Stealing First in a Two-Team Town: The White Sox from Comiskey to Reinsdorf

Richard Lindberg provides a readable history of the underdog White Sox from 1900-1994. The author devotes strong attention to the team's solid first two decades, when they won two World Series (1906, 1917) and compiled baseball's top won-loss record from 1915-1920. But the team declined after the fixed 1919 World Series, sufferng three decades of mediocrity and financial worries. Lindberg examines that, plus the Sox 1950's resurgence, dual reigns of showman-owner Bill Veeck, more economic problems after 1967, and a 1990's resurgence. Readers see how the Sox nearly moved to Florida in 1988 before the State Legislature narrowly approved a publicly-financed stadium. They also see why the Sox (and not the big-money Cubs) are the underdogs of Chicago baseball. The Sox usually play to smaller crowds on the non-glamorous South Side, with less status and media coverage. Not even the White Sox 2005 championship - Chicago's first since 1917 - has completely evened the keel. Ironically, this book arrived in 1994, as greedy Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf was pushing other owners to force a strike in hopes of beating the Players' Union. The resulting walkout cancelled the season with the Sox in first place. Already annoyed with Reinsdorf, Sox fans turned irate and attendance fell off dramatically for the next several seasons. This readable book has a couple flaws, but provides a very informative, interesting look at one of baseball's original franchises.