He missed Babe, but 112-year-old hits first game

There’s no better place to celebrate a birthday than at the ballpark. Even more so when it’s your first visit. That’s what CP Crawford, of Lansing, Ill., did on his birthday Thursday. It was his 112th birthday, and Crawford, a lifelong White Sox fan, had never been to a game.

Andrew Holmes, who is the executive director of Club 100, a nonprofit that focuses on people who are 100 years old or older, learned of Crawford’s fandom and the fact he’d never seen his team play, and decided to help make that happen.

Crawford took a limo from his nursing home in Lansing to the game, but the destination was kept a surprise. The White Sox mapped out the day for Crawford, from a custom jersey given to him by Harold Baines, to club-level seats and time on the field before the game. The number on the jersey? 112, of course.

Crawford enjoyed a birthday party held for him in the Guaranteed Rate Club, and even got a foul ball during the game -- from a nearby fan who handed it his way.

Crawford was born in 1907, the White Sox seventh Major League season. The team had just won the 1906 World Series, defeating the Cubs in the Fall Classic.

The Lansing Journal asked Crawford about the Cubs, and he said they’re “good, but I always thought the White Sox were the best. Chicago is my home."