Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Can't the White Sox celebrate 1983 from a different angle?

The White Sox excessively celebrate the 1983 AL West Division championship, don't they?

On Sunday, the team marked the 40th anniversary of the division-clinching game. Social media accounts featured a picture of manager Tony La Russa and outfielders Daryl Boston, Harold Baines and Ron Kittle.

You might be asking yourself why Boston was in the photo. Good question. He didn't make his debut with the Sox until 1984. At least La Russa and Baines are in the Hall of Fame, and in case you haven't heard (LOL), Kittle won AL Rookie of the Year in 1983. Boston just doesn't fit here.

On the Sox Machine podcast this week, they asked why the 1983 team is celebrated for every anniversary, while the 1993 AL West Division champion Sox are mostly lost to history.

Great question. I don't have a good answer. 

Me personally, I loved the 1983 team. I was 7 years old at the time, and that was the team that helped spark my love of baseball and the White Sox. That being said, I agree that the nostalgia for that team has gotten excessive. Do we really need to see those 1983 uniforms for every Sunday home game? Not in my world.

But, if we must continue to celebrate the 1983 team, couldn't we at least hear from some different players?

Kittle doesn't have a story to tell that I haven't already heard. He won Rookie of the Year and hit homers onto the roof at Comiskey Park. Yeah, we know.

And Baines is well-known as a quiet man, despite being an exceptional player during his day. He just doesn't have much to say.

I realize some of the players from the 1983 squad have passed now -- LaMarr Hoyt, Julio Cruz and Dick Tidrow come to mind as some guys who are no longer with us. 

But you know who's still alive? Greg Luzinski. And Rudy Law. And Richard Dotson. And Vance Law. And Jerry Dybzinski. And Jerry Hairston. And Tom Paciorek. And Floyd Bannister. Heck, Jerry Koosman turns 81 in December, but he's still around! I could go on.

Why not bring back some of these former players? We haven't heard much from any of them over the years. That would be more interesting than hearing Kittle talk about that season for the 1,000th time.

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