CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The family of a longtime concession worker for the Chicago White Sox was surprised and upset when the team quietly removed her name from a seating area at the ballpark and replaced it with the name of manager Tony La Russa.
Loretta’s Lounge in left field was named for Loretta Micele during the first game of the World Series in 2005.
It was a surprise to the concessions stand worker, who worked at the ballpark for more than 60 years, starting at old Comiskey Park across the street from the current field in 1945.
Now, Loretta’s Lounge has been changed to La Russa’s Lounge, and the family of Loretta Micele is not happy.
"She touched a lot of lives, and I think that is why everybody was either upset or sad," Micele's great grandson Nick Johnston told CBS 2.
“She was like the heart of why we’re all diehard Sox fans too."
Another great grandson, Lou Soto, told CBS 2, "for them to not even notify us, it's a shame."
The cousins said the least the White Sox could have done was save the sign for the family.
“We would have loved to have the sign in our family, you know, and keep it on our family,” Soto said.
But, "the word we got from the White Sox is that, you know, it was thrown out."
The team said Loretta Micele remains a treasured member of the Sox family – and while the sign is gone, there’s still a plaque in the lounge honoring her time with the team.
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