Andy the Clown
Encyclopedia
Andy the Clown was the performing name of Andrew Rozdilsky, Jr. (December 6, 1917 - September 21, 1995), a lifelong Chicago resident who performed, unofficially, as a clown
at Chicago White Sox
games at Comiskey Park
for 30 years from 1960 to 1990.
The youngest of five sons and one daughter, Andy Rozdilsky first began performing as a clown when he was 10 years old. After serving in the Army
during World War II
, he began working as a research clerk for International Harvester
, while continuing to perform as a clown at family and neighborhood events. In , during the period that the Sox were owned by Bill Veeck
, Rozdilsky was invited to a White Sox game by several friends, and decided to wear his clown costume to the game; the crowd responded with strong encouragement, and after he won a pair of season tickets in a local Knights of Columbus
raffle, he began performing at all home games beginning with the 1961 season.
Andy was always prominent at Comiskey Park, easily spotted in his bowler hat
, black-rimmed glasses and polka-dotted
costume with a ruffled collar, and easily heard crying out his trademark cheer, an elongated "Gooooo yooooouuuu Whiiiiite Sooooox!" But his most distinctive and well-known feature was his large red nose, which lit up whenever he shook hands with a child. Over the years, Andy became a beloved fixture at White Sox games, continuing to perform after Veeck sold the team in 1961 to brothers Arthur
and John Allyn
, and also after Veeck re-purchased the team in 1975; the team never made Andy an official employee, but did provide him with free admission. He also made unofficial appearances at hospitals and charity events.
Andy was a transitional figure between eras in entertainment at major league
ballparks, being the last in a generation of clowns who appeared regularly in the majors; Al Schacht
was retired, Max Patkin
was by now performing primarily in the minor leagues
, and legendary Ringling Bros. clown Emmett Kelly
, who often performed at Brooklyn Dodgers
games in the 1940s and 1950s, died in 1979. In the 1970s, the trend toward costumed team mascot
s began, primarily with the first appearances of The San Diego Chicken
in 1974 and the Phillie Phanatic
in 1978.
Andy could display an impish sense of humor, as at the exhibition game in August 1981 against the Cubs
; he sat down in Mayor Jane Byrne
's lap, lit up his nose, turned to her husband and said, "Jay, your wife is turning me on." He also overcame illnesses to make it to games, as in 1983 when he was at the park just one hour after being released from a four-day hospital stay for a bleeding ulcer
.
In 1981, the White Sox were sold to an ownership group headed by Jerry Reinsdorf
and Eddie Einhorn
, and the new owners were eager to bring in a new mascot, seeking to improve what they perceived to be a more downscale feature of White Sox home games. They hired the design firm responsible for creating the Phillie Phanatic to create a new mascot for the Sox, and in August 1981 informed Andy that he could no longer appear at games in costume. The response from the fans and local media was immediate and solidly opposed to this decision, and a telephone campaign insisting on Andy's reinstatement succeeded in getting the team to rescind its decision just one day after it was announced. A compromise was reached in which Andy would continue to be allowed in the ballpark in costume, but he would not be permitted to go into the lower grandstand, staying only in the upper deck and concourse areas of the park.
Days later, the Sox debuted the pair of furry mascots created for them, Ribbie and Roobarb; but the fans never accepted the two, ridiculing them throughout their tenure with the team - both because of their ludicrous appearance, which had no apparent connection with the team, and also because they were seen as an attempt by the team to eliminate Andy. Fans openly mocked Ribbie and Roobarb, with even children gleefully attacking them, while the fans in the box seats found ways of getting around the restrictions on Andy by constantly bringing him into the lower grandstand and seeking him out elsewhere in the park. The team stopped using Ribbie and Roobarb after the 1988 season.
But in , the White Sox moved into New Comiskey Park
, and the team used the move as an opportunity to finally end Andy's performances, informing him that he would not be permitted to appear in costume at the new stadium. The decision brought to a close an era in Chicago sports. Upon retiring him, the team presented Andy with a commemorative plaque – though he remarked in a radio interview the next morning that he wished they had given him something more memorable, "like a Zenith TV or something." Listeners were so grateful for his years at the ballpark that they donated gifts of two televisions, a reclining chair, free repair services and gifts for his family. Once the new ballpark opened, Andy attended occasional games out of costume (but with his hat), cheering as always; but team management was upset that he would accept tips from fans when posing for photos, and told him that he couldn't do so anymore. He rarely attended games afterward, but still made other unofficial appearances.
In his 30 years of performing at White Sox games, Andy only missed one home opener - that of April 14, 1989, which occurred one day after the death of his wife, the former Helen Novak. Rozdilsky died at age 77 after suffering a heart attack at his Southwest Side home, and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Evergreen Park
. The morning after Andy's death, Steve Dahl (a local Chicago radio DJ) called Andy's home phone and left him a message asking Andy to give him a call when he woke up, angering fans. Steve Dahl had been previously banned from Comiskey Park for Disco Demolition.
Clown
Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
at Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
games at Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park
Comiskey Park was the ballpark in which the Chicago White Sox played from 1910 to 1990. It was built by Charles Comiskey after a design by Zachary Taylor Davis, and was the site of four World Series and more than 6,000 major league games...
for 30 years from 1960 to 1990.
The youngest of five sons and one daughter, Andy Rozdilsky first began performing as a clown when he was 10 years old. After serving in the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he began working as a research clerk for International Harvester
International Harvester
International Harvester Company was a United States agricultural machinery, construction equipment, vehicle, commercial truck, and household and commercial products manufacturer. In 1902, J.P...
, while continuing to perform as a clown at family and neighborhood events. In , during the period that the Sox were owned by Bill Veeck
Bill Veeck
William Louis Veeck, Jr. , also known as "Sport Shirt Bill", was a native of Chicago, Illinois, and a franchise owner and promoter in Major League Baseball. He was best known for his publicity stunts to raise attendance. Veeck was at various times the owner of the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis...
, Rozdilsky was invited to a White Sox game by several friends, and decided to wear his clown costume to the game; the crowd responded with strong encouragement, and after he won a pair of season tickets in a local Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
raffle, he began performing at all home games beginning with the 1961 season.
Andy was always prominent at Comiskey Park, easily spotted in his bowler hat
Bowler hat
The bowler hat, also known as a coke hat, derby , billycock or bombin, is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown originally created in 1849 for the English soldier and politician Edward Coke, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Leicester...
, black-rimmed glasses and polka-dotted
Polka dot
Polka dot is a pattern consisting of an array of filled circles, generally equally sized and spaced relatively closely in relation to their diameters. Polka dots are most commonly seen on children's clothing, toys, and furniture, but they appear in a wide array of contexts...
costume with a ruffled collar, and easily heard crying out his trademark cheer, an elongated "Gooooo yooooouuuu Whiiiiite Sooooox!" But his most distinctive and well-known feature was his large red nose, which lit up whenever he shook hands with a child. Over the years, Andy became a beloved fixture at White Sox games, continuing to perform after Veeck sold the team in 1961 to brothers Arthur
Arthur Allyn, Jr.
Arthur Allyn, Jr. was the co-owner of the Chicago White Sox of the American League with his brother John Allyn from through...
and John Allyn
John Allyn
John Allyn was the co-owner of the Chicago White Sox of the American League with his brother Arthur Allyn, Jr. from through , and sole principal owner from through . In 1975, Allyn sold the club back to the person he and his brother had purchased it from in 1961, Bill Veeck.-References:*...
, and also after Veeck re-purchased the team in 1975; the team never made Andy an official employee, but did provide him with free admission. He also made unofficial appearances at hospitals and charity events.
Andy was a transitional figure between eras in entertainment at major league
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
ballparks, being the last in a generation of clowns who appeared regularly in the majors; Al Schacht
Al Schacht
Alexander "Al" Schacht was an American professional baseball player, coach, and, later, restaurateur. Schacht was a pitcher in the major leagues from 1919–21 for the Washington Senators.-Baseball career:...
was retired, Max Patkin
Max Patkin
Max Patkin was an American baseball player and clown, best known as the Clown Prince of Baseball ....
was by now performing primarily in the minor leagues
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
, and legendary Ringling Bros. clown Emmett Kelly
Emmett Kelly
Emmett Leo Kelly , a native of Sedan, Kansas, was an American circus performer, who created the memorable clown figure "Weary Willie", based on the hobos of the Depression era.- Career development :...
, who often performed at Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
games in the 1940s and 1950s, died in 1979. In the 1970s, the trend toward costumed team mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
s began, primarily with the first appearances of The San Diego Chicken
The San Diego Chicken
The San Diego Chicken, also known as The Famous Chicken, the KGB Chicken or just The Chicken, is an advertising mascot played by Ted Giannoulas, which originated as an animated TV commercial for KGB-FM Radio in San Diego...
in 1974 and the Phillie Phanatic
Phillie Phanatic
The Phillie Phanatic, is the official mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball team. He is a large, furry, green creature that somewhat resembles a bird from the rear view with a cylindrical beak containing a extendable tongue.-Creation:...
in 1978.
Andy could display an impish sense of humor, as at the exhibition game in August 1981 against the Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
; he sat down in Mayor Jane Byrne
Jane Byrne
Jane Margaret Byrne was the first and to date only female Mayor of Chicago. She served from April 16, 1979 to April 29, 1983. Chicago is the largest city in the United States to have had a female mayor as of 2011.-Early political career:...
's lap, lit up his nose, turned to her husband and said, "Jay, your wife is turning me on." He also overcame illnesses to make it to games, as in 1983 when he was at the park just one hour after being released from a four-day hospital stay for a bleeding ulcer
Peptic ulcer
A peptic ulcer, also known as PUD or peptic ulcer disease, is the most common ulcer of an area of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually acidic and thus extremely painful. It is defined as mucosal erosions equal to or greater than 0.5 cm...
.
In 1981, the White Sox were sold to an ownership group headed by Jerry Reinsdorf
Jerry Reinsdorf
Jerry M. Reinsdorf is a CPA, lawyer and an owner of the MLB's Chicago White Sox and the NBA's Chicago Bulls. He started his professional life as a tax attorney with the Internal Revenue Service. He has been the head of the White Sox and Bulls for over 20 years.He made his initial fortune in real...
and Eddie Einhorn
Eddie Einhorn
Eddie Einhorn is minority owner and Vice Chairman of the Chicago White Sox.Einhorn produced the nationally syndicated radio broadcast of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in 1958...
, and the new owners were eager to bring in a new mascot, seeking to improve what they perceived to be a more downscale feature of White Sox home games. They hired the design firm responsible for creating the Phillie Phanatic to create a new mascot for the Sox, and in August 1981 informed Andy that he could no longer appear at games in costume. The response from the fans and local media was immediate and solidly opposed to this decision, and a telephone campaign insisting on Andy's reinstatement succeeded in getting the team to rescind its decision just one day after it was announced. A compromise was reached in which Andy would continue to be allowed in the ballpark in costume, but he would not be permitted to go into the lower grandstand, staying only in the upper deck and concourse areas of the park.
Days later, the Sox debuted the pair of furry mascots created for them, Ribbie and Roobarb; but the fans never accepted the two, ridiculing them throughout their tenure with the team - both because of their ludicrous appearance, which had no apparent connection with the team, and also because they were seen as an attempt by the team to eliminate Andy. Fans openly mocked Ribbie and Roobarb, with even children gleefully attacking them, while the fans in the box seats found ways of getting around the restrictions on Andy by constantly bringing him into the lower grandstand and seeking him out elsewhere in the park. The team stopped using Ribbie and Roobarb after the 1988 season.
But in , the White Sox moved into New Comiskey Park
U.S. Cellular Field
U.S. Cellular Field is a baseball ballpark in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, it is the home of the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball's American League. The park opened for the 1991 season, after the White Sox had spent 81 years at old Comiskey Park...
, and the team used the move as an opportunity to finally end Andy's performances, informing him that he would not be permitted to appear in costume at the new stadium. The decision brought to a close an era in Chicago sports. Upon retiring him, the team presented Andy with a commemorative plaque – though he remarked in a radio interview the next morning that he wished they had given him something more memorable, "like a Zenith TV or something." Listeners were so grateful for his years at the ballpark that they donated gifts of two televisions, a reclining chair, free repair services and gifts for his family. Once the new ballpark opened, Andy attended occasional games out of costume (but with his hat), cheering as always; but team management was upset that he would accept tips from fans when posing for photos, and told him that he couldn't do so anymore. He rarely attended games afterward, but still made other unofficial appearances.
In his 30 years of performing at White Sox games, Andy only missed one home opener - that of April 14, 1989, which occurred one day after the death of his wife, the former Helen Novak. Rozdilsky died at age 77 after suffering a heart attack at his Southwest Side home, and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Evergreen Park
Evergreen Park, Illinois
Evergreen Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 25,044 at the 2009 census.-Geography:Evergreen Park is located at . The suburb is surrounded by the city of Chicago on three of its sides, while Oak Lawn and Hometown border it on the west...
. The morning after Andy's death, Steve Dahl (a local Chicago radio DJ) called Andy's home phone and left him a message asking Andy to give him a call when he woke up, angering fans. Steve Dahl had been previously banned from Comiskey Park for Disco Demolition.
Quote
- "This was in the days when sporting events came without soundtracks and audiovisual displays, before the franchises felt the need to fill every single break in the action with canned music and furry-costumed gymnasts and wriggling cheerleaders and audience-participation stunts. ... What was cool about Andy was that he just showed up, and the White Sox just sort of tolerated him. He wasn't a graduate of Mascot School, which is a real place." - Richard RoeperRichard RoeperRichard E. Roeper is an American columnist and film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times and now a co-host on The Roe Conn Show on WLS-AM...