Hegawn!

Non-Soxfest-related post.

2006-01-28T16:32:00.000-06:00

So I'm not at Soxfest this year (although I'm heading down tonight to meet some fellow WSIers for drinks at the Atrium Bar), which is fine, as I'm content to watch the local news reports about the mania that is Soxfest 2006, which sold out months ago. The more the merrier, I think, and that's the approach I'm going to take going into the 2006 season. After mullling it over and discussing options to purchase season tickets with one of my co-workers, I decided to pass on taking the plunge. Individual game tickets go on sale in February, and I'm going to try to get a pair for the first game against the A's to see Big Frank get his World Series ring (more on that below), plus another pair or two. I'll just play it by ear this year; if I get in to see games, I get in. If I don't, I don't. After all the time I've bitched and moaned about the Sox playing second fiddle in Chicago, the notion of the Sox being the hot ticket in town (OK, make that one of two hot tickets -- it's not like the idiots are going to stop flocking in from Wrigleyville and Bettendorf, Iowa to see that "shrine" on the North Side just because the Cubs lost out in the race to be the first Chicago team in close to a century to win it all in 2005) doesn't bother me in the least. Personally, it's always less of a pain in the ass to get to the park, get in, buy food, take a piss, etc. when there are only 20,000 at the Cell, but it's going to be great to see the park near capacity for most of 2006. The Sox winning the World Series in 2005 has put me in a very mellow, contented state of mind, so if I miss out a bit on the buzz and excitement of their quest to repeat it this year, that's OK. Right now it's all good.

I haven't posted at all in the last few weeks for a few reasons, including some personal shit and my recent quest to find a new job, but things are looking up the past week as I have a strong job lead that should resolve itself in the next month or so, meaning I can get out of my current morass and start working downtown again and feeling like a human being once more. I missed out on a few developments, so let's recap, shall we?

On January 17, the Sox avoided arbitration and re-signed Joe....Crede! for one more year at a salary of $2,675,000, a big leap from his 2005 salary of $400,000. Given Joe's clutch contributions in 2005, it's worth it IF he stays healthy, something which is not at all guaranteed based on reports about his back. Crede definitely absorbed his share of abuse during the first part of 2005, but he was a rock, defensively, and without his 9th inning (and beyond) heroics, I'm not sure the Sox would have even won the division, never mind what he did in the postseason.

The White Sox announced ex-Sox CF Chris Singleton would join Ed Farmer in the radio booth as color man, a development I can't say I'm really nuts about, given the dropoff I know we're going to experience after the cheapasses as the Score refused to pony up to retain one of the best in the biz, John Rooney. Singleton has a pretty low-key, vanilla demeanor, so it's looking like we're going to get another Darin Jackson. But, hey, I could be wrong.

Longtime Sox organist Nancy Faust has agreed to a 2006 contract with the team that allows her to not work most games starting after 3:05pm, with her retaining the option to play games she wants to as well as any postseason games. Apparently she was tired of getting home after midnight for most of the 6:05 and 7:05 starts, so I guess I can't blame her for wanting to cut back after 37 years with the team, but her absence will certainly be felt even with canned organ music serving as her replacement.

"Big Frank" Thomas has found a home for the 2006 season, signing a one-year, incentive-laden deal with the Oakland A's. While I'm happy that Frank will have an opportunity to prove his ability to rebound from a serious ankle/leg injury and also tackle on more offensive stats on his way to a surefire Hall of Fame induction, it is a bit sad to see the best player in White Sox history finish his career not in a Sox uniform. A healthy Frank Thomas, even at the latter stages of his career, is capable of putting up some solid offensive numbers, so I think it's possible he could even have a monster 2006, but I don't blame the White Sox at all for going with Konerko and Thome as their 1B/DH combo given the uncertainty of Frank's comeback. I guess it is what it is. Goodbye, Frank, and thanks for all you've done over the last 15 years.

Garland: back in 2006 (and 2007 and 2008)

2005-12-28T20:13:00.000-06:00

In a somewhat surprise move, the White Sox have come to an agreement with Jon Garland to retain his services for not only 2006 but also for the next two years. This came as a pretty big shock to myself, as I had expected the Sox to deal Garland this offseason after early negotiations failed to produce a deal, and the White Sox acquired the services of Javier Vazquez a few weeks ago. Anyway, for 2006 at least, Garland will be a relative steal: $7 million in '06, and then $10 million in '07 and $12 million (ouch) in '08. If he has even close to the year that he did in 2005, it will end up being a nice bargain for the Sox.

Still up in the air, then, is the status of Jose Contreras, who now sits as the odd man out in the Sox starting rotation. Contreras was the rock of the Sox's rotation in the second half this year, so ditching him is something the Sox shouldn't take lightly. A couple of relievers in exchange would be a nice surprise.

Sox lock up A.J. for 3 years; Timo & Willie both gone?

2005-12-20T22:58:00.000-06:00

Not the most important signing of the offseason, but definitely one that needed to get done: A.J. Pierzynski is locked up as the primary White Sox receiver through the 2008 season, in a deal that pays him $4 million in 2006 and $5.5 million in 2007 and 2008. My estimate of $3 million a year, I guess, was not based in reality, but I think A.J. is worth it.

In true A.J. "clubhouse cancer" fashion (*cough*yeah right*cough), the deal went smoothly. Welcome back, big guy. Nice to have a solid catcher (OK, except for those passed ball tendencies) with a somewhat potent bat, fuck-you attitude, and a great rapport with the pitching staff. After so many years of your Josh Pauls, Jorge Fabregases, Ben Davises, Chad Kreuters, Robert Machados, Brook Fordyces, Mark Johnsons, and even Charles Johnsons, it's to have a guy you can really rely on back there.

The other development of the last day is the White Sox not offering salary arbitration to both Willie Harris and Timo Perez. After the Mackowiak deal, I speculated that either Willie or Timo would probably become redundant, so I am surprised that both players will not be with the squad next year. The Sox currently have Anderson, Mackowiak and possibly Podsednik to play Center Field; Dye and Mackowiak in Right Field; and Iguchi and Ozuna for 2B. That feels incomplete, so I would wager another speedy utility infielder would be forthcoming. Iguchi played 1171 innings at 2B in '05, while Willie played 248 and Pablo just 29. Someone's gotta give the Gooch a break, right?

Sox continue to deal: Vazquez in, El Duque/Viz/Chris Young out.

2005-12-15T16:51:00.000-06:00

So, if you had told me on, say, October 27 that of the two professional baseball squadrons currently toiling away in Chicago, the White Sox would be the ones making the big trades and signings while the other team was plodding along, getting stymied at nearly every turn in the dealmaking game, and making just one big move so far, I'd've said you were nuts.

But, hey, here we are, one day after the Sox made another significant dent in transforming their ballclub: acquiring righty starter Javier Vazquez from the Diamondbacks for ALDS Game 3 stud Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, long-armed set-up man Luis Vizcaino, and Sox minor league Center Field prospect Chris Young. The White Sox now possess 6 bona fide starting pitchers, none of whom suck: Buehrle, Garcia, Garland, Contreras, Vazquez and McCarthy. Considering that the Sox's bullpen has been depleted by both Vizcaino and the recently departed Damaso Marte, I would look for Kenny Williams to make at least one more move this offseason to bring in some seasoned relief help (last time I saw Jeff Bajenaru, he was getting a terrible case of whiplash watching a Travis Hafner monster bomb at the Cell head into the Right Field seats). Of the 3 players moved, Young may be the one the Sox miss most, if Brian Anderson doesn't pan out in CF this year. El Duque was, of course, magical at times in the playoffs, but his shoulder problems this season (shut down twice) and desire not to be a bullpen guy somewhat forced Kenny's hand, since there just wasn't any room in the starting rotation for him. Right now I'm calling this a good deal for the Sox. Whatever mental problems Vazquez has had can be overcome, I think, and Don Cooper has proven his worth as a guy who can pull off some reclamation projects. Vazquez is an innings eater who strikes out a lot of guys, so he should fill a solid niche with the Sox in '06 and beyond.

Bravo, KW.

Marte - hegawn, Mackowiak - welcome.

2005-12-08T23:17:00.000-06:00

Kenny Williams continues to tinker with the '06 Sox lineup by adding versatile left-handed stick Rob Mackowiak from the Pirates and dumping noted left-handed headcase Damaso Marte.

Mackowiak, in addition to being a native south suburbs guy, fills in a lot of holes for the Sox with his impressive resume in the field. Check out his games by position stats:

1B: 3, 2B: 20, 3B: 65, LF: 1, CF: 41, RF: 23, PH: 21.

That 65 games at 3B is especially intriguing, in light of recent stories about Joe Crede's ailing back (two herniated discs). Also, 41 games in Center Field? Maybe Brian Anderson will have to earn his starting spot after all. And lastly, as a potential left-handed hitting right field replacement, does this mean that Timo Perez has become extraneous? Or is it Willie Harris who might get squeezed out?

I don't think KW is done dealing this offseason, specifically re: the bullpen. With Marte gone, that leaves just Neal Cotts as a viable lefty, and Dustin Hermanson may potentially become a void that needs to be filled if reports of his bad back health continue. I'm going to assume El Duque moves to the 'pen, but another southpaw would be nice to see.

Meet Paul Konerko: White Sox Lifer.

2005-11-30T20:07:00.000-06:00

Or so it seems. In any case, Paul Konerko today becomes White Sox property through the 2010 season, which is one hell of a signing for Kenny Williams given the money and years being offered up by Baltimore and Anaheim in the past day. Very, very rare to see the White Sox go beyond 3 years let alone beyond 4, but I think they see what most Sox fans see in Konerko, and that is a driven, hard worker whose health has mostly not been an issue for his entire Major League career, and one whose presence in the lineup on a daily basis is going to be one of the keys to trying to repeat as World Series champs in 2006.

The deal is apparently pretty straightforward: 5 years at $12 million per, with a limited no-trade provision that blocks the Sox from dealing him to just 6 teams in the future, so it seems like both sides gave a little and got a little (if you consider $60 million "little").

The downside to today's signing is that it leaves just about no wiggle room for the White Sox to retain Frank Thomas in any capacity, given that both Konerko and Thome are first basemen and potential DHs. Nothing, of course, is final on that front, but I now believe that there's a better than average chance that Big Frank hangs up his shoes during the offseason, rather than trying to ply his skills in a new city, at a time when both his skills and his health are starting to drop off. Frank might try to stick around another two years, which would probably get him close to 500 careers HRs if he's healthy both years, but from where I sit, those odds don't look very good. Pretty sad.

More on Rowand-for-Thome

2005-11-23T16:42:00.000-06:00

Curiouser and curiouser...

The AP is reporting that the Phillies will be kicking in about half of Thome's salary over the next 3 years, or $22 million, which is a staggering sum. However, the White Sox are also sending over two minor league pitching prospects.

Thome will then be owed about $20.5 million over 3 years, or $6.8 million per. Subtract Rowand's $3.25 million salary for next year and the net bump here is only about $3.5 million for 2006. Could Thome's role be more of a full-time DH and maybe 40-50 games a year at 1B, with Konerko being retained?

Either Thome is intended to replace Everett and Thomas, or primarily Konerko. Right now, after reading about how much the Phillies are kicking in, I'd have to go with the former.

Also: does KW have designs on a replacement Center Fielder? Juan Pierre, perhaps?

Sox pull trigger on huge trade of Rowand to Philly for Jim Thome.

2005-11-23T15:21:00.000-06:00

Holy shit.

Much chatter the last few days about the Sox's interest in dealing Rowand and of their mutual interest in having (a hopefully healthy) Jim Thome come to the Sox to man first base and hopefully pound the fuck out of the ball as he was wont to do to the White Sox while a member of the Cleveland Indians. So, pending physicals, the Sox have signalled goodbye to one of their key 'grinders', and a guy who I've had a bit of a love/hate relationship with over the years. Rowand was one of those guys like Jose Valentin who made difficult plays look easy and easy plays look difficult, on occasion; his much decried "bad routes" drove me and many Sox fans nuts, especially down the stretch in September when the Sox were close to choking the division away to the Indians. But I can't forget that defensive clinic against the Yankees in the Bronx this year as well as many of his warning-track heroics over the years. I did wonder why his power numbers went down so much this year (though I don't think it had anything to do with steroids), and if the 2005 Rowand was what we were going to see for the next few years.

So it's hello to Brian Anderson in Center Field next year, an experiment I'm willing to endure, given the promise he showed during his short stint in the majors this year, sitting in for an injured Scott Podsednik.

As for Thome, unless he suddenly becomes a much faster person and a hell of a lot more versatile as far as what position he can play, this trade also seems to indicate that Paul Konerko will not be pursued any further by the Sox as a FA, and to me, that's the biggest shocker of all. I really thought the Sox would make it Priority #1 to re-sign him. Anyway, I'll hold judgment on that aspect until Konerko officially signs elsewhere. Thome has indicated that he's 100% healthy again, and if so, I think he can give you everything Konerko gave this team the past few years and more. But that's a big "if." Just a quick prediction for him next year: 34 HRs, .288 BA, .398 OBP, and 112 RBIs.

Thome is due $42.5 million over the next 3 years, so how much will Philly kick in? I would guess somewhere in the neighborhood of $11-12 million in total, but we'll see.

So, so long Aaron. It's been nice knowing you.

Dear god, please let this be someone's pipe dream.

2005-11-20T18:04:00.000-06:00

I mean, did the White Sox really need to "D-Ray-ize" their logo?

Some news is good news.

2005-11-19T18:27:00.000-06:00

Small developments the last few days, most of them off the field...

Pablo Ozuna was resigned for one more year @ $500,000 if he's up with the team in the majors. A good signing; I think Pablo will be a bench guy for most if not all of the next year. Solid fielder with great speed.

Comcast is going to be rebroadcasting every White Sox postseason game beginning December 18, with a pair of 90-minute specials -- the 2005 Official World Series Film and Sox Pride: The Story of the World Champion White Sox -- to start airing on Thanksgiving evening:

This unprecedented, month-long holiday present to viewers will include replays of all three ALDS games against the Boston Red Sox, all five ALCS games against the Los Angeles Angels, plus, all four games of the thrilling 2005 World Series against the Houston Astros. In addition, Comcast SportsNet will air every game’s accompanying White Sox Post Game Live, plus, a pair of 90-minute specials that will soon be made available to the general public on DVD: Sox Pride: The Story of the World Champion White Sox and the 2005 Official World Series Film. The announcement was made by James J. Corno, Senior Vice President/General Manager for Comcast SportsNet Chicago.

Beginning Thanksgiving night, November 24 at 7:00 PM, Comcast SportsNet will televise the first of its four airings of the 2005 Official World Series Film. On Tuesday, December 6 at 7:00 PM, the network will debut the first of five airings of Sox Pride: The Story of the World Champion White Sox. Starting Sunday, December 18 at 3:00 PM, Comcast SportsNet begins airing replays of every White Sox Playoff match-up starting with Game 1 of the ALDS vs. Boston.

Following every White Sox Playoff game replay, Comcast SportsNet will re-air the supplementary White Sox Post Game Live as it originally followed each game featuring post-game press conferences and player interviews. Plus, the network will replay Salute to the Sox: Parade & Rally Celebration on January 2. Comcast SportsNet’s comprehensive coverage on White Sox Post Game Live and its expanded parade/rally coverage features the network’s on-air talent pool including Pat Boyle, Josh Mora, Chuck Garfien, Gail Fischer, Kerry Sayers, William Jackson, Luke Stuckmeyer, Mitch Robinson, Dan Jiggetts and studio analyst Bill Melton

Set your Tivos. Now I feel a bit gypped that I actually went to all the trouble to Tivo all these games and track down the parts I missed; during the postseason ruckus it certainly made things just that much more stressful. Oh well.

Ed Sherman also points out that a DVD package including the entirety of all 4 World Series games will be released in March, so it sounds like the Chisox won't be getting the full-on treatment that the 2004 Red Sox did. Lastly, in horrible news for any Sox fan that prefers not to be embarrassed by its association with this moron, Sherman also reported that Mike North hosted the debut showing of the new WSCR weekly Sox program this morning. With the departure of longtime radio voice John Rooney to the Cardinals, the presence of sociopolitical idiot North around the Sox is a double punch to the balls.

Sox postseason memorabilia brings in bucks for City.

2005-11-17T13:01:00.000-06:00

The City of Chicago raised over $57,000 for charity yesterday by selling off various banners that have adorned city lampposts throughout the years, and the hottest ticket turned out to be the White Sox chotchkes commemorating the 2005 season.

One World Series banner (pictured) went for $5,000, which means that the asshole (below) I saw at the White Sox victory rally who climbed up and stole one -- in front of a crowd of thousands -- can now be convicted of grand larceny, assuming he's ever caught.

Breaking up the dynasty, one piece at a time.

2005-11-17T12:53:00.000-06:00

Well, not really.

Geoff Blum, the White Sox's sole mid-season acquisition in 2005, has signed a one-year deal with his old team the Padres. Which comes as almost no surprise at all, considering that Blum's sole accomplishment with the White Sox was his 14th inning solo home run off of Ezequiel Astacio that put the White Sox ahead for good in the longest World Series game ever played. I mean, yeah, that's a pretty big "sole" accomplishment and all, so it's been great knowing you, Geoff, and best of luck in S.D.

Fung is winning, and winning is fung.

2005-11-09T13:31:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Ozzie Guillen for a very well-deserved Manager of the Year award. This one was a real no-brainer, though don't think I didn't have visions of Eric Wedge walking away with it.

The year ahead

2005-11-06T15:07:00.000-06:00

So the trophy has been won and done its tours of the city of Chicago and Caracas, and the wheels of commerce have already begun in earnest for 2006. Let's look ahead and see what 2006 might likely bring for the White Sox, shall we?

Some action has already taken place since the season officially ended:

the Sox declined their option on Carl Everett and paid him a $500,000 buyout (no big surprise)
exercised their club buyout option on Frank Thomas and paid him a $3,500,000 buyout (again, no surprise...if the Sox kept him, his 2006 salary would have been a whopping $10,000,000)
signed backup catcher Chris Widger for a 1-year deal @ $650,000
signed Cliff Politte for a 1-year deal @ $1.2 million

So, here are the players that are definitely signed for 2006 (my "essential" players highlighted in bold):

C: Chris Widger (backup)

2B: Tadahito Iguchi

SS: Juan Uribe

LF: Scott Podsednik

CF: Aaron Rowand

RF: Jermaine Dye

Starting pitchers:

Mark Buehrle
Jose Contreras
Freddy Garcia
Orlando Hernandez

Relief pitchers:
Cliff Politte
Dustin Hermanson
Damaso Marte

Likely deals that the Sox will make:

C: AJ Pierzynski

The Sox absolutely NEED to re-sign AJ Pierzynski for at least 2 years. He proved what a great clubhouse guy he was in 2005 and he handles the Sox pitching staff great, making up for his tendency to let a lot of balls in the dirt get by him, which is a liability given Garcia and Contreras's tendency to occasionally uncork one. His '05 salary was $2.25 million, so I would expect the Sox to re-sign him for something in the neighborhood of $3 million + incentives. Widger is a fine backup, but the Sox have no other options right now, so AJ is a must.

1B: ? / backup Ross Gload (not signed for '06)

Obviously, the biggest hole the Sox must fill in the offseason is Konerko's spot. I personally feel confident the Sox can reach an agreement with PK. The money may not match what other teams like the Angels can offer, but Konerko -- if he's smart -- has to realize that his stature in Chicago has been cemented as a hero for what he did during the offseason. Gload is an inessential component of the team, albeit a serviceable backup, and he should be re-signed by the Sox for close to the minimum.

2B: Willie Harris

"Wheels" Harris is a versatile bench guy who can play 2B and CF, so I would expect him to be re-signed.

3B: Joe Crede

Joe is not signed yet, and he only made $400,000 in 2005 and his agent is Scott Boras (a/k/a the Devil), so hopefully the Sox can reach an agreement in the neighborhood of $1.75 - $2 million.

backup infielders: Pablo Ozuna / Geoff Blum

Of these 2, I think Ozuna proved himself the most valuable. He started off shaky at third base, but quickly improved his defense, and his speed on the basepaths is something this slow team really needs. Blum is serviceable, but really only had one good moment with the Sox in 2005, and that was the huge winning home run in Game 3 of the World Series.

backup OF: Timo Perez

Timo is a master of the clutch late-inning hit and plays some solid D, so I would guess the Sox will re-sign him.

Starting pitchers:

Jon Garland

Not signed for 2006. The Sox will reach an agreement with him and avoid arbitration.

Relief pitchers:
Neal Cotts
Bobby Jenks
Luis Vizcaino

Many of the unsigned players don't have many years of service, so the Sox will have the advantage as far as signing them.

Of the above players, the ones I think the Sox may try to deal include:

Freddy Garcia and/or Orlando Hernandez

With Brandon McCarthy as a viable starter in 2006, one of the 5 starter spots is going to be his for the taking. I personally would rather see the Sox keep Garcia as their #3/#4 starter and either trade El Duque or move him to a set-up role, but his $4,500,000+ salary in '06 is very, very rich for a relief pitcher. Given his shoulder troubles in '05, I don't think he'd hold up for an entire season as a starter.

Dustin Hermanson and/or Damaso Marte

Hermanson's back health is a big concern. He should be having surgery in the offseason, but who knows what state he'll be in for 2006. I think 2006 will find him reverting to the mean. Marte somewhat redeemed himself in Game 3 of the World Series with his gutty 2 innings of relief, but he's too much of a headcase, and as a hard-throwing lefty, the Sox should find a few clubs interested in a deal.

Other deals the Sox will probably work on soon:

Frank Thomas

In my opinion, it would be a real shame if Frank did not retire as a White Sox. I know he's not Kenny Williams' favorite player, but I hope that Jerry Reinsdorf can work out a deal in the neighborhood of $2 - $3 million + incentives for the next 2 years, taking into account his leg problems. I would not at all be surprised if Frank retires during the offseason, though.

Carl Everett

Yes, it does seem that the White Sox are constantly making deals to acquire Crazy Carl. Carl definitely isn't worth the $5 million option the Sox just turned down, but with his consistent power stats (23 HRs, 87 RBIs), he's a definite option especially considering the Big Hurt's health situation.

And, lastly, I think Brian Anderson has a very good chance of making the starting roster as a backup outfielder.

All in all, I think the White Sox are in good shape for 2006. It's hard to argue that many of the guys on the team had career/fluke years in 2005; I do think that 2006 won't see the same type of season from Jose Contreras, Dustin Hermanson or Bobby Jenks, but at the same time, I thought Aaron Rowand had a sub-par year offensively, and both Dye and Pierzynski could bump their BAs up 20 or 30 points. The biggest thing that made the 2005 White Sox was their health, and I would guess that they won't be nearly as lucky in 2006, so we'll see.

Why, hello there, part 3 (a/k/a The World Series)

2005-11-05T18:15:00.000-06:00

Getting World Series tickets turned out to be about 20 times harder than either of the first two rounds of the playoffs, but I was pretty determined to try and see as many WS games in person as I could. Since it was 2-3-2, the first two games were on Saturday 10/22 and Sunday the 23rd. Much ado had been made by the Chicago police about the "security bubble" that was to encompass the ballpark, all the parking lots, and a portion of the surrounding area, where no one without a ticket would be allowed in. So, on Saturday, I took the El down around 2:30pm, and started down 35th Street with my "need 1 ticket sign." It quickly became obvious that there were way more buyers than sellers about. In fact, I didn't see any sellers, period. After close to an hour's walking around the 35th/33rd/Jimbo's/Princeton area, I headed over to one of the parking lots south of the park where my brother and some friends were tailgating. As I walked through the lot, still holding my sign, two Eastern European men asked me if I was buying or selling, and we commenced to dealing. $800 got me a 6th row seat in Section 534, almost behind home plate. Yes, lots of $$$, but when your team hasn't so much as played a World Series game in 46 years, you do what you gotta do. I sat next to the guys who sold me my ticket, and they ended up being the managers of the Croatian national baseball team. Ended up doing some drinking at the tailgate and just generally getting pumped up.

Game 1: Contreras vs. Clemens. A match for the ages. Well, it might have been, had Roger been Roger and not suffering from a sore hamstring, resulting in him being pulled after just two innings. Sox got first blood off a solo shot by Dye in the first. Mike Lamb evens the score with a solo shot of his own in the second. Sox slapped around Clemens in the second with 3 hits and 2 runs to make it 3-1. Lance Berkman smoked a double down the right field line with men on 2nd and 3rd to tie the game the very next inning. And who else but Joe Crede put the Sox ahead for good with a frozen rope to left center in the 4th? He was the MVP that wasn't for the entire postseason -- I can't argue with Konerko getting it for the ALCS or Dye for the World Series, but Crede's solid defense and uber-clutch hitting deserves to be singled out. Houston managed to mount a threat in the 8th inning, with a leadoff double by the pesky Willie Tavares off of Contreras and then a clutch base hit by Berkman off reliever Neal Cotts to put men on first and third with no outs. I definitely had visions of the Sox blowing this one, given Houston's tough bats. But no, the Sox's 'pen would hold: Cotts Ks Ensberg. Then he Ks Lamb. Ozzie, despite my wishes to keep Cotts in, brings in Jenks to face Bagwell. Jenks threw 6 pitches to Bagwell, and I don't think one of them was less than 99 mph. Bagwell Ks swinging at a nasty outside fastball. Exhale. The Sox add an insurance run in the bottom of the 8th off an AJ Pierzynski base hit + stolen base (!), followed by a huge Scott Podsednik triple. Jenks stays in the 9th to complete the game, adding two more Ks to his tally and a grounder. White Sox win 5-3. So that's what a World Series win feels like. We all finished off the night with a beer at the Bridgeport Tap and celebrated, knowing that the Sox had taken the first one. At least they wouldn't be swept.

The weather the next day was about 10 degrees colder and it drizzled on and off. I had a harder time finding a reasonably priced ticket for this one, despite much walking around the parking lots and down 35th Street (and being yelled at by a policewoman to "put that sign down"). People were asking $1000 and up for upper deck seats. On what was a day more suited to watching the Chicago Bears than the Chicago White Sox, I felt like I could find a $500-$600 ticket fairly easily. Finally, at the hot dog stand on 35th Street west of the park, I found a guy who was tired of standing in the cold and the rain who sold me a Section 508 seat for $600. Done and done. It was only about 5:30 by this point, so I had a leisurely slice of Connie's pizza and a bottle of water, waiting for the game to start. We got teased by Lou Rawls singing the National Anthem, only to see the grounds crew putting the tarp back on. The game finally started about 20 minutes late. It was downright chilly and drizzling for most of the night, making it one of the more unbearable games I've been to, even despite being dressed for winter weather with 4 layers. Being soaked in both my jeans and sneakers definitely didn't help. The matchup tonight was Buehrle vs. Andy Pettitte. This time, the Astros struck first, off a leadoff homer by Morgan Ensberg in the second. But of course, the White Sox were having none of that, as they pieced together a 2-run rally in the bottom half of the inning with a Rowand single, a Pierzynski single (that should have been a double were it not for some terrible base-running by Rowand), a fluke/lucky Crede flare down the right field line, and an RBI fielder's choice by Uribe (that really should have been an error on Biggio, who muffed an easy popup in short right field). 2-1 Good Guys.

But, Houston wasn't going to stay quiet: they tied it in the third with Tavares tripling and then scoring on a Berkman sac fly. The 5th was tough for the Sox; after a leadoff double by Brad Ausmus (liner down third base line that hit Crede's glove before trickling off, allowing Ausmus to advance), Buehrle retired the next 2 hitters. Who else but the speedy, pesky Willie Tavares kept them alive with an infield single to Uribe that was just out of the reach of Crede. And the killer was a double by Berkman that easily scored Ausmus but also knocked in Tavares, as Podsednik bobbled the ball against the outfield wall. Had Pods charged the ball and really attacked it, he would have had a shot at holding Tavares or nailing him at the plate. As the game wore on, my coldness level hit new highs, so I spent most of the 5th/6th/7th innings walking around the outfield inner concourse, peeking my head out and standing for a batter or two in different sections before beeing shooed away by the ushers. I also got some really nasty coffee in a desperate bid to stay warm. The Sox had their chances, too -- a leadoff double by Uribe in the 5th that went for nought (the inning ended on the phantom pickoff throw by Pettitte to "nail" Iguchi, who was safe), Rowand and Everett on 2nd & 3rd with 2 outs in the 6th left stranded by Pierzynski. Nuts.

The 7th inning was another one of those wacky, classic White Sox 2005 postseason innings. I started the inning still standing between Sections 529 and 528 or thereabouts, with a light rain still falling. Dan Wheeler in to pitch. Uribe belts a crushing double with 1 out. Pods Ks. Iguchi walks on a full count. Jermaine Dye is awarded first base on an inside pitch with the count full, ruling that he was hit by the pitch. From where I'm standing, that's what look like happened; only on my El ride home do I learn of the controversy after the fact. The ball in fact hit the barrel of his bat, as Dye was trying to get out of the way of the pitch, which ran way up and slightly in. As Phil Garner goes out to argue the call and the Astros bring in Chad Qualls to face Konerko, I scramble back to my seat, thinking something big might happen. Little did I know. First pitch, and Konerko launches a no-doubter grand fucking slam into the left field seats. US Cellular Field is more nuts than I've ever seen it. Just like that, the Sox go up 6-4 with just 6 outs to go.

Sigh. Yes, that whole "6 outs to go" thing. Actually, more like 3 outs, as Cliff Politte pitched a flawless 8th inning to set the stage for Bobby Jenks for the 9th. It's not as easy as it sounds, sometimes. The Astros managed to push across 2 runs and tie the game in dramatic fashion, deflating the entire crowd in a major way. And they did it much in the manner of the Sox: by the skin of their teeth with an unlikely hero off the bench. Bagwell looped a leadoff single into center. Jason Lane struck out. Chris Burke walked on 4 pitches, a few of them very close. A little checked swing grounder to first by Ausmus to advance Bagwell and Burke. 2 outs. Pinch hitter and ex-Yankee Jose Vizcaino comes in and immediately rips one into short left field, and due to Podsednik's weak throw which was too far on the first base side, Burke comes in from second to score by a hair. Just like that, tie game. Jenks gets yanked. The strains of "Don't Stop Believing" played by Nancy Faust greet reliever Neal Cotts during his warmup pitches, and fortunately Cotts comes in to retire Mike Lamb, which in retrospect, was a huge out with a runner at second.

So, the stage was set for another extra-inning affair, it appeared. Brad Lidge was coming in to shut down the Sox, after all. By this point, I honestly didn't have any idea how this game was going to turn out. Juan Uribe pokes a fly ball into left for the first out. Podsednik manages to work the count to 2-1, in the process taking all the way. The fourth pitch hit the wood of Podsednik's bat and never touched grass or dirt. From where I was sitting, I knew the instant it left his bat that it was a homer. The unlikelihood of a guy who went the entire regular season without hitting a home run hitting two in the postseason, including a World Series walkoff, is just...mind-boggling. But I was there to witness both of them. If the park went up for grabs when Konerko hit his grand slam, it probably went to the proverbial "11" on Pods' grand slam. I have never, ever seen that ballpark more raucous, celebratory and just full of unmitigated joy than I did that night. Best $600 I ever spent, period.

Game 3 was the first World Series game in Texas ever played, and it won't exactly go down as the best game ever played, but for the time being it will go down as the longest World Series game ever played. As in, close to 6 hours and 14 innings long. Garland vs. the very tough Roy Oswalt, a matchup that figured to favor the Astros. And that held up for a while. Houston staked out a 4-0 lead through 4 innings, as Garland was getting hit pretty hard. But the 2005 White Sox did their magic in the 5th, knocking in 5 runs on 6 hits, including a leadoff homer by (who else?) Joe Crede. The Sox batted around, and Ms. Oswalt took out his frustrations on Crede by nailing him right in the chest on his second AB of the inning. What's a shame is that Juan Uribe almost made it a 9-4 game on a line shot down the right field line that was about 6 feet away from being a grand slam, which would have scored Crede after the beaning. The Sox couldn't make the 5-4 lead hold up, though, as Politte, Cotts and Hermanson all contributed to another run by the Astros. The remainder of the game, which felt like another 3 hours, was chock full of bad pitching coupled with some clutch outs. The Sox pitching staff walked an innumerable amount of runners, it seemed -- 4 by El Duque, 1 by Viz, 1 by Jenks (+1 HBP), and 2 by the game saver, Marte (!). But when it came down to the 14th inning and the ass end of the bullpens, the Sox held the advantage: Ezequiel Astacio, anyone? After a huge GIDP by Konerko to end a potential rally, perennial journeyman bench guy Geoff Blum blasts the most unlikely of home runs into right field to give the Sox all the margin of victory they would need. Chris Widger later coaxed a walk with the bases loaded to make it 7-5. Victory was theirs, almost. Naturally, the Sox made it interesting in the bottom half of the inning, by giving up a walk to Orlando Palmeiro and Juan Uribe muffing an easy, game-ending grounder to put men at first and third. Ozzie Guillen was forced at this point to use Game 2 starter Mark Buehrle, who became the first pitcher to win a World Series game and then save the next one. Mercy. That win was the dictionary definition of ugly, but hey, the Astros definitely had their chances and didn't come through at all. The W made up for the semi-lame night I spent at a north side bar called Mix, at least through the 12th inning. By the time I left, I really wanted to knock out the teeth of the pathetic Cub fan sitting next to us.

So, we're up to Game 4. Wednesday, October 26. The Sox couldn't possibly sweep this World Series, could they? Dunno. Kathleen and I were going to watch the game at Puffer's, so we first stopped at Phil's on S. Halsted to get a pizza (their sausage pizza kicks some serious fuckin' ass). We walked up Halsted, passed by two drunk women engaged in a serious ass-whuppin' of each other (like, kicked-in-the-head ass-whuppin'), and were told by the Puffer's staff that there was no room at the Inn, even though it looked less crowded than it was for Game 5 of the ALCS. I think the police started cracking down on the notable Bridgeport area pubs for overcrowding. Bummer. After much hemming and hawing, we decided on Catcher's on 35th Street, after the owner OKd us bringing in a pizza. It was really crowded in there, but we managed to get a spot to put the pizza down at a table under a TV, and we ended up sharing it with a lot of drunk, hungry Sox fans after getting our fill. Rob joined us around the third or fourth inning.

The matchup for this game was Freddy Garcia vs. Brandon Backe, which seemed to favor the White Sox, but Backe was very very good. The Sox barely mounted a serious threat (they had men on 2nd and 3rd, 2 outs in the 7th), but then again, Houston only did once, in the 6th inning, when they loaded the bases with 2 outs before Garcia retired Jason Lane on a high strike strikeout. The sole run of the game came on the milquetoast combination of a Willie Harris base hit, a sac bunt by Podsednik, and a single up the middle by Series MVP Dye. Closing it out was Bobby Jenks in the 9th, who earned his redemption for the blown save in Game 2. After a leadoff bloop single by Jason Lane and a sac bunt by Brad Ausmus to advance Lane to second, Jenks was assisted by two amazing defensive plays by Juan Uribe -- the first, which could be described by ESPN as "Jeter-esque," showing Uribe diving into the seats on the third base side on a high popup and emerging with the ball in his glove as he stormed back in to hold the runner at second; and the final play of the game, an Orlando Palmeiro grounder that barely cleared Jenks' outstretched arm, was scooped up by Uribe and thrown to first just in time to nab Palmeiro for the White Sox winner and their first World Series championship since 1917.

I had no idea what my emotions would be when the Sox finally won the damn thing, but they were really very simple: just pure, unalloyed happiness. After kissing Kathleen and giving fellow Sox fans some high-fives and hugs, I just stood there with my fists raised toward the TV above me, screaming "They did it! They fucking did it!" Catcher's was nuts, as to be expected, and I saw grown men and women crying, but mostly I saw an explosion of pure joy after such a long wait for this franchise. We spent the next hour or two walking down 35th Street toward the park, taking pictures, slapping five with fellow Sox fans passing us on the street, and then congregating in the light drizzle in one of the parking lots outside the ballpark being filmed by many of the local TV crews. World champs, bay-bee, world champs.

As I took the Red Line home and transferred to the Blue Line, I saw various Sox stragglers in various stages of drunkenness. When the doors would open at a stop, I heard faint strains of "Let's go White Sox!" and people whooping it up. There were a few overserved dudes on my train, causing much bemusement to those El travellers who were just trying to get to work or go home, but it was all in good spirit. At long last, Chicago had a baseball champion. And I don't think I even need to say how happy I am that it was the White Sox.

Congratulations to each and every member of the 2005 White Sox, and to Ozzie Guillen, Kenny Williams, Jerry Reinsdorf and all the owners and other workers who made things happen. You done Chicago proud.

Why, hello there, part 2 (a/k/a The 2005 ALDS & ALCS)

2005-11-05T16:58:00.000-06:00

OK, now, the postseason. Exhale.

I've been a White Sox fan of varying degrees of intensity for most of my life, going back to about 1971/72, when my family made its annual or twice-annual trek to see games at Old Comiskey (and Wrigley, too -- we were fans of both teams), so even making it to the postseason is a rare event. In 1983, I can't say I was a huge follower of baseball, although I did watch the Sox lose to the Orioles in heartbreaking fashion. In 1993, I recall October being the month where I was struggling to open a record store after being shut down by the Department of Revenue for operating a business illegally out of my apartment, so even though I did watch most of those ALCS games against the Blue Jays, my mind was definitely elsewhere. And in 2000, I was fully converted to rabid Sox fandom, a journey that picked up momentum around 1995/96, thanks to my brother giving me his season tickets every once in a while. So I attended both home playoff games in person with my friend Rob and witnessed the disappointment of falling in 3 games to the Mariners; not a good feeling. That single experience shaped my hopes for the 2005 ALDS against the Red Sox: just don't get swept, I thought way back in the furthest recesses of my mind. At the same time, I thought the Sox had the pitching to go far, but it was a matter of execution: would the Sox's bats show up just enough to win 3 before the Red Sox did?

The score after the first inning? 5-0, White Sox. The final score? 14-2. Number of Scott Podsednik home runs? 1. Fucking awesome.

Game 2 was a different bale of hay, entirely. David Wells, who never lived up to his billing in his one year with the White Sox, was on, and Mark Buehrle was not. At the start of the 5th inning, I was standing in line getting some grub and beer when Carl Everett dribbled a single between first and second. Aaron Rowand followed with a just-fair double down the left field line that scored Everett. "Hmm, at least they're trying," I thought, still stung from the disappointment of 2000. Pierzynski grounds out to second, putting Rowand on third. He claps his hands, knowing he's done his job. Crede hits the first of several bouncers right up the middle to make it 4-2. This is getting interesting. And then, as I'm wolfing down the monster hamburger I bought while standing by the front railing of Section 335 (Club Level Life: do never test), Juan Uribe has a very long at-bat, ending with a seemingly inning-end grounder right to Tony Graffanino. In a word: OOPS. I always liked Tony G. when he was on the Sox, so yeah, I felt bad for that most untimely of gaffes. But the results? I'll take 'em. Men on 1st and 3rd, 1 out. Pods pops out weakly to third. 2 outs. Tadahito Iguchi then won the game on a hanging curve thrown by Fatboy Wells, belting it into left center to earn his place in White Sox lore for-evvah. Well, only in retrospect did he win it, as there were still 4 more innings to play. Burly pitched great through the 7th, and Bobby Jenks came in for 2 amazing innings of relief, allowing just a walk to Trot Nixon in the 8th and a potentially unnerving 1-out double to Graffanino in the 9th.

Game 3 was in Boston, so I spent that watching it at Monk's Pub on Lake Street downtown, along with another 100+ rabid Sox fans. Good times. Garcia vs. Wakefield, a pitcher the Sox haven't had a hard time hitting. Sox take the lead 2-0 in the third. Ortiz and Manny lead off the 4th with back-to-back jacks, much to the delight of Chris Berman. Dye walks and Konerko slams one out over the Big Green Monster in the 6th to make it 4-2. Manny homers again to lead off the bottom of the 6th, and Ozzie pulls Garcia to put in Damaso Marte, his biggest blunder of the entire postseason. Single, walk, walk. Bases loaded, just like that. Crowd going nuts, with the BoSox down just 1 run and threatening to storm back. Enter El Duque, who proceeds to put on a fucking clinic in Big Boy Pitching, getting Varitek and Graffanino to pop out and finally Damon to strike out on an easy ball 4. Crisis averted. El Duque pitches 2 more near-flawless innings, and again, Big Bad Bobby Jenks comes in for the close. Sox win their first postseason series since 1917, just like that. So that's what it feels like.

The Angels dispatched the Yanks in 4 games, setting up the ALCS match that most Sox fans probably wanted to avoid. I don't think anyone forgot how the Angels completely punked out the Sox and swept a series in September at the Cell. I managed to get tickets to all 4 potential home games, thanks to some luck on Ticketmaster, Stubhub and my brother. Game 1 featured Paul Byrd vs. Jose Contreras, a match that should have favored the White Sox, but they came out flat, played some dumb defense (Crede double-clutching on Orlando Cabrera's weak grounder to third, followed by Contreras not throwing to home to get the sure out, and instead throwing to second base to try to get the inning-ending double play...with Vlad running), and were offensively put on the shelf by Byrd, middle reliever Scot Shields, and a shaky K-Rod in the 9th. Nerts.

Game 2 will likely go down in Sox history as one of the weirdest ever. The Sox score in the first inning due to a Little League throwing error by starter Jarrod Washburn on a routine grounder by Podsednik, when he lollipopped it over Erstad's head. Aaron Rowand doubles to deep right field to lead off the second inning, and heads to third base on a terrible relay throw by Vlad that gets away from the third baseman, and ends up getting nailed at home after being waved around by Wavin' Joey Cora. If he holds up at third base, he'd likely have scored on a sac fly by Crede two batters later. Angels score in the 5th off a Robb Quinlan homer. Sox fail to score in the bottom half of the 5th when Jermaine Dye Ks with the sacks packed. Joe Crede, unbelievably, gets doubled off second base with 1 out in the 7th on a liner by Juan Uribe to left field.

And then, finally, with 2 outs in the 9th and Kelvim Escobar on the mound, AJ Pierzynski swings at what appears to be a legitimately caught third strike to ex-Sox catcher Josh Paul (at least from where I'm sitting, 6th row Section 524). I put my head in my hands, only to look up and see AJ running to first base. Couldn't hurt, I guess, I think. After much arguing by Mike Sciosia, the umps still give AJ the base, and the crowd finally comes alive again. Pablo Ozuna pinch runs for AJ, and quickly steals second base off Escobar, who isn't pitching out of the stretch. With an 0-2 count on Joe Crede, he absolutely ropes one to left field, which to me looks like a home run, but, just as good, bounces off the padding to score the racing Ozuna. Complete bedlam ensues. The guy I've been sitting next to and conversing with the entire game gives me a slightly off-kilter high five that ends up nearly bloodying my nose. White Sox postseason magic: catch it. I won't get too far into the discussion of did Josh Paul catch the ball or did it hit the dirt, except to say that Josh Paul's an idiot. You always assume the home ump can't see anything that close from that angle and should tag the runner as a matter of course, just to be on the safe side.

So, with one Mark Buehrle complete game under their belt, Jon Garland ups the ante with a 4-hit CG win over the Angels in Game 3 in Anaheim, 5-2, spearheaded by Paul Konerko's 2-run bomb to left center in the first inning. Not bad, considering Garland hadn't pitched in 12 days.

Sweaty Freddy Garcia added his visage to the Totem Pole of Greatness with another complete game gem in Game 4 in Anaheim, one which featured yet another first-inning bomb by Konerko (this one for 3 runs, after a controversial non-call on a checked swing) and another controversial play involving AJ Pierzynski, who interfered with Steve Finley during a serious Anaheim rally in the second inning that was not called by the umps. Finley did not run hard all the way to first and was arguing the call while running, resulting in him being the second half of an inning-ending, rally-killing double play. The Sox wound up winning 8-2, so I think it's hard to seriously argue that the blown calls that game (also a pickoff of Scott Podsednik at first base that was not called) made the difference. But yeah, they certainly didn't help the Angels' cause.

Game 5 of the ALCS was a 3:00 CST start on Sunday the 16th. For this game, I went with Rob to Puffer's at 33rd and Halsted, my first visit there since the Boers and Bernstein remote on opening day against the Indians. Definitely packed in like sardines, but in a good way: White Sox fans are a great lot. The game was back and forth for a while. The Angels took the lead 3-2 in the 5th, as Jose Contreras pitched decently but not great. As I stepped up to the bar at the top of the 7th started, Joltin' Joe fuckin' Crede belted a solo shot off Escobar to pull the Sox even at 3. Joe.....Crede! In the top of the 8th, more Sox magic. With 2 outs and nobody on, Escobar walks Rowand with the count full. And who else but AJ Pierzynski comes up and belts a grounder off Escobar's body...Escobar grabs the ball and tries to tag AJ with his glove. The only problem? The ball isn't in his glove; it's in his other hand. D'oh! The umpires initially call Pierzynski out, but get together and overrule the call, correctly. Men on first and second, 2 outs. K-Rod comes in to face Crede, who drills yet another seeing-eye single up the middle on a full count, nabbed by Adam Kennedy but not in time to get Rowand at home. The Sox could have put the game away this inning, too -- Uribe walked to load the bases, but Pods ends up striking out looking at a perfect, down-the-middle curve with another full count to end the inning. Contreras put the team on his back the last 2 innings, retiring the last 6 batters in a row, and the Sox managed to put up a 2-spot in the 9th on a Konerko double and a Rowand sac fly. 6-3 White Sox. American League Champions for the first time since 1959. Puffer's goes up for grabs. Yours truly makes the full-color spread in the Sun-Times the next day.

Why, hello there, part 1 (a/k/a the 2005 Regular Season recap)

2005-11-05T15:56:00.000-06:00

So, yeah, where've I been? Well, I suppose now's as good a time as any to catch up on this here Chisox blog, seeing as the Sox, y'know, FUCKING WON IT ALL IN 2005 and everything. Still mentally raising the roof over that monumental achievement...mercy.

And no, I didn't give up on the team this year, despite what I wrote in December of '04 below. I actually started to give the team a chance when it appeared that KW was not going to stay put during the offseason. After getting my ass burned (and I mean burned) with the late-season collapse in 2003 and the fucking pathetic-assed display they put on in July of '04, I was just not in a charitable mood toward the team, and for once really, really despaired that they would ever amount to anything. So I spent the first part of the offseason with the attitude of "show me what you got, White Sox." And Kenny Williams took some chances...December resulted in the Sox signing Dustin Hermanson (versatile pitcher who could start, set up, or close) and Jermaine Dye (an acceptable, decent alternative to Maggs), and making the blockbuster, money-saving trade of CLee for Scott Podsednik and Luis Vizcaino, probably his biggest gamble of the entire offseason. And then January featured the signing of El Duque (whose value truly became evident in Game 3 of the ALDS), "clubhouse cancer" AJ Pierzynski, and finally, Tadahito Iguchi at second base on January 24, which was the deal that finally broke down my resistance barriers and resulted in me signing up for a 9-game ticket plan, when I was seriously considering not buying any tickets before the season started.

I ended up going to 17 games during the regular season, and the Sox only won 8 of those, but I did see some classics: the 1-0 home opening win pitched by Buehrle over the Tribe; the 6/18 1959 retro uni game against the Dodgers, where the Sox entered the bottom of the 9th down 3-1, tied it at 3 and then won it 5-3 on a chilling 2-run blast by AJ Pierzynski that ranks up there as the best regular-season moment I'd personally witnessed since Carlos Lee's 10th inning, game-winning grand slam against the Cubs in June, 2001; and the clinching game against the Tigers on 9/29 in Detroit, finally nailed down by Bobby Jenks in the 9th after the Tigers scraped together a serious threat with no outs (thanks in part to a rare Joe Crede error on a routine grounder). 2005 ended up being not quite the cakewalk it was panning out to be as the team entered August with a double-digit lead over both the Twins and the resurgent Indians. On September 22, the Sox lost a crushing 11-inning game 4-1 while the Tribe kept rolling, and reduced the Sox's lead to just 1-1/2 games, and I thought they might actually, honest-to-Pete really fucking blow it.

That final week of the season provided the biggest thrills of the year, as the Sox found their ground and held up against the very impressive Tribe, who finally relented. Here's how it went down:

9/23 - Sox beat the Twins 3-1 on a Jose Contreras complete game; Indians beat the Royals 7-6 thanks to some shitty defense by the KC squad in the 9th. Sox lead: 1-1/2 games.

9/24 - Sox cream the Twins 8-1 as Freddy Garcia only allows 4 hits; Indians pound 4 homers en route to destroying the Royals 11-4. Sox lead: 1-1/2 games.

9/25 - Sox cruise over the Twinkies 4-1; and, in probably the key game of the year for the Tribe, the Royals actually win 5-4 in the 9th inning on a ball lost in the sun by outfielder Grady Sizemore, which allows the winning run to score. Nice. Sox lead: 2-1/2 games.

9/26 - Cliff Politte gives up a game-winning homer to Tigers outfielder Curtis Granderson, giving the Tiggers the 4-3 win; Cleveland idle. Sox lead: 2 games.

9/27 - Nate Robertson and the Tigers again top the Sox 3-2; Cleveland can't find its footing against the pesky D-Rays and fall 5-4. Sox lead: 2 games.

9/28 - The beginning of the end for the Tribe...Sox clobber the Tigers 8-2; Indians get blanked 1-0 by the D-Rays. Ouch. Sox lead: 3 games. One more win by the White Sox clinches the division, thanks to the math involving potential wild card opponents.

9/29 - Sox clinch 4-2 over the Tigers in the afternoon, so what the Indians do is moot (they won 6-0). Game over, man.

The Sox, playing many bench players, go on to sweep the Tribe in Cleveland the final weekend of the season, ruining Cleveland's chances of winning the Wild Card spot. This, of course, is a fortuitous development, in retrospect. Of all the AL teams vying for playoff spots, Cleveland was the most dangerous against the Sox along with Anaheim.

There is no doubt in my mind that the pressure put on the Sox to not choke away a 15-game lead made them better prepared for the playoffs than they would have been had they cruised to the AL Central title with an 8- or 12-game margin, so I tip my hat to the Tribe for what they almost accomplished. Repeating as champs in this division will not be an easy task in 2006.

Buh-bye Maggs, Jose, Sandy and Robbie

2004-12-07T13:34:00.000-06:00

Hi there. Back from the dead, after a much needed break from talking about my underachieving hometown boys.

So, yeah, no expectations for 2005 based on what this team did in 2004 and the apparent lack of big offseason moves since our owner is too cheap to spring for some much needed top shelf FAs. And today the White Sox declined to offer arbitration to Magglio, Jose and the Alomar brothers, so it's a bit of an end of an era for me, as Magglio and the Valenstache definitely carved out a special place in my heart with their play over the last several years. However, I can't argue with saying goodbye to any of these guys. Magglio's health is too much of a question mark to take a blind gamble on (thanks, Borass), and he's just a bit shy of a real game-maker -- consistent .300/30/100 guy and all, but not worth the 8-digit salary he's seeking. As for Jose, the Sox can ill afford another year with a SS whose average continually hovers around .200 with way too many Ks, and who still makes boneheaded errors on easy plays (the hard plays, he makes; WTF?).

The holes the 2005 White Sox have are many and deep -- RF, DH, 2B, SS, 3B, fifth starter, even C and possibly CF assuming Aaron Rowand reverts to the mean, which is a definite possibility. I'll reserve judgment until pitchers and catchers report, but I have an awful hunch the Sox's moves will be minimal and frugal.

Yep, time to catch up on all that crap I've got on TiVo...

2004-07-28T22:04:00.000-05:00

Feh. Well, suffice it to say that I don't feel like rehashing or even discussing much the Twins' 3-game sweep of the Sox, culminating in today's embarrassing, pathetic display, where the Sox really had to work hard to give the game away to the Twins -- terrible baserunning, terrible defense, terrible execution at the plate. 3-1/2 games back, the White Sox organization is faced with the realization that when you stock your team with power-hitting slow guys and two of those guys with All-Star credentials go down with injuries, you may very well find yourself in trouble.

The Sox picked a really inopportune time to lay an egg -- sold out weekday crowds (a rarity), potential to put some distance between themselves and second place, a definite "buzz" about the team brewing in Chicago. I witnessed them play Corpseball in person on Monday, hoped it would get better on Tuesday (it didn't), and tore my hair out at work today watching them (on Gamechannel) get caught stealing twice in a row with no outs and only scoring once with the bases loaded, dropping foul popups and then watching the Twins score the winning run seconds later.

Perhaps this team isn't much different than the 77-win team I predicted before the season started. I sure didn't think so just a week ago. But, what I witnessed during this Twins series seems so freaking goddamn familiar; the Sox have pulled dead rabbits out of their hat pretty much every year since 2000.

Have I given up hope? Nope. Still plenty of baseball to be played, and there's always the possibility that some of the stiffs in the Sox offense will wake up and perform to their abilities.

For a while at least, I'm going to pull back and focus my energies elsewhere. For instance, the Democratic National Convention coverage. And all those issues of The Nation and The New Yorker that are weighting down my backpack. And the, uh, 3 episodes of "Six Feet Under" I still need to watch. Time's a-wastin'...

"Actually, the last 3 innings are a real garbage dump."

2004-07-25T20:32:00.000-05:00

So I sit here nursing a mild sunburn on both arms and the back of my neck, watching a rather dull Yankees/Red Sox matchup on ESPN. I headed out to the Cell on a bee-yootiful low-70s, perfectly sunny Chicago day, only to be really disappointed with the overall mediocre performance the Sox put on today. It started off pretty encouragingly -- in the second inning, Konerko absolutely crushed one to left for a 1-0 lead, and 2 batters later, Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman was ejected immediately after beaning Aaron Rowand square in the back, followed by Tigers manager Alan Trammell, who argued valiantly and effusively with home plate ump Kevin Kelley to little effect. I didn't think Bonderman was intentionally retaliating, since it was only the second and it just didn't seem the time to do so (if you're gonna hit someone, why not the next batter?). Anyway, right there seemed to be a big shift in momentum towards the Sox, but they couldn't take advantage of reliever Wilfredo Ledezma (who?), who took the reins for a solid 3-2/3 innings and only allowed 1 ER.

Instead it was another relatively marshmallow-soft start by Jon Garland, who continues to have an erratic season with its share of highs and lows. Today's Jon Garland was The Nibbler, who did not go right after some of the Tigers' weak-hitting lineup and suffered as a result. He walked 3 and gave up 6 hits in 6 innings, letting Sox killer Carlos Guillen hit 2 singles off him and even getting tagged by Marcus Thames (who?) for an RBI double.

Still, Garland kept the Sox in it, and it was 4-2 Tigers leading when Neal Cotts came in to relieve in the 7th. Cotts retired the first 2 batters, and then with 2 outs, gave up 2 walks, one single, and one hit batsman. With the score now 5-2 Tigers and the bases loaded, Ozzie Guillen conceded the game by bringing in Captain Garbage himself, Mike "The Thriller" Jackson. I said to my friend Rob, "I predict he gives up no fewer than 2 runs here," and I underestimated MJ's suckitude by a deuce, as he quickly gave up a spirit-killing grand slam to none other than Marcus "Call Me Sox Killer, Too" Thames. Bam. 9-2, and there's a fight at the exits for people to leave.

At that point, Ozzie really threw in the towel, as he subbed Joe Borchard, Timo Perez, Ben Davis and Juan Uribe for the duration of the game. The sun still shone, but the Sox didn't do anything. Paulie finished the day with 2 GIDPs. Not good.

Please, dear god, can we END the Michael Jackson Experiment?

Pick 2 Click: Joe Crede

2004-07-25T00:38:00.000-05:00

Well, I missed the last 7 innings of what looked to be one of the most exciting wins of the year because I went to see the excellent documentary The Corporation at the Century with my wife. (The film, by the way, is a thought-provoking look at corporations and how their role in the world has come to be one of near complete domination of our lives, and how it didn't used to be this way. It features interviews with Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, Milton Friedman, Michael Moore and others, and it does try to present both "sides" of the issue rather than bashing the viewer over the head. Recommended.)

Anyway, the Sox overcame a mediocre game from Scott Schoeneweis and a terrific display by the Tigers' studly Carlos Guillen. Reading the game recap, it looks like the Sox chipped away with some solo home runs (often their Achilles Heel) from Konerko and Valentin, and a 2-run double from Joe Crede. The game was won by Crede in the bottom of the 9th, as is his style, with a dramatic walk-off home run that had Hawk Harrelson's voice cracking as he screamed the "YES" part of "You can put it on the board..." This sure couldn't compete with the Boston/NY 11-10 insanity and A-Rod's swearing-lip-reading-for-idiots brawlfest, but hey, fuck that -- the Sox are back in first place, and that's all I really care about.

Of shutouts, Shingo, and bone marrow edema.

2004-07-23T21:29:00.000-05:00

Just watched the Sox polish off the resurgent Tigers 6-4 at the Cell, a game which featured so-so pitching from Esteban Loaiza, great relief work by Cliff Politte, Damaso and Shingo (who obviously had the Tigers batters way off-balance), and timely O from Rowand, Uribe and CLee, who quickly tied the game at 2 in the first inning after ELo started poorly. This was the first game since the (potentially) devastating announcement that Magglio is being put back on the DL with bone marrow edema, essentially a bone bruise on his thigh bone where fluid has accumulated. They're saying he'll be out 4 weeks at least, after which he'll be given another MRI, but based on how painful the leg has reportedly been, I'm thinking Maggs will be lucky to be given the green light to return by mid-September, and even then he's going to have to do some intense conditioning to get back into baseball shape, and by then their season may be over.

I do wonder how this condition was missed when he was first diagnosed and had surgery, but it's too late to cry over spilled milk. Instead, with both Frank and Maggs out for the bulk of the rest of the season if not all of it, Kenny Williams again will have to pull a rabbit out of his ass a la the Carl Everett deal and get another bat to replace Maggs' output. Joe Borchard was recalled today, but he's been not very effective at the plate or in the field, and the other options the Sox have at RF (Timo Perez, Ross Gload, Everett) all just don't measure up. I mean, I still think it's possible the Sox can win their division "as is," but they will be destroyed in the playoffs with this lineup.

No posts the last few days; I watched about half of Mark Buehrle's 14-0 complete game masterpiece over the Indians on Wednesday, where he faced the bare minimum 27 batters and only gave up 2 hits, the first of which came with one out in the 7th. Probably the best pitched game by the White Sox this year. I always love the way MB works fast, and he was just *on* in a way that reminded me of Greg Maddux at his peak with the Braves. I caught a few innings of Freddy Garcia's 3-0 shutout of the Tribe the next night, where the Sox got just enough offense and Garcia improved to 4-1 with the Sox (a comforting fact in light of the Sox's hole at catcher with the departure of Miguel Olivo).

Looks like those pesky Twins are beating up on the hapless Orioles tonight, so the Sox will still remain 1/2 game back. Damn.

Welcome back to second place. Again.

2004-07-20T22:00:00.000-05:00

And the White Sox prove they cannot handle too much success as they lose 6-4 to the Rangers while the "scrappy" Twins do it to it in 10 frames over the Tiggers 5-4, sending the Sox to 1/2 game behind their AL Central brethren. The main culprits tonight were Jon Garland's proclivity to give up a lot of meaty doubles and the Sox's anemic offense, which was again homer-centric (always a red flag with this team). It's never a good sign when Ross Gload starts in right field over Magglio, who apparently had a sore leg prior to the game, even though he came in the game late to pinch-hit (and was quickly intentionally walked and pinch-run for). It's also never a good sign to see both Mike "The Thriller" Jackson and the .087-hitting Ben Davis in the same game (and christ did Davis look awful on his game-ending K...but to give MJ credit, he had a rare 1-2-3 appearance). The Sox actually tied it at 4 in the 8th on a solo shot by Jose Valentin, who had struck out his first 3 times up, and then they threatened with a double by CLee immediately after that. But an untimely GIDP by Paulie K. and a Ross Gload whiff ended the threat. Damaso Marte put a capper on it all by having a terrible 9th inning and allowing Rod Barajas to double in a deuce to take the lead.

Up next is a huge 22-game swing through the entirety of the AL Central, including a measly 3 games against the Twins. The ALC has turned out to be less of a garbage dump than I expected this year, with the Indians and Tigers both having decent seasons and still threatening below the surface, so this is a huge stretch of games for the Sox, one in which they could put some much-needed room between themselves and the never-say-die Twinkies, and could help crush the playoff hopes of the Jndjans and/or Tigers. I'll be heading out to the Cell on Sunday for sure, and possibly for one of the Twins games next week. Looking forward to it.

A test message to see whattup.

2004-07-20T21:27:00.000-05:00

We'll try Verdana Bold, er Verdana unbold for the first post.

Boy this text is pretty big.

Let's try it smaller.