#73 - Tony Phillips

There is only one player who has worn number 73 in a Major League game for the White Sox. That player would be Tony Phillips. On most cards, he is wearing number 8, but he did wear number 73 for at least one game.

Tony played with the White Sox in the 1996 season and the early part of 1997. While Tony did a decent job with the White Sox, his best days were behind him. He is mostly known for being on the Athletics and the Tigers. Both of those were before he landed on the White Sox.

Tony batted .277 with 161 hits for the 1996 season. But 132 strikeouts and only 63 RBI defined the season for him. He was still patient at the plate, drawing 125 walks.

1997 saw a .310 average during his time with the White Sox. Tony went back to where he was before signing with the White Sox as a free agent. The Sox traded him, along with Chad Kreuter, for Chuck McElroy and Jorge Fabregas.

This entry concludes the White Sox uniform series. Unless a September call up wears a uniform number that is not listed here, this should be it until a few revisions in 2009.

I hope that you have enjoyed this journey and have taken some knowledge and friendly debate away from these posts. If you have evidence of a number that I have missed in a Major League game for the Sox, please contact me with your evidence. Please, no Chris Getz e-mails. He wore number 76 in Spring Training, but his uniform number in any Major League game was 39. Spring Training numbers do not count in this list.

#72 - Carlton Fisk

There has only been one player in the entire history of the White Sox who has worn number 72. Hall of Fame catcher, Carlton Fisk. There will never be another player that will wear this number, because it is retired.

Regardless of automatic inclusion, from the retired number, or the sheer fact that he is the lone player at 72, Fisk would have made it. Carlton brought a certain level of competition to the playing field everyday.

The signing of Fisk, in 1981, was a coup and a huge risk. It was a statement to the baseball world that the new White Sox owners meant business. There would be no more sideshow attractions. Things would get serious.

By the mid-eighties, it looked like signing Carlton would be one of those passing things. A signing that few people would remember. A team that a great player once finished out his career with in his final few seasons. Fisk was injured a great deal at this time. Then, the right workout regimen appeared. Carlton was revitalized and enjoyed a wonderful career until 1993.

He passed Johnny Bench for most home runs by at catcher, at that point, and passed the mark for all-time Major League games caught. He still holds the record for most innings caught in a single game at 25 innings.

Fisk is the rare athlete that is beloved in two different cities. Even though he spent more time with the White Sox and broke more records with the White Sox, Fisk will always be remembered for his only trip to the World Series. The image most people associate with Carlton is his Game 6 1975 World Series home run that he waved fair.

Carlton Fisk's image in Chicago was of a blue collar worker, who was the first to arrive and the last to leave on a workday. It fit perfectly with the vibe of Chicago. He was a proponent of playing the game "right". Carlton has gotten into shouting matches, during games, if he caught a player dogging it on the field.

Carlton was immortalized with a statue in U.S. Cellular Field. After initial bad feelings between Fisk and the White Sox, over his 1993 release, Carlton is back in the White Sox fold as an ambassador.

#71 - Scott Linebrink

Not many players have worn number 71 for the Chicago White Sox. The players that would wear this number were usually scrub middle relievers that were around for a few games and never heard from again. That all changed in 2008.

General Manager Kenny Williams was determined to fix a struggling bullpen, which was blamed for the collapse of the 2007 season. The reasons behind the failure of that season were many and shouldn't rest solely on the bullpen, but this was the easiest to fix.

Kenny went after star players from other teams. Former closers who dominated in the set-up role. The plan was to get to Bobby Jenks with the lead intact. One of the guys that Kenny Williams went after was Scott Linebrink.

That instantly gave the middle relief credibility. No matter what Scott accomplished in a Sox uniform under number 71, would instantly trump all who wore the number previously. A funny thing happened when Scott put on the Sox uniform. He regained most of what made him a star. He had lost a step or two the previous season and had gotten lit up pretty well.

There have been some rough patches in Scott's 2008 season, but he has mostly been lights out. If Scott continues at this pace, it will be very hard to unseat him from this number.

#70 - Rich Sauveur

The White Sox have been wearing uniform numbers since the 1931 season. In all that time, only one player has appeared in a major league game wearing number 70. That would be Rich Sauveur.

Rich pitched ever so briefly for the White Sox in the 1996 season. He appeared in three games and pitched exactly three innings. Rich gave up three hits, including one home run, five runs, five walks, one strikeout and one hit batter.

Even though he was with six different teams in six different years between 1986 and 2000, he only appears to have one card. A 1993 Topps Gold card. Not a regular card, mind you, a gold card. This was one of Topps brilliant ideas of replacing the checklists in the gold parallel with players. Great idea, but not everyone knew they were doing this.

Alas, there is no White Sox card, that I'm aware of, of Rich Sauveur. That's a shame. On the other hand, if there is one lurking somewhere in the shadows, I'd hate to see it turn out like this adventure for his 1993 Topps Gold card.

By sheer fact that Rich is the only one to wear number 70, makes him the best to ever wear number 70. One of these years, a new number 70 will emerge victorious and eliminate the footnote of Rich Sauveur.

#68 - Doug Lindsey

Number 68 belongs to Doug Lindsey. You may ask why. Well, the simple fact is that Doug is the only player to wear number 68. There isn't even a card featuring Doug in a White Sox uniform.

In fact, Doug was only in two games for the White Sox, which happened to be his last two games in the majors. On September 21, 1993, he made his debut with the Sox as a late inning replacement for Ron Karkovice in a game that the Sox would lose to the Angels, in Anaheim, 8-0.

On October 2, 1993, Doug would actually get one at-bat in a game, replacing Ozzie Guillen in the batting order, but replacing Karkovice again defensively. Karkovice was replaced by Craig Grebeck one batter earlier, so the move made sense.

The Sox had already won their division, so they were giving their starters a little break. Since Doug is the only player to appear wearing number 68, he is the best.

#67 - John Danks

Even though John Danks now wears number 50, he started out as number 67. When he wore 67, he was a pitcher with a lot of potential and a lot of upside, with a little rawness, nervousness and bad luck mixed in with flashes of brilliance.

In 2008, John has transformed himself into a great pitcher. If he continues on this path, John will become a premier pitcher. That is a wonderful thing to finally see. It's not often that minor league pitchers get traded to the Sox that turn into something special. John definitely has the tools to become something special.

While John lost 13 of his 26 games in 2007, he showed enough promise to be one of the rookies the Sox were counting on big time in 2008. So far, John has put on quite a show. His record may not show it, from lack of run support, but Danks is one of the stoppers on the starting staff. John has stepped up his game, big time.

If Danks can stay healthy, I can see a long, successful career for him. I hope he turns into another Beuhrle and not another Bere.

#66 - Carl Fischer

While there are certainly interesting options for number 66, like Bill Cox, who's more famous for his comments on Jack Ruby than his baseball career, there can only be one. The Medina Mauler, better known as Carl "Charles" Fischer.

His best years were with the Washington Senators, but he spent the majority of the 1935 season with the White Sox after being purchased in May from the Detroit Tigers. What surprised me the most is that two players from the thirties have worn number 66. Carl seems to have slightly better numbers for his time with the team.

Carl was the first player to wear number 66 for the White Sox. He was 5-5 with a 6.19 ERA. It doesn't seem like he had great numbers, but he did complete three games with the Sox, while starting only eleven. It's not that bad for a 24 game total for a fifth place club.

At some point in the near future, I'm sure that some great player will knock Carl Fischer off of the number 66 perch. He has been sitting there since 1935, so maybe he is harder to knock off that perch than it would appear.

#65 - Kelly Wunsch

There is no player for number 64, so on to number 65.

Kelly Wunsch is the greatest White Sox player to wear number 65. He pitched on the White Sox from 2000 until 2004. Wunsch has only one save in his career. That was with the White Sox in 2000, his rookie year. He also led the league in appearances with 83 in 2000.

After that, the White Sox figured out exactly where to put Kelly. He was a sidearm/submarine specialty pitcher. He would come in and get a one to three batters and make a quick exit.

His success comes from the number of hits allowed. While there is no perfect pitcher, Kelly has never allowed more hits than innings pitched. His strikeout totals never surpassed his walk total. He was the perfect pitcher for delicate situations.

His funky delivery style would fool hitters. Some of the best players of the game looked foolish when Wunsch was on the mound. Among his accomplishments is a 0.00 ERA in the 2000 postseason. The Sox would be swept by the Mariners, but Kelly was in every game. He allowed only 2 hits with no walks, but took the loss in the last game.

Kelly's unique delivery caused later injury problems. I always felt good when Kelly would come into the game. I knew there was an excellent chance of a White Sox winner.

#63 - Ryan Bukvich

As we wind down the "Greatest Uniform Number" series, we find less and less players occupying the uniform numbers. In one aspect this makes the choices somewhat easier. In another, sometimes players slip through that wouldn't be considered at a number with greater competition.

Ryan Bukvich is one case. He wasn't bad in his appearances with the White Sox, but he didn't exactly excel at his position either. He came in and did what was asked of him. Ryan was one of the few bright spots in the 2007 bullpen.

Ryan appeared in 45 games for the Sox in 2007. He had a 1-0 record with 18 strikeouts and 24 walks in 35 2/3 innings. Not too bad, but not exactly setting the world on fire. It was good enough to rise near the top of the 2007 White Sox bullpen. Giving up roughly one hit for every inning of work as a reliever isn't going to make you a favorite of many people. Against odds though, he became a cult hero in Chicago, earning the nickname "Iceman" for his icy exterior in pressure situations.

Ryan does get bonus points for being born in Naperville, IL. Although bonus points mean nothing here. With more work, I can see Ryan becoming a decent middle reliever, but it probably won't be with the White Sox. He signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles after the 2007 season.

#62 - Ehren Wassermann

I would have to say, without question, the most successful player wearing number 62 would be Ehren Wassermann. The problem with this selection is that he only wore number 62 in 2007. In 2008, he switched his number to 43. Jack Egbert now wears number 62 in the Spring Training games. If Jack Egbert keeps this number and keeps up with his projections, he should easily take this number from Ehren when he is called up. Until then, it's all Ehren Wassermann.

Ehren is one of those types of players that I love. There isn't any direct comparison to his pitching style. The easiest comparison would be a submariner, but that doesn't tell the entire story. His delivery is similar to a sidearm pitcher, but there's something different about Ehren. I just can't put my finger on it.

He made his debut on July 20, 2007 at Fenway Park. Ehren faced two batters and retired them both. At the end of the 2007 season, he was the only lock for the bullpen besides Bobby Jenks. Ehren is still pitching effectively, but there may not be a place for him in the bullpen as the season starts.

Ehren is more of a specialist pitcher. The Sox are looking for a long man to complete the roster. Ehren may not break with the team to open the season, but his numbers are impressive enough to bring him up at any moment. He had a 2.74 ERA in 2007, with a 1-1 record. He also had 14 strikeouts in 23 innings.

He may not get the recognition that he should, but Ehren is one of the key guys in the Sox bullpen. Everyone has a role and Ehren excels at his specialist role. The Sox went crazy after the 2007 season and signed a good amount of high priced talent to fix the ailing bullpen. Ehren was one of the few components that wasn't broken last year.

#61 - Jesus Pena

This will be a fairly easy task. I can safely say that the best player to wear number 61 on the White Sox is Jesus Pena. He played in 46 games for the White Sox between 1999 and 2000. His ERA was over 5 for both years.

Jesus originally was signed by the Pirates in 1993. The White Sox drafted him from the Pirates in a minor league draft in 1996.

Jesus' strikeouts and walks were around the same amount each year. He was the extra bullpen guy. He had the stuff to get the job done, but you didn't call on him too much. The more exposure he had to lineups, the more he was going to get hit. Plus, he was a lefty. Southpaws almost always got to hang around longer on the Sox for the sole reason that they were left handed.

In the heat of a pennant race, the White Sox dealt Jesus to the Red Sox for a player to be named later, in late September 2000. The player to be named came in March of the next year. Jesus only played in 2 games for the Red Sox in 2000. Those were his last two games in the majors.

The White Sox got right handed pitcher Mike Rupp in return. He never made it past A+ ball and was out of baseball after 2002.

#60 - Rocky Biddle

Lee Francis Biddle has done something that Scott Schoeneweis and Dewon Day could not do. That is be the best number 60 on the White Sox. Dewon did not fare well in his limited time. Scott showed nothing of his former self, while on the White Sox. So, it all rests on Rocky Biddle.

Not that Rocky fared too well himself. He pitched from 200-2002 for the White Sox. He never had a winning season in his career. He never had a MLB ERA under 4.00. But Rocky had something else that Scott and Dewon never had with the Sox, potential.

Rocky was full of potential. He also had the occasional flash of brilliance, but the potential was mostly unrealized. He did help the Sox out in one regard, his exit. Rocky was one of the key pieces in a trade to Montreal to get Bartolo Colon. Bartolo may have had an off year with the White Sox, but the name value alone is enough to put Rocky over the top. I'm not sure, but I think I made two Sylvester Stallone references in the last sentence. That's scary.

Rocky fared a little better in Montreal. The Expos turned him into a closer. He did have 34 saves for them in 2003. The best that I can tell is that he was released by the Nationals before their move to DC. Will someone knock Rocky out of this number? Only time will tell.

#59 - John Snyder

Number 59 is John Snyder. Is that right? I'm afraid so. Before you get out the pitchforks, let me explain. Not many players have worn number 59. It's the simple logistics of it all. I told you some numbers past 50 would be real slim pickings.

There is an upside though. John had his best season with the White Sox in his rookie year, 1998. He was 7-2 as a starter with a 4.80 ERA. That's a pretty decent record despite the high ERA.

John's final year with the White Sox was not as impressive as his first. In 1999, he was 9-12 with a 6.68 ERA. Not the kind of numbers that keep you on the staff, unless your name is Jaime Navarro.

How did John get to the White Sox? He was part of the deal that traded away Jim Abbott back to the California Angels. Bill Simas, McKay Christensen and Andrew Lorraine came with him to the White Sox in 1995.

How did John leave? He was traded to the Brewers along with Jaime Navarro for Jose Valentin and Cal Eldred. John had a 3-10 record for the Brew Crew in 2000. That was the last year he was in the major leagues. His best years were with the White Sox. That's always something to be proud of.

#58 - Matt Ginter

I haven't forgotten about the uniform numbers. I'm triple checking my initial research into the higher numbers. I have made last minute changes on a few numbers recently, because I had overlooked a player that was overwhelmingly more deserving. While most of my initial picks still stand, there have been one or two that needed to be changed. This was not one of them.

Number 58 is not a number worn by a great deal of players on the White Sox. Matt Ginter stands out above all that I have found. He was on the White Sox from 2000 until 2003. In that time, he had a 3-0 record with one save.

Interestingly enough, his ERA is the same in 2000 and 2003 at 13.50. Yes, that's a 13.50 ERA in two different years. Matt played in 7 games in 2000 and 3 games in 2003 to accomplish that feat.

The rest of his White Sox tenure hovered below and above a 5.00 ERA. One season above, one season below. There was high hope for Matt, but he never materialized the success to go with the hope. He is currently looking to latch onto the Indians parent team in 2008.

#57 - Shawn Hillegas

Until Boone Logan can get his high wire act together and pitch consistently, Shawn Hillegas will remain in this spot. I remember Shawn Hillegas with more fondness than his numbers would indicate. I'm not exactly sure why.

He came to the White Sox in August 1988 in a trade with the Dodgers, which shipped Ricky Horton out of town. Shawn left in December 1990 as part of the Cory Snyder deal. So, in essence, he helped get rid of a lousy pitcher and helped get a great hitter who didn't work out as planned. I've seen worse trades.

Shawn has a 10-13 record during his time with the Sox. His 3 saves came in 1989. His lowest ERA was 0.79 in 1990. Before you become impressed with that statistic, know that Shawn only pitched in 7 games that year. It brings the impressive number down to Earth a little more. Still, that's not too bad over 11 1/3 innings.

I can clearly remember being impressed with Shawn at some point while he was on the Sox. It's possible that it was in the 1990 season. Based on those seven appearances, I could imagine myself thinking that he's something special in middle relief. Appearances are often deceiving.

Shawn did manage to stick around for slightly over two years. Plus, he was on the 1990 team that came out of nowhere to contend with Oakland. Those are all admirable things to be associated with.

#56 - Mark Buehrle

As we get closer to the end of the line, I'm running into a lot of lesser players that sneak in and claim the number simply for lack of a better player. This can't be further from the truth for number 56. Mark Buehrle owns number 56 and probably will for eternity.

I imagine the White Sox will eventually retire this number after Buehrle's career is over. I doubt they will retire his number before Mark actually retires. That would be embarrassing if he ever should land on another team like Harold Baines. That was painful to see, each time Harold came back, be it on another team or with the White Sox. If the White Sox are listening, please retire the number of a player AFTER he has officially retired.

What makes Mark so deserving of this number? From 2000 until 2007, he only had one season in which he had a losing record. It was in 2006 and he was 12-13. That had more to do with the lack of hitting than it did his pitching. He even posted a 10-9 record in the abysmal 2007 season.

He was selected to 3 All-Star games, so far, and won the game in 2005. He led the league in innings pitched in 2004 and 2005. Mark had a complete game in the 2005 ALCS, one of 4 straight complete games thrown that series by the White Sox. Besides getting a no decision in the World Series, he saved one of the games. He actually became the first pitcher in World Series history to start and save consecutive games.

In addition to all that, Mark threw a no-hitter facing the minimum amount of batters in 2007. His only blemish was a walk to Sammy Sosa, which he promptly picked off. He is a quick worker, usually finishing games in about 2 hours. His quickest game was 1 hour and 39 minutes.

Even when Mark is off, the team finds a way to win. Mark gave up 7 runs in the first inning of a 2006 game, which he ended up winning. Mark is a true throwback to the old school of baseball with his easy delivery and fun attitude on the field. Until he was banned recently by management, Mark used to entertain the crowd by using the tarp as a slip n' slide during rain delays.

Mark is always a presence at SoxFest every January. His allegiance lies with the fans. He may joke about wanting to play with the Cardinals, but his heart is with the White Sox.

#55 - Brandon McCarthy

For lack of a better option, Brandon McCarthy is here. He had his share of success with the White Sox, but his failures were more memorable. When potential is thrown around to describe a player for well over a year, there's a problem.

Brandon had plenty of opportunities to make good on that potential. He pitched with the White Sox in parts of the 2005 and 2006 seasons. He rarely duplicated the success of his minor league stints with the parent club. So far, Brandon is what some people would call a 4A pitcher. Dominating at AAA, but dinged up at the major league level.

Brandon was eventually traded to the Rangers with David Paisano for John Danks, Nick Massett and Jake Rasner. Maybe he will find Texas a more suitable environment to be more effective in the majors. From his 2007 season stats with the Rangers, it looks like he has more work to do.

Uniform number 55 will be Brandon's until someone steps in and has a little more success. I wish Brandon the best in his career. I'm sorry it didn't work out in Chicago. If there's one positive thing Brandon can take pride in, it's that he was the best at number 55 for the White Sox.

#54 - Rich Gossage

When a Hall of Fame pitcher starts out in your organization and ends up playing his second longest tenure with your team, he generally deserves accolades. Lack of more deserving contenders also contribute to this selection. Rich "Goose" Gossage will always wear number 54 for the White Sox. It's going to take another Hall of Famer with a longer tenure or a clear fan favorite to unseat Goose.

Rich was on the White Sox from 1972 until 1976. During that time, he went back and forth between the bullpen and the starting rotation. He saved 26 games in 1975, but threw 15 complete games out of 29 started in 1976 with 1 save.

Despite the success in 1975 in the closer role, Rich was needed in the starting rotation in 1976. I'm not sure if it was because of a team need in the rotation or if the White Sox didn't realize what they had in a closer. Rich posted his White Sox best ERA as a closer in 1975 with 1.84.

More than likely it had to do with Chuck Tanner leaving as skipper of the White Sox after the 1975 season. The new manager in 1976, Paul Richards, probably had his own agenda. One which didn't involve Goose as a closer.

Probably most telling is that Rich never started another game after he left the White Sox. He went on to become the premier closer for many teams over many years. He was traded with Terry Forster to the Pirates for Richie Zisk and Silvio Martinez. Goose was back under the management of Chuck Tanner and he went back to the role of closer.

Rich was starting to emerge as a player at the tail end of his White Sox tenure. He made the All-Star team in 1975 and 1976 with the Sox. He led the league in saves in 1975. With all the success later in his career it's hard to remember that Rich started on the White Sox. For what it's worth, the Goose started to be on loose on the White Sox.

#53 - Dennis Lamp

I have no doubt that this won't go to Chris Tremie. He's a catcher that played 10 games for the White Sox in 1995. Nor will it go to Norberto Martin, who wore the number in 1993.

This number shall go to Dennis Lamp. He played for the White Sox from 1981 until 1983. He was 25-21 with the Sox with 193 strikeouts in middle relief.

His standout year was in 1982, where he was 11-8 with 78 strikouts and 5 saves. He would have a better ERA in 1981 with 2.41. In fact that was his best on the White Sox and second best in his career. His best year for saves was 1983, when he has 15. That was also the best of his career.

The little known fact about Dennis, is that he helped get Tom Seaver onto the White Sox. When he signed as a free agent with the Blue Jays for the 1984 season, the White Sox claimed Tom Seaver from the Mets as compensation for the loss of Dennis. The Mets left Tom Seaver off their protected list, figuring that no team would want him.

#52 - Jose Contreras

At number 52, we have Jose Contreras. Don't let the lack of competition fool you, he belongs here. It's just, at times, it seems like he doesn't belong on a major league club. Other times, Jose is the best pitcher in the world.

Therein lies the mystery of Jose Contreras. He can be lights out just as easily as he can be yanked in the first inning. Jose first came to the White Sox in the middle of 2004. He is still there, as of this writing.

Jose has had a winning record every year with the White Sox except 2007, when he went 10-17. His best year came in 2005 when he went 15-7 with a 3.61 ERA. It looked like Jose had solved his demons that plagued him in New York. He even went to the All-Star game in 2006, but did not play.

Between 2005 and 2006, Jose won 17 consecutive games where he was the pitcher of record. Even though his 2007 season was one to mostly forget, he did lead the AL in shutouts. Joel Davis, Rich Barnes and even Jerry Kutzler can all step aside. Jose has this number for awhile.