Why I'm here

When I titled this entry, I didn't think it would be such a tough question to answer. I mean, ultimately, I'm here because as a six-year-old living in the near north suburbs, I somehow latched on to the Chicago White Sox. I'm sure the great season the 1977 South Side Hitmen were having had something to do with it, but no one in my family really remembers. The big dash of stubbornness that I inherited from my father explains why I remained a White Sox fan even as everyone around me went for the Cubs in 1984.

In a more direct way, I'm here because, after two years and eight months of writing a White Sox blog on my own, the burden of trying to write enough to make it worthwhile for readers to check out my blog overwhelmed me. I'm lucky that I have a good friend and fine blogger like Jim willing to take me in and let me be a part of Sox Machine. With that burden of flying solo now lifted off me, I hope that I'll be able to resume writing more in-depth articles about the White Sox -- where they've been and where they're headed. I hope you'll take the time to read my posts, intermittent though they may be.
posted on Wednesday, October 04, 2006 12:09 AM by Vince_Galloro

Comments

# re: Why I'm here

Wednesday, October 04, 2006 4:41 PM by bt
I hope you enjoy your new home.
Good Luck,
Best Wishes.

# re: Why I'm here

Thursday, October 05, 2006 3:38 AM by Jeeves
welcome aboard and good luck!

# re: Why I'm here

Saturday, October 07, 2006 7:12 AM by tjrako
Enjoy your stay here. I became Sox fan when Veeck bought the team (2nd time) I was only 10 then but the exploding scoreboard and then the South Side Hitman year convinced me!!!!
Just think I grew up only 5 miles from Wrigley (Addison/Elston)

# re: Why I'm here

Sunday, October 08, 2006 2:52 PM by Sox_fan_in_Brazil
I'm here because in 1990, when I'd gone years without really caring about baseball, I was living in the South Side when the Sox put together an exciting team that would have made the playoffs if there'd been a wildcard, and almost certainly would have made a better showing against the Reds than their AL West rivals the A's did. I became a Sox fan and have lived through great and awful times since then. The 1993 playoffs were fun, even though we lost. By that time, I was living in California and had to fly back to Chicago to watch ALCS games at Comiskey II (now "The Cell"). I had tix to 1993 World Series games at Comiskey, but alas, we were doomed to 12 more years of Cubbishness in not even reaching the World Series. The 1994 season was really fun, even though nobody got a chance to win in the end. Following the careers of some of my favorites, like Frank Thomas and Robin Ventura, has been a pleasure, even as they have moved on to other teams (and in Ventura's case, retired).
1995 blew goats. I got really mad, because I felt management wasn't even trying to win. If you hire the 1995 model of Chris Sabo to be your DH (and pay him the same money as Mickey Tettleton got the same year), either you have forgotten what the "H" in "DH" stands for or you don't care.
I now have to follow the Sox at a great distance-- I live in South America. I watched all the Sox playoff games live via internet last year, sometimes staying at the office (where I watched the games through our projector on an enormous screen) until the wee hours when I had meetings the next day. It was definitely worth it. Smoking a Cuban cigar (living outside the US has its privileges) to celebrate after game 4 was super-sweet.
I found EiW when I heard Vince on Baseball Prospectus Radio in 2005 (and I must say it was soooo much fun to listen to North Side Chumps fan and White Sox hater Will Carroll choking on the Sox' success last year). I'm glad to have found EiW and look forward to the discussion here during the hot stove season, 2007 Spring Training, the 2007 regular season, and, if all goes well, the 2007 post-season. I've enjoyed Vince's articles at the old EiW. I can't wait to see what he does now that he can focus on "more in-depth articles." Finding the Sox machine through EiW is an added bonus for me.
I confess that I'm also looking forward to the 100th anniversary of Cub futility, which is coming up quick. It's a shame the Cubs got rid of Dusty, but I'm sure somebody will step up to keep the Cubs' streak alive.

If the Sox make the post-season in 2007, I'll do everything I can to make a trip up there. I haven't been to Chicago since the 1993 ALCS, and it's time to visit again. I'd like to see some games at (ugh) "The Cell," and I'd like to see the city and some friends I still have there.

# re: Why I'm here

Monday, October 09, 2006 1:09 AM by Jim Margalus
Welcome, fellas.

Now that we have a regular reader in Brazil, we're only missing two continents. We just need somebody to move to Africa or Antarctica.

# re: Why I'm here

Tuesday, October 10, 2006 8:13 PM by MattTheRock
Antarctica here I come!!!