The 409 votes are tallied and the inaugural class has been decided. Candidates needed 307 votes to gain induction.
Work on the Plaque (75% or higher)
Frank Thomas was named on 399 ballots, good for 97.6%. The Big Hurt never dropped below 97 percent throughout the process.
Minnie Miñoso had 324 votes, for 79.2%. Minoso never dropped below the 75% mark.
Luke Appling had 314 votes, for 76.8%. Appling fell under 75% multiple times, but recovered to make it by seven votes.
Luis Aparicio had 310 votes, good enough for 75.8% and three more than the needed 307.
Nellie Fox received 309 votes, and was off until a late surge pushed him over the top, getting to 75.6%.
Near-Misses (60-74.99%)
Mark Buehrle was the nearest miss, as he gained 273 votes, good enough for 66.7%
Joe Jackson came next. He received 259 votes, which gave him 63.3%.
Paul Konerko had his fair share of backers with 251 votes, good for 61.4%.
Strong Support (50-59.99%)
Carlton Fisk was named on over half the ballots, as he got 227 votes, good for 55.5%.
You Got Some Work to Do (30%-49.9%)
Ed Walsh had 196 votes, which gave him 47.9%.
Harold Baines was named on 188 ballots, to get 46% of the vote.
Billy Pierce had 175 votes, good for 42.8%.
Eddie Collins received 171 votes, for 41.8%.
Ted Lyons nabbed 149 votes, good for 36.4%.
At Least They Got Double-Digits (10%-29.99%)
Wilbur Wood received 96 votes, good for 23.5%.
Red Faber was named on 68 ballots, and netted 16.6%.
Robin Ventura had 63 votes, which gave him 15.4%.
Chris Sale received 55 votes, for 13.4%.
Ed Cicotte netted 50 votes, for 12.2%.
Hoyt Wilhelm got 41 votes, good for 10%.
Others Receiving Votes (.01-9.99%)
Magglio Ordonez had 32 votes, for 7.8%.
Ray Schalk gained 28 votes, for 6.8%.
Chet Lemon netted 19 votes, for 4.6%.
Sherm Lollar received 14 votes, for 3.4%.
Fielder Jones had six votes, for 1.5%.
Doc White had five votes, for 1.2%.
George Davis received three votes, for 0.7%.
Matt Thornton gained two votes, for 0.5%.
Terry Forster had one vote, and lives to see another ballot.
Off the Ballot (zero votes)
Willie Kamm
Thornton Lee
Gerry Staley
Greatest Season
2005 was a runaway winner, with 78.2%.
1917 had 8.6%, for second.
1959 had 3.9%.
1906 had 3.7%.
1983 had 3.2%
1993 had 2.4%.
Contributor
Bill Veeck gets the nod, with 33% of the vote.
Hawk Harrelson was the runner-up, with 23.5%.
Nancy Faust played her way into third, with 15%.
Jerry Reinsdorf received 12.5% of the vote.
Charles Comiskey started it all, and got 10.5%.
Roland Hemond traded his way to 4.9% of the vote.
Best Gimmick
Exploding Scoreboard ran away with 59.4% of the vote.
Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye was a distant challenger, with 28.1%.
Seventh Inning Stretch came in third, with 4.4%.
Outfield Shower received 4.2%.
1976 Uniform Shorts had 3.9%, to bring up the rear.
Best Promotion
Disco Demolition won, with 47.2%.
Turn Back the Clock came in second, with 30.6%.
Dog Day received 12.5% of the vote.
Elvis Night got 6.8%.
Mullet Night was very underrated with 2.9%.
Uniforms
1991 received 26.9%, to win the most hotly contested match-up.
1983 came up four votes short, for 25.9%.
1959 was 10 votes short, with 24.4%.
1917 had 12.2%.
1972 brought up the rear, with 10.5%.
Manager
Ozzie Guillen dominated, with 61.1%.
Al Lopez pulled in 32% in the two-man race.
Fielder Jones received 3.7%.
Jimmy Dykes had 2%.
Ted Lyons got 1.2%.
Moments
2005 White Sox complete the World Series sweep received a dominant 70.9%.
Dewayne Wise’s catch to save Mark Buehrle’s perfect game was next, with 12.7%.
The 1906 Hitless Wonders defeat the Cubs in the World Series came in third, with 7.8%.
Mayor Daley sets off the air raid sirens and Jim Thome’s Blackout Game Homer each got 3.7%.
Andy Hawkins no-hitter loss was extremely underrated, with 1.2%.
Thus concludes the first year for the White Sox Hall of Fame. While you can definitely quibble with some of the vote totals of guys who didn’t make it, the five that got in were absolutely worthy of the enshrinement.
***
Editor’s end note:
So, the honored first class in the 2018 South Side Sox White Sox Hall of Fame consists of:
Frank Thomas, player
Minnie Miñoso, player
Luke Appling, player
Luis Aparicio, player
Nellie Fox, player
2005, season
Bill Veeck, contributor
Exploding Scoreboard, gimmick
Disco Demolition, promotion
Ozzie Guillen, manager
2005 World Series, moment
Next year’s voting will take place in January, after the regular Hall of Fame vote. At least eight new players will appear on the ballot. The 2005 season will have its own wing in the Hall. We will alternate categories, so next year’s “extra” categories will likely include Best 2005 Moment, Most Embarrassing Moment, Best Defensive Play and Most Electric/Meteoric Player.
Between now and then, Ken will be writing monthly “plaques” honoring each member of our new Hall of Fame, and each long “plaque” essay will reside permanently in our SSS Hall of Fame. And trust me, for some of these pieces, we’ll have some tricks up our sleeves.