Funny White Sox story
RickyBobby
Roland Hemond and the best player on the White Sox was a pure hitter named
Harold Baines.
The White Sox started trading some players to rebuild the team or spend less
money or make more money or whatever they were trying to do and I send a
letter to the GM to please not trade Harold Baines.
The GM sends me a letter back with his signature and everything that says
they adore Harold Baines and would not ever think of trading him
Within the next ninety days they traded Harold Baines.
Like to have broke my heart because I had the letter and everything.
It did not seem funny at the time but it seems funny now.
Alfred
That trade was for the skinny, fleet footed Sammy Sosa wasn't it?
It was a surprise to me also. I liked Harold back then but I wasn't a
big fan of his.
RickyBobby
"Alfred" <behyndb...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:f87ce8ec-cc11-4c1a...@w37g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
big fan of his.'
Here is another funny story. About twenty eight years and six months ago a
kid was born in Palos Heights and his name was Scott Fletcher. On the very
same day the more well known Scott Fletcher made his major league debut with
the Cubs. The Cubs then traded him to the White Sox because he was all
glove and no stick.
I got this beautiful picture of little Scott Fletcher in a two year old's
White Sox jersey with the real Scott Fletcher.
Last week the family lost the little Scott Fletcher but we still have the
White Sox memories.
At his funeral about two dozen of his closest friends got two dozen roses
dipped in food coloring or whatever so that half of them were blue and half
or them were orange. At his memorial service, at the very end, they laid
them at the base of the biggest picture of Scott. He grew up to be a Bears
fan also and was big enough to wear a 54 jersey without it looking silly on
him. Big in height, not in girth. About 6"1' with a smile that would make
anyone his best friend the moment they met him.
We are sure going to miss Scott and also we will surely recall what the
Chicago pro sports teams meant to him.
Alfred
>
> - Show quoted text -
Harold's tenure was 21 years, but It was painful to watch him in the
2000 Divisional vs. Seattle. 1980-2001, nice lifetime stats!
But the days of Fisk, Baines, Luzinski, Kittle, Walker - two Laws, a
Squire and the speedball SS Cruz were really a joy to watch!
RickyBobby
Harold Baines was cool. He did not do interviews and he did not like white
people. But he sure could rake.
Alfred
> "Alfred" <behyndbluee...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>
> - Show quoted text -
Blind rage is what must have made Baines successful as a hitter.
He and Leon Durham must have been good friends - same social
ideologies.
I couldn't stand Leon, especially when the elderly broadcast veteran
Jack Brickhouse was interviewing him after the Cubs won their division
in 1984.
Durham was embarrassingly condescending of the much elder veteran WGN
television and radio baseball broadcaster.
During that 1984 Cubs celebration, watching Brickhouse and Durham, I
recalled Jack's decades earlier interviews with all-time greats such
as Casey Stengel and Walter Alston. Jack was always ahead of anyone
when it came to bringing the best out of people. But with Durham you
couldn't help but see the obviously shameless racial contrast that was
being set by Durham.
I suppose thus was why the movie "Major League" made fun of those
arrogant, belligerent and self-loving bozos! I even recall Jim Parque
becoming hostile during a celebratory interview when the Sox won their
division in 2000.
So much for those kind. It seemed that Frank Thomas was always more
approachable, likeable.
alf
Sorry to hear about the Fletcher Family.
As I recall, Scott had improved after he left the northside and
eventually most White Sox fans liked him for his high level of
integrity and intensive play. He was a fine PH and late inning
defensive replacement.
I guess this all helps to explain to myself why I was never that much
of a Harold Baines fan?
RickyBobby
He is a Frank Thomas story. Now I believe that Frank Thomas was by far the
best player the White Sox ever had on their team. But he had a difficult
personality at times.
Friend of mine is at a Black Hawks game and he is sitting right next to
Frank Thomas. Every time the whistle blew and play stopped Frank Thomas
turns and asks my friend what just happened? So my friend spends a lot of
the first period explaining the rules of ice hockey to Frank Thomas.
Great. That is almost like an honor to a Chicago sports fan.
Towards the end of the game my friend tried to ask Frank Thomas one
question. Frank gave him the hard look and said something like "when I want
to talk to you I will let you know". Nice guy.