BLUE SOX STADIUM

Pete Gibbs

C
Buster Hughes
C
Stetch Stookety
1b
Bud Walker
2b
Sol Feinman
2b
Jake Brennan
3b
Frank Adams
3b
Johnny Madigan
3b
Vic Scalzi
SS
Tico Calavos
SS
Jocko Tyler
SS
Ron Bartz
OF
Chip Fiske
OF
Fido Murphy
OF
Vic Valenti
OF
Russ Woodward
OF
Sonny Belucci
OF
Milo Burns
OF
Yank Yoland
P
Harry Diefendorf
P
Sam Sloat
P
Tim Flagg
P
Bix Hanson
P
Joe Rodriguez
P
Herb Ward
P
Max Fitleson
P

Turk Pavone
P
Frank Ferris
P
Sam Malone
P
Jug Slavin, Manager
Rookies shown in red
  

Despite the Sox having the number one pick in the draft, observers are skeptical that they have really helped themselves much this season.

Sox Feeling a Draft?

Glensota, Fla.

Max FItelson and Turk Pavone, the Blue Sox' first two draft picks, are likely to be welcome additions to the bull pen. However, few people think that the team is likely to do much better than last season. General Manager Stan Davis is known for looking for big box office draws, like last season's Sam Sloat. The southpaw does look to be a solid addition to the rotation, but is not quite the star that this team is supposed to be commited to. In its next five picks, Chicago went for position players. It is true that they need a solid starting outfielder and it looks as if either Fido Murphy or Ron Bartz are in the mold that this team needs. However, the lack of a relieving corps remains the team's biggest problem. With other teams awash in outfielders, it seems likely that there will be some useful players available as free agents after the teams cut down their rosters. Shouldn't Davis have gone for pitching, a comodity in short supply this season? We shall see.

Rookies Tico Cavalos and Fido Murphy and two members of last season's pitching staff, Oklahoma Crane and Joel Devlin will be sent down to the minors. Crane may never get a handle on his talent, Devlin may just have thrown his arm out. Look for more of the not pitching rookies to be sent down when the squads cut to 25.

Pitcher Tom Count has been given his unconditional release.

 

DUANE DECKER'S BLUE SOX

The Sox are the creation of author Duane Decker, who wrote a series of boys' books about them between 1947 and the year of his death, 1964. Each book chronicles the rise of a member of this championship team. Each is a coming of age story using baseball as both context and metaphor for delivering messages about honesty, integrity and identity. The protagonists over come obstacles within themselves in order to succeed in the big leagues.

The Blue Sox manager, Jug Slavin, embodies the philosophy of the team: tough love. He expects a player to work hard, to maintain his dignity, not be a hot dog, take advice, stay within himself and put the team first. The Sox organization is the epitome of a meritocracy, though raw talent is only one element of talent.

The city in which the Blue Sox play is never identified, though their training camp home, Glensota, Florida, is. The team take road trips west and visits a big city team in a thinly veiled New York. Still, there is no question that Blue Sox Stadium is in a major metropolitan area. The heartland American ethic that suffuses the books seemed to me to argue for them to play in Chicago.

Most of the players on this team are named after those from the series of books. In a couple of cases, players have been traded from other teams. Sam "Mayday" Malone came over last year from the Mockingbirds.
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