Saturday was a memorable day at the ballpark for many. There were pregame tailgates and even a special reunion for the 1993 White Sox playoff team. However, for diehard fan, Laura Williams, there was one other thing that stood out above the rest – her accomplishment. The Oak Forest resident attended her 800th consecutive White Sox home game. The streak wasn’t planned by any means but once it started, Laura figured why not keep it going.
She developed her passion for the team while watching them on television during her childhood. “I really got into them when I turned 10, when I started playing softball. I went to my first game at Old Comiskey at age 11 and fell in love with it. I’m a White Sox fan for life,” Laura said.
Years went by where Laura would attend countless games and watch the rest on tv. Then, 2005 came around. The White Sox held a special promotion where if you committed to the 2006 season ticket package, you could purchase World Series tickets. Laura, her mother, and sister did it without question but unfortunately, their World Series tickets were to games 6 and 7. However, they didn’t miss out from all the fun entirely as there were plenty of celebrations in 2006.
After several more seasons passed, August 13th, 2008 arrived. This was the date when the consecutive home game streak officially began. Despite missing the game prior due to the funeral of her best friend’s mother, Laura finished out the ’08 season strong with perfect attendance to the remaining games, including the postseason. Shortly after, Laura started to realize what she had started. “Once I made it through all 81 games the next season, I was like, “How far can I go?” Then, I hit 200, 300, 400, etc. It’s a fun challenge I have for myself.” And get this, before starting her streak, she only missed 9 games dating back to Opening Day 2006. “I’ve been to well over 1000 Sox games in my life, and now I’m just enjoying the ride.”
And what a ride it’s been! When asked what it was like to finally reach 800 straight home games, Laura replied, “It’s exciting! I’ve made a lot of friends at the ballpark through the years here and it really feels like a second home to me. It was extra special having the 1993 AL West Champs in the house. I was too young to remember the “Winning Ugly” ’83 team, so the ’93 team was really my first taste of playoff baseball.”
Laura (right) with childhood friend, Bob, and his wife, Becky.
As for the streak, Laura says, “I’ll keep going as long as the good Lord lets me – as long as I can stay healthy. I don’t really have an end goal in mind. I kind of just shoot for the next milestone. I’ll hit 900 next year and 1000 in 2021, unless the boys can make it far enough to host 4 playoff games in 2020.”
With plenty of fun baseball on the way, Laura will surely have a lot to look forward to over the next few seasons. She also has this message for fans regarding the rebuild:
“It’s not going to magically come together overnight. You have to be patient with the process. We’ve got a lot of young talent that needs time to develop at various levels. One by one, new pieces will be added to the puzzle and then we’ll start seeing the greatness on a more regular basis. In the meantime, just come out to the ballpark and take in the game experience. Pick a theme night or a giveaway day and enjoy the food and the atmosphere. You never know when the next great thing is going to happen. The next perfect game, no-hitter, or hit-for-the-cycle could be right around the corner!”
I couldn’t have said it better myself! On behalf of the entire Sox On 35th crew, I would like to wish Laura all the best as she continues on her streak. If you ever see her at the ballpark, be sure to say hello!
Featured Photo
Top row from left to right: Alice (Mother), Randy (Brother-in-law), and Carrie (Sister)
Bottom row from left to right: Dave (Husband) and Laura
