Kaminsky takes break to catch up with Chicago White Sox
Frank Kaminsky's grandparents lived a couple of blocks from U.S. Cellular Field, so he grew up a White Sox fan.
“Obviously my dad living there, he was a huge Sox fan and he pushed that on me,” Kaminsky said. “My mom is actually a Cubs fan. He wasn't having any of that in our house.
“We have a family saying: ‘We have two favorite teams in the MLB, the White Sox and whoever is playing the Cubs.' That gives you an idea of how much we love this team.”
Kaminsky said he played baseball from fifth through eighth grade, but “I just always knew I would be a better basketball player.”
He was right.
Now a 7-footer, Kaminsky starred at Benet Academy and Wisconsin and was the No. 9 overall pick in last month's NBA draft. He will play for the Charlotte Bobcats, who are owned by former Bulls legend Michael Jordan.
“It's very, very surreal,” Kaminsky said. “Being from Chicago, he's a huge icon here and not just in Chicago but globally. His name is so big. You know you're in good hands when you're playing for arguably the best basketball player of all time.”
Kaminsky, who took a couple of swings in batting practice and threw the ceremonial first pitch before the White Sox played the Cardinals, is looking forward to launching a successful NBA career. The Lisle native said he already has found a place to live in Charlotte and will be heading to North Carolina in a few weeks.
“I always explain it this way, this is a position I always dreamed I would be in but never fully expected it,” said Kaminsky, who was not heavily recruited at Benet. “So there are still times where I've got to really pinch myself just to realize where I really am and how far I've come. But I'm not looking back now.
“There are a lot of things I want to accomplish at the next level and a lot of things I want to do and push my name out there to be one of the better basketball players. I'm all in at this point.”
Living the dream:
After coming up from Class AAA Charlotte on July 10, third baseman Tyler Saladino made his eighth straight start for the White Sox on Tuesday night against St. Louis.
The 26-year-old San Diego native has been enjoying every minute of his time in the major leagues.
“It's a beautiful thing coming up,” said Saladino, who extended his hitting streak to seven games with a single in the fourth inning. “As a little kid, watching the Padres and when we made it out to St. Louis as a kid seeing Mark McGwire making his run and stuff like that.
“That's part of the dream and fantasy of being a kid, seeing major-league ballplayers. Actually being out there doing it is a dream come true, and it's something that I'll never take for granted.
“All the kids that are in the stands right now, you have no idea who could be the next guy here. It's the same thing I was going through as a kid. I don't let myself forget that kind of stuff.”