Sports Radio Service


		White Sox visit A's By Jerry Feitelberg May 13, 2011

	The Chicago White Sox are in town to play a three game series against the A's. The White Sox have been in the American League since 1901 and have played the A's many,many times over the years. The White Sox won their first American League pennant in 1906 and met the Chicago Cubs in the first and only all Chicago World Series. The White Sox were known as the “hit-less wonders” as they had a team batting average of just .230 for the year but the pitching was outstanding. They beat the Cubs in the Series for their first World Series Championship. The White Sox won the 1917 AL crown and were World Champs that year,too. However, things were about to change. The Sox won the pennant in 1919 and faced the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. The White Sox were heavily favored but were beaten by the Reds. There was a lot of suspicion that the White Sox had thrown the Series. In 1920, eight members of the White Sox were charged with conspiracy to fix the World Series. The players were acquitted at trial but the new baseball commissioner,Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Banned the players from baseball for life. Players banned included Eddie Cicotte,Chick Gandil,Swede Risberg,Lefty Williams , Buck Weaver and “Shoeless Joe Jackson.” If you want to know more about the “Black Sox” scandal, rent the movie “ Eight Men Out” or read the book of the same name by Eliot Asimof. The White Sox would not win a pennant until 1959. They were not a very good club until they hired Paul Richards as their manager in the early '50s The White Sox, led by Nelly Fox,Luis Aparacio and Minnie Minoso were known as the “Go-Go” Sox. The Los Angeles Dodgers beat them in the Series. The Sox went through another dry spell and although they had good players and were competitive the years they did not win a pennant until the 2005 season. That year,they won the AL crown and faced the Houston Astros in the World Series. The White Sox swept the Astros four games to none. 87 years had past since their last championship in 1917. Will it be forty years before the WhiteSox win a pennant? We will just have to wait and see. So far this season, the White Sox have a record of 15 wins against 23 losses. Will they contend for the division title this year? Who knows? The season is about 25% over but the White Sox can get back into the race with a hot streak. Time will tell.