ChiSox Rants

Frank Thomas: 1st Ballot HOFer

2006-09-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

This is a great article from FoxSports.com about the Big Hurts legitimacy for the Hall, even though it was written by someone who has the tendency to be a moron.

The Detroit Tigers; For Real or Fallacy?

2006-05-25T14:47:00.000-07:00

More than a quarter of the way into the regular season, there is no question that Detroit is a good team. They have had solid pitching with a major league leading 3.22 team ERA and they back that up with a very formidable lineup (their 68 HR heading into today are 2nd only to the Sox in MLB).
There is however a question as to whether Detroit is actually good enough to keep their current pace up and win more than 100 games this season. After taking a look at the schedule they've dealt with so far, they still have plenty to prove.
Of the Tigers 32 victories, 22 have come against teams with a record below .500. Only 2 of their wins came against a team with a winning record. (Cleveland and Texas currently sit at .500) Although they're nearly leading the league in HR's, they're middle of the pack in runs scored, OBP and OPS.
The true test of what kind of bite these cats really have will be in the next 2 weeks. They start a 10 game home-stand tomorrow in which they'll host the Tribe, Yankee's and then Red Sox. After that they come to Chicago for a 3 game set vs. the Sox and then will head up to Toronto to play the revamped Blue Jays.

We'll see where that team ERA stands and what their record is on June 12...

*****

Based solely on performance, many Sox fans don't care very much for Billy Koch after his stint on the South Side. This really scary story might explain alot about his sudden decline and should make everyone who reads it feel differently about him. The one thing about that guy was that no matter how bad he messed up, he was always a stand-up guy about it afterward. In every postgame interview I saw him do after blowing a save he would always accept all of the blame, even if errors were made behind him. He also never made excuses, such as "I have an un-diagnosable disease which is causing me to suffer uncontrollable muscle twitching". Here's to hoping that they are able to find a treatment or cure for Koch, his family and everyone else who suffers from this disease.

On a brighter note, and I do mean brighter....The guys in this story take the cake for genius's of the week.

Good Stuff

2006-05-17T14:55:00.000-07:00

If you haven't checked out Carl Skanberg's "Palehose Six" yet, you really are missing out. His entry today is easily one of the funniest yet. I put a link up to his blog (on the right) within a couple weeks of the sites inception back in February, but I haven't remebered to mention it in a post until now. The strip is now published every week in the Sunday Southtown. (Palehosesix.blogsopt.com)

Some Coincidence

2006-05-12T23:40:00.000-07:00

Unless you were stuck under a rock the for the last two days you’ve undoubtedly seen Aaron Rowand’s game-saving catch and subsequent crash/face plant into the centerfield wall during the first inning of Philly’s game vs. the Mets on Thursday night. If you have not, you can read a setup of the situation and watch the video of it here. He broke his nose in three places, required 15 stitches to close up the multiple lacerations to his face and also suffered non-displaced fractures around his left eye. Ouch.

The play exemplifies why Rowand became one of my and many other Sox fan’s favorite players on the team over the past couple of seasons. I can remember rooting for him back in the Manuel days when he struggled to get playing time, then broke both his wrists in an off-season dirt bike crash. The play on Thursday also illustrates why the Sox added extra padding to their outfield walls when he started manning center field full time on the South Side, something the Phillies had reportedly planned on doing as soon as the team left on their next road trip.

On the same day that Rowand went down, the other player whose career with the Sox ended due to the Thome trade, Frank Thomas, injured his right quad running from first to third and is listed as day-to-day. The two players whose loss over the off-season bothered me the most and they both get hurt hours apart from each other. While both players’ injuries can be expected, Rowand’s time out will definitely be temporary but I fear that Thomas’ problems with injuries this year have just begun.

It’s only 6 weeks into the long season and there is no doubt that the Thome trade has ended up being a great deal for the Sox, even if in the future the pitching prospects given up in the deal by the Sox end up having as high of a ceiling as predicted. Although Brian Anderson has yet to come around offensively, no one can dispute that he has more than adequately supplanted Rowand's nearly irreplaceable glove in center. At DH, Thome has had no problem replacing the best hitter ever to wear a Sox uniform and has been hitting the ball out of the park at a rate even higher than the Big Hurt in his prime.

That just scratches the surface though…Even if Thomas and Thomas were both at 100% for the entire season this year I think it would be safe to say that based on what we’ve seen from Thome so far this year he would have no problem out-producing the numbers Thomas will end up posting, and if he can remain healthy, out-producing him for the next couple of years….especially if Big Frank isn’t able to play at all come next season.

With Thomas having had recurring foot problems the past two years and given his size (at least 275lbs), bringing him back and counting on above average production out of him for an entire season would have been foolish. For the Sox, who now can afford to spend a bit more, it wasn’t even worth the bargain and safety-net that an incentive-laden contract would have offered them.

As sad as it was to see Frank's career on the Sox come to an end, it became inevitable when he could not remain healthy for the second consecutive season because of the same injury. Regardless of what traspired following his departure from the Sox, I will gladly stand up and applaud him during the first at bat I see him have as a visitor in Comiskey.

And now back to my point...The events that transpired Thursday are just more proof to the fact that the Sox trade for Thome has turned out to be a great move….And also serves as a reminder of how much I still miss watching Aaron Rowand play center field. Here's to hoping him a speedy recovery.

*****

Had some prime Club Level seats to Thursday nights rainout and wouldn't you have it, the only Sox starter I have yet to see start in person this season (save Heager) was scheduled to take the hill. (Garland) With the way he pitched against the Twins, it looks as if I probably was sprared from being disappointed.

On a brigter note...This afternoon I was delighted to hear that my girlfriend an I were invited to the Sox/Cubs game next Saturday. Third base, lower level, and here's the best part....they're free. The icing on the cake is that I read Ozzie being quoted as saying that even though the rotation was pushed back a day because of the rain, Contreras will still make his return and start the Saturday game vs. the Cubs provided he has no setbacks in his recovery. Although he has gotten back on track as of late I was worried that Freddy was going get the call that day. As if that would matter anyway...This is the Cubs we are talking about here. They can't score off of anybody.

The Sox record with me in attendence stands at 5-1, with the only loss being the Ring Ceremony game.

Ozzie Guillen; Bonehead

2006-05-10T20:17:00.000-07:00

Ozzie Guillen once again made an attempt at emulating Tony Larussa and this time it complely blew up in his face. Ozzie may handle his starters with a golden touch, but at times his bullpen management makes one wonder how he led this team to a championship. Due to Ozzie's overmanaging in the 9th inning of tonights game the Angels scored 6 runs, and every one crossed the plate with 2 outs.

Going into the 9th, the Sox were trailing 6-5.

After relieving Heager in the 5th and pitching 3.2 scoreless innings, McCarthy started the 9th and recorded the first out of the inning before allowing a double to Cabrera. With first base open, Vlad Guerrero due up next and Anderson on deck, Ozzie elected to intentionally walk Guerrero and bring Cotts on to pitch to the left-handed Anderson.

Cotts comes on to strike out Anderson on just 4 pitches. So it’s the 9th inning with 2 out, 2 on, and the score is still 6-5. With the right-handed Salmon due up, Ozzie decided to then bring in Jenks to try and close out the inning.

5 batters, 6 runs and one more pitching change later, the Sox trail 12-5.

Pulling Cotts is understandable when looking at the numbers...right-handed batters are hitting at a .389 clip against him and Salmon is hitting .393 vs. left-handing pitching this season. While I'd much rather see Cotts just go after the righty than burn up another arm in the bullpen, I can't argue with the logic in the numbers behind this move. One guys weakness to the others strenghth. My question is, why go to Jenks? Was Pollite unavailable to pitch the remaining 1/3 of the inning because of pitching an just 1 inning Tuesday night?

I would have rather seen Ozzie just leave McCarthy in to go at Anderson and try to get the double play ground ball. If he isn't able to get the DP but gets Anderson anyway, leave him in to finish the inning and face Salmon. Although Anderson has done most of his damage this season against right-handed pitching, hitting .325 with all 4 of his HR's against them, McCarthy was plowing through the Angel lineup with ease since entering the game and still looked fresh in the 9th.

McCarthy had thrown 54 pitches up to that point, and 4 of them were on the intentional walk. I read him being quoted in yesterdays paper as saying that he could go up to around 60 pitches right now if he were called upon to make a start in Jose's absence. He should have had about 10 more pitches to work with.

Even after removing McCarthy and going to Cotts, what reason did Cotts provide in his performance to warrant being pulled? Other than this seasons splits which are based on such small sample sizes that they're almost irrelevant, there was no reason. He sat Anderson down on 4 pitches, and those were the only pitches he has thrown in a game since Saturday, so he is well rested. On top of that, since the second week of the season he has been one of the more consistent guys in a rather shaky bullpen.

Instead, Ozzie unnecessarily goes to Jenks in a non-save situation and he blows any remaining chance the Sox had at coming back. Oz used 4 pitchers in order to record the 3 outs in the inning, leaving the bullpen a bit taxed during stretch were there isn't a schedualed off day for another 2 weeks. If the Sox don't get some long outings from their starters in the next couple of games we'll be witnessing a ripple effect from this game for days to come.

Contreras Signs 3-Year Extension

2006-04-01T09:44:00.000-08:00

The Sox have signed Jose Contreras to a three-year, $29 million extension through the 2009 season. The deal is just about exactly the same in length and overall value as what Sox signed Garland to over the winter.
Honestly, I was much more surprised when the Sox were able to sign Garland to an extension than I am with them being able to sign Contreras. With Garland being so young and having no history of injuries, he could have easily commanded at least a 5-year deal had he decided to just play out his final year of arbitration and file for free agency next winter. I doubted that he would turn down those extra guaranteed years and dollars that he wasn't going to get from the Sox given their reluctance to give such long-term contracts to pitchers. I figured that given his age, Contreras would settle for fewer years, so that would be the route the Sox went.
What is shocking to me is that the Sox were able to sign both of them, and neither one for more than the teams preferred 3-year maximum contract length for pitchers. I never thought we would be able to sign both of them.
In signing with the Sox Contreras has shown the same loyalty Garland showed back in December in that they both could have definitely been offered longer, more lucrative deals in free agency next year if they were to have strong seasons in '06. They both took less money to be with a team that has stood behind them while they struggled before breaking through last season.
The Sox now have all of their starters signed through the 2007 season, meaning McCarthy will be in the bullpen for the next two years it everything stays as is. If there is a trade made, I see KW trading whichever starter (except Buehrle) that will get us the best return in quality relief pitching, and then put McCarthy into the rotation.

***

Bought tickets to next Tuesdays game/ring ceremony a couple weeks ago...then on Thursday was offered tickets to the Season Opener on Sunday. It will be the first opening day I've been to since waiting out a 3 hour rain delay in 2003. Loaiza pitched, beating Detroit and earning the first win of his Cy Young caliber season. It was also the first win of the season for the Sox as they were coming off of being swept by KC. (Thanks in large part to Billy Koch, IIRC. Here's to hoping that Bobby Jenks and his declining velocity aren't turning into a reincarnation of that guy.)

Too funny...

2006-03-22T19:08:00.000-08:00

This piece over at Brushback.com should be good for a laugh. Its titled Kerry Wood Voted Player Most Likely To Have Surgical Procedure Named After Him.

Inside the Sunday Tribune...

2006-03-12T16:00:00.000-08:00

Buried inside the Ads of today's Chicago Tribune is a nice poster of their front page from October 27, 2005.

My Thoughts Exactly

2006-03-07T22:28:00.000-08:00

I've neglected to comment on my opinion of the KW/Big Hurt feud. This piece by Hal Vickery at WSI hits the nail on the head.

Respect Where It's Due

2006-02-22T20:19:00.000-08:00

Over at SI's MLB page their feature story is a nice piece about Minnie Minoso's worthiness for the Hall.

He's Back!

2005-11-30T11:14:00.000-08:00

The Sox have agreed to terms with 1B Paul Konerko on a $60 million, 5-year deal.

Big Mistake

2005-11-23T14:42:00.000-08:00

The Sox have sent Aaron Rowand and two minor league left-handed pitchers, Gio Gonzalez and Daniel Haigwood, to Philly in exchange for former Sox-killer Jim Thome pending the players passing physicals. The Sox will also receive cash considerations to pay for some of the remaining $43.5 million due to Thome over the next 3 seasons.
So the Sox are sending a proven rock-solid center fielder and their two best young left handed arms, and in return we get a 35 year old, injury riddled slugger on the downside of his career. Peachy. I know we need a LH power hitter, but wouldn't it be wise to try and get one who we can count on being healthy for the entire season next year? Before going down with a season ending elbow injury which required surgery in August, Thome hit .207 with seven homers and 30 RBI in 193 at-bats. He also has battled back and shoulder problems in years prior to this season.
This trade should pretty much officially end Frank Thomas era on the South Side. In my opinion, counting on Thome to be healthy all year next season is just as much of a risk as depending on Frank to be healthy next year would be. If anything, Thome is a more of a risk because he is under contract for 3 more years. Thomas could have been had for a incentive laden 1-year deal that I guarantee would cost less than 1 year of Thome's salary, even with the Phillies paying a huge portion of it. Granted, KW probably felt his hand was forced if he wanted a LH slugger after Delgado went to the Mets this morning.
I'm upset about this in every way possible. We are giving up way too much, including one of my favorite players in Aaron Rowand. Throwing two of our top 10 prospects in the trade is absolutely insane. Not only two top 10 prospects, but two LHP's if early reports are accurate. I don't like getting Thome at his age with the history of injury problems that he has had. As if all that weren't enough, the move will most likely force my favorite White Sox player of all-time (Frank Thomas) out the door. I hate to say it, but I hope Thome fails his physical so this whole thing doesn't go down.

Another Sight To See

2005-11-03T21:59:00.000-08:00

Now This Is A Sox Fan

2005-11-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

My uncle painted this on to his VW Passat during the playoffs. I'm an even bigger Sox fan than him, but I'm not that crazy. Looks pretty good if you ask me. I'd drive it.

Sox Snubbed On Gold Gloves

2005-11-01T20:22:00.000-08:00

Despite playing just 93 games in CF before going down with a season ending ankle injury, Tori Hunter (3 Errors, .987 FPCT) beat out Aaron Rowand (3 Errors, .992 FPCT) for the Gold Glove. Joe Crede (10 Errors, .971 FPCT) was also snubbed in favor of Eric Chavez (15 Errors, .966 FPCT). We are truly the Rodney Dangerfield's of the American League.

Here's an updated MLB drought list. It's a beatuiful thing to see a 0 next to Chicago White Sox in every category.

Larry Mahnken at The Hardball Times explains how the Sox were due...and how the Yankee's won't be for approximately 651 years. (Provided that they don't win one before then.)

John Brattian at The Hardball Times takes a good look at both side's of the story concerning "Shoeless" Joe Jackson's involvement in throwing the 1919 World Series.

It's Over, Over There!

2005-10-31T16:58:00.000-08:00

One of the most glaring differences between the '05 Sox and the Sox teams of the last few seasons was the ability of this years club to win on the road. The '05 Sox won an MLB best 52 regular season games on the road, 15 games better than the 37 wins they won on the road last season. (At home in '05 the Sox won 47 games, just one more than the 46 wins they had at home in '04)
The '05 Sox clinched the division on the road, in Detroit. They followed that up and finished off the regular season with a 3-game sweep of the wild-card contending Indians, again on the road in Cleveland. Then they clinched the ALDS in Boston against a Red Sox team that had best home record in baseball. After that they went on to Anaheim to sweep all 3 games played there to clinch the ALCS and their first World Series appearance since 1959. To top all that off, they went on to win the World Series by taking both games in Houston to finish off their 4 game sweep of the Astro's.
Not to discredit any of the other improvements the Sox have made this season (better defense/pitching, adopting an unselfish "team" attitude, bringing in a catcher who knows how to call a game and can actually hit, upgrading at 2B, etc.), but if this team were not such Road Warriors I doubt that we would be able to call them 2005 World Champions.

A Sight To See

2005-10-30T09:47:00.000-08:00

Winning Ugly

2005-10-26T16:41:00.000-07:00

Last night in Game 3 of World Series the Sox issued 12 walks, committed 3 errors and stranded 15 men on base. Despite all that they persevered to a 7-5 victory in 14 innings and now own a 3-0 game lead over Houston.
The game was without a doubt an instant classic. It was not pretty with multiple mistakes and poor situational hitting by both teams, but it was one of the most entertaining games I've ever seen. At 5 hours and 41 minutes in length, it was the longest World Series game in MLB history. It also tied the longest World Series game in terms of innings at 14.
There were so many unforgettable moments in the game that it would be impossible to go over every one of them. The bad call home run for the Astro's in the 4th, the Sox 5 run 5th off Oswalt, Duque getting out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the 9th to force extra innings, the list goes on and on. And on and on.
The biggest hit of the game came from Geoff Blum, Kenny Williams lone trade deadline acquisition, who broke a 5-5 tie with his solo home run with 2 out in the 14th inning. This comes in the very next game after Scott Posednik hit a walk-off homer to win in the 9th on Sunday. Talk about losing in one of the worst ways possible. It's one thing to be beaten by a teams best player, but it has to be gut wrenching to give up game deciding homers to guys who had hit a combined 2 home runs all season, including the playoffs.
The Sox used 9 pitchers in all, and if that sounds like one more pitcher than the Sox had in their pen, you're right. After an error by Uribe at short put runners at 1st and 3rd with 2 out in the 14th, Ozzie had to turn to Mark Buehrle to get the final out of the game and record the save. I'll write that one more time so its clear that is not a typo. Mark Buehrle recorded the save. As if that is not strange enough, when you look in the record books to find the winners of the two longest games in World Series history, you'll find Damaso Marte's name next to Babe Ruth's. Yes, that Babe Ruth. He was the winning pitcher for the Red Sox in the only other World Series game that went as long as 14 innings. (He pitched all 14 innings)
It seems like after every game since the playoffs started I feel like I just saw one of the best games of the year. Then it seems like the next game is even better than the one before. Hopefully that trend holds true tonight and our Sox pull off the sweep to earn their first World Championship in 88 years.

World Series Tickets

2005-10-21T22:31:00.000-07:00

Need a kidney? Perhaps a portion of a liver? Maybe you are in search of someone's first born child? Well, if you've got a spare ticket to the World Series, I'm you're man. (As if there is such a thing as a spare ticket to the World Series, unless you're a $broker$ of course).
For $1000 per ticket to sit in the top row of the UD down the line, that ticket better come with free drinks and food, a waitress to bring them to you, a private bathroom with no line, a game-worn jersey from one of the Sox players that is autographed by the entire team, and a limo to and from the game. I can understand tickets being scalped for 3 or 4 times face value (around $400 or $500 per ticket), but 8 times face? Ridiculous. Even more insane is that the Scout Seats are going for $10,000 a seat.

(Oh, if you're looking for a first born child in exchange for a ticket, you'll have to take an IOU.)

A Few Good Pieces on The Sox

2005-10-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a great story on the Big Man, "Mr. White Sox", Frank Thomas.

Hey Gov. Blago...STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM COMISKEY!!! To me, the defining moment of this dirt bags term as Governor came after Game 6 of the NLCS two years ago. (As far as baseball allegiances are concerned). When asked after the game about the Bartman foul ball, he replied "That guy is never going to get a pardon from this Governor".

Here is another decent piece making a case for why the Sox should be "America's Team" this year. It's a bit stale, but an OK read none the less.
The best quote from the article:
"But true, die-hard White Sox fans might be the most resilient in sports. They have sat through a lot of bad baseball, ignoring the hipper crowd, cooler building and more popular team on the other side of town."
I guess I'll take that as a compliment. Personally, I would call it a lot of mediocre baseball, not bad baseball. It was the team on the other side of town that, until last season, hadn't posted a winning record in consecutive seasons in decades. The Sox are usually competitive year in and year out.

Shock and Awe

2005-10-17T22:26:00.000-07:00

The Sox are going to the World Series. The Chicago White Sox. No words can do justice to what this means for this City, this team and all their fans. No sporting event that I've ever seen has made me feel the way that I did last night. (I was 2 months shy of my 1st birthday when the Bears won the SuperBowl, as if that could come close to the Sox going to the World Series) For me, a Die-Hard Sox Fan, I've never felt more alive than I did while watching that game. During the later innings my heart was beating out of my chest. My palms were sweating. I was all fidgety and smoking like a chimney.
When we finally got that last out on that grounder to Konerko at first I jumped out of my seat, let out a huge sigh of relief, then turned and hugged my girlfriend. Thank God that I've been able to get her to love and enjoy the Sox nearly as much as I do. (When we first started dating a few years ago, she loved to watch the Bears with me but she could not stand watching baseball. Now she hates watching football and is always reminding me to go back to the Sox game when I change the channel during a commercial.)
During the game I listened to the radio broadcast by Rooney and Farmer instead of the Fox crew of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. I'm so glad I did because Rooney's call of the final out in the 9th is unforgettable. If you haven't heard it, here is the link. Click on "White Sox win the ALCS" next to the picture of Konerko in the middle of the page. If you are a Sox fan and that does not send chills down your spine, nothing will.

On The Brink

2005-10-15T23:26:00.000-07:00

Tonight our White Sox find themselves just a single victory away from a trip to the Fall Classic after Freddy Garcia put up the 3rd consecutive complete game for the Pale Hose in their 8-2 victory over LAAOA. It is the first time that a team has thrown 3 straight CG's in an LCS series since 1973 (Tom Seaver, Jon Matlack and Jerry Koosman).
The Sox caught a couple of breaks in tonight's game, having seemingly every call go their way. AJ got away with catcher interference, a replay showed that Pods was picked off at 1st but he was called safe, then on the next pitch he stole second where again a replay showed he was tagged out but again he was called safe. With the Sox having scored 8 runs, all these calls that went against the Halo's weren't as detrimental to their chances of winning as some in the L.A. and national media would lead you to believe. You can talk all you want about momentum, but 7 runs were not scored or prevented because of those lucky breaks. (For the Angels to have won, they would have had to score 7 more or allow 7 less.)
The Sox rotation of Jose, Buehrle, Garland and Freddy have pitched all but 2/3 of an inning thus far in the ALCS and have allowed a combined total of just 8 runs. Sox fans, we are witnessing what is in my mind without a doubt the best pitching staff ever assembled on the South Side of Chicago. Not only the starting rotation, but also the bullpen that has not seen any action since Neal Cotts recorded the final 2 outs of the 9th in Game 1. Our guys might not be the big name, well-known, flashy and sexy type's that the boy's in Bristol would love them to be, but collectively they are one hell of a pitching staff. As they say, what counts is not the size of the dog in the fight. It's the size of the fight in the dog.

Tomorrow nights starters will be a rematch of Game 1 with Contreras going up against the Halo's Paul Byrd. Lets show the Scrubs what you're supposed to do with a 3-1 game lead in an LCS. Catch my drift?

PK Sighting At The Hawks Game Tonight

2005-10-09T20:08:00.000-07:00

Tonight at the Blackhawks game my girlfriend and I ran into Paul Konerko (above) and Chris Widger, who had glass seats behind one of the nets. The picture sucks, but what do you expect from a camera on a cell phone. Maybe you would have been able to see them on TV but Hawks ownership still refuses to air home games in Chicago. Speaking of Big Bill Wirtz, on our way out of the stadium just a few minutes before the end of the game we were walking right along side the man himself in the main concourse. He was walking with a security guard (smart man) and someone who looked to be his brother. I don't know if anyone calls him Big Bill, but the nickname would be fitting as he looked to be about 300 lbs. Maybe he just keeps his wallet in his front belt line. Thank God he doesn't own the Sox.

The New Sox Seats

2005-10-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

Seats from the new Comiskey Park, opened in 1991.
Well, they're not really new. I bought them back in April but I just mounted them this week. They're in the garage, but on the opposite wall I've got an old projection TV to watch games on.

Chris Berman Sucks

2005-10-08T08:03:00.000-07:00

I know that I am not in the minority when I say that hearing Chris Berman call the Sox vs. Sawx series was one of the most annoying and tilted nationally broadcast play-by-play jobs of all time. I got so fed up by him during every game that I listened to each one on the radio while watching the muted TV. It was worth dealing with the 2 or 3 second delay of the TV behind the radio to avoid hearing some of his calls and comments. Well that, and I enjoy Rooney and Farmer's call of a game.
Now I can relate to all the baseball fans nationally who cannot stand the play-by-play calls of the Hawk. Still though, its one thing to be a clubs broadcasting guy and blatantly favor the team that you work for. Most of the games you do are only aired in your own teams market. You're not catering to fans of both of the teams that are playing, so you can afford to be a homer like the Hawk. Its another thing when you are the only television crew broadcasting a series and you're making the game and series more about a Boston loss than a White Sox win. These guys are supposed to come across as fair and impartial. Berman and ESPN were anything but.

White Sox Sweep!

2005-10-06T23:34:00.000-07:00

The White Sox accomplished something this evening that very few people alive have seen happen in their lifetime. For the first time since 1917 the Chicago White Sox won a postseason series. Not only did they win, they did so in convincing fashion by sweeping the defending World Champion Red Sox, outplaying them in every facet of the game. They didn't just beat the Carmine's, they won by KO.
The most important inning of today's game, and of the year for that matter, was the 6th inning. The inning lasted 58 minutes and the top of the 6th made up at least half of that time. Paul Konerko broke a 2-2 tie with his 2-run bomb over the green-monster, and that was followed by multiple Red Sox pitching changes.
After the top of the inning finally ended, Ozzie decided to let Freddy Garcia go back out and face Manny Ramirez leading off the bottom of the 6th. Manny promptly hit a line drive rocket over the Monster in left-center that still hasn't landed, his second HR of the game, and it cut the Sox lead to 4-3.
At this point Ozzie went to the pen and called upon Damaso Marte to face Trot Nixon. Nixon singled, and then Marte walked the next two hitters, Bill Mueller and John Olerud, to load the bases with no outs.
What happened next was one of the most clutch pitching performances in MLB postseason history. Ozzie again called to the pen, this time for Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez. Never in his life had El Duque come on in relief with an inherited runner aboard, let alone 3 with nobody out in a one run ball game and in the playoffs no less. With the dangerous Jason Varitek pinch hitting for Doug Mirabelli, disaster seemed to be looming. The next thing you know, El Duque gets Varitek to pop up a 2-1 pitch in foul ground and Konerko caught it in the batters circle just down the 1st base line.
So one out, bases loaded, the score still 4-3. Tony Graffanino followed Varitek and battled through a 10 pitch at-bat that seemed to last an hour before El Duque induced another infield pop up on a 3-2 pitch, this time to Uribe at short and the infield fly rule was called. So now 2 outs, bases loaded, the score still at 4-3. The next batter, Red Sox lead-off man Johnny "Jesus" Damon, then worked another full count before striking out on a check swing that he couldn't hold up.
Some how, some way, El Duque retired 3 consecutive Red Sox batters with the bases loaded, all the while not allowing the ball to be hit past the infield dirt. He pitched 2 more scoreless innings after that, finishing with a line of 3IP allowing 1H, 0R and 4 K's. The man has ice-water running through his veins. His performance was a microcosm of our entire season. Livin' on the edge and coming through in the clutch. I think Elwood Blues said it best... "We're on a mission from God."

Provided that there are no rain-outs in the NY-Angels series, on Tuesday the White Sox will be kicking off their first ALCS since 1993. Somehow, despite the numerous complaints I've heard from people about being left out in the cold by Ticketmaster, I got my hands on tickets to Game 1. Although they're nosebleed seats down the right-field line, I'm satisfied with just getting in. I was at the final game of the Sox last appearance in the ALCS (Game 6 in '93 vs. Toronto-Alex Fernandez started for the Sox and took the loss). I was just 9 years old at the time, but I still can remember nearly the entire team off the top of my head. Tim Rains, Lance Johnson, Big Frank, Harold Bains, Joey Cora, Ventura, Ozzie, Bo Jackson, Karkovice, Jason Bere, Black Jack, Alex Fernandez, Roberto Hernandez, Bobby Thigpen, the list goes on. That was a very solid team from top to bottom. Yet I wouldn't even think twice about taking this years club over the '93 team, to a man, save Big Frank at DH over Everett. With the run we've been on the last 2 weeks I'm confident, regardless of who the Sox end up playing next week, that the result will be much different this time around. GO SOX!!!

Round 1: Pale Hose

2005-10-04T22:32:00.000-07:00

The White Sox started the postseason off with a bang by bombarding Red Sox pitching for 14 runs in Game One of the ALDS on the South Side this afternoon. The Sox offense shelled starter Matt Clement for 8 runs in 3 1/3 innings, scoring 5 in the 1st inning alone. Altogether the Sox offense hit 5 home runs on the day, tying a ALDS record set last year by St. Louis. Even Scotty Podsednik got in on the action, belting his first dinger of the season. 4 of the 5 White Sox homers were hit off of pitchers who used to pitch for the Cubs.
What stands out to me more so than the offensive explosion is the continued success of Jose Contreras who held the highest scoring offense in baseball to just 2 runs in 7 2/3 innings. Coming into the game Jose posted a career 11.67 ERA and a record of 2-4 against the Red Sox. If that gave the Red Sox confidence, it was misplaced. This is not the same Jose Contreras they used to beat around all over the field when he was with the Yankee's. Jose showed exactly why he is undefeated in his last 8 starts.

Here is a great piece on the new Sox ace.

Sox fans, this game was HUGE. By winning Game One we put Boston in almost a must-win situation tomorrow. If they were to head home down 0-2, they would have to defeat Garcia, Garland and Jose in order to stay alive. You can go on and on about how they came back from being down 0-3 in the ALCS last year and they're defending World Champions, but this is not the same team as last season. Their rotation this year of Clement, Wells, Schilling and Wakefield, while formidable, is not nearly as potent as the rotation of Pedro, Schilling, Lowe and Wakefield was last year. Schilling, who has been battling back from injuries all season, is not the same pitcher he was a year ago. Clement, as we saw today, has been shaky for the last couple of months. On top of all that, Boston's bullpen is average at best and their closer, former White Sox Keith Foulke, is done for the season. Although it's still very early to get overly excited, with a 1-0 edge I like the Good Guy's chances to at least split the next 4 games. In Game Two tomorrow Buehrle will be going up against former White Sox David Wells.

Sox Post-Season Roster Set; Umpire Crew Announced

2005-10-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

The Sox 1st round Postseason roster was announced this afternoon and Ozzie Guillen decided to keep the likes of Timo Perez, Geoff Blum, Luis Vizciano and Orlando Hernandez instead of Brandon McCarthy and Ross Gload. Personally, I am very disappointed. Not about El Duque being on the roster, but Vizciano. I'll take McCarthy over Vizciano every day of the week and twice on Sunday's, especially in a close ballgame. As far as Gload goes, I'd rather have his left-handed bat over both Timo Perez, also a lefty, and the switch-hitting Blum. Gload hasn't played in the majors much this year, but during his rehab time in the minors he was tearing the cover off the ball, hitting over .400 I believe. Blum and Perez have been hitting around .200 all year. Regardless of Gload having his success this year during his limited time in the minors (against minor-league pitching), he showed more potential there than both of these guys have showed all season with the Sox. You know how the Sox love Timo's "veteran presence" though. In my opinion the larger mistake of the two is keeping Vizciano and leaving McCarthy off.

The umpiring crew for the Sox opening round in the playoffs has been announced. Thankfully, Hunter Wendelstat is not on it.. Crew chief John Hirschbeck will be behind the plate in game one and will be joined by Larry Vanover, Mark Wegner, Bill Miller, Mike Everitt and Dan Iassogna.

Sweet Success

2005-09-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

A 4-2 victory over Detroit this afternoon secured the AL Central Division Championship for the Sox, making the final series of the series vs. Cleveland over the weekend irrelevant. After seeing their lead in the division slip to as few as 1.5 games, the Sox were able to hold strong and fend of the charging Indians who have finally stumbled this week dropping 2 of 3 to Tampa. The win also makes this years Sox the first team in club history to be in first place from wire-to-wire.
Leading by 3 games heading into today's contest, all the Sox had to do was win today, regardless of what Cleveland did, and hold on to their 3 game lead to be able to clinch the Division title. By having a 3 game lead with 3 games left to play against the Indians after today, the Sox could be swept over the weekend and still own the AL Central crown. If the Sox were swept and tied with Cleveland in the standings at the end of the season, the Sox would still own the Division because MLB's rules for breaking a tie in a division is not decided by a 1 game playoff, but rather is decided by which team leads the season series between the two clubs. With the Sox owning a 11-5 record against the Tribe this season, Cleveland would be able to do no better than 8-11 vs. the Pale Hose, which automatically gives the Sox the tie-breaker. What a relief it is to know that our team will not be tagged as the owners of what many would call the biggest collapse of all-time. Let's leave that to the other side of town.
Although the Sox have played more than their fair share of games that should and could have been won in the last 2 months, their diminished lead should be attributed more so to Cleveland's recent tear than the Sox lack of consistent, fundamental play during the same period. While the Indians went about 38-10 since August, the Sox hovered around .500 and watched their lead wane away. If the Tribe had gone something more like 32-16, the Division would have been sealed up a week ago. The Sox saving grace was their own tear throughout the first 4 months of the season which turned out to provide enough padding for them to endure their recent struggles. Even though the Sox probably aren't as good as their first half record might indicate, they also aren't as bad as their just over .500 record in the second half would incline you to believe either. When the pitching is on, as it has been in the last 7 games, and the defense makes the plays they're supposed to make, this team can play on par with anybody.

Finally, here is a nice article by Kass over at the Cubune. Great read.

Speaking of par/golf....I know they say no one cares about your golf game but you (yourself), but this is so rare that I'm going to put it on here anyway. I was golfing earlier this week when I experienced a personal first. I was hitting my second shot on a 410 yd. par 4, a blind shot as there was a hill in the fairway in front of me and the green was behind and below it. So I hit a 9 iron from about 135-140 yards, right on line, and it felt great coming off the club. Because I couldn't see it land, I just assumed it was on the dance floor because of the way I hit it. I get up to the green but my ball is not there. I drive around to see if I went long, still no sight of it. After 5 minutes of driving in circles around the green searching, I give up, take a drop in the rough and chip up on to the green. I walk up to the flag to pull it out for my putt, and what do I find in the hole? My freakin' ball! An eagle 2 from 135 yards. I've never chipped in from any kind of distance (never anything other than short chips from around the green, ones that you see go in the hole) so I never even thought to check the cup. On top of that I scoped the green for ball marks and there was not a single one, so either it landed off the green and got one hell of a roll, or it was nothing but the bottom of the cup. Since I didn't see it happen, I'll choose to believe the latter.

Just What The Doctor Ordered

2005-09-25T22:22:00.000-07:00

With the Indians nipping at their heels the Sox desperately needed their starters to step up and shut down the weak Minnesota offense in order to hold on to their slim lead in the Central. On their final regular season home series of the season, that is exactly what they were able to do. Between McCarthy, Contreras, Garcia and Buehrle, Sox starting pitching surrendered just four runs, four walks and 18 hits over 34 innings in the last four games. Both Contreras and Buehrle threw complete games. With KC's victory over Cleveland, the Sox magic number dropped to 5 and their lead in the division moved back up to 2.5 games.
I just so happened to have 3 free tickets offered to me at about the same time the first pitch was scheduled to be thrown. With the rain delay I knew I would have time to get to the park without missing more than an inning, but I was debating if I felt like possibly being wet all afternoon. After taking a quick look at the weather radar on the net, I decided it would be worth it to brave the rain to go to what could be my last game of the season. Also, they were some pretty good seats...Sec 121 Row 17, right at the edge of the infield dirt on the 1st base side. It's hard to turn those down regardless of how the weather is. I got to the park just as the rain delay had ended and was in my seats in time to see the second batter of the ball game.
One of the more memorable moments of the game was in the 3rd when the final score of the KC-Indian game was posted and the crowd learned KC had won. The entire crowd erupted in cheers and clapping. The players in the field paused for a second and turned their heads to check the scoreboard. It really was a moment to behold. The win moved my personal record when in attendance up to 8-4. With my previous two games being terrible losses on Half-Way to St. Patty's Day (vs. LAA) and this week against Cleveland in the rubber-match of that series, I can't tell you how nice it was to see a win.

Tomorrow the Sox will start off a 4 game set in Detroit and will be sending out Garland (17-10, 3.51) to start the series off. If the rotation holds, he will be followed by B-Mac, Contreras and Garcia. In case you're wondering, that would set up Buehrle to start the opener against Cleveland on Friday with Garland following him on Saturday. Which pitcher will follow them will depend on where the Sox are at in the standings, but if it is close bet on Jose making a start on short rest.

Gleeman on the impact of Clevelands loss today on their chances to win the divsion:
"Any game at this point is crucial, but Sizemore's error really cuts down on Cleveland's chances of being within striking distance for that final series of the season. If they take two out of three from Tampa Bay and Chicago splits their four-game series against Detroit, that would leave Cleveland two games back entering the final series. In other words, they would have to sweep the White Sox to win the division, because taking two out of three would leave them a game back. If they had won yesterday afternoon, the same scenario would leave them needing to take just two out of three to tie."

Lead Continues To Evaporate

2005-09-23T15:12:00.000-07:00

Last night the Sox had their best opportunity of the season to win a Johan Santana pitched game and they let it slip away. They had scoring opportunities in the 9th and 10th innings of a 1-1 tie and were unable to push across a single run. The loss dropped the Sox record at home in extra inning contests to 1-7 and their lead in the division is now just 1.5 games. The Sox record in games in which they score 2 runs or less is now 15-32. (To put that in perspective, they were 1-44 in such contests last season.)
Tonight the Pale Hose are sending the man whom is currently their best starting pitcher in Jose Conteras (13-7, 3.79 with a record of 9-2 since the All-Star break) out to the mound to face off against the Twins' Kyle Lohse (9-12, 4.16). The Sox need to win this game, even if it is just to stand their ground. Losses tonight and tomorrow coupled with Injun victories over KC and the Sox are a 2nd place ball club, a spot they have not occupied for a single day all season. If that were to happen, I think even the wildcard would become a long shot for this team. No team in more than 100 years of MLB history has ever blown a lead as large as 15 games. If they were to fall behind Cleveland, I'd doubt they would be able to overcome the physiological blow that would resonate from that. Hopefully they'll just notch a few W's, starting tonight, and clinch the division so we won't have to see if that would be the case. Hopefully.

Leaving a Sour Taste in Your Mouth

2005-09-21T22:06:00.000-07:00

I attended tonights game and left in disgust when Travis Haffner hit a 3 run bomb off of Garland in the 8th with his pitch count nearing 115. The decision to leave him in there to start the 8th was questionable, but after giving up a single to lead off the inning he should have been removed. Up until then, Garland had pitched a hell of a game holding the Indians to just 2 runs through 7+. He got out of numerous jams, including inducing a ground ball for a double-play with the bases loaded somewhere in the late-middle innings. He seemed to labor through it a bit, but he held the Indians down, keeping the Sox within reach. Heading into the 8th Garland had thrown just over 100 pitches. Having only surrendered 2 runs, he did his job. The offense couldn't score to help him out, so cut your losses and make the call to the pen. Or leave him in there to face a guy who we have gotten out about 3 times this entire series so he can hit a 3 run homer to put the game out of reach. Not that this would apply tonight with how we hit the ball, but Ozzie has cost this team more W's than he can be credited with helping earn.
The most aggravating part of the game was that our guys were shut down by another mediocre pitcher, popping up more balls in a single game than I have ever seen in my life. They all looked like they were trying to hit 5-run homers with nobody on base. Their best chance to score came in the 2nd when they got men on 1st and 2nd with nobody out. They followed that up with 3 pop-outs to end the inning. I found out after arriving home that the final was 8-0 Tribe. After last nights win, tonights game was just disgusting to watch.

Going Down With The Ship

2005-09-15T22:12:00.000-07:00

Heading into Spring Training I had a feeling of optimism about this year's ballclub. The only thing that the media talked about was how the Sox had lost a ton of power in their lineup. Mags was gone, Carlos was gone...you know what I'm talking about. They all ignored the fact that the Sox finally had 5 solid starters to fill out the rotation, which was the main reason for my being optimistic since that was the most glaring hole in the teams of the past few seasons. After watching a few of S.T. games that were televised though, the feeling of optimism that I had was diminishing. I knew it was only Spring Training, but the team was looking just like the Sox teams of the past few years had looked. By the time the season started I was fully prepared for another year of mediocre .500 baseball.
Well, that feeling of optimism that I had quickly returned after the Sox got of to a torrid start by going 17-7 in April and 18-10 in May. They followed that up by going 18-7 in June to make their record 53-24 after the first 3 months of the season. If that wasn't enough to instill confidence in the most pessimistic of Sox fans, than no amount of wins would have been.
That confidence has been shaken these past few weeks with the Sox currently having lost 6 of their last 7 after being swept by the Angels and dropping the final 2 games of their last series with KC. They also have a losing record since August 1st at 20-22. The starters have been getting knocked around, save Contreras of all people, the bullpen hasn't been lights out as it was in the first half, and most of all the defense has gone south. To top all that off, the offense has been shoddy and inconsistent, although they have shown signs of improvement as of late. They are near the bottom of the league in BA and OBP and are 8th in runs. Altogether this team seems to have lost its fire, so to speak. Yet somehow they still own the best record in they AL by 3.5 games over the Carmines.
With 17 games remaining the Sox still have time, although not much, to get their act back together. Whether they're capable of making that happen remains to be seen, but one can take solace in this fact.
On 9/13/00, the New York Yankees held an eight game lead over Boston. They then proceeded to lose 13 of their next 16 games (being outscored 129-54 in the process) before finally clinching the division on the final Friday of the season. For good measure, they also lost on the final Saturday and Sunday, for a record of 3-15 over the final 2 1/2 weeks of the season.

Three series later they were World Champs.

We certainly are not the 2000 Yankees, but it just goes to show you that anything is possible.

As Yogi Berra once said..."It ain't over 'till it's over". I have not given up on the Sox, nor will I regardless of what happens over the next two weeks. We're taking on water, but we are still somehow afloat. If we do end up sinking, I'll be riding this ship down to the bottom. Really, what other choice do I have? Become a Cubs fan? I carry a card in my wallet with a Sox logo on it...Below that it reads "I'd rather have a sister in a whorehouse than a brother thats a Cubs fan" Truer words have never been spoken.
I got to thinking that maybe the team is in need of some inspiration. (As if winning alone, not to mention being paid millions of dollars per year shouldn't be inspiration enough) I think Ozzie should try using the following quotes as bulletin board material over the next few days. Nothing epitomizes the "Never say die" attitude more so than the words of the great Winston Churchill.

"We shall not flag nor fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France and on the seas and oceans; we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on beaches, landing grounds, in fields, in streets and on the hills. We shall never surrender!!!"

"Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. We stood all alone a year ago, and to many countries it seemed that our account was closed, we were finished. All this tradition of ours, our songs, our School history, this part of the history of this country, were gone and finished and liquidated."

"We will have no truce or parley with you, or the grisly gang who work your wicked will. You do your worst - and we will do our best."

Crash & Burn

2005-09-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

Last night the Sox held a lead of as many as 5 runs and carried a 9-7 lead into the 9th inning against the ever dangerous Kansas City Royals. Dustin Hermanson came on to strike out Mike Sweeney to lead off the 9th before surrendering 4 consecutive hits to lose the ballgame 10-9. The Sox followed that game up with another stinker this afternoon, dropping the rubber-match 7-5. Their lead over Cleveland in the Central now stands at 4.5 games, the smallest lead the Sox have held since June 15th. Look out '64 Phils and '69 Cubs, our Sox are right on your heels.
The first 4 months of the season are now a distant memory. The Sox pitching has become inconsistent, their defense non-existent, and on the rare occasions that they do hit, those first two factors prevent them from winning. The entire team, with the exception of Uribe, Konerko and Contreras, has just looked lethargic these past few weeks, and that would be a generous assesment.
All these facts have contributed to this Sox fan's decision to pass on the opportunity to buy tickets for the first playoff series on the South Side in 5 years. With the way that they have been playing, there's an outside chance that the Sox might not make the playoffs at all, much less advance past the ALDS. If they do make it to postseason play and go one-and-done, then those extra 3-5 games that they play will have been meaningless. I'd rather save my money for tickets to the ALCS or World Series, which now sounds like a joke. That's all I've got to say...I think I'm going to be sick.

Words of Wisdom

2005-09-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

The following was written by Paul Whitfield over at The South Sider

Players aren't the heart of a team. They come and go, like moths drawn to a flame called money. Owners aren't the heart of a team. They mostly want to win because cash flow is the chief byproduct of victory. Journalists aren't the heart of a team. They are hired guns, who at best can only pretend to care and at worst see every loss as an opportunity to make smart-aleck remarks.

So who are the heart and soul of the White Sox? I'd say it's you and me-- the true fans.

The ChiSox fan is there in the beginning, the middle and the end. The fan will be back next year and every year.

No Sox fan ever sold a World Series game. No Sox fan ever held out, offering his allegiance to the highest bidder. No Sox fan ever said we've got to win because it's good for business. No Sox fan ever regarded a loss as an opportunity to show his or her cleverness.

Nobody, not the owners, not the media, not even the players, wants a Sox division title more than the guy and the gal in the stands.

So as the 2005 ChiSox chip away at the magic number, savor it. Nobody has a greater claim to the moment than you.

He Gone; Marte's Sox Career Likely Over

2005-09-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

It is beginning to look as if Damaso Marte might have pitched in his last game for the Chicago White Sox. After showing up to the ballpark 3 hours late on Sunday he was sent home by Ozzie Guillen for not requesting permission to be tardy. Now comes word that Sox management is furious over the fact that Marte has scheduled doctor's appointments with two independent physicians to examine his sore trapezius muscle. This comes after he hit the only two batters he faced in his last outing against KC last Wednesday, which I was there to see. A decision will be made on Wednesday to decide whether or not to place him on the DL. He did not join the team on their trip to Kansas City.
Damaso has not been the same pitcher this season, as I pointed out in a post a month ago. Left-handed batters whom he dominated in years past are hitting at a .272 clip against him this season. He has also issued 30 free passes in just 42 IP. Personally, I like Damaso. I would be happy if he made amends with the Sox and was able to return to his old form. The Sox have him signed through next season at $2.25 million and also have a $3 million option on him in '07, so his return would not be out of the question. If he were to pitch for the Sox again this season, I hope it would be in lower-leverage, early relief inning situations, at least until he can regain his command. If not, there will be 30 other ball clubs this off-season who could use a left-handed reliever with his stuff. Too bad the Sox are diminishing his trade value by handling this situation the way that they have.

Behind Enemy Lines

2005-09-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

Last night I attended just the second Cubs game of my life. (My first was in July '03 against the Marlins, the same Marlin team who later that season would be a part of the greatest choke job of all time) A friend called me up last minute and offered me a free ticket to the game and I could not turn down the opportunity to see a future HOF'er in Greg Maddux pitch. I may hate the Cubs, but I have an appreciation for great pitchers.
One of the more entertaining moments of the evening was in the 5th inning when Javier Valentine (Jose's little brother) hit the 4th HR of his career off of Maddux. The recipient of that ball in the bleachers in left-center refused to throw the ball back, which I commend him/her for, and caused the entire stadium to chant "throw it back". After only 4 or 5 chants of "throw it back", the very first pitch to the next batter, Willie Mo Pena, was also hit into those seats in left-center, silencing the crowd in a heartbeat. All that could be heard in my section of the UD was me shouting "Throw that one back!!!" The first ball never came back out, but that second HR ball was back on the field within 5 seconds after it landed.
I also had a hoot in the 9th when after Cub pitching walked 2 batters in a 2-1 ball game, Dusty changed pitchers and brought in Sergio Mitre to face Willie Mo Pena. After getting ahead 0-2 in the count, Mitre hung a curveball and Pena crushed it deep to left-center to make the Cincy lead 5-1. Wearing my '83 throwback green and white batter logo Sox hat, I stood up and clapped as the chorus of "ooh's" rung throughout the stadium. Surprisingly, the only flack I caught about my being a Sox fan was from these two dumb and drunk girls sitting behind me. Their ribbing was more flirtatious than mean-spirited, so it really wasn't all that bad.
Enough about the game, now onto my opinions of the Shrine. I didn't really walk around the place my first time there, so this was the first really good look I've had at the park from the inside. How any fan would rather see a game in that dump instead of Comiskey is beyond me. From my assigned seat I had the greatest view of a pole which was right in my view of the pitchers mound. I had to spend the majority of the game over one seat from the people I was at the game with just so I could see the pitcher and batter at the same time. Had our aisle been full, I would have been SOL. Another thing that bothered me was that the nearest exit to my seats was all the way behind home plate at Clark and Addison. Talk about a death trap. We had to make our way though the crowd packed like sheep all the way down the left field concourse just to get the hell out of there. I'd say it took at least 20 minutes from the time we got down the ramps to ground level to the time we got outside. I did get a kick out of looking at all the netting on the ceilings around the park though.
After a weekend in which everyone I root for lost, (the Sox were swept by a potential playoff opponent, the Bears lost, and a 35 year old Andre Agassi was beaten in the U.S. Open Finals) what better way to get over the sports hangover I had than to see the Cubs lose?

Side note: I did see one fellow Sox fan walking down the aisle in front of my seats. I shouted down to him "Nice Hat!" He turned around, saw me and yelled back "Yeah!!! And I thought I'd be alone here!"
Another guy came up to me when we were making our way out of the park and complimented my hat, then gave me props for having the balls to wear it there. I asked him if he was a Sox fan why he wasn't wearing one, and he replied "I'm stupid but not crazy".
One last thing.....from my seats in the UD down the left field line I caught my first glimpse of Ronnie Woo Woo in the flesh. He was walking around on Waveland decked out in his full Cubs uniform.

Sox Win Another Series vs. KC

2005-09-09T12:54:00.000-07:00

Although they didn't look pretty doing it, the Sox took 2 of 3 from the lowly Kansas City Royals to move their season record against the worst team in baseball to 12-3. Were it not for strong outings from Sox starters, we very well could have lost 2 of 3 thanks to pathetic at-bats against mediocre, at best, pitching. Yesterday the Sox scored just 2 runs, and they had to steal home to score one of them. This is off of a guy who came into the game with an ERA over 7.00.
I attended Wednesday nights game which offensively, was more of the same. A Paul Konerko solo shot in the 3rd was the only run for the Sox on the night. Jose Contreras allowed 11 men to reach base (6 hits and 5 BB) and yet pitched 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball. Jose was the only Sox starter I had not seen pitch in person this season, including McCarthy. Although he looked more like the old Contreras than what we've witnessed from him lately, he was able to get out of jam after jam all night long and that is something he struggled to do early in the season.
The nail biting theater didn't end after Jose's exit. After Bobby Jenks recorded the final out of the 8th and first out of the 9th, Ozzie elected to go with Damaso Marte to face the two upcoming lefty's. Damaso joined in on Jose's tightrope act by hitting both of the hitters he saw to put the potential winning run on base. Hermanson came on to mop up and record an ugly save, giving up a walk which brought Sox Killer Mike Sweeney up to the plate with the bases loaded in a 1-0 game to record the final out of the game. The Sox record when I'm in attendance now stands at 7-2. Both defeats came against Oakland.

It's Half-Way to St. Patty's Day at the Sox game tonight. The Sox will be wearing green-pinstripe jersey's and green hats. Tonight also just so happens to be a guy's night out for me. Guess where I'll be. It will be a battle of southpaw's with Buehrle (15-7 3.00) facing off against LAAAAAAA's Jared Washburn (7-8 3.18).

September Sweep

2005-09-04T22:13:00.000-07:00

After an abysmal offensive month in August, the Sox have started the month of September off with a bang by sweeping the Detroit Tigers. With their 29 runs in the four game series vs. Detroit, the Sox produced the equivalent of 30% of the runs they generated in the entire month of August. (98 runs in 28 games for an avg. of 3.5 RPG)
I attended Friday nights contest, if you would like to call it a contest, and I took note of a few things. First off, Uribe's new timing toe-tap seemed to be paying dividends as evidenced by his 3R HR in the 2nd. Second, since being called back up Willie Harris seems to be a new man. He hit his first HR of the season on Friday and has been hitting the ball with authority in nearly every at-bat. Finally, to me the key to our offense scoring has become production out of the bottom half of our order. When the only guys collecting hits are Paulie, the Gooch, Crazy and sPod, the offense struggles to put up more than a couple of runs. When guys like JD, Rowand, Uribe, and AJ are hitting, the Sox seem to score in bunches.
One last thing about that game on Friday....I was looking forward to seeing Maggs play in person for the first time since May of last season, but for some reason he was given the night off. Bummer. I'm not sure if I would have joined in on the jeers, but it would have at least been entertaining to be there to hear. At least it was mullet night. That's enough entertainment to last me a month. What turned out to be the best part of the game was seeing the game end on a 100MPH fastball from Bobby Jenks. (I'd never seen someone throw that fast in person before...the ball is moving so fast that you see a trail behind it)
Tomorrow the Sox head to Boston to play a make-up game which was rescheduled from Aug. 14 due to a rainout. The Pale Hose will be sending the rook Brandon McCarthy out to the bump to face off against the Carmine's Curt Schilling, who has not been the same pitcher since returning from the DL earlier this season.
Sox Magic Number: 18
Side note: For any football fans out there.....Last week when playing a round of golf at Cog Hill I was paired up with a former NFL cornerback for the 49ers, Bruce Taylor. He said he played 9 years for San Fran and 1 in the CFL. Just to be sure he wasn't FOS, I looked him up on the net and sure enough, he was a ROY in '70 or '71. He played way before my time, but he must have been a pretty solid player to last 9 years with the same team in the NFL.

The Dog Days of Summer

2005-08-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

Over the last six weeks the once seemingly invincible White Sox have begun too look vulnerable. Since July 8th, the weekend before the All-Star Break, the Sox have gone just 17-18 and are 6-11 at the Cell. In the past week they lost their tag of "The best team in baseball" when the St. Louis Cardinals passed them in the standings. This week the Sox were swept by Minnesota, just their second time being swept all season, and are now on a season-high 5 game losing streak. All this and yet the Sox are 74-44, 30 games over .500 and are still holding a 10.5 game lead over Cleveland in the Central Division and a 5.5 game lead over LAAAAA for the best record in the AL.
The recent struggles have caused many around town to lobby for the acquisition of Jr. Griffey and his $12 million a year contract to put the Sox "over the top". I know I am in the minority when I say this, but am I the only one who thinks that $50 million over the next 4 years might be a bit too much to commit to a guy who has played in just 83, 53, and 70 games during the past 3 seasons due to injuries? I realize that this guy is most likely a first-ballot HOF'er and is having a solid season for the Reds, hitting .290 with 29 homers and 85 RBI in 113 games. My question is... How much financial flexibility will the Sox be left with to improve the club during this off-season and in years to come with Griffey Jr.'s bloated contract on our books? Not only that, but how many of the few promising prospects the Sox have in their farm system will have to be sent to Cincy? They say desperate times call for desperate measures, and I don't think that the Sox are that desperate....yet. I'm not denying the fact that something needs to happen with our offense. Over the past few weeks the Sox collectively, except Konerko, have looked lost at the plate. You just have to keep in mind that these same guys who are struggling right now have each helped this team earn a record of 74-44.
The point that is being made by many is that the Sox lack another power bat in the heart of the order since the loss of The Big Hurt. Without Frank in the line-up the Sox are a respectable 54-36. With Franks bat in the 3-hole, the Sox went 20-8. Although the loss of Frank hurt, it didn't sting as much as the loss of another, less obvious players bat. (And legs)
One of the main contributing factors to the Sox offensive struggles of late is the loss of Scott Podsednik. Without Pods leading off, the offense seems to struggle to find any kind of rhythm. The past few games Ozzie has resorted to batting Timo at the top of the order. Forgive me if the go-ahead 2 RBI double he hit the other night doesn't impress me. I'm still trying to forget about the game in Baltimore a couple of weeks ago when the Sox batted around in the 1st inning only to have Timo make 2 of the 3 outs in the inning hitting in the lead-off spot. The guy is hitting .223 with an OBP of .277, and he's leading off.
Enough about Ozzie's bright idea to bat Timo in the leadoff spot, let alone at all, and lets take a look at the Sox record with and without Scotty in the lineup:
With Podsednik in lineup: 62-33 or .729
Without Podsednik: 12-11 or .522
Amazing what a lead-off guy with above average speed who can actually hit will do for your team.

Sox Take Series From Yanks

2005-08-11T23:14:00.000-07:00

The White Sox sent out their no. 3, 4 and 5 starters to the mound for their series vs. The Bronx Bombers and took 2 of the 3 games in the series. They very well could have pulled off the sweep, having lost 3-2 in Monday evenings contest. On the other side of the coin, the Sox could very easily have been swept also. In the three games in the series the Sox offense scored just 6 runs.
The reason the Sox left NY with 2 more wins under their belt is because their starting pitching surrendered only 4 runs in the series and Sox relievers surrendered just one. Sox pitching doesn't deserve all the credit though, they were supplied with some outstanding defense, particularly from Aaron Rowand who put on a defensive clinic in the spacious pastures of center field in Yankee Stadium. I doubt there were very many, if any at all, Yankee fan's wondering if Rowand was available to be bought this off-season after watching him play the field in this series.
In my eyes, aside from Rowand and his defense, Jose Contreras' performance Tuesday night was the highlight of the series. In a high pressure game that you would expect him to crumble in, Jose pitched one of if not the best game of his career since coming to the Majors. He pitched 7+ innings of shut-out ball, surrendering just 3 hits in front of the sold out Yankee Stadium crowd.
By winning the final two games vs. The Yankee's, the Sox won for the first time on a Tuesday or Wednesday since July 5th and 6th, a span of 5 weeks. (They actually lost on Tues. and Wed. for only 3 weeks in a row because of the All-Star break.) Now the Sox can focus all their attention on continuing to win games on Sunday with Ozzie's scrub lineup that he makes up every single week.
To end on a high note, I have to say that I've been on cloud 9 since beating the Yankee's and their $200M+ payroll. They finally get some solid starting pitching, only to face better pitching and lose 2 of 3. Two thirds of the Yankee lineup consists of current or former All-Stars, yet they were held to 3, 1, and 1 run(s) respectively.

Tomorrows matchup features a duel of Southpaws with the Sox sending Mark Buehrle (13-4 2.79) out to the bump to face the Other Sox' Boomer Wells (9-5 4.45).

Sox Ride Garland, Buehrle to Victory

2005-08-07T22:39:00.000-07:00

The Sox have not fared well at home of late, but they managed to win the final two games of their series vs. Seattle on Saturday and Sunday to salvage a three game split on their latest 6 game homestand. During the homestand Paul Konerko produced 47% of the Sox runs, hitting .350 with 9 RBI.
With Sunday's victory the Sox notched their 72nd W of the season, and it just so happened that the Sox unveiled Pudge Fisk's statue in the outfield concourse. (For those not in the know, Fisk wore no. 72 when he was on the Sox.)
I happened to notice this evening that the Sox are only 11 wins shy of their win total from all of last season, and they still have 50 some odd games left to play.
Tomorrow the Sox will be in the Bronx and El Duque will be going up against the Yankees Mike "Hunchback" Mussina.

In other baseball related news: The Scrubs have lost 5 straight, falling to 3 games BELOW .500. Even the low budget Brewers are looking down at them. They now trail 6 teams in the NL Wild Card race and are 6 games behind Houston.
The streaking A's have fought their way into a first place tie with the Angels in the AL West. After being as many as 15 games below .500 in May, they currently sit at 17 games over. I hope they either keep winning and leave LAAAA to fight for the wild card, or they start losing and let someone else grab the last playoff spot.

In other non-baseball related news: Peter Jennings passed away from lung cancer this evening at age 67. He was the last of the Big Three network news anchors to go off the air. (He was preceded by Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw in the past year.)
A quick follow up to my comments in the previous post regarding the Bears practice scrimmage at Soilder Field drawing 23K people; The Packers had a scrimmage game at Lambeau against Buffalo recently and they sold out the joint. 60,000 people were there to watch a practice game, not even a pre-season game. Now that is crazy.

Sox Survive Being Marted and Avoid Sweep

2005-08-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

The Sox defeated Toronto 5-4 Thursday afternoon thanks to a 8th inning solo homer by The Gooch. Contreras pitched pretty well, but was hurt by some shoddy defense in the 4th which allowed 3 runs to score, trimming the Sox lead to one run.

Damaso Marte once again showed that he's just not the same pitcher that he had been before last season. He pitched 2/3 of an inning, allowing one run on 2 hits and 2 walks. That one run he allowed just so happened to be the tying run. As far as I'm concerned, Marte should be below Cotts in the LH pecking order out of the pen, at least until he shows more consistent command.

On an off baseball note, I went to the Bears scrimmage at Soldier Field tonight....they had 23,000 people there to watch a PRACTICE. This is a team coming off of a 5-11 season in which they had no quarterback. On top of that, those 23,000 paid $5 to see it. Talk about a cash cow....they cleared over $100,000 at the gate, not to mention what they made from concessions, for a practice. It is unbelievable how football has taken over this country. 23K is more than the Sox averaged per game the past few years, and the Bears drew that for a PRACTICE. Now, I love the Bears, but not as much as I love the Sox. If I had already been in Soldier Field since the renovations, I doubt that I would have bothered to go. I once heard someone say "They could turn the seats in Wrigley around backwards, and they'd still sell out every game". I'd bet the same would hold true at Soldier Field.

Pale Hose Sweep O's

2005-08-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

The Sox swept the Orioles for the first time in about 50 years with their 6-3 victory in Baltimore Monday afternoon. The one downside coming out of the game was that Mark Buehrle's streak of pitching at least 6 innings in 49 straight starts was snapped thanks to a bogus call from the home plate umpire Brian Gorman.
Baltimore pitching had hit two Sox players in as many days; the Gooch in the hip in Sunday nights contest and then AJ on the elbow on Monday. After no warning was issued to protect the Sox hitters, Buehrle took matters in his own hands and nearly threw one behind the left handed B.J. Surhoff, hitting him in the back. Gorman wasted no time in ejecting Buehrle without any warning whatsoever, effectively ending his unbelievable streak. Now, there were 2 outs in the inning when Surhoff was hit, but it was a 1 run ballgame with Sosa on 1st and the Sox holding the lead. Although Surhoff had been 2-2 in the game off Buehrle, that does not seem like the prime situation to go after a guy. I'm not saying that it wasn't intentional, I'm just saying it didn't seem to be an obvious purpose pitch considering the situation.

The Shingo Takatsu era on the SouthSide officially came to an end Monday as the Sox granted him his unconditional release. If there is any guy you should pull for to be picked up by another team and succeed, its Shingo. Without him last year the Sox might not have contended the entire season, considering the only other option to close was a washed up Billy Koch. Though he didn't speak english, you never heard anything about him being unhappy about losing his spot as the Sox closer early on this season.

Elsewhere in baseball; The Twins have fallen so far that their 54-51 record is only one game better than the Scrubs(53-52). Minnesota is now in 3rd place in the Central, a half game behind Cleveland and 15.5 behind the Sox. The scribes in Bristol that picked them to win it all must be crying a river.

Rafael Palmeiro was suspended 10 days by MLB for violating the leagues substance abuse policy. This is the same Raffy Palmeiro that testified under oath before Congress on St. Patty's Day that he had never in his life ingested a performance enhancing drug of any kind. It's funny how some people used to say that the difference in his body size the last few years compared to when he played for the Scrubs could be contributed completely to maturation.
A situation like this makes one appreciate the career of Frank Thomas that much more. Here is a guy who was huge to begin with; he played college football at Auburn, and in his career has amassed 448 HR's, 447 doubles, 1465 RBI, and a .307 career avg, all without the benefit of steroids. It kills me that he isn't going to be able to be a larger part of this magical season. He deserves to be. Without a doubt he sould be a first ballot HOF'er more so than Palmeiro should be. Be damned with the minor squabbles he's had during his career. It's too commonplace among today's professional athletes to hold against one player. Hey, I never remember Frank holding out 1 year into a 7-year contract! (I'm not sure that a holdout is even possible in MLB, I'm just making a point)

Frank Thomas Out For Remainder of Season

2005-07-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

The AP has reported that Frank Thomas' season is likely over after it was discovered that he has fractured a bone in his surgically repaired left foot.
The injury does not appear to be career threatening, but he may require additional surgery if it does not heal on its own.
In my opinion, a trade to bring in a bat is likely coming over the weekend. KW has until 3pm on Sunday to figure out whose bat that is going to be.

The USA Today has ranked the Sox radio broadcast team of Rooney and Farmer tops in the American League and second overall in baseball, behind only Vin Scully and the Dodgers radio broadcast team.

Sox Ride Garland to Victory

2005-07-22T23:07:00.000-07:00

Jon Garland once again showed the world that he is not the same mediocre pitcher that he has been in years past when he notched his ML leading 15th victory Friday night. He got out of multiple RISP jams in the middle innings, one of which was with runners on the corners and nobody out. He retired 3 consecutive batters on fly outs to escape the inning without any damage.
The game had been tied at 1 in the 6th when the Sox unloaded yet another 2 out barrage. AJ knocked a 3-run shot off of Wakefield and Uribe followed with a 3-run bomb of his own, knocking the Carmine's starter out of the game.
In giving more thought to the Big Hurts return to the DL, I got to thinking about how the Sox managed to earn the best record in baseball without having Franks bat in the lineup until June. With Everett having filled in nicely at the DH spot, I doubt that a bat will be brought in before the deadline, but if one is acquired I'd bet on it being a left-handed hitting utility man to replace Timo or Willie. Common sense would tell you that it would be Timo who would be replaced, as Willie is the only viable back-up option to the Gooch at 2B, and he also can play CF. Timo is only able to play the corner outfield positions, where he is now the only back-up with Carl moving back to being the DH.
As far as a move being made to help us on the pitching front, I think our best option would be to acquire a swing-man starter to fill in for Duque or Contreras as needed. I'd feel best about getting someone who could be acquired for little cost. For example, Ted Lilly, if available, would fit the bill. I'm not impressed with any of the front line guys who are available (if you want to call them that) such as Burnett or Schmidt, and they would come at much to high a price. As I've said before, I have no problem if no move is made at all. Knowing the way KW works, you know he is exploring any and every opportunity that is out there. If everyone's asking price is too high, fine. Stick with who got us where we are and let it ride.

A Big Hurt

2005-07-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

As expected, Frank Thomas was placed on the 15 day DL, retroactive to yesterday. He is suffering from inflammation is his left foot, which he had off-season surgery on.
The Sox recalled Ross Gload who is hitting .363 with eight home runs and 20 RBI in 29 games with Charlotte. I wanted Gload to be on the ML roster, but not at the expense of Franks spot. I just hope Gload tears the cover off the ball so that when Frank comes back, it's Timo that gets sent down and not Gload.
I have a feeling that KW might look at Frank's return to the DL as the straw that could break the camels back. (I know this team hasn't depended on any one person to produce in order to win, but w/o his bat in the lineup we lose some serious punch in the heart of the order) A trade before the deadline could now be imminent, and if one were to happen I think that now it would most likely be for a bat and not a starter.

Defensive Woes

2005-07-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

As recently as a few days ago, the Sox led the league in defensive efficiency. After committing 4 errors in the past two games, 3 in yesterdays contest alone, I'd doubt that is the case anymore. What makes the errors yesterday sting even more is the fact that they were committed by the most unlikely players. There was a costly double error by the Gooch, the first when he muffed a hard chopper to 2nd and the second on his throw home, which was wide. Then in the 9th, Joe Crede drops a foul ball fly out, giving Manny Ramirez a second chance at the plate, which he took advantage of, hitting a go-ahead solo HR. This came a half inning after Crede had hit a game-tying RBI double off Curt Schilling.
The Sox have still committed the fourth fewest errors in the majors with 52 and are tied with 8 other clubs for 3rd in fielding percentage, at .985. Hopefully that stat holds true because right now is the time the Sox could least afford to be sloppy in the field, especially with news coming out today that Frank Thomas might be facing a trip back to the DL. The offense has not looked very good lately, and losing Franks bat would really hurt. He has been struggling at the plate the last week or two, but we need to get him in his groove, and he can't do that on the DL.
The Sox upcoming schedule is not going to be a cake walk with them playing many games against teams outside the division, or in other words, teams that usually give the Sox a hard time. In the next month the Sox have 6 more games against Boston, 6 vs. the Yankees, 4 against Baltimore and 3 vs. both Toronto and Seattle.

Garland (14-4 3.21) goes to the mound tonight to try and get the Sox back on track. He'll be going up against the Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (8-8 4.12). The Sox have lost back to back games in which Buehrle and Garland started just one time this season, so we've got that going for us.

The Sox record in July now stands at 9-8.

John Roberts' Dissent Regarding ESA Ruling

2005-07-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

In his short term serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, John Roberts took a position on one ruling that makes me believe that he may be more reasonable than some liberals might make him out to be. In this particular case, Roberts wrote a dissent suggesting that the Endangered Species Act, at least as applied in a case concerning a California development project, was unconstitutional.
The ESA (Endangered Species Act) was put into law during the 1970's by Richard Nixon. That fact alone should lead one to believe there is more to the act than meets the eye. In reality, the ESA has little to do with the government trying to protect endangered species. It serves basically as a trump card for the government over private landowners concerning the use of their land.
Picture this. There is a river, and on both sides of the river there are spotted owls. Now, on one side of the river, owls are prevalent, outnumbering the owls from the opposite side of the river 10 to 1. On the other side of that river, where there are hardly any owls at all in comparison, the owls would be protected under the ESA. But on the side where owls are prevalent, no protection would exist. The owl would only be considered endangered on the one side of the river where there are fewer owls. So basically, the ESA protects the areas in which a species does not like to inhabit, but not the areas in which the species do like to inhabit. The Act has nothing to do with the general population of any species, just the population of the species in any one given area, whose size is not defined.
If a person were to buy a piece of land and any species protected by the ESA was found to inhabit that land, the federal government would be able to overrule any local zoning enabling that person to build anything on that land.
Half of the species protected under the ESA are not even consedered to be endangered by the scientific community. The ESA in general is a complete farce. Roberts' writing a dissent regarding this issue suggests that he isn't afraid to speak out on behalf of the average citizen when the law of the land violates his or her rights. (This particular case involved a real estate development company and not an individual citizen, but his dissent would apply to both.)

Sox Drop Series

2005-07-20T22:24:00.000-07:00

The Sox lost a series to a central division foe for the first time this season when Detroit defeated them 8-6 on Wednesday afternoon. With the Sox down 4-3, Freddy Garcia was sent out to pitch the ninth inning with his pitch count around 105. He led off the inning allowing a solo home run and a single before exiting. Politte and Cotts came on in relief and were not able to stop the bleeding. Detroit was able to put 4 insurance runs on the board in the 9th inning to seal the Sox fate.

Tomorrow the BoSox come to town and will be sending Ex-Scrub Matt Clement (10-3 4.21) to the mound to face Mark Buehrle (11-3 2.58).

Off the subject of Sox baseball....
President Bush recently nominated John Roberts, a white conservative lawyer who has served his only 2 years as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, to the Supreme Court. It should come as no surprise to anyone who pays attention to the politics of this administration, but I can't help but go to off on a rant. Robert's will be taking the seat of the retiring Sandra Day O'Connor, who is regarded as the voice of reason on the Court and whose vote is often the swing vote on the politically split court. Robert's appointment, coupled with Bush likely be making another appointment to the Court in the near future with the looming retirement of the ailing William Rehnquist, will swing the Court in highly in favor of the Bush-type right-wingers. Hopefully Roberts follows the precedent of the past few Republican appointee's, O'Connor among them, and strays more torward the center than the right. I fear that will not happen. I'm not saying I'd feel better with a liberal majority, I'm saying I'd feel more comfortable with a balance. (Not that we aren't screwed either way) Appointments made to the Supreme Court are lifetime appointments, and any made by Bush will be effecting the country for decades to come. This is a perfect example of why I did not vote for Bush in the first Presidential election I was eligible to vote in. In fact, I didn't vote for Kerry either, I voted for an independent. Some might say I wasted my vote. I say at least I didn't contribute to the problem.

Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding father's of this country and a lawyer himself, among many other things, said that we should never allow this country to be run by lawyers. Today, the Congress and Senate are filled with them. They pass laws that are only of aid to their political contributors or their own business interests and ignore the average citizen's who are stuck up a creek without a paddle because of them. The recent Supreme Court ruling regarding eminent domain is a great example. Sandra Day O'Connor (the voice of reason) filed a dissent regarding the ruling, saying that in her opinion it seemed like another instance of the beginning of the government over-exercising their power and manipulating the law.

Another White Sox Comeback

2005-07-18T22:59:00.000-07:00

Down 4-1 in the 7th inning the Sox unloaded a barrage of home runs to bury the Tigers 7-5. Konerko led off the inning with a solo shot, Crede followed wth a 3 run bomb to put the Sox on top, and Uribe finished off the inning with a solo shot of his own. For good measure, Frank Thomas added an insurance run with a solo homer in the 8th. Every Sox homer was hit to left field.
El Duque had a decent return from his latest stint on the DL, surrendering 4 runs in 6IP. To make room for Duque on the roster the Sox made an unexpected move by designating Shingo Takatsu for assignment. They have 10 days to trade or release the veteran reliever. The Sox have elected to instead keep the 24 year old fireballer Bobby Jenks on the Major League roster. The Sox logic behind the move is understandable in that Shingo has been hit hard this season and is an aging, soft-tossing pitcher. Jenks is a young, hard-thrower with a 99MPH fastball and snap dragon curveball. He has closing experience in the minors, and in my opinion, his stuff makes him a risk worth taking. It's sad to see Shingo's tenure on the Sox come to and end though. Without him last season the Sox would probably not have contended at all the entire year. He shouldn't be out of work long. There is no doubt in my mind that another team will take a chance and pick him up.
The move made today that I don't agree with was exercising Ross Gloads last minor league option to keep Timo Perez on the roster as a left handed bat off the bench. Why? I have no idea. The Sox already have an abundance of outfielders. JD and Rowand from the right side, Pods and Willie (back up in CF) from the left, and the switch hitting Carl Everett who can play the corners. We have only one true first basemen on the roster. On top off all that, Gload is tearing the cover off the ball in AAA, hitting .375 with 8HR's and 20 RBI in 120 AB's.

Some good news, depending on your point of view. From WhiteSox.com:
All quiet on the trade front: Countless rumors of possible trades involving the White Sox have surfaced as the July 31 trade deadline nears, but Williams said that any trade now is highly unlikely.

"You never say never," Williams said. "But I think what can be categorized as a major deal, I personally don't see that on our radar screen right now. It's pretty evident it would cost us something that I don't think us very prudent."

The trade market has dwindled in recent weeks with many teams still vying for Wild Card spots. Many of the American League teams are not willing to make trades with the Sox according to Williams and he will not do anything to drastically shake up a team that has a 61-29 record.

"When you look at the open market and look at what potentially you can do, it's just not conducive to us getting any better," Williams said. "And if there's nothing significant out there, I think we're better served going with the guys that brought us here."

I could not agree more. I just hope that he's not bluffing.

Sox Bounce Back

2005-07-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

The White Sox shook off suffering their first sweep of the season and won 1-0 last night over Cleveland thanks to a 3 hit, 7K performance from Jose Contreras. He had 7IP and walked 3. One sour note was reading this morning that JC couldn't go back out for the 8th due to leg cramps. Hopefully it isn't anything to be concerned about and was just fatigue or dehydration.
In my eyes, the best part of the game was the performance by Damaso Marte out of the pen. Fresh off the DL, Marte came on with one out in the 8th after Politte had faced and retired just one batter, and he proceeded to blow away all 3 hitters he faced (2 in the 8th and 1 in the 9th). His fastball was alive and he had that devastating sweeping breaking ball working.
The game also featured what was perhaps one of the funniest defensive plays the Sox have made all season. On a routine fly-ball hit to straight away left field, Scott Podsednik raised his arms in the air indicating he had absolutely no idea where the ball was. (A sight becoming all too familiar. And to think the Sox considered moving Aaron to left to make way for Scotty in center in Spring Training) The ball hung up in the air long enough for Rowand to come sprinting over to left field to make the catch, behind and to the right of where Pods was standing.
With the victory the Sox moved to 6-0 against the Indians in 1-run games. They are now an unbelievable 27-5 vs. the Central Division with an equally impressive 28-14 road record, best in the bigs.The Sox also gained back a game on Minnesota who lost to LAAAAA last night, and thier lead is now back in double digits at 10 games.

Tonight Freddy Garcia (8-3 3.53) goes up against the Tribe's CC Sabathia (6-5 4.50).

Somebody at MLB.com seems to think very highly of our Pale Hose.

Elsewhere in sports: The Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus, polished off his illustrious career with a birdie on the 36th hole of the British Open this afternoon. He shot an even par 72 to finish 3 over through 2 rounds, coming up just short of making the cut in his final Major tournament on the PGA tour.
Lance Armstrong is still wearing the yellow jersey with his 38 second lead in the Tour de France, despite many complaints from the French. They say Armstrong has an unfair advantage over them because he still has one of his testicles.

Some Good Pieces On The Sox

2005-07-12T17:04:00.000-07:00

I've decided to skip doing a mid-season report card on our Pale Hose. Instead, here's a few links to some good reads regarding the Sox.

WSI's Hal Vickery has some pointers in this piece for the people jumping onto the Sox' bandwagon.

WSI's Patrick Ferrini's "You May Be A Sox Fan If...."

Cubune columnist Rick Morrissey wrote this article stating that Frank Thomas is a Walking Dead Man whom is still one of the most prolific hitters of modern time.

Southtown columnist Nathaniel Whalen explains how the Sox have used the sacrifice to help lead them to the best record in baseball, and have done so without the benifit of a single hitter batting over .300.

A Good Review

2005-07-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

At the end of yesterdays post I brought up the Robert Plant show that I saw on Saturday night. In this mornings Sun-Times Jim Derogatis had a nice review of the concert. His description of the rendition of "No Quarter" hit the nail right on the head. That was only Zep song that they played that sounded drastically different from the original. As far as him knocking Plants voice now compared to what it used to be.... I wasn't around to hear what his voice sounded like back in the day, but regardless of whether or not he had the aid of enhancers, which I'm sure he did, I thought he sounded great for a 57 year old rock God. Like I said yesterday, if you ever have a chance to go see him live before he hangs 'em up, do it. You will not be disappointed.

Oakland Continues to Own The White Sox

2005-07-10T22:28:00.000-07:00

The Sox suffered their first sweep of the season at the hands of the A's over the weekend. The Southsiders threw their top 3 starters out to the mound in Garland, Buehrle, and Garcia, respectively, and were beaten handily.
I attended both Friday night and Sunday afternoons ballgames and unfortunately saw my first Sox losses of the season. The Sox record with me in attendance now stands at 5-2. As far as which loss was less painful, I'll take Rat Pack night on Friday. The Sinatra "stylist" that sang after the game/before the fireworks was pretty damn good. He was so good that his voice could fool my young ears into thinking that I was actually hearing Ol' Blue Eyes himself sing.
Sunday's game was a scorcher, and I was sitting in the sun on the 3rd base line Club Level. I'd bet that I lost about 5 pounds in water weight by the time I left. Freddy Garcia's dominance in day games did not hold true in this contest as he labored through 6 IP and was lucky to have only surrendered 4 runs on the 9 hits he gave up. He threw 25 pitches in the 1st inning and was nearly at 50 after 2. The loss for this one should be attributed to the bullpen and not Freddy though, as Cotts came on to give up 3 runs, 1 of which was walked in, and Hermanson gave up a 9th inning solo HR to double the Sox deficit. After the Sox came back to score 2 in their half of the ninth to force extra innings, Vizciano eventually took the loss in the 11th when he gave up the final run of the game. Sox pitching did not record a 1-2-3 inning until the 8th.
On a brighter and off subject note, on Saturday night I managed to go see Robert Plant at The Auditorium. Great show. I was blown away by the acoustics in that place, they're unbelievable. I saw him play at the Riv a couple of years ago, and the sound this time around is no match for The Riv. (I also saw him open for The Who a couple summers ago, but that was at Tweeter. You can't compare the sound at an outdoor venue like Tweeter to a small, indoor venue like The Auditorium or The Riv.) If you have an opportunity to go see Plant live, I'd highly recommend checking it out. His new stuff is pretty good, the live renditions of old Zeppelin songs are for the most part great, and he can still get his voice up there.

Big Frank Leads Sox To Victory

2005-07-06T07:58:00.000-07:00

Last night the Big Hurt came to the plate in the 8th inning with the Sox trailing 4-3 and hit a towering 3-run homer that still hasn't landed yet, putting the Sox on top for good, 6-4.
With the victory the Sox moved to 30 GAMES ABOVE .500, or a record of 56-26 record after just 82 ballgames, which is one game past the half way point of the season. The Sox also gained back a game on the Twins who lost to Anehiem last night, making their lead in the central 9.5 games..
Tonight Contreras (8-3, 3.29 ERA) will face off against Fossum (3-6 4.04).
Elsewhere in Baseball: Esteban Loiaza outpitched Pedro Martinez last night in the Nationals victory over the Mets. He went 8+ IP while surrendering just 1ER on 8 hits, lowering his ERA to 3.61. He walked one and struck out 8. After receiving little run support early in the season, Loiaza has raised his record to 5-5 for a Nationals team that has allowed as many runs to score (340) as they have scored on the season (340).

Sox Rebound to Defeat D-Rays 10-8

2005-07-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

A five run 1st inning, highlighted by a Jermaine Dye grand slam, led the White Sox to their first victory on the 4th of July in 4 years. (I don't know if anyone else remembers this, but there was a game 2 or 3 seasons ago on the 4th when the Sox played the Rays in Tampa and had a lead in the 9th, only to see it blown on a HR surrendered by Koch.)
A 4 run 5th inning turned out to be the difference in the game, as the D-Rays refused to go down quietly. They chased McCarthy out of the game in the 4th before he was even able to record an out in the inning. He was unable to hold leads of 5-0 and 6-1 that he was provided with. Following the game the Sox sent the Kid back down to AAA Charlotte and called up Bobby Jenks up from Birmingham.

Yours truely came up with last minute tickets to the game 20 minutes before the 2 hour rain delay ended. I got to the park right as the top of the 1st was ending and I was walking through the parking lot when sPod led the game off with a hit for the Sox. Hearing the sound of the sold out crowd erupting from outside the park sent chills down my spine.
About 75% of the crowd stayed for the fireworks after the game, which ended at about 11:30. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with the show after the game. It was kind of weak for a 4th of July fireworks show. I think it lasted about 10 minutes at most. It seemed more like your average Saturday night firework show than a 4th of July display. Maybe their supply was depleted because the fireworks for the HR's in the game were much better and more plentiful than they normally are. I think I was spoiled by LaGrange Country Club's fireworks on Sunday night. The finale in that show was unbelievable.

Tonights Matchup: Hendrickson (3-5, 6.06 ERA) vs. Garcia (8-3, 3.29 ERA)

Far And Away the Worst Games of the Season

2005-07-03T23:56:00.000-07:00

On Friday Sox pitching issued 10 BB's. 2 with the bases loaded. JC had 3 WP's and at least one with a man on 3rd. He refused to use his fastball throughout his 5, 5+, or however many innings pitched, and this was after Ozzie decided to "let the "kid" throw his own game and see what happens". Rather than throw the heat, JC thought it would be wise to throw splitters for around 90% of his pitches, 10% of which were for strikes.
What a great trade by the Sox. An $8M dollar headcase in exchange for a guy who has thrown QS's in 80% of his starts this year, and by the way he is making about $2.5M this season and it's paid by a team without an owner. It'd sure be nice to have Loiaza pitching the way he has this season for the Sox instead of the Nationals. At least he isn't afraid to throw strikes and challenge the hitters, somewhat.
Then on Sunday, a costly and uncharacteristic throwing error by Mark Buehrle led to 4 A's runs after the Sox had been leading 2-0 in the 6th inning. Need I say more?
The question for Sox fans everywhere is, which game was harder to watch? My money goes on Friday's game. No doubt.
BTW, the lone bright spot coming out of the Sox hell hole, otherwise known as the Oakland Collesiuem, is that Jon Garland won his ML leading 13th game on Saturday.

Sox Earn Another Sweep

2005-06-30T23:11:00.000-07:00

Freddy Garcia dominated the Tigers this afternoon, throwing a complete game as the Sox won 6-1. Garcia had retired 14 in a row at one point in the game and I believe retired 23 out of the final 25 batters in the game. He finished with 8K's and surrendered 1 run on 5 hits.
The offense was dormant against the Tigers starter Mike Maroth up until the 5th inning when Joe Crede touched him up for a 3R HR to put the Sox on top 3-1. Everett followed the next inning with a 2R shot of his own on the first pitch he saw from Maroth in the AB.

The Rumor Mill: San Fran had their scouts at last nights game in Detroit, most likely taking a look at McCarthy. Sox scouts were reportedly at a Giants game last week, at a game in which their ace, Jason Schmidt, started. Schmidt has battled arm problems in recent seasons with frequent trips to the DL since winning the Cy Young Award a few years back. The Giants are supposedly asking too much for the Sox to part with, which could be great or terrible news. Hopefully whatever they are asking is too much for KW to stomach giving up, and he stays away. Worst case scenario, he pulls the trigger and sends McCarthy, a reliever, possibly Vizciano, and probably a top-tier minor leaguer such as Anderson or Sweeney to the Giants.
McCarthy is still a bit too raw for the majors, so I can understand the idea being considered if they don't think Duque will get better soon. The problem I have is with this is that the Sox can't afford to part with much more young talent. Their system is already rather depleted, especially in pitching. Why give up what could be huge pieces of your future for a guy who would become a free agent after his $10.5M option next season? On top of that, he's no better bet than Duque to stay off the DL. All around, this just seems like a bad idea.
I recently decided that I think KW should just ride with who he has and let the chips fall where they may. The players that the Sox already have still own the best record in baseball nearly 1/2 way through the season. Why try to fix what isn't broke? I'll take a .250 avg with 15-20 HR and 70RBI from guys like Crede, Uribe and Dye if they keep playing defense the way that they have. If the Sox do anything, I think they should just add a solid bat to the bench (ie replace Timo), or maybe pick-up one more good arm for an already strong bullpen.

Two Nailbiters, Sox Style

2005-06-29T23:30:00.000-07:00

Dustin Hermanson came on to try and record the save in the 9th inning of yesterdays ballgame and promptly gave up a lead-off triple to Ivan Rodriguez. That shot would have gone out in any other ballpark in baseball, but in Comerica it bounced at the wall in right-center, about 420 feet from home plate. Hermanson went on to get the following batter to hit a IF pop-up, and retired the next two hitters on ground balls leaving I Rod on 3rd and earning himself the save.
Tonight was nearly the same story from a different book. Deadlocked at 3 runs apiece in the 13th inning, Frank Thomas hit a solo HR, his 8th of the year, to give the Sox a 4-3 lead. Shingo Takatsu had pitched in the 12th and stayed on for the 13th to close things out. In the 13th with one out and the tying and go-ahead runs on base, Shingo intentionally walked Nuke Logan to load'em up. That proved to be the right move, as Shingo retired next 2 hitters to end the game. In his last few outings Shingo has looked as if he has turned the corner.
McCarthy had his strongest outing since facing the Cubs in his first major league start, finishing the game with 6IP while surrendering 3ER. He had a shot at his first career ML win, but thanks to Pod being in CF, what would have been a routine flyball out for Rowand was turned into a triple. The kid was pulled after that play and Cotts ended up allowing that runner, the tying run, to score, although again it was more Pods fault than anyone else. With the tying run on 3rd, Cotts got the batter to pop up to short-mid center, the runner tagged and took off with the catch but Pods weak throw did not make it to the plate in time.
The Sox had ample opportunities in this game to give it away, but just refused to do so. In a tie game in the 8th Politte had the bases loaded with nobody out and managed to strike out Rodriguez before getting an inning ending double-play to end the scroing threat. Another great play came in the ninth with a man on 3rd and 2 out on a ground ball that was hit to the hole between short and third. Uribe came up with it and made a great throw from short left field to gun down the diving Polanco at 1st, saving the run and the game. Plays like that make one hope that if a big bat is brought in before the deadline, they had better have one hell of a glove to go with it.
With the W the Sox moved to 22-8 in 1 run games this season and also gained back a game on the Twins, moving to 10 games up.

Sox Lose Series To Cubs

2005-06-27T22:47:00.000-07:00

The Sox offense was nearly completely shutdown in the final 2 games of the series vs. the Cubs. The only runs they've produced in their last 18 innings came on solo-back-to-back homers off of Maddux in Saturdays contest. That wasn't enough to even get a lead though, as Contreras gave up a grand slam in the first inning and did so before his pitch count had even reached double digits. He started the game allowing lead-off bunt single, a HBP, and a walk to load the bases setting up the grammy for Ramirez. On Sunday the Sox only managed to get one hit in the ballgame. ("One hit?! You mean to tell me we've only got one god damned hit?" -Harry Doyle)
Tomorrow the Sox open up a series in Detriot against the Tigers and will be sending Buehrle (9-1, 2.48) out to face Robertson (3-5, 3.66). The Sox will just miss the return of "Thats not enough Money-io", who just began his minor league rehab tonight in AAA, going 1-2 with a double and a walk. He had gone hitless in his only 3 starts on the season before going on the DL with a hernia in April.

Around Baseball: Minnesota snapped their skid on Sunday and won again today to climb back to 9 games behind the Sox.
Julio Franco hit his 8th career grand slam tonight at the ripe old age of 46. In 116 AB's this season, Julio is hitting .276 with 6HR's and 20 RBI. Last season in 320 AB's, he hit .309 with 57 RBI.

Offensive Onslaught

2005-06-24T23:28:00.000-07:00

The Sox won their 8th straight ballgame when they crushed the Cubs this afternoon by a score of 12-2, the largest margin of victory for either team against one another since interleague play began in 1997. This marks the third time on the year that the Sox have won 8 straight, their season high. With the win the Sox moved to 10.5 games up on the Twins and became the first team in the majors to win 50 games this season. (They were also the first team to 10, 20, 30, and 40.)
Freddy Garcia neutralized the Cubs bats by holding them to just 1 run on 3 hits in his 7IP. His lone mistake in the game turned out to be a high fastball to Hollandsworth which was deposited deep into the right field seats.
Frank Thomas opened the door for the Sox barrage with his 1st inning 428 foot solo HR to left, which just happened to be in his first at bat of the year that I saw him have in person. I love to watch that man hit. The game stayed close early with the Sox blowing a few scoring opportunities in the first couple innings, but they broke loose after pulling ahead 3-1 in the 3rd. AJ knocked a 2R HR and Crede a 3R HR, there were a few sac flies, 2 wild pitches with men on third, and most importantly, 2 out hits. I don't think I've ever seen a Sox team hit so often and score so many with 2 outs. All in all, it was a pretty balanced offensive attack. On top of all of that, the hit and run was executed perfectly on numerous occasions throughout the game.
Aside from the heat, it was a great ballgame to be at. Cubs fans were plentiful but were drowned out early into the game. I guess having only 3 hits through 7 innings isn't enough for even them to cheer about, as they were pretty silent after the first couple innings. It was a bit funny hearing them get exited over a hit later in the game though, down by 10 or 11 runs. I'd say the crowd was at least 60-40 Sox fans over Cubs fans.
The only drawback of my day was when we first got to our seats and sat down, I noticed that when I leaned forward my back was sticking to my chair a little. I turned around to find some jag-off stuck a wad of gum on the backrest my seat, and it was stuck all over the back of my jersey. My guess is that it was probably the Cubs fans sitting a couple of rows behind us. J/K, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was.
The Sox will be sending Contreras to the hill tomorrow to face the Cub's future HOF'er Greg Maddux.

Sox Sweep & Win 7th Striaght

2005-06-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

Streaks, streaks, and more streaks. Mark Buehrle won his 8th consecutive decision with his win over the Royals this afternoon and pitched into at least the 6th inning for the 43rd straight start. His scoreless innings streak was snapped though, due to a Jermaine Dye throwing error. The Sox moved to 9-0 on the season against KC and are winners of their last 7.
Minnesota lost for the 4th time in a row today, thier longest losing streak of the season to date, and fell to 10 games behind the Sox. The Sox double digit lead could possibly only last a day though, as they're off Thursday while the Twins will be wrapping up their series against Detroit. Detroit starters have thrown complete games in their last two games against Minnesota.
I had a stroke of luck today when I was offered two UD tickets for Fridays opener against the Cubs for only $35 a pop. I've never been to a Sox-Cubs game. At that price, especially considering the ridiculous amounts of money that people shell out for tickets to these games, I could care less if the seats are in the top row behind the foul pole, I was not turning them down. This is most difficult ticket to get in town every summer, regardless of how either team is playing, and it's the first time I've ever even had a chance to go. I can't put words to how much I'm looking forward to the game. I can't wait too feel the energy of the sold out crowd. This will be the first sellout Sox game I've attended since game 6 of the ALCS in '93. Freddy Garcia (6-3 3.75) will face the Cubs Sergio Mitre (2-2 4.19).

Quick update about those Scrubs: They lost tonight to the Brewers as Carlos Zambrano was roughed up for 8 runs in the second inning, the most he's ever given up in a start. He was pulled after only 1 2/3. Carlos Lee continued to kill the Cubs, racking up 2 hits in that second inning alone, one of which was a 3 run bomb. He also hit one more solo shot later in the game for good measure. He finished 3-4 with 4 RBI, increasing his RBI total to 64 on the season, good for tops in the Major Leagues. Its funny that with how well the Sox are doing, that doesn't bother me one bit. The only drawback to that trade was that we should have gotten a better pitcher than Vizciano has been.

Sox Notch 6th Straight

2005-06-21T23:08:00.000-07:00

Jon Garland became the first 12 game winner in baseball tonight after his 8.1 IP 4H performance against the Royals. With tonights victory the Sox moved to 8-0 on the season vs. KC and also gained a game on both the Tribe and Twins, extending their lead in the Central to 9 games over Minnesota.
The Sox racked up 10 hits on the evening, all of which were singles, and scored 5 runs off of the KC starter, Zack Greinke. Greinke had a career high 8K's on the evening, which is much more indicative of how he pitched than his runs surrendered on the evening would lead you to believe. Greinke once again was dominating the Sox through 4+ innings before they scored 2 runs in the 5th, and then Greinke exited in the 6th with 2 men aboard after giving up 1 more. The reliever who replaced him allowed both inherited runners to score. He came into tonights game with a 1-7 record and an ERA close to 6.00, but every time I've seen him pitch against the Sox he has been great.

Tomorrow's Matchups: Howell 1-1, 4.09 vs. Buehrle 8-1, 2.67

Sox Win 11-8 over KC

2005-06-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

The White Sox put on a show of just about every component of a complete offensive team tonight, hitting 3 home runs, stealing 4 bases, drawing walks, using sacrifice bunts/flyouts/hits to advance runners or score runs, hitting to the right side. You name it, the Sox probably executed it Monday night, albeit against Jose Lima and a few relievers whose ERA's were all above 7.00. Every hitter in the Sox line-up was able to pick up a hit, highlighted by AJ who was 3 for 4 with a huge bases loaded 2-run single to put the Sox ahead for good in the 6th, Iguchi went 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored, Konerko was 3 for 5 and hit a 3-run homer in the 1st, Frank hit a solo HR in the 4th, his 6th of the season (more on than momentarily), and JD went 2 for 4 with a solo HR, 2 RBI's, 2 runs scored and a walk.
Brandon McCarthy held a 5-1 lead through 3 innings and a 7-3 lead through 4, but he was not able not able to escape the 5th for a chance at his first major league victory. Not that it would have mattered anyway, as Ozzie left Vizciano in to pitch the 6th after relieving McCarthy in the 5th, and he surrendered 2 solo home runs allowing KC to tie the game at 8. The pitching held strong after that though with Cotts, Shingo and Hermy closing the door. When the offense is scoring like they were this evening, the pitching can afford to give up some runs, but they have to be able to put their foot down when the time comes, and that is exactly what the Sox were able to do tonight.

A quote from Paul Konerko following Monday nights contest:
"It's good to hit behind [Thomas]," Konerko said. "Even when he has a tough game, he usually squeaks out a walk, makes the pitchers throw. I've got to think, that no matter how he's going -- good or bad -- the other team focuses on him a lot. Sometimes I get a good pitch to hit because it seems so much energy is [devoted] to him. There might be a let-up."

And Ozzie Guillen says the toughest part of his job is deciding wheather to play Crazy Everett or Frank Thomas at DH. I highly doubt that any teammate of Everetts, at any point in his career, has said anything close to what Paulie said about Franks presence in the line-up. The guy has hit 6 home runs in 32 AB's this season, has a career OBP of .429 and OPS of .997. If he's healthy there is absolutely no reason that Frank should be anywhere else but in the line-up, every day. Once again I'm going to quote a saying that I first remember hearing from an old teacher of mine, Mr. Montgomery, when I say "Common sense is not so common."

One more quick quote by some Cubune columnist that I caught on a clip of a sportsblab show Monday evening. The quote is regarding the biggest difference between the Cubs and Sox players mindsets because of thier respective bullpens when hitting in late inning RISP situations:

"When a Sox player, like Aaron Rowand last night, is at the plate, they know that if they do something, its actually going to matter"
I think he went on to say that Cubs players get a go-ahead hit and then think, "OK, now how are we going to screw this one up?"

Pale Hose Sitting Pretty After Sweep of Dodgers

2005-06-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

The Sox moved to 7 1/2 games up on the Twins in the Central with their two come from behind victories over LA on Saturday and Sunday to complete the sweep. The Sox were down to their last strike on more than one occasion in the 9th inning in Saturday's contest, trailing 3-1. After coming up with 2 runs to tie it up, AJ hit a 2-run walk off blast to left-center.
Much of the credit for Sunday's victory should be credited to sPod in my opinion. After being dominated by Jared Weaver through the first 7 innings, (yet again making a pitcher with mediocre numbers look like Nolan Ryan for much of the game), Scotty's speed turned the whole game around. In the 8th with Pod on 1st, Weaver became preoccupied with holding him on and tripped while turning on one of his throws over to 1st, throwing the ball into the stands and advancing Pod all the way to 3rd. (Why the umps gave him 3rd is a mystery to me) That ended up being the turning point in the game. Another clutch hit from Aaron Rowand later in the inning gave the Sox a 1 run lead which they would not relinquish. Hermy came on for the save in the 9th, albeit an ugly save. (He gave up a couple walks and nearly gave up a game tying HR, but it hooked just foul.)
The Twins dropped 2 of 3 to San Deigo over the weekend, falling to 7.5 games behind the Sox as I stated earlier. Cleveland has come on strong, winners of 9 straight, climbing to just 1 game behind Minnesota in the Wild Card standings, 8.5 back of the Sox. Detroit is also in the mix, just 4 back of the WC lead.
If Twins were to go 58-39 (.600) the remainder of the season, they would need the Sox to go 50-46 (.520) to force a tie for 1st place in the division. (Stat courtosy of SuperNova at BlackBetsy) Even if the Twins exceed that .600 win percentage and win 60-65 games (.619-.670) the rest of the year, the most the Sox would have to win to still hold a lead in September is 58 games, a win percentage. of .604, which is still below the pace they are currently on. (.676) Although it is unrealistic to expect them to keep up the pace they are currently on, (if they do, they'll wind up with about 110 wins) it is hard to imagine them playing much worse than about .600 the rest of the way.
Through 68 games, the Sox lead the central in runs scored with 323, ahead of the Twins 311 and Tigers 299, and are second in all of baseball in runs allowed with 261, one behind the Indians 260 and ahead of the Twins 272. (LAAAAA is 3rd in MLB with 265 RA, and the Twins are 4th, so the AL owns the top 4 pitching teams in MLB. I'd bet that the AL has never had the top 4 teams in RA this far in to a season)
Tonight the Sox face KC and will send Brandon McCarthy to the mound for his 3rd career start. Tonight marks the beginning of an audition of sorts for the kid, as El Duque has been put on the DL for the second time in a month and KW doesn't sound very happy about it. According to the GM, McCarthy has a shot at solidifying a spot in the rotation if he handles his next few starts well. I wouldn't put much stock into that happening because in my opinion it was just posturing on KW's part to try and light a fire under Duque's arse. Not only that, but I doubt the Sox brass will be very enthusiastic about paying Duque's contract if he is only throwing out of the 'pen.

Wall Street Journal Rips Sox Attendance

2005-06-16T22:44:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal, the most renowned business publication in the world, featured our Chicago White Sox on page 1 Wednesday. The article focuses on the Sox struggle to pack the place while on the other side of town sellouts are commonplace, among other observations and misconceptions.

"Despite a mediocre performance most of the year, the second-place Cubs have played to 98% capacity, and nearly had a sellout April 23 when they lost to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates in near-freezing temperatures with 25-mile-an-hour winds blasting off Lake Michigan."

You know what I'd like to know? Where the hell were all those "Die Hard Cub Fans" sticking out the cold and rainy April day back in 98' when Ferry Wood had 20 K's in the game? The next time you see a clip of that game, look at all the green seats in that park. There could not have been over 15,000 people there that day. The Cubs attendance exploded when they won the Wild Card during the year of the home run race between Soso and McGwire and has peaked the last couple of years since their NLCS choke job in 03'. The writer of course also neglects to mention how Wrigley is as much of a tourist attraction as it is a ballpark, for example bringing in fans from Iowa by the busload every homestand throughout the summer. Moving on...

"But, as of yesterday afternoon, the Sox led the American League's Central Division by five games. They've built their 42-21 record on strong pitching, speedy base-running and late-inning comebacks. Mirroring the South Side's rough-and-tumble image, the team consists mostly of scrappy, low-priced, no-name players."

Really? Low-priced, no-name players? Frank Thomas is a 2-time MVP, (would be 3 if it were not for the Juiced Giambi), and Paul Konerko, a former All-Star, are both making $8 million + this season. Mark Buehrle, Freddy Garcia, El Duque, Jermaine Dye, AJ are all well known, established, solid and productive major league ballplayers. Excuse us if we aren't the Yankee's or BoSox with a $100, $200 million dollar payroll while getting the lead in every night on Sportscenter. If some of these guys played on the other side of town, not to mention in NY or Boston, they'd be household names across the country.

One last point I wanted to make was regarding how the neighborhood surrounding the park was portrayed. He quotes Mike North as saying that the Sox get the most ink (space in the paper) when a crime occurs near their park. In following the White Sox I can't recall one story about a fan leaving a game being a victim to a crime. I do however remember a Cub's fan being shot and killed 100 yards away from beautiful Wrigley Field last year or the year before. If you go a few miles west, southwest of Wrigley, the neighborhood you'll find yourself in will not be much better then the ghettos surrounding Comiskey Park, which are nowhere near as bad as they had been 10 years ago.

"Some of Chicago's toughest housing projects loom beyond the outfield fence."

Those projects have come down (which leads one to believe that the writer has not been to Sox Park in years, if ever) and the whole area around the park is being rebuilt or renovated. There are brand new townhomes a stone's throw away from the park that are going for $150, $200K. In 10 years the Bridgeport area may be much more similar to Wrigleyville than some, like this moron, would have you believe. As far as his statement that the park is flanked by "a rust-stained concrete wall, train tracks and an interstate highway", this only proves that the writer was most likely told this by a source and did not see it for himself. I honestly do not remember ever noticing rust on the retention wall of the train tracks (which by the way is a Metra line and if the Sox brass had any common sense, they'd work on getting a station put in at 35th) and the interstate (Dan Ryan) on the other side allows easy access to and from the park. I'd prefer having that over having airplanes buzzing the field every 10 minutes like at Shea Stadium. The Cell was built across the street from where the original park was located, it's at where it's at. Are the Yankee's plans for building a new park across street from The House That Ruth Built any different a circumstance? I realize that space is at a much higher premium in NY compared to Chicago, but there has to be a more desirable location than the Bronx for a new stadium. I'm not sure if those stadium plans were announced before this article was published, but this is just one of many opinions in the article that are a blatent New York media-bias.

In conclusion, I just want to say that I have absolutely no problem with going to games at a ballpark that is half-full. I'd rather not have to wait 15 minutes to take a leak or miss an entire inning waiting in line for curly fries or nachos. I like not having packed parking lots and being able avoid traffic on the Ryan by sneaking out the back exit of lot C and cutting over to I-55. If the Sox turn into the best thing since sliced bread, these advantages will be no more. Let the Johnny-Come-Lately's, many of whom have never gone to a game and are afraid that if they ever do, they'll be mugged, believe whatever they'd like so that they stay away from our park. When it comes down to it, let whoever say whatever they'd like to about our team, our park, our fans. All I care about is what the Sox are or are not doing come October, but regardless, I'm just going to keep going on wearing my Sox fandom like a badge of honor.

Watch A Sox Game, Have a Heart Attack

2005-06-15T21:47:00.000-07:00

The White Sox were in a 1-1 ballgame in the 5th inning when out of no where the wheels came falling off. Joe Crede booted a double play ball, Konerko dropped the ball on the transfer when he would have easily gotten the runner trying to score with a good throw, then Garland gives up a 3 run bomb. All of the sudden it's 6-1 D-Backs after 4 1/2. Then, again out of nowhere, a Frank Thomas solo shot began a bombardment as the Sox exploded for 10 runs in the 6th. Uribe homered, Konerko homered, Dye had an RBI, everybody chipped in. The Sox also caught a few breaks from errors by the D-Backs, including one by former Sox SS Royce "Swing for the Fences" Clayton. RC also botched a routine grounder when he couldn't decide what to do and ended up holding on to the ball as a run scored. This was the first time in the series that the Sox were able to rough up a D-Backs starter to get into their generous pen. Watching this game I was thinking to myself, as I thought my Sox were about to be swept for the first time of the season after that horrific defensive inning, that maybe this was going to turn out to be the turning point of the season. Four games in a row the Sox starters had been roughed up, the offense had begun to look like last years, unable to score without homers, (they had gone 28 innings without scoring a run that wasn't via the homer, a steak that wasn't broken until the 6th inning tonight). Altogether things were just not looking good. It's amazing what a 10 run inning can do to cheer somebody up. After the game I was back to pondering who I would want to start the first three games of the ALDS. I just hope that the 6th inning outburst was a sign of things to come because the offense hadn't looked too pretty the last couple of games.

Buehrle goes to the hill for the Sox on Friday to try and break the streak of no decisions he has received over the last month or so. The Dodgers will send Houlton, 2-0 5.72, out to the bump for what will be a rematch of the 1959 World Series. I believe it will be the first time that these two teams have met since then, a span of 46 years.

Memo to Jose Contreras

2005-06-13T23:15:00.000-07:00

To: JC
From: Sox Fans
Subject: 2nd inning Monday night

Jose- You looked a bit lost in that second inning, just thought I'd remind you of a few things. When the catcher sets up on the outside of the plate, that means he wants you to throw it away from the batter, not middle-in. And guess what? When he sets up inside, that doesn't mean to throw it right down the middle. Also, stop trying to use your forkball to try and get ahead of guys. You don't throw it for strikes consistently, and the hitters know that. It makes no difference if they've never faced you before. They'll only chase it with 2 strikes, if they do at all. I thought you'd figured that out this season. Speaking of over-using that fork...Did you forget how to throw any other pitch during that 2nd inning? Out of the 25-30 pitches you threw in that inning, at least 20 were splitters. By the way, when you throw the splitter/fork, it helps a lot when the ball actually splits (or drops off the table, however you'd like to put it) instead of floating up to the plate like a BP fastball.

Quick Recap: Contreras was odviously terrible tonight, surrendering 8 runs in 6IP. The fact he lasted 6 innings was a miracle, as he was touched up for a 6 spot in the 2nd after giving up a run in the 1st. Contreras gave up a total of 4 HR's in the game.
At the plate, the offense was shut down by Shawn Estes, who threw a complete game while giving up just one run on a solo homer hit by Big Frank, his 3rd HR in his last 8 AB's. All there is left to say about this game is that you win some, you lose some, and early on into the game this one was tallied in the latter category.

Billy Koch Sighting on Saturday Night

2005-06-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

Dustin Hermanson did his best Billy Koch impersonation when he blew his first save of the season Saturday night, spoiling a shutout gem thrown by Mark Buehrle. Clinging to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the ninth, Hermanson allowed a solo home run to tie the game before giving up a couple hits to put runners on 1st and 3rd. He then intentionally walked the next batter to load the bases before allowing a walk-off single to the following batter. Hermanson only managed to record one out in the inning.
The blame should not be put squarely on Hermy's shoulders though, as Ozzie did another bone-head job of managing late in the game that most likely cost the Sox at least one run. With runners on 1st and 3rd and NOBODY out in the 8th inning and Buehrle due up next, Ozzie elected to let Buehrle hit and try to put down a bunt. Why? I don't even think Ozzie knows. There is no logical answer to that question. By sending Buehrle up there to bunt you are guaranteeing yourself an out and at the same time giving yourself just about no chance of scoring that run from 3rd on the play. Sure enough, Buehrle fails to get one down and goes down on strikes. Now granted, they still had 2 outs left to work with, but regardless, there is still no way Buehrle should have been allowed to get to the plate in that situation. The number of games where Ozzie's decisions have cost us are adding up. BTW, the Sox blew another scoring opportunity when Paul Konerko was thrown out at home trying to score all the way from first base on a routine double in the corner. The slowest runner on the team was waived home by Joey Cora, who was almost correct in sending him as the relay throw to home was wide, but the catcher was able to recover and dive back towards the plate to tag Konerko just in time. So had the throw been more accurate, Paulie would have been out by 5-10 feet at least.

Garland Earns 10th W

2005-06-11T12:58:00.000-07:00

Last night the Sox, fresh off their sweep of the Rockies in Coors Field, took the first game of the series vs. the Padres 4-2. Jon Garland surrendered only one run and had a 2-hit shutout going until the 7th inning when he was touched up for a wall-scraping solo homer which was followed by 3 consecutive hits. Garland got lucky to escape further damage that inning thanks to Aaron Rowands spectacular diving catch saving 2 runs on a line drive hit by Khalil Greene to short center field to end the inning. Garland had a no-hitter going through 4 1/3 innings. JG is the first pitcher in the AL and the second in all of baseball to earn 10 victory's. (Dontrell Willis being the first)
The offense scored just enough to win yet again, with Jon Garland even chipping in with an RBI single. Crede went 2 for 3 and AJ hit a solo homer in the 7th off of Woody Williams to add what turned out to be the winning run.
At the plate the Sox collectively have looked better and better as of late, highlighted by the explosion in the 8th and 9th innings Wednesday in Colorado. The Sox scored 5+ runs in an inning for the first time this season and 10 runs altogether in those 2 innings. (The Sox scored 5+ runs in an inning twenty-something times last season) Players of note who have been on fire lately are Aaron Rowand, who has raised his average to .287 but had a 13 game hitting streak come to an end Friday night, and Jermaine Dye who is hitting .260, which does not sound very roubust unless you know that just one month ago he was at about .200, possibly below. JD was hitting over .400 in the last 8 ballgames going into last nights game, in which he went 1 for 4 with a run scored.
Due up: Buehrle 7-1, 3.15 goes up against Stauffer 1-2, 4.55

Freddy Dominates

2005-06-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

Freddy Garcia put on a show last night that will serve as an example of how to pitch in the dreaded thin air of Coors Field. His lone mistake was allowing a 3 run homer in the 1st. Garcia then settled in and retired the next 22 consecutive batters faced, finishing the evening with 10K's in 8IP allowing just 2H and 3R.
The offense was also clicking, racking up 9 runs on 15 hits and drawing 6 free passes but managed to leave 12 MOB. Konerko had a 2R homer in the 1st and the middle of the order, including JD, AJ, Konerko and Uribe all racked up multiple hits. The theme of the evening seemed to be 2 out scoring rallies, which the Sox managed to do for almost every run that they scored. Many of those scoring rallies began with 2 outs and nobody on base and without the benefit of a homer, a beautiful thing to see from an offense that has struggled in the begining of the season. The lone Sox starter to draw the collar was Iguchi, who was 0-5 with a walk. (Freddy we won't count as a hitter)
The Sox have a great chance to clinch winning this series tonight, as they go up against Byung-Yun Kim while sending Contreras to the hill whose fork-ball and splitter should still be effective in the mountain air.

Sox Hang Tough But Choke In Extras

2005-06-05T22:52:00.000-07:00

Sunday's game was most likely the longest of the season, lasting 12 innings and over 4 hours. Dustin Hermanson was on in the 12th and he began the inning by walking the first 2 batters. The next hitter laid down a bunt back to Hermanson who fielded it and turned to throw to 3rd for the force on the lead runner, but the throw went a bit wide and ended up down the line by the tarp as Crede was unable to come up with it, costing the Sox the first of 2 unearned runs. The error went to Hermanson, although Crede did short arm the catch a bit as he was trying to find the bag at he same time. Ultimately though, Hermanson gave up the 2 lead-off walks to put those runners on, so he should take the fall for this one.
The Sox stayed close throughout the game and battled back to tie it up twice but were never able to pull ahead. Trailing 3-1 in the 7th with 2 out, the Sox chased Sabathia out of the game when Ozuna knocked an infield single. Iguchi followed that with a bomb to left off the fresh Indian reliever Betancourt tying the game at 3. The Sox fell behind again in extras when in the 10th Marte served up a HR to Travis Hafner putting the Sox down 4-3. Bob Wickman came on for the Tribe to earn the save but blew it when he gave up a friendly bounce, line drive, solo home run to the Big Hurt to tie things back up. Wickman has only surrendered 3 home runs all season, all of which were hit at USCF. This one could just have easily gone for a double, as it caught the top corner of the wall in front of the Sox bullpen in left, but he hit it on such a line that its forward momentum just carried it over. Seeing Frank come through in the clutch was the most beautiful sight of the day.
The Sox head to the Mile High City to begin inter-league play against the Rockies with a taxed bullpen and their back half of the rotation schedualed to pitch. Freddy and the Cubans need to last as long as possible in their starts because the pen has also been touched up a bit lately. They have their work cut out for them though, as Colorado is a much better team playing in the thin air at Coors Field than on the road. (or so says their record)

Harris To Be Demoted?

2005-06-05T11:47:00.000-07:00

Chisox.com has an article regarding who is most likely to be sent down with the return of Gload from the DL. The powers that be seem to believe that Willie Harris is less of an asset than Timo Perez, both of whom still have options remaining and would not have to clear waivers if sent down to AAA. I could not disagree more. Perez is more of a liability than an asset. Willie Harris is as solid a defensive secondbaseman as you'll find and is also a sufficient centerfielder or shortstop. Perez is the worst defender on the roster, and odviously can not play in the infield as he showed on Monday in his start at 1B. So that limit's him to the OF, where he is not much better than he would be in the infield. They both bat left handed, so that's a wash. (Keeping Timo as a left-handed bat off the bench) As far as speed goes, I won't even bother getting into it. On top of all of that, Timo is hitting .197 to Willie's .275 this season. Add all of this together and you wonder what the hell Timo's veteran presence is doing to help this team.
The Sox won 6-5 yesterday with Garland earning his 9th victory of the season. The offense was solid, fouling off countless pitches and running the Cleveland starter's pitch count above 100 in 4 2/3 innings. Konerko and Crede homered, and Rowand went 2-3 and has been looking spectacular at the plate these past few weeks. The Sox are sending Buehrle out to the hill this afternoon to go for the sweep.

Sox Win...Chavez Coming to Chicago?

2005-06-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

The Sox won 6-4 over Cleveland tonight, scoring all of their runs whithout hitting a HR. The best example was in the 1st when the Sox put a huge rally together, much of it with 2 outs, and scored 4 runs by just making contact, putting it in play and getting lucky to find holes in the infield. That whole inning reminded me of how the Sox used to be beat by the Twins. It's great to see the table's turned, although it wasn't against Minnesota.
Whispers around the rumor mill today have the Sox shipping out Joe Crede and future ace Brandon McCarthy to Oakland for 4 time gold glove third baseman Eric Chavez. Chavez is currently hitting around .230 on the season with 5HR and 28 RBI and has struck out 49 times. He is a .274 career hitter over his 6 seasons in Oakland and he is a proven all-star caliber player, but I don't think it's a great move to replace a struggling third baseman to with one who is struggling this year himself. There is no problem with Crede's defense, the Sox need him to hit. Why bring in a guy who this season is barely hitting any better and has twice as many strikeouts than Crede does? On top of that, the A's are not in need of pitching, they need position players. They received an abundance of young arms for Mulder and Hudson from the Braves and Cardinals. After what happened to the Sox in the 5th starter spot last year, I hope KW is smart enough to not give McCarthy away for anyone. He is the best insurance policy that the Sox have, and the only one they've had in years, and they already have needed to use him this season. The Sox need a third baseman, but this trade could hurt us more than it could help. I won't believe it until I see it, and if I see it I will not be pleased.

Worst Game of the Season

2005-06-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

The Sox lost 10-7 last night in a game that was excruciating to watch. Ozzie Guillen decided to start Timo Perez at 1st, which cost the Sox 2 unearned runs when he was unable to come up with a low throw that my mother could have caught, and also had the bright idea to use Kevin Walker in relief with a 1 run lead. The only thing Walker was effective in doing was making sure that lead evaporated in his 1/3 of an inning pitched.
These are the kind of managerial decisions that Sox fans will be putting up with for years to come, as the Sox this week signed Ozzie to a 2 year extension that will keep him in town until at least 2008. You can't deny that he seems to get the most out of his players and they seem to love him, but he makes bonehead moves (a la last night) way too often. These are the types of things that can not happen in crunch time late in the season or in the playoffs. I think it would have been wise to wait and see where Ozzie has led the team when all is said and done at the end of the year. I'd be willing to bet that ANY manager in baseball would have the led the Sox to at least as good a record, if not better, than we have right now with 5 starters performing the way the Sox starters have performed. To me, Ozzie is just one more person proving that common sense isn't so common.

On This Day: In 1941, Lou Gehrig passed away at age 37.

Sox Take First 2 vs. Angels By identical Scores

2005-06-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

Jermaine Dye hit a walk-off homer in the 9th last night to lead the Sox to another 5-4 victory and up the Sox record in 1 run ballgames to 17-7. He also had an outstanding diving catch in short right field and was able to double up the runner who had been at 1st.
Garcia had a so-so start, as he was falling behind hitters and using much more off-speed stuff than he had in his past two outings. He exited after 5 1/3 with a hamstring problem having surrendered just 3 runs. Neil Cotts and Cliff Politte both looked great in relief with Politte looking the best in his 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
The Big Hurt was not in the line-up, as expected, but was available to pinch hit. He will not be back in the line-up until the weekend at the earliest.

Time To Sound Off

2005-05-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

I don't want to go off on a rant here, but....

Its hard to complain when you're team is in first place and has the best record in baseball. The lack of production from a few guys in the lineup make it hard not to though.

Why is it that Joe Crede has been given what feels like an eternity to start producing consistently while other players such as Willie Harris, or even Aaron Rowand 2 years ago, get about 200 AB's before the Sox make a trade to replace them? Two season's in a row the Sox gave away prospects to aquire Robby Alomar and Carl Everett and two year's in a row they did not make that much of an impact, if any, compared to who they replaced. All the while, Joe Crede was the everyday 3rd basemen finishing the last two seasons with an avg. of .231 and 75 strikeouts, and .261 with 81 strikeouts, respectively. He started this season out strong, finishing April hitting above .300, but in May he has been absolutely terrible and his avg. now sits at .234. Am I the only one who see's him as the weak link who should have been replaced long ago? I don't understand why he gets all the time in the world to break through while other player's who don't look lost at the plate for weeks at a time like Crede does get the hook after a couple hundred AB's. I know in a few years we might end up kicking ourselves for it, but I think this season our biggest need is a 3rd basemen who can hit to replace Crede at the hot corner.

I want to make it clear that I was not an advocate of bringing Jose Valentine back to start at SS, but I also wasn't too sure about handing the job to Uribe either. I know the guy went on a tear to start the season last year and finished with an avg. of .283, but that was pretty much a career year for him. His highest batting average when he had more than 300 AB's prior to last season was .253. In his one season as an everyday player in Colorado he hit .240 with a .284 OBP and struck out 120 times. If those numbers sound familiar, they should, because they are just about the same as Valentine's over the past couple years, the guy the Sox are trying to upgrade over and replace. So what do the Sox do? Sign Uribe to a multi-year contract and hope that his one season with them was not a fluke. I don't know who else could have been signed at the price we got Uribe for, but a quarter of the way through the season it looks like last year might have been a fluke, and the Sox are missing Jose's clutch 3 run homers. (Valentine might have hit only .230 but he seemed to come through in the clutch so often...Uribe's avg. is almost as bad and he isn't coming through in clutch situations)

Jermaine Dye I'm going to take it easy on because even though he's hitting just .213, he's looked better as of late and there really weren't many other options in the free agent market, especially at the price we got JD for. The reason I bring him up is because he has something in common with the two preceding players I highlighted, in that he is prone to the strikeout. If he stays healthy the rest of the year, he'll be approaching 100 K's at the end of the season. This is not what you want out of the back end of your order, 3 guys barely hitting over the Mendoza Line and on pace to strikeout nearly 100 times.

We better hope that having Big Frank's presence in the lineup has a rippling effect on some of the other guys because the offense is in desperate need of a shot in the arm. Having him will also give us the ability to ride whoever is hotter between Dye and Everett, and also should relieve us of having to watch Timo Perez sub in the OF and pinch hit, I mean pinch out. Hopefully the Sox wake up and demote him to AAA and he refuses the assignment and is released so we never have to see his hot dog, one-handed fly ball catches again.

Garland Shoots Himself In The Foot

2005-05-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

Jon Garland had a flashback to past seasons in the 6th inning of Sunday's ballgame when he allowed the leathal and all to familiar big inning to ruin an otherwise solid outing. Going into the innng he held a 3-1 lead over the heavy hitting Rangers but it would not last long. After giving up a couple of hits to start off the inning he allowed a run to score on a fielders choice to trim the Sox lead to 3-2. Then, after getting the second out, he allowed another hit to Soriano setting the stage for Mench to hit a 3 run bomb to put Texas ahead 5-3. After that Garland was still unable to stop the bleeding, giving up 2 more runs before the inning was over. So he held a 2 run lead going into the 6th and came out of it down by 4. It was only one inning of one game, but I'm think that Garland's bubble might have burst this afternoon. BTW, Shingo came on to give up 4 runs in the 8th, 3 coming on a HR he allowed.
The one bit of good news coming out Sunday is that The Big Hurt will be joining the Sox on Monday and that he should be in the lineup tomorow vs. the Angels. OK, maybe there is one more piece of good news...The Twins were shut out by Roy Halladay today, remaining 3.5 games behind the Sox. Today was the 3rd straight loss for the Sox, matching their longest losing streak of the season for the 2nd time (3 times in all), and it was the 8th straight victory for the Rangers.

McCarthy Shelled

2005-05-27T22:57:00.000-07:00

The Sox lost Friday night 6-1 to Texas and Pale Hoser's were having a flashback of what last year's 5 hole revolving door of rookies felt like. 21 year old phenom Brandon McCarthy was touched up for 4 home runs in his 5+ innings, two of which were hit by Soriano. He held strong the first 4 innings, surrendering only a pair of solo shots keeping the Sox within reach at 2-0 but in the 5th he fell apart, giving up a pair of 2 run shots before getting the hook.
Garland goes for the Sox tomorrow against the Ranger's Chan Ho Park. Thankfully the Sox will miss out on Kenny Rogers in this series, he of the league leading 1.whatever ERA. How he is doing it pitching at the Ballpark in Arlington bewilders me, but on the other hand you could say the same thing about almost all of our starters pitching in the Cell. Maybe thats why the Sox have already been accused of cheating twice this season.

Sox Blow Late Lead And Fall 3-2

2005-05-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

Jose Contreras pitched a gem on Thursday night holding the Angels to 2 hits and 1 run through the first 6 innings. With 2 out and a man on in the 7th, Jose tried to sneak an inside fastball by McPhearson, and McPhearson deposited it into the seats in right center putting the Halo's ahead 3-2, a lead that they would not relinquish.
This loss should not be pinned on Jose but it can be attributed to the Sox anemic offense of late. They once again were not able to get a hit until the second time through the order. After finally getting some men on base, they choked on almost every scoring opportunity that they were presented with. At one point they had men on 2nd and 3rd with no outs and did not score. That was partly bad luck though, as a wild pitch bounced off the backstop far enough for Molina to get to it in time to throw Iguchi out at the plate, although replay's showed that Iguchi slid under the tag. Other than that though, the only excuse that the Sox can use is that they just suck at the plate right now.
This is the type of loss that drives me nuts. We get another QS out of a starter and fail to back him up. When you get such consistent work out of your rotation, you expect more than a split. The lone bright spot coming out of this game was that Don Paul was replaced in the booth by Black Jack McDowell. I thought he was awesome. He had great analysis and pitching insight, and he wasn't afraid to say, "That is just terrible. Why would he throw that pitch in that situation?" I found him to be 100 times better than DJ, and I'd love it if he came on permanently as a 3rd announcer once Hawk gets better.
The Sox head to Texas for a 3 game set and are sending McCarthy out to the bump for his second career start this evening. It looks as if the Sox will not put him in the pen once El Duque comes off the DL, which in my mind is good news because I'd rather see him getting starts every 5 days at AAA than have him rot away in the pen working maybe an inning a week.
In other news around baseball: That other Chicago team displayed their great karma this afternoon when their golden boy, Mark Prior, took a hard liner off of his elbow on his throwing arm. I hear x-rays were negative, but with the way he was rolling around on the ground in pain after it happend, I wouldn't be surprised if he'll be missing a few starts. Scrub fans can at least take solice in the fact that their team did win, although it was against a team who has won only 4 games on the road all year. (Their 4th road win came against the Scrubs yesterday, a day after the Srubs allowed the Astro's to win their 3rd road game of the season.)

Buehrle & Garcia Tame Angel's

2005-05-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

Mark Buehrle and Freddy Garcia each lead the Sox to W's the last two evenings, although Buehrle did not earn a decision. Buehrle pitched 9 innings of 1 run ball on Tuesday and was relieved by Marte who earned the win and the save by holding the Angel's scoreless in his 2IP. The Sox went ahead in the 11th on an RBI double by Iguchi scoring Crede who led off the inning with a single.
Last night Freddy pitched one of his best games of the year holding the Halo's to 2 runs in 8IP. He was using his fastball effectively to set up the hitters for his off speed stuff in the dirt and it was working for him all night. The Sox offense scored all 4 of their runs off of HR's, with Paulie hitting a 3 run bomb in the 1st and Widger following a few innings later with a solo shot of his own.
The Sox have a chance to win a series in Anaheim for the first time since 1994 this evening. Contreras takes the hill for the Sox in an attempt to make that happen.

Sox Are Shut Out For First Time This Season

2005-05-23T21:58:00.000-07:00

The White Sox hitters were dominated by a starter named Santana, though this time his first name was not Johan. Tonight it was Angel starter Ervin Santana who earned his first Big League win by throwing a complete game shutout against the Sox Monday night, and in the process Jon Garland was handed his first loss of the year. Check out this line on Santana: 9IP 5H 0R 1BB 7K and threw only 115 Pitches, 83 of which were strikes.
Garland had a solid start, although he did surrender 11 hits. A few were given up on good pitches that jammed the hitter but some how found a spot to fall in. The most glaring example was in the 6th, when with a runner on 3rd and one out, Garland jammed Molina and he popped up to short center field, but the Sox had the infield drawn in to protect against the squeeze and no one could get to it in time. He didn't come out for the 8th and left with a line of 7IP 11H 3R 3ER 1BB and 4K's on 104 pitches, and 71 were for strikes. Although he didn't win, he added another quality start to the Sox' league leading total of QS's.
The Sox failed to score at least one run for the first time this season tonight, which is surprising with how shaky our offense has been in the early goings. Crede once again looked lost, drawing the hat trick with 3 K's. Iguchi and Konerko had 2 hits apiece, accounting for all of but one of the Sox hits on the evening by themselves. Other than a Timo Perez dribbler back up the middle and a walk drawn by Dye, no other Sox hitter reached base. If the White Sox hitters are any indication of how the rest of the AL will do against this kid when he's on, there's going to be 2 famous young ace's by the name of Santana.

Great Outing By The Rookie Wasted By Vizciano

2005-05-22T15:24:00.000-07:00

Brandon McCarthy pitched as well as one could have hoped he would, giving up only one run in 5.1 innings. The score was 2-1 Good Guys when he was pulled in the 6th with one out and a man on 1st for Vizciano, who came on to give up another single and then a towering 3 run bomb to Dubois putting the Sox down 4-2. In my mind, this game was McCarthy's to lose and he should not have been pulled so early. He should have at least gotten the chance to get out of that inning. Konerko hit a homer of his own in the 9th to shave the lead down to 1 run, but the Sox were not able to muster any more offense. Mark Prior pitched a complete game, unfortunately, and he was able to hold the Sox down just enough to get the W. The Sox best chance against him came in the 8th when they had runners at the corners with only 1 out, but Uribe and Crede each hit infield pop-ups to end the inning.
I can not find the words to describe how happy and relieved I am with how well McCarthy pitched today. He held his own going up against the Cub's ace, who some will argue is the best young pitcher in baseball, and he had good stuff going today. I was prepared for the worst after wintessing all the rookies we tried last year get killed, time after time. The Sox staff won't miss a step if this kid can pitch the way he did today consistently.

As Good As It Gets

2005-05-21T23:36:00.000-07:00

In the second game of the crosstown-classic Jose Contreras and Carlos Zambrano each decided to one up Freddy Garcia's outing from yesterday. Jose pitched his best game of the season giving up only one run in 7 innings, and did not walk a batter until I believe his last inning. Zambrano was a step above Contreras though, throwing a no-hitter through 5+ innings. He exited the game without surrendering a run and had 7K's.
The Sox were unable to help add anything to Carlos' ERA, but they were able to take advantage of the "Cubs charitable bullpen", as I called it in my previous post. They exploded for 4 runs in the 8th off of a revolving door of relievers, which continued in the 9th when Dye, a defensive replacement for Everett, hit a pinch hit home run off of Latroy Walk-ins. That was a huge insurance run as Politte gave up a couple doubles and a single in the 8th and was tagged for 2 runs, shaving the Sox 3 run cushion to 1.
Just to let you know how into it I was during today's game...When Konerko's 2RBI single bounced off Patterson's glove giving the Sox their first lead of the game, I jumped out of my seat with my fists in the air. One problem. I have sharp stucco ceilings, and I nailed my fist into my ceiling scraping the shit out of my hand. Blood was dripping down my fingers before I realized what I did because my adrenalin was so high that at first I didn't even feel the cuts. Witnessing what I saw, it was well worth it.
Tomorrow Brandon McCarthy will take the hill for the Sox, making his major league debut. He will face the Cub's golden boy, Mark Prior, who has started the season strong after a brief stint on the DL during the spring. How's that for being thrown into the fire? At least we'll see what the kid's made of. Personally, I'd rather see Garland go Sunday and McCarthy on Monday vs. the Angels, as the Sox had an off-day on Thursday and Jon would be working on 5 days rest. A sweep would be sweet and in my mind Garland gives us the best chance to win tomorrow...to hell with his career numbers vs. the sCrUBS.
The way the Sox have continued finding ways to win and their "Win or Die Trying" ad campaign reminds me of the words of a great leader. These quotes are perfect example's of the type of mentality the Sox as a team have displayed thus far this season.
Quoth Winston Churchill:
"Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. We stood all alone a year ago, and to many countries it seemed that our account was closed, we were finished. All this tradition of ours, our songs, our School history, this part of the history of this country, were gone and finished and liquidated."
"We will have no truce or parley with you, or the grisly gang who work your wicked will. You do your worst - and we will do our best."
"We shall not flag nor fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France and on the seas and oceans; we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on beaches, landing grounds, in fields, in streets and on the hills. We shall never surrender and even if, which I do not for the moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, will carry on the struggle until in God's good time the New World with all its power and might, sets forth to the liberation and rescue of the Old."

Sox Take Round One 5-1

2005-05-21T10:21:00.000-07:00

Freddy Garcia dominated the Cubs lineup yesterday, going 7 strong innings surrendering 5H, 1R, 0ER, 1BB and had 3 K's. While Freddy was sitting the Cub's hitters down one by one, the Sox offense showed what a balanced attack looks like. 2 of our runs came off of solo shots from Crede and Dye, but the other 3 came from small rallies with clutch hits. It's kind of funny to see the Cub's offense take on the same style the Sox have had in past years, living and dying on the 3 run homer, going from station to station, etc. It didn't work for us, and I highly doubt it will for them.
The only negative yesterday was the news that McCarthy has been called up to the show, which can only mean that El Duque is hurt and will not start on Sunday. I think the Sox are rushing this kid, as before this year he had not pitched above AA, and his numbers this year out of AAA are not impressive, although all 9 of his homers surrendered have been at the bandbox in Charlotte. His numbers from spring training were strong, but spring stats for pitchers are always skewed because hitters are not yet in a rhythm. He's only 21 years old and they're throwing him into the fire of a Sox-Cubs series for his first ML start. I guess we'll see what this kid is made of.
Today Contreras (1-1 3.52) goes up against Zambrano (3-2 4.09). This is the one game that I want more than any because Zambrano erks me like no other sCrUB. After reading some of the quotes from Sox players, it seems they agree with me. Hopefully the Sox come through and rough up Zambrano early to get into the Cubs charitable bullpen.

The 5th Spot: '04 vs. '05 Thru 8 Starts

2005-05-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

2004 ............Category.................2005
0-7............... Record ..................8-0
10.02 .............ERA.....................2.39
32 1/3 ...........Innings ..................59 2/3
53 .................. Hits......................47
36 .............Earned Runs...............16
17 ................Walks......................10
10 ...............Strikeouts..................27
11 ................... HR ......................3
.378 ................Avg.......................220
(source: Chicago Sun-Times)
Through the first 8 starts out of the 5th starter spot we've seen a complete reversal of fortune. The difference in our record through 41 games this year compared to last can be directly attributed to the performance we've received from Garland out of that spot.

Sox Win Rubber Match 7-0

2005-05-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

Mark Buehrle improved his record to 7-1 on Wednesday afternoon by shutting out the Rangers, scattering 9 hits over 7 1/3 innings. His only hiccup was in the second inning when after getting 2 quick outs he allowed 3 consecutive singles to load the bases. He escaped without any damage by getting Young to flyout to Paulie to end the inning. His performance makes you wish that he were going up against the Cubs on Friday, rather than Garcia.
The Sox offense exploded for 7 runs on 11 hits, with Paulie and Dye each going 3-4. Dye started the day off going 3-3 with all of his hits being doubles. AJ added on some insurance with a 2 run homer in the 8th. Things did not start off that well though, with the Sox giving away 3 outs in the first 3 innings. Ozuna and sPod were caught stealing, and AJ was picked off of 1st in the 1st. That was easily forgotten in the 4th though, as the Sox rallied for 4 runs after having 6 consecutive batters reach base safely.
My g/f and I did end up heading out to the game, her first of the season. I parked in Lot G, the employee lot, for the first time. I had heard that it's 1/2 price to park over there, $8 rather than the $17 they charge in every other lot. The only thing about it is that I also heard it's only 1/2 price if you get there early, around when the gates open, which we did, and it was only $8 when we parked. I've got to find out if it is always that cheap, meaning upto game time, or if the discount is only around when the lots open. For future reference for you fellow Sox fans out there, Lot G is on the west side of the Metra tracks that run along side Lot C, on the north side of 35th street (between 35th and 33rd). Goto chisox.com and look up their parking lot map if you don't understand my directions. If anybody out there knows any more about this, drop me a comment and help me fill in the blanks.
Anyway, we decided to sit on the fan deck for the first few innings of the game before heading to our seats. I had not been up there since the year it was built when it was just a platform without any seating. I couldn't believe how comfortable the seats were, and on top of that you've got the bar-table in front of you to eat on. I was also keeping score for the first time in about a decade, so it was great to have a surface to write on. The only drawback was that the table's are chrome, and the glare from the sun was killing my eyes. After the first few innings I started to have trouble focusing and I wasn't able to see the all the way to the plate as well as I was able to at first. Other than that one little drawback, which is my fault for not having sunglasses, I was really impressed with what they did up there. I can't believe that they have not yet started selling tickets for those seats. It's still first come, first serve. I doubt that will last much longer...enjoy it while it lasts.

Garland Goes to 8-0, Stops Sox Slide

2005-05-17T23:17:00.000-07:00

Jon Garland proved tonight that he is no longer the .500 pitcher he has been the last few years. After the Rangers roughed up El Duque yesterday, Garland turned the tables and as The Hawk would say, "stuck their bats right up their rears". He was not lights out, surrendering 2 runs on 5 hits, but he had great location this evening. Just about whenever he needed to make a pitch, he did, and on almost every pitch he was filling up the catchers glove. (Save those drop off changeups he's been throwing so effectively this season)
A prime example of him truely being a much improved pitcher was in the 6th when he allowed a walk and a HBP before giving up a RBI double, putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out. He struck out the next two batters before retiring Mench on a flyout to center to escape the inning only surrendering the one run. In past seasons there is no way Garland would have gotten out of that inning without giving up the lead. (After the RBI double, it was 3-2 Sox)
The offense was also solid with Rowand, Iguchi and sPod all getting an RBI, and AJ with two from his 2 out homer in the 6th. The Sox jumped out to an early lead in the first with sPod leading things off with a single before stealing 2nd, then was driven in by a double from Rowand. Rowand then stole 3rd, miraculously, as the ball beat him to the bag by about 5 feet, but thanks to a nifty slide he got in there safely. He later scored on a infielders choice groundout putting the Sox up 2-0 after one inning.
I had a bad feeling going into this one and I'm extremely relieved that I was wrong. I was getting a feeling that the bubble was about to burst on our starting pitching and that we were going to start a trend of being roughed up. Garcia still has me a bit concerned, but I'll wait 'till after I see what he does against the Cubs before I get on him.

Due up: Buehrle (6-1 3.73) goes up against Drese (3-3 6.14) for a 1:05 start tomorrow afternoon. Thursday is my girlfriend's birthday and it's an off day for the Sox, so weather permitting we're going to head out and catch Wendsday's game for a little premature celebration. The great thing about being a Sox fan rather than a sCrUBS fan is that you can almost always get good seats at the last minute. Viva White Sox beisbol!

Opponents In Disbelief

2005-05-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

For the second time in 3 days the mound at the Cell was checked at the request of opponents to see if it meets MLB specs for height and distance on Monday afternoon. The Orioles asked for the mound height to be checked prior to Saturdays contest after being held in check the first two games against the Sox. Then, on Monday, Bucky Showalter and his Rangers asked for it to be checked again, and measured from the plate.
Does anyone else find it amusing that opponents would feel like the Sox must be doing something other than just pitching the hell out of the ball? It's almost insulting, as it's basically being accused of cheating. Now, I don't know what the penalties are, as far as exceeding mound restrictions go, but why would a team even risk being branded cheaters? Their would be a stigma about coming to play in our park. On top of that, even if the mound is higher than is allowed, their pitchers are throwing off the same mound! Aren't we at the same disadvantage as our opponents (at the plate)?
Not only would it effect the Sox reputation (if it were not up to specs), but also the Sox' groundskeepers, Roger Bossard, who is one of the most acclaimed groundskeepers in baseball and has installed his patented drainage system in about 9 of the 13 stadiums that have been recently built. This guy is a 3rd generation groundskeeper, he knows everything there is to know about his profession, which is most likely his livlihood. I doubt there is enough money on the planet to bribe him into risking his job.
When it comes down to it though, let every team check it when they come in here to play us. To me, that just means the Sox are already in their heads before they've even played. If opponents are worried about little BS like that, it can only be to the Sox advantage.

Game update: Garland just got out of a major jam in the 6th...after already giving up a run cutting the Sox lead to 3-2, he had runners on 2nd and 3rd with NOBODY out. Now, Garland of last year, hello big inning, goodbye lead. Tonight he left them right where they were by getting 2 K's and a flyout to center from last nights villan, Kevin Mench.

El Duque Takes His Turn

2005-05-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

The Sox lost again as El Duque was hammered, lasting only 2 2/3 innings giving up one run in the 1st, two in the 2nd, and three in the 3rd before getting the hook with the Sox down 6-4. This was the third straight game that the Sox failed to put up a quality start, and not surprisingly, their 3rd consecutive loss.
The bullpen came on to hold the Rangers scoreless through the 8th inning, with Vizcaino, Politte, and Shingo all getting work. Politte looked the best out of them all, working 2 scoreless innings while relying less on his 95mph fastball and more on his off-speed and breaking stuff than he has recently. Shingo gave up a lead-off double, but left the runner on 3rd escaping the 7th without any damage.
The offense once again gave us a chance, with AJ hitting a grand slam in the 1st after the Sox loaded up the bases with 2 out to put the Sox up 4-1. After falling back behind in the 3rd and trailing for almost the rest of the game, Rowand hit an RBI double to cut the lead down to 1 before Iguchi supplied a pinch hit home run in the 8th to tie the game up at 6. He took a good pitch on the outer half and drove it to right, barely clearing the fence into the Bullpen Bar. This was the first time Tadahito displayed any solid power to right field since coming over from Japan.
Marte would give that run from Iguchi right back though, surrendering a home run himself in the top of the 9th to Mench, his second HR of the game. Damaso fell behind in the count, and Mench was more than ready to pulverize the weak fastball that Marte put right down the middle of the plate. Sox lose 7-6, and just to throw a little salt on the wound, showcased this terrible pitching performance from Marte and El Duque on ESPN. At least it wasn't a blowout and our bullpen kept us in the game so we'd have a chance to come back. I'm just saying, it could have been alot worse.

Due up: Garland and his 1-4 6+ ERA career numbers vs. Texas will start for the Sox tonight and try to prevent the SouthSiders from losing 4 straight for the first time this season. I don't think Garland has had career numbers this bad against anyone he's faced so far this season. This is a good test for him, having an undefeated record at stake and to have to be the stopper against a team he historically hasn't done well against. The Rangers will send Astacio (1-4 5.82 ERA) to the bump to face the Sox for the first time in his career.

Baltimore Beats Sox to Salvage Split

2005-05-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

The Sox fell to the Oriole's today 6-2 and in the process snapped their consecutive games with a lead streak at 37. This is one of the few games the Sox have played that they deserved to lose. They were out played in every facet of the game today. Jose pitched well through the first 6 innings giving up only 2 runs on solo homers. He got into some trouble in the 7th though, and was relieved by Cotts who once agian failed to stop the bleeding. He hit the first batter he faced, loading the bases, before allowing a sac fly and being relieved himself for Vizciano. Luis had a little bad luck with Crede misplaying a slow grounder by trying to backhand it, loading the bases again, and then the next batter hit one up the middle that Uribe couldn't come up with cleanly. That allowed one run to score before Jaun pegged Roberts out at home trying to score. That inning exteded the Sox deficit from 2 runs to 5, and you knew this game was over with Bedard having only thrown 78 pitches through 6. The Sox did follow that inning up by hitting a pair of solo shots themselves, with Everett and Dye going back to back. Tomorrow the Sox begin a 3 game set vs. Texas, who fell to the Twins today, before heading up to the Northside to face the sCrUBS.

Due Up: Chan Ho Park (3-1 4.99) vs. El Duque (5-1 2.91)

On a brighter note: The Big Hurt will begin his minor league rehab assignment Tuesday. I don't care what anyone says about chemistry, we need to get his bat in the lineup ASAP.

Freddy Falls

2005-05-15T11:10:00.000-07:00

Pitching cost the Sox a win last night. The White Sox offense did what it needed to do early in last nights ballgame, scoring 5 runs in the first three innings to give Garcia a 5-2 lead. 3 runs came on a nice 2 out rally in the 3rd breaking a 2-2 tie. The Sox were only able to push 1 more across the remainder of the game though, that coming on a solo homer by AJ leading off the 8th.
Freddy did not have good stuff last night, with his fastball lacking movement and staying up in the zone too often. The O's took advantage of this in the 4th, hitting 2 solo homers and pushing one more across to tie the game back up at 5. Garcia was able to hold them to that until he was sent back out to start the 7th with his pitch count already above 100. After walking the leadoff batter he gave up an RBI double and was pulled. Cotts came on in relief and by the time the inning was over the O's had scored 4 runs, 2 of which were charged to Garcia.
You can't win'em all, but this is not the type of outing you want to see out of your #2 man. Without Buehrle, Garcia would be our front line starter. When given a 3 run lead to work with, you can't go out and give it right back in the very next inning. I'll let him slide on the 7th because Ozzie should never have sent him back out there with how he had been throwing all game. To give credit where credit is due, the O's are a very potent offensive ballclub and you can't expect to shut them out. That doesn't change the fact that this is a game the Sox should have won. Oh well, a new day, a new game.

Side notes: The Sox became the last team in MLB to reach double digits in the loss column with last nights defeat. Garcia became the first Sox starter to lose in back-to-back starts this season. The Sox had 3 guys tagged out trying to score yesterday (2 in rundowns, 1 at the plate). Elsewhere in MLB, Minnesota was shut out by Kenny Rogers (who extended his scoreless innings streak to around 30 innings, I assume) and the Rangers last night, remaining 6 games back of the Sox.

Sundays Matchup: Bedard 3-1 2.31 vs. Contreras 1-0 3.18

Curses...

2005-05-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple seasons I've become increasingly annoyed with these curses that some fans say exist on their teams. Thankfully, the people of New England, the worst offenders of them all, will finally shut up about their supposed "Curse of the Bambino" now that Boston finally broke through and won last year leaving the Cubs and White Sox alone atop the longest World Series droughts list, although they already were as the White Sox' drought had been 1 year longer than Boston's.
The BoSox winning left the Cubs as the lone perennial choke artists whose fans insist on some kind of hex keeping their team from winning the World Series. The funniest thing about the sCrUBS curse is that it is not some major event that went down in baseball lure, as was Boston's trading of Babe Ruth. It's a bad joke in comparison. In short, Cubs fans believe that their team was cursed by a local tavern owner whose goat would not be allowed into Wrigley Field during the Cubs last WS appearance in '45, so he cursed the team to never again win a World Series. They ended up losing that year, and haven't returned ever since. Had it not been for Bartman, that would most likely be the excuse we'd be hearing about the collapse of '03. The only curse that the Cubs have is that they are the Cubs.
Bartman is the perfect example of Cubs fans using a scapegoat for why they lost. They completely ignore the fact that Prior imploded, they botched a double play ball at short, and that 8 runs were scored in that inning and all of that did not happen on a play for one foul ball. On top of that, they still had a game 7 to choke on before falling to the Marlins. No, it wasn't the Cubs choking as usual, it was all Bartman's fault...the one guy who got a piece of the ball when he was surrounded by 10 other fans reaching out for it just as he was. Some honestly believe that little tip cost them 8 runs in that inning and an entire game 7. And don't even try to tell me it shifted the momentum...the count on that hitter hadn't changed, nobody on the bases moved up or scored, the game hadn't changed a bit. But that's not how many Cubs fans see it. They seem to believe all that happened on that one play. Look up delusional in the dictionary and you just might see a picture of a Cubs fan beside it.
When your team has thrown a World Series more recently than you've won one, come talk to me about having a legitimate reason for being cursed. Good thing that we White Sox faithful are much to savvy to buy into such BS and to resort to such pettiness. Sox fans blame their team for their failures and not a ridiculous "curse". We know, especially after witnessing Boston last fall, that the only thing that keeps any team from winning is the players that they send out onto the field, and most importantly the pitchers they send out to the hill. So to all the morons out there preaching about "curses", please just shut up about it and let it go.
(disclaimer: This does not implicate ALL Cubs fans, just MOST of them. Some do live in reality. To those who do and freely admit that the Cubs just suck, to you I say, "I know they do."

Orioles 3 Sox 5

2005-05-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

The Sox overcame a 3 run deficit to come back and win last nights ballgame 5-3. Konerko had a huge 2RBI single with the bases loaded in the 7th to give the Sox the lead. The Sox did not rely on power to score last night, as they scored all thier runs without a homer. They scrapped their way to the win in this one by stringing a couple hits together in the 5th and 6th, scoring a run in each before rallying in the 7th for 3 more, with a little help from the Oriole defense. Buehrle had only one bad inning, the 4th, when with 2 out the Orioles strung a few hits together to score all 3 of their runs. Aside from that inning, Buehrle was great, retiring his last 13 batters in a row. Hermy came on to record the save with a 1-2-3 9th, throwing I believe 8 pitches, and 6 were for strikes. He still has yet to allow a run.

Saturday's matchup: Cabrera 2-2 4.50 vs. Garcia 3-2 3.21
Garcia will try and prevent himself from becoming the first Sox starter to lose in consecutive starts this season.

Elsewhere in MLB: Minnesota lost 9-6 to Texas in 11 innings last night, falling 6 games behind the SouthSiders.

Sox Win 3-2

2005-05-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

The White Sox improved to 26-9 tonight and extended their lead in the AL central to 5 games over Minnesota. Jon Garland returned to his new stingy self this evening, giving up only 2 runs on 8 hits apparently leaving his ugly win in Toronto behind him. He got himself into a jam in the 8th inning, giving up a few singles and allowing one run before striking out Tehada on a 3-2 pitch with runners on 1st and 3rd to end the inning. Tehada battled back after falling behind in the count, fouling off numerous pitches before Jon was able to get him swinging on a change up in the dirt. Garlands one mistake was to Palmero, who ripped one into the bullpen in right. Hermanson, who is the only reliever in the AL with at least 16 IP that hasn't given up a run, came on in the 9th to record the save and earn Garland his 7th victory of the season..
The offense again managed to score just enough to win with AJ and Uribe hitting solo homer's and Rowand accounting for the difference with an RBI double. Pod was picked off/caught stealing two times this evening, both times leaving on the first move of Chen, who would have none of it. Chen threw to 1st on both attempts, and Palmero got the ball to 2nd in time to catch the Sox speedster. Pod odviously had a tough time getting a read on the soft-tossing Oriole lefty.
Hawk was back in the booth tonight, which was a sweet sound for sore ears after hearing Don Pope last week. He and DJ were joined by Robin Ventura tonight, who stayed on after calling the series in TB with DJ, and to tell you the truth, I liked having the 3 of them call the game. Robin's got a much better voice for announcing than Don Pope did, and his analysis and comparisons seem to make sense more often than DJ's.

Somebody pinch me. Does anybody else feel like this is just too good to be true? I mean, we're 26-9, Garland is 7-0, that's the same Jon Garland who has never won more than 12 games in his career and a month and a half into the season he's already won 7...I'm in disbelief. If there was ever a time for a Harry Careyism, it couldn't be better than right now: "Holy Cow!"

Fridays matchup: Lopez 2-1 4.46 vs. Buehrle 5-1 3.78

The Hawk Returns To Booth

2005-05-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

No Hawk, We Want You!! Welcome Back!

Sox Avoid 1st Sweep

2005-05-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

El Duque was the stopper for the Sox this afternoon as he prevented them from being swept for the first time of the season. He pitched 6 strong innings giving up only one run before walking two in the 6th and being pulled. Marte came on only to load the bases, and was pulled himself. Hernandez was charged with one more run when one of those walks scored after Politte gave up a sac fly. All in all, it was a well pitched ballgame, especially for the bullpen. Hermanson came on in the 8th with two men on and only one out, and got a linedrive to Paulie who made it to first in time to double up the runner. He stayed on to close out the game and still has yet to surrender a run.
The offense didn't look great against the struggling Tampa starter, Brazelton, but they scrapped together 5 runs and did draw 6 walks from the league leader in issuing BB's, and scored 4 of them. The 5th inning proved to be the decisive one, with a big two out rally putting the Sox ahead. Brazelton couldn't end the inning, and was relieved by Casey Fossum, who shut the Sox down from there on out finishing the game with 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Next up for the Sox is a four game set at the Cell against the AL east leading Orioles, who this week put the newly aquired Sammy Sosa onto the DL with some kind of foot infection. The Sox have sold over 20K tickets for each game of the series and reportedly had a large amount of early buyer requests for tickets down the right field line, near Sosa's pasture. It figures on his team's one trip to Chi Town he's not going to be playing.
The Sox pitching will be put to the test over the next few weeks facing some of the better offensive clubs in baseball. Now is when we'll see what they're truly made of. I predict a slight regression in ERA, but that should be offset by some of the staffs we will be facing, in terms of W's. This team is fierce, and if they do well in the remainder of this month, every team in the league will fear facing us, if they don't already.

Elsewhere in baseball: Minnestoa went down to Baltimore today even though they started Santana, and fell back to 4 1/2 games behind the Pale Hose...Seattle sent Jamie Moyer to the hill today against the Yanks, even though 7 out of the 9 hitters in the Yankee lineup were hitting over .300 career against him. After the Mariners spotted him 5 runs in the 1st inning, Moyer let the Yankee's right back in it giving up 5 runs himself in the bottom of the 1st. He was pulled in the 3rd inning down 6-5...The ScRubs new closer, Dempster, blew another save for the northsiders, but unfortunately Derek Lee bailed them out with a walk off homer. They continue to hang on the fringes of the cellar of the NL central.

Sox Lose Again

2005-05-11T07:49:00.000-07:00

The Sox squandered two leads last night to fall to the D Rays 7-6. Contreras looked as if he might have turned the corner early in the game, when after giving up an RBI double to Singleton with no outs, he stranded runners at second and third. I was proved wrong when in the 4th with the Sox ahead 4-1, Jose walked the first two batters, and then on the first pitch to Hall gave up a 3 run homer to left.
The Sox would grab another lead to blow though, with one run coming on a beautiful squeeze bunt by Iguchi scoring Crede. With the Sox leading 6-4, Vizciano left a few to many hanging sliders over the plate and surrendered 2 more runs, tying the game once again. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, Shingo was called in to try and force extra innings. Instead, he gave up a walk off homer to Cantu. Takatsu did a solid job for us last season....if it weren't for him we would have had to live with Koch the whole year. This year is not last year however, and I'm tired of watching him give away games. His location is way off, and opponents have not been chasing his junk and are sitting on his BP fastball, and hitting it hard. With the depth we have in the pen, Shingo should not be used in any pressure situations until he regains his command, if ever. Last nights game reminded me of a July 4th game we played in Tampa a couple years ago, where Koch blew the save by surrendering a walk off 2 or 3 run homer.
Sox pitching walked 9, that's right, 9 batters and allowed 19 baserunners in this contest, yet still had an opportunity to win this game. Losing games like this will lead the Sox straight to another second place finish and .500 record.
We look to rebound tonight, sending El Duque and his sub 2.00 career ERA vs. the Rays and at Tropicana Field. This would seem to bode well for the Sox, but Jose's best career numbers were also against the D Rays and at Tropicana Field, and that didn't turn out all that well for the Sox.
The Sox desperately need to win this game to avoid a sweep heading into a tough stretch of upcoming series against the 1st place Orioles, Texas, the sCrUBS, and the Angels. The rest of May will be pretty ugly for the Sox if they don't get their act back together.