Classic Scorecards: July 1st, 1990 Andy Hawkins No-Hits White Sox, But Loses Game

Andy Hawkins threw a no-hitter in 1990, but lost twice

The first White Sox game for this feature is one that I remember very well from childhood. I remember watching this game on TV as I did many games back then. 1990 was a great year for the no-hitter. In June Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan, Dave Stewart, and Fernando Valenzuela all threw no-hitters. Now it makes sense why everyone started hitting the juice in the early 90’s.

Andy Hawkins and Greg Hibbard pitched a great game that day in July. Hibbard pitched seven innings giving up only four hits and no runs. White Sox reliever Barry Jones came in to pitch a hitless 8th leading up to the bottom of the 8th inning.

Hurt So Good

Yesterday I was lucky enough to be at the Sox game against the Yankees. I normally would not have gone, but it was Frank Thomas day so I wanted to be there. I found a ticket late Saturday night on StubHub that was too good to pass up. I didn’t realize how good until I walked down to my seat. I thought I was in row fourteen. I was in row fourteen, but row thirteen was in the United Scout Seat section. I had a great view of the ceremony as you can see. I really liked the backdrop of the above picture. Frank was very emotional during his speech, but it had to be a hard thing to do. I am sure in his mind he could still be playing. I am sure all of this will have sunk in when they unveil his statue next season. If they have him batting his back leg better be off the ground.

White Sox Finally Score Some Runs, Can’t Stop the Yankees

Yesterday I went to the Sox game to see the boys take on the Yankees. John Danks was pitching against C.C. Sabathia. I really thought that we were going to see a pitching duel. What we saw was Johnny Danks giving up runs. He gave up eight runs and put the Sox in a hole that they couldn’t get out of. The day started off much better than it ended though. My brother and I went to the game early to watch batting practice. I had my mitt and he didn’t so I thought that I had a pretty good chance to get a ball before he did. We stopped in right center where I usually stand to try and get a ball. After a couple of near misses Derek Jeter hit a ball that popped off some hands in the first row, and right in front of my brother. He reached over the seat to pick it up, and was ahead 1-0. That is the only ball that we got on the day, but he later gave it to me as a birthday present.

My 25 Goals For the 2010 Baseball Season

This year marks the 25th year that I have been attending Major League Baseball games. At first my attendance was sparse. I went when my father got free tickets from his company. We all know now that I will go whenever I can get a chance. I love lists. Lists are how you can look at things. So as this season progresses I will have a few lists on here. The first of those will be my goal sheet for this 25th anniversary season. Here are the things that I would like to accomplish during the 2010 season. Some of them have already been checked off. Some of them might take some work to get done. I will have to look at this at the end of the year to see how I fared. Here is the list:

1. See the Arizona Diamondbacks play (5/1/2010) – Arizona is one of the two Major League teams that I have not seen play coming into 2010.
2. See the Colorado Rockies play (5/17) – The other team that I have yet to see in person.
3. Attend the White Sox game against the Orioles on 8/25/2010 – This is the day 25 years later that I attended my first baseball game. The stadium may have changed, but I still get chills when I walk inside.
4. See the Toronto Blue Jays play – (5/7) The Blue Jays were the first opponent that I saw the Sox play.
5. See Brian Bannister pitch (5/5/2010) – Brian is the son of former Sox hurler Floyd Bannister who pitched in the first game that I saw.
6. See a game at U.S. Cellular Field (4/5/2010) – I checked off a few goals on Opening Day. This was one of them.
7. See a game at Wrigley Field (5/1/2010) – This may be the territory of the enemy, but it is a landmark park in my own backyard. I also have some great memories inside this stadium.
8. Attend Opening Day (4/5/2010) – This should be a goal every season.
9. Attend a game on my birthday – I also try to do this every season. This year the Sox are in town, and they are playing the Yankees.
10. Attend Frank Thomas day at the Cell – The day after my birthday (8/29/2010) they will be honoring the Big Hurt. I guess I will have to make it two in a row at the Cell.
11. Attend a Red Sox game – I always enjoy games between the two Sox clubs. I would love to make this the first time for Fenway, but I will probably have to settle for the September matchup at the Cell.
12. Attend a game at Miller Park – This stadium just north of us on 94 is a great one to watch baseball in.
13. Attend a game at Comerica Park – I was here in 2003, but did not take my camera. Last season I visited all the parks that I did not take pictures at besides this one. We cross it off in 2010.
14. Visit a new Minor League stadium – While MLB baseball is fun, MiLB baseball can be just as much fun. I need to find a new stadium to enjoy the action in this year.
15. See Lyle Overbay play (5/7) – While I was in college I attended many South Bend Silverhawk games. Lyle was a star on those teams. He now plays for the Blue Jays.
16. Attend the Midwest League All Star game – This year it is just down the road in Fort Wayne. What better way to see some of the young talent in the game?
17. See an Angels game (5/20) – With the World Series year being five years ago I would love to see them play their ALCS opponent.
18. See an Astros game – After visiting their stadium this season I wanted to see the team play in person. They were also the team we beat in 2005 to win it all.
19. Attend at least nine games at the Cell this season – If I can accomplish this I will have attended 50 games at the Cell. It took a while for the first 50, but I bet the next 50 comes much easier.
20. Road trip to a new MLB stadium – I have knocked out most of the stadiums near me. Although my brother does get married this season in Colorado when the Rockies are in town.
21. See a game on 5/22/2010 – For some reason I seem to see a game every two years on this date. So this being an even numbered year it is time to see a game. I really have a problem huh?
22. See a game against the Tigers, Royals (5/5/2010), Twins (4/11/2010), and the Indians (4/5/2010) – This one involves seeing all the AL Central teams.
23. Snag a ball during a game (5/4/2010) – I have plenty of balls that I acquired during batting practice. This year I want to get one during a game. Update: I snagged a foul ball in the 4th inning of a game between Northwestern and Valpo. With less than 100 fans at the game it increased my odds a bit.
24. Ballhawk at Wrigley Field – I have always wanted to just take the train up to Wrigley with no ticket and ballhawk. I guess this will have to be the year. No ticket required.
25. Get a ball autographed by both Rich Dotson and Carlton Fisk – I met both of these guys at my first game in 1985. The both autographed my program. I would love to get a ball autographed by both players for my collection.

If I can do all of this I would have to say that I will have had a great year. We will see what happens over the course of the season

Who To Root For in the Playoffs (2009 Edition)

Last season I tried to find a team to root for in the playoffs once the White Sox were eliminated. This year I can try this from the start. Here are the eight teams that have made the postseason this season.

American League

New York Yankees

Minnesota Twins

Boston Red Sox

Los Angeles Angels

National League

St. Louis Cardinals

Philadelphia Phillies

Colorado Rockies

Los Angeles Dodgers

I will start my process by picking the teams that I have seen play this season in person. This eliminates the Bronx Bombers, the Phillies (who were my 2009 pick), and the Rockies. The other five teams I was able to watch live this season. It is a lot easier to root for a team that you have seen play. Now comes the hard part. How do I get these five teams down to one that I can root for? Well, I root for the White Sox so I can just check the 40 man rosters of each of these teams to find players that once played for the palehose. The team with the most former Sox players wins.

Minnesota Twins (3)

Jon Rauch

Joe Crede

Orlando Cabrera

Los Angeles Angels (0)

None. But I feel as though Chone Figgins is a former player the way his name is batted around each offseason.

St. Louis Cardinals (0)

I still may root for them a little.

Los Angeles Dodgers (3)

Jon Garland

Charlie Haeger

Jim Thome

Boston Red Sox (1)

Brian Anderson

So here is where we stand right now. The Cardinals and Angels have zero former Sox players on their team. What are they thinking? The Red Sox have one, and it is even a member of the White Sox this season in Brian Anderson. The Dodgers have three which ties them for first, and they have a player that was a member of the Sox this season in Jim Thome. They also have one of my favorites in Jon Garland. That just leaves the Twins. They have three former Sox players as well. Orlando Cabrera did not make many friends in Chicago last season, but he is a winner. Joe Crede will always be one of my favorite Sox players of all-time. He was clutch. How do I break this tie for my loyalty? They are in separate leagues so I guess I am rooting for a Twins/Dodgers series. If that does happen I have one way to break the tie. I have seen the Twins three times this season including once in their stadium. I saw the Dodgers a couple of days after that trip in Milwaukee. That is a 3-1 vote for the Twins. Also the Twins have a former Irish pitcher (Jeff Manship), and one of the coolest MLB bloggers out there (Pat Neshek). I think we have a winner. The team that I will root to win it all is the Twins? Can a White Sox fan do this? I guess we will see. It is easy to root for them now as they are facing the Yankees. Nobody wants them to win. Well maybe a few. When it comes down to it though can I be a Twins fan for a couple weeks? Stay tuned.

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Piazza DiMaggio

Nestled in the heart of Chicago’s Little Italy is the Piazza DiMaggio. The plaza is a shrine to Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio. As you can see the centerpiece of the plaza is a statue of Joe finishing his beautiful swing. Why on earth is this shrine located in Chicago you may ask. DiMaggio was born in California, died in Florida, and was buried in California. He spent his entire playing career in New York playing for the Yankees. The closest he came to playing in Chicago was when the Cubs turned down a no risk tryout when Joe was a San Fransisco Seal. Joe really has no ties to Chicago. He did however have ties to the people that lived in and around Taylor Street. I found this gem thanks to the Sporting News book “Roadside Baseball.” It is a great book that shows you some cool baseball sites in each state.