Wong & Owens Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 This is from chicagotribune.com. It seems that Sox management is defintely doing at least one thing right: A family of Sox fans E-mail this story December 10, 2004, 11:28 AM CST Every baseball team is searching for the best free agents available, so Mike Wallin figured now was a good time to become one. Before wondering if Wallin has any pop in his bat or a 95 m.p.h. fastball, realize this: Wallin isn't a player. He's a fan. "I just decided to solicit for a team," Wallin said. "So I sent an e-mail to every Major League team and basically just told them we're looking for a team." Mike grew up in Buffalo and has lived in Indianapolis for 7½ years with his wife, Stephanie, and daughters, Leah, 8, and Lael, 6. They're baseball fans and made frequent trips to Cincinnati to see the Reds, but grew disillusioned. "They weren't, in my opinion, trying to win and make it the best family atmosphere possible," he said. Last month, in search of a team for his family, Wallin sent out a brief note to each of the 30 MLB teams that read, in part: "To the team we vote to cheer for, we promise our allegiance through good and bad times. We will purchase and wear only our team's merchandise and will attend as many games as possible each and every season." The response to the Wallin family's free agency was hardly overwhelming. Just seven teams responded, and one, the Philadelphia Phillies, actually wrote back to tell him they weren't interested. "They basically told me it's not their place to tell me who to root for or what team to pick," Wallin said. No problem. The Phillies didn't want him; he didn't want the Phillies. So he directed his attention to the teams that did respond, which were the San Diego Padres, Anaheim Angels, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and the White Sox. He's still waiting to hear from the Cubs. The Indians and Blue Jays sent what seemed to be form letters, the Yankees merely directed him to their fan message boards, and although the Padres and Angels sent nice personalized letters, the decision wasn't even close. The White Sox blew everybody else away. "When I showed [their response] to my wife, I didn't say anything beforehand, just let her look it over," Wallin said. "She was like, 'Oh, my God. Eleven people responded.' " One employee wrote to the Wallins about the "South Side family tradition." Another mentioned the Dog Day promotion, where a few hundred fans can bring their dogs to a game. The best, and most honest, may have been from the employee who argued that they should pick the White Sox because, "It would be too unbearable to be a Cubs fan." The Wallins were given 47 separate reasons to become Sox fans. White Sox director of public relations Katie Kirby, who spearheaded the drive to bring the Wallins into the fold, said hundreds more have come in from other staffers. And that's how the White Sox picked up four new fans. The Wallins plan to buy White Sox gear, visit U.S. Cellular Field several times a season and also watch them play on the road. Mike Wallin knows a bit about the team and thinks he'll probably become a Joe Crede or Paul Konerko fan. "I've never hated (the Cubs), but I can see that's probably the direction I'm going to go if I'm going to be a White Sox fan," Wallin said. "You can't have them both." Especially if only one of them writes you back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Guys, Brooks Boyer is a god. He knows what he is doing. Actually what we should do is try to get the kids email and invite him to join here as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasywheels121 Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 That's a pretty good story. Nice to read something like that amongst all the bickering of late. Thanks for posting that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RibbieRubarb Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Thank God, they didn't use Scott Boras as their agent or we wouldn't have landed them... Great story, though. I'm still waiting for my response from the WNBA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Good story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Thank God, they didn't use Scott Boras as their agent or we wouldn't have landed them... Great story, though. I'm still waiting for my response from the WNBA. "No, now please take off the costume and leave us alone before we contact our lawyers..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinnesotaSoxFan Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Welcome to the crowd!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnB Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 cool story nice to see the positives lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanOfCorn Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 This is the kind of thing that the Sox should promote. Hopefully, ESPN and maybe some of the major networks will pick up this story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Thank God, they didn't use Scott Boras as their agent or we wouldn't have landed them... Great story, though. I'm still waiting for my response from the WNBA. ROTFLMAO!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnB Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 This is the kind of thing that the Sox should promote. Hopefully, ESPN and maybe some of the major networks will pick up this story. keep dreaming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSHITMEN Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Thank God, they didn't use Scott Boras as their agent or we wouldn't have landed them... Great story, though. I'm still waiting for my response from the WNBA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wise Master Buehrle Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 WOW. Impressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chisox05 Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Nice Read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winning Ugly Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 although the Padres and Angels sent nice personalized letters, the decision wasn't even close. The White Sox blew everybody else away. At least my second favorite team was in the running! Great story. Seriously, both the Sox and Padres care about their fans. I remember in 2000 going to a Padre game where a vendor soaked me accidentally with a beer I had ordered. I was too buzzed to really even care, as I was sweaty and stinky already, yet the PR guy that took down my information after witnessing it went ahead and sent me 2 tickets to each game of a series with the Rockies. Decent seats too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indywallin Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 Thanks for all the awesome replies...The Indywallins definitely made the right choice and we have been overwhelmed by all the awesome responses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MurcieOne Posted December 11, 2004 Share Posted December 11, 2004 Thanks for all the awesome replies...The Indywallins definitely made the right choice and we have been overwhelmed by all the awesome responses! I think that the most interesting part of the story was the response of the Phillies... wow talk about some crust! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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