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Chicago Tribune
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Reunion weekend offers relief to die-hard Chicago White Sox fans tired of rebuilds
Minutes before Mark Buehrle's statue dedication ceremony Friday in the right field concourse at White Sox Park, a ballpark employee with a cart containing four kegs of beer tried to make his way through the gridlocked crowd awaiting the unveiling. He stopped when he reached an area reserved for members of the 2005 team, failing to recognize anyone as he shouted for everyone to move aside. That's when Cliff Politte, a reliever on the '05 champions, offered some instructions. 'Just bring those out back and load 'em onto my truck,' Politte told the confused worker. Twenty years later, the party really hasn't stopped for the '05 Sox. The years between reunions are just much-needed interludes, a chance to embellish the legends of a team that accomplished things we'll probably never see again — like an 11-1 postseason run, with four consecutive complete game wins in a playoff series. 'It's such a great feeling to know that we've won and can come back and do this,' third baseman Joe Crede said. 'Because without this, I'd probably never see these guys again. We never missed a beat. Everybody is hitting on you and doing everything we used to do. I love it. It makes you want to come back all the time and celebrate this.' This weekend on the South Side was many things — a tribute to Buehrle, a designated Irish wake for closer Bobby Jenks, a remembrance of times when the world was a better place, and a brief respite for Sox fans from Year Three of the perpetual rebuild. Photos: White Sox honor Mark Buehrle with statueBaseball, however, was not the main topic when the players congregated Friday for the first time in many years. 'Most of the conversations are all about family,' outfielder Jermaine Dye said. 'We've seen the kids here, all grown up… It's just good to talk about family.' The White Sox family, like one you might recognize, is large, boisterous and a little bit dysfunctional. It's headed by Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, of course, but the real patriarch of the '05 family is Ozzie Guillén — once deemed too crazy to manage, until he was surrounded by a team that fit his personality like a comfy pair of shoes. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski said the Sox need to give Guillén his own statue, while Guillén said he'd prefer to have his No. 13 retired so his young grandkids could 'see who grandpa was.' Did the '05 Sox make Guillén a genius that year? Or did his nonconformist approach mold them into a championship club? Could the Sox have won with another manager at the helm? 'Good question,' Crede said. 'With the mix of guys we had, and Ozzie being able to mediate between everyone … If someone had a problem, Ozzie was always the mediator. He kept everything cool, calm and collected and really took the pressure off the players, whether it was something he said in the media or whatever. If we were struggling he'd try and direct the attention away from the team and put it on him.' The attention Friday, however, was squarely on Buehrle as he waited impatiently with his wife, Jamie, and two children, Brooklyn and Braden, for the statue unveiling. He looked as though he'd rather be anywhere else on earth, preferably somewhere with dirt under his feet. 'I hate it, I was literally as nervous as could be all day today,' Buehrle said afterward. 'Got three hours of sleep last night. Couldn't eat all day. Got sick to my stomach. This stuff — all these cameras and mics and people … this is not my comfort zone. I was definitely uncomfortable out there.' Guillén was the last of the '05 Sox to arrive, due to his pregame TV duties for Chicago Sports Network. He sat in a row next to Harold Baines, with Reinsdorf on the other side, tears and sweat running down the side of his face as Buehrle spoke. When Buehrle thanked Reinsdorf, one fan on the concourse shouted 'boo,' but was quickly shut down by another. 'Not today,' the fan told the heckler. It was a day to celebrate a pitcher, not to relitigate the recent past. Plenty of time for that the rest of the season. Buehrle, the reluctant honoree, told Reinsdorf 'no more' after the ceremony. 'The (jersey) retirement speech, and now this speech,' Buehrle said. 'No more speeches. You got them all out of the way. I'm not (downplaying) how much of an honor it is for me and my family. To see that being out there forever, I can't wrap my head around it. I can't think of the right words to say to show my gratitude and thankfulness for this honor. It's amazing.' After the players took selfies together at the statue, Reinsdorf was asked to join in a team photo. Afterward, he was ushered out by security to a nearby service elevator so he could return to his suite without interacting with many Sox fans. Many of the same people from '05 still work at the ballpark, including ushers, security, front office employees, vendors and the grounds crew. They're also part of the extended Sox family, and Reinsdorf's well-known loyalty, considered a fault by most fans, is a blessing to them. Still, not everyone from the '05 Sox was invited. And notably absent was general manager Ken Williams, the architect of the '05 team who became vice president and was fired in 2023 along with GM Rick Hahn. A Sox spokesperson said Williams was out of town, missing the celebration of a championship he helped make possible. 'Look, I wish every person that had anything to do with ('05) was here,' Pierzynski said. 'Listen, Kenny was complex. As I've gotten older and Kenny has gotten older, we've actually become better friends. Kenny and I could get a little hotheaded at times and go after each other a little bit. But at the end of the day we could hug and cry and move on. 'I understand why Kenny is not here. He was let go and all that. But he was a huge part of this organization. He was the reason I was here — well, him and 'Hawk' (Ken Harrelson), so I owe a lot to Kenny. He's doing well, and I wish he was here. He deserves more respect. Theo (Epstein) gets all the respect (for the Cubs' 2016 championship), and Kenny did it a lot earlier here.' The one who wanted to be there most was probably Jenks, who died on July 4 after a battle with cancer. Pitcher Jon Garland wore a Jenks jersey to the weekend's events, and everyone had a story to tell. 'So sad,' Baines said. 'I remember when he first came up. He was such a happy-go-lucky guy, but once he got on the mound he was very dangerous.' Pierzynski said Jenks' absence left a hole in the celebration, but Guillén said Jenks was still alive in their hearts, and suggested his passing would teach his old friends to 'love each other the way we should love each other.' Reunions are a handy marketing tool for teams, especially ones like the Sox that haven't had much to celebrate since. A crowd of a little more than 2,800 fans was actually inside the ballpark for the first game of the split doubleheader with Cleveland, making it look like a low-level, minor-league game. Much bigger crowds turned out Friday night and Saturday to remember a team that shared their work ethic, camaraderie and love of the game. 'There is definitely a culture of hard work and grittiness,' reliever Neal Cotts said of the shared traits between the Sox and their fan base. ''Just go out there and get your job done.' That's the mentality I took from Ozzie. The effort level has to be there daily, and then we'll (live with) the results.' But Sox fans also expect the team to win more than once every generation. Tadahito Iguchi, the second baseman for the '05 team who works now as a broadcaster for NHK TV in Japan, said Sox fans should realize patience is a virtue. 'It took 88 years for us to win,' he said through an interpreter. 'Hopefully good times are coming. It might take some time, but I really believe in the club to build a winner.' One member of the '05 team who declined to be named wasn't quite as optimistic, pointing to the plethora of former Kansas City Royals employees currently in decision-making positions with the Sox. 'And what have they done lately?' he said, referring to the Royals' struggles since their 2015 championship. No one said the '05 team wasn't an opinionated bunch. Future aside, Saturday's ceremony honoring the 20th anniversary of the '05 champs was a chance for everyone to take one more bow. After speeches by Dye, Geoff Blum and Guillén, Buehrle came up to the podium and gave his old manager the hook, saying 'no one understands you.' He then pulled out some hidden ice-cold beers for everyone and they all gave one more toast for Jenks. Guillén and several players fought off tears as they held up their beers and said, 'Bobby Forever.' They remained the same as ever, though Buehrle joked they were older, fatter and grayer. The last time he spoke to many of them, he guessed, was 10-12 years ago. No matter. 'It was like we didn't skip a beat,' Buehrle said. 'Just getting on each other, wearing each other out, making fun of each other. When you go to battle and win a World Series with a team, you've got a special bond with those guys.' Crede remembered playing for the Sox in 2003 when the team welcomed back the 1983 'Winning Ugly' divisional champs on its 20th anniversary season. He recalled thinking: 'In 20 years, am I going to look like that?' Crede laughed at the absurdity of that kind of logic. 'And here we are,' he said. Indeed, they were back again on the South Side, where the party never ends.
Washington Post
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
White Sox unveil statue of Mark Buehrle at Rate Field
CHICAGO — Mark Buehrle posed for several pictures with his new statue. By himself. With his family. With a large contingent of his former teammates from one of the greatest years in Chicago White Sox history. Everyone wanted to hold on to the moment. A sculpture of Buehrle in his pitching motion was unveiled at Rate Field on Friday night as part of a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Chicago's 2005 World Series championship. The left-hander watched as his family pulled a black tarp off the statue in right field, cheered on by a crowd of 25,084 dotted with No. 56 Buehrle jerseys and shirts.
New York Times
12-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
From Mark Buehrle to late Bobby Jenks, 2005 White Sox return to Chicago's spotlight: Greenberg
CHICAGO — As Mark Buehrle approached a lectern in the outfield patio of Rate Field, a nearby fan yelled, 'It's not going to be a long speech!' A source close to the situation confirmed it. 'I'm going to make this quick,' Buehrle said. If there's one thing Buehrle was known for during his time with the White Sox, it was efficiency. He threw the pitches his catcher called and didn't waste any time on the mound. He was the king of the two-hour game before the pitch clock. Advertisement On this day, he was only talking because he was getting a statue in the outfield, joining former teammates Paul Konerko and Frank Thomas, among others. The honor came 10 years after he hung it up and eight years after his number was retired by the White Sox, with whom he made 365 regular-season starts and threw 3,283 1/3 innings, with a perfect game, no-hitter, World Series win and a save thrown in for good measure. The statue dedication was the opener of a much-anticipated 20th-anniversary reunion weekend for the 2005 White Sox. For much of the ceremony, as public-address announcer Gene Honda read his accolades, Buehrle looked like he was at a funeral, sitting there in the hot sun with a dour face. For a guy who loved being on the mound, tarp-diving and catching first pitches, he kind of hates attention. It's why he doesn't miss baseball. 'I was literally nervous as can be all day today,' he said later. 'Got three hours of sleep last night. Couldn't eat all day today. Sick to my stomach. All these cameras and mics and people, this is not my comfortable zone.' Even after seeing the statue in person, Buehrle was still processing the honor. 'You don't play the game for any of this,' he said. 'I literally went out there and played just because I love baseball and I love competing. … You never think of a number retirement, a statue. I can't even wrap my head around it, like it just doesn't make sense.' It did if you watched him pitch. Almost all of his teammates stood out on the crowded concourse for the ceremony. These are men in their 40s and 50s who could now blend into a crowd. They took pictures, videos and selfies. And for their manager, that was the most special part of the day. Reunited at Rate Field — Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) July 12, 2025 'It was a great thing to see his teammates around him,' Ozzie Guillen said. 'They feel the same love, the same respect for each other. They're happy to see each other. I'm not talking about the 2005 championship. I'm talking about friendship.' Buehrle, who isn't the best at keeping in touch, said, 'I haven't talked to a couple of guys in 10 to 12 years, and it was like we didn't even skip a beat. We just start getting on each other, wearing each other out, making fun of each other. I think when you go to battle and you win a World Series with a team, it's like that. You got a special bond with those guys.' Advertisement While everyone was happy for Buehrle and excited to see old friends, the recent death of Bobby Jenks, the cherubic closer with a 100 mph heater, cast a pall over the event. 'Hearing that news, it hit me a little harder than I thought it would,' Buehrle said. 'It's definitely very sad.' Jenks, who died of cancer on July 4 in Portugal, had hoped to make the event. When he started treatment, he told his doctors to clear his schedule for this weekend. But it wasn't meant to be. Jon Garland ordered a Jenks jersey and wore it to Friday's event. 'Bobby was a huge personality. A huge human being,' A.J. Pierzynski said. 'For him not to be here was a huge hole in this whole thing.' After the last out of the 2005 World Series, Pieryznski jumped into Jenks' arms. The image of Jenks pumping his fists is now a memorial graphic at the ballpark. The current team will wear No. 45 patches on their jerseys for the rest of the season. Jenks came up midway through that season when the team needed him most, like a character in a storybook. He was a big kid, a husky man-child, who threw 100 mph with a nasty curveball. For a team that prided itself on playing with a chip on their collective shoulders, Jenks, who had a turbulent life and minor-league career to that point, fit right in. But Guillen thought Jenks' death would have a unifying effect on the team. He wondered how they would react when they are all together and Jenks is mentioned during Saturday's ceremony. 'Losing my boy, losing everybody's guy, that man was special for everyone,' he said. Guillen said he spent a lot of time with his former closer last summer when Jenks was managing an independent-league team in the Chicago area. Baseball (and golf) brought them back together. But Ozzie said he won't miss Jenks because that would mean he forgot about him. 'You never die when people remember you every day,' he said. If that's the case, Bobby Jenks, like Mark Buehrle, Ozzie Guillen and the rest of the 2005 White Sox will live forever.
Al Arabiya
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Arabiya
White Sox unveil statue of Mark Buehrle at Rate Field
Mark Buehrle posed for several pictures with his new statue—by himself, with his family, and with a large contingent of his former teammates from one of the greatest years in Chicago White Sox history. Everyone wanted to hold on to the moment. A sculpture of Buehrle in his pitching motion was unveiled at Rate Field on Friday night as part of a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Chicago's 2005 World Series championship. The left-hander watched as his family pulled a black tarp off the statue in right field, cheered on by a crowd dotted with No. 56 Buehrle jerseys and shirts. Buehrle, 46, played for Chicago for the first 12 of his 16 seasons in the majors. Known for working quickly with pinpoint control, he went 161-119 with a 3.83 ERA in 390 appearances with the White Sox, including 365 starts. He had his number retired by the team in 2017. 'I literally went out there and played just because I love baseball and I love competing,' Buehrle said. 'All the numbers and all that stuff comes of it, but you never think of this—number retirement, statue. Like that's just—I can't even wrap my head around it. Like it just doesn't make sense.' After the statue ceremony, Buehrle and his family got into a truck and waved to the crowd as they traveled around the warning track. Buehrle caught a ceremonial first pitch from his daughter Brooklyn, and his son Braden performed the national anthem before Chicago's game against Cleveland. Buehrle enjoyed having his family involved with the festivities, but 'all the attention—well, not so much. I hate it. I was literally nervous as can be all day today,' he said. 'Got three hours of sleep last night. Couldn't eat all day today. Sick to my stomach. This stuff…this is not my comfortable zone.' Of course, Buehrle always looked quite comfortable on the mound. He joined Freddy García, Jon Garland, and José Contreras in a formidable rotation that played a major role in Chicago's last World Series title. Buehrle posted a 16-8 record with a career-low 3.12 ERA in 33 starts, helping the White Sox win the 2005 AL Central. Then he went 2-0 with a 3.47 ERA in four postseason appearances, including three starts. Buehrle, Contreras, García, and Garland each pitched a complete game in the AL Championship Series against the Angels. 'I'll take that team against pretty much anybody,' former White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. 'I mean, 11-1 in the postseason. Four complete games in the ALCS—you'll never see that again.' Asked what it was like to catch Buehrle, Pierzynski responded: 'Fast. Mark was the best,' he said. 'Mark didn't shake. You got the ball. He didn't do scouting reports. He just got it and threw it.' Buehrle made two appearances in Chicago's World Series sweep against Houston. He pitched seven innings of four-run ball in Game 2. He also picked up a save when he retired Adam Everett on a popup for the final out of the 14th inning in a 7-5 win at Houston in Game 3. Former White Sox slugger Jermaine Dye called Buehrle 'a great teammate and leader. Definitely someone you would want on your ballclub to lead a pitching staff and be that No. 1 starter and give him that ball at any point in time,' Dye said. Buehrle pitched for Miami and Toronto after departing Chicago. The five-time All-Star finished with a 214-160 record and a 3.81 ERA over 3283 1/3 innings, to go along with four Gold Gloves. He struck out 1870 and walked 734. He was reunited with the 2005 White Sox in the wake of Bobby Jenks' death at age 44. The former closer died last week in Portugal, where he was being treated for adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer. 'I'm sure I've lost teammates over the years, but losing somebody like that,' Buehrle said. 'He's a little kid in a big-man body—always goofing off, always having fun. Not having him here and hearing that news, it hit me a little bit harder than I thought it would when I first heard of it. It's definitely very sad.'
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
White Sox unveil statue of Mark Buehrle at Rate Field
CHICAGO (AP) — Mark Buehrle posed for several pictures with his new statue. By himself. With his family. With a large contingent of his former teammates from one of the greatest years in Chicago White Sox history. Everyone wanted to hold on to the moment. Advertisement A sculpture of Buehrle in his pitching motion was unveiled at Rate Field on Friday night as part of a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Chicago's 2005 World Series championship. The left-hander watched as his family pulled a black tarp off the statue in right field, cheered on by a crowd dotted with No. 56 Buehrle jerseys and shirts. Buehrle, 46, played for Chicago for the first 12 of his 16 seasons in the majors. Known for working quickly with pinpoint control, he went 161-119 with a 3.83 ERA in 390 appearances with the White Sox, including 365 starts. He had his number retired by the team in 2017. 'I literally went out there and played just because I love baseball and I love competing,' Buehrle said. 'All the numbers and all that stuff comes of it, but you never think of this number retirement, statue. Like, that's just, I can't even wrap my head around it. Like it just doesn't make sense.' Advertisement After the statue ceremony, Buehrle and his family got into a truck and waved to the crowd they traveled around the warning track. Buehrle caught a ceremonial first pitch from his daughter, Brooklyn, and his son, Braden, performed the national anthem before Chicago's game against Cleveland. Buehrle enjoyed having his family involved with the festivities. All the attention, well, not so much. 'I hate it. I was literally nervous as can be all day today,' he said. 'Got three hours of sleep last night. Couldn't eat all day today. Sick to my stomach. This stuff ... this is not my comfortable zone.' Of course, Buehrle always looked quite comfortable on the mound. He joined Freddy García, Jon Garland and José Contreras in a formidable rotation that played a major role in Chicago's last World Series title. Advertisement Buehrle posted a 16-8 record with a career-low 3.12 ERA in 33 starts, helping the White Sox win the 2005 AL Central. Then he went 2-0 with a 3.47 ERA in four postseason appearances, including three starts. Buehrle, Contreras, García and Garland each pitched a complete game in the AL Championship Series against the Angels. 'I'll take that team against pretty much anybody,' former White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. 'I mean, 11-1 in the postseason. Four complete games in the ALCS, you'll never see that again.' Asked what it was like to catch Buehrle, Pierzynski responded: 'Fast.' 'Mark was the best,' he said. 'Mark didn't shake. You got the ball. He didn't do scouting reports. He just got it and threw it.' Advertisement Buehrle made two appearances in Chicago's World Series sweep against Houston. He pitched seven innings of four-run ball in Game 2. He also picked up a save when he retired Adam Everett on a popup for the final out of the 14th inning in a 7-5 win at Houston in Game 3. Former White Sox slugger Jermaine Dye called Buehrle a great teammate and leader. 'Definitely someone you would want on your ballclub to lead a pitching staff, and be that No. 1 starter and give him that ball at any point in time,' Dye said. Buehrle pitched for Miami and Toronto after departing Chicago. The five-time All-Star finished with a 214-160 record and a 3.81 ERA over 3,283 1/3 innings, to go along with four Gold Gloves. He struck out 1,870 and walked 734. Advertisement He was reunited with the 2005 White Sox in the wake of Bobby Jenks' death at age 44. The former closer died last week in Portugal, where he was being treated for adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer. 'I'm sure I've lost teammates over the years, but losing somebody like that," Buehrle said. "He's a little kid in a big-man body, always goofing off, always having fun. Not having him here and hearing that news, it hit me a little bit harder than I thought it would when I first heard of it. It's definitely very sad.' ___ AP MLB: Jay Cohen, The Associated Press
