The Chicago White Sox is an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox competes in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division.
Disco Demolition Night in 1979 and subsequent 90-loss teams sank the franchise in the following years, and the team’s reputation was permanently damaged.
Ed DeBartolo was the only prospective buyer who was willing to retain the Chicago White Sox in Chicago, therefore Veeck was compelled to sell the franchise, rejecting offers from ownership groups intent on transferring it to Denver.
A syndicate led by Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn bought the club after DeBartolo was rejected by the owners. The first division championship in 1983, led by Tony La Russa and talents Carlton Fisk, Tom Paciorek, Ron Kittle, Harold Baines, and LaMarr Hoyt, was a good start to the Reinsdorf era.
Ken Harrelson, a former commentator turned general manager, sacked La Russa during the 1986 season. After managing the Oakland A’s and St. Louis Cardinals in six World Series and winning three of them, La Russa was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as the third-most successful manager in the sport’s history.
Why Did The White Sox Change Their Name?
When the Chicago White Stockings relocated from St. Paul to Chicago in 1900, owner Charlie Comiskey renamed his minor league team the Chicago White Stockings in honor of the powerful National League team based in Chicago.
American League champions in 1900 and 1901 were the new American League. They adopted the moniker “White Sox” in 1902. From 1876 until 1898, the National League’s Chicago White Stockings were known as the Chicago Colts, before changing their name to the Chicago Cubs.