A Bottomless Well of Stupid

Well, the White Sox have stepped in it again. On Friday, the team tweeted out a timeline in “celebration of Black History Month, [during which] we reflect upon momentous firsts for the White Sox organization.” Kenny Williams and Jerry Manual rate two photos, Bo Jackson and Charles Johnson (?!?) one apiece. And Frank Thomas, the Big Hurt who holds just about every team offensive record? If you look hard enough, he’s mentioned after Dick Allen, “the first Black player in White Sox history to win AL MVP honors.” Now, wait for it: “Frank Thomas joined Allen as MVP in 1993-94.” That’s it. No other mention, and certainly no photo. To which Thomas replied, “I Guess the black player who made you rich over there and holds all your records is forgettable! Don’t worry I’m taking Receipts!” I’m not sure what that last sentence means, but I’m pretty sure the big guy is ticked. Did I mention two photos of Jerry Manuel? Sherlock Holmes didn’t believe in coincidences, and neither do I. This has Jerry Reinsdorf’s fingerprints all over it. Anybody doing a deep dive into White Sox history and coming up with Danny Goodwin being the first African American picked first in the draft (1971, Sox) would have a sense of who Thomas is and why he’s important. Somebody with clout felt the need to hurt the Hurt. Thomas was a sometimes-immature player, little different than Ted Williams on that score. Like Williams, Thomas mellowed. In my own personal encounters with the man, he still wore his Sox allegiance on his sleeve, which he showed repeatedly when doing postgame commentary on cable with Ozzie Guillen (though not last season). I suspect the affection only travelled in one direction. How stupid.