MERCY!
What a way to make 500! How fitting that on Jim Thome Bobblehead Day, Jim Thome hits his 500th career home run AND wins the game with a walk-off where at one point the Sox trailed the Angles 7-1! CAH-RAZY!
Along with a lot of other people I was waiting and waiting for #500 to happen. I wanted to see all that I could of this last home stand because, well, let's face it; there hasn't been much to celebrate this baseball season in the South Side of Chicago. More than that though, this is a great guy on and off the field! You just want him to do well because of the kind of person he is. The one time Sox killer is now a Sox slugger--I will NEVER forget that "HELLO CHICAGO" home run against the Indians on Opening Night 2006, which happened after quite a lengthy rain delay that chilly and wet Sunday evening. It was worth the wait that night and it was worth the wait today.
I went out in the rain this past Monday night, I was there Tuesday night and I had a "lunch meeting" at 35th and Shields on Wednesday. I was out in the cold and wind Friday night, I coaxed my sister, brother-in-law and their 5-month old twins who were in from out of town (and have never been to a Major League game) out Saturday night. I think they were bored to tears but I was frantic that I would miss it. I was there each time the Thome Ticker in right field clicked over, how could I miss the final click, the one that really mattered?!
I should have known it would happen today. I opened my season ticket box just before I left this morning and tore the tickets off their pages. As I did, I noticed that Thome's picture was on today's tickets. When I saw it I seriously had feeling that something special was about to happen. You know those brief moments that spark something inside you, it was that feeling. I played it off as just being coincidental that I was going today to get a bobblehead. I was actually concerned that he was going into a slump since he hadn't homered in a few days, maybe the pressure of getting it done at home was getting to him I thought, but I had a secret weapon. I was bringing my little baseball friend, Ben, who seems to be some sort of good luck charm this year. Ben is 5 and I used to be his nanny, but if you ask him, he'll tell you I'm his "White Sox Babysitter". We have had so much fun going to games, getting autographs on Kids Days, playing on the Fundamentals Deck and watching the games with our "White Sox friends" (aka the family with season tickets next to me). He knows every player and their jersey numbers, what they position they play and he's now learning the position numbers for scorekeeping. This is one smart kid and so much fun to have at a game because he finds such joy in some of the smallest of things at the ballpark. It helps to put a bad season back into perspective and has helped me to remember what I like about baseball games on the most simplest of levels. All of that aside, this kid has seen a lot of highlights of this year. He was with me when Buehrle had his 100th win; we were at the crazy come from behind win against first place Cleveland on Aug. 8, where JD and AJ tied it on two separate occasions with homers and Uribe finally won it with a 12th inning walk-off; together we saw Bobby Jenks tie the Major League Record of 41-straight retired batters and today we saw Jim Thome hit his 500th career home run.
I actually owe him (Ben) this one. I'm embarrassed to admit it but I was ready to leave early, something I have only done three other times this year (and had never done previously) but it had been a long weekend and I was tired, we were getting killed (AGAIN) the score was 7-1 at one point thanks to Buckvitch stinking up the joint and walking Angels in. I decided we'd wait for what I thought was going to be Thome's last at bat (he was 0-4) and after that I asked Ben if he wanted to go, "NO!" he said. "Are you sure?" "YES!" So we stayed--THANK GOD--or should I say, thank you Ben!
As I said, by the middle of the seventh inning the score was 7-1. I put my scorebook away. I didn't need to add to the frustration and torture. But then things started happening for the Sox. Josh Fields hit a three run homer, Danny Richar had a two run homer to tie in the eighth, and somehow the bullpen didn't blow it. As Erstad came up to the plate I looked to the fans behind me and we started talking as we were all actually worried that Erstad would be the hero of the game with a walk-off, which wouldn't have allowed Thome another chance at the plate. Luckily, he "only" made it to first. Thome comes up. I had readied my camera at every other at-bat that day. This time I decided to leave it in the case--unzipped. I yelled at the pitcher to give Thome a cookie. The at-bat went to a full count; I pulled out my camera and took a picture of the famous Thome stance. With my camera still on him out of the corner of my eye I could see the Angels' reliever, Moseley, going into the wind up so I pressed the button one last time and hoped for the best. Thome swung and I knew from the crack of the bat it was a good one. Sometimes they just have that sound, after a couple hundred times of hearing the really good ones you just know it's gone and 426 feet later Jim Thome became the first guy to make it to the 500 club while wearing a White Sox uniform.
After A LOT of cheering I looked at Ben and I told him the same thing I told him the day Bobby tied consecutive retired batter record a month earlier: "Remember this day buddy, when you are older, remember this day and that you were here to see it with your own eyes! I know you don't understand now but remember this day, you were here" and I know he will.
No one can say a bad thing about the guy and it's so great to see someone who's so nice, so gracious, so professional achieve such a goal without even the slightest hint of controversy. It's fitting that the guy who caught the ball, Will Stewart of Texas, has done the right thing and gave the ball back to Thome, who is making a trip to Cooperstown with his dad to present the Baseball Hall of Fame with the very ball that landed in the stands out in left center field--yeah, that's right, I said LEFT center field, he beat the ever-present right field Thome shift too! Because Stewart gave the ball back he was awarded season tickets for next year, among other things. Since Stewart does not live here he is donating the tickets to a charity of Thome's choosing. Ahhhhhh, a feel good sports story..... fresh air!!!
A few extra tidbits, Thome is only the 23rd guy to reach 500 and the only people to have done it in less at-bats were Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds...and if you think about the controversy surrounding the last two on that list....well, let's just say that if it were up to me it would only be Babe Ruth ahead of him (another list cited the list being Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire and Harmon Killebrew). Thome is the first player ever to have his 500th HR also be a walk-off and this is the first time 3 guys made it to the 500 club in one year (The other two are A-Rod and former White Sox player "The Big Hurt" Frank Thomas.)
While this hasn't been a good season for the team as a whole and I hope the Sox NEVER have a season like this again, being able to see things like Buehrle's No-No, Bobby Jenks tying a 35-year old record and being able to say I was there when Jim Thome hit his 500th home run (and quite a few leading up to it), well, I think it's pretty special and I'm happy I've stuck it out. I love this game and I still love this team and a lot of guys on it. These are some big accomplishments and it's been very cool to see.
Click on the photos below, there are actually 14 to see. :)
I also posted three videos on YouTube.
