By George Castle – CBM Historian on February 1, 2018
Ballyhooed top prospect promoted prematurely vs. rent-a-free-agent.
Close-cropped hair in a conservative organization vs. baseball’s most luxuriant Afro playing for original rebel Bill Veeck.
Perceived speed demon center fielder vs. locked-in designated hitter.
Oscar Gamble belts home run for ’77 South Side Hit Men Sox team. Leo Bauby collection
Over a span of eight years, Oscar Gamble dramatically changed how he was presented to the public as a raw rookie Cub and veteran White Sox. The 18th player from the fabled 1969 Cubs and surprisingly the second middle-of-the-lineup staple (after Jim Spencer) of the equally storied 1977 South Side Hit Men to pass away, Gamble made news for the final time the other day with his death at 68.
For two franchises just eight miles apart but stereotyped as being light years distant in so many other ways, the Cubs and Sox have shared almost too many players to list here. Gamble is on that last, and impressive compared to most others. His even 200 homers, including a team-leading 31 for the ’77 Sox, prove some of the initial overheated evaluations as a teen-age Cub were correct. Gamble was yet another talented player snared by the keen scouting eye of the legendary Cubs scout and Negro League icon Buck O’Neil.
STORY
Category Chicago Baseball History Feature Tags Bart Johnson, Buck O'Neil, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Leo Durocher, Oscar Gamble