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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JULY 11: Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf looks on during a ceremony commemorating a statue for 2005 World Series winner Mark Buehrle before game two of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians at Rate Field on July 11, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
The Chicago White Sox have made many blunders in their long history. From horrible trades and signings, scandals and more, the White Sox have become one of the laughingstocks of baseball.
While the team is certainly on the up-and-up, their PR team has put them back in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
The White Sox shared a timeline of the franchise’s “momentous firsts” on social media Sunday to commemorate the start of Black History Month. It turned out poorly for a franchise legend.
Legendary first baseman and designated hitter Frank Thomas was not included on the timeline, despite his many accolades. Thomas, perhaps understandably so, was not happy.
Why is Thomas Mad at the Chicago White Sox?
Thomas responded with candor and frustration.
@whitesox I Guess the black player who made you rich over there and holds all your records is forgettable! Don’t worry I’m taking Receipts!
“I Guess the black player who made you rich over there and holds all your records is forgettable,” Thomas tweeted. “Don’t worry, I’m taking Receipts!”
Thomas was one of the many superstars of the 1990’s, winning back-to-back MVP awards in 1993 and 1994.
Thomas seemingly holds all the major records in franchise history. He holds the record for most offensive bWAR (74.9), highest OPS (.995), most home runs (448) and RBI’s (1465). And the list goes on and on.
Because of this, Thomas is arguably the greatest White Sox player to ever put on the uniform.
Rate Field even has a statue of him, the home of the team where he played 16 of his 19 seasons.
But that apparently wasn’t enough to include him in this graphic. In fact, Bo Jackson was pictured in the graphic in the 1990’s portion and not Thomas. Jackson, for reference, played just 108 major league games with the team.
It seems that Thomas’ frustration was justified. However, this isn’t the first time the franchise has wronged him.
Thomas’ Bad Times With the Team
Thomas and the franchise that he stuck with through good times and bad had a messy breakup in the mid-2000’s.
According to news reports, Thomas sued two team doctors in 2006, the White Sox had contracted to treat players, alleging that the doctors had misdiagnosed a fractured bone in his foot as a bruise in 2004 and cleared him to play, which led to another fracture in the same foot in 2005.
Because of this, Thomas was limited to just 34 games in the 2005 season. The team would go on to win the World Series that year, a feat that their franchise legend wasn’t a part of.
After that season, the team bought out Thomas’ contract, leading to the end of his White Sox tenure.
Thomas also clashed publicly with then-general manager Ken Williams. The most notable dispute centered on the team’s 2002 decision to invoke a “diminished skills” clause in Thomas’ contract, which allowed the organization to reduce his pay.
While this wasn’t the only public feud between the two, it is worth noting that Williams appeared three times on the timeline. Was that perhaps another slight at Thomas?
The damaged relationship between Thomas and the team eventually faded, as Thomas became a team ambassador in 2010.
Now, what was more than likely meant to be a simple way to honor Black History Month has resurfaced past frustration with the team.
Will Thomas forgive the franchise? That remains to be seen. However, it’s hard to blame Thomas for his anger at the franchise he gave everything to.
Matthew Singer Matthew Singer is a sports reporter covering MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2025, and has two years of experience covering local professional, collegiate and high school sports, including writing for Cronkite News and Arizona PBS. More about Matthew Singer
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