White Sox fans win replica rings

09/22/2006
CHICAGO -- It's been about 38 years since Ernest Huelke has won any kind of raffle, drawing or contest.
The drought ended in a big way on Aug. 10 when Huelke won one of three exact replicas of the White Sox's 2005 World Series rings.
"The only other thing I've ever won were two tickets to a movie back when I was 14," said Huelke, who lives in River Forest. "But you couldn't get into the movie unless you were 17, so I had to give them away. So it was fantastic [to win this]."
Before Friday's game with the Seattle Mariners, Huelke, Marilyn Deming and Michael Silchuck were all presented with their rings.
Deming and Silchuck, both from Chicago, said they'd had similar luck when it came to winning raffles.
"I won a golf bag at the liquor store once," Deming said. "I never win anything. If I buy a lottery ticket, I get no numbers."
But out of the 43,550 tickets sold for the raffle, it was their numbers that were drawn. Deming said she bought just one ticket, while Silchuck said he bought three. The tickets were sold at $20 a piece and the raffle raised more than $870,000 for charities.
But a change in luck isn't the only thing the three winners had in common. They're all longtime White Sox fans as well.
Deming said she went to her first White Sox game with her husband in the early 1960s and has been a devoted fan ever since.
"[My husband] said he created a monster," Deming said. "My son says, 'She agonizes over every pitch.'"
So when they all received calls to tell them they had won the replica rings, which were made of 14-karat gold and featured 95 diamonds, they were pretty excited.
"I was on the El at the time, so I had to restrain myself," Silchuck said.
The White Sox began calling the winners to let them know around Aug. 17th, but Deming said she had to wait a while to find out.
"I was on vacation from [Aug.] 10th to 28th," Deming said. "I got home and there was a call from the White Sox on my machine, and I told my son, 'Ha, ha, maybe we won the ring.'"
Deming had won the ring and was on hand to receive it from former White Sox players Minnie Minoso, Moose Skowron and Bill Melton on Friday.
But while they received rings from last year's glory, the three loyal White Sox fans refused to give up hope for a similar finish this season.
"This year I would feel cheated if it didn't go down to the wire and whatever people say, this is not over," Huelke said. "We won it on the next-to-last game last year. We've got time, most definitely."

Source: http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/