While most were complaining about the unexpected cold spell this weekend, the younger White Sox players were embracing it.

“What a blast!” said catcher Josh Phegley. “We got to put on long sleeve shirts and drink hot chocolate in the dugout, and we all imagined we were playing some of the current American League powerhouses like the Oakland A’s or the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALCS. It was really exciting!”

“With the future of the team dismal, and no foreseeable chance of making the playoffs anytime soon, we figured these young kids will never get a chance to have the feeling of what it’s like playing October baseball,” said manager Robin Ventura. “Once we saw what the weather was going to be, we decided it was a perfect time to give them this experience.”

After the White Sox were shut out by the Kansas City Royals 1-0 Saturday, they were greeted in the the locker room to champagne on ice, their lockers were covered in plastic, and they had the opportunity to take a picture with the 2005 American League Championship Trophy.

Brian Farrell