By Roger Wallenstein

If you’re scratching your head after the announcement about Hawk Harrelson over the weekend, join the club.
Reducing his broadcast responsibilities strictly to road games last season, we all knew that Harrelson, who will turn 76 in September, was nearing the end of his tenure in the booth alongside Steve Stone. Always one to challenge boundaries, Harrelson abandoned home games after the 2015 season since he lives in South Bend. What reasonable person would drive 180 miles round-trip when the Sox played at home, especially for night games when he might not get on the road until almost midnight or later?
When the news first broke last week that Harrelson would do 20 games (primarily Sunday home games) next season, Hawk was in typical form.
“Living in the eastern zone and working in the central zone, after the games are getting longer, that makes my trip with my temper – semi-truck driver and my temper don’t mix,” Harrelson was quoted as saying on Fox Sports. “Not at 3:30 in the morning, especially when it’s raining because I’ve got an axe-handle in the back of my car with some mace. And I’ve literally chased some of those guys before. I’m just glad I haven’t caught anybody because one of us would’ve been knocked out.”
Whew! Suffice it to say that Hawk won’t be running for a position in the Teamsters Union upon retirement from broadcasting.

Read More

Posted on June 5, 2017

By Roger Wallenstein

Although the clock read a few minutes past eight on a lovely spring evening on Saturday with the tying run on third base in the bottom of the ninth, the Union Pacific could easily have navigated a freight train through Sox Park without putting anyone in grave danger.
That’s because only a few patrons remained from the announced crowd of 26,327 who showed up for the Sox-Tigers’ doubleheader that began about seven hours earlier. Had it not been for the Detroit faithful who made the drive over for the Memorial Day weekend, the place would have been near empty.
During the first game the ballpark was alive as Tyler Danish, called up from Charlotte to face the Tigers, pitched five scoreless innings – followed by four more by the bullpen – to get the win in his very first major league start as the Sox triumphed 3-0.
So where did the people go? Apparently the vast majority of Sox fans had alternate plans. Doubleheaders simply aren’t on the fans’ radar these days. None have been scheduled in the major leagues since 1996, so the Sox and Tigers were tangling twice only because they had to make up a postponement from April 5.
Decades ago doubleheaders were scheduled almost every Sunday in addition to Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day. The twinbills outdrew single games, and – get ready for breaking news – the owners were looking for greater revenue. A typical schedule would feature night games Tuesday through Thursday before another club came in for a night game Friday, a single day game Saturday, and a “big doubleheader on Sunday,” as legendary Sox announcer Bob Elson used to say. Rarely did the Sox play on Monday.

Read More

Posted on May 29, 2017

By Roger Wallenstein

The kid had such a warm, endearing smile, to say nothing of his speed, power and confidence. When he was just 16, he hit .337 playing professionally in the Cuban National Serie, the same league that spawned Jose Abreu.
In the spring of 2008, he and his intrepid family clandestinely left Cuba in a boat bound for Mexico. That winter the White Sox were ecstatic to sign Dayan Viciedo to a four-year $10 million contract.
Spending the 2009 season at Double-A Birmingham, Viciedo did nothing to tarnish the promising picture the franchise painted for the aspiring youngster. He hit a respectable .280 with a dozen home runs and 78 RBI for the Barons. Playing third base, the 20-year-old prospect made 30 errors, but he was just learning, and, sure enough, when he was called up to the Sox on June 20 of the following season, Viciedo had committed only three errors in 26 games at the hot corner.
Viciedo joined that 2010 Sox team which wound up missing a post-season wild card berth by a single game. Omar Vizquel, 43 at the time, was filling in at third base after guys like Mark Teahen, Brent Morel and Jayson Nix failed to impress. The stage was set for Viciedo, who had just reached the legal drinking age, to become the White Sox third baseman right then and there and far into the future.
Funny how things sometimes don’t work out as planned.

Read More

Posted on May 22, 2017

By Roger Wallenstein

Let’s just put it this way: The White Sox and Padres won’t be facing off in a World Series any time soon.
That was only one takeaway after a weekend that saw the Sox win a couple of games to end their six-game losing streak. Of course, they got lots of help as the National Leaguers were more than accommodating during two of the more bizarre games you’ll ever see.
All of which left the Padres with baseball’s worst mark of 14-25, which seems fitting after watching these guys play. If this is what rebuilding looks like, the San Diegans have barely broken ground.

Read More

Posted on May 15, 2017

By Roger Wallenstein

A couple of Sundays ago at Sox Park in the ninth inning of a White Sox 6-2 victory over Cleveland, fans laughed hysterically when an over-served patron took off from the right field foul line, eluding security until he was finally tackled in left field. The first security guard to confront the fan merely got a handful of a Paul Konerko jersey – it being of the tear-off variety – enabling the scoundrel to make his way across the outfield, arms waving and bare chested with his ample belly hanging over his belt.
Despite warnings from management, this scene is repeated on a few occasions around baseball each season, and most of the time spectators get a good chuckle and say things like, “The Bears should sign him,” or “Give that guy another beer.”
In Sox annals the stunt has taken an ugly turn at least three times.

Read More

Posted on May 8, 2017

By Roger Wallenstein

Whaddya mean the Sox can’t hit? They’re killing the ball.
This basically was the message I got a week ago from folks who stop here on Mondays after mentioning the team’s anemic offense just as Rick Renteria’s crew began a six-game winning streak which ended Sunday with a 7-3 loss in Detroit. Just maybe the fellows weren’t buying comparisons to weak hitting teams of the past. They felt challenged, maligned, disrespected.
Whatever the reason – how about the patience of batting coach Todd Steverson? – the bats came alive last week in leading the Sox to a three-game sweep of Kansas City before taking two-of-three in Detroit.

Read More

Posted on May 1, 2017

By Roger Wallenstein

Watching Quick Pitch on MLB.tv for a wrap-up of each day’s games, blast after blast disappears deep into the dark environs of the outfield seats as the Giancarlo Stantons and Bryce Harpers of the world trot around the bases.
Sadly, White Sox hitters have failed to be featured on any regular basis.
As the Sox returned home Friday evening from a more than respectable 5-4 road trip, manager Rick Renteria’s lineup included six players hitting below .200. Included was rookie centerfielder Jacob May, who was 0-for-24 at the time. Designated hitter Cody Asche checked in at .069, and flu-ridden Todd Frazier was 3-for-27 for a .111 mark.

Read More

Posted on April 24, 2017

By Roger Wallenstein

Rebuild, baby, rebuild. If this is what it looks like, the White Sox should have done it years ago.
Led by strong starting pitching, a near-perfect bullpen, and timely late-inning hitting, the Sox surprised a lot of people possibly themselves included by taking two road series’ last week in Cleveland and Minnesota to raise their season record to 6-5.
How can this be?

Read More

Posted on April 17, 2017

By Roger Wallenstein

Will he or won’t he?
We’re talking about White Sox right fielder Avisail Garcia, the sculpted Venezuelan once tabbed as Little Miggy because of his likeness to fellow countryman Miguel Cabrera when Garcia broke in with the Tigers five years ago at age 21. After three solid minor league seasons, Garcia entered the scene in Detroit just in time to go all the way to the World Series where the Tigers bowed to the Giants in four games.
Garcia was the Tigers’ starting right fielder in two of those games and apparently had a bright future in Detroit. But the very next season when Detroit needed a shortstop, Garcia came to the White Sox in exchange for Jake Peavy, who was then peddled to Boston while Red Sox shortstop Jose Iglesias landed in Detroit where he remains to this day.
Now in his sixth season, the question is whether Garcia will be part of the White Sox future. By all accounts, this will be the pivotal season for Garcia, and if he can fulfill his early promise, he could be a fixture on the South Side. If not, he can join fellows like Thad Bosley, Dan Pasqua, Brian Anderson and many others, all busts in White Sox annals.

Read More

Posted on April 10, 2017

By Roger Wallenstein

Let the losing begin. As if it hasn’t already.
I mean, we really should be prepared for this thing called “rebuilding.” As recently as 2013, when the R-word wasn’t part of the White Sox vocabulary, the club stumbled and bumbled to 99 losses. The over/under for wins this season is 68.5. If the team hits either side of that number, it still will outshine – OK, poor choice of words – that team of four years ago.
Sports Illustrated has rated the Sox the worst team in the American League. The magazine says the final record will be 65-97. Vegas odds put the Sox at 500-1 to win the World Series. (My pal Bud called from Laughlin, Nevada, where he said the Sox are 300-1 at Harrah’s. For some strange reason he was excited.) At least they’re not alone at the bottom of the pack. The pitiful Padres join the Sox as the longest of the long shots.
Historically bad ballclubs on the South Side have been a custom rather than an aberration. Long before the fellows on the other side of town were tagged “lovable losers” playing in the Friendly Confines, the other team in Chicago was the prime example of ineptitude.

Read More

Posted on April 3, 2017