Whether out of base or pure motives, the Chicago White Sox sent a game-used, autographed Gordon Beckham shoe to a Deadspin editor this weekend.
Beckham, currently a Seattle Mariners farmhand, hit .242/.304/.370 in two stints with the Pale Hose, while inspiring devotion among shirsey-wearing fans. Deadspin recently covered the team offering his used footwear to the winner of a social-media contest.
Confronted with the shoe, the Deadspin editor’s family drew back; one member of his family argued to put the shoe in the trash, while one wanted to know if it had actually been used in a major-league game.
Wondering whether he had been morally and/or ethically compromised by having had the shoe sent to his house, the Deadspin editor put it on top of the piano, settled in for the next White Sox game, resolved not to have his editorial judgment clouded by valuable offerings made to him to by his favorite major-league team, and vowed to keep a standing disclosure on all future posts he made about them.
As of this writing the game-used, autographed Gordon Beckham shoe is on top of the Deadspin editor’s refrigerator.