Today in White Sox History: January 22
The brief Danny Tartabull Era begins.
1960
The White Sox introduced the first Major League Baseball jersey that had a player’s name on the back. It was the brainchild of owner Bill Veeck. At first the name was only on the road jersey, but over time, teams stitched names on the backs of both road and home uniforms.
1996
The White Sox dealt minor leaguers Charles Poe and Andrew Lorraine to the Oakland A’s for slugger Danny Tartabull. The enigmatic Tartabull had as much talent as anyone, but often didn’t show it. In 1996, he would put together a very good season on the South Side, with 27 home runs and 101 RBIs. Danny then signed a free agent deal with the Phillies the following year.
Lorraine never made an impact in the majors beyond journeyman. Poe, who had been the outfielder demoted to make room for Michael Jordan at Double-A Birmingham, later returned to the White Sox organization as a minor league batting coach. He currently is the hitting coach for the Rakuten Monkeys of the Chinese Professional Baseball League.