C is For Carlton

White Sox Homerun hitters from A.J. to Zeke

C is for Carlton

Carlton "Pudge" Fisk

Today at my other blog, Home School Dad, I wrote about Old Comiskey Park, the home of the Chicago Whites Sox from 1910 to 1990. Carlton Fisk called Old Comiskey home from 1981 until the historic ballpark bit the dust and by the time it did, Pudge had become the White Sox all-time home run leader.

All told, Fisk hit 214 home runs for the White Sox from 1981 to his ignominious dismissal in the middle of  the 1993 campaign.  Note: I spent the year of 1993 abroad and it has been well documented (in my mind) that the White Sox would have never pulled shenanigan level antics like that, had I remained stateside.  Fisk hit more than 55 % of his 376  Major league home runs with the White Sox.  The rest came from the team where he hit this famous postseason home run.  If you haven't seen it before you've never watched Good Will Hunting.






Fisk is now 4th  most on the list of White Sox Home Runs. Fisks best 2 years for the White Sox, Homerun wise, were in 1985 when he hit 37, and in 1983 Fisks 26 homers helped win ugly.  Wearing both colors of SOX, Fisk averaged 24 home runs for every 162 games he  played.  Carlton Fisk was inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame in 2000.

For more A to Z blogging click here.  

C is for Comiskey Park (Place)

Today, I take a look at a place that is near and dear to my heart.  Especially, this time of year.  Comiskey Park was the home for the Chicago White Sox from 1910 to 1990. m It was replaced by a second stadium also called Comiskey Park in 1991.  Sometime they are referred to as Comiskey Park I and II or Old Comiskey Park and New Comiskey Park.  When New Comiskey was renamed U.S. Cellular Field in 2003, I gradually took to calling the new park by it's new moniker and the old park as Comiskey.

Here is a video baseball played in Comiskey in 1977 when the Sox were enjoying their South Side Hitmen success.  

It was somewhere around 1977 that Comiskey became the oldest baseball stadium still in use.  It held that distinction until 1990.

I started going to White Sox ga mes in the early 70's.  The year before my older sister had won two tickets at School and my Dad took her.  We were (and they still are) a Cubs family.  So I believe this was my Dad's first trip there.  I remember hearing all about the game  when I got home and I decided the next year, I would get perfect attendance and spend a day with my Dad.  We were a family of 4  kids at the time and 5 was not long after that, so 1 on 1 time with my Dad was at a premium.

The next year I had perfect attendance and I went to my first game.  Dick Allen,  hit a homerun and I fell in love with the team.  Ie still liked the Cubs and enjoyed our annual trips to Wrigleyield as a family.  But I cherished my trips to Comiskey.  My Dad took me most every year to a White Sox game,  I remembere being dedlighted to be able to watch former Cub heroes of mine Ron Santo and later Don Kessinger after they were moved to the Sox.

I could talk Comiskey all  day, but I was informed to keep these A to Z posts short.  So, I will just give you a quick guided tour.

Game 1 1959 World Series at Comiskey Park

The exploding scoreboard that shot off fireworks after every Sox Homer

The Exterior of the stadium

I think I sat behind one of these at nearly every game I went to.
We got a lot of give-a-way seats and these were what they gave away

Carlton Fisk switched Sox (from Red to White) in 1980 and was still with Chicago in 1990

Fisk is featured today at my sports blog

In 1990, The White Sox ad copy for the final season of Comiskey was years from now, you'll say that you were there.  Well that was 25 years ago and the advertising was right, I do say I was there.  I was living 4 and a half hours from Chicago at the time. Some friends came to my folks house for the weekend in July.  One of my friends had never seen a skyscraper before,  and we all watched a fantastic White Sod  victory.  What a great way to spend my last game there. 

Final Game at Comiskey

Out with the old.  In with the blue.

They Tore Down Paradise

Left Home Plate in the Parking Lot

Prior to demolition of the stadium,
the seats were removed and sold to television stars



For More A to Z Blogging click here. Back in A To Z 2012 I posted about Car Trips.

B is for Bill

White Sox Homerun hitters from A.J. to Zeke

B is for Bill

"Beltin'" Bill Melton

For many years of my life my dream job has been being the starting third baseman for the Chicago White Sox.  Bill Melton, played that position so marvelously for the White Sox when I was a kid, that I wanted to follow in his footsteps.  

Melton hit 154 home runs for the White Sox from 1968 to 1975.  That is 96.25% of his 160 career home runs.  The 154 dingers  puts him 8th overall on the WhiteSox HR leaderboard. Melton was first on that list until 1987, when surpassed by Harold Baines.      Through his career, Melton has averaged 23 home runs for every 162 games played.   Melton's 2 best home run years were in 1970 and 1971 where he hit 33 each year.  This was about the same time that his performance was making Third Base for the White Sox my dream job.

For more A to Z blogging click here.