It was a year ago that we buried a time capsule for the 2000 White Sox, filling it with first-half souvenirs such as Keith Foulke’s stitches from the Sox-Tigers brawl and the bellman’s cap Jerry Manuel donned in Detroit during his eight-game suspension.
The 2001 season reaches the halfway point Wednesday night with the 81st game, and although the Sox haven’t fared nearly as well as in 2000, there’s still plenty of items of interest to bury. As they continue their streaky season, here’s our first-half time capsule for the 2001 Sox:
Plans A, B and C
Asked about a possible salary purge following a 4-8 trip in May, general manager Ken Williams said he had a “Plan A, B and C,” depending on the upcoming weeks: “To say we have something already written in stone is off base. I really would like to be a little forthcoming, but it’s not in our best interest.” The Sox went 18-9 in June, and Williams has opted for Plan B–minor tinkering–by signing DH Jose Canseco and acquiring left-handed reliever Alan Embree from the Giants.
The joint statement
Frank Thomas ended his brief holdout in spring training and told reporters Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf implied he would not exercise the so-called “diminished skills” clause in Thomas’ contract that could have made him a free agent in November. The next day, a joint statement by Reinsdorf and Thomas was released, saying no gentleman’s agreement existed between them. Thomas’ triceps injury led to season-ending surgery in May, after which Reinsdorf said in a TV interview that he wouldn’t exercise the diminished skills clause. Thomas still wants the clause to be removed, but he isn’t holding his breath.
The “caveat emptor” ruling
Commissioner Bud Selig ruled in March that the Sox owed Toronto no compensation for Mike Sirotka, who had been diagnosed with a torn labrum after being traded for David Wells in January, eventually undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. Selig’s “buyer beware” ruling sided with the Sox, but Wells has experienced a subpar season at 5-7 with a 4.47 ERA and was removed early from two of his last five starts with back spasms.
Antonio Osuna’s drumstick
When the Sox acquired reliever Antonio Osuna from the Dodgers near the end of spring training, Osuna proclaimed he wanted to be a closer and chose No. 13, a number last worn by Ozzie Guillen. “I’m superstitious about it,” Osuna said. He was a drummer for a Latin band called “El Misterio,” or “the Mystery.” Now his career is a mystery. Williams signed Osuna to a two-year extension through 2003, even though he had missed the 1999 season after elbow surgery and had experienced tendinitis in Dodgers camp. He sustained a torn labrum in April, underwent surgery and disappeared from sight.
“Meet the Parents”
The Robert DeNiro-Ben Stiller comedy was in the VCR in the visitors’ clubhouse before a Sox-A’s game in Oakland when batting coach Von Joshua went off, ripping into his hitters for only being interested in getting a big contract and being on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” After the Sox were nearly no-hit by Mark Mulder that afternoon, Joshua was fired and “Meet the Parents” became part of Sox history.
Jerry Manuel’s pick
When the Sox acquired Canseco on June 21, Manuel was asked what he was going to do next. “I’m going to try to grow my hair as long as I can so it won’t all fall out at one time,” he replied. In his first 36 at-bats, Canseco was hitting .222 with one homer and six RBIs. Manuel’s hair hasn’t fallen out yet.
Rocky Biddle’s anti-inflammatory pills
The rookie right-hander was mowing down the Cubs at Comiskey Park when he was removed after three innings. Biddle had been on anti-inflammatory medicine for shoulder pains for a month or so but hadn’t taken his pills for a few days. “I asked him, `Are you still on your medicine?'” trainer Herm Schneider said afterward. “He said. `No, I’ve been off the medicine for about a week now.’ I asked him, `Why didn’t you reload?’ He says, `I forgot to ask you whether I should or not.’ Rookie mistake.'”
Royce Clayton’s bat
The Sox shortstop recently announced that “life is unfair,” but he has yet to reach the .200 mark in 2001. Clayton has come on strong lately, increasing his average to .186 as the All-Star break approaches. Joshua said after being fired that he’d asked Clayton to use a heavier bat, but that Clayton wasn’t interested in making any changes.
Cal Eldred’s 5-inch screw
The 5-inch screw surgically inserted into Eldred’s right elbow last August couldn’t help him stay healthy in 2001. Eldred was the No. 2 starter when the season began but lasted only two appearances before being placed on the disabled list. He’s out for the season and likely to retire.
Apology note to Frank Thomas
Last year’s time capsule included the doctor’s note Thomas gave to Manuel, excusing him from a shuttle drill. The note ignited a heated closed-door meeting between Thomas and Manuel that made headlines nationally. This time, when Thomas went down on April 28 with what turned out to be a season-ending triceps injury, the general feeling in Chicago was that Thomas should still be playing. David Wells said as much on his radio show, but his remarks looked bad when Thomas had to undergo surgery. Asked if Wells apologized, Thomas replied: “No apology was necessary,” and he insisted the overall doubts about his pain threshold didn’t upset him: “I’ve been doubted my whole life as a professional athlete, or as an athlete, period. It doesn’t bother me. I know what I’m made of.”
Kirk Gibson’s crystal ball
The Tigers broadcaster and close friend of Wells said shortly before the Wells-Thomas affair that Wells would get into a controversy with someone. “Trust me he’ll have a problem over here,” Gibson said. “He’ll go at it with somebody. I talked about it with Jerry [Manuel]. I said, `It’s coming–don’t worry.'”
Mrs. Konerko’s `Rally Monkey’
Before the May 1 Sox-Angels game in Anaheim, Paul Konerko’s mom bought a stuffed animal called a “Rally Monkey” to help her son’s team. But the monkey apparently only works for the Angels (and barely, at that). After Paul Konerko suffered through a horrible May with a .152 average, lowest among AL hitters, his father took hold of the ape, strangled it, burned it and threw it in the garbage. Paul rebounded with a .365 average in June.
A magnetic resonance imaging test
With season-ending injuries to ex-Sox Sirotka, plus Osuna, Eldred, Thomas, Jim Parque, Lorenzo Barcelo and Kelly Wunsch, the Sox may have spent more money on MRI tests than on fireworks during the first half. Fortunately for the Sox, there’s still another half to go, and plenty of space remaining in the 2001 time capsule.
