Today in White Sox History: November 19

A good and a bad day for White Sox acquisitions, as Roland Hemond made a killer trade and Bill Veeck a free-agent flop.

Stone, Mach 1: The thinking man's pitcher made his first appearance in Chisox duds after a Roland Hemond heist in 1972. (Topps)

1972 – White Sox GM Roland Hemond sent pitcher Tom Bradley to the Giants for outfielder Ken Henderson and pitcher Steve Stone. Henderson was a Gold Glove-winning, power-hitting center fielder while Stone added depth to the pitching staff. Bradley never regained the form in San Francisco that he showed with the Sox in 1971 and 1972, and was out of baseball by 1975.

1977 – In the wake of free agent defections by Richie Zisk and Oscar Gamble, owner Bill Veeck signed infielder/DH Ron Blomberg to a free agent contract. Blomberg had missed the previous two years with a severe leg injury, but Veeck signed him anyway. On Opening Day 1978 Blomberg hit a dramatic, ninth-inning, game-tying home run, but he did very little afterwards. Making matters worse is that Veeck signed him to a guaranteed multiyear contract.

Veeck was forced to set his sights on Blomberg because Gamble took a last-minute offer from the Padres, after the Sox thought they had a deal to keep him on the South Side.