THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: FEBRUARY 18TH/Grebeck, Manuel, Harry

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THIS DATE IN WHITE SOX HISTORY: FEBRUARY 18TH

 

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MR. VERSATILITY IN THE FOLD

1993: Craig Grebeck, one of the great utilitymen in franchise history, agreed to terms on a one-year contract. Grebeck rose from the ranks of the undrafted to become a valuable part of the White Sox in the early to mid-1990s. The diminutive Grebeck played at least second, short and third in each of his six seasons with the Sox. In 1992, Grebeck even got into two games in the outfield. Grebeck played with the Sox through the 1995 season and played six more years with Florida, Anaheim, Toronto and Boston before retiring in 2001.

 

RIP HARRY

1998: Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Caray, who spent 11 seasons with the White Sox, died in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Despite his strong affiliation with the Cubs, Caray remains one of the most popular broadcasters in White Sox history.

 

FOUR MORE YEARS?

2001: In the wake of the 2000 American League Central Division title, the White Sox signed manager Jerry Manuel to a contract extension through 2004 with an option for 2005. Manuel wouldn’t last the contract. He was let go after the 2003 campaign and succeeded by Ozzie Guillen. The record shows it wasn’t a bad run for Manuel. In addition to the division title, Manuel fashioned four second-place finishes and a third-place finish in his tenure with the Sox. He left Chicago with three winning seasons, one .500 season and 497 wins, which rank fourth in club history. The downfall of the Manuel era was that he could never elevate the Sox to the next level -- something Guillen was able to do in his second year on the job.