Who is this and why are they significant in the world of sports entertainment?
To many, the entertainment (or shenanigans to some) that routinely occur during breaks in action of modern sporting events are just part of the entire live sporting event spectator experience.
There was a time, however, when going to a sporting event was just going to see the sporting event.
Bill Veeck Jr., seen here during spring training with the Chicago White Sox, owned three MLB teams during his seven decades involved with the game.
The son of a baseball writer turned President of the Chicago Cubs, Veeck Jr. was working in ballparks almost from the beginning. First as a vendor at both Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park and utlimately handling other tasks. Did you know he was the one who came up with the idea for planting the famous ivy on Wrigley Field’s outfield walls?
During the 1940s he was part of an ownership group that purchasend the then-AAA Milwaukee Brewers. He also served in the U.S. Marine Corps for three years during World War II and that’s when a battlefield accident led to the amputation of his right leg above the knee.
Ultimately, he purchased the Cleveland Indians and promptly signed Larry Doby to a contract (the first black player in American League history). The next season he signed pitcher Satchel Paige.
Along the way he also owned the Chicago White Sox (twice) and the St. Louis Browns. While in St. Louis, Veeck signed Eddie Gaedel to a 1-game contract and sent him out to lead off the second game of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. Gaedel, who stood but 3-foot-7, walked on four straight pitches and was pulled for a pinch-runner.
The promotions came fast and furious with Veeck. He allowed fans to determine in-game strategies, in-game fireworks after home runs, coompleting trades in hotel lobbies, unique uniforms (including shorts!), announcers singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” showers for overheated fans in the bleachers, and the ill-fated Disco Demolition Night between games of a doubleheader in 1979 that led to the forfeiture of the second game because of the ensuing riot and damaged field.
For more about the man who was known as “Wild Bill” check out his autobiography Veeck as in Wreck, listen to his son Mike on Season 3, Episode 14 of our podcast “Conversations with Sports Fan,” or watch the quasi-documentary about Mike Veeck and his family’s life, The Saint of Second Chances (streaming on Netflix).
Who belongs to this sweet, or is it sour, swing from a Spring Training past?
In the spring of 1994 the world’s greatest basketball player at that time turned up in the Chicago White Sox training camp in Sarasota.
Yes, Michael Jordan – that Michael Jordan! – who’d retired from the NBA on the eve of the 1993-94 season, decided to give baseball a try as an homage to his father who’d been murdered the summer of 1994. James Jordan Sr. had reportedly envisioned his son as a professional baseball player.
Michael Jordan follows through during Grapefruit League action with the Chicago White Sox in 1994. (Photo from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
Jordan toiled away with the White Sox AA Birmingham Barons for the 1994 season, played in the Arizona Fall League, and then gave up the dream the following spring amidst MLB’s labor uncertainty. He then rejoined the Chicago Bulls,, played the final 17 games, and finished 11th in the MVP voting!
Here is Jordan’s Baseball-Reference page for his season in Birmingham. And a bit of an oral history from a recent piece in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
During the MLB work stoppage in 1994, ESPN picked up occasional Birmingham Barons’ games. Here’s Jordan coming through 2-run single.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser comes courtesy of longtime buddy, Pat Schutte. The cropped photo below and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
Just in time for Opening Day 2023! When the moon landing was televised… for the second time.
On an otherwise unremarkable mid-July Monday night in Detroit’s Tiger Stadium in 1990, the hometown Tigers won in walk-off fashion behind future Baseball Hall of Famer Alan Trammell‘s 2-run 9th innning homer. That might have been the only noteworthy thing to occur during the game if it were not for Chicago White Sox utility player Steve Lyons. Lyons, whose nickname during his 9-season MLB career was “Pyscho” was bunting for a single in the 5th inning and slid headfirst into first base. And then, inexplicably, he dropped his pants before the nearly 15,000 fans in the stands to shake out the dirt he took on during the slide.
Enjoy the video of the moment below and you check out the boxscore here.
An embarrassed Steve Lyons can’t believe what he just did at first base in Detroit’s Tiger Stadium.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser comes courtesy of longtime buddy, Pat Schutte. The cropped photo below and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you by the early kickoff on Sunday.
The centerfield scoreboard at Chicago’s Guaranteed Rate Field. (Photo by Tim Russell).
Most people on the quest for 30 usually collect some sort of memento from each ballpark.
For some, it could be a logo ball, a mini bat, or a team patch. For others, they could choose the home team’s hat or a uniform.
But for Father Steve, who was a member of the Diamond Baseball Tours group, he collected something different – socks.
“I try to collect something that I would need, and who doesn’t need socks,” said Father Steve, who is pastor of a Catholic church in Illinois and a Cubs’ fan.
Myself, I have taken to collecting lapel pins, usually with a representation of the stadium emblazoned on it. I also have a few special edition pins, like one for Miguel Cabrera’s 500 home runs and 3,000 milestones.
In addition, I have a scratch off poster of all 30 parks. So far, I have been able to scratch off 16 parks. I have been to 20, but four have since been retired. Those are Tiger Stadium, Houston Astrodome, Turner Field, and the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Park. Globe Life Field is their current, domed stadium.
Another way to help commemorate visits is the MLB Ballpark Pass-Port. Similar to the National Parks Passport, you collect stamps at each park you attend. Stamps, which are usually available at guest services or the team store, have the date of the game you attended, as well as the name of the stadium, city and zip code.
It is a private company that was granted the MLB license. There are several types of books. The main is the MLB leather bound book, which is best for first visits to each park. It includes an entry for each team with info about the park, as well as blank pages to put game info and any memories. For more frequent visits to parks, there is a smaller gameday version with just blank pages for the stamp and game info. There is also a minor league book and a spring training book.
There is also a Facebook group for people to share their stamps. That is one of several groups out there dedicated to ballparks. The group I share the most with is called Ballpark Chasers. There are some members that have attended more than 400 different ballparks (major, minor, collegiate, and independent leagues).
Most stadiums offer a “First Game Certificate,” commemorating the first visit with their name and date. In recent years, some parks have started shifting that online, giving the fan a web site address to print out their own certificate at home.
Another keepsake that seems to have gone by the wayside is ticket stubs. I have several envelopes of stubs from many sporting events. With the advent of cashless parks and digital tickets, stubs have almost become extinct. Some parks will print you off a stub for a nominal fee, which could range up to $10.
Back to the tour, our next ballpark was one I had already visited, although it had been more than 15 years and endured several name changes, so it still felt somewhat new to me. I also had lower-level seating in June. During my first visit, I sat in the upper deck, where the seats are at very steep incline. Now, maybe that could just be my perception, but they could definitely be a problem for someone who doesn’t like heights.
The view from my seats at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Photo by Tim Russell)
Guaranteed Rate was built in 1991 next to the old Comiskey Park site, which is now a parking lot next to the stadium. There is a plaque marking where home plate was in the old park. It was the first major sporting facility built in Chicago since Chicago Stadium in 1929. It was also the last MLB stadium built before the wave of “retro” parks started in the late 1990s.
HOK Sports (now Populous) had wanted to eliminate some of the overhang problems in older stadiums, where the upper deck was set on top of the lower deck with gradual inclines. HOK moved the upper deck further back. This created better sight lines, but also created one of the highest upper decks in MLB. The first row of seats in the upper deck of the new stadium is as far from the field as the highest row of seats in the upper deck at the old stadium.
Another quirk at the Chicago stadium is the inability to explore the ballpark if you bought upper-level seating. That is an ownership decision that could date back to when a Chicago fan attacked Kansas City first base coach Tom Gamboa. The following year, the Sox also had problems with rowdy fans entering the playing field.
But the new park did retain some of the old features. The front facade of the park features arched windows. In the original park, then-owner Bill Veeck installed an exploding scoreboard with spinning pinwheels. The new park’s scoreboard is very similar in design, although it doesn’t have the ‘exploding’ aspect. The pinwheels do spin and light up after home runs and victories.
Newer technology allows the White Sox to use flicking LED lights for whenever the team takes the field before the first pitch, hits a home run or wins a game.
The old Comiskey Park shower, with some modifications, made it to Guaranteed Rate Field. (Photo by Tim Russell)
There is a nice center field concourse with party areas, statues honoring past ballplayers and one of the more unique items you’ll see in a ballpark, an old shower stall from the old Comiskey Park. And it actually works. It will provide a mist to help fans cool off on hot days. There are also ‘rain rooms’ to provide fans’ relief from the heat.
Like most parks, the stadium pays homage to some of its past greats. Guaranteed Rate is no different. There is a plaza out in center field with several statues.
On the center field fan deck is a plaque honoring the first player, Jim Thome, to hit a baseball on to the fan deck on June 4, 2008 as the Sox beat the Kansas City Royals. Later that year, he did it again, as Chicago beat Minnesota, 1-0, in a one-game playoff to win the American League Central Division.
There are also two blue seats, marking two different accomplishments during the 2005 World Series. Konerko’s grand slam (left field, section 159) and Scott Podsednik‘s game-winning home run (right center field, first row of section 101). Both seats are the original blue seats.
Guaranteed Rate Field is known as a hitters’ ballpark. Here are the dimensions: 330 feet down the left field line, 375 to left center, 400 feet to center, 375 in right center and 335 down the right field line. The backstop is 60 feet from home plate and the outfield wall height is eight feet.
On the ramp heading to the upper decks are two great photo opportunities and a great view of downtown Chicago in the distance. One sign says Southside in script letters, the other says Chicago.
Food-wise, you can’t go wrong with a nice Italian beef sandwich, by Buona Beef. There are also plenty of options for dinner before or after the game, although most are not very close to the stadium. Portillo’s is a hot dog, hamburger, Italian beef place, originating in Chicago, but has recently expanded into Michigan with a Sterling Heights location. Deep-dish pizza is also an option.
The game featured the White Sox hosting the up-and-coming Baltimore Orioles, who ended up with a 4-0 victory. Dean Kremer pitched into the sixth inning, allowing seven hits with four strikeouts.
Former No. 1 overall draft pick Adley Rutschman hit the second home run of his career for all the scoring the Orioles would need. The 2019 draft pick had just been called up about a week before this game. Current Tiger center fielder Riley Greene was drafted fifth in the same draft.
