BOISE, Idaho — THIS DAY IN SPORTS…August 8, 1976:
In a 5-2 victory over Kansas City, the Chicago White Sox make history by wearing shorts. Thank goodness Comiskey Park had natural turf. The latest of Bill Veeck’s experiments didn’t take (it was probably then that he started planning for Disco Demolition Night). Veeck had sold the White Sox in 1961, but with the struggling franchise “three quarters of the way to Seattle” in 1975, according to Veeck’s son, Mike, his dad swooped in and bought the team again. His goal for the 1976 season was fun, and he went all-out with the shorts.
As rumor had it, according to a FOX Sports story, the shorts were the brainchild of Veeck’s wife, Mary Frances—a tale Mike Veeck seriously doubted—but nevertheless, the shorts were mostly well-received by the players. The issue was going to be sliding in them, but the Veecks maintained that if a player slides properly, his hips absorb the contact. No problem. The game was the first of a doubleheader, and the White Sox put their pants back on for the nightcap. They wore the shorts twice more in the weeks that followed, but then they were never to be seen again.
“Disco Demolition Night” came the following summer. A crate of disco records was blown up, damaging the playing surface—and when fans rushed the field and refused to leave after the bonfire, the second game of that night’s twin bill was forfeited to the Detroit Tigers. The crowd was finally dispersed by riot police. Veeck was also the inventor of “10-Cent Beer Night” and instituted baseball’s first exploding scoreboard.
Veeck’s most renowned stunt came in 1951 when he owned the St. Louis Browns. In a game against the Tigers, Veeck sent midget Eddie Gaedel to the plate, standing 3’7” and sporting jersey No. 1/8. Detroit pitcher Bob Cain subsequently had trouble finding the strike zone and walked Gaedel on four pitches. He trotted to first base while bowing to the crowd and was promptly replaced by a pinch runner.
Veeck has a more serious place in baseball history, though. As owner of the Cleveland Indians, he broke the color barrier in the American League by signing Larry Doby in 1947, several months after the Brooklyn Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson. When Doby was introduced to his teammates in the clubhouse, three players refused to shake his hand. Veeck eventually purged his squad of all three players. In 1948, Veeck signed Negro Leagues star Satchel Paige, making him the oldest rookie in big league history at the age of 41.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
