My series of White Sox 2020 player reviews — “oneish” nugget per day per player — continues with Ross Detwiler
Ross Detwiler loved throwing to Yasmani Grandal in 2020.
Detwiler logged a 2.02 ERA in 10 games covering 13.1 innings with Grandal behind the plate before being cut on Sept. 28.
By contrast, Detwiler’s ERA with James McCann catching was 8.44.
Next: Dane Dunning
On this date in 1956, Al Lopez replaced Marty Marion as White Sox manager after a successful career in Cleveland which culminated in the American League pennant in 1954.
This anniversary comes as the White Sox are rumored to be bringing back Tony La Russa, who adored Lopez, as manager.
La Russa viewed Lopez, a fellow native of Tampa, as a mentor.
La Russa respected Lopez so much he tabbed him as an honorary captain when La Russa served as American League manager for the 1990 All-Star Game at Wrigley Field.
Lopez guided the White Sox second place finishes in 1957 and 1958 before leading the club to its first American League pennant in 40 years in 1959.
Over the next six seasons, Lopez led the Sox to three second place finishes and got the club to within one game of the flag in 1964.
Lopez retired after the 1965 season and stayed with the franchise as special assignment vice-president.
Following the tumultuous reign of Eddie Stanky, Lopez returned to the Sox bench for the end of 1968 season and the start of the 1969 campaign.
Lopez resigned for good May 2, 1969 and retired to Florida.
Lopez left Chicago second only to Jimmy Dykes in managerial victories (840) and fifth with a .562 winning percentage.
The genial “Senor” was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.
This White Sox bottle opener/key chain has gotten a lot of use and made a lot of thirsty people happy over the years!
My series of White Sox 2020 player reviews — “oneish” nugget per day per player — continues with Nicky Delmonico
Nicky Delmonico was the White Sox Opening Day right fielder in 2020.
This marked the second consecutive season the White Sox had a left-handed hitter starting in right field. Daniel Palka started there in 2019.
The last time the Sox had left-handed hitters start in right field in back-to-back Openers was when Harold Baines did it in 1986 and 1987.
The last time the Sox had different left-handed hitting right fielders start in consecutive Openers was in 1955 (Willard Marshall) and 1956 (Jim Rivera).
Next: Ross Detwiler
On the anniversary of the White Sox clinching the 2005 World Series title, here are a few nuggets — @SoxNerd style — at that beloved team:
*The Sox 11-1 record was tied for the second-best postseason mark in the divisional era (minimum seven games)
*Joe Crede was the only White Sox player to hit two home runs in the 2005 World Series
*The winning pitcher in the 14-inning marathon in Game 3 of the World Series? … Damaso Marte
*Mark Buehrle threw three pitches in earning the save in the Sox win in Game 3 of the 2005 World Series.
It was the lowest amount of pitches thrown by a Sox hurler in any game in the postseason.
*The youngest player to appear in a game for the 2005 White Sox was 21-year old pitcher Brandon McCarthy, who was not on the postseason roster. … The youngest player to appear in the 2005 postseason for the Sox was 24-year old Bobby Jenks
*The oldest player to appear in a game (and the postseason) was 39-year old pitcher Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez
*The first Sox save of 2005 was recorded by Shingo Takatsu on Opening Day.
*The leading hitters for the 2005 Sox (regardless of at bats): Cliff Politte 1.000 (1-for-1), Jon Garland .500 (1-for-2), Joe Borchard .417 (5-for-12), Orlando Hernandez .333 (1-for-3) and Scott Podsednik .290.
*Jamie Burke was the only player who appeared in exactly one game for the 2005 Sox.
*Aaron Rowand led the 2005 Sox with 157 games, 151 starts, 148 complete games and 1,367.2 innings played.
Rowand’s last game with the Sox was Game 4 of the 2005 World Series.
Other members of that team who played their last games for the 2005 Sox were Geoff Blum, Orlando Hernandez, Jon Adkins, Jeff Bajenaru, Joe Borchard, Jamie Burke, Raul Casanova, Carl Everett, Willie Harris, Pedro Lopez, Damaso Marte, Timo Perez, David Sanders, Shingo Takatsu, Frank Thomas, Luis Vizcaino, and Kevin Walker.
*Freddy Garcia handled the most chances (47) without an error for the 2005 Sox
*Pablo Ozuna played a team-best seven positions for the 2005 Sox. He played every position but pitcher, catcher and center
*No position player pitched for the 2005 Sox
*Paul Konerko was the highest-paid member of the 2005 Sox at $8,750,000
*Besides pitcher, first base was the most frequented position in the field for the ‘05 Sox. Eight players — Paul Konerko, Ross Gload, Geoff Blum, Pablo Ozuna, Timo Perez, Jermaine Dye, Jamie Burke and Chris Widger — appeared in at least one game at first that season.
*Catcher was the least frequented position for the 2005 Sox with only A.J. Pierzynski, Chris Widger and Raul Casanova donning the tools of ignorance that season
On this date in 2005, Roland Hemond had the best birthday ever.
Hemond, who served as White Sox general manager from 1971 to 1985, began the day watching the Sox win Game 3 of the 2005 World Series in Houston in his capacity as executive advisor to general manager Ken Williams.
The Sox epic 7-5 win in 14 innings ended in the wee small hours of Oct. 26, which was Hemond’s 76th birthday.
Later that day, Hemond, still in birthday mode, watched the Sox finish off the Astros for the title with a 1-0 win in Game 4.
“It was hard to describe,” said Hemond, a baseball lifer who has spent more than a half century in the game.
“It was very emotional for me. That’s the ultimate of my career.”
What better White Sox relic to break out today in the 15th anniversary of Geoff Blum’s go-ahead home run in Game 3 of the World Series.
Blum’s blast is my favorite homer of all-time.
This is the only jersey I have had customized with a players name on it.
That is how much I love that dinger.
My series of White Sox 2020 player reviews — “oneish” nugget per day per player — continues with Cheslor Cuthbert
On July 26, Cheslor Cuthbert became the first native of Nicaragua to play in a game for the White Sox.
The Corn Island, Nicaragua native’s appearance — which covered one at bat (a pop out) and one half inning at third in a 14-2 loss to Minnesota at Guaranteed Rate Field — was his only one for the White Sox.
Next: Nicky Delmonico
My series of White Sox 2020 player reviews — “oneish” nugget per day per player — continues with Garrett Crochet
When pitcher Garrett Crochet entered Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series on Oct. 1, he became the youngest White Sox player (age 21) to appear in a postseason game.
Next: Cheslor Cuthbert
Some other nuggets on Crochet, the Sox first round pick in the 2020 draft:
*Crochet was the eighth University of Tennessee product taken by the Sox in the draft. The only one to play for the Sox was first baseman-outfielder Sam Ewing, who was drafted in 1971 and played for Sox in 1973 and 1976
*In addition to Ewing, the only Volunteer to play for the Sox was pitcher Deunte Heath
*Prior to Crochet, the last Tennessee player picked by the Sox was pitcher Stephen McCray in the 16th round of the 2010 draft. … McCray topped out at Triple-A Charlotte in 2013
*Crochet made his MLB for the Sox exactly 100 days after he was drafted by the club
*Best I can tell, Crochet was the first Sox player to make his pro debut in the Majors since 16-year old Jim Derrington did it on 9-30-56. Like Crochet, Derrington was a left-handed pitcher
*Crochet joins Alex Fernandez, Bobby Thigpen, Kip Wells and Carlos Rodon as pitchers who were drafted and signed by the Sox after previously being drafted (and rejecting) the Brewers
*Crochet the first Sox player to go straight from the draft to the big leagues (no minors)
*The quickest Sox ascent from the draft to this bigs was by Fernandez in 1990 (59 days)
*Crochet is the 45th player to wear No. 45 for the Sox
*Best I can tell, Crochet — counting his time with the Sox, Tennessee and the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team — is unscored upon in his last 9 appearances covering 15 innings. Last run surrendered was on 6-20-19 for Tennessee vs. Liberty
When I walked out of cold and wet U.S. Cellular Field on this date in 2005 –- for what would be the last time during that magical season – I knew I had not only witnessed the greatest game in the history of the White Sox but in the history of the great City of Chicago as well.
I was so stunned and emotionally drained after Scott Podsednik’s walkoff homer had given the Sox a 7-6 win over Houston and a 2-0 lead in the World Series that was the only coherent thought I could muster.
The fact that I witnessed and worked this classic with people I love and respect made it the most amazing sporting event of my life.
I was there in my capacity displaying graphics on the scoreboard while my baby brother, Paul, and youngest daughter, Ellie, were in the stands taking it all in.
Usually my wife would have been at the game but she was with our oldest daughter 95 miles and 90 minutes to the north at Milwaukee’s Bradley Center at a Paul McCartney concert.
Sir Paul is a must-see for us so when that tour was announced we bought the Milwaukee tickets and joked that the only possible thing that could keep me from the show was if the Sox were in the World Series.
It was no joke.
My wife and daughter kept tabs on the game via text while seeing another classic performance by Paul.
By the way, that night Paul played one song that The Beatles performed at their day-night doubleheader at Comiskey Park on Aug. 20, 1965: Can’t Buy Me Love.
For many, the other Paul in our life — Konerko — had the game’s most memorable moment with his grand slam in the seventh inning.
And why not?
The slam –- the first by a Sox player in postseason and the 18th in World Series history — gave the Sox a 6-4 lead and sent the 41,432 into a frenzy. Konerko’s blast was the first slam in World Series history that came in the seventh inning or later and erased a deficit.
This game was not without controversy, which, obviously, contributed to its greatness.
With one out in the seventh, Jermaine Dye was hit by a pitch to load the bases. The Astros protested that the ball hit the bat and not Dye and replays backed that up.
However, Dye took first and Konerko followed with the slam.
Those feisty Astros tied the game with two in the ninth off Bobby Jenks with the tying run scoring on a close but clearly safe play at the plate.
In the ninth, Juan Uribe led off with a fly out to center before Podsednik sent Brad Lidge’s 2-1 pitch into the right field stands to put the Sox two wins from their first World Series title since 1917.
When the ball landed in the right-center field seats, I put both hands on my head, looked at the first person I could find and made the declaration of the greatness of the game that I would repeat to this very day.
That game holds up and the memories endure as the years fly by.
What has emboldened that for me is something I discovered years later while watching the MLB Network.
In recapping Podsednik’s blast, I caught a glimpse of the scoreboard — my scoreboard — as the camera tracked the flight of the ball.
I could see based on just the lower-part of the graphic that I had Podsednik’s career stats vs.
Lidge on the board for that pitch of that at bat. The gravity of the moment made it a blur for me at the time so that snippet is a nice snapshot of that night for me.
As with Podsednik as he described on the White Sox Talk Podcast (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/white-sox-talk-podcast/id1162163703?mt=2&i=1000392820481), the moment did not get too big for me or anybody else working that unforgettable night.
Happy birthday Game 2 of the 2005 World Series: The greatest workday of my life!
DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’! 
