The White Sox roster enjoyed Players Weekend. From the goofy nicknames like Big Foot (Lucas Giolito) and DP (Daniel Palka) to YoYo (Yoan Moncada) and D-Fark (Danny Farquhar), it was fun to see the players’ personalities enter the game.
For one weekend the past two seasons Major League Baseball dropped their ridged uniform rules and allowed the players to wear glittering, fluorescent cleats and neon colored jerseys. Much has been written about baseball’s aversion to modernize and appropriate the game for a contemporary crowd, but if Commissioner Robert Manfred and the other denizens of the game refuse to make dramatic revisions to the game, Players Weekend is a good start.
Here is a collection of social media posts from the White Sox Players Weekend shenanigans.
Yolmer Sanchez — the maestro of fun — wanted to join the replay-team one night last week.
That's one way to have fun for #PlayersWeekend pic.twitter.com/g1udH37qRw
— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) August 25, 2018
Daniel Palka’s Players Weekend shoes are fashioned after Tim Anderson’s Gucci backpack. Mom’s name on one shoe, dad’s on the other. Now that’s what you call a good kid. pic.twitter.com/vZNNx8gRnz
— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) August 25, 2018
The whole team has Ricky in their thoughts today. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/5CXwWmdPzf
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) August 23, 2018
Rick Renteria suffered from lightheadedness in Minnesota before the final game against the Twins and had to miss Michael Kopech‘s major-league debut on Tuesday. The White Sox sent him a picture of his jersey to cheer him up.
TA7 #PlayersWeekend #ChainBlang🔥 pic.twitter.com/GmOUdRd06Q
— T A 7 (@TimAnderson7) August 23, 2018
Last season Tim Anderson honored his friend Brandon Moss (B-Mo) who was gunned down in a Tuscaloosa parking lot trying to break up a late-night altercation. This year, he simply went with TA7.
#PlayersWeekend 🔥 #Pup is a nickname given to me by my mom. pic.twitter.com/3M8Lw8vFIk
— Nicky Delmonico (@Nicky_Delmonico) August 23, 2018
Yet, there was one moment that couldn’t be overshadowed by the glitz and flare any team could muster.
Kevan Smith hits his first home run of the season while wearing his Players' Weekend "Webby" jersey in honor of Daniel Webb.
Streaming here: https://t.co/Hhg2zDZw5i pic.twitter.com/mX2FHvFTcX
— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) August 25, 2018
Like Anderson did last season, Kevin Smith honored his deceased friend and former White-Sox teammate, Daniel Webb by choosing “Webby” for the name on the back of his jersey and then smoking his first home run of the season.
White Sox catcher Kevan Smith: “It was an easy decision” honoring Webb on Players’ Weekend https://t.co/EXFW6Wkwkt pic.twitter.com/3kNNE0Rb6d
— Chicago Informer (@chicagoinformer) August 27, 2018
Smith was understandably emotional in that moment and after the game.
"I was almost crying when I was running around the bases." Kevan Smith reflects on what it meant to hit his first HR of the season wearing a jersey that honors Daniel Webb. pic.twitter.com/LsuFCOejZi
— White Sox Talk (@NBCSWhiteSox) August 26, 2018
Athletics capture the entire human experience. We choose our sports based on how we connect to the subtle moments of drama. Baseball, more than any other sport, has a way of connecting with the human spirit on a regular basis.
