Back maybe in 2008 I attended a meeting with a friend. Our sons had attended the same grammar school and at this time the same private high school. There was a Father’s Club, which would occasionally have prominent guests, a local radio personality, or at this meeting Roger Bossard. Roger, for those of you unfamiliar, has been the grounds keeper for the Chicago White Sox. Roger studied Agronomy at Purdue and his expertise has placed him in great demand. The impeccable grounds at Comiskey Park (and currently The Rate) combined with his patented drainage system, has garnered him consulting jobs at multiple other Major League parks. Roger relayed the story of the Prince of Saudi Arabia hiring him to install the turf for the first outdoor soccer field in this Arab country. Two 747 jumbo jets flew to Saudi Arabia…full of sod! Incidentally, Roger’s nickname…The Sodfather!
No one could have predicted the pandemonium that ensued on July 12 1979, not even disc jockey Steve Dahl, an avid White Sox fan, and the brains behind the Disco Demolition promotion. For $1 and one disco record, a patron could gain admission into Comiskey for this doubleheader. Attendance had been waning, but on this night, young fans outside were attempting to climb into the park which was completely sold out.When the records exploded in centerfield between games of this double header, chaos ensued. Fans flocked onto the field, destroying enough turf to cause the cancellation of game two.
Back to the Father’s Club meeting. Roger, speaking in front of the dads, still expressed anger about that day during the Q&A exchange. Sitting next to me, my friend Bob, who was one of those who had ventured on to the field that eventful evening. Oh how tempting to expose his youthful transgression to the Sodfather, but my lips remained sealed.
Fast forward to June 2011. My wife and I decided to go to a Sox game at U.S. Cellular. The night before was a rainout, and the promotion that night was moved to this evening. How lucky! We were recipients of this handout which was given to the first 20,000 fans…
and I had just the idea! One of these ‘Rogers’ would appear at the doorstep of my friend Bob’s house with a note attached. “I am tracking down one by one each person who set forth on my turf on July 12 1979.”
