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90_HR0138
LRB9005521CBcbF
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Jacob Nelson Fox, known to the baseball world as
3 Nellie Fox and the Mighty Mite, was chosen by the Baseball
4 Writers Association of America Veterans Committee for
5 induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, New
6 York, on August 3, 1997; and
7 WHEREAS, Nellie Fox was born on Christmas Day, 1927 in
8 St. Thomas, Pennsylvania, a great gift to baseball and the
9 national spirit; and
10 WHEREAS, Nellie Fox, during a 19-year major league
11 baseball career beginning with the Philadelphia Athletics and
12 ending with the Houston Astros, played second base for the
13 Chicago White Sox from 1950 through 1963; and
14 WHEREAS, In his 14 years with the White Sox, Nellie Fox
15 was the premier second baseman in all of baseball, playing in
16 13 All-Star games, compiling an All-Star game batting average
17 of .368, and being named four times to the Sporting News
18 All-Star Team; and
19 WHEREAS, As a member of the White Sox, Nellie Fox, who at
20 the beginning of his baseball career was often told that
21 because of his 5'8", 150 pound frame, he would never succeed
22 as a baseball player, hit .300 or higher six times, led the
23 Go-Go White Sox to the 1959 World Series, was selected the
24 1959 American League's Most Valuable Player, and won three
25 Golden Glove awards; and
26 WHEREAS, As a member of the White Sox, Nellie Fox is tied
27 for first in White Sox history, with 104 triples, ranks
28 second behind Luke Appling in games played (2,115), runs
29 (1,187), at bats (3,118), and is tied for third in extra base
30 hits (474), tied for fourth in walks (658), and sixth in
31 runs-batted-in (740); and
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1 WHEREAS, Nellie Fox was the greatest bunter in the long
2 history of the White Sox, thrilling fans with his drag bunts;
3 and
4 WHEREAS, Nellie Fox as a batter has a .288 career average
5 and ranks in the top 100 players all-time in at bats (41st),
6 hits (53rd) with a total of 2,663, more than such legends as
7 Ted Williams with 2,654 and Joe DiMaggio with 2,214, games
8 played (66th), runs scored (94th), and in the ratio of
9 strikeouts to at bats, 1 to 42.7, ranking 3rd; in addition he
10 led the American League in fewest strikeouts 11 times, and
11 among all second basemen he holds the consecutive games
12 played record (798) and ranks 2nd in doubles, 3rd in putouts,
13 4th in games played, 7th in assists, 10th in fielding
14 average, and most seasons leading league in putouts (10),
15 chances accepted (9), and games played (8); and
16 WHEREAS, Nellie Fox holds the major league records for
17 most consecutive games without striking out (98) and most
18 seasons leading the league in fewest strikeouts (11); and
19 WHEREAS, Nellie Fox compiled an impressive lifetime .984
20 fielding average, led American League second basemen in
21 putouts ten consecutive years, in assists six years, and in
22 fielding average six years; and
23 WHEREAS, Nellie Fox's uniform number, 2, was retired by
24 the White Sox in 1976; and
25 WHEREAS, The White Sox have designated 1997 as "Nellie
26 Fox Tribute Year"; and
27 WHEREAS, Nellie Fox, who died in 1975, will be
28 represented in Cooperstown by his wife and daughters;
29 therefore, be it
30 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
31 NINETIETH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
-3- LRB9005521CBcbF
1 are pleased to acclaim the magnificent baseball career of
2 Nellie Fox, and that we join with White Sox fans, all
3 baseball fans, and all those who honor an unrelenting
4 determination to succeed in expressing our joy that Nellie
5 Fox is being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame where he
6 will be forever honored as one of baseball's greatest
7 players; and be it further
8 RESOLVED, That we join the Chicago White Sox and Nellie
9 Fox fans on Saturday, August 16, 1997 for a tribute to the
10 great Nellie Fox at Comiskey Park in Chicago; and be it
11 further
12 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be presented to
13 Joanne Fox, to the Nellie Fox Society, and to the Chicago
14 White Sox.