up 5 points while with the tiger, his slugging percentage went down 50. He made it the World Series with the Tigers in 2006 but on the losing end and batted a miserable .105 with no extra base hits.

With the Sox, Mags hit 187 of his 294 career home runs.  187 puts him 5th all-time for the Sox.  Ordonez averaged 26 homers for every 162 games played in the major leagues.  His best HR seasons for the Chisox were 2002 when he 38, and 200 when he hit 32.

For more A to Z blogging click here.  

J is for Jose

White Sox Homerun hitters from A.J. to Zeke

J is for Jose

Jose Valentin

When you think about the 2005 White Sox, you often think about players who started playing for the White Sox in 2005.  Players like Iguchi, Podsednik and Hermanson.  You don't often think about the players from the White Sox whose last season was 2004.  This is mainly because we won it all in 2005.  If we had not, perhaps the ChiSox faithful would have dwelled more on  who we let go than who we picked up.  Consider Dye and Pierzynski for a moment who both came to the White Sox from the Bay Area in 2005.  In the 13 seasons combined that they play for the Sox they hit 282 total home runs between them.  That is 22 homers per season and 26 homeruns over 162 game season.

Now look at Jose Valentin, who we are talking about today and Carlos Lee who we will feature next Tuesday.  They played 11 combined seasons for the Sox both ending their time in 2004 and hit  288homers.  That's 6 more homers than Dye and Pierzynski in 2 less seasons.  26 HR by season and 30 HR over 162 games.

Valentin came to the White Sox  from the Brewers in 2000 and in his first month with the team hit for the cycle (A single, a double, a triple and a homer in the same game).  H hit 136 of his 249 career homers over  his 5 years with the  Sox.  Over that career he averaged 24 homers per
  162 game season.   Valentin hit 30 HR in 2004 and 28 in 2001 and again in 2003.

  If Jose Abreu stayson his torrid HR pace from last year sometime leat in the 2017 season he will be the Jose with the most white sox homers.  Until then our hearts belong to Valentin.

 For more A to Z blogging click here.

H is for Harold

White Sox Homerun hitters from A.J. to Zeke

H is for Harold

Harold Baines

Harold Baines is one of the best baseball players I have ever seen.  He is certainly the most deserving to be in the Hall of Fame, who is not there already.

Baines played from 1980 to 2001, beginning and ending his career with the Sox.  Baines is 3rd all time on the White Sox home run list with  221. Baines was the all time Sox home run leader from 1987 to 1990.   His major league total is 384.   Harold averaged 22 home runs over 162 game season.   Bainesy hit 29 homers for the White Sox in '84 and 25 in '82.  These are his 2 best home run totals fo the pale hose.

G is for Greg

White Sox Homerun hitters from A.J. to Zeke

G is for Greg

Greg "Walk" Walker

Greg Walker played for the White Sox from 1982 to 1990.  His first full season was on the 1983"winning ugly" team that won the AL west that year.  Walker was the hitting coach for the Chi Sox in 2005 when they won the world series

Walker hit all of his 113 career  home runs as a White Sox player.  His 113 is good enough for 17th on the all-time list.  Greg averaged 21 home runs over 162 game season  In 1987 Walker hit 27 home runs this eclipsed his previous best mark of 24 which he achieved back to back in 1984 and 1985.

Walker played first for the Sox and was replaced as an everyday player by Frank Thomas, who was in turn replaced by Paul Konerko, who in turn was replaced by Jose Abreu.  Making the 1B position a stable home run source for the Sox going on 30 years.   For more A to Z blogging click here.

D is For Dye

White Sox Homerun hitters from A.J. to Zeke


The A to Z Challenge is up to letter 

D is for Dye

It's also Six Word Saturday, My Six:
Jermaine "Win or Dye Trying" Dye

In the off-season between 2004 and 2005 Kenny Williams then GM of the team added different players to get the team to the next level.  Jermaine Dye who had been to the 1996 World Series with the Atlanta Braves as a rookie was a player  that Williams had added to the 2005 Sox.   The Sox Marketing campaign that year was win or die trying. 

Dye was a big reason the Sox won in 2005 and was the MVP of the World Series.  Dye  played 4 more years with the Sox and finished with 164 Home Runs for them.  He hit more home runs in 5 seasons with the Sox than he did in His 9 previous seasons elsewhere.  Dye is 7th on the all-time White Sox homer list.


Dye averaged 30 home runs for every 162 major league games he played.   His best 2 Home run totals for the Sox came in 2006  when he went yard  44 times and in 2008 with 34 round trippers.  If you dye Easter eggs tonight think of good old # 23 Jermaine Dye as you do so.  For more A to Z blogging click here.  For more Six Word Saturday click here.

A is for AJ

White Sox Homerun hitters from A.J. to Zeke

A is for A.J.

AJ "The Ajitator" Pierzynski being punched by Cubs backstop Micheal Barret in 2006

A.J Pierzysnki is an easy guy to hate.  Unless of course he plays for your team as he did from 2005 to 2012 for the White Sox.  All his attributes that I hated when he played for the Twins (his ability to get the best out of his pitchers and his ability to make the most of every opportunity ,offensively and defensively,  to give his team a chance to win) I fell in love with when he played for the White Sox .  These attributes are most remembered to the outside world when he got safely to fist base in a 2005 ALCS against the Angels by  running on a third strike that had not been called the third out of the inning.  The pinch runner for Pierzynski later scored the winning run of the game.

A.J. hit 118 of his so far 177 MLB home runs with the White Sox.  This puts him 16th on the ChiSox all time home run list.  Through his career so far, Pierzynski has averaged 15 home runs for every 162 games played.   His first and last years with the CHI SOX were his most prolific home run totals, hitting 18 in 2005 and 27 in 2012.  Pierzynski ended last season with the St. Louis Cardinals and is signed with the Atlanta Braves through the end of 2015.  

For more A to Z blogging click here.  

Dog Day Afternoon or Spring Training

Yesterday the mail came and totally disrupted lunch. This was because the  White Sox Kid's Club packets came.  Each year I sign all the kids up for White Sox Kid's Club.  For no cost they usually get a poster, some stickers and other White Sox material and 2 ticket vouchers for each kid to attend a select ball game.

Major league baseball has become something pretty hard to attend on our family's budget.  Thanks to the White Sox, we are able to go as a family once a year on them. 

Each year when we get the tickets we then go to the Sox website and make sure that the Sox still have their Dog Day promotion and that it is one of the dates available on the voucher.  Dog Day is when White Sox fans can bring their dogs to the game.  We don't have a dog, but our girls love to go to that game and generally get to pet a dog or two before the dog's enter the stadium.  It is also one of the only games, if not the only game where fireworks are not shot off at some point during the game.  Fireworks and dogs are a pretty explosive mix.  My son was pretty skittish about fireworks when he was younger and a no fireworks day was certainly a plus for them.

So today, I took Puppy to to U.S. Cellular field to trade in our vouchers for actual tickets to the dog day game.  We finished her school work on the elevated train ride on the way to the ball park.  We went to the park, which was relatively empty since the Sox are in the middle of a series in Cleveland right now. 

After we got the tickets, we took some pictures at some of the statues outside the park, including this one which celebrates the 2005 World Series.  As I was taking this picture, I saw a man walking into the park from the parking lot.  It was Jerry Reinsdorf.  When I pointed him out to Puppy as the owner of the White Sox, he stopped walking and waved at us.  I practically melted.

I had packed us a lunch, so we ate and then played a little catch.  

Dog day is in 2 weeks, I hope it's as special for us as a family as our Daddy, daughter trip was today. 

Happy Anniversary Bobby Jenks

It's Christmas time and everyone seems to be on the hunt for bargains. For Baseball general managers one place to look for bargains is the waiver wire.

This time of year baseball teams are shuffling their rosters around and will often cut a player lose as part of a numbers game. In December 2004, The LA Angels of Anaheim decided to cut Bobby Jenks a highly regarded pitching prospect. In 4 years in the minors Big Bobby had compiled a lot of excess baggage including elbow trouble, erratic behavior and accusations of racism. 1

Enter White Sox GM who on this day in 2004 took a chance on the 100 MPH as a reclamation project. The White Sox decided to shift him from a starter to a role in the bullpen. Jenks came up mid season for the Sox in 2005 and won the role of closer late in the year due to injuries to Dustin Hermanson who was also acquired in December of 2004. Jenks saved 6 games for the Sox in'05 in the regular season and 4 more in the playoffs including the first and last games of the World Series. So in ten months time Jenks had been transformed from the baseball scrap heap to a World Series hero.

Alas, not every waiver wire pick-up has such fantastic upside. But on the 5 year anniversary of the Jenks acquisition, I am still glad that this one did.

Footnotes:

1. Baseball Reference.com - Bobby Jenks Article

World Champs anniversary edition

When I started this blog did I mention who my favorite sports team of all time is?



Here's a clue . . .

Yes, I love the Chicago White Sox. I am not the typical White Sox fan, but if you read my blog long enough, you will discover I am not the typical anything.

I will delve into what separates me from the normal White Sox fan in later posts. At this time, I'd like to start (with apologies to Kool and The Gang) a celebration that will last throughout the year. The celebration the 5 year anniversary of the 2005 World Series Championship Season.

I know that it is actually only 2009 and might seem premature for the 5 year anniversary. However, I plan from now until October to commemorate important events in the chronology of that histroric achievement.

Today, December 13th, for example, commemorates a move made 5 years ago that went a long way to making the White Sox champions. On this date in 2004 White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams traded Carlos Lee to the Milwaukee Brewers for Scott Podsednik.

In 2004 the white Sox were a team that "lived and died by the home run and the big inning." 1

No one hit more home runs than the White Sox in the regular season of 2004 but that was not enough to get them to the post season. So changes needed to be made to play the style of baseball first year manager Ozzie Guillen was most accustomed to.

The big change was to essentially outfielders with the Brewers. Carlos "El Caballo" Lee hit .305 for the White Sox in '04 and hit 31 dingers, second only to Paul Konerko. Podesdnik cracked 12 homers for the brew crew that year but batted only .244. Podsednik's real contribution came on the base paths where he stole 70 bases, whereas The White Sox as a unit only stole 77!!!

The trade worked out well for both parties. Lee increased his homer output as a Brewer and made the first of 3 consecutive all star appearances in 2005. But the Sox were the real winner of the trade. The acquisition of Podsednik transformed the team. They now had a base runner who was a threat to steal every time he got on base. He stole 59 in 2005 in only 129 games. It's hard to imagine what his total might have been if injuries in the second half of the season didn't keep him out of so many games.

Let me quickly tell you how some of the cogs in the 2005 championship wheel were attained.

• June 27th 2004. White Sox move Miguel Olivo, Jeremy Reed and Michael Morse to Seattle for Freddy Garcia and Ben Davis. Garcia became a key starter in the White Sox rotation.
  
  
• July 18, 2004. Sox trade pitchers Jon Rauch and Gary Majewski to Montreal for Carl Everett. Everett became the DH in 2005 when Frank Thomas went down to injury.
  
  
• July 31, 2004. White Sox move fan favorite Esteban Loaiza to the Yankees for Jose Contreras. Contreras went 9-2 in the second half of 2005. His best effort came on September 23rd against the Twins. The Sox had dropped to only 1 and a half games ahead of the Indians. Contreras pitched a 9 strike out complete game gem and the White Sox never looked back. Man, I couldn't think of a way to work in that I was at the game and that it was my birthday. Oh well, maybe you will figure that out on your own.

Trades weren't the only way this team formed. Earlier in December of 2004, Wiilliams made two key free agent signings:

• December 8th Pitcher Dustin Hermanson
• December 9th Outfielder Jermaine Dye

Hermanson stepped into the closer role in 2005 when we learned that Shingo Takatsu is Japanese for 1 year wonder.

Dye had an excellent year in '05 with the Sox, culminating with his World Series MVP award.

So there it is my first of several looks back at the 2005 World Champions. In the weeks to come I will intersperse some more memories but will also be focusing on other teams and other sports.

Until next time, this is Crazy Uncle Dave signing off.

This post is featured in Athletic Alley Blog Carnival – December 17, 2009

Footnotes

1. Total White Sox by Richard C Lindberg. Triumph Books, 2006. P. 121