Steve Scott's Blog

Here are some photos I took during Friday's big White Sox parade and rally in Chicago. It was a party 88 years in the making! The Sox hadn't won the Series since 1917.

No, that's not snow! They used to call these ticker tape parades...but, since you don't see much ticker tape these days, they used shredded newspaper, instead.


I was on a flatbed truck immediately in front of the double-decker buses that carried the Sox players. The truck was primarily for photographers...but, I talked my way on. I stood up in the back of the truck through out the entire trip. We wound our way through several neighborhoods on the south side (didn't go to the north side!)...before heading up LaSalle Street in the financial district. The whole thing ended with a big rally at LaSalle and Wacker.


The Sox players and coaches seemed to be having a great time.
This is Sox pitcher Freddy Garcia...one of the heroes of the clinching Game Four. He seemed to have a great time, and appeared - like most of the Sox players - to be genuinely overwhelmed by the number of people (1.75 million, according to the city) who turned out for the parade and rally.

They posted the players' names on placards on the buses, to make it easy for the crowd to spot their favorite Sox players.




This was the view ahead from the flatbed, as we headed north up LaSalle. I managed to take a bunch of pictures, while also doing live reports on WLS, feeding reports to ABC, and then also recording (in my recorder) more stories that were sent on to ABC.

Oh, and of course, I was also half holding on and half "surfing" in the back of that flatbed!



Here's a look at the crowd, as we passed one of the cross streets on LaSalle. I don't know if I've ever seen so many people in my life! It was a perfect day for the parade and rally...sunny and mild, with temperatures near 50. Not bad for this time of year...although, a lot of the players were wearing gloves. I don't think they care for the cold weather! Many of them were leaving immediately after the party to head for home...Arizona, Latin America or wherever it was warmer!



Here's our city's number one Sox fan. I'm really happy for Mayor Daley. He's one politician who's not faking it when he supports a team. The mayor grew up in a bungalow in the shadow of old Comiskey Park. I've seen pictures of him at the 1959 World Series with his father, the late Mayor Richard J. Daley, and John F. Kennedy. The Mayor seemed to get a great kick out of riding on the double-decker buses with the players (that's Paul Konerko to the mayor's left).

Speaking of Paulie...perhaps the best moment of the day came at the rally that followed the parade. Much had been written about what happened to the ball that made the final out of Game Four. No one seemed to know where it was. There was thought it got lost in the Sox players' celebration.

Turns out Paul Konerko had kept the ball...and he presented it to a shocked Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf at the rally. Mr. Reinsdorf started crying, and said it was the happiest moment of his life. It was a great moment to watch, too!

All in all, covering the Sox the past few weeks has been a blast. I had a lot of sleepless nights...literally. On several occasions, I would be up during the day...stay up all night getting reaction to a Sox win in the Bridgeport neighborhood around the ballpark...and then go straight to work to do my regular shift. It was somewhat exhausting, but I guess I'll have 88 years to rest up before I have to do it again.

I hope not. : )

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I'll spare you the other 979 words.

World Champion Chicago White Sox!

Maybe this is the White Sox' year. Yes, they still have to win two more games to clinch the World Series...and, with the Astros' pitching - and the Series now moving to Houston - that won't be easy. But, c'mon...it must be some kind of sign when Scott Podsednik - who had no home runs during the regular season - hits a walkoff homer to win game two!

The Sox are dominating the news around here these days. After all, this only happens once every 46 years! As I stood out in the chilly rain getting fan reaction after the Sox won game two, I don't think any of us felt either the chill or the rain!

The Bears are well into their season (tied for first place)...the Blackhawks' season is under way...and, the Bulls are nearing the end of their pre-season (the regular season begins at home November 2nd). It's very rare around here to have all four major sports playing at the same time. Plus, the Chicago Fire soccer team is in the playoffs...so, that makes it five teams in action!



I'm supposed to go to Dallas this coming weekend to present some radio news sessions for the Texas Association Press Broadcasters. But, Saturday would also be Game Six of the World Series. We'll see how that plays out.

Jeanne is back from her weeklong trip that took her to St. Louis, Little Rock, Hot Springs, Houston, New Orleans, Houston again...and then back home to Chicago. She reports that the French Quarter in New Orleans is slowly returning to its old self.

That's all for now...

I've been running behind a bit...as far as keeping up with my blog. I haven't given up on the blog...just real busy, with work...World Series preparations...and the start of the Bulls season.

Wait...World Series preparations? In Chicago?

Chance of rain with temps in the mid to upper 40s at game time both Saturday and Sunday.

Meanwhile...today's gratuitous photo features that other Steve Scott...the great miler from 20 years ago. He rarely ran behind! :)

While the White Sox were in Anaheim celebrating their first American League pennant in 46 years, I was at Jimbo's Lounge...a popular Sox haunt in the shadow of U.S. Cellular Field.

I love covering the fan aspect of stories like this. In the south side Bridgeport neighborhood, these long-suffering Sox fans haven't had a lot to cheer about in recent years. They were so excited when the Sox won the game and clinched the pennant! I got doused with beer...part of the job when covering stories like this - no big deal!


The Sox are definitely on a roll. They're 7-1 in the post-season...and their starting pitching is about as dominant as any team's staff could be. In fact, the pitching has been so good that even the most pessimistic Sox fans are starting to believe the team can win the World Series.

Will they win? Who knows. But, it's pretty darn exciting to have a Chicago team in the World Series for the first time since 1959!

Did he catch it? Or, did the ball hit the dirt?

Well, yes. And, yes...I guess.

It sure looked like Angels' catcher Josh Paul caught that third strike...but, A.J. Pierzynski ran to first base any way. The umps bought it. And, one batter later, Joe Crede hits a double off the wall. Game over...and the fireworks begin, both over centerfield and in the Angels' dugout.

Sox win 2-1, in what will go into the books as one of the goofiest - and most controversial - ninth innings in post-season history.

As Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said after the game..."I'd rather be lucky than good."

This past weekend, I attened the Illinois News Broadcasters Association fall convention in Collinsville, Illinois - just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. It marked the end of my three year run as INBA president. A special thanks to H. Wayne Wilson, who made some very kind comments, in presenting me with my President's plaque...and thanks also to the members, who gave me a very nice - and quite unexpected - standing ovation. This first photo shows me accepting the President's plaque. Keynote speaker Walter Rodgers - formerly of CNN - is at right.


INBA past president and Life Member Ken Keller - who apparently has quite a bit of free time on his hands during his retirement - printed up t-shirts showing me as a "lame duck." They were very funny. I did my best to buy them all up at the INBA scholarship auction. The last thing I need are "Lame Duck Steve" t-shirts bouncing around on eBay! :)

All in all, it was an excellent convention...and, as always, I had a great time. Congratulations to Steve-readers (and fellow radio rascals) Dave Dahl, Will Stevenson and Ryan Hermes on being elected to the INBA board of directors!

Finally...I had been past president for less than an hour, when I was drafted onto the board of directors of the INBA Foundation. Any one want to make a scholarship contribution? :)

The White Sox wrapped up a three-game sweep of the defending World Series champs, with a 5-3 win over the Red Sox in Boston.

The Sox now advance to the American League Championship Series against either the Angels or the Yankees.

This is the first post-season series the White Sox have won since the 1917 World Series!

Three wins down...eight more to go!

Tadahito Iguchi's three-run homer led the White Sox to a 5-4 win over Boston...and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five divisional playoff series.

Wow!

The White Sox are making believers out of a lot of people. But, as we saw last year, the Red Sox aren't done until the final out of the final game...so the Chisox still have some work to do.

It's nice to see Sox Park rocking!

The Bulls have traded center Eddy Curry - their leading scorer last season - to the New York Knicks. The Knicks also get forward Antonio Davis. The Bulls get forwards Tim Thomas, Michael Sweetney and Jermaine Jackson...as well as some draft picks.

Eddy has a heart problem that forced him to miss the end of last season, including the playoffs. He still has not been unanimously cleared to play...and the Bulls were hesitant to offer a big contract to a player who, for medical reasons, may not be able to play out the length of that contract. They wanted him to take a genetic test that would show if he was predisposed to a sometimes fatal heart condition. Eddy said no.

If not for the heart problem, Eddy would have been the subject of a bidding war that could have pushed his salary to nearly $70 million over six years. But, because of the heart issue, no other teams were biting.

Now, the Knicks have decided to take Eddy. He's a good kid who can be a very good player when he puts his mind to it. I hope his health holds up and his weight stays down...and, perhaps a change of scenery outside of his hometown will help, too.

The Bulls have opened training camp. Their first home pre-season game is a week from Saturday.

Baseball games in October that actually mean something! Now, there's a concept we don't get to experience too often here in Chicago. The hometown White Sox open the American League playoffs today at home against the World Series champion Red Sox.

Yes, the Sox vs. the Sox. Every sportscaster in town has fearlessly predicted - at least once - that "the Sox will definitely win this series!"

But, wait...this isn't October baseball weather! It's supposed to be something like 88 degrees here today. The beaches have been closed since Labor Day...but it will feel like summer today.

Maybe that will bode well for our Sox...who really aren't used to playing much baseball in autumn.

Now that the Red Sox have broken their long World Series-less streak (1918), maybe the White Sox (1917) can do it this year.

Cubs? Don't ask. (1908)

If the Sox (our Sox) can hang on until the second round of the playoffs, we'll get to experience another rarity here: Four Chicago teams (Sox, Bears, Blackhawks and Bulls)...all in action at the same time.

We'll see.