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1914
The Sox purchased the contract of outfielder Oscar “Happy” Felsch from Milwaukee for $19,000. Felsch, an outstanding glove man and hitter, would become part of history by his participation in the 1919 “Black Sox” scandal.
1976
With the White Sox in last place and going nowhere, owner Bill Veeck pulled out another wacky promotion. For the first time, a major league team played a game wearing shorts, as the Sox beat the Royals, 5-2, at Comiskey Park.
The White Sox would wear shorts two other times, both against the Orioles: August 21-22.
Their record in the three games was 2-1; maybe they should have worn them more often, because they finished the season with 97 losses!
No other big-league team has worn them since.
1994
With time running out for labor peace, Sports Illustrated put Frank Thomas on the cover along with future White Sox outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. The headline read, “Top Guns. Frank Thomas and Ken Griffey Jr. Two powerful reasons to keep playing ball.”
The plea would fall on deaf ears, as baseball shut down the following week, ending the season.