I’d like to see a Cubs-Sox World Series just so we could end the speculation once and for all. Get it over with for the next hundred years.
The parade that we had where there were more than 2 million people and to ride the route and see older people and youngsters crying was very profound.
To win the thing last year and to call the ballpark one day, and the operator says, “U.S. Cellular Field, home of the World Champion Chicago White Sox”-poof, it just hit me again.
Every time I think about last year, Ozzie’s the first thing that pops into my mind.
He changed the whole culture of this organization. It was down. Manuel(1) did not do the job here. He had the talent; he did not do the job, OK?
We had four consecutive complete games last year, and people say, “That’s fantastic.” I say, “That’s not the issue. The issue is, what other manager would’ve allowed that? None.” Because most of these managers manage to cover their (backsides).
Basketball was my best sport; football was my second-best sport.
My mom wanted me to play baseball. We lived in Savannah, Ga. She was a single parent and made $56 a week. There are some sons and daughters who love their parents as much as I loved my mom, but no one ever loved their mom more.
I signed to go to the University of Georgia. Notre Dame wanted me to go there. USC. Everybody wanted me to come play. Some schools wanted me to play basketball. Some schools wanted me to play football. Not too many schools wanted me to play baseball. The day I graduated from military school in Savannah, all the scouts were there trying to sign me because they didn’t have the draft back in those days. They talked to my mom and we got a lot of money to sign with Kansas City.
She knew I wanted to play basketball or football. But I knew how much she needed the money. I took the money strictly because of her and went out and bought her a brand new Pontiac.
Even back in those days when there were no cell phones and e-mail, I seldom missed a day of calling her until she died.
Dick Howser nicknamed me the “Hawk” in 1959. We played in winter ball in the Instructional League in Clearwater, Fla. He started called me “Hawk” because of my nose.
We had a clubhouse in Kansas City where once you opened the door, the fans were right there. There was no barrier. So, they had a couple hundred fans there. I hit a couple home runs and I had a party I planned to go to. So, I push these kids out of the way, and I get about halfway through and I felt this vise on the back of my neck. I turn around and I was going to hit somebody, and it’s Rocky Colavito. He pulls me back in the clubhouse and says, “You (expletive), one of these days you have a chance to be a good player, but those are the people who pay our checks. If I ever see you do that again, I’m going to kick the (stuff) out of you.” And he would’ve, too. After that, I signed everyone my whole career.
The best clutch hitter I’ve ever seen was Yastrzemski(2). I don’t care who was pitching.
I think it was in ’63. I was platooning, and we were playing the Yankees. They were supposed to be pitching Jim Coates, which meant I wasn’t going to play. So, Ted Bowsfield and I went out and played 36 holes with Sammy Esposito and Gino Cimoli. I was making more money playing golf than playing baseball. I was a better golfer, first of all. So, I went from the golf course to the ballpark, and I look at the lineup, and I’m hitting third. I go down and take batting practice and I had worn a blister from the 36 holes. I remember I had my golf gloves in my pants and I ran up and got them. Everybody said, “What are you doing?” I said, “I had a blister.” Whitey Ford hung me a curve and I hit it out and we won the ballgame. The next day, we’re out there taking batting practice and the Yankees come down and they all had red golf gloves on. Mickey Mantle had the clubhouse guy go buy a couple dozen golf gloves. That’s how the whole thing with batting gloves got started.
The players today are better than we were. We had better teams because we knew how to play.
I think I’m proudest of how close my family is. My wife, my daughter, my son, my grandson. I have another grandson on the way. There’s no question. That just dwarfs everything.
1: Former Sox manager Jerry Manuel.
2: Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski.
