Life-sized sculptures of shortstop Luis Aparicio and second baseman Nellie Fox will be unveiled during a ceremony before Sunday’s Rangers-White Sox game at U.S. Cellular Field.
Aparicio will throw out the ceremonial first pitch and Joanne Fox, widow of Nellie, and her family will participate in the unveiling. Fox died Dec. 1, 1975, just shy of his 48th birthday.
Former pitcher Billy Pierce was one of the beneficiaries of the stellar double-play combo that helped the Go-Go White Sox win the AL pennant in 1959.
“I roomed with Nellie for 11 years and we were very, very close friends. And I got to know Louie quite well,” Pierce said. “They were both great ballplayers, not just defensively, because they could run some. They were the catalyst of our ballclub. We were strong up the middle, which is why you win. Last year the White Sox were the same way.”
Aparicio, a 1984 Hall of Fame inductee, stole 56 bases in 1959. He also played for the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox, finishing with a .262 career batting average and 506 stolen bases. He was a 10-time All-Star and nine-time Gold Glove winner.
Fox, a veterans committee selection to the Hall of Fame in 1997, never struck out more than 18 times in a season. He had a .288 career batting average over 19 seasons with the Philadelphia Athletics, White Sox and Houston Colt 45s. A 12-time All-Star second baseman, the tobacco-chomping Fox was a three-time Gold Glove winner and the 1959 American League MVP.
Renowned sculptor Lou Cella of Highwood managed the project as Oscar Leon and Gary Tillery fine-tuned the statues of Aparicio and Fox.
Fox is depicted flipping the ball to Aparicio in double-play fashion.
“We haven’t done one quite like that before. We did do one of (Detroit Tigers Hall of Famer) Charlie Gehringer letting go of the ball as a second baseman,” Cella said.
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“It is nice to go to the ballpark and see the statues up,” Pierce said. “It brings back a lot of great memories for me and I know it brings back a lot of good memories to the older fans.”
The White Sox previously have honored club founder Charles A. Comiskey, Cuban great Orestes “Minnie” Minoso and Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk with sculptures located in the outfield concourse.
Overheard
The last time the Cubs appeared in a World Series was 1945 against Detroit. Pierce, now 79, was an 18-year-old rookie with the Tigers back then.
“I was brought up [from the minors] in August, so I was eligible for the World Series. But I think I was made eligible to pitch batting practice,” the left-hander said. “So I pitched batting practice, shagged in the outfield and sat on the bench. But I got a World Championship ring, so it was very exciting.”
The White Sox acquired Pierce and $10,000 cash on Nov. 10, 1948, in exchange for catcher Aaron Robinson. Pierce’s best season was 1956 when he went 20-9 while pitching a career-high 276 innings. His career record was 211-169 with a 3.27 ERA over 18 seasons.
Word on the street
The daughter of Hall of Fame baseball broadcaster Milo Hamilton died on July 10. Patti Joy Watson, 53, went into a coma for two weeks after suffering a stroke and died in Atlanta.
In her memory, friends can send donations to the Epilepsy Foundation of S.E. Texas, 2630 Fountainview, Suite 210, Houston, Texas, 77057.
Hamilton, 79, continues to broadcast Astros home games. His career started in 1953 in Davenport, Iowa, in the old Three I League. Later that year he broadcast St. Louis Browns games.
He had two stints in Chicago broadcasting Cubs and Sox games. He and co-author Bob Ibach recently wrote a book — “Making Airwaves.” — controversial for its section on Harry Caray.
Local attractions
The Bulls organization will be honored at the second annual Celebration of Hope fundraiser supporting the Huntington’s Disease Center of Excellence on Sept. 29. at Swissotel Chicago, 323 E. Wacker Drive.
Mark Suppelsa from WFLD-Ch. 32 will emcee the evening. Comedian Tom Dreesen, a Chicago-area native, will perform and also will be honored with the Humanitarian of the Year award.
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To purchase tickets or to make a donation to the Huntington’s Disease Center, contact Monique Collins at 312-371-8124. . . .
The Chicago Shamrox, the new indoor professional lacrosse team, will start in January and play home games at the Sears Centre arena in Hoffman Estates. Season ticket deposits ($25) and group ticket reservations are available at www.ChicagoShamrox.com, or by phone at 1-866-424-4655.
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