Cup o’ Joe, side o’ dough: Good morning, Sox fans!
How about a news roundup to get your day off to the right start?
Well listen, the sim-summaries did not really seem to be happening. If there’s outcry, all right, we’ll drag ’em back in some form. But for now, maybe a roundup of stuff you might have missed yesterday is a better fit during our collective quarantine.
Feedback welcome.
The 14 best pitches in White Sox history: Who threw it best?
Chris Kamka, NBC Sports Chicago
Many men have thrown pitches for the White Sox over the course of their more than 100-year history, but these 14 pitches were the best to ever grace the South Side.
This isn’t scientific by any stretch, but Shingo Takatsu’s frisbee makes a cameo, so I’m good.
Edwin Encarnación steps up for Dominican Republic in COVID-19 crisis
Janice Scurio, South Side Hit Pen at Sports Illustrated
With the MLB season on hold with no start date on the horizon, Encarnación and former MLB stars David Ortiz and Pedro Martinez have turned their efforts towards helping their home country of the Dominican Republic, one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 virus.
Everyone covered the Encarnación press conference yesterday, where he also estimated needing three weeks to prep for any resumption of the season — hey, that’s just half of a regular spring training! — so why not read our friend Janice Scurio’s story?
Coming Soon … A Dick Allen documentary!
Mark Liptak, South Side Hit Pen at Sports Illustrated
To a generation of Sox fans, Allen also was the definition of “cool,” much as Steve McQueen and Paul Newman were in Hollywood. From his Mutton-chop sideburns, to his Van Dyke, to his glasses and batting helmet, there was just something about Dick.
The maker of The Last Dance already has his next project lined up: an Allen documentary, timed to come out on the heels of his being voted into the Hall of Fame this December (fingers crossed)
KBO fan guide: Who should White Sox fans root for?
Joe Resis, South Side Hit Pen at Sports Illustrated
Miss baseball? Lacking a team to cheer for? Fear not! The Korean Baseball Organization will start on May 5, and you have 10 teams to choose from. Each one has at least one reason for White Sox fans to be interested.
You’ve seen the online quizzes telling you which KBO team fits your profile of a fan? Well, Joe’s thumbnails beat hell out of any of that quiz stuff. Get reading.
The two-headed knuckleball
Phil Hundley, South Side Hit Pen at Sports Illustrated
The perfect pitcher must be able to keep hitters off-balance. Professional hitters will eventually time even those guys who can regularly chuck it at 100 mph. Changeups are all well and good, but if the perfect pitcher really wants to tie the Mike Trouts of the world (all one of them) into knots, they need a knuckleball. And that’s where the two-headed beast of Hoyt Wilhelm, the righty, and Wilbur Wood, the sinister-sided, come into play.
Our own KP busts out a quick meditation on the most unique pitch out there — and cheekily suggests it as an overlooked weapon that could still be effective today.
Interview with former White Sox, current Samsung Lions infielder Tyler Saladino
Joe Binder, Sox on 35th
We were fortunate enough to talk with Tyler and ask him some questions about the deal that brought him to South Korea, his experiences so far, adjustments he’s had to make along the way, and plenty more!
Tyler is apparently doing quite a bit of media these days (some sort of Sox Talk thing coming up, too?), which is understandable. Not revelatory, but as an Old Friend, it’s good to see Salad’s doing well.
Latest 2020 proposal makes crosstown play an actual rivalry
James Fox, South Side Hit Pen at Sports Illustrated
In addition to the Arizona Plan and Florida Plan that were recently detailed, Bob Nightengale now has the outline of another plan that hits a little closer to home. The veteran scribe from USA Today reports that Major League Baseball is considering three divisions of 10 teams, in which teams play a 100-game season only within their own expanded divisions.
James has become the go-to “alternate season plan” guy at SSHP, and given his steadfast belief that baseball will be played this season, he’s the right guy for the job. Come for the deets, stay for his feisty comments about crosstown play.
South Side Hit Pen is now at Sports Illustrated!
Brett Ballantini, South Side Hit Pen (WordPress)
But the good news is, South Side Hit Pen is in better shape than ever. All the same features, coverage and interaction you’ve come to expect from our team here, and even dating back to South Side Sox, are coming with us. Plus, there is a video element at Sports Illustrated that we could never have dreamed of incorporating at our prior homes. And the community and commenting elements at our SI site are far more dynamic than what we can attempt here, so you’ll be invited to play a bigger role in the coverage and community than ever before.
So, this is probably no news flash to any of you, but in case you’re in the dark about the fate of the SSHP crew, well, they’ve been called up to the bigs. Some pretty cool stuff over there, including some interesting community elements. You should take a look.