Latest news with #DiscoDemolitionNight
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How these Chicago nuns use sports to spread their message of service: ‘When we band together, we're powerful'
They wear black and white, but still stand out in a sea of Chicago White Sox fans. One has danced atop the dugout at Rate Field. Another earned a Topps trading card for throwing a perfect strike. And a third has run the Chicago Marathon 13 consecutive times. Sports is a habit, but their life's work is a higher calling. They're nuns. Advertisement A lot of attention has been given to the Sox since the fandom of Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, for the South Side baseball team was revealed. But religious women from local orders have frequented Sox games for decades. According to longtime team organist Nancy Faust, a few sisters even sat near her on the infamous Disco Demolition Night. 'We need to be people that are seen at ballparks. We need to be seen as people who stand by the bedside of a resident who is dying,' Sister Jeanne Haley of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm told the Tribune. 'There are so many ways we can be present to people. We might get pushback from adults who had nuns who slapped their hands, but I always say to those people, 'Honey, I'm a nurse. And I had my hand slapped too.'' Haley's loyalty to the Sox began when she was a child in Oak Park. She remembers eating hot dogs with her parents and five siblings in the Comiskey Park nosebleeds. The self-described tomboy who cheered for Tommy McCraw always wanted to become a nurse. She began volunteering as a teenager, reluctantly, at Sacred Heart Home in Chicago, where she worked with senior citizens. Haley admired how the sisters took care of the residents — and each other. Advertisement More than 50 years after taking her vows, Haley is still taking care of others. Now based at her order's mother house in Germantown, New York, Haley was the longtime administrator at St. Patrick's Residence in Naperville. A former co-worker's son designed a sign that said, 'Nuns love the White Sox,' which she brought to games in the early 2000s. When she was invited to dance atop a dugout with Sox mascot Southpaw, she eagerly accepted. 'I will walk with Jesus and be grateful when he holds me, when I can't walk any further. I trust in that, I really do,' she said. 'I don't know if he's going to get the White Sox back to the World Series, but that's probably not the most important thing.' Sister Mary Jo Sobieck of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield plans to be among the faithful at Saturday's sold-out celebration of Chicago's homegrown pope. It's a return trip to the field where she wowed the crowd — and subsequently went viral. On Aug. 18, 2018, she threw a ceremonial first pitch for a perfect strike after bouncing the ball off her bicep. Then a teacher at Marian Catholic in Chicago Heights, Sobieck's pitch was captured on a baseball card, a bobblehead and even nominated for an ESPY Award. Advertisement Sobieck grew up the youngest of 10 siblings in Minnesota and has been with her order for more than 32 years. She returned to Illinois recently after a Spanish immersion program language took her to Tucson, Arizona, and San Antonio, Texas. Sobieck told a friend prior to the election of the first American-born pope that 'we have to make it cool to be Catholic again.' She said she admires not only Pope Leo XIV's connection to the Chicago area, but also what he symbolizes as a global leader who can inspire people to choose work based in faith. 'It brings me to tears because of the hope that I have and the dream I have of just a revival in the church for vocations, that's where I am with this,' she said. 'The church definitely needs just a new generation, the next generation of servant leaders, in our convents and in our seminaries.' Marian Catholic's Sister Sobieck on mission to help homeless: 'We rise up when we meet people where they are' Advertisement Always athletic, Sobieck thinks sports and Christianity go hand in hand — they have similar mentalities. 'For me, the whole sports piece turned into a fire for giving myself completely and just unreservedly, as I did with my teammates in striving for a goal,' Sobieck said. 'I mean, that's what Jesus did, right? He put together a team of 12 people and the goal was to spread the word.' For those who are considering a life devoted to the church, Sobieck says the lifestyle is not as limiting as some may think. 'Life has changed — not ended — and that change is transformational … in profound ways,' she said. 'It's just the beginning, you know?' Advertisement Sister Stephanie Baliga of the Franciscans of the Eucharist of Chicago at Mission of Our Lady of the Angels in West Humboldt Park was seeking change when an injury forced her to step away from her track and cross-country career at the University of Illinois. A 'powerful experience' at a retreat moved her to enter the order at 22 in 2010. Now, she spends her mornings training for her 14th Chicago Marathon — she wants to plant a life-sized cardboard cutout of the pontiff along the route so runners can give him a high-five — before gathering donations used to feed and care for people living in poverty on the West Side of the city. Baliga was teaching religion at St. Sylvester School in Palmer Square when she learned a new pope had been chosen. A band of nuns, one 'crazy' Christmas party and the rebuilding of a West Side neighborhood Advertisement 'I was more excited than I have been about almost anything else in my whole life,' she said. 'I heard about the white smoke right before I was going to teach kindergarten. I found out right after that the pope was from Chicago and I had only very, very, very remotely heard of him before, so I was quite surprised. I had no idea this was even a possibility.' Baliga admires Pope Leo XIV's background as a missionary, like her, and as a priest who understands religious life. His interest in the Sox will inspire her to get to a game at Rate Field, where she is volunteering during Saturday's celebration. 'It's such an awesome, amazing testament to the faith of the people in Chicago and the faith of all the people who guided him — his parents, the priests, the nuns, all the people that he encountered when he was a kid on the South Side,' she said. 'This is what faith does. When people have faith, we produce amazing witnesses to the faith.' Two of the pope's aunts — sisters of his mother Mildred Prevost — were nuns. Sr. Mary Amarita Martinez of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Dubuque, Iowa, took her vows on Aug. 15, 1928, and served as a school music teacher in Clinton, Iowa. She died in 1945. Advertisement Sr. Mary Sulpice Martinez lived 95 years and was a member of the Sisters of Mercy for 77 years, according to her 1999 death notice in the Tribune. She taught at St. Mary of the Lake (1925-30), St. Mary, Lake Forest (1945-50), St. Patrick Academy in Des Plaines (1958-59; 1961-67) and Mother McAuley High School (1969-70), among others. Pope Leo XIV has appointed nuns to key roles at the Vatican and allowed one to publicly address him this week — a move usually reserved for those in holy orders, the Catholic News Agency reported. None of the women interviewed by the Tribune felt the need to be given a bigger role to feel fulfilled by their life's work. 'When we band together, we're powerful,' said Sobieck, the viral strike-thrower. 'Because we've gotten smaller (in number), we've tended to not take as many risks as our foundresses (did), like sending sisters out to different parts of the world and trusting it was going to bear fruit. 'To me, this is a critical time in our history, that we take those risks again because I feel like that itself is going to be the witness that inspires young people to say, 'Oh my God, I want to be a part of that.'' What a pitch.
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
How these Chicago nuns use sports to spread their message of service: ‘When we band together, we're powerful'
They wear black and white, but still stand out in a sea of Chicago White Sox fans. One has danced atop the dugout at Rate Field. Another earned a Topps trading card for throwing a perfect strike. And a third has run the Chicago Marathon 13 consecutive times. Sports is a habit, but their life's work is a higher calling. They're nuns. A lot of attention has been given to the Sox since the fandom of Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, for the South Side baseball team was revealed. But religious women from local orders have frequented Sox games for decades. According to longtime team organist Nancy Faust, a few sisters even sat near her on the infamous Disco Demolition Night. 'We need to be people that are seen at ballparks. We need to be seen as people who stand by the bedside of a resident who is dying,' Sr. Jeanne Haley of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm told the Tribune. 'There are so many ways we can be present to people. We might get pushback from adults who had nuns who slapped their hands, but I always say to those people, 'Honey, I'm a nurse. And I had my hand slapped, too.'' Haley's loyalty to the Sox began when she was a child in Oak Park. She remembers eating hot dogs with her parents and five siblings in the Comiskey Park nosebleeds. The self-described tomboy who cheered for Tommy McCraw always wanted to become a nurse. She began volunteering as a teenager, reluctantly, at Sacred Heart Home in Chicago, where she worked with senior citizens. Haley admired how the sisters took care of the residents — and each other. More than 50 years after taking her vows, Haley is still taking care of others. Now based at her order's mother house in Germantown, New York, Haley was the longtime administrator at St. Patrick's Residence in Naperville. A former co-worker's son designed a sign that said, 'Nuns love the White Sox,' which she brought to games in the early 2000s. When she was invited to dance atop a dugout with Sox mascot Southpaw, she eagerly accepted. 'I will walk with Jesus and be grateful when he holds me, when I can't walk any further. I trust in that, I really do,' she said. 'I don't know if he's going to get the White Sox back to the World Series, but that's probably not the most important thing.' Sr. Mary Jo Sobieck of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield plans to be among the faithful at Saturday's sold-out celebration of Chicago's homegrown pope. It's a return trip for her to the field where she wowed the crowd — and subsequently went viral. On Aug. 18, 2018, she threw a ceremonial first pitch for a perfect strike after bouncing the ball off her bicep. Then a teacher at Marian Catholic in Chicago Heights, Sobieck's pitch was captured on a baseball card, a bobblehead and even nominated for an ESPY Award. Sobieck grew up the youngest of 10 siblings in Minnesota and has been with her order for more than 32 years. She returned to Illinois recently after a Spanish immersion program language took her to Tucson, Ariz., and San Antonio, Tex.. Sobieck told a friend prior to the election of the first American-born pope that 'we have to make it cool to be Catholic again.' She said she admires not only Pope Leo XIV's connection to the Chicago area, but also what he symbolizes as a global leader who can inspire people to choose work based in faith. 'It brings me to tears because of the hope that I have and the dream I have of just a revival in the church for vocations, that's where I am with this,' she said. 'The church definitely needs just a new generation, the next generation of servant leaders, in our convents and in our seminaries.' Marian Catholic's Sister Sobieck on mission to help homeless: 'We rise up when we meet people where they are'Always athletic, Sobieck thinks sports and Christianity go hand in hand — they have similar mentalities. 'For me, the whole sports piece turned into a fire for giving myself completely and just unreservedly, as I did with my teammates in striving for a goal,' Sobieck said. 'I mean, that's what Jesus did, right? He put together a team of 12 people and the goal was to spread the word.' For those who are considering a life devoted to the church, Sobieck says the lifestyle is not as limiting as some may think. 'Life has changed — not ended — and that change is transformational … in profound ways,' she said. 'It's just the beginning, you know?' Sr. Stephanie Baliga of the Franciscans of the Eucharist of Chicago at Mission of Our Lady of the Angels in West Humboldt Park was seeking change when an injury forced her to step away from her track and cross-country career at the University of Illinois. A 'powerful experience' at a retreat moved her to enter the order at 22 in 2010. Now, she spends her mornings training for her 14th Chicago Marathon — she wants to plant a life-sized cardboard cutout of the pontiff along the route so runners can give him a high-five — before gathering donations used to feed and care for people living in poverty on the West Side of the city. Baliga was teaching religion at St. Sylvester School in Palmer Square when she learned a new pope had been chosen. A band of nuns, one 'crazy' Christmas party and the rebuilding of a West Side neighborhood'I was more excited than I have been about almost anything else in my whole life,' she said. 'I heard about the white smoke right before I was going to teach kindergarten. I found out right after that the pope was from Chicago and I had only very, very, very remotely heard of him before, so I was quite surprised. I had no idea this was even a possibility.' Baliga admires Pope Leo XIV's background as a missionary, like her, and as a priest who understands religious life. His interest in the Sox will inspire her to get to a game at Rate Field, where she is volunteering during Saturday's celebration. 'It's such an awesome, amazing testament to the faith of the people in Chicago and the faith of all the people who guided him — his parents, the priests, the nuns, all the people that he encountered when he was a kid on the South Side,' she said. 'This is what faith does. When people have faith, we produce amazing witnesses to the faith.' Two of the pope's aunts — sisters of his mother Mildred Prevost — were nuns. Sr. Mary Amarita Martinez of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Dubuque, Iowa, took her first vows on Aug. 15, 1928, and served as a school music teacher in Clinton, Iowa. She died in 1945. Sr. Mary Sulpice Martinez lived 95 years and was a member of the Sisters of Mercy for 77 years, according to her 1999 death notice in the Tribune. She taught at St. Mary of the Lake (1925-30), St. Mary, Lake Forest (1945-50), St. Patrick Academy in Des Plaines (1958-59; 1961-67) and Mother McAuley High School (1969-70), among others, before retiring. Pope Leo XIV has appointed nuns to key roles at the Vatican and allowed one to publicly address him this week — a move usually reserved for those in holy orders, the Catholic News Agency reported. None of the women interviewed by the Tribune felt the need to be given a bigger role to feel fulfilled by their life's work. 'When we band together, we're powerful. …' said Sobieck, the viral strike-thrower. 'Because we've gotten smaller (in number), we've tended to not take as many risks as our foundresses (did), like sending sisters out to different parts of the world and trusting it was going to bear fruit. 'To me, this is a critical time in our history, that we take those risks again because I feel like that itself is going to be the witness that inspires young people to say, 'Oh my God, I want to be a part of that.'' What a pitch.
Chicago Tribune
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Column: If Pope Leo XIV is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, can he pass this pop quiz?
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.) 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? 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. 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.
USA Today
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
MLB, New York Yankees should take heed of baseball visionary who left legacy
MLB, New York Yankees should take heed of baseball visionary who left legacy Show Caption Hide Caption With the Dodgers favored to repeat, is the MLB becoming too top-heavy? Bob Nightengale and Gabe Lacques discuss whether or not the MLB is lacking parity and could be facing a potential problem in the future. Sports Seriously It's time for the New York Yankees to join the 21st century. With Opening Day upon us, that means more than adjusting the club's facial-hair policy, as the Yankees have done this season by allowing 'well-groomed beards.'' That also means putting the names of its players on the backs of the jerseys and ending their status as the only Major League Baseball team refusing to do so. Ultimately, it means paying homage to Bill Veeck. Veeck is the one-time owner of the Chicago White Sox, a Hall-of-Fame inductee and late baseball visionary who died 39 years ago. On Aug. 9, the White Sox will give away a Bill Veeck bobblehead that should be accompanied by a history lesson. You may know some of Veeck's promotional stunts, which when he owned the St. Louis Browns included sending 3-foot-7 Eddie Gaedel to the plate in 1951. (Gaedel walked on four pitches.) Or Disco Demolition Night, which in 1979 led to the destruction of countless disco records and chaos at Chicago's Comiskey Park. MORE: Tommy John surgery at a turning point: 'Seat belt' gives hope to MLB's repeat patients MORE: Dodgers accept invitation to visit White House in April But in honoring Veeck, the Sox have wisely focused on 1960. That season, Veeck introduced the 'exploding scoreboard.'' Pinwheels spun and fireworks exploded every time a White Sox player hit a home run. And thanks to Veeck, the Sox that season became the first major league team to put players' names on the backs of jerseys. Other teams followed suit. With the exception of the heretofore beardless Yankees, that is. Why Bill Veeck, and why now? This year the White Sox are celebrating the club's 125th anniversary. That includes three World Series titles, the Black Sox Scandal of the 1919 World Series and Veeck, who owned the team from 1959 to 1961 and 1975 to 1980. 'Bill Veeck's whole thesis was make the ballpark experience fun,'' said Brooks Boyer, the White Sox's Senior Vice President of Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer. MORE: MLB's four most volatile teams for 2025: Opening Day look at projected win totals Comiskey Park wasn't exactly rollicking fun last season, when the White Sox finished 41-121 and set the modern-day MLB record for most losses in a season. On Elvis Night, a respectable crowd of 24,012 watched the White Sox lose 5-2. Elvis impersonators were in the building and, like Elvis in his later years, did not go hungry. 'Our food items garner a lot of attention,'' Boyer said. 'So the White Sox experience is way more than just a baseball game, and that all started with Bill Veeck back in the 60s.'' Alas, 'Weather Day,'' which featured meteorological education, drew just 12,216 spectators for the White Sox's 10-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins. Well-worn theme nights include Bark in the Park and Kids Run the Bases Veeck enjoyed beer. It's easy to imagine him enjoying a few upon learning fireworks are still exploding at the ballparks and players' names are on the backs of jerseys. (You know, with the exception of that one team.) He probably would have approved of this: On April 18, the Boston Red Sox will simultaneously host the Grateful Dead 60th Anniversary and Pharmacist Appreciation. ('Promotional nights are selected at random based on dates that field assets are available – it is very common to have multiple promotions on the same date,'' Kate Reilly, Director of Corporate Communications for the Red Sox, told USA TODAY Sports. 'No intended humor at play!'' Sure, we believe you, Kate.) Veeck probably could not have imagined this: The Florida Marlins were sued last year by a woman who says she slipped on dog urine during the team's Bark at the Park event at loanDepot Park. Bark in the Park, Kids Run the Bases and well-worn theme nights (Star Wars, Pokemon, Grateful Dead, Minecraft) fill up MLB promotional schedules in what could be described as ... 'Homogenized?'' offered Nate Kurant, who from 2015 to 2021 worked for Bill Veeck's son, Mike, as Director of Promotions for the Charleston RiverDogs minor league team. Kurant's legacy in Charleston includes 3,000 bouncy balls dropping into the stadium from a helicopter. And the world's largest silly string fight. And "Nobody Night," during which the team refused to allow fans into the park for the first five innings and claimed an all-time low for attendance – officially, zero. How awful is 'Awful Nite?' The minor leagues remain the major leagues of promotional creativity. On Sept. 1, for example, the Lake Elsinore Storm will hold 'Awful Nite,'' when, according to 'Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong … Be prepared for the best, worst time of your life." Yet with an increasing number of minor league teams affiliated with MLB clubs, the promotional calendars in the minors have grown more bland, according to Kurant, now an in-game host for the Tampa Bay Rays. Bill Veeck's son, Mike, now owns the Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League. He did not respond to USA TODAY Sports' requests for comment left by phone and email. But the Slammers' promotional calendar speaks for him. There will be no Disco Demolition night, conceived by Mike Veeck. But May 23 will feature Disco Night. 'Dust off your bell bottoms, put on your grooviest shades, and get ready to liven up the stands with flashing lights, funky beats, and a whole lot of boogieing,'' reads the description on the team's website. 'It's a night of home runs and hustle – so let's shake our groove thang under the stadium lights!'' Surely Bill Veeck will be dancing in his grave.
