COUNTDOWN TO WHITE SOX OPENING DAY: 72 DAYS

72 days to Opening Day, White Sox fans!

This has got to be about the most famous 72 of them all, right? CARRRRRRLTON FISK, as the great Gene Honda used to say.

Here are some 72 nuggets on No. 72:

*Game No. 72 vs. the White Sox for Fisk came in the Red Sox 2-1 loss on April 30, 1980. “Pudge” was 2-for-2 with a homer in lifting his average to .347 as Richard Dotson and Ed Farmer got the best of Dennis Eckersley

*Fisk hit 72 home runs in July. 10 of those came in July of 1983 when he and the rest of the “Winning Ugly” White Sox were catching fire en route to the West title

*The 72nd inning Fisk caught for the Sox was the ninth inning in a 2-1 walkoff win over the Orioles before 10,715 at Comiskey Park. … Fisk crouched behind the plate as winning pitcher Ross Baumgarten retired Doug DeCinces, Rick Dempsey and Mark Belanger in order before Tony Bernazard drove in Rusty Kuntz in the bottom of the frame for the victory.

*Fisk went 2-for-5 with a run in his 72nd game with the White Sox and his 72nd career game at Comiskey Park on Sept. 6, 1981 (a 3-2 loss to Toronto at Comiskey Park)

*White Sox hit No. 72 for Fisk was the last of the 42 he would collect at the Twins’ Metropolitan Stadium (RBI single off of Doug Corbett on Sept. 11, 1981)

*White Sox home run No. 72 for Fisk was a solo shot in the fourth inning off the Yankees Joe Cowley in a 4-3 win at Comiskey Park on April 23, 1985

*Game No. 72 for Fisk at New Comiskey Park was his season debut in 1992 on June 9. … After recovering from injuries, Fisk went 0-for-3 in a 4-2 win over the Angels.

*Hit No. 72 for Fisk at New Comiskey Park was his last hit of the season at the venue — a single off the Indians Dennis Cook in a 2-1 loss on Sept. 13, 1992

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@SOXNERD RELIC OF THE DAY: WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN

“Calderon camps under it … and the White Sox have won the World Series!”

I love the 1990 White Sox.

Up until 2005, they were easily my favorite White Sox team.

Heck, some days — like today when I stumbled upon a relic from that season — the 1990 Sox are my favorite Sox team ever.

They were young, scrappy, energetic, surprising but most of all good.

So good that the Sox had to print postseason tickets (like the one pictured here) because manager Jeff Torborg’s team was in the hunt until late September.

The hated A’s won the West and the pennant but were swept by the Reds in the World Series.

Pictured is a bleacher ticket to Game 4 of the 1999 World Series.

In a perfect world, this would have been a ticket to the sweep-completing World Series clincher AND the final game at Comiskey Park.

How nuts would that have been?

Note: This is the latest in a series showcasing some of the memorabilia I have collected over the years.

COUNTDOWN TO WHITE SOX OPENING DAY: 73 DAYS

73 days to Opening Day, White Sox fans!

Chet Lemon is the only player in White Sox history with exactly 73 home runs.

Here are some Lemon drops on the homers he hit with the Sox … @soxnerd style:

*Lemon hit the 5,000th home run in Sox history on Sept. 2, 1981 off the Tigers Jerry Ujdur at Comiskey Park

*Lemon’s 450-foot blast on May 4, 1977 was the first home run to land in the fountains in Kansas City’s Kaufman Stadium in a 6-3 Sox win. … The Sox Matt Davidson celebrated the 40th anniversary of that homer with a 483-foot shot of his own into the drink.

*Lemon’s first homer was a two-run shot off Frank Tanana on May 17, 1976 that pulled the Sox to within 10-2 in a 10-5 loss to the Angels before 4,567 at Comiskey Park. … Bill Stein was on base in the eighth inning

*The homer was the first of a personal-best six he would club off Tanana

*Lemon hit 40 homers at Comiskey Park (tied with Jorge Orta for 18th all-time. … 37 of those dingers came with the Sox.

*Lemon’s first home run at Comiskey Park not in a Sox uniform was the only one hit by the Tigers in Jack Morris’ no-hitter on April 7, 1984 at Comiskey Park

*Lemon’s second career homer was his only game-starting shot. On July 15, 1976, leadoff man Lemon sent Jim Slaton’s second pitch into the seats in a 5-3 win over Milwaukee in 10 innings before 13,982 at Comiskey Park

*Lemon hit 71 of his Sox homers as a center fielder and two as a designated hitter.

*Lemon’s 19 homers were the fifth-highest output by a Sox centerfielder at the time (still ranks seventh)

*Lemon’s last Sox home run came on Oct. 2, 1981 off Pete Redfern in a 3-2 loss to the Twins at Comiskey Park

@SOXNERD RELIC OF THE DAY: THICK AS A BRICK

Oh the stories this brick could tell …

*Did Babe Ruth walk on you?

*Did Harold Baines blast a double off you?

*Did a Beatles song bounce off you?

*Did Ken Berry scale you?

RIP Comiskey Park. I miss you and think of you daily thanks to this brick which is proudly displayed in my living room.

*Note: This is the first in a series showcasing some of the memorabilia I have collected over the years.

COUNTDOWN TO WHITE SOX OPENING DAY: 74 DAYS

74 days to Opening Day, White Sox fans!

Jon Jay, recently acquired by the Sox, was the 74th overall pick in the June 2006 draft.

The Cardinals used a second round pick on the outfielder out of the University of Miami.

Jay made his big league debut on April 26, 2010 for the Cardinals. He was signed by the Sox on Jan. 10.

COUNTDOWN TO WHITE SOX OPENING DAY: 75 DAYS

75 days to Opening Day, White Sox fans!

Terry Forster, who gained fame or infamy as David Letterman’s “Fat Tub of Goo,” amassed 75 saves for the White Sox between 1971 and 1976.

Forster …

*set a Sox record (since broken) with 29 saves in 1972

*set a still-standing Sox record for lefties with 29 saves in 1972

*is the Sox all-time leader among lefties with 75 saves

*hit .480 in his 25 Sox at bats

*went 10-for-19 (.526) in 1972

COUNTDOWN TO WHITE SOX OPENING DAY: 76 DAYS

76 days to Opening Day, White Sox fans.

Dave Nicholson (pictured) and Wayne Nordhagen are tied for 76th in Sox history with 37 home runs.

One of Nicholson’s homers was a roofer on May 6, 1964, which may have traveled 573-feet.

The prodigious shot is part of my blog on Comiskey Park roofers, which is one of the most popular pieces I have ever posted.

Here’s the link https://soxnerd.wordpress.com/2017/02/18/notes-on-glorious-white-sox-roof-shot-homers/