Bobby Thigpen Lives

[Gregory Pratt]

First: aside from Thigpen, does any member of the Sox hold any single-season record for anything? Sox Machine brought it up, and I couldn't think of anything.

 

The article (I dislike how it's written): http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...-home-headlines

 

Lot of fun (His Sox career). Went by quick. Didn't have a really good team like they do now when I was first there. But '90 was when it turned around when I had my great year (A major-league-record 57 saves). We surprised a lot of people, but we maintained and kept getting better and better.

 

This is the weird part about the whole deal that year: Of the eight leads I blew, five of them were three-run leads.

 

An Ozzie moment was his respect for me for as simple a thing as my fielding ability. He used to call me "El Gato" because they didn't really have to worry about the bunt situations because I could get it.

 

He's still as vocal and boisterous. He says anything that comes to his mind, and I think that helps him communicate with the players better.

 

Gene (Former Sox manager Gene Lamont in 1992) was the one I had a hard time winning over, and that was pretty much the start of the downfall. When he came, he didn't like my style or the way I threw or maybe he just wanted to have his guy in there instead of someone else's guy which he inherited. I was there before he got there. Roberto (Former Sox closer Roberto Hernandez) was coming up and Roberto was younger and Roberto was nasty. He had great stuff. I did my part. I did my best to help Roberto adjust and learn that job. He took my job, but I had no regrets. I just did my part as a team player.

 

Mom drove the school bus where I went to school in Aucilla, Fla. Real small. Graduated with 33 people. She drove the school bus there. She drove and didn't get a check. Her check would just go back into the school for tuition. That's why she drove and drove and drove.

 

My parents were split up at a young age. I don't ever remember my dad being around because they were divorced when I was young. He was a carpentry, masonry guy. They're both still alive, doing well. I see them. They only live about seven miles apart.

 

Aucilla is a railroad crossing. Monticello, which is the post office box, is about 8-10 miles away. I live out in the sticks.

 

A lot of people where I'm from are farmers and grow watermelons. You go out there and you clip them and pile them on the side and you throw them into a truck and then you load them into a semi and they take them to the stores. So, I loaded melons all summer.

 

Then tobacco would come in, and you'd crop tobacco. You'd pick the leaves that are yellow. They brown from the bottom up. You'd have to go through the field three or four times to get the whole stock.

 

And I baled hay. When I was 12 years old, I was making $6 a day and thought I was rich.

 

The first game I played in at Fenway was the first major-league game I ever saw.

 

I don't know what happened. It's unfortunate that he (Former Mississippi State teammate Rafael Palmeiro) is getting drug through the mud when all the other guys are up there lying about the same thing. But they didn't get caught. He got caught.

 

I was a right fielder. I hit fifth behind Clark and Palmeiro.

 

The White Sox told me when I signed in June (1985; that he would be converted to a pitcher). I went to low A ball and they let me take batting practice for the rest of that season. Got to spring training with Tony (Former Sox manager Tony La Russa) and Tony says, "No more. No more hits. No more at-bats."

 

My first spring training, I walk in and my locker is right next to the door with the number 58. It isn't hard to figure out. They start weeding people out by whoever's closest to the door. All the stars are in the back corner. I'm right by the door. This isn't good.

 

Greg Walker. For some reason, towards the end of that camp, we figured out that we grew up an hour-and-a-half apart. He's from south Georgia, and I'm from north Florida. We had a lot in common. We looked alike. When I was in spring training, everybody called me "Walk." You put glasses and a hat on us, and we look exactly alike.

 

One thing I did collect was pictures of everyone who came to the park. I've got Muhammad Ali.

 

I'm a pitching coach in high school. My eighth year. My kid's a 10th grader, so I've got at least two more years. I was in Arizona in spring training, and I talked with the White Sox about maybe doing something down the road.

[greasywheels121]

That's how they're all written.

[Gregory Pratt]

That's how they're all written.

 

All the Out Loud columns or all columns in general?

[greasywheels121]

Out Loud.

[Gregory Pratt]

Out Loud.

 

Ah. I really hate that style, personally.

[Kalapse]

First: aside from Thigpen, does any member of the Sox hold any single-season record for anything? Sox Machine brought it up, and I couldn't think of anything.

Nope, not a one for anything.

[Soxfest]

Thiggy

[JoeBatterz]

I think Robin Ventura is the single season leader for receiving the most noogies from an opposing pitcher.

[bmags]

Ah. I really hate that style, personally.

 

the trib had to find out a way to keep rosenbloom on staff while removing his godawful writing...this is how they did it...

 

remember how whiney his column was? Ugh

[thedoctor]

First: aside from Thigpen, does any member of the Sox hold any single-season record for anything? Sox Machine brought it up, and I couldn't think of anything.

 

they hold the single-season championships record for 2005.

[witesoxfan]

they hold the single-season championships record for 2005.

 

Yesss

 

Also tied the best mark ever in the postseason, and also tied the longest postseason winning streak in the same year...8 games(Boston set it the year before)