Happy birthday, Tim!
Earlier this spring, we published this article by our painter-in-residence, Tom Borowski. It's a terrific look back at a momentous time in the White Sox rebuild, and in Tim Anderson's career. It being Tim's 27th birthday and with the possibility of some TA baseball looming ahead of us this summer, it felt like the right time to pull this back out, for you to enjoy again or experience for the first time.
It's been a a year since Tim Anderson's notorious bat flip against Brad Keller and the Kansas City Royals, a flip that he dubbed STICK TALK. It was probably the most iconic moment of the 2019 Chicago White Sox season — possibly even the most iconic moment of the entire 2019 baseball season, regardless of team. It not only launched Tim into the national spotlight, but it put the White Sox back on the national media stage.
At the time, I was just starting to paint White Sox art. I didn't realize how big that moment was, or what it would mean to the fans. Looking back, it symbolized a coming-out party for the young stars on this team. Tim's bat flip felt like a decade of frustration being thrown out the window. It became a moment that reunited the players with the fans and carried a sense of excitement that lasted all the way through the offseason and up until what was supposed to be a promising 2020 season full of bat flips, Moncada headbands, and Eloy bombs.
Until they play again, I look forward to painting the moments that have helped shape the 2020 team, while reminding fans how exciting this team will be.
Interested in owning this art? Check out Tom's site for more details.
Tom Borowski grew up in Northwest Indiana as a die-hard White Sox fan during the '90s. After watching the White Sox win the World Series in 2005, Tom packed his bags and left for California to study at the Art Center College of Design. (As a side note, the two events were not related.) Since graduating, Tom has been working in animation for more than a decade. His resume includes Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Walt Disney Imagineering, Dreamworks, and Amazon to highlight a few. Working with SI and South Side Hit Pen, Tom will focus on the art of the White Sox — painting and writing about Sox images both current and historical.