This post was submitted by Art

My childhood hero retired recently. I thought heroes weren’t allowed to do that. At least, that’s what The Incredibles was about. I thought. Maybe I’m wrong (wouldn’t be the first time, certainly won’t be the last). I speak of baseball god Frank “Big Hurt” Thomas, who played for 18 years, hit .301, walloped (and I mean WALLOPED) 521 home runs, and had one of the 10 greatest batting eyes of all time, putting him in company with Ted Williams, Mel Ott & Babe Ruth. Yeah, that Babe Ruth. The guy with the candy bar named after him.

Frank Thomas was drafted by the White Sox in 1988 and first broke into the big leagues in 1990. For the next ten years, he absolutely dominated the game. The numbers, both raw and metrically, are staggering. 1667 walks to 1397 strikeouts. 521 home runs, more than all but 18 other people to have ever played the game. Taking a walk in baseball and hitting a home run in baseball seem dyametrically opposed to each other, but are in fact two of the most important skills a ball player can have. Taking a walk shows how good a batter’s eye is, how much he can actually see what the pitcher is throwing. Walks also lead to runs. Hitting a home run is the easiest way to score runs. Runs win the game. There is often a correlation between high strike outs and high home runs (Arod, Jeter and Ken Griffey Junior all strike out more than they walk).

I remember the giant, hulking frame of Frank Thomas when I went to my first White Sox game with my Dad in 1996. He was in his prime then, and it was amazing to see. Hell, he was amazing to watch in the 2000s, when he couldn’t stay healthy. No, he couldn’t play the field. But it didn’t matter. In an era when Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, Palmero and countless others (hundreds) where steroided up to their gills (often developed as a result of the massive science projects their bodies became) and blasting home runs at paces never before seen in baseball history, Frank Thomas was outspoken from the beginning. Test me. Repeatedly. Test everyone. I’m doing this the right way. I want everyone to know that.

The Big Hurt was overshadowed by flashier players. But in the long run, much like Greg Maddox, his brilliance with the game will be remembered. The only active player to talk to George Mitchell, his legacy is, in my mind, rock solid. I hope to God to be able to attend the New York Yankees/Chicago White Sox game on August 29th when the White Sox (rightfully) retire his number. I will, regardless of where I am, be watching the game. And I will stand. I will cheer. I will shed a tear. And I will see my childhood hero get the welcome home he so deserves. Frank, you’ll never read this, but thank you. Thank for 1993, even for 1994 when you were robbed, for 2000 when you were robbed again, and thank you for 2005. Again overlooked, you carried the team I loved that month when they won the World Series. Thank you, for everything, Frank. You were the Chicago White Sox.

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