Baseball!

Paid a visit to Comiskey Park Wednesday afternoon. Good game although the White Sox lost. Will have more on this experience in the future.

I snapped this shot back during the summer of 2014 and amazingly the 2020 MLB season has yet to start due to current circumstances involving some virus.

Happy 4th of July to everyone! 

Chicago White Sox championship history #postseason #worldseries

I waited until the end of the Cubs/Indians world series to post this. Before the Cubs won last night, the White Sox brought a world series victory to Chicago. It seemed to have been forgotten during the excitement over the Cubs.

Unfortunately I never worked on such a post when the Sox advanced to the World Series and then ultimately swept the Houston Astros. Over the years I did one for both the Bears and Black Hawks when they advanced to their respective World Championship rounds. So this post is really 11 years in the making.

Now with the success of the Cubs not only winning their first pennant in 71 years, but winning their first world series in 108 years. It's time to revisit the Sox who missed the playoffs this year and changed managers. Ironically the new manager is Rick Renteria who managed the Cubs in 2014 the season before Joe Maddon took the reins at Wrigley.

As a charter member of the American League which started in 1901, the Sox also won their first pennant that year. The world series as we know it began in 1903. Thus the Sox also won World Series titles in 1906, 1917, and of course 2005. In addition to 1901 they also won pennants in 1906, 1917, 1919, 1959, and of course 2005.

As a side note in 1906, the Sox faced off against the Cubs in the World Series. The only year both teams faced off against each other in a crosstown world series. And the White Sox claimed their first world series victory in this series.

Also the 1919 White Sox team was the subject of the film Eight Men Out. That movie was basically a dramatization of the Black Sox Scandal which took place during the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnatti Reds. Needless to say eight Sox players were banned for life from baseball after an investigation.

In 1969, Major League Baseball had been realigned where each league had been broken up into two divisions. Each division winner would play in an League Championship Series to determine who will play in the World Series.

By 1995, the major leagues would also be re-aligned again with three divisions per league and an extra round in the baseball postseason - League Division Series. Three division winners or those who clinched division titles with a wild card team with that round determining who advances to the ALCS (or conversely NLCS). In 2012 MLB created another round a one-game playoff between two wild card teams where one will advance to the ALDS (or NLDS).

Since 1969, the White Sox have won division titles in 1983, 1993, 2000, 2005, and 2008. The Sox as of yet have never clinched a wild card berth in the baseball postseason.

Also since we broached the subject of a crosstown series between Cubs and Sox. In 2003 the Cubs and Sox were close to both securing a berth in the postseason, unfortunately the south siders fell out of contention. The Cubs would enjoy a memorable run in 2003 even if they fell short.

In 2008, however, both teams were in the postseason winning their central division in their respective leagues. Unfortunately both teams were eliminated after their respective league division series.

The period between White Sox world series titles had been 88 years between 1917 and 2005. Between world series appearances had been 46 years between 1959 and 2005. Not nearly as long of a drought as the Cubs, however, the Sox were the first to bring a major league world series title back to Chicago.

Visiting Comiskey Park Wednesday

On Thursday Wednesday I went to a Chicago White Sox game. I had some connections and found myself in the club level of Comiskey Park (aka US Cellular Field).

Incidentally my first trip to a MLB ballpark was when I was a child. Unfortunately I had no idea what was going on at either Wrigley Field or the old Comiskey Park which was razed in the early 1990s when the Sox moved to their current digs.

So, it was a great experience to watch a live MLB game with the Sox taking on the Texas Rangers. I had cut out after the 8th inning unfortunately and this game proved to be a losing effort with a final score of 3-1 in favor of the Rangers.

Both teams seemed to have been good on defense which often takes fielding as much a pitching. Alas defense is nothing without scoring some runs. The Sox managed one home run but not much offense to get past the Rangers.

The food items were good. A nacho supreme and a bacon cheeseburger - which seemed a bit undercooked but yet I ate it. All the same the food items get a thumbs up especially for one of the few times I was a professional sport live at the arena!

Sooner or later I need to find my way back to Wrigleyville. I also dream and talk about it but somehow unable to make it happen. Perhaps it's all hot air, but it's something that needs to happen in the future.

When it does a pic is going to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and another blog post here!