White Sox vice president Jack Gould, whose idea to computerize baseball statistics in 1981 helped usher baseball into a new era, died after a long bout with cancer Monday in his Highland Park home.
Mr. Gould joined the Sox as an investor in 1975, and became senior vice president in 1981.
A former owner of a mortgage banking firm with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Illinois, Mr. Gould loved working with numbers and used that talent in his years as a Sox executive. The Sox were among the first teams to computerize baseball statistics in ’81, giving manager Tony LaRussa plenty of statistical data to work with before and during games.
It’s now commonplace for managers to have instant access to vital information, such as how each batter fares statistically against a particular pitcher and vice versa.
Mr. Gould was born in Chicago, graduated from Von Steuben High School and served as a bomber pilot for the Army Air Forces during World War II. He flew 35 bombing missions in Europe and received the Distinguished Flying Cross, among other decorations. Actor Jimmy Stewart was a lieutenant colonel under Mr. Gould’s wing.
Mr. Gould did not let cancer prevent him from participating in his annual trip to the Sox’s spring training camp inFebruary, and he continued to make the trip to Comiskey Park this year to watch his team play. Though he also was an investor in the Bulls, who won six world titles, Mr. Gould’s most fervent hope was to see his beloved White Sox win a World Series.
“Everyone with the White Sox is deeply saddened today,” White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said. “Jack Gould was a tremendous person, a war hero who rarely spoke of his accomplishments, a skilled businessman, a trusted counselor, a good friend and a very proud grandfather. He devoted a large part of his life to the Chicago White Sox, and he loved the team dearly. Not a day will pass when he is not missed.”
During his years with the Sox, Mr. Gould also was in charge of representing the team in arbitration hearings, leading to some contentious battles with young stars such as pitcher Jack McDowell. Mr. Gould’s main job was to keep younger players’ salaries down and to avoid arbitration whenever possible.
“We figured it out scientifically,” Mr. Gould said during a heated salary battle with McDowell in ’89. “If they beat us [in arbitration], they’re Roger Clemens.”
Mr. Gould is survived by his wife, Nancy; a son, Larry; a daughter-in-law, Hilary; and a grandson, Lucas. Services will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday in Piser Funeral Home, 9200 Skokie Blvd., Skokie.
