La Russa Becomes a Lawyer, White Sox Sold to Ed Debartolo Sr. ,Farmeo top White Sox closer

[South Side Hit Men]

Not a parallel universe, but rather all part of the August 22, 1980 WSNS Channel 44 Broadcast.

• Harry Caray interviewed Tony La Russa on the pre game show. Tony was sworn in as an Attorney by Judge before the game by Federal Judge Abe Lincoln Marovitz.
• Next Harry and Jimmy talked about the announcement that Ed DeBartolo Sr.. had the winning $20M bid to purchase the White Sox. Harry Caray asked Tony for his thoughts and stated the approval of the sale would be a mere formality.
• They both were certain the new owner would increase spending, and that the American League would ensure the White Sox would stay in Chicago (a few years before Jerry was given the team over DeBartolo, and then threatened to move to St. Pete).
• Harry also talked about his group of local investors which fell short in the bidding for the team (didn't recall that until watching today).
• Tony praised Bill Veeck for improving the farm system from one of the worst in baseball to a Top 5 system in baseball.
• Tony offered explanations for the White Sox failures in the 1980 season, and was looking to salvaging the season with good performances.
• Britt Burns went on to win, falling one out short of the complete game shutout.
• Ed Farmer came on to record the final out, to record his 22nd save of the season. He recorded eight more to end the year with 30, passing Terry Forster's 29 to become the all time single season record holder for the White Sox. Bob James would pass him with 35 in 1985.
• It was Dutchie Caray's Birthday.

1980 was another fun season of White Sox baseball, besides the usual poor record (70-90). Spanky Squires, Chet Lemon, Lamar Johnson, Wayne Nordhagen and rookie Harold Baines were fun to watch. Most of the core of the 1983 team built by Roland Hemond was already in place, with Britt Burns, LaMarr Hoyt and Richard Dotson three of the five starters (Steve Trout and Ross Baumgarten were the other two starters).

 

Edited March 22, 2021 by South Side Hit Men

[WBWSF]

8 hours ago, South Side Hit Men said:

Not a parallel universe, but rather all part of the August 22, 1980 WSNS Channel 44 Broadcast.

• Harry Caray interviewed Tony La Russa on the pre game show. Tony was sworn in as an Attorney by Judge before the game by Federal Judge Abe Lincoln Marovitz.
• Next Harry and Jimmy talked about the announcement that Ed DeBartolo Sr.. had the winning $20M bid to purchase the White Sox. Harry Caray asked Tony for his thoughts and stated the approval of the sale would be a mere formality.
• They both were certain the new owner would increase spending, and that the American League would ensure the White Sox would stay in Chicago (a few years before Jerry was given the team over DeBartolo, and then threatened to move to St. Pete).
• Harry also talked about his group of local investors which fell short in the bidding for the team (didn't recall that until watching today).
• Tony praised Bill Veeck for improving the farm system from one of the worst in baseball to a Top 5 system in baseball.
• Tony offered explanations for the White Sox failures in the 1980 season, and was looking to salvaging the season with good performances.
• Britt Burns went on to win, falling one out short of the complete game shutout.
• Ed Farmer came on to record the final out, to record his 22nd save of the season. He recorded eight more to end the year with 30, passing Terry Forster's 29 to become the all time single season record holder for the White Sox. Bob James would pass him with 35 in 1985.
• It was Dutchie Caray's Birthday.

1980 was another fun season of White Sox baseball, besides the usual poor record (70-90). Spanky Squires, Chet Lemon, Lamar Johnson, Wayne Nordhagen and rookie Harold Baines were fun to watch. Most of the core of the 1983 team built by Roland Hemond was already in place, with Britt Burns, LaMarr Hoyt and Richard Dotson three of the five starters (Steve Trout and Ross Baumgarten were the other two starters).

 

I never knew that Caray tried buying the White Sox  I wonder who his local investors were. There was nothing but hostility between Caray and the JR ownership. Did it stem  because Carays group didn't get the White Sox ownership and JR did?

Edited March 22, 2021 by WBWSF

[chitownsportsfan]

Interesting thanks.

[South Side Hit Men]

3 hours ago, WBWSF said:

I never knew that Caray tried buying the White Sox  I wonder who his local investors were. There was nothing but hostility between Caray and the JR ownership. Did it stem  because Carays group didn't get the White Sox ownership and JR did?

During the broadcast, Harry stated his group didn’t have a credible bid (or the level of operating capital) compared to the $20M purchase bid and wealth of DeBartolo, so that wasn’t the source.

Ed DeBartolo Sr. purchased the 49ers in 1977, gave the team to his son to run, and they won 5 Super Bowls under family ownership (his Daughter is the current owner). He also purchased the Penguins, who won the Stanley Cup over the Hawks in 1991 (he sold the team after the Cup in the Fall). He wasn’t a penny pinching player and fan hating turd like JR. White Sox baseball would have improved greatly under his stewardship.

Harry could have stayed after the purchase, but refused to stay under JR’s failed scheme to put games on pay per view. Harry said it was bad for baseball, bad for the fan base, and as a result he went to the Cubs on WGN. The town went from a 50/50 fan base under Veeck/Wrigley to a 67/33 split under JR. JR’s pay per view scheme failed miserably.

Harry was/is very popular with the fans, something Reinsdorf resented it, even though it would make him more $. Also hated the fact Harry spoke his mind, and wouldn’t be a yes man / company man at all times and would rip the owners when they deserved it. 

JR prefers an arrogant announcer who hates the fan base, kisses his ass at all times, and spews the ownership line 100% of the time. Steve Stone is his guy.

https://www.si.com/mlb/whitesox/history/white-sox-the-legacy-of-sportsvision

Even Hawk Harrelson was left speechless after realizing what vile vindictive scum JR was/is after what he said after the Sox clinched in 1983.

Quote

"They wanted to sign me again, but with SportsVision, the White Sox are the best-kept secret in Chicago. If their games were on free TV, they’d own the town now and be a byword across the nation. [WGN would become a national "superstation" in the early 1980s.] I gave them some good advice at that contract meeting. I told them, 'You guys came in as owners with a positive image and became villains by taking Jimmy [Piersall] out of the broadcast booth. Why don’t you get back in the fans’ good graces by putting us back together on the TV team" 

Reinsdorf’s reply? According to Caray, "Jerry answered, ‘Harry, I’ll be up in heaven looking down before Piersall broadcasts another one of our games,’ and Einhorn said, ‘With you or without you, the White Sox are going into SportsVision and away from free TV.'"

Logan’s book quotes Caray as saying, "that’s when I made up my mind to leave. They were talking about maybe reaching 50,000 homes on pay TV instead of the 22 million people who watch the Cubs on WGN."

The final word in the Caray/Sox ownership feud came on the night of Sept. 17, 1983. After the Sox clinched the Western Division and before a national audience (WGN received permission to take the SportsVision feed of the ninth inning and post-game interviews), Reinsdorf issued a final blast. During an interview with "Hawk" Harrelson, Reinsdorf said, “Wherever you’re at, Harry and Jimmy, eat your hearts out. I hope people realize what scum you are.”

Harrelson was momentarily speechless.

 

[WBWSF]

1 hour ago, South Side Hit Men said:

During the broadcast, Harry stated his group didn’t have a credible bid (or the level of operating capital) compared to the $20M purchase bid and wealth of DeBartolo, so that wasn’t the source.

Ed DeBartolo Sr. purchased the 49ers in 1977, gave the team to his son to run, and they won 5 Super Bowls under family ownership (his Daughter is the current owner). He also purchased the Penguins, who won the Stanley Cup over the Hawks in 1991 (he sold the team after the Cup in the Fall). He wasn’t a penny pinching player and fan hating turd like JR. White Sox baseball would have improved greatly under his stewardship.

Harry could have stayed after the purchase, but refused to stay under JR’s failed scheme to put games on pay per view. Harry said it was bad for baseball, bad for the fan base, and as a result he went to the Cubs on WGN. The town went from a 50/50 fan base under Veeck/Wrigley to a 67/33 split under JR. JR’s pay per view scheme failed miserably.

Harry was/is very popular with the fans, something Reinsdorf resented it, even though it would make him more $. Also hated the fact Harry spoke his mind, and wouldn’t be a yes man / company man at all times and would rip the owners when they deserved it. 

JR prefers an arrogant announcer who hates the fan base, kisses his ass at all times, and spews the ownership line 100% of the time. Steve Stone is his guy.

https://www.si.com/mlb/whitesox/history/white-sox-the-legacy-of-sportsvision

Even Hawk Harrelson was left speechless after realizing what vile vindictive scum JR was/is after what he said after the Sox clinched in 1983.

 

DeBartolo said he was going to build a baseball stadium for the White Sox in the western suburbs with his own money. I was under the impression it would be built along side a shopping center. He built shopping centers all over the USA.

[ThirdGen]

1 hour ago, WBWSF said:

DeBartolo said he was going to build a baseball stadium for the White Sox in the western suburbs with his own money. I was under the impression it would be built along side a shopping center. He built shopping centers all over the USA.

At one point he was talking about putting a fixed dome over Comiskey Park.  He would have built a shell around the park to support the dome.  DeBartolo loved domes.  He was also rumored to want to move a baseball team to New Orleans Superdome.

[Vulture]

Sport vision perhaps the worst move the Sox ever made

[NWINFan]

The "scum" remark was the worst gaffe in Reinsdorf's career and was so totally un-necessary. I'm not a big fan of Carey and Piersall, but I thought that was way over the top. It was a time to celebrate but Reinsdorf and Einhorn were both bitter. Yes, they had taken a great deal of heat for certain things, but they had no understanding of White Sox fans. The rest of the 1980s was a disaster. The only smart thing they did was fire LaRussa.

[ThirdGen]

2 hours ago, Vulture said:

Sport vision perhaps the worst move the Sox ever made

The alternative was to not broadcast many games at all.  Veeck had already made a deal to move the games to Cablevison before he sold the team.  44 was the channel of last resort for the Sox, when that went away they were screwed.  It didnt work, but what was the alternative?

[WBWSF]

16 minutes ago, ThirdGen said:

The alternative was to not broadcast many games at all.  Veeck had already made a deal to move the games to Cablevison before he sold the team.  44 was the channel of last resort for the Sox, when that went away they were screwed.  It didnt work, but what was the alternative?

The White Sox had some of there games on WFLD Tv, Channel 32 in addition  to most of there games on Sportsvision. I always thought that Sportsvision failed because the Chicagoland area was not wired for cable at the time.  The White Sox should have  introduced Sportsvision after the area was wired for cable.

[ThirdGen]

4 minutes ago, WBWSF said:

The White Sox had some of there games on WFLD Tv, Channel 32 in addition  to most of there games on Sportsvision. I always thought that Sportsvision failed because the Chicagoland area was not wired for cable at the time.  The White Sox should have  introduced Sportsvision after the area was wired for cable.

Sportsvision was originally an over the air scrambled broadcast that you needed a decoder box to view, same as the movie channel OnTV.  Both existed because vitually no one had cable back then in Chicago.

They did have some games on over the air, but no one was interested in the entire schedule.  Veeck dealt with a lot of complaints when the Sox were on 44, and made it clear that no one else wanted them.  That's why he was going to move the games to Cablevision (home games at least) before he sold the team, as 44 was ceasing operations.  JR voided that contract as no one would be able to see the games, and attempted the over the air idea instead, which also flopped (I assume because of cost).

It moved to cable when cable became more common.

[ThirdGen]

It should also be pointed out the Bulls and Blackhawks had the same issues.  IIRC, the Blackhawks were completely off TV prior to Sportsvision, home and away,

[Stinky Stanky]

On 3/22/2021 at 11:46 AM, South Side Hit Men said:

During the broadcast, Harry stated his group didn’t have a credible bid (or the level of operating capital) compared to the $20M purchase bid and wealth of DeBartolo, so that wasn’t the source.

Ed DeBartolo Sr. purchased the 49ers in 1977, gave the team to his son to run, and they won 5 Super Bowls under family ownership (his Daughter is the current owner). He also purchased the Penguins, who won the Stanley Cup over the Hawks in 1991 (he sold the team after the Cup in the Fall). He wasn’t a penny pinching player and fan hating turd like JR. White Sox baseball would have improved greatly under his stewardship.

Harry could have stayed after the purchase, but refused to stay under JR’s failed scheme to put games on pay per view. Harry said it was bad for baseball, bad for the fan base, and as a result he went to the Cubs on WGN. The town went from a 50/50 fan base under Veeck/Wrigley to a 67/33 split under JR. JR’s pay per view scheme failed miserably.

Harry was/is very popular with the fans, something Reinsdorf resented it, even though it would make him more $. Also hated the fact Harry spoke his mind, and wouldn’t be a yes man / company man at all times and would rip the owners when they deserved it. 

JR prefers an arrogant announcer who hates the fan base, kisses his ass at all times, and spews the ownership line 100% of the time. Steve Stone is his guy.

https://www.si.com/mlb/whitesox/history/white-sox-the-legacy-of-sportsvision

Even Hawk Harrelson was left speechless after realizing what vile vindictive scum JR was/is after what he said after the Sox .clinched in 1983.

The TV deal was Eddie more than Jerry.

I remember that interview.  What a downer.  In their "defense," it was post clinching locker room and they were both drunk, prolly on a few sips of $6 Champagne. Hawk was white as a sheet, as you say.

Not that Harry was pure as snow.  The Cubs told him to can the negativity and everything was sweetness and light over at Wrigley.  So much for speaking your mind.  Treated Stone like a red-headed stepchild too, which would prolly please you.  Milo, who was supposed to get the job, too.  Milo hated the guy.

And I wouldn't discount the theory that Harry held it against them that his group didn't get the nod.  He just had the brains not to say so. Blamed it on the TV deal.  Legit or phony?  I dunno.  You know, it could have been the opposite.  EE and JR may have resented Harry making a bid.  Even DeBartolo of shopping mall fame.  A lot of his malls went bad and were abandoned.  That might have meant trouble for the Sox.

 

Edited March 24, 2021 by Stinky Stanky