JEAN SHEPHERD AND LUKE APPLING.

JEAN SHEPHERD AND LUKE APPLING. Jean Shepherd, who wrote and narrated A CHRISTMAS STORY, was a White Sox fan (The father in A CHRISTMAS STORY is a White Sox fan). Shepherd said that if he had to go over the top in a battle, he would want to have White Sox fans beside him, because they had known the terrors of this earth. As Shepherd told the story, White Sox fans took great pride in Luke Appling’s ability to foul off pitches and would cheer him when he did it. One day Appling got well into the teens on foul balls and the crowd was going wild. Then Charles Comiskey, the owner, shouted out “Hey, Luke, those balls cost money.” On the next pitch, Appling hit a double, and the crowd let out a collective sigh of disappointment. You can hear Shepherd’s talking about the White Sox here. Scroll down until you get to the Shepherd listing.