Chicago White Sox Blogs

While researching ballplayers of the nineties, I discovered that in 1993, Jeff King of the Pirates drove in 98 runs while hitting only nine home runs and slugging just .406.  I then wondered if any player has ever driven in 100 runs with fewer than 10 homers or with a slugging percentage under .400.  Upon further investigation, I found that in 1996 – the year he turned 40 during the Dog Days of August – Paul Molitor hit just nine homers but accumulated 113 RBI’s while playing for the Twins.  Thanks to his American League-leading 225 hits and batting two hitters behind leadoff man Chuck Knoblauch in the midst of his best season (.448 OBP), Molitor led the Twins in both hitting (.341) and Runs Batted In.  I have yet to find a player with a season of 100+ RBI’s despite a slugging percentage under .400 (Molitor’s was a healthy .468), but I will continue searching.

Continue reading "Run production and slugging: not ..."

UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar was released from a hospital in Bismark, N.D., Tuesday and he is currently recovering at his home in Minnesota from Mononucleosis and a serious bacterial infection in his intestinal tract.

Continue reading "Hopefully, Brock Lesnar is not the next Bo Jackson"

How much money can owner Jerry Reinsdorf throw at the Chicago White Sox?  He went out an acquired Jake Peavy, a former Cy Young winner with the Padres.  Peavy went 3-0 in his short stint as a starter this season.  Peavy looked like an All-Star caliber pitcher.  He pitched great against Detroit in the last series of the season.  If he stays healthy, he will be a big help with the Sox.  The other question is Alex Rios, the player the Sox acquired from Toronto.  Rios did not have a good season with the Sox.  He may have the tools, but didn't showcase them enough with Chicago.  If the Sox part ways with Jermaine Dye, who again had a nice year, then Rios would start in rightfield.  Is Rios a power hitter who can hit to all fields? or a guy who can hit his way on base?  Can he drive in runs?  That's what the Sox need.

Continue reading "Chi Sox Need An Attitude Adjustment"

The Chicago White Sox have wilted in the summer heat.  While it may be warm in Chicago, the Pale Hose' chances of making it post-season are all but done.  The White Sox had a shot but blew it by playing poorly on the road in their last road-trip.  And, they came back in a fog. 

Continue reading "Ozzie on the Edge? Sox Fading Fast"

The good news for the Chicago White Sox is that both Detroit and Minnesota lost tonight.  The bad news is that the Sox trail the Angels 5-1 in the 6th inning.  If Chicago wants to make a late season run at the Division title, it can't afford to let this game slip away.  And, they are surrendering meekly.  They have amassed a grand total of 3 hits in the game.

Continue reading "ChiSox Season On The Brink"

Sunday August 16, 2009 following their 4-3 loss at Texas, is the first time since April 21st that the Red Sox do not have a share of the wild-card or AL East lead.  Does this mean that Red Sox nation should give up hope for the playoffs or a world series birth this year?  Probably not.  However, they should.  Sorry Red Sox fans and band wagoners, your team simply is not going to make the playoffs this year with the emergence of the Rangers pitching staff and the dominance of the Yankees offense.

Continue reading "Boston Red Sox to MISS Playoffs in '09"

Give the White Sox management credit.  They spent a heap of money on Jake Peavey and Alex Rios.  Peavey, the fine pitcher from San Diego is getting ready to make his first start for Chicago.  Alex Rios, who has speed, a good glove, and can drive in runs, needs to start producing.  The Sox made a great effort to make themselves better to win the AL Central Division title.  It is up in the air. They trail Detroit and could make up their decifit in a week if they play really well.

Continue reading "White Sox Need to Play Well Now"

I know, I know.  We’re all grieving over the way our boys have been playing.  I hope everyone’s been keeping the faith though.  Sure, it’s a cold streak.  But they’ll be back.  I know it.

Continue reading "This Week in Baseball – Notes"

It's the mid-season break during the 3 day All-Star game break and it's a chance for baseball players and managers to get away from the game and re-charge for the 2nd half of the season.  While the Chicago Cubs are certainly not out of it in their division, I feel more confident about their cross-town rivals having better success.

Continue reading "White Sox Have A Shot To Repeat"

Well since I’ve last wrote, Mark Shapiro has said Eric Wedge’s job is safe at least for this year, so I’m not going to continue to beat a dead horse calling for Wedge’s head anymore. What I do think is funny is that a guy who is equally if not more responsible for the unraveling of this team is saying someone else’s job is safe for now, like he isn’t living on borrowed time himself. Sometimes I wonder if Larry Dolan really cares or what kind of trance Shapiro has him under. If he is under one, I’d like to get my hands on some of that elixir Mark has been giving him. Tonight it’s Jeremy Sowers vs. Mark Buehrle in Chicago for the now infamous 8:11 start time. Here are some things that caught my script “I”:

Continue reading "Konerko dialed in at US Cellular. ..."

I got into a discussion with Sean yesterday about the post I made a couple of weeks ago concerning when a runner has officially taken possession of a base.  We consulted the rule book (online at baseball-almanac.com, a great site) and found no specific details about the situation.  (Though, admittedly, I did not carefully pore over every bit of it research-style, since we were simply having an entertaining discussion.)  While shifting through various alternative scenarios to try to tease out the answer, this fun one came up:

Continue reading "More Baseball Rules Discussion"

The Chicago Cubs are 35-36.  The Chicago White Sox are 36-38.  Both teams are flirting with the .500 mark as we get closer to the half-way mark of the season.  Unless these teams are can go into after-drive and put the pedal to the metal, it is likely that these team will finish near the .500 mark.  The Cubs had a thrilling homestand and won some games with pulsating finishes.  Then they go on the road and make the Detroit Tigers look like world-beaters.  In one game, the Cubs have a one run lead late, but  their closer gives up a 2 run homer in the last of 9th to win the game for Detroit.

Continue reading "Chicago baseball is simply mediocre"

While most teams would amp up at the idea of playing in your own backyard, sleeping in your own bed, and having the greatest baseball fans in the world backing you up, the 2009 Chicago White Sox seem disinterested when they arrive at U.S. Cellular field.  Most teams look forward to the notion of returning home after a nine game road trip, but to any sox fan whose been paying attention, our players seem to dread it.  What is the problem?  What is the answer?  It always seems to come back to not being able to figure out what the problem is exactly with absolutely no solutions in sight.  Whether it is the White Sox not being able to hit a pitcher they have never seen before, or subconsciously all the players believe a few home runs will loosen everything  up at the cell considering our home ballpark is usually a launching pad, these guys look like their sleepwalking when they play at home.  

Continue reading "Home Sweet Road"

    When the weather warms up, and the Sox play at home, the ball tends to leave the yard.   And that my friends, is enough to cure the offensive woe's of these Chicago White Sox.

Continue reading "Oh For The Long One................"

Continue reading "White Sox send down struggling Contreras; ..."

Continue reading "Thome puts Sox back on the Winning track"

Continue reading "Almost Perfect is Close Enough for Buerhle"

Well, the last 2 games in Texas were pretty ugly to the Sox. First there was the thumping that Jose Contreras took on Saturday night, and then the listless performance on Sunday night in front of a national audience.

Continue reading "Bring on the Royals"

3 was the magic number for the White Sox on Friday night.

The Sox had 3 new players to the starting lineup. Jim Thome and Chris Getz returned after sitting out a few games with injuries, and Scott Podsednik was recalled and started in the outfield.

Continue reading "3 + 3 + 3 + 3 = Victory"

   Watching Mike MacDougal can be downright painful and very frustrating. Well, the frustated White Sox finally cut the righthander after designating him for assignment a week ago.

Continue reading "Mike MacDougal - He Gone...."

  John Danks, had only given up 2 runs all season and had held Ichiro to 1 hit in 8 previous at-bats. This sounded like a good situation for the Sox and chance to sweep the Mariners in Tuesday's doubleheader.

Continue reading "Danks comes back to earth........"

Well, the White Sox got another quality start out of Bartolo Colon, in their 2-1, game 1 win on Tuesday.

Although Colon is no stranger to success in the major leagues, he was a reach for a reliable starter, and indeed was slotted as number 5 in the rotation. His start to the season has to have the club excited, and patting themselves on the back, for acquiring the veteran righthander.

Continue reading "Colon is up to the task"

In this chapter, one focused on the bullpens, things are a little on the hazy side. What I mean by that is, evaluating a bullpen isn't an exact science like evaluating an infield, where the positions are first base, second base, third base, shortstop, and catcher. With a bullpen there are long men, middle relievers, setup men, and closers, but those roles are utilized and defined differently by each major league club, with the sole exception being closer.

Continue reading "MLB's Top Five Bullpens"

It’s Day Two of The Sports Don’s 2009 Baseball Preview, and I present perhaps the toughest division in baseball to predict. The American League Central could finish in any order, and I wouldn’t be the slightest bit surprised. And yes, that includes the upstart Kansas City Royals winning the division for the first time since 1985 when George Brett was 32, and the Royals defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.

Continue reading "The Sports Don's 2009 AL Central Preview"

I am so excited to finally watch a Chicago Cubs game in Spring Training. So, I am gonna do my best to do up-to-the-minute highlgihts.

9:06 p.m.: Getting ready to start. White Sox John Danks is the starting pitcher. So Taguchi plaays right field for the Cubbies. Derrek Lee is off, Micah Houffpauir is at first. Seems sold out, which I think it is. Groovy.

Continue reading "Finally! A Chicago Cubs Game!"

With Alex Rodriguez's recent admission that he took performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), the baseball world was again rocked with a big name star being right in the crosshairs of the steroid era.

Continue reading "Does A-Rod's admission guarantee ..."

February 21, 2009 – By signing Joe Crede, the Minnesota Twins have signaled to everyone in baseball that they believe they can contend for a World Series Title this season.  The club finished 2008 with an 88-75 record and narrowly missed the postseason by virtue of a one-game-playoff loss to the Chicago White Sox.  The Twins were successful despite suffering some key injuries.  Now with a healthy roster and established starting rotation, the organization is indicating that it’s ready to contend by signing the big bat they’ve been missing for so long.

Continue reading "Signing Crede Signals Twins Intent ..."

Well, get ready for another season of Detroit Tigers baseball. We have been spoiled the last couple of years. The team actually has expectations and unfortunately so do the fans. Can Mo Town survive another sports team to fail miserably like the hapless Lions? Are we just a hockey town? I don't have the answer to that, but I do get excited for Tiger baseball. As a proclaimed member of the Red Sox Nation, I still love the Tigers. I watch most games and even try to get to the ballpark. I lived in misery because all my neighbors are "Tigers for Life". So my sports life is much better when the Tigers are winning.

Continue reading "Detriot Tigers look to impress in 2009"

Can you feel it?

Pitchers and catchers report in less than a month. The World Baseball Classic is upon us.

Can you feel it?

Many of the mega contracts have been finalized, while a handful of others are still in the works.

Continue reading "Astros Payroll: Design on a dime"

This could be a short post.  No, no one will bite and claim Bobby Crosby and his $5.25 million contract.  For the sake of completeness, though, let's run through who might conceivably pick up Crosby. 

Continue reading "Bobby Crosby on Outright Waivers...Will ..."

After reading article after article about how great an acquisition Swisher will be for the New York Yankees I think it is important to look at the trade from the perspective of the White Sox.

Continue reading "Why The White Sox Won't MIss Nick Swisher"

So this is my first official blog entry for this site.  Pretty exciting huh?  Yeah, not too exciting for me, either.  So in the rare occurance that by happenstance someone stumbles across my posts, I tip my virtual cap to you.  I hope to be updating this relatively frequently. 

Continue reading "Just Starting out"

There is no stove hotter than the one burning on the south side of Chicago this winter.  Coming off of an improbable division title the White Sox are a team some people would expect to return most of their lineup.  Despite making the playoffs for just the 5th time since 1959, last season’s White Sox were a flawed bunch.  At no time were those flaws more apparent than in their first round series against the Rays.  After four games the younger, faster, and better defensive team won and went on the win the pennant. 

Continue reading "What is Kenny Cooking?"

With the regular and postseason over, and the hot stove not quite on fire just yet, it’s a perfect time to pick my regular season award winners for the 2008 season.  Here are my MVP picks.

Continue reading "MVP Award Picks"

A big thanks to everyone who participated in the "Inbound Link Contest".  We have a winner!  A big congratulations go out to Marija.  Thank you for all your hard work on this.  While we had a lot of people participate, Marija was able to win with only 4 links!  So it wouldn't have taken a lot to win this contest!  We'll be having another contest soon so stay tuned.

Continue reading "Inbound link contest winner announced!"

Below is the original blog I wrote about last night's game.  Upon finishing the blog, I learned some disturbing news about Tim Wakefield.  I thought I'd share that first:

“Tim Wakefield has been scratched from his scheduled start on Tuesday with tightness in the back of his shoulder, the same injury that kept him off the World Series roster. Wakefield has already been sent back to Boston, where he'll be examined by Dr. Thomas Gill.

Continue reading "Dice-K dominates, but Wakefield goes to the DL..."

As I sit here watching the Futures at Fenway game on NESN, it’s nice to see the minor leaguers get a taste of the big leagues – especially after our own big leaguers lost 5-3 last night.

Continue reading "Frustrating loss for (Red) Sox in series opener"

You know, I was just thinking about how the White Sox are going to be a lot tougher to play than the Royals.  They're a first place team who are fighting to keep their spot.  They have hitters like Orlando Cabreara, Jim Thome, and the All Star Carlos Quentin.  Oh yeah, they also picked up Ken Griffey Jr. 

Continue reading "Sox against the Sox - Game 1 preview"

    Sure enough, just after I wrote about how I’d like to see Jerry Manuel try to stretch Aaron Heilman for some more two-inning relief appearances, Heilman blew a tie game in his second inning of work on Friday night.  After getting through the seventh inning cleanly, Heilman loaded the bases in the eighth and gave up a game-winning grand slam to pinch hitter Mark Loretta.  To add insult to injury (literally, considering the ailing arms of John Maine and Billy Wagner), Heilman was tagged with the loss again on Saturday in another collapse of sorts from the Mets’ bullpen.  This one was a group effort though, with Scott Schoenweis and Billy Wagner contributing to the blown 4-1 lead.  After yet another solid, but insufficiently long, outing from Johan Santana, Schoenweis allowed a solo home run to Kaz Matsui, who has killed the Mets, hitting .438 against his former team over the last three years.  Wagner then gave up a bizzare two-run single to Geoff Blum with the bases loaded in the ninth to blow the save, as both runners crashed into one another and Ramon Castro all at once at the plate.  Then, in the tenth, Heilman put the first two runners on base before handing the ball over to Pedro Feliciano.  Feliciano actually did not pitch poorly, striking out the first batter he faced and then allowing the game-ending sacrifice fly on a weakly hit liner by Darin Erstad.  Fernando Tatis made an excellent catch on Erstad’s sinking flare, but was unable to throw Lance Berkman out at the plate.

Continue reading "Shaky Pen Gets Mets Swept By 'Stros"

For the first time since May 13, the Minnesota Twins--the team that stood pat during the recent Trade Deadline Sweepstakes--assume first place in the NL Central today.

Chicago had been waiting for its bats to heat up all season, and both Swisher and Konerko have had a few streaks of hot hitting, but they couldn't get the whole team hitting at the same time. So they grabbed Ken Griffey, Jr., a move that was part consummation of a long-time love affair with Junior by GM Kenny Williams and part best-choice trade.

Continue reading "Twins in First"

In my opinion, its only one game, and im not too shocked, but it got me thinking...are managers like Gardy bad for the game? In my opinion, no. He is fiery yes, but I wouldnt call him unreasonable. He has never come close to making a spectacle of himself like that minor league manager a while back, i believe the hat-kicking fiasco was the farthest i think i have seen him go. Whenever I have seen him come out to argue a call, I have always agreed with him, at times i have been nearly as mad. The call the other night that led to the hat-kicking and fans throwing things was a horrendously bad call. I saw that, everyone I was watching the game with saw that, and obviously Gardy saw it. I dont think you can blame what followed his ejection on Gardy. Our fans...Minnesota fans...of all sports, at all levels...need little provocation to act like morons. (See the Hockey riots at the U of M when they won the Championship). I thought it was funny, and hopefully, but doubtfully, it will serve as a small wakeup call to Umpires to open their damn eyes. This whole thing about instant replay is rediculous. I have a better idea, give the umpires glasses or fire them all and hire people that can do the job better. Baseball has been around for what, 130 years? This problem hasnt been this bad for 130 years, or even five years. It seems like in the last year or two, umpires have gone blind. Fix that problem before you go to the video tape folks.

Continue reading "Gardenhire Suspended"

You're chasing the top team in your division. They come to town for a four-game series. You must win three of four at least.

That's just what the Twins did by winning 10-6 on Thursday. But it was the way they did it that's so hopeful for the Twinkies.

Continue reading "Twins come back, take three of four from Sox"

A few trades of note for Mariners fans--the ones made, the ones not made, and the ones made by other teams. Here are the Top 3 Seattle Deadline Stories:

1. Rhodes is now a Marlin. This was the guy everyone figured the Mariners would deal, and it came through. It makes complete sense, as the Mariners don't need Rhodes down the stretch, for a handful of lefty specialist innings, while the Marlins do. In return, Seattle gets Gaby Hernandez, a once-well-regarded starter who's scuffled at Albuquerque (where every pitcher scuffles), and he'll get a fresh start with Tacoma and the Mariners. He's nobody special, but Rhodes is an aging lefty in a one-year deal, so Lee Pelekoudas got who he could. Nice job, Lee.

Continue reading "Mariners Deadline Analysis"

Well that was a surprise...

Nice win by the Yanks followed by a very unexpected trade with the Tigers to acquire Catcher, Pudge Rodriguez for P Kyle Farnsworth.

The more I think about this trade, the happier I get...you can take the angle that the Yanks (like any other team in baseball) can't afford to give up a quality arm...That is true, however this 'quality arm' is not exactly what I would call consistent and not someone that i want pitching meaningful innings in, in October.

Continue reading "Delayed Reaction to Pudge"

Most people would say the surprise team of the year in baseball is the Rays. The Twins are a close second.

This series against the White Sox is crucial. After this, they play only one more series. This is the team the second-place team must catch up.

Continue reading "Twins come back to knock off Sox"

    Monday night in Miami was an all-around bad experience for the Mets.  John Maine cruised into the fifth inning with a 2-0 lead, and looked just fine to the naked eye.  But after Maine missed with a 1-0 fastball to John Baker, Jerry Manuel, Dan Warthen and Ray Ramirez, the trainer, jogged out to the mound to consult with Maine.  He appeared to say he was fine, and stayed in the game for the time being.  But after his next pitch to Baker left the yard for a solo home run, and his 1-2 pitch to Marlins pitcher Ricky Nolasco chased Endy Chavez to the warning track to make the catch, Manuel and Warthen decided they had seen enough, and pulled Maine in favor of Carlos Muniz.  Maine is listed as day-to-day with shoulder stiffness, and Warthen said he was most concerned that Maine might develop further injuries if he tried to compensate in his delivery to protect his shoulder.  In all likelihood Maine will miss a start in order to rest his shoulder, and hopefully pitch again next week.  After the game Manuel was adamant that Maine will not pitch through any pain.

Continue reading "Mets Fried By Fish, Maine Leaves Early"

I used to believe I had already gone through the greatest sports books already, but a summer read has changed my mind.

"Eight Men Out," by Eliot Asinof, is quite unlike most great sports books and movies, which tend to be inspirational. This is nothing of the sort — it’s a cynic’s delight, the kind of book that reinforces your sense that the world is screwed up, no one has pure motives and problems are not so much solved as dealt with by finding convenient scapegoats.

Continue reading "'Eight' good enough to be among best sports books"

To try and motivate our bloggers to get inbound links we're going to have a contest to see which blogger can get the most inbound links to their blog. The contest begins now and ends July 31st, 2008. To be entered in to the contest all you have to do is go out and get as many websites to link to your blog as you can and at the end of the month send us an email listing all those links. All links must be active from August 1st through August 7th when we'll be judging the entries - a winner will be announced on August 7th. All entry emails must be received by Midnight on July 31st, 2008. You can email them to sportsfan@nbabasketballonline.com

Continue reading "Inbound link contest - Win $100!"

One of the All-Star Break traditions: Reassessing our predictions from the first half of the season. Some of mine have changed, some have stayed the same—and some were just damn wrong. Living in the West, I will take the contrarian position and roll from west to east in my choices.

Continue reading "Second Half Predictions"

    Mike Pelfrey pitched another gem Sunday night, throwing eight shutout innings in the Mets' 7-0 victory over the Rockies, and won his sixth straight start.  New York cruised through their six-game homestand, outscoring the Giants and Rockies 31-4 with four shutouts to boot.  They now stand just a half game behind the Phillies for first place in the NL East.

Continue reading "Big Pelf and the Mets Take Nine Into ..."

As promised, Ill continue to trapeze my way through all 15 American League clubs, stopping and giving credit where credit is due to the biggest blood-suckers in the game-- the All-Underachievers.

Continue reading "All-Underachieving Squad (cont.)"

For some of you who don't know, I am a fantasy sports fanatic. I enjoy the crunching of number, and the drafting of players. This is an example from one of my leagues (my team is SPeff Starz, having an unusually bad season for my standards.)

Continue reading "All Stars and Winning Fantasy Baseball: Relation?"

The closer position in baseball is a relatively recent development, one which has only come about as a full-time position with specific duties in the past twenty years. There were closers before then, guys who came into the game in tight situations, but they might appear in the sixth or seventh inning as the ninth, and (at least early in this century) might be starters pitching on their off-day.

Continue reading "K-Rod: King of Saves"

All right then, it’s almost July, which means it’s almost time for yet another midsummer classic, which once again will pit the National League against their arch-rivals, those bums from the junior circuit.

Continue reading "All-Star foppery"

Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella on national TV on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball was ejected for arguing a check swing call.  Technically you cannot argue balls and strike calls but technically this is NOT A BALL AND STRIKE CALL - it is a CHECK SWING call.    Did he swing or not-  the ball itself was clearly outside the strike zone.  Lou approached the first base umpire who warned him and then Lou turned around to head back to the dugout.  He had already been ejected by the home plate umpire who then flashed the second ejection sign in Lou's face.  Clearly on the replay the umpire at first base blew the call.   Clearly also Lou was heading back to the dugout and the first base umpire had exercised control of the situation and there was no need to proceed further.   Unbeknownst to Lou, home plate minor league fill in Rob Drake decided this was his day to make a name for himself on national TV and become part of the show.   He had his mask off and ready for a confrontation with Lou as he first threw him out behind his back and then again in front of him.  

Continue reading "Lou ejected by minor league umpires ..."

                Although baseball has a long and cherished history, the thrill of going to a baseball game is the chance of seeing something unique and unexpected.  Last night the sellout crowd at Dodger Stadium saw the Dodgers win despite recording no hits, and broadcaster Vin Scully claims that in his fifty-plus years calling baseball games he’s never seen such an occurrence (though with the way his memory is aging these days, he might’ve years and years ago). However, seeing such unusual history only takes on meaning when contrasted with the everyday normality that is the slog of a six-month baseball season. The extraordinary only becomes noticed when compared to the ordinary.

Continue reading "Dodgers Wallop Three Singles Off ..."

The Cubs found out that U.S. Cellular is a long way from the friendly confines, even if it's only a few miles.

The White Sox ripped the Cubs, 10-3, on Friday, scoring seven runs in the third inning. The biggest blow was a grand slam by Nick Swisher.

Continue reading "Sox rock Cubs"

                Suppose I told you that the Dodgers would send two in-season callups to make back-to-back starts in mid-June, and that the first would throw a complete-game shutout and the other would get the loss after a shaky four-plus innings. And suppose that one of these two mystery pitchers was highly-touted 20-year-old rookie Clayton Kershaw, and the other was a 28-year-old farmhand named Eric Stults. Which pitcher would you guess threw the gem, and which would you think was mediocre?

Continue reading "Stults, Danks Toss Back-to-Back Shutouts; ..."

In this brand-spankin’-new feature, I offer a few thoughts after taking in the game at Dodger Stadium.

1.   Hand dryers. After the Dodgers’ disappointing performance on the field, I wanted to wash my hands of the team once and for all. Well, maybe just once. And imagine my astonishment when the Dodger Stadium now allows me an ingenious way to dry my hands of them too! Yes, bathrooms (at least on the field level) now include a new hand-dryer thingy. But it’s much much better than the regular hand dryers, which merely blow humid air onto one’s hands. These new-fangled devices included a cavity into which one puts one’s hands, upon which they are blasted with quick jets of cool air which successfully blow the water droplets off one’s hands. Brilliant. This may have been the highlight of my trip to Dodger Stadium. No joke.

Continue reading "Dodger Stadium Report"

                Fairly or not, Dodger fan have the reputation of not being on-hand to watch the entire game at Dodger Stadium. The nightmare that is Los Angeles traffic causes people to arrive in the third inning or later, and also prompts some fans to leave in the seventh inning or earlier to beat the rush home. The fans in attendance yesterday, myself included, spent less time than usual at the ballpark as a result of Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White Sox being on the mound.

Continue reading "Buehrle Makes Quick Work of Dodgers"

I took my daughter to the pool today and noticed I had left my copy of "Lonesome Dove" in the city. Damn! I pulled out the old reliable Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract revised, published in 2001. Great book to have lying around to learn about each decade of baseball since 1870. He also rates the top 100 players at each position, gives history, opinion and analysis. The analysis is not something I'm crazy about. Gimmee the plain stats. No sabermetrics, win shares and other goofy mathematical formulas. I don't need to think about it that hard.

Continue reading "Sweet Lou Whitaker"

The Cubs had nine runs in a wild record-setting fourth inning to rip the Sox, 11-7.

Jim Edmonds had two homers, Mike Fontenot one and Aramis Ramirez had a three-run dong in the fourth, the team's biggest inning of the year.

Continue reading "Cubs knock off Sox again"

Tough to top the Cubs' huge win against their intercity rival Friday.

Late homers by Aramis Ramirez, one in the seventh and the winner in the ninth, proved decisive in the 4-3 win. Kerry Wood pitched the ninth to get the win.

Continue reading "Cubs come back to tear Sox"

Home sweet dome.

The Twins returned to the Baggie Dome and had little trouble with Washington, winning the final game Thursday, 9-3 over one of the worst teams in the major leagues. Minnesota's now 37-36, finally getting over the .500 hump.

Continue reading "Twins break out broom"

The Twins must wish the Nationals were in the AL Central so they could play them more often. The Twins win Wednesday night, 11-2, with good games from starter Kevin Slowey, center fielder Carlos Gomez, and the MM boys, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau.

Continue reading "Twins swat Nats again"

My attention is divided today, between the two coasts, and between moves major and minor.

Beginning in the East and the earlier time zone is appropriate to the biggest story: the firing of Willie Randolph. Say what you will about Willie, he’s been a classy guy in both New York teams (he earlier served as a Yankees’ bench coach) and deserved better. That Minaya reportedly declined to fire him on Father’s Day, only to axe Randolph in the middle of the night on Monday, replaces a reprehensible act with a cowardly one.

Continue reading "Two Brief Bits"

It was 3:15 a.m. here on the East Coast, 12:15 a.m. in sunny California, when New York Mets manager Willie Randolph learned he was out of a job.

Mets general manager Omar Minaya apparently didn't make a cross-country flight for nothing, but he did let Randolph travel 3,000 miles from home before finally deciding to end the months of speculation about Randolph's job status -- after a win, no less, over the L.A. Angels.

Continue reading "Who would want Mets job after this?"

The Chicago Cubs find ways to win. Witness their extra-inning win over the Braves on a batter hit by pitch with the bases loaded. And, the Chicago White Sox lose on a walk-off homer. The White Sox went on a tear after manager Ozzie Guillen went on a tirade when the Sox were swept by the Devil Rays. Now, they get swept by the Tigers. The White Sox are a little too up and down for me.  It's like riding a roller coaster at Riverview, the amusement park of my youth.  It's exciting but a bit too scary.

Continue reading "Cubs are hot and Sox slump"

Well.

What a run!  The White Sox went 7-0 in their last homestand.  You know, the seven games after the famous tirade Ozzie went on.  Everyone says he lit a fire under them, it was a calculated move by a shrewd manager, and he gave them just the kick in the pants they needed to start producing some runs.

Continue reading "Thanks, Margie!"

A week ago the Twins were nipping at Chicago's heels.

Now they're only a game up on the Indians, who appear headed upward as the Twins descend. C.C. Sabathia, who's pitched reasonably well but gotten little support, shut out Minnesota 1-0 on Tuesday. Scott Baker pitched a terrific game but wasn't quite as good as Sabathia.

Continue reading "Time to trade?"

Friday the Twins lost to the White Sox, 10-6.

Saturday it got worse: The Twinks were drubbed, 11-2.

You'd think it wouldn't get any worse than that. But at the moment, the Sox are socking it to the Twinkles, 12-2 in the seventh.

Continue reading "Help Wanted"

The Twins have lost two of three and are showing signs they might not be able to stay in the race in a weak division.

The bullpen lost a home game against the Orioles, with Brian Bass losing the game after Scott Baker had pitched so well. Bass had a 5.30 ERA and it's worrisome that the bullpen has shown cracks. Losing Pat Neshek was a big blow.

Continue reading "Sliding"

For reasons I will explain below, Ozzie Guillen is the Billy Martin of the Chicago White Sox. Okay, Billy Martin without the alcoholism and bar fights with marshmellow salesmen, but the analogy still fits.          

Continue reading "Who cares more about the White Sox than Ozzie?"

So we've had a couple days to think about this madness, what with the White Sox having had yesterday off.  And they needed a day off to rest and recuperate.  And so did we.  I've had time to consider this, and my time has taught me that if my actions indeed have any bearing on how the Sox play, then I need to be more positive.  And so the last bad thing I'll say is this: we did drop three of four to Tampa, but the Rays are a good team this year.  That's all I'll say.

Continue reading "A New Hope"

It has been a while since my last post, which was bitter to say the least. A month and a half later I can hardly find much to complain about when it comes to the Cubs. They look like the best baseball team in the National League right now (obviously their record doesn't disagree), and after a 7-0 homestand this week, my baseball excitement is at its peak. I can't miss a Cubs game anymore. I make a point to try to watch or listen to every game, and I went to two games during the undefeated homestand. They have just been so entertaining to watch. Their play has been solid all around, and their offense has just been hilarious. Geovany Soto has been incredible, and he looks like he is going to be a legitimate NL all star catcher for years to come in the shadow of Mike Piazza.

Continue reading "Cubs Tearing Up the National League"

Here are some stories I've dug up. Always nice to get another perspective on things 

MLB

Mariners woes continue as Putz blows lead vs Yanks
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/2004438030_webmari25.html

Continue reading "Link Day: 5/26"

So we had a great run.

During those eight games I didn't want to post anything, because I was too afraid to change the team's luck flow.  Try as I may, I can never shake myself of the inkling-- if not the wishful thought-- that my behavior somehow affects how the White Sox play.  I imagine most fans feel that way, at least every now and then.

Continue reading "Consistently Inconsistent"

Well, there's so much to discuss.

First of all, I want to take a moment to just be happy that we've won five in a row.  That's awesome, and nothing can take just that away from us now.  I'm not saying anything has turned around.  I'm not saying that the season from here on out will be peanuts and crackerjacks.  I'm not saying that we have nothing to worry about.  I'm just saying it's nice to have won five games in a row.

Continue reading "Bullpen Bull...."

Dear Readers;   It is getting very difficult to be positive in my writing about the Giants when they are finding different ways to lose everyday.  Granted they were up against a very ho

Continue reading "It's the Same Old Song!!!"

Barry Zito...Now 0-8, Barry cannot be blamed for a team that has scored 11 runs in his 8 losses, that's 1.22 per game.  A run in each of the first two innings, that was enough to beat Black and Orange, who are not producing runs lately.  Generally old reliable with runners in scoring position, Bengie Molina has not had an RBI in 10 games.  The Woes continue...Giants have new Managing General Partner: Bill Neukom, a one time attorney, raised in San Mateo, Stanford Law School graduate, and once the director of Microsoft's legal team...Will take over when current owner leaves on October 1...Hey Bill: SPEND SOME MONEY!  Pat Burrell and C.C. Sabathia are going to be available at the end of the season...Payroll is still under $100 million...Some large salaries need to go and I don't mean Mr. Zito...  I see about $13 million with just two moves...Thank goodness the White Sox are leaving town after today's game...No more AL teams until June 13th vs. the A's at ATT.  15 straight games in June with AL clubs: 6 at home and 9 away, though the last three away are just eight miles away in Oakland...Good rootin'! 

Continue reading "Barry, Barry, Barry, and Friends"

Inter-league play has begun...The annual race to find out which league has better teams has  begun.  Each year around this time, teams begin playing teams from the other league, sometimes it

Continue reading "Hello Inter-league play"

Well, we won a game.  We ought to start feeling better about this team, don't you think so?  Well, the relevant question, actually, is do you feel better about it?

All I know is, I'm not convinced.

Continue reading "Sox-ual Healing"

Matt Cain and Fred Lewis both had really good nights.  Lewis went 3-4, while lacking just a homerun for the cycle.  May 13th, 2007, he did hit for the cycle against the Rockies at Coors Fiel

Continue reading "Cain and Lewis lead the Giants"

Just when the Giants offer us a little bit of hope, two wins against the Phillies, then they beat us back again.  A 7-3 loss to the Houston Astroson Mo nday night showed us that it isn't Zito's fault when they collapse.  Zito pitched a decent five innings and with all games, the results rest on as little as five pitches.  Lance Bergman would agree.  He is now tied with Chase Utleyfor the league lead in homeruns with 13.  His three run shot came on a misplaced breaking ball in the 6th inning.  Tied the score at 3-3. The usually competent bullpen lost the game.  Hey, it happens.  Giants are starting to sink.  They are in third in the West, but only because Colorado and San

Continue reading "Sorry 'bout that Chief!"

This past weekend in an effort to reverse their current loosing streak the Chicago White Sox invited two guests into their locker room. Not inspirational speakers, and not anyone worth more than about $19.95. These players brought in two blow up dolls.

Continue reading "Give the Locker Room back to the players"

Giants snakebit at PNC Park:  Giants dropped another to the Pirates at PNC Park, 3-1.  The highlight was the return of Barry Zito to the Giants rotation.  Guess that 10 day la

Continue reading "Woes continue in Pittsburgh"

Well that was very unexpected… The 'Post Game Thoughts' return as the winning streak (short but sweet) is over...

 

Just when things seemed to be going great…Andy Pettitte gets back on track with a strong outing, Kyle Farnsworth looks impressive yet again, and the offense scratches out enough to put the team in position to win…the unexpected happens.

Continue reading "Yankees VS Indians gm. 1 of 3 POST GAME THOUGHTS"

The Minnesota Twins completed their first road trip of the season last night, and the results were fairly disappointing. Disappointing because after splitting two games with the White Sox and taking two out of three against the Royals, the Twins twice blew late-inning leads and lost two games at Detroit, finishing the road trip with a 3 - 4 record that coulda should been 5 - 2. We'll get to the Detroit series later, first let's take a look at what went right.

Continue reading "Twins First Road Trip"

Fact. I have yet to go to a White Sox game this year where Joe Crede did not hit a grand slam. What could be better than that? Let me tell you:
As I stood at the gate waiting to get in, with my modest upper deck ticket in hand, there was a fella giving away tickets that weren’t going to be used, just 5 rows behind the Sox dugout. Naturally, I took them. A cold windy Sunday game in April turned into a sun-filled shouting distance display of Sox offense. I’d like to thank Brian Gant from Riddell Sports for being kind enough to not let those tickets go to waste. Very clutch.

Continue reading "Clutch"

You could see the breath from the players' mouths, and you knoew that every hit was accompanied b y a pair of stinging hands. Yet that diddn't prevent the Minnesota Twins from banging out a series of singles and, for the first time this year, the team built up a lead in the early innings and gave their starting pitcher a relatively stress-free path to a winning game.

Continue reading "Kubel Heats Up A Cold Night"

So I really thought, maybe I hoped, that the blond facial hair was a bet. Maybe the last one to cut it or dye it back would be the winner. But it's not so. Just a team unity thing. According to the White Sox website Toby Hall dyed his little soul patch and once Swisher saw it he wanted in. Boone Logan is also a 'part' of it but he opted for black. More amusingly, Bobby Jenks claims that Juan Uribe and Pablo Ozuna are the next to go blonde faced. No word on if it will cause Uribe to cut down on his swing.

Continue reading "I wondered, so you must have"

A few thoughts on the first homestand of the season:

*Carlos Gomez is really fast, and has the potential to be the most dynamic lead-off hitter the Twins have ever had.

*The starting pitching held its own. Livan Hernandez is just as advertised, a veteran who knows how to keep hitters off-balance and should throw into the sixth or seventh inning pretty much every game. Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, and Boof Bonser all pitched well, but too often found themselves behind early in the game.

Continue reading "Twins First Homestand"

http://wizbangsports.com/2008/04/tigers_declawed_by_royals.php

Do the Detroit Tigers miss OF Curtis Granderson? Yes.

Did they miss 3B Miguel Cabrera today with a quad injury? Yes.

Continue reading "Tigers Declawed By Royals"

Juan Uribe is off of waivers and officially a member of the 2008 White Sox. Further, he’s our most of the time second baseman after putting on a nice little hitting display during his little waiver stint. What does it all mean? I’d like to think that it means he’ll be hitting like he can throughout the season and we’ve got ourselves a solid 2B and bottom lineup hitter. More realistically I’m just hoping he can keep his hot streak going through at least the first couple weeks of the season. If we can make a good showing through April I think we stand a good chance to stay

Continue reading ""

White sox still have many questions that need to be answered.

With opening day one week away not only are the Chicago White Sox in the toughest division in baseball but they still have many questions that need to be answered within their own organization.  In 2005 when the White Sox held the title of World Series champions they were built on pitching and defense.  Although the defense may have returned with the additions of Orlando Cabrera and Nick Swisher the pitching certainly is still a question mark.  When you lose a starting pitcher such as Jon Garland you lose 200 innings and anywhere from 15 to 18 wins.  Not only that but you move Jose Contreras up to the number 3 spot in the rotation and that might be asking too much from someone who went 10 and 17 with a 5.57 ERA and is believed to be around 40 years old around major league baseball.  Also the White sox are asking a lot from young pitchers John Danks and Gavin Floyd even though they are very unproven major league ball players.  At times early last year Danks looked like he could pitch in this league but towards the end he looked as if he might have been better off down in the minors as he went 0 and 6 with a 7.62 ERA in August.  When it comes to Floyd no one knows who were going to see start the year.  In September Floyd had a 3.19 ERA and looked like the pitcher who they thought he could be when he was the main part of the Freddy Garcia deal but prior to that he looked as if he might turn out to be a major bust.  I would say the biggest question mark for the 2008 White Sox is without a doubt the starting rotation. 

Continue reading "White sox still have many questions ..."

Next up in my preview of the 2008 Major League Baseball season is the American League Central. Here are the key questions facing each team this season.

Chicago White Sox

Will ‘more energy’ be enough to help the White Sox rebound from a disappointing 2007?

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Season Preview: AL Central"

The AL Central is my favorite race in the league this year.  The Tigers and Indians are both stacked this season and I think it will very close all year.  I don’t expect either of these teams to have anymore than a 4 or 5 game lead.  The rest of this division is pretty weak which will help these two powerhouses build up the wins.  Let’s get to the breakdowns.

Continue reading "Part V: AL Central"

March 18, 2008 -- Trevor Hoffman visited with Jerry Coleman before today's 2008 Spring Training contest between the Chicago White Sox and the visiting San Diego Padres. Game time is 1:05 (Double XX SportsRadio 1090 AM & 105.7 FM); location is Tucson (Tucson Electric Park). Trevor is ever the professional and gentleman; straight forward and a great baseball communicator; articulate. He told Jerry that on both a historical and personal level it was special to visit China as a professional player.  He referenced a bit of an eerieness in the air due to protestors in the the northern portion of China. "Things are going on so they are a little bit sensitive." Hoffman also talked about young baseball talent in San Antonio and its successes of last season. Hoffman said Matt Antonelli (among others) is going to make a splash with the San Diego Padres. Trevor is slowly working back into his season-ready workout regiment. Lots of long hours on the plane and little baseball time he referenced. Hoffman was back running wind sprints on the field in Peoria after only 12 hours off the plane. He said that player's bodies should be about right now heading into the season. "Some long toss for pitchers, gage any soreness then step up the workout or slow it down."

Continue reading "San Diego Padres: Thoughts from Trevor Hoffman"

March 18, 2008 -- Trevor Hoffman visited with Jerry Coleman before today's 2008 Spring Training contest between the Chicago White Sox and the visiting San Diego Padres. Game time is 1:05 (Double XX SportsRadio 1090 AM & 105.7 FM); location is Tucson (Tucson Electric Park). Trevor is ever the professional and gentleman; straight forward and a great baseball communicator; articulate. He told Jerry that on both a historical and personal level it was special to visit China as a professional player.  He reference a bit of an eerieness in the air due to protestors in the the northern portion of China. "Things are going on so they are a little bit sensitive." Hoffman also talked about young baseball talent in San Antonio and its successes of last season. Hoffman said Matt Antonelli (among others) is going to make a splash with the San Diego Padres. Trevor is slowly working back into his season-ready workout regiment. Lots of long hours on the plane and little baseball time he referenced. Hoffman was back running wind sprints on the field in Peoria after only 12 hours off the plane. He said that player's bodies should be about right now heading into the season. "Some long toss for pitchers, gage any soreness then step up the workout or slow it down."

Continue reading "San Diego Padres: Thoughts from Trevor Hoffman"

March 17, 2008 -- Yesterday's Spring Training game between the San Diego Padres & Colorado Rockies was canceled due to rain.

Today, the Padres are at the Arizona Diamondbacks in Tucson (Tucson Electric Park), game time 1:05 p.m. Today Shawn Estes starts after yesterday's cancelation; the game is over and the Diamondbacks defeated the Padres 8-4. Shawn Estes took the loss. Padres pitchers gave up 19 hits. Jody Gerut homered for the Padres.

Continue reading "San Diego Padres this week"