Minoso's widow sure to be emotional at Hall of Fame induction
Elected to the Hall of Fame by the Golden Days Era committee in early December, the first thought was former White Sox great Minnie Minoso is not going to be in Cooperstown for his induction.
Minoso passed away in 2015 at the age of 90.
When this year's class in enshrined on July 24, Sharon Rice-Minoso, Minoso's wife, will be in Cooperstown with a group of close to 100 family members and friends. She will also give the speech, which is sure to be emotional.
"Between the speech and the speech writing, that's a little intimidating," said Rice-Minoso, who was at Guaranteed Rate Field Friday. "That was Minnie's forte. Minnie could talk to anybody. We're getting there and I'm practicing it, but it's a little hard not to cry in certain places. I'm trying to get over that."
To help with the speech, Rice-Minoso has been using guides from other Hall of Fame widows. Roy Halladay's wife Brandy delivered the induction speech in 2019 and Rice-Minoso hopes to speak with her before taking the stage in front of a Cooperstown crowd expected to number over 50,000.
Minnie Minoso played 12 of his 17 major-league seasons with the White Sox, and now he'll be joining baseball's all-time greats.
"He was so humble," Rice-Minoso said. "At home, he would have been excited, overwhelmed. Like, 'I don't believe it.' But he took everything so in stride. I think during the speech is where he would have gotten emotional. I picture him at times on the stage and saying, 'He should be here. This should have been him.'"
Halfhearted:
Widely projected to finish first in the AL Central again and make a third straight trip to the playoffs, the White Sox were 39-42 at the halfway point of the season after losing to the Tigers Thursday night.
Outfielder AJ Pollock, among others in the Sox's clubhouse, is at a loss for answers.
"Honestly, it's hard to explain," Pollock said. "It's not really our job to explain. We've got to go out there and we've got to fix stuff. We've got to put our good routines out there and keep working. You hope it turns."
Getting the offense going on a consistent basis is one of many challenges for the White Sox, who play four road games at second-place Cleveland next week and three at first-place Minnesota before hitting the all-star break.
"Guys aren't thinking we stink out there," Pollock said. "I think some nights you stink. But overall we have a talented group and baseball is tough. You've just got to get to work and you keep working, working. It's kind of hard. Everyone wants to explain stuff.
"It's tough. It's a crazy game and if you stay focused and you keep working, you're betting on that things turn."