January 15

2011 SP Legendary Cuts #162 - Roger Peckinpaugh (06/10) (Auto)

On this day in 1927, Roger Peckinpaugh came to the White Sox in a trade with the Washington Senators. The Senators received Sloppy Thurston and Leo Mangum in exchange for Peckinpaugh.

Roger batted .295 for the Pale Hose in 1927, which would be his final year of playing in the majors. He only appeared in sixty-eight games, with sixty of those at shortstop. The next year, Peckinpaugh started his managerial career with the Cleveland Indians.



White Sox January 15th birthdays:

1885 - Grover Lowdermilk
1915 - Dick Culler
1937 - Bob Sadowski
1949 - Luis Alvarado

January 14

1996 Fleer #76 - Mike Sirotka

On this day in 2001, Mike Sirotka was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays, along with Brian Simmons, Kevin Beirne and Mike Williams for David Wells and Matt DeWitt.

Damaged goods and underwhelming performances highlighted this trade. Dubbed "shouldergate", Mike Sirotka arrived to the Blue Jays with shoulder problems, which contributed to Sirotka never pitching again. It also sparked outcry from Toronto GM Gord Ash, which caused Bud Selig to rule that the trade stood as is.

Neither team really benefited from the trade, as David Wells had his worst year since 1994, in his lone year with the White Sox. Wells only won five games for the Pale Hose, which is only slightly better than the zero games played with the Jays for Sirotka.

White Sox January 14th birthdays:

1893 - Billy Meyer
1902 - Smead Jolley
1952 - Terry Forster
1976 - Pat Daneker
1984 - Mike Pelfrey

January 13

1993 Conlon #747 - Aaron Ward

On this day in 1927, the New York Yankees traded Aaron Ward to the White Sox for Johnny Grabowski and Ray Morehart.

Aaron would only spend one season with the Sox and it would be his last productive season in the majors, batting .270 in one hundred forty games. Before the 1928 season, Aaron was selected off of waivers by the Cleveland Indians and appeared in just six games with the Tribe. He faded into the minors until his retirement as a player in 1933.








White Sox January 13th birthdays:

1918 - Emmett O'Neill
1964 - Billy Jo Robidoux
1983 - Andy Sisco

January 12

2001 Pacific Extreme LTD #93 - Cal Eldred

On this day in 2000, the White Sox dumped problem child Jaime Navarro onto the Milwaukee Brewers with pitcher John Snyder for Cal Eldred and Jose Valentin.

Cal helped shape the 2000 playoff bound White Sox by showing the grit and determination to play through injury and the tenacity to put hardware in his elbow to help his team. After starting the 2000 campaign 10-2, Eldred, who had a history of elbow problems, had a screw put into his elbow in the fall. He petered out with the White Sox in 2001, but he caught on with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2003 and played three more seasons.





White Sox January 12th birthdays:

1876 - George Browne
1958 - Rod Craig
1960 - Tim Hulett

January 11

1931 W517 #43 - Art Shires

On this day in 1930, a lawsuit against Art Shires was dropped for a settlement of $500.

On December 28, 1928 a 53-year-old man from Shreveport, Louisiana man died from head injuries after being hit by a baseball thrown by Shires on May 20, 1928 in a game between Waco and Shreveport. Shires had allegedly thrown the baseball in anger at a group of disapproving Shreveport fans. On March 27, 1929, Shires was sued by the dead man's wife for $25,411. One day after the lawsuit was reported in the papers, Art was exonerated by a grand jury on March 29, 1929.

Art Shires played for the White Sox from 1928 until 1930.




White Sox January 11th birthdays:

1922 - Neil Berry
1929 - Don Mossi
1962 - Donn Pall

January 10

1992 O-Pee-Chee Premier #328 - Steve Sax

On this day in 1992, the White Sox acquired Steve Sax from the New York Yankees for Melido Perez, Domingo Jean and Bob Wickman.

Easily regarded as one of the worst trades for the Sox, Steve Sax didn't hit out of the .230 range for his duration with the South Siders. His fielding took a little bit of a dip from his days with New York, but it regressed to levels of his Los Angeles days.

Sax took a back seat to Joey Cora at second base and Tim Raines in left field by 1993. Steve never played in a postseason game in 1993, despite being on the roster all season.





White Sox January 10th birthdays:

1937 - Jim O'Toole
1958 - Pat Keedy
1959 - Richard Dotson

January 9

2010 Historic Autographs "In Memory Of" Update - Ray French

On this day in 1895, shortstop and second baseman, Ray French was born. Ray played briefly for the White Sox in 1924. He mostly played at shortstop, but played three games at second base for the Pale Hose. He managed 20 hits and 11 RBI, while batting .179.

Ray was purchased from the Brooklyn Robins on April 16, 1924 and played his last game on July 10, 1924.




White Sox January 9th birthdays:

1895 - Ray French
1982 - Tony Pena

January 8

1984 Donruss #379 - Julio Cruz

On this day in 1984, the White Sox re-signed free agent Julio Cruz.

After being the spark plug for the 1983 "Winning Ugly" team, the Sox signed Julio to a new contract in 1984. Unfortunately, Cruz did not return to form and slowly trailed off of his hot '83 finish. This was one of the reasons why the 1984 team underperformed and the beginning of a slow decline that would last for the rest of the decade.

The Sox finally cut ties with Julio before the 1987 season, but the damage was done and the Sox would find themselves near the cellar of the American League West until strong drafts led to a Pale Hose resurgence in 1990.

White Sox January 8th birthdays:

1921 - Marv Rickert
1927 - Jim Busby
1934 - Gene Freese
1973 - Mike Cameron

January 7

1916 M101-4 #96 - Jack Lapp

On this day in 1916, the White Sox purchased Jack Lapp from the Philadelphia Athletics.

Jack would only play forty games for the Sox, hitting .208, in what would be his last year in the majors. Lapp was a second string catcher behind Ray Schalk. Jack's final game was October 1, 1916, during a doubleheader in Cleveland. The 1916 White Sox finished two and a half games back of the Boston Red Sox. He was cut from the White Sox due to ill health.

Lapp died on Friday, February 6, 1920, at the age of thirty-five, from pneumonia, in his home at 4229 North Franklin Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the night.




White Sox January 7th birthdays:

1900 - Johnny Grabowski
1905 - Frank Grube
1920 - Dixie Howell
1921 - Ted Beard
1946 - Joe Keough

January 6

2006 Topps Heritage #84 - A.J. Pierzynski

On this day in 2005, Sox GM Kenny Williams bites the bullet and signs A.J. Pierzynski, despite the ugly rumors that persist about the hard nosed catcher.

The signing turned out to be a stroke of genius, as Pierzynski was a helpful teammate and one of the driving forces behind the surprising World Series Championship year for the White Sox. Controversy follows A.J. wherever he goes, it seems, as he gets in the middle of nearly every play.

A.J. was in the middle of a dropped third strike debacle, a few fights and many interesting calls. Pierzynski may be the most knowledgeable man on the field at all times, but that, like many other facets involving A.J., is in the eye of the beholder.



White Sox January 6th birthdays:

1878 - Jack Slattery
1882 - Willis Cole
1886 - Billy Purtell
1895 - Charlie Blackburn
1887 - Buck Crouse
1902 - Bob Barnes
1903 - Ike Eichrodt
1916 - Phil Masi
1920 - Early Wynn

January 5

2011 Bowman Prospects #BP38 - Eduardo Escobar

Happy birthday to Eduardo Escobar, who made his MLB debut with the White Sox in 2011.

Escobar had turned heads as a minor league standout, and put up respectable numbers in very limited appearances in 2011. Appearing in games as a pinch runner, pinch hitter and shortstop, Eduardo managed two hits in seven at-bats. He appeared in nine games in his first season.









White Sox January 5th birthdays:

1879 - Zaza Harvey
1899 - Bill Hunnefield
1901 - Luke Sewell
1914 - Jack Salveson
1924 - Fred Marsh
1935 - Earl Battey
1948 - Charlie Hough
1958 - Ron Kittle
1963 - John Davis
1989 - Eduardo Escobar

January 4

1949 Bowman #191 - Joe Haynes

On this day in 1941, the White Sox purchased Joe Haynes from the Washington Senators. Joe went on to play with the White Sox through 1948.

While with the Sox, Haynes led the AL in games and games finished in 1942, was the AL ERA champion in 1947 and made his only All-Star appearance in 1948.

Joe was traded to the White Sox by his future father-in-law, Washington owner Clark Griffith.






White Sox January 4th birthdays:

1903 - Alex Metzler
1906 - Blondy Ryan
1930 - Don McMahon
1963 - Daryl Boston
1982 - Jason Bourgeois
1994 - Reynaldo Lopez

January 3

2007 SP Rookie Edition #126 - Gustavo Molina

On this day in 2000, Gustavo Molina was signed as an amateur free agent by the Chicago White Sox. Gustavo made his MLB debut with the White Sox in 2007. He was on the opening day roster due to an injury to backup catcher Toby Hall.

Gustavo was 1-18 with one RBI during his tenure with the White Sox. His lone hit came at U.S. Cellular Field against the New York Yankees. Once Toby Hall came back, Gustavo was sent down and was eventually picked up on waivers by the Baltimore Orioles. After the Orioles, he has played for the Mets, Red Sox and Yankees.






White Sox January 3rd birthdays:

1904 - Bill Cissell
1910 - Frenchy Bordagaray
1950 - Bart Johnson

January 2

1976 Chicago's Greats - Bill Veeck

On this day in 1986, Bill Veeck died from cancer, after a lengthy smoking habit. While he is most associated by his contributions with the White Sox, most people have no idea how influential he was all over the game.

When Bill was a child, his father became president of the Chicago Cubs. As a young lad, Bill came up with the idea of growing ivy in the Wrigley Field outfield. This brainstorm helped to define Wrigley Field and is one of the first things that pops into people's heads when they think of the Cubs home field.

While with the Cleveland Indians, Veeck signed Larry Doby to a contract, effectively making Doby the first black player in the American League. He also signed Satchel Paige, making him the oldest rookie in MLB history.

Working with the St. Louis Browns, Veeck hired Eddie Gaedel to pinch hit and allowed the fans to manage a game, which the Browns won, snapping a four game losing streak.

In 1959, Veeck was head of a group that took over the White Sox. He installed the now famous exploding scoreboard and electric blowers to clear home plate of dirt. Bill was forced to sell his shares of the team in 1961, due to poor health, but returned in 1975.

This time, Veeck pulled memorable stunts like having the team wear shorts during three different games and the ill-fated Disco Demolition. He also created the template for the rent-a-player mentality that would become popular with some owners, when he signed star players to one year contracts, in 1977. Veeck would be responsible for reinstating Minnie Minoso two separate times. One of the most enduring stunts that Veeck pulled out of his hat was convincing announcer Harry Caray to sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" for the fans during the seventh inning stretch. A reluctant Caray agreed and it became a staple of Harry's schtick, which he moved to the Cubs booth a few years later.

White Sox January 2nd birthdays:

1905 - Red Kress
1951 - Jim Essian
1951 - Royle Stillman
1970 - Royce Clayton

January 1

1984 Topps #405 - LaMarr Hoyt

Happy birthday to LaMarr Hoyt, who in 1983, helped lead the White Sox to the AL West division title. This was the first time since 1959 that the Sox made the playoffs. That year, LaMarr won the AL Cy Young award and the AL TSN Pitcher of the Year.

Hoyt came to the organization with Oscar Gamble in 1977, as part of the Bucky Dent deal with the Yankees. He was dealt to the Padres after the 1984 season for a package that included a young shortstop named Ozzie Guillen.

LaMarr ran into drug problems that derailed his career, but he eventually rebounded from those woes and is currently drug free and working in the White Sox organization as a roving instructor.


White Sox January 1st birthdays:

1874 - Ned Garvin
1924 - Earl Torgeson
1955 - LaMarr Hoyt
1974 - Kevin Beirne