Today in White Sox History: November 4

1965

“El Señor,” manager Al Lopez, resigned his position with the White Sox for health reasons. Perhaps the greatest manager in franchise history, Lopez had nine winning seasons in his nine full-time years as manager. He won the 1959 American League pennant, and was coming off of back-to-back-to-back 90 or more-win seasons in 1963, 1964 and 1965. The Sox averaged 96 wins per season during that time span, and those seasons remain the strongest three-season stretch in team history. Lopez 840 wins are second-most all-time for the White Sox. His 11 years managing in Chicago combined with six in Cleveland earned him induction into the Hall of Fame as a manager in 1977.

Eddie Stanky would be named to replace Lopez on December 14, but Lopez would come back to manage the White Sox in 1968 ... replacing Stanky.

2012

Legendary Chicago Bulls announcer and Chicago native Jim Durham passed away in Tomball, Texas. Durham broadcasted play-by-play for the White Sox in 1988-89 and was a national baseball voice for ESPN Radio from 1998 to 2012.

Durham’s most memorable broadcasting call was for “The Shot” by Michael Jordan that upset the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of the first round of the playoffs in 1989:

The inbounds pass comes in to Jordan. Here’s Michael at the foul line, the shot on Ehlo ... GOOD!

(Johnny Kerr: THE BULLS WIN! THEY WIN!)

They upset the Cleveland Cavaliers! Michael Jordan hits it at the foul line!

(Kerr: WOOOH!)

101-100! 20,273 in stunned silence here in the [Richfield] Coliseum. Michael Jordan with 44 points in the game hit the shot over Craig Ehlo. What tremendous heroics we have had in Game 5, from both teams, what a spectacular series this has been. In my days in the NBA, 16 years, this is the greatest series I’ve ever seen!