Unable to land any blue chips from the first baseball free agent class of 1976, Veeck decided to turn his attentions to another free agent class-that of 1977.

He decided on a strategy he called "Rent-a-player." If he couldn't sign a top player to a megabucks contract, he would trade for a player entering the last year of his contract, get a financially motivated performance out of him and hopefully convince said player to stay.

Veeck set his plan in motion...

1976 Offseason

The 1976 White Sox were neither an artistic nor financial success. Their record of 64-97 left them all alone in last place in the AL West. The team also had a bad year offensively, hitting .255 with 73 home runs, their lowest output since 1968. Jim Spencer and Jorge Orta tied for the team lead with 14. No other player hit more than 10.

The Sox weren't alone in this power outage. Only five teams out of 12 hit more than 100 home runs, and the league average...

October 3,1976
vs. Texas Rangers
at Arlington Stadium

The 1976 White Sox go out the same way they came in-by shutout. Only this time, it was Veeck's Wrecks that were on the losing end, the 21st time in the season that they had been blanked.

Ranger hurler Len Barker, making only his second appearance in the majors, was the owner of the gem. He scattered only three hits and struck out six over the course of 9 innings to earn his first win.

...

September 25,1976
vs. Oakland A's
at Comiskey Park

The White Sox swept a doubleheader from the Royals on the 13th to stand at 63-82 and resting comfortably in last place, which they had taken over on August 31. They hit the skids from there, losing their next nine in a row. A 4-2 win over the A's, who were in 2nd place and fighting to catch the Royals, ended the skein.

The next night was "Bill Veeck Appreciation Night" at Comiskey Park, done...

September 12,1976
vs. California Angels
at Comiskey Park

September came and the White Sox looked well on their way to a losing season. Bill Veeck tried to keep things interesting and fun with his variety of promotions. He saved one of his favorites for after September 1, when teams were allowed to expand their rosters. Veeck announced that Minnie Minoso would be activated to put in a few appearances as a designated hitter.

Minnie had, in his day, been...