Bronzed Heroes – Minnie Minoso
Today is the 60th anniversary of Minnie Minoso’s first game with the White Sox. He was a dynamic player for so many years that it is an absolute shame that he is not in the Hall of Fame. The committee had a great opportunity to put both Minnie and Buck O’Neil into the Hall a few years ago, but for some reason they decided not to. Minnie will probably not get into the Hall of Fame. He was my fathers favorite players as he was growing up. He was also the first black player to play for the White Sox. His color may have cost him the 1951 rookie of the year to the Yankees Gil McDougald. My father still has the clipping comparing the two players. The only category that Minnie was not the leader in was home runs. Other than that Minnie had a much better season. The Sporting News gave Minnie their rookie award, but the writers did not. Minnie may have been the third best left fielder in the Majors during the 50’s. The only players better were Ted Williams and Stan Musial. He was the first Hispanic player of color to play in the majors. His groundbreaking career should have been rewarded with a plaque in Cooperstown. Sadly it probably never will be. They have had ample time to see what he has done, yet he is still ignored. (more…)
1985 Topps 25th Anniversary – Minnie Minoso
Yesterday the White Sox website had a great article on Minnie. I knew most of what was in the article because he was my father’s favorite player. He is still mad about the 1951 Rookie of the Year voting 60 years later. He has a clipping showing the stats of both Minnie, and Gil McDougald who won the award. Minnie beat him in every category besides home runs and playing in New York. Minnie was the first African American to play for the Sox, but has become much more than that over the years. He is still with the team as a goodwill ambassador, and is a very nice guy. I thought it would be great to release the special card I made of him after reading the article. Bill James the renowned stat guru had Minnie as the 10th best left fielder of all time when everything is considered. Reading that you wonder how he never got close to the Hall of Fame. You need 75% to get in, and Minnie never received better than 21.9 percent of the vote. Open your eyes voters! There has to be a way to get him in the hall. (more…)
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