The 108 Interview Series – KenWo
Here at the 108, it is our job….our duty to bring to you the great personalities of White Sox twitter, either via tweet / photo / video or blog post. In continuing with the tradition of bringing you “the goods” from White Sox twitter we have our interview with KenWo, a controversial, but thoughtful and highly entertaining member of WhiteSox twitter. The 108ers have yet to meet KenWo in person, but there’s no doubt we’d have a great time throwing down with him. Anywho, let’s get on with this shits, ENJOY!
Likes
Favorite Game That You Were At: July 1st, 1990 sticks out to me. The White Sox were playing the Yankees on Comiskey Park’s 80th and final birthday. Andy Hawkins squared off against Greg Hibbard. Hawkins gave up no hits, yet the White Sox won the game 4-0 on errors by Jim Leyritz and Jesse Barfield. I don’t think I will ever see another one like that.
Favorite All Time Player That Doesn’t Have a Statue On the Concourse: Friend of the 108 and everyone else, Ron Kittle. As a little kid watching him hit the ball on the roof was incredible. Like a super hero.
Favorite Drink and Dinner at the Park: I enjoy the corned beef deli sandwiches that are right by the 108. I’m not a fussy beer drinker and am very content with a Bud Light. If it was a Bud Light Lime, I’d be even happier, but I don’t think they sell them at the park.
Favorite Place to Sit: Wherever there is an open seat.
Favorite Uniform: 1983’s are crispy clean!
Favorite Giveaway: Bobble heads. I think it would be the t shirt giveaways if they offered them with two X’s. Real man size!
Favorite Theme Night: I would like Elvis night if it weren’t for all the dummy old people that come out for that night that never go to another game.
Dislikes
What irks you the most about White Sox fans? That many of them think that this rebuild is going to equal multiple world series titles without seeing any of these players in Chicago, except for ones that have warts
What is the worst part of being a Sox fan? August 1994.
Worst part of the game day experience? The on field product stinks.
What really grinds your gears? Rick Hahn apologists. Service time concerns. Super two.
Least Favorite White Sox player of all time: Phil Bradley. Didn’t appreciate them trading Ron Kittle to the Orioles for him in 1990. Then he was shitty on top of it.
Game Day
Most memorable experience as a White Sox fan Running on the field with my dad after the Sox clinched in 1983 when police started hauling people off and some of the people that were getting hauled off yelling to my dad because he was their college teacher.
Ballpark experience, how could it be better? I really hate that 99.99% of the home runs hit at white sox park all look the same. Clanging into a metal bleacher. I stated earlier about how Ron Kittle’s home runs onto the roof were majestic. Or guys putting it into the upper deck was always more cool than just a lower deck homer. I want a damn home run porch somewhere.
Best Sox Park hack? Knowing people that live in the area and getting my visitors parking pass. Buying cheap seats and sitting anywhere you want.
What brings you back for every game? Jimmy Fallon said it in Fever Pitch. It’s home. I feel comfortable there. Losing myself into a game and not worrying about anything else is an extreme sense of relief.
Feelings on the wave? Depends on the timing.
Which Gate is your favorite to enter the park from? 5
How Early Do You Get To Games? Usually an hour before at least. I like to make all my stops before the game starts.
How Many Games Do You Go To Each Year? As a kid I was in the 40s. Been in the 20s as an adult. This year I’m at 7. Coaching travel baseball hurts my attendance numbers.
Section 108 Questions
What is your favorite baseball word? Dinger
What is your least favorite baseball word? Competitive window. OK that is two words. Still hate it.
What get’s you excited about the White Sox? Palka Power!
What makes you sad about the White Sox? 1994
What sound or noise at the ballpark do you love? Crack of the bat
What sound or noise at the ballpark do you hate? Crack of the bat if it’s hit by the other team.
What is your favorite Hawkism? Put it on the board!
What is KenWAR and can you give us the top 5 White Sox ALL TIME in KenWAR? A player can earn KenWar points in many ways. Clutch hitting, wearing lots of gold chains, having good facial hair, throwing serious heat, being a full figured guy, doing major damage against the cubs, going #108ing, having swagger, long home runs, being a good “heel”…
- Ivan Calderon
- Albert Belle
- Greg Luzinski
- A.J. Pierzynski
- Carlos Lee
Why do you dislike Pnoles so much? He has a very punchable face, but overall pnoles is a good guy.
Why do most White Sox fans (incorrectly) believe Rick Hahn is a better GM than Kenny Williams? My guess is because Ozzie and Kenny had their beef and all the fans sided with Ozzie. That makes Kenny the bad guy. In reality, Kenny always did a pretty good job at finding talent to play under the ridiculous constraints that were placed on him by ownership. Whether that be established guys like Dye, Thome, Pierzynski, Peavy, Youkilis or young guys like Uribe, Danks, Floyd, Jenks, Quentin, Sale, Quintana or Alexei. The times Kenny failed (besides Adam Dunn- whom the vast majority of Sox fans were excited about when they signed him) were because he was trying to appease Ozzie. Not signing Thome and allowing him to kick our ass for the Twins. Getting rid of Swisher for next to nothing.
What’s your greatest fear about the “rebuild”? That Moncada comes up and hits .220, that Lopez and Giolito don’t perform well… uh oh.
What is there about this team that excites you the most? I like Abreu and Avi and Palka. I believe they could be on the road to finally getting back to hitting a lot of home runs, which is an essential part of the White Sox being successful.
Give us a #HotTake about the rebuild. They are going to have to spend money. Probably one (or two) starter, a third baseman and a center fielder at least in the short term. Just because someone is over 30 doesn’t mean it is a bad signing. It is a necessity. This worries me because the White Sox have never really committed to spending. They spent on Albert Belle in the 96-97 off-season. Then they were dumping guys in July instead of doubling down and adding when they were 3.5 games out.
Favorite White Sox Twitter Account (Besides @fromthe108) and why? @southsidelarry pulls no punches and I trust his opinion on prospects because he doesn’t think all of them will be all stars.
Person from White Sox Twitter that you’d most like to meet and why? The guy that ranks the Sox twitter personalities, so I could punch him in the face!
Favorite Non-White Sox Twitter Account and why? @TheRealDiceClay Because it is Dice Clay.
What do you like best about @fromthe108 ? You guys love the sox but will call them out on some shit when necessary. Also, we both had an insta-crush on Danny Palka. Seem like great guys.
What is your favorite alcoholic drink? Be specific and feel free to go with more than one if you need to: Grey Goose is my favorite. I usually will mix it with sprite. Also enjoy Captain and coke and Big Hurt Beer.
Favorite cut of Steak? Prepared? Bone in rib eye- medium with sauteed mushrooms and a side of spinach will get the job done every time.
Gimme an “Uncle Rico” moment from your prior sports playing past. I struck out 18 guys in a six inning game as a 12 year old.
Where would you take @ChiPartyAunt out on a date? Somewhere classy. Like Portillos or something.
Favorite performance enhancing drug? Hot dogs and beer
Who do you hate more Jim Belushi or John Cusack? Eddie Vedder is worse than both of them. Pearl Jam fucking sucks and he’s a Cub fan. What a dick.
Happy Ending
What Other Chicago Teams Do You Enjoy I cheered for the Bulls during the Rodman years. Otherwise, none. I’m a Raiders fan. I’ve given up on the NBA and I don’t watch hockey.
Favorite Chicago Sports History Moment The White Sox championship parade was pretty sweet.
Favorite All-Time Sox Broadcaster The Hawkeroo. Not even close.
Any Stories About Running Into or Meeting White Sox Players? Other Chicago Athletes? My good buddy and I went to the last series of the year in Cleveland in 2005. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton, which was the team hotel. A lot of the boys were obviously in a good mood, none more than Jon Garland who decided he wanted to chill with us at the hotel bar for a couple of hours. We shot the shit, I remember him specifically saying he wanted the Red Sox in the first round. I thought he was nutsy and wanted to face the Angels. He charged up all the drinks to Mark Buehrle’s room. Really cool guy. Will never say a bad word about Jon Garland.
Favorite Band? Motley F’n Crue
What is your favorite song? Voodoo Child by Jimi Hendrix and perfected when it became Hollywood Hogan’s theme song.
Favorite TV Show (or Netflix or HBO or whatever the fuck)? Married With Children. But the first season of Eastbound and Down is legendary.
Married or Single? Looking for a GF? Married and looking. Just in case Tiffani Thiessen is reading.
Do you remember your first Sox game? No, my dad had me going super early. I do remember a lot of 1983, even though I was four years old.
What Player had the greatest impact on you? Frank Thomas. He came to the Sox when I was 10 years old. He left when I was 25. A lot of life changes in that time, but the Big Hurt was always consistent.
What was the happiest day watching the Sox? October 26, 2005. Big Game Freddy, JD and Uribe bringing home the title.
What was the saddest day watching the Sox? The last game at Comiskey Park. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
What do you do for work? If you could be or do anything else – what? I’m a teacher. I’d love my own sports talk show. I tend to be a lightning rod, which is good for business. But I am happy teaching. My students are awesome and you can’t beat the schedule.
If you could live in any other time, when might that be? 1920s, I’d want to be one of Capone’s guys.
If you could have dinner with five White Sox Players, past and present, who would they be? Ron Kittle, Frank Thomas, Ivan Calderon, Freddy Garcia, Jermaine Dye
If you could change one thing in your past, what might that be? I would have tried to play college ball when the opportunity was there instead of falling in love with #108ing
What are you most proud of? My little league championships.
How would you like to be remembered? As that crazy fucking white sox fan that was right a lot more than we thought he’d be.
What’s the one thing about you few people know? I think people that actually know me would say I’m a friendly, easy going guy.
What do you dislike most about yourself? I could never figure out how to hit that fucking good curve ball.
What were your best/worst subjects in school? History and PE are the only classes worth attending.
What do you like doing in your spare time? Twitter with you guys, fantasy sports, coaching baseball.
Who is your celebrity crush? 1. Tiffani Thiessen. 2. Torrie Wilson (I’ve #108ed with her before. Might be the finest night of my life other than winning those coveted little league championships).
What is your favorite movie? Rocky 1-4, Rocky Balboa, Creed
What is your favorite baseball movie? Major League
What is your biggest/weirdest fear? I’ve got a shit ton of baseball memorabilia and I panic it will get ruined when it rains.
What would you change your name to? Ivan. Nobody fucks with a guy named Ivan. Well except the rotten bastard that killed Calderon. But even then he shot him from behind.
What pet would you love to have? Two dogs is enough. You sound like my wife.
What’s your one biggest pet peeve? SUV’s irk me. Can’t see around them when I’m making a left turn. Should be banned!
What would be a good theme song for your life? hmmm… Sexy Motherfucker by Prince.
What ballpark would you like to visit? San Francisco is the one I haven’t been to that I would like to check off. Pittsburgh is the one I have been to that I’d suggest you go to.
THE END
About The Author
beefloaf108
Low information White Sox Fan. Big Feet Energy ORIGINAL 108er Like Whore 2019 Opening Day #SoxMath WINNAR Mediocrity Personified
I agree with your comments on all the players you listed. But don’t forget about “ Pudge”. He was the team leader, and a big reason why Sox pitching did so good for a couple decades. “ Pitch to Fisk, at your risk”.