Lip Man 1
07-30-2007, 12:21 PM
This is the busiest single day in Sox history since we've been doing this:
July 31, 1909 - ‘Sleepy’ Bill Burns fires a one hitter defeating Walter Johnson and the Senators in Washington 1 - 0. If that name sounds familiar it’s because Burns would become one of the ringleaders in the plot to fix the World Series. It was he who had the idea of going to gambler Arnold Rothstein to get the financial backing to rig the White Sox - Reds World Series of 1919.
July 31, 1910 - Lee Tannehill hits the first White Sox home run at Comiskey Park when his ball rolls under the fence. According to the rules at the time it was still considered a home run and a grand slam to boot! The Sox still lost to the Tigers though, 6 - 5.
July 31, 1964 - Sox star left hander Juan Pizarro strikes out fourteen Senators in a 6 - 0 win in Washington. Pizarro allows only four hits.
July 31, 1972 - Another baseball rarity! Dick Allen’s magical season continued with two inside the park home runs in a single game. That tied the Major League record at that time. It was set in Minnesota at old Metropolitan Stadium as the Sox beat Bert Blyleven 8 - 1. Bobby Darwin was the Twins center fielder who misplayed both of Allen’s drives. Allen was credited with five RBI’s on the day. (You can hear the first of the two home runs called by Sox announcer Jack Drees at White Sox Interactive under the story titled ‘Seventies Survival!’)
July 31, 1977- The high point of the 1977 season. The ‘Southside Hit Men’ had won the first two games of this crucial four game series with the Royals by coming from behind each time. In the first game of a double header, Chet Lemon’s two run home run in the last of the 10th tied the game at four, then Ralph Garr’s single drove in the game winner. The Sox were now 6 ½ games in the lead, the franchise’s largest margin since 1967. Three straight come from behind wins had the crowd of over forty-five thousand in a frenzy. The second game also produced fireworks as the Royals routed the Sox 8 - 4. Hal McRae homered, then did a slow trot around the bases, tipping his cap as he touched home plate, mocking Sox fans who had called for ‘curtain calls’ all season long. Sox fans reacted by throwing garbage at McRae and the Royals from the stands.
July 31, 1991 - The white hot White Sox cap off a sizzling month with one of the most dramatic moments in team history. The Sox trail the Rangers 8 -6 going into the bottom of the 9th inning. Texas brings in former Sox pitcher "Goose" Gossage to close things out. But the goose gets cooked on this night as with two out, Robin Ventura hammers a grand slam into the right field stands winning the game 10 - 8. A full house, which included noted Cub fan Bill Murray, goes wild as Ventura is bodily lifted up by massive Frank Thomas in a celebration hug at home plate.
July 31, 1993 - With the Sox looking for any type of reliable starting pitching help in the middle of a pennant race, G.M. Ron Schueler is finally convinced to deal two of his ‘can’t miss kids,’ to Cincinnati for pitcher Tim Belcher. Belcher provides some consistency to help the rotation but comes up big when it’s really needed, in the post season. In game #4 of the ALCS, he relieved a shell shocked Jason Bere and picked up the win which tied the best of seven series at two games each.
July 31, 1996 - The White Sox infuriate their fans and anger their own players by refusing to make any significant trade moves at the deadline, settling for Tony Castillo later in August, to try to help a bullpen that’s among the worst in baseball. In fact the 1996 White Sox would set the record (since broken) for most ‘blown’ save opportunities. The Sox were in the midst of blowing a substantial lead in the Wild Card race at the time. The following week, Sox players Roberto Hernandez and Tony Phillips rip the organization in the print edition of The Sporting News.
July 31, 1997 - Perhaps the lowest point in the history of the Chicago White Sox franchise occurs as owner Jerry Reinsdorf issues his "anybody who thinks this club can catch Cleveland is crazy" comment and guts the team. Reinsdorf allows General Manager Ron Schueler to trade Wilson Alvarez, Roberto Hernandez and Danny Darwin to the Giants with the Sox only 3 ½ games out of first. The Sox get back six minor league prospects. The "White Flag" trade results in catastrophic consequences for the team from an attendance and public relations standpoint both locally and nationally. No team before had ever traded their top pitchers when they were only a few games off the lead. Joe Morgan goes on ESPN’s ‘Baseball Tonight’ and angrily denounces Sox management saying how sorry he felt "for the fans and the season ticket holders." Dave Campbell echoes those remarks. Sports Illustrated has the Sox "surrender" as their feature story and quotes both Alvarez and Hernandez as stating that when manager Terry Bevington told them they were traded he was "laughing." Many Sox fans never forgive Reinsdorf and refuse to ever attend games in person. Sox star Robin Ventura issues his famous "I didn’t know the season ended in August" quote.
July 31, 1998 - Albert Belle clocks his 16th home run in the month which sets the MLB record. The old mark was 15, set by Joe DiMaggio, Hank Greenberg, Juan Gonzales and Joe Adcock. The Sox would hammer the Rangers in Texas 10 - 2.
July 31, 2004 - At the trade deadline, Kenny Williams makes a pitching swap that would dramatically affect the franchise. He sends former All Star Esteban Loazia to the Yankees for disappointing pitcher Jose Contreras and cash. In 2005, Contreras would become the best pitcher in baseball after the All Star break and help lead the Sox to the World Championship. He set the club record with 16 straight wins spanning the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
July 31, 2005 - In a very minor deal the Sox pick up utility man Geoff Blum from the Padres for a minor league pitcher. Blum writes his name into Sox history with his extra inning home run in Game #3 of the 2005 World Series less then three months later.
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Lip
July 31, 1909 - ‘Sleepy’ Bill Burns fires a one hitter defeating Walter Johnson and the Senators in Washington 1 - 0. If that name sounds familiar it’s because Burns would become one of the ringleaders in the plot to fix the World Series. It was he who had the idea of going to gambler Arnold Rothstein to get the financial backing to rig the White Sox - Reds World Series of 1919.
July 31, 1910 - Lee Tannehill hits the first White Sox home run at Comiskey Park when his ball rolls under the fence. According to the rules at the time it was still considered a home run and a grand slam to boot! The Sox still lost to the Tigers though, 6 - 5.
July 31, 1964 - Sox star left hander Juan Pizarro strikes out fourteen Senators in a 6 - 0 win in Washington. Pizarro allows only four hits.
July 31, 1972 - Another baseball rarity! Dick Allen’s magical season continued with two inside the park home runs in a single game. That tied the Major League record at that time. It was set in Minnesota at old Metropolitan Stadium as the Sox beat Bert Blyleven 8 - 1. Bobby Darwin was the Twins center fielder who misplayed both of Allen’s drives. Allen was credited with five RBI’s on the day. (You can hear the first of the two home runs called by Sox announcer Jack Drees at White Sox Interactive under the story titled ‘Seventies Survival!’)
July 31, 1977- The high point of the 1977 season. The ‘Southside Hit Men’ had won the first two games of this crucial four game series with the Royals by coming from behind each time. In the first game of a double header, Chet Lemon’s two run home run in the last of the 10th tied the game at four, then Ralph Garr’s single drove in the game winner. The Sox were now 6 ½ games in the lead, the franchise’s largest margin since 1967. Three straight come from behind wins had the crowd of over forty-five thousand in a frenzy. The second game also produced fireworks as the Royals routed the Sox 8 - 4. Hal McRae homered, then did a slow trot around the bases, tipping his cap as he touched home plate, mocking Sox fans who had called for ‘curtain calls’ all season long. Sox fans reacted by throwing garbage at McRae and the Royals from the stands.
July 31, 1991 - The white hot White Sox cap off a sizzling month with one of the most dramatic moments in team history. The Sox trail the Rangers 8 -6 going into the bottom of the 9th inning. Texas brings in former Sox pitcher "Goose" Gossage to close things out. But the goose gets cooked on this night as with two out, Robin Ventura hammers a grand slam into the right field stands winning the game 10 - 8. A full house, which included noted Cub fan Bill Murray, goes wild as Ventura is bodily lifted up by massive Frank Thomas in a celebration hug at home plate.
July 31, 1993 - With the Sox looking for any type of reliable starting pitching help in the middle of a pennant race, G.M. Ron Schueler is finally convinced to deal two of his ‘can’t miss kids,’ to Cincinnati for pitcher Tim Belcher. Belcher provides some consistency to help the rotation but comes up big when it’s really needed, in the post season. In game #4 of the ALCS, he relieved a shell shocked Jason Bere and picked up the win which tied the best of seven series at two games each.
July 31, 1996 - The White Sox infuriate their fans and anger their own players by refusing to make any significant trade moves at the deadline, settling for Tony Castillo later in August, to try to help a bullpen that’s among the worst in baseball. In fact the 1996 White Sox would set the record (since broken) for most ‘blown’ save opportunities. The Sox were in the midst of blowing a substantial lead in the Wild Card race at the time. The following week, Sox players Roberto Hernandez and Tony Phillips rip the organization in the print edition of The Sporting News.
July 31, 1997 - Perhaps the lowest point in the history of the Chicago White Sox franchise occurs as owner Jerry Reinsdorf issues his "anybody who thinks this club can catch Cleveland is crazy" comment and guts the team. Reinsdorf allows General Manager Ron Schueler to trade Wilson Alvarez, Roberto Hernandez and Danny Darwin to the Giants with the Sox only 3 ½ games out of first. The Sox get back six minor league prospects. The "White Flag" trade results in catastrophic consequences for the team from an attendance and public relations standpoint both locally and nationally. No team before had ever traded their top pitchers when they were only a few games off the lead. Joe Morgan goes on ESPN’s ‘Baseball Tonight’ and angrily denounces Sox management saying how sorry he felt "for the fans and the season ticket holders." Dave Campbell echoes those remarks. Sports Illustrated has the Sox "surrender" as their feature story and quotes both Alvarez and Hernandez as stating that when manager Terry Bevington told them they were traded he was "laughing." Many Sox fans never forgive Reinsdorf and refuse to ever attend games in person. Sox star Robin Ventura issues his famous "I didn’t know the season ended in August" quote.
July 31, 1998 - Albert Belle clocks his 16th home run in the month which sets the MLB record. The old mark was 15, set by Joe DiMaggio, Hank Greenberg, Juan Gonzales and Joe Adcock. The Sox would hammer the Rangers in Texas 10 - 2.
July 31, 2004 - At the trade deadline, Kenny Williams makes a pitching swap that would dramatically affect the franchise. He sends former All Star Esteban Loazia to the Yankees for disappointing pitcher Jose Contreras and cash. In 2005, Contreras would become the best pitcher in baseball after the All Star break and help lead the Sox to the World Championship. He set the club record with 16 straight wins spanning the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
July 31, 2005 - In a very minor deal the Sox pick up utility man Geoff Blum from the Padres for a minor league pitcher. Blum writes his name into Sox history with his extra inning home run in Game #3 of the 2005 World Series less then three months later.
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Lip