Dylan Barnas is from Homewood, the Chicago suburb about 20 or so miles due south of Rate Field. He is a student at the University of Missouri, majoring in sports management. In his free time, Dylan blogs and does podcasts about the White Sox.
“If your friends aren’t talking about Colson Montgomery, you need new friends,’’ Barnas posted on X Thursday afternoon.
This was shortly after the White Sox shortstop hit his 20th home run—and fourth home run in four nights—in Yankee Stadium. Montgomery has become the best power-hitting shortstop on either side of Chicago, the best in the American League Central (sorry, Bobby Witt Jr.), the best in the majors (five homers clear of anyone else), and in a position to put himself in historic company.
Only four shortstops have ever hit 40 home runs in a season. Alex Rodriguez did it six times, an achievement diminished by his use of performance-enhancing drugs. Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks did it four times. Boston shortstop Rico Petrocelli hit 40 in 1969.
Montgomery has hit his 20 home runs in 256 at-bats. Projected over 600 at-bats, that puts him on a pace to hit 47. He would become the first left-handed hitting shortstop ever to reach 40.
A conversation piece? It was time to call the fire station in Huntingburg, Indiana, the place where Colson Montgomery went to high school. Huntingburg, a town of just over 6,300 in southwest Indiana, has been called the “Hollywood of the Midwest,” which may sound like a gag but falls well short of a joke. The town has served as a locale for several movies, with its biggest claim to fame League Stadium, whose grandstand was renovated so it could serve as the set of the movie “League of Their Own.’’
Don Heim is the fire chief who oversees Huntingburg’s all-volunteer fire department. No fires to speak of lately, but their EMT crews are kept busy.
“Do I know what [Colson] is up to?” Heim said. “I mean, he’s on the Chicago White Sox, hitting dingers all day long. That’s all.
“Our community and our school is very, very proud. Everybody’s excited for him. Even our nonsports people, they’re following Colson. His great uncle, Bill Bland, is on my fire department. My daughter Meredith went to school with Colson.’’
Small-town Holland
Classes have ended at Southridge High. The principal, Greg Gogel, has just been named principal of the year in his district. He was also backup quarterback to Jay Cutler, the ex-Bears QB, at nearby Heritage High School.
Gogel is talking about Holland, where Colson grew up and Gogel lives. Holland sends its kids to Southridge for high school. Holland, according to the last census, has 644 residents.
“Oh, it’s small town, buddy, for sure,’’ Goggle said “There is not a stoplight in Holland, Indiana. It does have a dairy, though. That’s right in the center of town. It has a Legion Hall, a post office, and a few other nice little parks and lakes…but no stoplight.’’
Gogel watched Colson grow up in town. T.J. Montgomery, Colson’s dad, played basketball, another sport in which Colson excelled. Colson was the quarterback in football, too, but quit the team his senior year to focus on basketball and baseball. The baseball team won three state championships, The pandemic wiped out a season.
“There’s a day care in town,’’ Gogel said, “and they’ve got a giant banner up. ‘We’re proud of you, Colson,’ it says.
“Colson comes back all the time. He’s just one of the people, man. It’s cool to see.’’
Remembering PawPaw
“We didn’t get up to Colson’s bobblehead game,’’ Chad Bland is saying, “but I know there were a ton of people went to it. It was almost like somebody turned the lights out in town, and everybody went to Chicago.’’
Chad Bland is Colson’s uncle. His son, Dylan, is getting married Saturday. Colson will be in Detroit playing for the White Sox, but his younger brother Hudson, who is still in high school, will be in the wedding. Colson also has an older brother, Jayden, and two sisters, Myah and Ava.
There will be someone else missing. Darrell Powell. To Colson, he was PawPaw, his grandfather, a cattle farmer in Holland whose house was just a short walk from Colson’s home. On Colson’s wrist, he has a tattoo. It reads Viii XXiii. It signifies Aug. 23, the day in 2017 that PawPaw died.
“He was Colson’s No. 1 supporter,’’ Chad Bland said. “He went to all of his games. He was like that with all the grandkids, but he didn’t miss anything. Just a simple guy, he didn’t come from a lot, but he loved his grandkids, you know, so dearly.
“We know he’s looking down, but if he could have been here to see Colson making the big leagues, what an awesome deal that would have been.’’
Pizza and a draft
On the night Colson Montgomery was picked 21st overall by the White Sox in 2021, the Gaslight Pizza and Grill in Huntingburg, which occupies a classic old movie house, was packed. The owner, John Songer, had set up a giant screen for folks to watch the draft.
“Colson and his friends have been in here many times, his family, too,’’ Singer said. “I’ve been a firm supporter of Southridge athletics for many years.
“We make what we like to consider Chicago tavern style pizza. That’s how we were taught to make it 54 years ago now. So we’ve been around for a hot second.
The menu boasts 36 different varieties of pizza. The No. 1 seller is the Gas, which is fully loaded. Then there’s the “Johnny Dart,” a creation you will never find anywhere else. It’s a corned beef based pizza with different sauces on it.’’
There’s a sandwich version, too. Why Johnny Dart? “That would be the guy you’re talking to,’’ he said. “Used to be a dart thrower on occasion.’’
‘Little fella’ no longer
“It’s fun to talk about the ‘little fella,’’’ Gene Mattingly said.
On Thursday, Gene Mattingly retired as baseball coach at Southridge, which he guided to three state championships when Colson was his star player. Mattingly’s son Peyton was friends with Jayden Montgomery. Colson, a few years younger, was always tagging along. He was the “little fella.”
“I used to say, ‘Guys, make sure you take care of the little fella. Let him play.
“Kind of ironic. He’s like 6-4, 230. I’ve had a front-row seat from birth to, you know, he’s what, 24 now? I’ve been around his life since he was born.
“From a competitive standpoint, there’s not a bar that he hasn’t reached and then push it higher.
“I want people to say to him he can’t do something, because once you tell him he can’t do it, it’s done.’’