Meet the Players: Janice Scurio

Sometime during one of this season’s Tim Anderson bat flip controversies, I ran across someone who was consistently coming down on the side of right, good, and hilarious on Twitter. The funny and smart stuff was coming from a feisty tweeter with the moniker of @BallerLibrarian ... and although this Baller Librarian had a fair amount of Milwaukee Brewers content on her feed, I suspected there was more to the story.

Indeed, it’s the age-old tale: birth in Chicago, work at the ballpark, school in Milwaukee, work in Madison, and return to Chicago to start writing about your most favorite team eva, the White Sox.

Meet Janice Scurio, the newest addition to what is becoming a ludicrously good lineup. She’s clever, she’s fun — and she knows her stuff. When I read her, I get a distinct Julie Brady vibe, and I’ve made no bones about how impressive Julie’s early writing has been for us on Minor League Updates. (No pressure, Janice.) Let’s just say, between site ambassador Ashley Sanders, site sassmouth Julie, and now Janice, it has been quite the delightful free agent season for us here at South Side Sox.

So, let’s give Janice a hearty welcome. She’ll make her White Sox gamethread/recap debut tomorrow night, with the opener of the White Sox-New York Yankees series.

Hometown Southwest Side of Chicago

White Sox fan since It might have been 1995 when I started blocking my dad’s view of the TV, subsequently begging him to take me to see the real thing, which didn’t happen until 1997.

First White Sox memory A postgame interview with Ozzie Guillén in 1995 where he talked about his apparently then-status as being popular with female fans. His response was something along the lines of “So the ladies like the butt?” I am pretty sure this interview happened, but I have not invested in digging in the archives to unearth it. In retrospect, why was I allowed to watch this on TV? More importantly, why is this my earliest White Sox memory?

Favorite White Sox memory Mark Buehrle’s perfect game (and DeWayne Wise’s catch to complement), Mark Buehrle’s between-the-legs backhanded flip to PK in 2010, and perhaps my top memory: My whole family pulling out the pots and spoons to run in the streets and make some noise in 2005, the sweet cathartic release of clamor after winning it all.

Favorite White Sox player Currently, Lucas Giolito and Tim Anderson. All time? Frank Thomas was the first player I met in person during my formative Sox fan years, and he was so cool and down to earth. He made a fan for life that day.

Next White Sox statue Mark Buehrle, specifically immortalized with the between-the-legs glove flip play

Next White Sox retired number Tim Anderson’s made the number 7 cool again. Might as well put it away now.

Go-to concession food at Sox Park Settling on a polish with onions *again* after walking around the concourse a third time

Favorite Baseball Movie Moneyball, since it certainly appealed to myself, who had a brief obsession with the Oakland Athletics around 2002-04

South Side Sox on the field I’d gladly be a LOOGY (left-handed-one-out-gal) until we become obsolete next year with this new three-batter-minimum rule.

True or false: Every jumbled pile of person has a thinking part that wonders what the part that isn’t thinking isn’t thinking of. False. I’m always thinking. Or does thinking about thinking render that valid? I’m going to read back up on my Descartes and get back to you on this one.