ELITE: Coach of White Sox  make a statement on the history day  February 5 . 

ELITE: Coach of White Sox  make a statement on the history day  February 5 .

February 5 is today in White Sox history.

1903
The White Sox and Cubs announced plans to play their first-ever games against one another, sparking the start of the Crosstown rivalry.

The series developed into the postseason City Series, which was successful for forty years, almost every year. But the City Series was supposed to feature both preseason and postseason games, as was announced today.

But considering that the Orphans departed for spring training in Los Angeles on March 7 and the White Sox moved south to Alabama on March 17, that part of the plan never seemed to be very well thought out. Additionally, while the big leagues were still developing together—the AL had been acknowledged as the NL’s equal for two seasons at this point—the regular seasons began nearly a week apart:

The National As a result, there wasn’t much time to play any games prior to the season—roughly just from April 12 to April 15. Cubs general manager James Hart expressed optimism in March that White Sox manager Charles Comiskey would cancel a few scheduled exhibitions in St. Joseph, Missouri, so the two teams could play a presumptive home-and-home series during that period.
But it doesn’t appear that any crosstown games were played prior to the start of the regular season. The White Sox were only planning to spend a few weeks in the south for Spring Training before traveling up north to Chicago by barnstorming some games in Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa. However, rain in Alabama caused them to be forced inside for training, and it looks like the team was only able to play two games.

Here are a few Spring Training 1903 game results:

31 March 10-7 The White Sox defeat a Birmingham steelworkers team
Rainfall on April 4 in Peoria

The White Sox were so dismal in their 3-2 loss to Minneapolis on April 11 in Leavenworth, Kansas, that the fans cried out that the game was being thrown off.
The White Sox won both of their early “split-squad” games on April 12—in Davenport, 12-0, and at the Kansas City Blues, 16-4.
April 19: The White Sox had a last intrasquad game at South Side Grounds on April 19, with the Regulars taking on the Leftovers. The regular season will begin in St. Louis on April 22.

Hart’s assertion to the contrary may have been some early gamesmanship, as it is certain that the White Sox never intended for any of the City Series games to be played in April.

The City Series agreement, however, is one of numerous occurrences in 1903 that point to a cooling of the rivalry between the American and National Leagues. In reality, this cooling will lead to the first World Series being played in October. It was formalized with a contract made public on March 7.

1954

The White Sox sent right fielder Sam Mele and second baseman Neil Berry to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for center fielder Johnny Groth and shortstop Johnny Lipon in a classic double-Johnnys trade.

The deal’s main player, 32-year-old Mele, was a mediocre starter in right field for the developing Go-Go White Sox, providing slightly above-average offense and defense that was lacking but didn’t hinder the team. In the end, he would oversee the Twins for seven seasons during the 1960s. In his lone South Side season (1953), Berry appeared in just five games with the White Sox. Later, he was sold to the Yankees and never saw major league action again, appearing in just five games for the O’s.