The 1983 Chicago White Sox was a special baseball team. But can it really be 20 years ago since they won the American League West?
“No, not really,” said then-GM Roland Hemond. “It seems like about five years ago. Time goes so fast, but I’ll never forget seeing the chemistry that team had. Great guys, great morale, great chemistry.”
It was about this time of year when Sox hitting coach Charlie Lau worked with catcher Carlton Fisk and DH Greg Luzinski, who were mired in slumps. “Lau told me, ‘Give them 10 days,'” Hemond recalled. “And about six days after that, Lau saw something and said to me, ‘Ooo, they’re doing it.’ ” Fisk (26 HR) and Luzinski (32) finished up strong.
With help from Hemond and others, RedEye tracked down that 1983 team to see where each player is today.
First row
Fitness director/assistant trainer Brandt McFarlane
No update available.
1B Mike Squires
Cardinals scout.
Coach Art Kusnyer
Sox bullpen coach.
Coach Dave Duncan
Cardinals pitching coach.
Manager Tony La Russa
Cardinals manager.
Coach Davey Nelson
Brewers first-base coach.
Coach Ed Brinkman
Retired and a grandfather, lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Hitting coach
Charlie Lau
Deceased, 1984.
Coach Jim Leyland
Retired and living in Pittsburgh.
Second row
Trainer Herm Schneider
Still Sox trainer.
Clubhouse attendant Joe MacNamara
Deceased.
OF Jerry Hairston
Manages rookie-league Bristol (Va.) White Sox.
RP Kevin Hickey
Lives in Chicago.
SP Floyd Bannister
Lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., and worked with son Brian, a pitcher recently drafted by the Mets.
CF Rudy Law
Lives in Inglewood, Calif.
C Marc Hill
Manager of the River City Rascals of the Frontier League in Missouri.
2B Scott Fletcher
Assistant coach at Emory University in Atlanta.
Clubhouse attendant Willie Thompson
Deceased.
Third row
SP Richard Dotson
Pitching coach for the rookie-league Great Falls White Sox.
RP Salome Barojas
2002 inductee into the Mexican baseball hall of fame; pitching coach for Mexico City Red Devils.
RP Juan Agosto
Lives in Bradenton, Fl.
SS Jerry Dybzinski
Lives in Ft. Collins, Colo.
DH Greg Luzinski
Lives in Florida. “He’s pretty much retired and enjoying life,” Hemond said.
SP Lamarr Hoyt
Owns small business in South Carolina.
RF Harold Baines
Roving minor-league Sox hitting instructor. Lives in Maryland and is MLB FanFest spokesman.
2B Tony Bernazard
Special assistant to the executive director of the MLB Players Association in New York.
P Steve Mura
Lives in Trabuco Canyon, Calif.
Fourth row
LF Ron Kittle
Lives in northwest Indiana and is active in charity work with an annual golf tournament.
SP Jerry Koosman
Lives in Hudson, Wis.
RP Dick Tidrow
Giants’ VP of player personnel
C Carlton Fisk
Lives in Lockport. Fisk will be on of the Futures Game managers during All-Star Weekend.
SP Britt Burns
Pitching coach for the Double A Erie Seawolves.
IF Chris Nyman
Lives in Dittmer, Mo.
1B Greg Walker
Sox hitting instructor.
CL Dennis Lamp
Lives in Long Beach, Calif. “He always used to do impressions of me,” Hemond said. “He is still the best at that.”
3B Vance Law
Head baseball coach at Brigham Young.
IF/OF Tom Paciorek
TV analyst for Fox SportsNet South.
Not pictured
C Joel Skinner
Indians third-base coach.
3B Aurelio Rodriguez
Died at 52 after being struck by a car in September 2000.
2B Julio Cruz
Spanish language analyst for Mariners radio.
OF Lorenzo Gray
Lives in Lynwood, Calif.
1B Dave Stegman
Lives in Grove City, Ohio.
OF Miguel Dilone
Lives in Santiago, Dominican Republic.
OF Rusty Kuntz
Pirates first-base coach.
IF Tim Hulett
Lives in Springfield. Son Tug hit .373 for Auburn this season.
OF Casey Parsons
Lives in Spokane, Wash.
P Guy Hoffman
Lives in Bloomington.
P Randy Martz
Lives in East Alton.
P Al Jones
Lives in Greenville, Miss.
P Jim Kern
Lives in Arlington, Texas.
Bench coach Loren Babe
Deceased, 1984.
