Meet the Players: Amber Giese
It seems with every addition to South Side Hit Pen, some new ground is broken.
In the case of Amber Giese, it's in adding a writer who's mostly brand-new to White Sox fandom. But here's the thing: When you find a great writer, you get 'em on board first, ask questions later.
And yet it's clear that Amber has the chops, not just as a writer, but a fledgling White Sox fan. Props to Scotty Pods, visceral distaste for the Cubs, a general sense of resignation over the fortunes of her teams ... yep, she's one of us.
Amber made her debut on site earlier today, a survey of all the wildest and wackiest team giveaways across baseball in 2020. Make sure to give it a read, and follow her on Twitter @ColdWars.
Most importantly, give Amber a warm welcome to South Side Hit Pen!
Name Amber Giese [it rhymes with easy]
Hometown I was born, raised, and continue to live and work in Milwaukee. I own a house on the northwest side of the city — just two miles from the home in which I grew up. I’m really spreading my wings.
White Sox fan since Dec. 20, 2019, when Gio González was returned to the White Sox. That’s the day I decided to commit myself to the team. Hello, White Sox bandwagon.
That’s right. A 34-year-old, hyper-emotional junkballer made me a White Sox fan. Yasmani Grandal did a bit of the pre-work, but Gio really brought us together.
I’ve always followed the AL Central closely, as it consists of small markets and underdogs, but now I’m committed to following one team religiously and enjoying their journey to the 2020 World Series, during which they will face off against my beloved Milwaukee Brewers. Proud bandwagoner. Happy to be here. Trying to learn as much as I can as quickly as I can.
First White Sox memory I went to opening day at Milwaukee County Stadium on April 26, 1995; I was seven, and thrilled my parents let me miss school. The matchup was White Sox at Brewers, and the Brewers won, 12-3. I remember my dad specifically saying, “This season is going to be different, Amber.” It wasn’t. It was like all the Brewers seasons of the 90s. Sad. With concrete falling everywhere from an old, dying stadium.
In 1995, the Brewers went 65-79. The White Sox went 68-76.
I know how to pick 'em.
Favorite White Sox memory I went to my first game on the South Side in August 2014 with my sister, as she had just moved to Chicago. The team gave away Tony La Russa bobbleheads, and I thought this was hilarious. Mine still sits on a shelf in my basement, collecting dust.
The people were friendly. The Chicago dogs were good. The White Sox lost to the Tigers by four runs — a real bummer.
Favorite White Sox player Current? Gio González. The emotion. The thighs. The five to six tedious innings of junkballing. It’s all wonderful. You’re going to love him. You’re going to hate him.
All-time? It’s a tossup between Paul Konerko and Scott Podsednik. I appreciate kings who propel their teams to World Series victories, especially when enabling the White Sox to do it before the Cubs.
I’m petty.
Go-to concession food at Sox Park I hate most variations of hot dogs, but I love Chicago-style hot dogs. And Sox Park has good ones.
Favorite baseball movie I have two. The first is A League of Their Own because it’s about women who actually played baseball — not just a fluffy romance that happened to have women baseball players.
The second is Little Big League solely because of the baseball highlights montage set to “Runaround Sue” by Dion DiMucci.
South Side Hit Pen on the field I played catcher in grade school through high school because I was a little clunky but had a good arm. I hit the ball far, but was slow on the base paths. I think “clunky but powerful” still describes me well overall.
True or false: Every jumbled pile of person has a thinking part that wonders what the part that isn’t thinking isn’t thinking of. Truem because I blindly trust They Might Be Giants. I don’t even have to rationalize this.