During his time at Cascade High School, Grady Sizemore proved able to excel at just about anything.
Named the interim manager of the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, the former Major League Baseball player will need every drop of his greatness to help the White Sox avoid the dreaded label of worst MLB team of all time.
He takes over for former Everett AquaSox manager Pedro Grifol, who was fired after a 28-89 start for Chicago’s version of the Sox.
“We’re very confident that the environment will be advantageous for our players to show up each day and finish as strong as they can,” White Sox General Manager Chris Getz said during a video announcement posted on the team’s web site.
Sizemore’s ascension has been rapid.
He was largely away from the game for five years before accepting an internship with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023 that paid $15 an hour. He joined Grifol’s coaching staff this season.
While being a star athlete often fails to transfer to coaching greatness, Sizemore seems to have a demeanor that will be welcomed by players.
Sizemore was always a try-hard guy in addition to his elite natural athletic abilities. Though an intense competitor, his even-keeled personality should play well in a clubhouse that was seemingly chaotic at times under Grifol and his predecessor, Hall of Fame manager Tony LaRussa.
At Cascade, Sizemore was a rare talent in three sports. Though he ended up taking the baseball road, he was perhaps more well known at the time as a football player, rushing for over 3,000 yards for some strong Bruins football teams. He also starred at safety on defense. In between the football and baseball seasons, he found his way to the basketball court, where he started at point guard. Many back then believed he could have been a high-level recruit in his third sport had hoops been his primary focus.
While Sizemore was mostly a running back when Cascade possessed the football, coaches would sometimes throw him in at quarterback if the offense sputtered. Why mess around with another person touching the ball when you can just give it to your best guy and let him run through people? That seemed to be the thinking at the time.
Rick Neuheisel, who was then the head coach at the University of Washington, seemed to agree. Sizemore had already accepted an offer to play football for the Huskies, and received a call from Neuheisel one spring day in 2000. The Huskies were fresh off a Rose Bowl victory with multi-dimensional quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo running the offense. Neuheisel thought maybe he had his next great athlete for a signal caller. It turned out, however, the Sizemore was simply too good at baseball.
The Sizemore family made something clear to MLB teams prior to the draft: Bring a large check or avoid wasting a draft pick. Considered by many a first-round talent, it was the Montreal Expos who picked him in the third round and offered him a $2 million signing bonus — an eye-popping number at the time.
He signed the deal at his family’s Mill Creek home in between pizza and video games with his pals. Quiet and humble as a teenager, he became a baseball star a few years after being traded to Cleveland in a deal that sent Bartolo Colon to the Expos. A three-time All-Star and winner of two Gold Gloves with Cleveland, he’s on the list of “If it weren’t for the injuries, what could have been?” guys.
Hi hit at least 20 home runs and stole at least 20 bases four straight years, and his diving catches in center field made him a fan favorite. He played in 382 straight games at one point before groin, elbow, ankle and knee injuries began to pile up.
Few things, however, have piled up like White Sox losses in 2024. Heading into Friday’s game against the cross-town Cubs, the South Siders needed to win 15 of their final 45 games to avoid the 1962 Mets’ record of 120 losses.
If Sizemore can find away to turn around the Sox, he’ll be a legend in yet another city.
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