Chicago White Sox Blogs

Perhaps the Chicago White Sox will look back on their season and say that their 4-3 road win against the Indians was a big one.

Credit catcher A. J. Pierzynski with coming up with a clutch three run HR in the top of the 9th to break a 1-1 tie.  The Sox held on to top Cleveland 4-3.  Edwin Jackson pitched into the 9th to notch his 3rd win with Chicago since arriving from Arizona in a late summer trade.  The win puts the Sox 4 games behind first place Minnesota in the AL Central. 

Continue reading "Pierzynski's HR downs Tribe, 4-3"

The White Sox pounded out 21 hits and scored 10 runs.  It could have been more like 15 runs, if the Sox made their hits count.  But backed by Alex Rios' strong night at the plate, going 5 for 6, including a home run, the Sox were able to withstand a 9th inning meltdown by closer Bobby Jenks. 

Continue reading "Jenks is Jinxed But Sox Prevail, 10-6 over Indians"

Manny Ramirez, who electrified the city of Los Angeles while a member of the Dodgers, was claimed off waivers and will be heading to the Chicago White Sox.  While this addition is going to add plenty of buzz in Chicagoland, and will make the lineup of the White Sox formidable, time will tell if this is the answer that Chicago needs.

Continue reading "Manny Headed to ChiSox"

It's getting toward crunch time and the Chicago White Sox wasted scoring chances only to fall 2-1 to the NY Yankees in Chicago before a sold-out crowd.  It was a picture perfect day for baseball and Gavin Floyd pitched well but not well enough for the win, in giving up 2 runs.  Rookie pitcher Ivan Nova did him better, going 5 2/3 innings while allowing a Juan Pierre single to drive in Gordon Beckham. 

Continue reading "Sox Lose A Tough Game, 2-1 to Yanks"

The Chicago White Sox scored in bunches to put away the New York Yankees 9-4 on Friday night in Chicago.  The Sox put up two 4 run innings to take control of the game.

The White Sox came out early and scored 4 runs in the bottom of the first inning, highlighted by A.J. Pierzynski's double which scored two runs.  The Sox also got a nice performance from pitcher Freddy Garcia (11-5) who kept the Yanks off balance all night.  Garcia went 7 innings and ate up some innings.  The bullpen has been battered, and reliever E. Threets possibly re-injured himself and had to be taken out of the game.  Both Matt Thornton and JJ Putz are on the DL.

Continue reading "ChiSox Top Yanks, 9-4"

Albert Pujols and Joey Votto are having monster seasons.  Not only are the sluggers leading their teams in the playoff hunt – the Cardinals are 1.5 games back in the Wild Card race while the Reds lead the NL Central – but Pujols (.321, 34 HR, 93 RBI) and Votto (.326, 31 HR, 90 RBI) are the top two National Leaguers in each of the Triple Crown categories.  Both have strong cases for the MVP award, but if either one wins the first Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967, it would be awfully hard for the voters not to choose him as the league’s Most Valuable Player.

Continue reading "Pair of Triple Crown candidates duel it out"

Where is Bobby Jenks when you need him?  The Chicago White Sox lost two tough games to Detroit, both in the late innings over the weekend, to fall 3 games behind the hot Minnesota Twins.  The Twins are a good team.  You have to play well to beat them, and the Sox haven't figured out how to do it against them.  Their upcoming series will be telling.

Continue reading "Bullpen Falters, Sox Drop 3 Games Behind Minnesota"

White Sox closer Bobby Jenks is on a short leash.  He has blown some ugly games, the most recent allowing Detroit to tie the game in the last of the 9th inning when Ray Raeburn when a 3 run HR with 2 outs.  The Tigers tied the game, but lost when Mark Kotsay drove in 2 runs with a triple.  That was a big win for Chicago.  But Jenks' high-wire act has to tone down.

Continue reading "Jenks On The Spot for Chisox"

There is still plenty of baseball to be played.  It is early August.  But as the season winds down, you come face to face with your division rivals.  And, the Chicago White Sox play a doubleheader against Detroit on Tuesday.  This isn't a do or die series, The Sox lead the Tigers by 6 games in the standings.  But for all the hard work they have done in recent weeks, the Sox can ill afford to have a bad series in Detroit.  If they split their games, or win 3 out of 4, they will be in very good shape. 

Continue reading "Big Series in Detroit for ChiSox"

You know, baseball is a funny game.  The Chicago White Sox have rescued their own season by winning games, and are a season high 14 games over .500 at 58-44.  Now, the front office wants to get into the act.

Continue reading "Sox Obtain Jackson in Trade; Stymied ..."

The Chicago White Sox hit last night and Gavin Floyd went 7 strong innings to get the win, as the rolled to an 11-0 rout of Seattle on Tuesday night.  The Sox are hot at home and have won nine in a row.  The White Sox, who turned around its season winning 26 of 31 games after June 8th, are playing solid baseball at the end of July.

Continue reading "ChiSox Play Longball in 11-0 Rout of Mariners"

Chicago White Sox pitcher John Danks pitched two hit ball for over 7 innings and Alex Rios continued his hot hitting as the Sox blanked the Mariners, 4-0 Tuesday nite.  With the win, The Sox pick up a game on both Detroit and Minnesota, who both lost earlier in the day.  The Sox lead increased to 3 1/2 games over both teams, their largest lead of the season.

Continue reading "Danks' Gem Paces Sox to 4-0 Win"

The Chicago White Sox were close to winning a game up in Minnesota, where gettings wins is as rare as finding gold coins in the street.  They led 6-3 going into the 9th inning and closer Bobby Jenks and Sergio Santos played "Who wants it more?"  The Sox seemed to say "We don't want to salvage a split" and slip away with a 2 1/2 game lead over the Twins, their nemesis in recent seasons. 

Continue reading "Sox Have To Shake Off Tough Loss"

Thank goodness Joey Votto (.314/.422/.589 with 22 home runs) was elected to the National League All-Star team via the Final Vote.  Billy Wagner, Carlos Gonzalez, and Ryan Zimmerman are great players and were all worthy of roster spots, but Votto should have been the NL’s starting first baseman over Albert Pujols, and it would have been a travesty had he not made it in the end.  Votto leads the NL in both On-Base Percentage and Slugging Percentage and is tied for the lead in home runs; if the season ended today, he’d likely be voted the league’s Most Valuable Player.  It’s too bad, then, that Votto went 0-2 and did not make an impact in the game.  (Each of the other first basemen on the National League side – Pujols, Ryan Howard, and Adrian Gonzalez – went 0-2 as well.)

Continue reading "All-Star Game thoughts"

The Chicago White Sox beat KC in a 15-5 rout, hitting 5 homers in the game, including Carlos Quintin's grand-slam for good measure.  It was his second HR of the day, when four Sox players hit home runs in a 7 run spurt.

Continue reading "Sox Climb To The Top, Win 8th In Row"

All one can say is the Chicago White Sox has turned around their season.  They are winning games.  They are now in second place with a win and a Twins loss last Wedneday night.  The bad news and the Sox have to get ready for this, is Jake Peavy, a former CY Young winner, was placed on the DL and is likely out of the season.  If he is out, the Sox have chance now to make the adjustments.  The can bring in Daniel Hudson who has been pitchning well in the Whits Sox famr system. Or they can try to trade for a pitcher.  All I can say is, a trade is going to cost you.  You have to give up to get.

Continue reading "Sox Make Five Errors En Route to 4th In Row."

The Chicago White Sox won a big game 5-3, against the Texas Rangers.  Alexei Remirez hit a big two run blast in the 6th inning for the winning Sox.  The Sox climbed back in the race on a sorching hot streak.  They cooled off a bit on this road trip, dropping two out of three to KC, and then righting themselves with a big win tonight.  This coupled with losses by the Twins and Detroit give Chicago a fighting chance to do some damage right before the All-Star break. 

Continue reading "Sox In Race To Win It"

With All-Star rosters set to be announced this weekend, I’m hoping that fans made good decisions in for whom to cast their final ballots.  While voting began not long after spring training ended, the true All-Stars have revealed themselves over the entire first half of the season.

Continue reading "Who's on first at the Midsummer Classic?"

When you're hot you're hot and that's what the Chicago White Sox are.  They won their 11th sraight game Saturday night, 3-2, defeating their cross-town rivals, the Chicago Cubs on Paul Konerko's 8th inning Home Run.  Konerko has 19 dingers and most likely will be picked for the AL All-Star team in a few weeks. 

Continue reading "White Sox Keep Winning, Beat Cubs 3-2"

Don't count them out.  Just about everyone who follows baseball did, but the Chicago White Sox have found a winning recipe, great starting pitching, and have won 9 straight games.  The White Sox beat Atlanta 2-0 on a late Paul Konerko 2 run blast to left field.  They swept the Braves, now bring on the Cubbies. If ever a cross-town rival series had import, this one does.  If the White Sox take 2 out of 3 this weekend, they will be in the Central Division race. 

Continue reading "ChiSox Are Hot, Win 9th Straight"

The hype over Washington Nationals’ phenom Stephen Strasburg has been followed by terrific pitching from the young right-hander, but the Nats’ front office also deserves a lot of credit.  In his first three starts, Strasburg has faced the Pirates, the Indians, and the White Sox, all of whom rank near the bottom offensively.  While I think Strasburg has a tremendous amount of talent and is going to be a great pitcher for quite some time, I’d like to see how he fares against the heavy-hitting lineups of the Yankees, Reds, and Red Sox.

Continue reading "Nationals handle Strasburg’s schedule ..."

Julio Franco may be the oldest player in Major League history to hit a home run (he also holds a number of other oldest player records), but Jamie Moyer has established himself as the game’s new Ageless Wonder.  In throwing a two-hitter against the Braves on May 7th, the 47-year-old became the oldest player to throw a complete game shutout.

Continue reading "Jamie Moyer: baseball's new Ageless Wonder"

Today’s post is brought to you from Toledo, Ohio.  With Spring Training wrapping up in just over a week, every team has reason to be hopeful that this will be their year.  Though it is widely accepted that exhibition games are meaningless, the Giants should feel good about their 18-7 record this spring, and the Indians are certainly pleased that they have won 13 of their first 19 games.  The reigning World Series champion Yankees, meanwhile, can shake off their 9-12 record as rustiness.  It may not have the excitement of October, but April is when everyone’s glass is half full; no one has ground to make up or nagging injuries to play through.  Every team has a share of first place, and that’s what makes it the most promising time of the year.

Continue reading "The most promising time of the year"

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"