Sox and the City: A Fan's Love Affair with the White Sox from the Heartbreak of '67 to the Wizards of Oz

by Richard Roeper

Over the last 40 years, Richard Roeper has attended White Sox games, watching as his team established a losing streak that was almost unparalleled in major league baseball history. In this account of what it was like to grow up a White Sox fan in a Cubs nation, Roeper covers the recent history of the organization, from the heartbreak of 1967 and the South-Side Hit Men to the disco demolition and the magical 2005 season when they became world champions. Encapsulating what it means to be a baseball fan, root for the same sorry team no matter what, and find vindication, this history of the White Sox is flavored with trivia; anecdotes about players, owners, and broadcasters; plus Roeper’s own humorous and personal reminiscences.

Genres: Sports, Baseball, Nonfiction, Memoir, History

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Richard Roeper is a columnist/film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and, since September of 2000, has co-hosted the television series At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper with fellow film critic Roger Ebert.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

You get to a certain point in your life when you have friendships and even a romance or two with lifelong Cubs fans, and you almost begin to see these people as human.

Fun memories in here, if you're a White Sox fan of a certain age. It was written in 2006, the year after the White Sox swept the World Series from the (then-NL) Houston Astros, so that's the most recent topic year in here.

I docked one star due to the overly casual prose style. Roeper is a professional journalist of long standing — you'd think he could come up with a better turn of phrase than "the White Sox sucked" (which he says at least a dozen times in this brief book).

No, I wasn't expecting a formal history of the team. It's a personal, passionate memoir. And that's great, but I just got tired of his saying "we" when talking about the team, and using players' nicknames as if it were a barroom conversation instead of a book.

[MICHAEL · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good historical overview of the White Sox history in town, with periodic vignettes of personal memories of attending specific games of following specific characters. All of the big names are here, Veeck, Carey, Dahl, and players too. Less about the 2005 team than I would have liked, as I was not in Chicago at that time and could have used a more complete history and experience of that time period.

[Woody Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am nascent CHISOX fan, so this was a great recap of the second half of the 20th century through 2006. Roeper has an easygoing style that made it a quick pleasure to read. I will always regret never having made it Comiskey Park, but I have been to the new place numerous times. As a wannabe Chicago guy, I will NEVER root for the Cubbies as a lifelong PGH Pirates ☠ fan, so it makes my loyalty to the Southside easy.

[Dane Nealson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roeper’s writing style is very accessible; as a Cards fan constantly trying to soak up the history of the sport, there’s value in this book. It gets an extra star from me simply for the amount of shit-talking about the Cubs. :)

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A love letter to White Soxs fans from one of us. If you are a fan of the team, this is required reading.

[Jon Michael Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books written about the Sox.

[James Hastings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid book but go Birds

[Chris Mcgowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful surprise!

I stumbled across this title while looking for another book at the library that was no where near these sports books. For some reason this one caught my attention.

It has a unique style to it and recounts what it is like to a White Sox fan. So much of it rings very true. A must read for any Sox fan in my opinion. I got to learn about a portion of Sox history that I did not know - the 70's. I was born in the early '70's and my Dad is not a sports fan so I got to choose my teams and start my own history. After a brief flirtation and the dropping of the Cubbies in November 1984 I became a Sox fan. Best decision I ever made.

I will be recommending this book to my brothers and any White Sox fan I know.

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Chicago White Sox. I pay to see them play, but unfortunately, I've grown up in a city where in many ways it seems that we only have once baseball team. At least that's the way many Sox fans feel. And that's the spirit that Richard Roper captures in his book. He talks about feeling really let down by the management of what could have been some really good teams (1997 anyone?) and some horrible years of suffering through watching games of really harsh baseball to get to 2005.
Be prepared to put on your Paulie jersey and curl up in front of your official White Sox home plate to enjoy this fast trip down memory lane.

[Lish]

An interesting back and forth between the 2005 season and seasons past as remembered by Richard Roeper. He's older than I am so some of the book was more of a history lesson to me. Overall it was a quick and enjoyable read. Even if you like that more popular team on the North Side, you might enjoy this book. Remember, if it weren't for the Sox you Cub fans would've never had Harry Cary.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

What more could a White Sox fan want in a book? Covers each of the big eras in Sox history - the 50's Go-Go Sox, the 80's heartbreakers, the 2005 championship, etc. It's pretty humorous and all of it is true. I think Roeper's a bit too Cubsessed, though. He needs to lay off that and just focus on the Sox.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a native Chicagoan, I really got a kick out of this book. My mother used to take me to Comiskey Park when I was a very little girl, and I have great memories of a lot of the ballplayers Roeper talks about, like Nellie Fox and Minnie Minoso.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun account of Roeper's childhood memories of growing up with the Sox and the '05 championship team. It snapped off the '05 playoffs maybe a bit too quickly, but otherwise there's laughs, good sports memories, and generally everything else you're looking for in a book like this.

[Stephen Rynkiewicz]

Roeper does his research on seasons past, but his own ballpark memories make this a White Sox winner.

[Julie W]

My favorite sox book- great stories, fabulous writing! Love love love it! I really recommend it to any White Sox fan. Roeper is a great author!

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, but spends an odd amount of time ripping on Ken Harrelson and advocating that Harry Carey was ever a good broadcaster.

[Michael Veselik · Rating 5 out of 5]

an excellent book for soxs fans both old and new. Captures the South Side in all its glory

[Lonnie Engel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for all Sox fans!!!