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For the good chunk of our readership and community that might not have known that South Side Sox existed the last time Minnie Miñoso was on the Hall of Fame's Golden Era ballot, you might find it worth your while to peruse our most relevant posts about the man, since most of it still applies this time around.
- Minnie to the max: White Sox begin push for Minoso's case - South Side Sox
- Minnie to the max: More about Minoso - South Side Sox
The White Sox did an admirable job of putting together a microsite for Miñoso's Hall of Fame case. The first post focuses on his career as told through personal anecdotes, and the second sums up his statistical case.
The Sox also put together a Hall of Fame forum at U.S. Cellular Field. ESPN's Pedro Gomez served as moderator for a panel that included a number of journalists, historians, analysts, former teammates and fellow countrymen (Tony Perez! Luis Tiant!). Our e-gus was also there.
I went through Miñoso's player file at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum's library in Cooperstown, and there was enough incredible material for two whole posts. The first focuses on his origin story, and the way he impressed opponents with his opposite-field power and all-out baserunning.
In the second part, we learn about the second half of his career, his personal style, his emotional ties to Chicago, and the best Miñoso story I've heard yet:
Minnie Minoso deserves to be in the Hall of Fame for his negotiation skills alone. pic.twitter.com/iAqn2w7ryh
— South Side Sox (@SouthSideSox) October 30, 2014
I didn't focus on his post-career careers, because for reasons I can't understand, some people are really bothered by the Bill Veeck-aided comebacks in 1976 and 1980. This one still pisses me off.
Rob wrote about the White Sox's effort to break their own color barrier after Jackie Robinson established himself with the Brooklyn Dodgers.