’ TUBE SOX: WHAT A GIFT FOR FANS
New documentary on old Comiskey is a must-watch
If you’re a White Sox fan longing for the sights and sounds of old Comiskey Park, I know just the place: YouTube. That’s where you’ll find the homemade documentary “Last Comiskey,” which takes viewers inside the Sox’ former home during its final season in 1990 and follows that year’s team through a surprising 94-win campaign. Part 1 posted Thursday; the others will post next Thursday and March 16 at 8 p.m.
Don’t take “homemade” to mean amateurish. You’d never know the film is the first of any kind for Matt Flesch, 47, who works in health care communications for a biotechnology company in Chicago. That doesn’t exactly scream “movie producerdirector,” but his creative side fueled this passion project.
Flesch grew up a Sox fan in Elmhurst, thanks to his father, who told him stories of the great Sox teams in the 1950s and ’60s. Flesch became a fan in the ’80s, and by 1990, he had developed an immense appreciation for old Comiskey, which comes through crystal clear.
“I was a 15-year-old kid in the last year,” said Flesch, who now lives in Arlington Heights. “That was the year I realized, this place is awesome.”
After watching and loving “The Last Dance” in 2020, Flesch and his brother, Mike, tried coming up with other untold Chicago stories that deserved a documentary. They thought back to their childhood.
“How cool would it be if they did a documentary on 1990 in that last year of the old ballpark,” Flesch recalled saying. “We were like, ‘Well, why don’t we try?’ ”
They posted some short videos with narration on social media and began to attract attention. Famed Comiskey Park organist Nancy Faust reached out, and former Sox manager Ozzie Guillen
applauded. Even former Sox ace Jack McDowell noticed.
With the world shut down at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the brothers were able to connect with former Comiskey and Sox personnel on Zoom. They’d ask for 20 minutes and end up talking for 45 because the people enjoyed sharing their memories.
Interspersed among the interviews are videos of the ballpark from that year. They’re what make the documentary sing because accompanying those videos is actual sound from Comiskey Park. You’ll hear the murmur of the crowd, vendors hawking beer and, of course, Faust at the organ.
In fact, Faust was the first to contribute video to the project. She shared her home video from Sept. 30, 1990, the last day at the ballpark, which appears in Part 1.
“That’s when I was like, ‘Oh, we gotta do this,’ ” Flesch said. “It’s got video of her walking the park, talking to fans. Then I went on Twitter: Does anybody have video? We started hearing from people.”
The film has videos from all over the ballpark: from the concourses and tunnels, the lower and upper decks, the picnic areas in the outfield, even the holding cell for the inebriated.
“I just got another video from somebody that I’m gonna be able to drop into Part 3 in time,” Flesch said this week. “It’s more awesome stuff — walking on the catwalk.”
Flesch has had plenty of help with the film, which is a nonprofit endeavor. Mark Bandy, an audio technician, made the film sound like you’re sitting in the ballpark. Pete Jannotta, a well-known colorist, removed almost all evidence of the interviews being done on Zoom. Former Chicago sportscaster Tom Shaer reviewed the film for Flesch and provided notes. And, naturally, Faust provided organ music.
“Last Comiskey” also follows the Sox in their chase of the powerhouse Athletics, led by Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire. The Sox ultimately fell well short of the A’s in the American League West, but not without many memorable games along the way, such as the Yankees’ Andy Hawkins no-hitting the Sox but losing 4-0.
Still, the film is an homage to Comiskey Park and a different era in baseball that Flesch hopes will return.
“When teams are designing stadiums, we should look at old stadiums and what made them special and how that contributed to the love of the game that a lot of us have,” he said. “And I wanted to highlight what the game was like in the late ’80s and the ’90s. It had a great charge of excitement without homers and strikeouts. I hope baseball swings back to that.”