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The White Sox Podcast w/ Chuck Garfien

Ep. 113: What made Bill Melton a White Sox legend

The White Sox Podcast w/ Chuck Garfien

Chicago Sports Network

Sports, Sports:baseball, Baseball

4.7620 Ratings

🗓️ 3 May 2018

⏱️ 34 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

With the White Sox honoring Bill Melton with a special Bill Melton Day for the 50th anniversary of his White Sox debut, Chuck Garfien and Ryan McGuffey sat down with Beltin’ Bill to discuss his special baseball career and why he has meant so much to White Sox fans over the years. They cover his very first game which came against Mickey Mantle and the Yankees, his 1971 home run title, how his career almost ended when he fell off a roof in 1972, his secretive back surgery, passing out on the field, hangovers, why the mention of his name helped White Sox fans win arguments with Cubs fans and much more.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Keep your money local.

0:01.3

Bring it home to a WinTrust Community Bank, home of White Sox checking with free ATMs nationwide.

0:06.3

Find out more at wintrust.com slash SOX.

0:09.1

Members FDIC.

0:10.2

The White Sox have scored three in the first, three in the second.

0:13.5

At this rate, they will make 27 runs tonight.

0:18.6

There's a drive of the state's failed.

0:20.6

Look out.

0:21.6

Holy cow!

0:25.8

Bill Mountain's fourth home run in the last four games.

0:31.2

That baby just hugged a foul line.

0:44.2

Welcome to the White Sox talk podcast brought to you by WinTrust Community Bank,

0:47.4

home of White Sox checking with free ATMs nationwide.

0:50.2

For more information, go to this special White Sox webpage, www.w.wintrust.com slash socks. Chuck Garfin here with Ryan McGuffie, and we are

0:58.0

celebrating a special person and a special date in White Sox history and I'll also say

1:05.3

world history. May 4th, 1968 was the debut of Bill Melton, and we are now reaching the 50th anniversary

1:16.6

of his debut in Major League Baseball. You're shaking your head. You cannot believe this is you

1:22.9

that I'm talking about. No, I really can't. You know, actually, it's when I look back on it,

1:44.5

you know, when you're 17 years old and you sign with Chicago White Sox, you have no clue of what you're doing. And to be with an organization, to be in baseball most of my life for the White Sox for 40 years, and to realize, I just realized a couple days ago, somebody texted me and said, do you know what this is for?

2:23.9

And I go, no, I have no idea. The White Sox won't me to throw out the first pitch. They made a nice shirt. He said, this was your debut in Major League Baseball 50 years ago. I said, well, that's, I don't think that way, but that's, you know, I don't know if it's an honor or not. I think an honor. It's an honor. Yeah, but I think being with the organization that long. I mean, I did step away for about 10 years, but to sign with them, to play with them, to come back under the Reinsdorf era. I mean, it's been something that I'm going to look back on when I'm done and go, boy, that's a long time to have one job with one organization. Time flies, as we know, but when you can take us back 50 years,

2:31.5

what's the first thing that comes to mind May 4th, 1968 about that day? Did you get a phone call?

2:36.5

How did you find out? Well, I found out because I was playing in Hawaii. The Hawaiian Islands in AAA.

...

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