093_HR0076
LRB093 06974 KEF 07123 r
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, In 2001, the National Baseball Hall of Fame's
3 Veterans Committee nominated 1,400 former major league
4 baseball players for this year's induction into the Baseball
5 Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York; and
6 WHEREAS, Baseball historians and experts culled this list
7 down to 25 outstanding former players; and
8 WHEREAS, For the first time, elections and induction this
9 year will be done by a vote of the living Hall of Fame
10 members in January, 2003; and
11 WHEREAS, Any candidate named on 75 percent of the ballots
12 will earn election to the Hall of Fame in 2003; and
13 WHEREAS, The Baseball Hall of Fame has actively solicited
14 comments from the public about the former players who should
15 be elected; and
16 WHEREAS, Former Chicago White Sox star left fielder
17 Orestes "Minnie" Minoso is one of the 25 players eligible for
18 election in 2003; and
19 WHEREAS, Minnie Minoso is a true son of Chicago and has
20 lived here most of his adult life; and
21 WHEREAS, Minnie Minoso spent 12 full seasons with the
22 Chicago White Sox, over five separate stints that spanned
23 four decades; and
24 WHEREAS, Minnie Minoso was the first great Cuban American
25 baseball player; and
26 WHEREAS, Minnie Minoso is generally considered to be one
27 of the top left fielders in baseball history; and
28 WHEREAS, Minnie Minoso broke the White Sox color barrier
29 in his professional debut on May 1, 1951 at age 28; and
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1 WHEREAS, Orestes "Minnie" Minoso was voted American
2 League Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News in 1951; and
3 WHEREAS, Orestes "Minnie" Minoso hit over .300 six times,
4 won three Gold Gloves, batted .300 in seven All-Star game
5 appearances, regularly finished in the League top 10 in most
6 offensive categories, and concluded his career with a .298
7 batting average, a .391 on base average, almost 2,000 hits,
8 and over 1,000 runs batted in; and
9 WHEREAS, Minnie Minoso was the heart and soul of the "Go,
10 Go White Sox" in the 1950s; and
11 WHEREAS, Minnie Minoso was widely known as "Mr. White
12 Sox" and "the Cuban Comet"; and
13 WHEREAS, Orestes "Minnie" Minoso was named to the White
14 Sox All-Century Team in 2000; and
15 WHEREAS, Even though he was not part of the
16 pennant-winning 1959 White Sox team, he was given an honorary
17 championship ring; and
18 WHEREAS, Minnie Minoso's "9" jersey was retired by the
19 White Sox; and
20 WHEREAS, Orestes "Minnie" Minoso was elected to the
21 Chicago Sports Hall of Fame, the World Baseball Hall of Fame,
22 and to the White Sox All-Century Team; and
23 WHEREAS, Minnie Minoso's exceptional achievements as a
24 professional baseball player merit his election to the
25 National Baseball Hall of Fame; and
26 WHEREAS, The people of Illinois are encouraged to express
27 their support of Minnie Minoso by sending letters to the
28 Baseball Hall of Fame at 25 Main Street, Cooperstown, New
29 York 13326, or by emailing baseballhalloffame.org; therefore,
30 be it
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1 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
2 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
3 the members of the Illinois House of Representatives do
4 hereby support the induction of Orestes "Minnie" Minoso into
5 the National Baseball Hall of Fame; and be it further
6 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be sent
7 to the living members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, sitting
8 as electors, at Cooperstown, New York; and be it further
9 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
10 presented to Orestes "Minnie" Minoso.