Video evidence of the Chicago-born pope, Robert Prevost, at 2005 World Series games certifies the claim his brother, John, made that Pope Leo XIV is indeed a White Sox fan.
If we take it as gospel that the pope roots for the South Siders, the next step is to find out what exactly kind of Sox fan he is.
Going to a World Series game doesn’t make one a die-hard. He could be a casual fan who shows up during good seasons and tunes out the bad ones, of which there have been many in his lifetime. Or he could be a lapsed Sox fan who now refuses to go to Rate Field and give Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf his hard-earned money.
The possibility even exists that Pope Leo XIV is a unicorn — that rare breed of Chicagoan who feel comfortable rooting for teams on both sides of town.
It’s hard to know without hearing directly from the pontiff, who thus far has not spoken about his allegiance to the Sox — despite the team claiming him as their own.
We’d like to know his favorite Sox player of all time. Was he at Disco Demolition Night? Does he think Reinsdorf should sell the team?
There are so many questions to be answered, and I’m sure he’ll get to them as soon as he catches his breath. In the meantime, we’ve come up with a pop White Sox quiz for Pope Leo XIV to determine whether he’s a devout Sox fan or just a South Sider who occasionally follows the team.
(Answers below.)
Questions
1. Who was “the Dybber,” and what made him a part of White Sox lore?
2. Who was a true “leader” of the 2016 White Sox, according to outfielder Adam Eaton?
3. What was Sox manager Terry Bevington most famous for?
4. Who banned Minnie Miñoso from playing at age 65?
5. What White Sox owner jumped into the stands to break up a fight?
6. What did Sox catcher Carlton Fisk say to Deion Sanders in a 1990 game after the New York Yankees star wouldn’t run out an infield pop-up?
7. Who were the shirtless father and son arrested for beating up a Kansas City Royals coach during a 2002 game?
8. What was manager Ozzie Guillen’s famous line about his catcher, A.J. Pierzynski?
9. What local tavern did Babe Ruth go to for a hot dog and beer between games of Sox-Yankees doubleheaders at Comiskey Park?
10. Who had the most pinch hits in a single season in Sox history?
11. What did Sox broadcaster Harry Caray say to analyst Jimmy Piersall during most of Piersall’s epic rants?
12. What was the price of admission on Disco Demolition Night in 1979?
13. What Sox pitcher played with his band in the afternoon and then started against the Baltimore Orioles at night?
14. What was Dick Allen eating in the Sox clubhouse before his pinch-hit, walk-off home run against the Yankees in 1972?
15. What was the greatest double-play combination in White Sox history?
16. What Sox player dropped his pants at first base during a game?
Answers
1. That would be the immortal Jerry Dybzinski, whose base-running gaffe in Game 4 of the 1983 American League Championship Series proved costly in an extra-inning loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
2. Eaton was referring to 14-year-old Drake LaRoche, the son of first baseman Adam LaRoche, who retired in spring training when the Sox stopped allowing Drake to have a locker in the clubhouse.
3. Bevington went to the mound in a game in September 1997 and signaled for a reliever. But no one was warming up, so Keith Foulke was rushed into the game. Coincidentally, the Sox had marketed Bevington as “The Brain” in print ads portraying players and the manager as superheroes.
White Sox left fielder Minnie Minoso relaxes at Comiskey Park on April 27, 1956. (Chicago Tribune)
4. The 55-year-old Miñoso returned for a game in 1980 to become the first player to perform in five decades. But Commissioner Fay Vincent ruled in 1990 that the Sox legend could not return and add to his streak with a sixth decade, ruling it was not “in the best interests of baseball.” Minoso responded: “Maybe the commissioner will let me play in the year 2000.”
5. During the second game of a doubleheader against the Royals at old Comiskey Park in 1977, peg-legged owner Bill Veeck left the press box when his assistant was jumped and entered the fray. Veeck suffered a bloody lip. “I had to go out there or they’d have killed Charlie,” Veeck said. “It’s a hot day, but all I’ve had is 10 glasses of iced tea.”
6. The two engaged in a shouting match at home plate in Sanders’ next at-bat. Fisk said he told Sanders: “Run the bleeping ball out, you piece of bleep.”
7. The immortal Ligue family, a 34-year-old father from Alsip and his 15-year-old son.
8. Guillen said of the controversial catcher: “If you play against him, you hate him. If you play with him, you hate him a little less.”
9. The Babe was a frequent visitor of McCuddy’s Tavern across the street from old Comiskey, and friends with the owner, Ma McCuddy. He enjoyed free beer as well.
10. Smoky Burgess, 39, set a franchise record with 21 pinch hits for the Sox in 1966, when he played in 79 games. All but one appearance came as a pinch hitter.
11. Caray often poked fun at Piersall’s persona during Sox broadcasts, asking: “Jimmy, did you take your pills today?”
12. Fans got into the doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers for 98 cents and a disco record that would be blown up by Steve Dahl between games. It ended up in disaster when Sox fans stormed the field, causing the second game to be forfeited. The 98-cent price was a promotion for WLUP-FM, aka “98.7, the Loop.”
13. Former Sox ace and guitarist “Black Jack” McDowell played a gig with his band in Oz Park in 1991, then was shelled in a 6-3 Sox loss. Manager Jeff Torborg didn’t blame the concert for the short stint, saying: ”He’d play in his apartment anyway.”
14. Hall of Fame-bound Dick Allen was eating a chili dog when summoned from the clubhouse to save the day for the Sox in June 1972. He got chili sauce over his shirt and had to change. It’s known as “the chili dog home run.”
15. Shortstop Luis Aparicio and second baseman Nellie Fox played together from 1956-63. “They just play to get those two little guys on base,” Yankees manager Casey Stengel once said.
16. In a 1990 game, Steve “Psycho” Lyons said he “inadvertently” undid his pants and dropped his drawers to brush away dirt while not thinking. He later was asked to do a photoshoot with “Playgirl” magazine.
