Not only has the Chicago White Sox organization improved in the clubhouse and on the field, but they have also shown plenty of appreciation to their fans this season, who have been returning to the park in droves after several rough seasons. This past Sunday, the White Sox generously invited a couple of us here from South Side Sox — Di Billick and me — to take part in a wonderful, nostalgia-filled day of baseball to celebrate National Parents’ Day with our families. There were so many special moments
throughout the day, beginning with Munetaka Murakami getting to catch the first pitch from his parents before mashing two homers on his bobblehead day.
As someone who has been a fan of the South Siders for as long as I can remember (thank you, Grandpa), it was amazing to experience the day with so many small, thoughtful touches from the White Sox to make the day as special as possible. Walking into the suite, we were immediately greeted with good vibes, the smell of delicious ballpark snacks, and a little goodie bag with a custom pennant featuring my last name.
Other members of local media joined in on the fun for Family Weekend, including WGN’s very own Dan Ponce, whose family was extremely kind and fun to hang out with for the day. To feed into the nostalgia-filled afternoon, the Sox set up a photo station to make a commemorative baseball card, which brought me right back to Little League, where you’d get your photo printed on a makeshift card; the only difference is I am (at least) 25 years older and have all of my teeth in this photo.
To further enhance the day’s nostalgic undertones, the White Sox also created personalized scorecards with our family’s name on them to keep score throughout the game. Whether you already knew how to keep score or not didn’t matter, however, as former Sox outfielder Mike Huff filled out a massive scorecard on the wall that fans could follow along with or learn the ins and outs of marking up a scorecard. My mom was the official scorekeeper for about 10 years of my softball career, so it was a blast getting to dive back into that while also hanging out with Huff for a bit. I’m not saying my mom could keep a better scorecard than Huff, but I’m not not saying it either.
There were also photo opportunities with a Polaroid camera they had set up, adding to the old-school vibe they were (perfectly) executing, and they even displayed photos some of us submitted to highlight our fandom over the years. Not to brag, but the majority of the photos were from Di and me, and they were a blast to look through, bringing back memories of all the moments we’ve shared as fans over the years.
Truly, I was decked out in Sox gear before I could even talk, and while it was before the Carlos Lee and Bobby Jenks era, my number 45 shirt shows that I knew baseball even as a baby. Impressive, I know.
With it being Backyard Baseball Day at the park as well, my childhood dream was nearly complete: meshing my favorite game as a child with my favorite baseball team. Hard to beat. Except the White Sox did beat it, by bringing us down onto the field to play some catch with our families after the game. I’ve been on the field a couple of times briefly, but it felt special to be able to walk out in center field after a glorious win and toss a baseball around in left field. Did my arm feel like it was going to fall off by the end? Yep. Was it worth it? 100%.
My partner Willie and I were having a blast while my mom watched on, probably bringing back memories of when she’d watch me play softball several times a week. Willie and I got to meet WGN producer Eli Ong, and the three of us lived out a childhood dream together, mixing in a little long toss to see if we still have it at our ripe ages, but wow, that was a blast.
I cannot thank the White Sox enough for such an amazing game-day experience this past weekend, and it’s great to see the organization getting more involved with the fans and giving back a little bit after being dedicated through some hard times. The White Sox have been turning a corner as a whole, and continue to show they’re moving in the right direction both on and off the field. Special shoutout to Colin McGauley and Sheena Quinn for continuing to amplify South Side Sox voices and create an inclusive environment for all.
