HR0715 LRB094 15054 AJO 50214 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, On October 26, 2005, the Chicago White Sox of the
3 American League won the 101st World Series of Major League
4 Baseball in dominant fashion by defeating the Houston Astros by
5 a score of 1-0 to capture the organization's third World Series
6 title and first since the year 1917; and
 
7     WHEREAS, With an American League best record of 99 wins and
8 63 losses in the regular season the 2005 White Sox became the
9 American League Central Division champions and opened the
10 post-season by sweeping the 2004 World Series Champion Boston
11 Red Sox three games to none in the American League Division
12 Series, and then soundly defeating the Los Angeles Angels of
13 Anaheim four games to one to become the American League
14 Champions and the first White Sox team in 46 years to reach the
15 World Series, and finally, the White Sox swept the Houston
16 Astros with four straight wins to become Major League
17 Baseball's World Champions; and
 
18     WHEREAS, The White Sox tied a Major League Record since the
19 introduction of the three round playoff system by winning 11 of
20 12 post season games; demonstrated the essence of teamwork by
21 winning 110 games and losing 64 through the post-season;
22 remarkably won sixteen of their last seventeen games; and
 
23     WHEREAS, Jerry Reinsdorf marked the 25th season he has
24 served as chairman of the White Sox organization in 2005,
25 making him the second-longest tenured owner in team history as
26 well as the second-longest tenured owner among the 30 Major
27 League clubs; since taking over as Chairman in January 1981,
28 the White Sox have a winning record of 2031-1892 (.518); and
 
29     WHEREAS, Mr. Reinsdorf had the wisdom and vision to promote
30 Ken Williams to the position of White Sox Senior Vice President
31 and General Manager in October 2000; Williams has spent 25

 

 

HR0715 - 2 - LRB094 15054 AJO 50214 r

1 seasons in professional baseball and 22 with the White Sox in a
2 variety of capacities, including player, scout and special
3 assistant to the chairman; under Williams as General Manager
4 the White Sox have a winning record of 432-379 (.533); he is
5 the first African American general manager in Chicago sports'
6 history and the third in Major League history; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Mr. Williams placed his trust in Ozzie Guillen to
8 serve as the team's manager; Guillen made his Major League
9 debut in April 1985, following in the footsteps of two other
10 White Sox Venezuelan greats: shortstops Chico Carrasquel and
11 Hall-of-Famer Luis Aparicio; he was the 1985 American League
12 Rookie of the Year; he was also a 3-time American League
13 All-Star (1988, 1990, 1991) and a 1990 American League Gold
14 Glove winner; and
 
15     WHEREAS, After Mr. Guillen ended his 16-year Major League
16 career as a player with the Tampa Devil Rays in October 2000,
17 he continued on in the game as a coach, and he was the 3rd base
18 coach for the 2003 World Series Champion Florida Marlins; and
 
19     WHEREAS, In 2004, Mr. Guillen returned to the White Sox as
20 the manager, becoming the first Venezuelan native to manage a
21 Major League Baseball team; in 2005, he led the White Sox to
22 the World Series, becoming the first Latino manager in history
23 to do so; with Guillen as manager the White Sox have a winning
24 record of 193-143 (.574); and
 
25     WHEREAS, Messrs. Reinsdorf, Williams, and Guillen worked
26 together to assemble a White Sox team that displayed
27 exceptional pitching, solid defense, timely hitting, team
28 chemistry, and a "Win or Die Trying" attitude throughout the
29 entire 2005 season and post-season; and
 
30     WHEREAS, The White Sox pitchers included Jon Adkins, Jeff
31 Bajenaru, Mark Buehrle, Jose Contreras, Neal Cotts, Felix Diaz,

 

 

HR0715 - 3 - LRB094 15054 AJO 50214 r

1 Freddy Garcia, Jon Garland, Dustin Hermanson, Orlando
2 Hernandez, Bobby Jenks, Damaso Marte, Brandon McCarthy, Arnie
3 Munoz, Cliff Politte, David Sanders, Luis Vizcaino, and Kevin
4 Walker; and
 
5     WHEREAS, The White Sox catchers included Jaime Burke, Raul
6 Cassanova, A.J. Pierzynski, and Chris Widger; and
 
7     WHEREAS, The White Sox infielders included Geoff Blum, Joe
8 Crede, Ross Gload, Willie Harris, Tadahito Iguchi, Paul
9 Konerko, Pedro Lopez, Pablo Ozuna, Casey Rogowski, and Juan
10 Uribe; and
 
11     WHEREAS, The White Sox outfielders included Brian
12 Anderson, Joe Borchard, Jermaine Dye (the 2005 World Series
13 MVP), Timo Perez, Scott Podsednik, and Aaron Rowand; and
 
14     WHEREAS, The White Sox designated hitters were Frank Thomas
15 and Carl Everett; and
 
16     WHEREAS, The White Sox players benefited immensely from the
17 seasoned coaching skills of pitching coach Don Cooper, hitting
18 coach Greg Walker, bench coach Harold Baines, bullpen coach Art
19 Kusnyer, first base coach Tim Raines, third base coach Joey
20 Cora, bullpen catcher Man Soo Lee, head trainer Herm Schneider,
21 assistant trainer Brian Ball, director of conditioning Allen
22 Thomas, and the organizational and administrative skills of
23 clubhouse manager Vince Fresso and manager of team travel Ed
24 Cassin; and
 
25     WHEREAS, The White Sox organization, like the city and
26 state it calls home, represents diversity at its finest, with
27 players and coaches hailing from throughout the United States,
28 as well as Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Korea, Puerto
29 Rico, and Venezuela; and
 

 

 

HR0715 - 4 - LRB094 15054 AJO 50214 r

1     WHEREAS, The 2005 White Sox are a team that met and
2 exceeded even their own high expectations; they have won games
3 because of their talent, unity, and spirit; they have given
4 their fans an extraordinary and unforgettable season; they have
5 made the people of Chicago and the State of Illinois proud;
6 therefore, be it
 
7     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
8 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
9 the 2005 Chicago White Sox be honored and applauded for their
10 accomplishments during the 2005 season, for their talent and
11 teamwork displayed on the field, for their excellence and
12 humility off the field, for the outstanding coaching staff
13 leading the team, and for the brilliant ownership and
14 management that crafted and built the 2005 White Sox; and be it
15 further
 
16     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
17 presented to each member of the White Sox executive board, to
18 each member of management in the White Sox organization, and to
19 every player on the 2005 White Sox team.