The Chicago White Sox have survived for years under the seemingly endless shadow of the Cubs. The team has been dismissed for years by fans of the Northside team, but this Southside team has secretly had a very good run over the course of its 100 plus years. Those fans that have followed the standings, the box scores, and enjoyed White Sox tickets have been fortunate to witness a team that has consistently found itself in the midst of playoff talks every decade.
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The White Sox we know today are actually the second team by the same name. The Cubs first played as the White Stockings when they were formed in 1870, but quickly shed the name as they tried on different logos and names. The team we all know as the White Sox now began playing in 1901 in the upstart American League. Anybody with tickets to this first season witnessed this new ball club take first place in the AL’s inaugural season. Five seasons later the team’s first World Series would be played and won against the intra-city rival Cubs.
This early success was followed by a decade of struggle, but the return to greatness in 1917, the year in which the White Sox won their second World Series with a win against the New York Giants, showed great lasting promise. Shoeless Joe Jackson, Eddie Collins, Happy Felsch, and many more would become upset over the owner’s unwillingness to pay. The frustrations culminated in the infamous 1919 World Series. The Sox were tremendous favorites against the Cincinnati Reds, but several players took money and threw the series. Fans with White Sox tickets to the World Series were robbed, and newly appointed Commissioner of Baseball Kenesaw Mountain Landis sent a strong message, banning all eight accused players (including Jackson, whose numbers looked like he was doing anything but throwing the games).
After two decades of early success and five AL Pennants, the White Sox struggled to move beyond the blight. It was not until the 1950s that the White Sox would return to competition. The White Sox had a roster with players like Minnie Minoso, Luis Aparicio, Nellie Fox, Billy Pierce, Virgil Trucks, and Early Wynn. Sox fans would salivate over baseball playoff tickets, but the team consistently petered out and finished in second or third place. Only in 1959 did the team come through. That World Series, the first in 40 years, ended in a World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The ‘70s and ‘80s were not as kind to the White Sox. The team finished in the middle of the pack often. The 1983 White Sox won the AL West, but its postseason run ended in the ALCS after a series with the Baltimore Orioles. White Sox tickets in the ‘90s were a rush for fans. Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura, Jack McDowell, Alex Fernandez, and many others gave the team a solid batting lineup and pitching staff, but the decade ended with a lone ALCS appearance in 1993 and a handful of second place finishes to the Cleveland Indians.
The strong play of the ‘90s carried over into the 2000s despite drastic roster changes. The White Sox would again find themselves in contention for the AL Central title. So far, the White Sox have won three opportunities to play in the post season and have given Chicago its first World Series in eight decades after strong 2005 campaign. The White Sox and all there fans hope that they can get some World Series tickets again soon, hopefully before the Cubs.
