A tale of two Series: Best of times for Thomas family
Former Sox conditioning coach shares Fall Classic bond with son Alek
Scott Merkin
@scottmerkinCHICAGO -- It was just a few days ago when Allen Thomas asked his son, Alek Thomas, if he remembered the first pitch of the 2005 World Series, won via a four-game sweep by the White Sox.
Allen served as the White Sox conditioning coach and eventually director of conditioning from 2003-21. Alek, the center fielder for the 2023 National League pennant winners from Arizona, was only 5 during the White Sox 99-win regular season and 11-1 playoff run.
While Alek remembers the frenzied crowds, the home runs, the victory parade and being slightly miffed at his mom for not putting him in a baseball jersey for the games, Allen still gets goosebumps when thinking about Jose Contreras’ first offering at U.S. Cellular Field against the Astros in Game 1.
“You saw it was like a film. All you saw was flashes,” Allen said. “That’s one of my favorite photos, seeing all the lights of the first pitch.”
On Friday night at Globe Life Field, Allen will be in attendance for another first pitch of the World Series with an even greater personal connection. Allen has been the only one on the road for Alek throughout the 2023 postseason, but the whole family will be in attendance when the D-backs face the Rangers. You can’t miss that everlasting imprint of World Series pitch No. 1.
A strong connection exists for Alek to one of the most underrated World Series champions in terms of the 2005 White Sox sheer dominance from start to finish. Alek learned from great hitting coaches such as Greg Walker; Hall of Famers such as Jim Thome, Harold Baines and Ken Griffey Jr.; and White Sox stalwarts such as Paul Konerko, A.J. Pierzynski and Jermaine Dye.
Konerko helped Alek find a place to hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Allen. That ’05 White Sox team, which was the truest definition of a team, shows a resemblance to the D-backs, in Allen’s mind.
“They are all older men today, but we still connect,” Allen said of the ’05 White Sox. “The amount of leadership and the amount of people taking ownership of the word ‘team’ and holding each other accountable. …
“If I do something, it’s OK to police me to make me better. Even to the coaches, to the extended coaches, everybody had a respect for each other and knew we were all pulling from the same rope. You cherish those moments. It was unbelievable.”
Alek also played as a sophomore, junior and senior at Mount Carmel High School in Chicago for the Amateur City Elite, an impressive and important youth baseball program developed by the White Sox to help kids on and off the field through a high-level baseball experience. With all these White Sox connections and Alek’s immense talent, staying in Chicago seemed to be a logical next step for the left-handed hitter and Gold Glove-caliber center fielder.
But in the 2018 Draft, the White Sox took Steele Walker with the 46th overall pick -- the third pick in the second round. Alek went 17 picks later to the D-backs, reached the Majors in ’22 and now is looking to be a part of Arizona’s second World Series title and the second one for the Thomas family.
“Two different heartaches,” Allen said with a laugh, when asked to compare the White Sox title when he was on staff to his son’s title quest. “As a coach, you know the hard work and determination and have your own blood, sweat and tears out there.
“As a father, you get to sit back and see the fruition of work they have put it, from afar. But you also see the progress that was made from April until now. How the team has jelled and how they have gone through adversity. It’s refreshing.”