15 from 2005
Snapshots from a Championship Season
1 - Season Tickets
Today, we look back at the wonder that was the 2005 White Sox. Many people have already said so many things about the 2005 White Sox. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel here, I just want to take time and reflect and reminisce about that magical season from my point of view.
In 2005 I was working in the research department for a mortgage company. I was just a regular hourly employee there. However my position as the person who responded to correspondence directed to our company president and other high level correspondence made me fairly well known around the company as I interacted with most every department in responding to these issues. It was also fairly well known that I was a White Sox fan. One morning one of the mailroom employees who would bring me some of the correspondence I would research came to my desk with a flyer.
It was an extra White Sox 2005 Season ticket sales flyer that was sent to our company. She thought I would get a kick out of seeing it. She, of course, was absolutely right. I love all things White Sox and did enjoy looking at the different ticket plans available for the then upcoming season.
I took the flyer home to show my wife. I really had no real thought of buying tickets. We went to 3 or 4 games a year, but many of those tickets we received through promotions or other modes of frugality. I had never had season tickets for anything, so it really wasn't on my radar and we had 2 children at home so it also wasn't in our budget
AI showed Amy the flyer and went on with my regularly scheduled life. The next day AMy calls me at work and say, I think we should buy season tickets. Color me flabbergasted! Before I could un gast my flabber, she reminded me of a gift my parents gave us the previous Christmas.
My parents (who are huge Cubs fans) had given each of their children a sizable amount of money. They had done so almost every year and almost every year we had it spent it, or at least earmarked it by New Year's Eve.
This particular year we had held onto it, and had not really set it aside for any expenditure. The money hadn't even crossed my mind when I received the flyer. It evidently had crossed my wife's mind. She suggested that we could use some of that money and purchase 2 tickets to the 9 game plan (cleverly called the Minnie Plan after White Sox legend Minnie Minoso).
I wasn't so sure. It seemed like an extravagance to spend so much money on something that would mainly benefit me. Even so, there was another problem lurking in the ether, an Elephant in the Stadium that needed to be addressed.
The White Sox have been playing in the same stadium since 1991. From 1991 to 2002 IThe stadium was called Comiskey Park, which was also the name of the stadium it replaced. In 2003 the name the name changed to U.S. Cellular Field. I attended 8 to 9 games there in 2003 and 2004 and the White Sox lost every single one of them! This included a 7-0 loss to the New York Yankees on September 23rd. I remember that game specifically because a) It was my 39th birthday, and b) it eliminated The White Sox from the playoffs by that loss and a Minnesota Twins victory over the Cleveland Indians.
It wasn't like the Sox stunk at home since the name change. In fact, they went a combine 97-65 at home during those 2 years that's a winning percentage of .599! They won 6 of every 10 games but 0 of the 9 I went to! I'm pretty sure the White Sox Marquis had a sign that read Welcome to U.S. Cellular Field, except you Dave Roller!
So why would I possibly think of buying seasons tickets to a team I hadn't been to a home winner in since the name change? It was a valid question. But the thing about me, is I'm an optimist. I mean who isn't before a season starts? It's a new beginning. I took a leap of faith and bought the Minnie plan. I took different people to different games. We even went to a few more games not on the plan.
And when we went to games, they won. They actually won. I attended only one loss the entire season. Then they won the World Series for the first time since 1917.
Wait a minute, am I saying the White Sox won the World series because I stood up to my U.S. Cellular slump and had the courage to buy a ticket plan? Yes, yes, I am. It's not the only reason, as we will see there is plenty of credit to go around. The players had a lot to do with it. Ozzie Guillen sure deserves some acclaim. The general manager did a superb job picking up several players who did not play for the White Sox in 2004, who had major parts in the success of the 2005 season. Even the guy who watched the waiver wire had his part to play. What's a waiver wire? I'm both getting ahead of myself and setting the scene for future installments of 15 from 2005.
Join us next time, won't you?
