Julio Cruz dead at 67; scored division-clinching run for 1983 Chicago White Sox

Today, on the 85th day of the current MLB Lockout, Shia Kapos notes Julio Cruz has died. Her Illinois Playbook post this morning links to this Tribune article.

The game was not on broadcast TV that night; there was, as yet, no cable TV in Chicago. Cable came to my Northwest Side neighborhood in time for the 1984 season. I remember asking the salesman, "Do the White Sox games come with the basic package?" I remember the salesman being a bit flummoxed, too. "Nobody's asked about that before," he said. And no wonder. It would be years before cable was even an option for homes on the South Side.

Yes, the White Sox owners were television geniuses all right. Everybody (everybody outside of Chicago, that is) said so. Supposedly. Anyway, when you think about how smart it was to keep your telecasts out of the living rooms and dens of your core fans, it's a lot easier to understand how we are at Day 85 of the current baseball lockout.

It takes exceptional wealth to own a professional sports franchise. But great intelligence does not automatically come with great wealth.

The White Sox television geniuses did allow Channel 32 to cut in for the 9th inning of the clinching game. (Channel 32 had those occasional games that the Sox did allow to be broadcast in those days.) So some of us did get to see this much, at least, live:


SABR has an extensive game recap of that September night in 1983, if you care to remember.

But take your time. There's no hurry. It's not like there's going to be new baseball to enjoy any time soon.

Julio Cruz is dead. And Major League Baseball is self-destructing.