Joey Cora
Championships aren't remembered only by the final out. They're remembered by the feeling. That's what I've always found myself asking players and coaches about—not the box score, but the walk into the ballpark, the energy in the city, the sound before first pitch, and the people who made a season unforgettable. Joey Cora's answers keep coming back to those things. He talks about a clubhouse that genuinely loved one another, a city that transformed into a White Sox town, and the privilege of becoming part of a franchise's history forever. It's a reminder that baseball's sacred places are ultimately made sacred by the people inside them.
The 2005 White Sox were pretty damn good. What drove that team, and why were you able to win?
We were extremely talented, but talent alone doesn't win championships. We had players who could do everything—we could run, field, throw, pitch, and hit with power—but more importantly, everyone played for each other. Ozzie Guillén deserves a tremendous amount of credit because managing great players with big personalities is often harder than managing an average team. He got everybody pulling on the same side of the rope. There wasn't selfishness. There was a genuine love and respect inside that clubhouse, and that chemistry is what made us special.
It's hard enough to win a World Series. Just how difficult is that challenge?
We led our division from Opening Day until the final day of the regular season, but once the playoffs begin, none of that matters anymore. You're suddenly 0-0, facing the best teams and the best pitchers in baseball. Everything you've accomplished has to be put aside, and you almost have to start over. The regular season teaches you how to win, but the postseason demands that you prove it every single day against elite competition. That's what makes winning a World Series so difficult.
Going to work every day during the playoffs and especially the World Series, what was the vibe around the ballpark?
There was energy everywhere. You could feel it from the beginning of the season, but as we kept winning, the excitement just kept building. We started believing we had a legitimate chance, and the city believed it too. Chicago became a White Sox town that year. Usually the Cubs dominate the conversation regardless of how they're playing, but in 2005 people rallied around us. Everywhere you went, you could feel the city behind the team, and that support created an incredible atmosphere around the ballpark every single night.
Where does that season stand among all your baseball memories?
It's the ultimate accomplishment. When you get into professional baseball, your goal isn't simply to reach the major leagues or even make the playoffs—it's to win the World Series. I'd been in baseball for a long time, and that's the only championship team I've ever been part of. What makes it even more meaningful is that we did it with such a great group of people. We weren't just there—we won it. That's what everyone in baseball spends a lifetime chasing.
The future Pope was at Game 1! How crazy is that?
We didn't know it at the time, of course. Finding that out twenty years later just became another incredible chapter in the story of that team. Every championship has its own history and its own unique moments, and somehow we found out years later that the future Pope was there cheering us on. You almost laugh about it now, but it makes you realize how many unexpected stories become attached to a championship over time. Maybe we really were blessed that season.
You've played for the White Sox and later coached them to a World Series. How special is it to be so closely connected to that franchise?
It's something I'm incredibly proud of. I've spent more years with the White Sox than any other organization, both as a player and as a coach. Once you win a World Series, you're forever part of that franchise's history. That's something nobody can ever take away. When I think about that team, I don't just think about the players. I think about the coaches, Ozzie, Jerry Reinsdorf, the fans, and the entire city of Chicago. We all experienced it together. That's what makes it so special.
What was the parade like after you got back from Houston?
The city went crazy. People were waiting for us at the airport before we even got home. Then came the parade, and the celebration carried throughout the offseason. That's what every player and coach dreams about. To experience that in Chicago, with those fans who had waited so long, is something I'll never forget.
NOTE: The above was edited for clarity and length.
You can read the full transcript here.