July 4, 1990

The last Fourth of July game in old Comiskey Park will always be memorable for me. It was the last time I was ever in the old park. It was a blistering hot day and we had to stand outside of the park in a line for what seemed like hours. It was the best place to be that July 4th.

My mom had won tickets that morning in a radio contest on Q101. For those of you in the Chicago area, it was an adult contemorary station at the time. I think she won them off of Murphy In The Morning. This was a break from our usual July 4th ritual of going to Raceway Park over in Blue Island for the fireworks show and if we were lucky a demolition derby with locals racing their beaters.

We took my dad's mom with us that day. I think it was the only 4th that I spent with her. The White Sox provided a good game despite the long wait outside. Ron Kittle hit two home runs that night. Detroit's catcher Mike Heath spoiled the fun in the 12th inning by hitting a three run homer put the Tigers ahead of the Sox. The White Sox lost that game 10-7 in 12 innings, but we still had a great time.

The fireworks show was spectacular. It was better than anything Raceway Park had done in years. A good time was had by all, despite the final outcome. Even if the White Sox lose a game, I can still enjoy it if it was entertaining overall. That game reminded me of the rest of the 1990 season. There was a lot of excitement, a lot of fireworks, a lot of good baseball played, but in the end, the Sox fell short of winning it all.