Former White Sox Bat Boy Reunites With Legend Minnie Minoso

Over the summer a White Sox legend was reunited with the bat boy that greeted him at home plate more than 60 years ago.

There's a race going on in the American League Central division, with Chicago White Sox fans' World Series hopes swelling with each September game. Amidst a great year for the South Side team, there is a longtime fan, who has dreamed of reconnecting with his favorite Sox player since the 1950s.  

It goes all the way back to May 1, 1951, when Orestes "Minnie" Minoso, the first black player to wear a Sox uniform, stepped into the batter's box. Pitch, swing. One crack of the bat ended with a home run against the New York Yankees. Standing ovation. Mr. White Sox had arrived.

An eager bat boy named Tom DePasquele was at home plate, waiting to shake Minoso's hand. A photographer captured the moment.  

"That was me," said DePasquele. "I was there as a Chicago White Sox bat boy in 1951. I was at his first game as a Chicago White Sox player. I still have that picture, shaking his hand as he crossed home plate."

DePasquele, who coached baseball at Rich Central High school for years and eventually became an announcer with the nickname "The Voice," .

Now, far removed from his days as a bat boy and suffering from Alzheimer's at , DePasquele's memory is fading.

But not all of it.

Tom can't remember that his mother passed away, but he can easily recall almost every pitcher who played for the White Sox from the 1950s on. He spouts statistics like a professional and can remember how it felt to spend time with a Sox legend.

"As a bat boy, I sometimes had to shag fly balls in the outfield at Comiskey Park," Tom said. "I got to know Minnie very well."

Despite the excitement of attending Sox games regularly, it was those moments before the games that had the biggest impact on DePasquale, who looked up to baseball players long before multimillion dollar contracts were talked about.

In his last interview with Chicago Heights Patch, Tom DePasquele spoke of his wish to reconnect with Minoso, one of his favorite White Sox players.

Prairie Manor helped make that dream come true.

Just over a month ago, DePasquele, his wife Georgia, Prairie Manor Admissions Director Karen Campbell and a few of the employees got together and made a trip to U.S. Cellular Field. With the help of the Chicago White Sox, Prairie Manor planned a reunion for DePasquele and Minoso. 

"It was a big thrill for me because I hadn't seen Minnie in a long time," Tom said. "I didn't think he would remember who I was, but he did!"  

Tom's wife Georgia was giddy as she showed a photo album full of the photos taken at the reunion between her husband and Minnie Minoso.

"(Minoso) looks so good, he's got to be in his 80's," Georgia said. "It was great that he remembered Tom."

Like everyone else, Admissions Director Karen Campbell was excited to talk about the reunion and showed off the photos she took on her cell phone.

"Minnie let Tom wear his World Series ring," Campbell said. "So he got to wear the bling."

Campbell said the only celebrity she had met before Minoso was Dustin Diamond, who played Screech on Saved By The Bell. "I've been a White Sox fan my whole life," Campbell said. "It was incredible just to go."

"I loved every minute of it," Tom said. "I even got his phone number. We talked about the old days and his first home run with the White Sox. ... I thought I died and went to heaven."  

Minoso promised to visit Tom someday at Prairie Manor.

Tom and his wife were only able to stay a few innings after seeing Minoso, because Tom suffers from sun-downing, which increases the confusion and agitation Alzheimer's brings on. But his meeting with Minoso will be on his mind for a very long time. 

"When I can't sleep, I replay the Sox games in my mind," Tom said. "I've done a lot of things in my life, but nothing thrills me as much as my days as a Chicago White Sox bat boy."

With that, the visiting room at Prairie Manor broke into applause. To this day Tom is trying to convert all the employees into Sox fans. Campbell laughed and told everyone, "If they go to the World Series, we expect free tickets." 

Minoso, born in Havana, Cuba on Nov. 29, 1925, is the only player to play professional baseball across seven decades. He won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award three times and hit 62 home runs at Old Comiskey.

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