My girlfriend, Jen, and I had tickets to a ballgame between the White Sox and the Oakland Athletics. We were sitting at ChiSox Bar & Grill on 35th Street eating dinner before the game, when the restaurant manager approached us and asked if we'd like a ticket upgrade.
Umm ... sure!
Turns out Farmer didn't have anyone to take his tickets that day, so he told the restaurant manager to give them to people who looked like true Sox fans. Well, I'd like to think we qualify, and we ended up sitting right behind the Sox's dugout for that game.
We had an awesome view of Chris Sale tossing eight innings of three-hit, shutout ball as the Sox defeated Oakland, 6-2, that night. Somewhat amusingly, Ross Detwiler -- current Sox roster filler -- took the loss for the Athletics after giving up six runs on 10 hits over four innings.
Thanks for the great seats, Ed! I've never forgotten it!
Sadly, Farmer died Wednesday night at his home in Calabasas, Calif. He was 70 years old.
I could tell you about how Farmer was a native South Sider who grew up dreaming of playing at Comiskey Park, and how those dreams came true during an 11-year playing career that included an All-Star Game appearance in 1980 as a member of the Sox.
And I could tell you about his long broadcasting career with the Sox, which began in 1991 and continued until spring training this year, when Farmer had to step aside because of his declining health.
But instead of listening to me babble, let's hear from Farmer in his own words about a life in baseball:
RIP, Ed. Your activities here will not be forgotten.
