White Soxing

White Sox, Tigers Will Play Doubleheader July 24

2009-04-22T16:48:00.002-05:00

The White Sox and Tigers will make up their rained out game from last week on Friday, July 24 in the form of a day-night doubleheader. Gametimes that day are now 12:05 PM Central time for the first game and 6:05 PM for the 2nd. The change has already been made to the official schedule.

The Big Hurt Loves Him Some ZizZazz

2009-04-22T00:26:00.001-05:00

There is really no explanation needed.

Jose Contreras's Job in Jeopardy?

2009-04-21T23:59:00.007-05:00

That's the word according to Mark Gonzales. After a third straight subpar start, the Sox might be taking a look around the organization for a replacement while he gets his head and arm screwed on right.

My take... The grass isn't always greener on the other side, despite what this Sox-fan blogger may believe. Yes, Jose is going through some troubles, but look at our organizational depth. Is there really anyone there that you can say has a better chance of being a quality MLB starter in 2009 than The Count has of figuring out his problems? I really don't know if I'm willing to trust Richard, Egbert, Broadway, or Marquez any more than I am willing to believe Contreras can overcome his early season struggles (a belief that, admittedly becomes shakier and shakier with each passing start). After three starts, I believe it's too early to start yanking guys.

That said, you can't completely pin this loss on Jose, the three runs the Sox scored off Bergesen tonight were 1 more than the Knights scored off him last week in Charlotte, and the Knights are probably the worst team in the International League. Yes, the curse of the "MLB Debut" continues for the Sox.

Whatever. Sometimes you lose. At least Alexei swung the bat well today.

Chicago Tribune recap / Chicago Sun-Times recap / MLB.com Wrap / B-R.com Box Score & PBP

Series Preview... at Baltimore, April 21-23

2009-04-21T14:13:00.006-05:00

The White Sox round out their 10-game road trip with three in Baltimore to face the slumping Orioles. One week ago, the Orioles were fresh off a 7-5 win over the Rangers, pushing their record to 6-2, tied for best in the American League. Since then, they've lost 5 in a row, including a 4-game sweep at Fenway Park. They now sit at 6-7, a game out of last place in the American League East.

SERIES... at Oriole Park at Camden Yards; all three games start at 6:05 PM Chicago time.

TUESDAY'S PROBABLES... Jose Contreras (0-2, 6.97) vs. Brad Bergesen (MLB Debut)

WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLES... John Danks (1-0, 0.75) vs. Jeremy Guthrie (2-0, 4.32)

THURSDAY'S PROBABLES... Bartolo Colon (1-0, 3.86) vs. Adam Eaton (0-2, 11.25)

INJURY UPDATE... Orioles CF Adam Jones, one of their young up and coming superstars, is expected to return to the lineup tonight after leaving Sunday's game and missing Monday's with a tight hamstring. Hamstring injuries can be nagging, though, so I'll believe it when I see it.

The Orioles, however, will definitely be without Melvin Mora and Ryan Freel. Mora was placed on the DL last week with a hamstring injury and Freel was placed on the 15-Day Disabled List today after taking an errant pick-off throw to the head during yesterday's loss to Boston.

WHO'S HOT... Adam Jones. Even with missing a game and a half this past week, he's the only Oriole who has hit multiple HR over the past week and has hit .400/.571/.867.

WHO'S NOT... The O's pitching staff; Overall, the staff has an ERA of 6.69, 2nd worst in the American League but their bullpen has been especially rough, with an ERA of 8.12 this season, again, good for 2nd worst in the American League. The main culprits in the bullpen have been Brian Bass and Radhames Liz, who have ERAs of 11.57 and (not joking here) 67.50 respectively. Liz has allowed 10 earned runs and recorded only 4 outs this season and has a WHIP of 7.500.

WELCOME TO THE SHOW, BRAD... Tonight's projected starter for the O's is Brad Bergesen, who will be making his MLB Debut. He was selected by the Orioles in the 4th round of the 2004 Draft. The 23-year-old righty steadily worked his way up the organization over the years, but broke through last season at AA Bowie, where he started 23 games and posted a 15-6 record with a 3.22 ERA. He had an impressive spring for the Birds, but was sent to AAA Norfolk, where in 2 starts he has posted a 1-1 record and 2.45 ERA, however injury to Alfredo Simon and the massive incompetence of Liz have opened an opportunity for Bergesen.

MacDOUGAL GONE, EGBERT UP... The White Sox mercifully ended the Mike MacDougal Era today, designating the ineffective reliever for assignment. Jack Egbert will take his role in the Sox bullpen. Egbert's been less than great in Charlotte, but at this point, I'm willing to try anything.

ONE FINAL THOUGHT... A lot has been made of Bobby Jenks' struggles with the Orioles, and while it is true that Jenks has been tagged by Baltimore in the past (1-2 record, 8.49 ERA in 13 appearances against them), a lot of that seems to be luck. Jenks' BABIP against Baltimore is a shocking .512. .512!. That is over 200 points higher than his career BABIP of .291 and easily the highest against any team he has faced more than once. The current members of the Orioles, however, have not hit Jenks well historically, the current roster has a total of 5 hits off Jenks in 28 career plate appearances, and 3 of them belong to Brian Roberts (Nick Markakis and Aubrey Huff own the other two).

Poor End in Detroit, Good(ish) Start in Tampa Bay

2009-04-17T10:01:00.003-05:00

Yeah, I'm a day late on the Tigers/Sox game from Wednesday, but there's not much about that affair I want to relive. Sometimes you just lose, and it looks like Wednesday's series ender in Detroit was just one of those games.

It'd be easy to pin that loss on another tough day at the plate for the Sox, but I don't think that paints the whole story. Armando Galarraga is just a good pitcher, and it's time people start realizing that. The more dissapointing aspect of that 9-0 loss was Jose's collapse toward the end of his outing, however, I remain optimistic. After his first two starts last year, Jose was 0-1 with a 6.17 ERA, with a .340 BAA in 11.2 IP. This year, he is 0-2 with a 6.97 ERA and has a .267 BAA in 10.2 IP. In 2008, he went 6-2 over his next 10 starts, posting a 2.19 ERA and holding opposing teams to a .191 BAA in 70 innings until arm problems started affecting him in early June. I think he just needs some time to work this out.

I don't have much else to say about that game, so I'll leave you with this good piece from South Side Sox, especially focus on the part about Jose's forkball. I've noticed he doesn't seem to be throwing it much so far this year. In fact the only thing he's been doing has been dropping his arm down for some reason, because every time he does it seems like he lays a fastball right in someone's wheelhouse.

WEDNESDAY: Tribune recap \ Sun-Times recap \ MLB.com Wrap \ B-R.com Box Score & PBP

I'll update this post later today with some thoughts on yesterdy's win. Check back!

Royals Lose Alex Gordon

2009-04-16T16:55:00.002-05:00

A tear in the labrial cartilage of his right hip will send Royals 3B Alex Gordon to the 15-day Disabled List. Yes, that is the same injury Alex Rodriguez suffered in Spring Training, so I'm guessing recovery time is about the same, though I can't find anything to confirm that as the only news that exists right now is a regurgitated, 5-paragraph AP report.

Series Preview... at Tampa Bay, April 16-19

2009-04-16T15:56:00.001-05:00

SERIES: at Tropicana Field; Thursday, Friday, and Saturday all are night games while Sunday's first pitch is at 12:38 PM Chicago time.

THURSDAY'S PROBABLES: John Danks (0-0, 0.00) vs. Jeff Niemann (0-1, 10.13)
FRIDAY'S PROBABLES: Bartolo Colon (1-0, 0.00) vs. James Shields (1-1, 3.65)
SATURDAY'S PROBABLES: Mark Buehrle (1-0, 2.38) vs. Scott Kazmir (2-0, 2.84)
SUNDAY'S PROBABLES: Gavin Floyd (1-1, 6.00) vs. Matt Garza (1-0, 1.93)

Obviously, this series is a rematch of last year's ALDS that the Rays took 3-1 from the Sox en route to the American League Championship. Despite their well documented dome woes last year, the Sox were 3-4 at Tropicana Field in 2008, though they did lose their last 3 games in Tampa. The Sox were 1-3 last year in their games against the Rays started by one of the four projected starters this series.

DOME WOES - Already mentioned, but the Sox really struggled under roofs in 2008; winning only 4 of 20 games in domes last year. They hit 31 points lower indoors than out (.236 v .267). One of the few players to swing well inside was Alexei Ramirez, who hit .340/.340/.532. Jermaine Dye, however, hit .163/.213/.275 indoors.

WHO'S HOT - No surprise that Evan Longoria has gotten off to a scorching start. He is currently hitting .441 over his first 8 games of the 2009 season, with an American League leading 5 home runs. However, Longoria will miss tonight's game, as he is home in California attending to a family matter. That said, its pick your poison with the Rays right now. Carlos Pena has 3 HR in the last 7 days and is hitting .321/.387/.714 in that time span, and Jason Bartlett is hitting .346/.370/.654, as well.

WHO'S NOT - Tonight's starter Jeff Niemann had a forgettable first start of the 2009 season, allowing 6 earned runs over 5.1 innings in a 6-0 loss at Baltimore Saturday, however, most of those runs came in the first frame; an inning highlighted by a Melvin Mora grand slam. Though he would appear to be a perfect candidate for the "unknown pitcher who comes out of nowhere to completely baffle the White Sox," never fret; one of Niemann's 5 starts in 2008 came against the Sox and he was soundly rocked; 5 ER, 8 R, 5 H, 4 BB over 3.1 IP in a loss on April 18.

NOT TO TOOT MY OWN HORN, BUT - The Rays were a very chic pick to make another run at the A.L. East crown and go deep in the play-offs, but I was more skeptical. My main reason; Tampa's bullpen, which posted an AL-worst 6.16 ERA in 2007 and then one of the AL's best 3.55 ERA in 2008. Bullpens can be notoriously inconsistent over the course of even a year, so it's no surprise to me that one of the main reasons being discussed on the Gulf Coast for the Rays' slower than expected 4-5 start is their bullpen. Currently, the Rays' bullpen has a 5.63 ERA, good for 10th out of the 14-team American League.

AND IN WHITE SOX NEWS - Chris Getz will be back at the top of the lineup tonight. After missing both games against the Tigers this week, Ozzie told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that Getz will resume his role as second baseman/lead-off hitter. The Sox also have realigned their pitching rotation. John Danks was supposed to get the start Tuesday in Detroit, but that game was rained out. Jose Contreras kept his regular spot in the rotation, in yesterday's loss, but Danks will start tonight and push everyone back a day.

ONE FINAL MATCHUP TO WATCH - Danks, Buehrle, and any other lefty vs. Tampa Bay's offense. If there was one Achilles' heel to last year's American League champs, it was their struggles against left-handed pitching. The Rays posted the 2nd worst batting average (.246) against lefties in 2008 and they were only 25-24 in games against opposing southpaws. John Danks has collectively held the Rays' current lineup to a .260/.316/.397 line in 79 combined plate apperances, while Buehrle has held them to a .268/.307/.357 line in 181 combined PAs. Only Carlos Pena, with 1 HR against each, has homered off the pair. Hell, even Clayton Richard had a great outing against these guys last year. It certainly doesn't hurt to start half your games against these guys with lefties.

Today's White Sox-Tigers Game Postponed

2009-04-14T12:20:00.002-05:00

According to the Chicago Tribune, today's game agaisnt the Tigers is being postponed due to rain. No make-up date is available, but since they didn't even try to wait this rain out for more than 10 minutes before calling the game, I'm guessing they're not going to try a day-night doubleheader tomorrow, either.

After tomorrow, the Sox have two 3-game series left in Detroit; the first at the end of July; Friday 24-Sunday 26, and the second the very last series of the season, October 2-4. I'm guessing one of those 6 days will have a double-header, since the Sox and Tigers don't share an off day around any of those series, except for Monday, October 5, which would be the day after the regular season was supposed to have ended. Actually, the Sox and Tigers apparently only share 3 off days the rest of the season (that aren't part of the All-Star Break); April 30, June 15, and June 22.

Bad News for Dewayne Wise

2009-04-14T10:10:00.007-05:00

After injuring his shoulder yesterday, Dewayne Wise was sent back to Chicago for further testing, and according to Mark Gonzales at the Tribune, the diagnosis is a Grade III shoulder separation; the most severe type of shoulder separation you can realistically get without suffering from major physical trauma (such as being in a car accident). According to Wikipedia (take this FWIW), the healing time required to come back could be up to 12 weeks. You can also check out this site, maintained by an orthopaedic clinic in Colorado, that's got some good information for those of you looking for a more authoritative source.

Regardless of your feelings about Dewayne playing everyday in center for the Sox, it's tough to see a 31-year-old, after toiling through almost 1,000 career minor league games cut short what will probably be his last real chance to play everyday at the Majors, especially after he'd been playing well since moving down in the line-up.

The Sox purchased Jerry Owens' contract from Charlotte and added him to the 25-man roster, but Brian Anderson will be starting today in center field.

Nick Swisher, Relief Pitcher

2009-04-14T09:35:00.003-05:00

Yeah, last night was not a great night to be a Yankee, as the Rays crushed New York, 15-5. Normally, this game wouldn't get any play here at all, save for the fact that the Yankees were so decimated and their bullpen so overtaxed through 1 week, that they resorted to having Nick Swisher pitch the 8th inning, and despite blazing fastballs in the mid-70s, he managed to last a full inning, striking out 1 (Gabe Kapler) and allowing no runs.

It's been a good start for the ex-Sox castaway who is currently leading the American League with a 1.150 slugging percentage and batting third for the New Yor Yankees. And it's good to see he's kep that goofy sense of humor about himself, despite the bold predictions from disgruntled Sox fans who thought New York would swallow him whole. From Newsday,
I wanted to try to compete, even though I am out there pumping 78 [mph] or whatever," he said. "You've got to find something to laugh about in that moment. If I'm the guy everybody's laughing at, I'm OK with that.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2009-04-14T08:05:00.004-05:00

This is apparently "unintentional movie reference series," but the White Sox won their first road game of the 2009 season, 10-6 against the Tigers at Comerica Field yesterday behind an offense that is currently clicking on all cylinders. Yes, the eternal pessimist will point to the fact that 5 of the Sox's 10 runs came via 4 homers, but that's really missing the forest for the trees. The Sox scored early and often, mixing some good situational hitting with a couple of their patented home runs, sensational defense, and the pitching was... enough.

Chicago Tribune recap \ Chicago Sun-Times recap \ MLB.com Wrap \ B-R.com Box Score & PBP

THE GOOD

As posted earlier, Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko's back-to-back home runs in the 2nd inning were the 300th of each of their careers. It is indeed the first time 2 teammates have ever hit a pair of such milestone home runs in the same game.
Carlos Quentin hopefully put any doubts aside anyone has about the effects last year's wrist injury may still have. He clubbed a pair of homers, a two-run bomb off Zach Miner in the 4th that chased the Tiger starter and then a solo shot in the 6th off Eddie Bonine that he pretty much muscled out of spacious Comerica Field with one hand. Quentin now has 4 home runs in his last 4 games and is one off the pace of league leader Evan Longoria.
Josh Fields and Dewayne Wise, both question marks at the start of the year had solid games again at the plate and in the field; Wise was 1-3 and since being moved to the bottom of the order, had been hitting .385. However, he separated his shoulder making a spectacular running catch in the 5th inning to help preserve a win for Gavin Floyd. Fields, meanwhile was 1-5 with a walk and scored a pair of runs, but made another nice play at third in the 8th, again, with the Tigers threatening.

THE BAD

With Dewayne Wise sidelined for anywhere from 4-8 weeks, the Sox have recalled Jerry Owens from Charlotte. Yay.
Brent Lillibridge got the start for the injured Chris Getz at 2nd and leading off and it was more the same for the Sox lead-off hitters. Lillibridge was 1-6 on the day with three strikeouts. Yes, his double to lead off the third inning sparked a 4-run "smartball" rally in the inning, but otherwise he was pretty brutal at the plate, striking out his final three appearances at the dish.

THE UGLY

Gavin Floyd won his first game of the season despite his best efforts. He managed to get through only 5 innings, walking seven Tigers and allowing 6 earned runs. It seemed like every time the Sox staked him to a lead, he'd try his best to cough it up.
DJ Carrasco had another scary outing, as well. With the Sox up 10-6, Carrasco relieved Floyd in the 6th and after getting Granderson to fly out, he immediately loaded the bases. Yet, somehow, he wiggled out his jam, too, striking out Carlos Guillen and then getting Ramon Santiago to ground back to him harmlessly. Still, I could have done without the drama.

Congratulations, Jermaine Dye & Paul Konerko (Update)

2009-04-13T12:24:00.007-05:00

Jermaine Dye just took Zach Miner deep to lead off the 2nd inning for a 1-0 White Sox lead, but that home run is special because it is #300 for his underrated, but illustrious career. And speaking of milestones, he is currently 5 RBI shy for 1,000.

Gavin looked good in the 1st. Let's hope he can make this stick.

UPDATE: Paul Konerko just went back-to-back with Dye off Miner, for his 300th career homer, as well. I'm not even going to begin to speculate whether or not two teammates have ever hit their 300th career home runs in the same game, let alone in simulatenous at bats. Regardless, this is certainly something special that we likely won't see again for years, if again in our lifetimes.

Oh, and Paul is currently 40 RBI short of the 1,000 RBI plateau.

And as for the movie poster, well, they will be dining in Detroit tonight, so I figured the quote is still applicable.

Chris Getz Out of Line-Up

2009-04-13T10:48:00.003-05:00

Bummer for Chris Getz as he will sit out today's game against the Tigers with a bruised arm. Getz is a native of suburban Detroit and played baseball at the University of Michigan, so this series was something of a homecoming for him. Brent Lillibridge, who started Saturday, will take over duties at 2B and leading off, presumably until Getz is ready to play again. Not sure when that will be however, Ozzie Guillen has already labeled him unlikely to play tomorrow, as well.

The Sox are currently hitting .041 from the lead-off position and have a .200 OBP mostly thanks to Lillibridge's 2 walks Saturday. Needless to say, the lead-off hitter has been the most disappointing area of the team after 1 week of play. I think most people knew the Sox weren't going to have a Rickey Henderson-esque lead-off hitter but this is beyond ridiculous.

The Sox needed only 5 games to go through 3 separate lead-off hitters, which seems to be a new franchise benchmark for futility at the top of the lineup. Ironically, however, the only season that seems to have started with as much uncertainty at the top of the order in the past 20 years was (you guessed it), 2005, when the Sox featured 4 separate lead-off hitters through the team's first 10 games; as far as I can tell, '05 and now '09 are the only 2 seasons since 1990 that the Sox have started more then 2 lead-off hitters through the team's first 10 games; in '05 Scott Podsednik, Pablo Ozuna, Willie Harris, and Timo Perez all lead-off by April 15 (Game 10).

Upcoming Series... at Detroit, April 13-15

2009-04-13T10:11:00.004-05:00

SERIES: at Comerica Park, Monday-Wednesday; all three games start at 1:05 PM Eastern Time, or just after noon here in the Central Time Zone.

CURRENT STANDING: The Tigers are 4-3, currently 1st place in the A.L. Central, 1/2 game ahead of the Sox and are undefeated (3-0) at Comerica this season.

MONDAY'S PROBABLES: Gavin Floyd (0-1, 2.57) vs. Zach Miner (1-0, 1.59)

TUESDAY'S PROBABLES: John Danks (0-0, 0.00) vs. Rick Porcello (0-1, 7.20)

WEDNESDAY'S PROBABLES: Jose Contreras (0-1, 7.20) vs. Armando Galarraga (1-0, 1.29)

After an embarrassing opening series in Toronto, the Tigers righted their ship in a big way, sweeping previously unbeaten Texas at home and taking sole possession of 1st place in the Central division along the way; their 4-3 mark is 1 win better than both the Sox and Royals. Of course, any time Gavin is set to pitch against Detroit, we have to point out his impressive career numbers against the Tigers; 9 games, all of them starts, a 4-0 record and a 3.23 ERA with 41 strikeouts and just 15 walks in 53 IP. He's even better at Comerica, where 4 of those starts have taken place and he's 2-0 with a 2.62 ERA. If there's one guy to worry about with Gavin, its Placido Polanco, who has a career .381/.458/.667 line against Gavin in 24 career plate appearances, though he was substantially better against Gavin in 2007 than 2008.

It's also noteworthy that the Sox have dominated the Tigers in Detroit since they moved to Comerica Park in 2000, going 49-32 at Detroit during that span, the most wins the Sox have recorded at any park outside of Chicago since 2000. This past decade, the Tigers have only won the season series against the Sox once (2004, when they won 11 of 19 games).

The Tigers have been getting it done with their offense. They rank near the top of the American League in most major offensive categories; notably Runs Scored (41, 2nd), Team Batting Average (.284, 3rd), and AB per HR (23.2, 4th). Individually, Miguel Cabrera is leading the charge, with a .520 BA after the first week of the season, 2nd in the American League and Brandon Inge already has 4 HR on the year, also good for 2nd in the A.L. To make matters worse, Cabrera has hit the current Sox staff well over his career, especially Jose Contretas, who he is 7-10 against in his career with a ridiculous line of .700/.769/.800, though he has only hit 1 HR in 72 combined plate appearances against the entire pitching staff (that lone HR, if you recall was courtesy of Octavio Dotel last June and was of the walk-off variety).

At any rate, its difficult to peg any team after just one week, but this Tigers team has been particularly vexing. After losing 3 of 4 from Toronto in an ugly series in which they were outscored 24-16, they bounced back at home against the Rangers blowing them out in a three-game sweep by a combined 24-9.

One Final Matchup to Watch: Paul Konerko/Jim Thome vs. Fernando Rodney. Rodney has inherited the Tigers' closing role in the wake of Todd Jones' retirement and Joel Zumaya's continued arm troubles. Rodney has been around for years now, but is still relatively unknown to many Sox hitters; 9 of them have seen him 4 times or less in their careers. Though Rodney has owned A.J. Pierzynski (0-8, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 4 K), he has fared less well against Konerko and Thome, who are a combined 8-19 (.421) against Rodney and Thome is the only active Sox hitter to have taken Rodney yard, a solo home run on September 18, 2006.

All Things Considered, Not a Bad Weekend

2009-04-13T08:23:00.000-05:00

Sorry, some internet problems last night I had to work out, and by the time they were fixed, it was time to hit the hay.

Safe to say after Friday night's embarrassing 12-5 loss to the Twins, the prospects for this weekend looked pretty dismal; the Sox had scuffled to three straight home losses to division opponents, their pitching had gone completely south, and the bats were still nowhere to be found.

Thankfully, baseball is a game that's always full of surprises and short memories, and as down as the Sox could have been Friday night, two straight excellent games on Saturday and Sunday have really cleaned the taste in my mouth.

So what to make of this weekend? Hopefully the Sox team that showed up on Saturday and Sunday are the real White Sox, and Friday's game was just one of those shitty games that unfortunately come up every now and then over the course of a 162-game marathon.

Friday

Its hard to pinpoint one "dissapointing" part of a game you lose 12-5, but the most obvious was Jose Contreras's 1st start. He only lasted through five innings and allowed 4 runs on 7 hits and was basically hit relatively hard all game by a team that has slumped out of the gates offensively to start the season. Crede's home run was stroked and it just seemed like Jose couldn't miss any bats. The bullpen was bad and the offense was bad (even though that was the high water mark for runs in a game). I'm trying not to relive that game as much as possible, so let's just moved on to the weekend.

Saturday & Sunday

I think this is exactly the team that Kenny Williams envisioned when he crafted this roster. I wish I could have watched Saturday's win, but Fox chose to broadcast the Cardinals/Astros game in our market so I was relegated to watching ESPN GameCast. Still, from the highlights I saw, its safe to say Colon's stuff looked fantastic. I'm still not sure if we can realistically get him 31 more times this season, but if he can make it through 20 starts in 2009, I really like the way this roster is coming together.

It's also nice to see Dewayne Wise put together a few nice games. Thankfully, Ozzie ended the Wise leading off experiment early and Wise has flourished deeper in the lineup, going 2-3 Sunday with a very nice sacrifice bunt. I still prefer Anderson for his defense (especially on the road at large outfields like Comerica), but the outfield at the Cell is much smaller so if Dewayne is swinging a sweet bat, I don't think his defense is that much of a negative.

Finally, Chris Getz left Sunday's game early after taking a pitch from Twins reliever Craig Breslow just above the elbow to the back of the arm. Brent Lillibridge pinch ran for Getz and finished the game at second base. Right now, it doesn't look like anything severe, and he's just diagnosed with a bruise, but it's something to keep an eye on.

A Happy Easter Weekend on the South Side

2009-04-12T15:42:00.002-05:00

You know, as bad as the Sox have looked at certain times this first week (I'm looking at you, Friday night debacle), today's 6-1 win over the Twins puts us back at .500 and 1/2 game out of the division lead in the increasingly uncompetitive American League Central.

Anyways, Happy Easter, everyone, I'm going out to dinner in a little bit, so check back tonight for recap of this weekend's series against Minnesota, as well as the upcoming series preview with the Tigers. I'll post that all before bed tonight.

Series Preview: Minnesota Twins, April 10-12

2009-04-10T18:02:00.001-05:00

SERIES: at U.S. Cellular Field, Friday, April 10 - Sunday, April 12. Friday's first pitch is at 7:11 PM, Saturday's at 3:05 PM, and Sunday's at 1:05 PM

FRIDAY'S PROBABLES: Jose Contreras (7-6, 4.54 ERA in 2008) vs. R.A. Dickey (5-8, 5.21 in 2008)
SATURDAY'S PROBABLES: Bartolo Colon (4-2, 3.92 ERA in 2008) vs. Francisco Liriano (0-1, 5.14)
SUNDAY'S PROBABLES: Mark Buehrle (0-0, 3.60) vs. Nick Blackburn (0-0, 7.20)

Of course, the last time the Twins came to Chicago, the Sox won a memorable 1-Game Play-off for the AL Central title. The start to the 2009 season for last season's division frontrunners has been rough. The White Sox are currently hitting .198 as a team, last in the American League, while the Twins are hitting .219, third to last. With normal, early season temperature in the forecast, it's hard to see either of these teams mustering much offense.

The main storyline for the White Sox is the return of Jose Contreras and Bartolo Colon, each coming off injury-plagued 2008 seasons. Contreras's story is simply remarkable, he wasn't expected to make much of an impact until the All-Star break or later and here is he, starting Game #4. Colon makes his first appearance in a White Sox uniform since 2004. In limited action against the current Twins' roster, he has had some success, only allowing a .229 BAA and has yet to serve up a home run.

Finally, on Sunday Mark Buehrle makes his 2nd start of the season. After a good, but uninspiring debut Opening Day, he will be opposed by Nick Blackburn, who last faced the Sox in the aforementioned Play-Off Game, going 6.1 innings, allowing only 1 run on 4 hits. As for Saturday's starter, Francisco Liriano, who has seemingly been around for ever, has had very limited exposure to the White Sox roster; only facing 5 current players 15 total times.

This series also marks the return of Joe Crede to the South Side, fresh off signing a deal with the Twins. It's weird to see him parading around in their goofy pinstripes, but the Sox have planned a short video tribute for Crede and he has the option to make a quick address to the fans. So bust out those #24 jerseys one more time.

The Bats can Wake Up Whenever They Want

2009-04-09T23:34:00.004-05:00

Another discouraging loss at the Cell today. After last night's shut out, the Sox pushed their scoreless inning streak to 17, failing to crack the scoreboard until the Carlos Quentin came home on a 1-out groundout by Jermaine Dye. Unfortunately, the Royals tagged 2 runs on Bobby Jenks the inning before, on a double-homer combo by Alberto Callaspo and Coco Crisp (career SLG of .328 and .409 respectively).

You have to feel for John Danks today, he pitched his heart out. Maybe not his best effort ever, but definitely enough to win. When you keep the other team off the scoreboard for 6 innings, you should be celebrating a win, especially when that other team is the Royals, but maybe these aren't your dad's Royals? Or, were we saying that same thing last year when they swept Detroit at Comerica in the opening series last year?

Yes, its only three games (a grand total of 1.9% of the season), but the Sox managed 5 runs and 18 hits in the three game series; 11 of those coming Opening Day, so its hard not to be frustrated right now.

Chicago Tribune recap \ Chicago Sun-Times recap \ MLB.com Wrap \ B-R.com Box Score & PBP

POSITIVES

John Danks is the most obvious. In his first start after some asshat at Sports Illustrated labels him one of the young pitchers at highest risk for injury, Danks pitched 6 strong innings, allowing no runs and just 3 hits. The only real justice of the day was that he wasn't saddled with a loss as has happened so often already in his young career.
Carlos Quentin finally notched that first hit of the season, a lead-off double in the 9th that didn't quite spark the rally we hoped for. Still, even with his batting average sitting at .125, Quentin's at least been getting on base, with an OBP of .417, tied for second on the team.
Overall, the pitching has been very solid. Opponents are hitting .194 against the Sox. The staff ERA is 2.00, and they're averaging more than 1 strike out per inning (1.17). Matt Thornton did a great job cleaning up a mess created by Mike MacDougal and Octavio Dotel continued to dominate; 2 IP, 6 K.

NEGATIVES

Uh, where to start? For brevity's sake, let's just run through the numbers: Alexei Ramirez... 0-4, 2 K, still looking for his first hit of the season; Dewayne Wise... Batting 8th, still hitless, 0-2, 1 K; Chris Getz... leading off 0-4, 1 K; Jim Thome... 0-4, 2K.
Mike MacDougal still looks like shit.

I guess there's a little war of words brewing between Mark Buehrle and management over Buehrle's off-season workout plan (or lack thereof). Joe Cowley writes that the Sox want to see Buehrle work a little harder and get in better shape, but Buehrle is apparently fine with just kicking back and relaxing. While it's nice to think athletes try and take care of their bodies, it is hard to argue with Mark's results... 8 seasons with 30 starts and 200 innings? That's pretty much unheard of in this day in age.

Here's a good read from South Side Sox, one of the finer White Sox blogs out there, on the upcoming seasons for the Sox's minor league affiliates.

White Sox Heed My Call

2009-04-09T11:43:00.005-05:00

Less than 12 hours after I posted, "Dewayne Wise continues to be brutal at the plate, he's now 0-8 with 4 strikeouts. Can we please give someone else a chance to fail at leading off tomorrow?", the Sox lineup for this afternoon's affair with Kansas City was posted on Scott Reifert's blog.

Chris Getz, 2B
AJ Pierzynski, C
Carlos Quentin, LF
Jim Thome, DH
Jermaine Dye, RF
Paul Konerko, 1B
Alexei Ramirez, SS
Dewayne Wise, CF
Josh Fields, 3B

I'm not sure if I should be surprised or not. On the one hand, Ozzie can be as stubborn as a mule when it come to these things, so for him to renig on his assertion that having Getz lead off would put unnecessary pressure on him is actually surprising, especially so early in the year. Wise, however, really made this decision a no-brainer. I know, 2 games and 8 plate appearances is a very, very small sample size but he looked absolutely brutal. Perhaps the pressure of leading off was weighing on the mind of a guy who has been a career minor leaguer.

Anyways, the Royals will start Kyle Davies in today's rubber game. Considering how the current roster has hit off Davies (.329/.390/.671), I'm hoping for a "W."

Finally, real sad story out of Los Angeles. As I'm sure you know by now, Angels SP Nick Adenhart was killed last night, hours after making his 1st start of the season. He was one of the Angels most promising young players, and his last start of 2008 (and 2nd to last of his life) was against the Sox on May 12 in Anaheim. That game proved to be the lone win in his Major League career. I remember watching part of that game on TV and being impressed with his arsenal of pitches. I remember thinking once he learned how to pitch at the Major League level, he would be a pretty solid starter, and since he was only 21 (at the time), the sky seemed like the limit.

Now he's gone, killed in a hit-and-run by a drunk driver. He was 22. I am 25. Kind of puts things in perspective.

161-1 Still Possible.

2009-04-08T22:11:00.004-05:00

You can't win them all. Zack Grienke made the Sox look bad all night. All night. Granted, it didn't help that the lone time the Sox got to Greinke, they were in their classic "Station-to-Station" style; lead-off singles by Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye poised the Sox for at least 1 run, but a double play courtesy of Paul Konerko and a weak ground out by A.J. Pierzynski ended the threat harmlessly. 2-0 Kansas City. You win some, you lose some.

Still disapointing, however, given Greinke's career stats at the Cell entering tonight's game: 8 G, 6 GS, 0-6, 7.78 ERA, 37 IP, 47 H, 32 R, 32 ER, 11 BB, 30 K, 1.568 WHIP. Tonight's line: W, 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K.

POSITIVES

Gavin Floyd entered the year as a chic pick to regress after his breakout year in 2008. Instead, he was on top of his game, even without his best command. He still attacked hitters and featured that dominant breaking ball, striking out 9+ for the third time in his career.
Josh Fields made another great play at third base and has made every routine play with ease. It doesn't hurt that he's 2/5 with a walk.
The bullpen again looked good; Matt Thornton and Scott Linebrink were both effective, pitching a combined 2 perfect innings, striking out 4. The Sox team ERA is now 2.00, second in the American League only to Texas, believe it or not.

NEGATIVES

Dewayne Wise continues to be brutal at the plate, he's now 0-8 with 4 strikeouts. Can we please give someone else a chance to fail at leading off tomorrow?
Paul Konerko's also not hitting. Aside from the aforementioned double play, he struck out. In fact the only positive thing he did at the plate tonight was merely flying out in the 7th rather than grounding into another rally-killing double play.

Chicago Tribune recap | Chicago Sun-Times recap | MLB.com Wrap | B-R.com Box Score & PBP

Welcome Back, Baseball

2009-04-08T16:00:00.003-05:00

Here's a nice collection of photos that can be found on the Tribune's website showing the park staff getting ready for Opening Day. There's plenty of good ones, but 14 and 15 show some of the work that's been going on at Gate 5 and picture 22 is a nice one of the new scoreboard in left field.

Contreras, Colon Win Spots in Rotation

2009-04-07T17:43:00.002-05:00

For all the pomp and circumstance that surrounds Opening Day, and all the ensuing drama that comes with a late-game 3-run homer, this little nugget from the AP recap might have slipped past even the savviest of readers,
Ozzie Guillen said Jose Contreras would be the team’s No. 4 starter with
Bartolo Colon in the fifth spot.

This means Contreras and Colon will be pitching the first two games of the series with Minnesota; The Count facing Nick Blackburn on Friday and Bartolo Colon squaring off against Francisco Liriano.

Neither had a Spring that begs for much optimism; Contreras did go 3-0, but he had a 5.82 ERA in 17 IP while allowing 26 total baserunners and striking out 14. Colon, in 15 innings of work wen 0-2 and posted a 6.60 ERA. Both guys are coming off major injuries in the past year (frankly, its amazing Jose can walk pain-free at this point). And here we go, putting 40% of our games in their hands.

God help us.

First Win in the Books

2009-04-07T16:36:00.009-05:00

Well, it was worth the wait. The Sox opened the 2009 campaign one day behind schedule, but with results like this I won't complain. Great pitching and some timely hitting overshadow a few miscues on the basepaths and some other less than stellar performances at the plate for a 4-2 Opening Day winner.

Chicago Tribune recap Chicago Sun-Times recap MLB.com Wrap B-R.com Box Score & Play-by-Play

If all's well that ends well, then you couldn't have scripted today's game much better. Mark Buehrle didn't have his A-game stuff, but he pitched well enough to win today. A final line of 6 hits, 3 walks, 2 runs, and just 3 strike outs over 5 innings won't wow anyone, but the Royals had a runner in scoring position every inning he was on the mound. If you want to criticize Buehrle's efforts for allowing so many baserunners, I won't try and stop you, but there's still something to be said for bending but not breaking.

Of course, the hero of the game is good ol' #25, Jim Thome, who launched a 2-out, 3-run homer off Kyle Farnsworth in the 8th inning to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead. Youngsters Chris Getz and Josh Fields also had significant parts of today's win; both had a pair of hits and each scored a run. And if you're looking to truly feel good about today, note that all 4 runs the Sox scored today came with 2 outs.

Now for the bad, and believe me, there was plenty to go around. For one, Gil Meche more or less had his way with the Sox bats. Yes, he gave up 7 hits, but 5 of those came in the 2nd and 3rd inning. Meche retired the final 11 of 13 batters he faced, and one of those hits (Pierzynski in the 7th) got himself thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double. And speaking of bad baserunning, the Jermaine Dye looked particularly bad on the basepaths today, getting thrown out at the plate (by a good 10 feet... Nice call, Cox) in the 2nd and then was caught stealing to end the 8th... Why Jermaine Dye is testing arms of outfielders on short singles and trying to steal bases I have no idea, I know the Sox are pushing this whole speed/youth thing, but you still have to work with what you got.

Oh well, I can't complain too much. A win is a win.

Despite the outcome, even Royals fans are finding solace today.

From Upon Further Review, a Kansas City sports blog published by the Kansas City Star,

The Royals ran Buehrle out of their after five innings because of their solid
collective approach at the dish. Hope to see lots of that this year.

I guess hope really does spring eternal. Though, I'll admit the Royals have the look of a frisky team that's going to be a pain in the ass for somebody. Luckily, we have Jim Thome who absolutely murders the Royals.

First Place!

2009-04-06T22:20:00.004-05:00

De-fault! De-fault! The two sweetest words in the English language! With today's postponement and losses by Cleveland, Minnesota, and Detroit, the White Sox and Royals are tied for first in the American League Central with a lofty 0-0 record. Now all that remains is to maintain for the next 181 days.

Despite being flanked by two Metra tracks, there has been a mystifying lack of Metra service to U.S. Cellular Field, but hopefully that's about to end. Metra, IIT, and U.S. Representative Bobby Rush are tentatively planning on breaking ground on a new 35th Street Station on the Rock Island District Line that runs just to the east of the Dan Ryan Expressway. The new station will be located at the corner of 35th and Federal St., on land donated from IIT and, if all goes well, South Suburban customers may finally be able to take the Metra to and fro Sox games as early as late 2010.

The Rock Island District, for those unaware, runs between Joliet and the LaSalle Station Downtown. The line serves South Side neighborhoods like Beverly, Morgan Park, and Washington Heights and suburban towns like Midlothian, Oak Forest, Tinley Park, and New Lenox.

Finally, buried on the New York Times' website is a blog from Tyler Kepner, their baseball writer. Normally I don't even bother reading Kepner's writings, but when you pick the Royals to win the A.L. Central, I feel I must bring it up.

Opening Day Postponed (Updated)

2009-04-05T22:44:00.005-05:00

As I'm sure you know by now, the White Sox have postponed tomorrow's Opener vs. Kansas City because of some very cold and snowy weather predictions. Opening Day is now Tuesday afternoon at 1:05 PM. Yeah, I understand the reasoning and I know there's not much the Sox can do in the face of Mother Nature, but this stinks because a) I have some friends with tickets that specifically took off work Monday to go to the Opener and I know some of them won't be able to duck out of work Tuesday. Yes, you can exchange any unused tickets from Monday's game for a slew of other April games but it's just not the same as going to the Home Opener, not to mention that was the only Premium pricing game of the month, so they're getting doubly jobbed. But it sucks for me because even if I was working Monday, I could have followed the game on the radio and I was hoping to write a Running Diary of Opening Day for the blog here... But Tuesday is Election Day in Illinois so I plan to be at work from roughly 5 AM-midnight (that's about right).

Oh well...

UPDATE: Well I guess it's not all bad. On Monday from 1 PM-3:30 PM, Comcast Sports Net Chicago will air last year's 1-Game Playoff against Minnesota. So yeah, it sucks we're another day from starting the 2009 season, but if you're thinking of turning your DVR or VCR off, you may just want to let it run.

Gammons Heaps Praise on Several Young Sox Hitters

2009-04-05T02:18:00.004-05:00

In his latest blog over at ESPN.com, Senior Baseball writer Peter Gammons took time out of his usual busy schedule of fawning over the Red Sox to write about young and breakout players he watched over the past several weeks of Spring Training. Surprisingly, the White Sox (specifically Gordon Beckham, Josh Fields, and Alexei Ramirez) got some love.

Beckham got the most air-time, being named as one of Gammons' Most Impressive 20 (or so) young players he saw in action, and favorably compared him to other young and immediately effective players like Evan Longoria or Chase Utley, all of whom he describe have "the big league player walk." Fields and Ramirez were highlighted as 2 players he feels will have breakout years in 2009.

Always nice to get some national publicity, I'm still not expecting much out of Fields, but if he can be effective with the bat and adequate in the field, I'll be very happy. As for Alexei, if 2008 wasn't a breakout year for him, then I'm very excited to see what he can do in '09. And finally, while I'm happy Beckham will be in Birmingham this year to fine tune his game, it's also nice to see more and more people take notice of his intangible gifts, the gifts that help make good ballplayers great. You can't go wrong with guys that both traditional scouts and statheads simultaneously drool over.

White Sox Now 5th Most Expensive Ticket in Baseball

2009-04-03T14:14:00.004-05:00

Team Marketing Report (TMR) released its annual analysis of the average cost of attending a baseball game for the upcoming 2009 season (Warning to those of you with a slow connection, this link is for a 2-page PDF file). The White Sox, with an average ticket price of $32.28, are the fifth-most expensive team to catch live in the Majors, up 6.6% from 2008 and about $5.50 more expensive than the league average. The Sox also claim the league's fifth most expensive Fan Cost Index (FCI), a rudementary tool designed to determine how expensive it is for a family of 4 to go to a game. The FCI adds up prices of tickets, parking, 2 beers, 4 pops, 4 hot dogs, 2 game programs, and 2 baseball hats. While the FCI has been criticized in the past (who really buys 1 hat at a ballgame, let alone 2?) it's still a decent ballpark figure (no pun intended) for the total cost of attending a Major League Baseball game. The Sox's FCI for 2009 is 224.11 up 4.4% over 2008.

If there's one nugget of good news from this report its that the Sox are still a bargain compared to their North Side neighbors. The Cubs average ticket price is $47.75 (47.9% higher than the Sox's) and their FCI is an even $305, 36.1% greater than the Sox's.

Billy Pierce to Throw Out First Pitch of '09 Season

2009-04-02T21:07:00.003-05:00

Though there was hope that President Barack Obama would ceremoniously kick off the 2009 season with the First Pitch before the Home Opener, official word from the White House came today that being the Leader of the Free World apparently comes with some drawbacks; notably a packed schedule. Currently, the Obamas are in London attending a G20 conference and will spend the rest of the week galavanting about Europe.

In his place, the Sox will honor one of their all-time greats, Billy Pierce. It seems appropriate as this season is the 50th anniversary of the Sox's magical run to the 1959 American League pennant. Pierce pitched 13 seasons for the Sox, amassing a career 211-169 record and 3.27 ERA over 18 total years (he spent his first two seasons in Detroit and his last three in San Francisco). He's widely considered to be one of the bigger Hall of Fame snubs; his 119 career ERA+ is tied for 120th all-time and tied with such Hall of Famers like Red Faber, Rollie Fingers, and Bob Lemon and ahead of such Hall of Famers like Warren Spahn (118), Steve Carlton (115), Early Wynn (106), and Catfish Hunter (103).

At any rate, it's nice the Sox were able to turn dissapointment into a very nice gesture for one of the best and classiest players to ever play for the Pale Hose. Pierce embodies all that's good with the Sox, and it will be nice a way for him to celebrate his 82nd birthday, which was actually today.

Tribune Reveals New Ballpark Amenities, Food Choices

2009-04-02T10:50:00.003-05:00

You definitely know a new season is just around the corner when we finally get a sneak peek at the new features and (more importantly) food items that will be at U.S. Cellular Field this year.

The highlight of the new food items has to be the Build Your Own Burrito/Nacho carts. For $7-$8, you can pick between beef or chicken and then load up with a bevy of toppings. The carts will be deployed in both the Upper and Lower bowls of the park, so fear not 500-level ticket holders. The Sox will also open a Wine Bar in the Lower Level this year, with a glass going for $7.50-$9.50. Lastly, luxury box patrons will also be able to order a mega 2-foot, 2-lb meatball sandwich, but unfortunately, those will not be available to the general public. I'm also looking forward to the Taste of the Ballpark special that will be available in the Upper Deck. $7.50 for a hot dog, pop, small nacho, and bag of popcorn is an awfully good deal... Pending the hot dog doesn't turn out to be a cocktail weine and there's more than 1 chip with the nachos.

On the less edible side of things, the highlight of this offseason's round of renovations is the new Out of Town scoreboard above the concourse in right field. You of course remember the old, slow board. Yes, it was antiquated and yes, the board was generally at least an inning behind in out-of-town scores (which was utterly ridiculous now that you can just check the scores your own if you have an iPhone, Blackberry, or some other web browser on your cell phone), but the old board did have some charm and it was one of the last features of the park that had lasted since it opened in 1991. That said, the new board does look very, very nice.

MLB Network HD Available

2009-04-02T08:43:00.003-05:00

I don't know how long MLB Network has been available in HD, but I noticed the channel on my Comcast cable for the first time yesterday. I don't know about you guys with the dish, but apparently MLB-N HD is available in Chicago as well, on Channel 233.

The White Sox will be on MLB Network later today, as they take on the Brewers in Phoenix today at 2 PM. I'm uncertain as to when they make their regular season debut on MLB Network, but be sure I'll be writing about it when it finally happens. Today is the last game of the season at a Spring Training facility, the Sox wrap up their Spring schedule with a pair of games against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

Finally, anyone lucky enough to have tickets to Monday's Opening Day game against Kansas City, pack a spare blanket and get out the long underwear. From Tom Skilling,
Windy, unseasonably cold for the Sox's home opener, with wind chills in the
20s. Snow or snow showers heaviest near the lake. North winds 20-30 m.p.h and
gusty.

Scott Podsednik released by Rockies

2009-04-01T15:34:00.002-05:00

The Scott Podsednik era ended in Colorado yesterday, as the Rockies released the former Sox outfielder to make room for 23-year-old Dexter Fowler. You can't blame the Rockies, Fowler has been tearing up the Cactus League this Spring to the tune of a .292/.342/.415 line over 30 games.

I just wanted to bring that story before someone suggests it...

White Sox Programming on MLB Network

2009-04-01T00:01:00.001-05:00

Ah, the calendar has turned over to April and we're (thankfully) less than a week removed from Opening Day; an Opening Day that's looking pretty gloomy. But hey, it's still Opening Day, right?

Anyways, with the new season there's a lot more game oriented programming on MLB Network starting in April, including live games, a nightly highlight show, and weekly recap show Sunday night. That leaves less time for pre-produced programs, but the Sox are still pretty heavily featured on the Network.

As usual, all times are Central...

April 1, 7:00 PM - 30 Clubs in 30 Days: Chicago White Sox live from Glendale, AZ

April 2, 9:oo AM - Spring Training Game, White Sox at Milwaukee Brewers

April 12, 4:30 PM - 1959 World Series Highlights

April 14, 10:00 AM - 1959 World Series Highlights

April 15, 11:00 AM - Baseball Seasons: 1993

April 18, 7:00 PM - 1959 World Series Highlights

April 26, 6:00 AM - Baseball Seasons: 1993

Orlando Cabrera Signs with Oakland

2009-03-02T14:09:00.004-06:00

The last domino of interest in the White Sox's off-season finally hit the floor today. Orlando Cabrera has signed a 1-year, $4 million deal to become the A's shortstop. This means the Sox will get the A's 2nd round pick in June's Draft, as well as a supplemental round pick. Hilariously, the $4 million Cabrera nabbed would have at least been doubled had he accepted arbitration from the White Sox. I know Ozzie threatened that Cabrera would be warming the bench if he accepted (which I still find hard to believe), but I can think of worse fates than getting paid $8 million to sit and watch free baseball games all summer while you live in Chicago.

Though this isn't the ideal situation for the Sox, who won't be getting a second first-round pick, at least it's better than the "sign and trade" deal the Sox were supposedly tossing around with the Blue Jays as late as yesterday. Whatever. Cabrera's signed and we can all move on from this mess.

On an unrelated note, "38 Players in 38 Days" resumes tonight with DJ Carrasco. I hadn't originally planned on skipping Sunday, but I was out of town this weekend and didn't have time to write. If anyone's playing along at home, just skip March 1, and restart the rest of the roster today for the complete schedule.

White Sox Programming Scheduled on MLB Network for March

2009-03-01T00:01:00.001-06:00

MLB Network will provide coverage of several Spring Training and World Baseball Classic games during March, however, they haven't really announced which ones yet, so check back later. If the Sox are ever scheduled for a game on the network, I'll obviously add it to this post. As for the WBC, with Cole Armstrong declining an invite from the Canadian team, that leaves Matt Thornton and AJ Pierzynski, both who would play for Team USA, as the only active Sox players still interested in playing (and I'm not even sure if Pierzynski will get chosen for the team's final 28-man roster).

Anyways, as we turn the page to March, the only Sox-centric programming is the Sox's installment of MLB Network's "30 Clubs in 30 Days" series, in which they visit one team per day at Spring Training. Be patient, Sox fans, we're the last team covered (conspiracy!)

March 21

7:00 PM - 30 Clubs in 30 Days: White Sox from Glendale, AZ

10:00 PM - 30 Clubs in 30 Days: White Sox from Glendale, AZ

March 22

12:30 AM - 30 Clubs in 30 Days: White Sox from Glendale, AZ
6:00 AM - 30 Clubs in 30 Days: White Sox from Glendale, AZ

8:30 AM - 30 Clubs in 30 Days: White Sox from Glendale, AZ

11:00 AM - 30 Clubs in 30 Days: White Sox from Glendale, AZ

You can find MLB Network's entire programming lineup here.

Spring Opener!

2009-02-25T13:41:00.003-06:00

According to Joe Cowley's Twitter, starters for today's game against the Angels will be Carlos Quentin, Jerry Owens, and Jermaine Dye in the outfield, and Josh Fields, Alexei Ramirez, Chris Getz, and Ben Broussard on the infield. Clayton Richard and AJ Pierzynski will make up the battery.

The game will not be televised, but you can hear Ed Farmer and Darrin Jackson's radio debut on 670 the Score or at whitesox.com if you have subscribed to MLB Audio (a great $15 investment if you work schedule conflicts with day games or if you don't live in the Chicago area).

Baseball America Named 4 Sox Prospects to Top 100 List

2009-02-25T08:28:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, Baseball America released its annual Top 100 Prospects List and the White Sox certainly have to be happy with the results. Four prospects landed on the list, and yes, I know that's not that impressive, but three were all acquired within the past calendar year, so after years of cleaning house, the Sox's plans to restock their farm system are coming right along.

The players named are Gordon Beckham (#20), Dayan Viciedo (61), Aaron Poreda (63), and Tyler Flowers (99). Also of note, there are four former Sox farmhands on the list. Three are in Oakland; Aaron Cunningham (55), Chris Carter (75), and Gio Gonzalez (97) and Kansas City's Daniel Cortes (90).

I'm hoping to pick up copies of Baseball Prospectus 2009 and Baseball America's Prospect Handbook over the weekend, but I've read that the White Sox farm system has jumped 12 places and is now ranked #16 overall. Obviously that doesn't help the Major League team in the short-term, but the perception that the Sox do not have a bottom-feeding minor league system any more is certainly nice.

White Sox Send 2 to WBC

2009-02-24T17:40:00.004-06:00

The final, 28-man rosters for all 16 teams participating in the World Baseball Classic were released today and much to the joy of the tournament's haters, the White Sox will only be sending two representatives; tied with Oakland and San Francisco for the least participation amongst MLB organizations.

The first name you know by now; Matt Thornton has been a rock in the White Sox bullpen since being acquired from Seattle just before the start of the 2006 season. In those three years, he has appeared in 205 games, pitching 177.2 innings with a cumulative 3.55 ERA. Considering how well Thornton's pitched for the Sox and the fact they have no 2nd lefty in the bullpen right now, I'm less than thrilled by his presence. However, Team USA has three other left-handed relievers; J.P. Howell, J.J. Putz, and Brian Fuentes, so it's unlikely Thornton will be called on to pitch more than a couple of innings.

Javier Castillo, however, likely is under the radar. The 25-year-old Panamanian third baseman has spent his entire 5-year minor league career with the White Sox, but is pretty well blocked by Josh Fields and Dayan Viciedo. Castillo has played in 505 minor league games, but only 31 of them have come at the AAA level and he's still just a .266/.332/.399 career hitter. His likelihood to have ever made an impact at the Major League level seemed pretty remote, but hey, he'll always be an organizational trivia question now. Q: Who was the first White Sox player to represent Panama at the WBC? A: Javier Castillo, of course. You weren't going to say Carlos Lee, were you?

It's a bummer for AJ Pierzynski, who expressed interest in representing Team USA this year, but was passed over for Brian McCann and Chris Iannetta. While it's no surprise (everyone knew those would be the American catchers two weeks ago), it's still disappointing. I would have splurged for a Pierzynski Team USA jersey, plus it would have been nice to give the young catchers on our roster more work with the pitching staff.

At any rate, the World Baseball Classic kicks off a week from Thursday. Both Team USA and Panama kick off their tournaments on March 7; versus Canada in Toronto and Puerto Rico in San Juan respectively.

The Chicago Tribune does not Know Where the Sox Play

2009-02-24T17:25:00.000-06:00

Through it's "Breaking News" blog, the Chicago Tribune posted a story about Wednedsay's Public School meeting in which the Board will vote on whether or not to close several public schools. It came with a photo and a caption. I'm sure it's just an honest mistake by an overworked editor, but come on, it's been over five years.

Parents protest the planned closing of Robert Sengstacke Abbott School near Cellular Field today, hours before the school board is to vote on the proposal. The school is adjacent to Wentworth Gardens public housing and is named for the founder of the Chicago Defender. (Tom Van Dyke/Chicago Tribune)

Here's a quick screen grab, just in case anyone thinks I'm bullshitting you. For a more legible size, just click on the image.

Ah, Rookie Hazing

2009-02-24T12:47:00.003-06:00

OK, the Sox have been behind some awesome rookie hazing stunts the past few years… Lance Broadway strutting around The Bronx dressed as a female lifeguard? Nice. So while I'm sure this incident won't be the extent to which the new guys are baptized, it still gave me a chuckle.

Despite being in the organization for less than a year, Gordon Beckham was invited to Spring Training with the Sox but (as expected), got a blunt reminder of his chances at the Majors this year when he was assigned jersey #80, the baseball equivalent of getting beamed down from the Enterprise in a red shirt.

During some BP Sunday, AJ Pierzynski was teasing Beckham about his lofty jersey number and during the conversation it was revealed Beckham didn't know who Harold Baines was (which, I believe is a cardinal sin in Sox fandom). On Monday, with the help of Joey Cora, the team pranked Beckham by playing a Baines inspired game of "Who Am I?" Beckham won an autographed black and white photo of #3, a handshake from the man himself, and a round of laughter from his teammates.

You can read the full transcript of Cora's performance Monday over at Hardball or check out The Sox Drawer, Chuck Garfein's blog, for video.

Good news for Gordon, his number 6 that he wore last year at the University of Georgia is still available.

Jermaine Dye asks Beckham what happened, and Beckham contends that he
knew who Harold Baines was.

A.J. Pierzynski and Brian Anderson say in unison, "No you didn't..."

Beckham's teammates chuckled.

"Now I know," Beckham said.

It's good to see him take a joke well.

This Week's Scheduled Pitchers

2009-02-23T09:08:00.000-06:00

The Sox open their Cactus League play Wednesday, and Scott Reifert checks in from Glendale with the list of pitchers scheduled to play this first week of the season (with some links for those of you unfamiliar with some of the nether reaches of our 40-man roster or Spring Training invitees).

Wednesday vs. Angels

Clayton Richard, Jeff Marquez, Matt Thornton, Randy Williams, Adam Russell, Jon Link, Lucas Harrell, Brad Salmon, and Ehren Wassermann

Thursday vs. Rockies

Gavin Floyd, DJ Carrasco, Jack Egbert, Lance Broadway, Jhonny Nunez, and Franklyn German

Friday vs. Arizona

John Danks, Brad Salmon, Adam Russell, Mike MacDougal, John Van Benschoten, and Clevelan Santeliz

Friday vs. Dodgers

Aaron Poreda, Scott Linebrink, Bobby Jenks, Jon Link, Lucas Harrell, and Ehren Wassermann

So... Are we Still Counting on this Guy?

2009-02-22T01:36:00.000-06:00

With the first week of Spring Training in the books, easily one of the biggest stories from Glendale has been the amazing comeback of Jose Contreras. 30 pounds lighter and somehow ready to pitch to live batters, he has thrust himself into the fold for a job in the starting rotation. All of this, has pushed Bartolo Colon out of the spotlight, but just a few weeks ago, he was all but a lock to be the Sox's 4th starter. Now, that's not so certain. From The Daily Herald,

The timetable for veteran RHP Bartolo Colon, who had elbow chips removed last October, is not as clear.

Regardless of how his elbow feels, he sure looks like shit in this photo; his official mug shot taken last week in Arizona. No surprise that the guys at Deadspin love it.

Colon's stayed out of the news this Spring. Whether or not that's a good thing, I'm not sure.

Well, I Guess I Jinxed it

2009-02-20T22:31:00.000-06:00

Less than 12 hours after I muse about the possibility that Joe Crede's ongoing contract negotiations with the Twins is just a devious ruse orchestrated by puppet master extraordinaire Ken Williams, does Sports Illustrated and Twins blogger La Velle Neal report that now the two sides seem to be agreeing a whole lot more. No surprise that Crede would have to accept a little less than the guaranteed $7 million he was looking for.

If Joe indeed signs with the Twins, I certainly hope it doesn't tarnish his legacy with the Sox. No, he never quite lived up to the hype, but was an above average hitter, an excellent defensive third baseman, and when the lights shined brightest on the White Sox, he brought his A game. He slugged .622 during the 12-game play-off run in 2005, 180 points above his career average. He hit 4 home runs, drove in 11 runs, and easily could have been named ALCS MVP.

Shockingly, Joe only played 4 full seasons in Chicago. He didn't win the job until 2003, after the Sox released Royce Clayton and Jose Valentin shifted back to shortstop. It seemed like a lifetime, from his pair of minor league MVP awards and coronation as the next Robin Ventura to the bitter contract dispute that irreversibly damaged the relationship between the team and its third baseman.

Thanks for the memories, Joe. Thanks for the World Series. If you sign with Minnesota, I'll wish you the best of individual luck, but I hope you finish dead last every year.

UPDATE: Mid-post, Mark Gonzales is reporting that Crede and the Twins have agreed to a deal. Get your tickets for April 10!

Elsewhere, the Fort Worth Star Telegram again revisits the Danks-McCarthy deal, apparently, just to twist the knife a bit more on Ranger fans. This trade has been so ludicrously one-sided now, I feel bad for Brandon McCarthy. I wonder how athletes deal with being that level of a disappointment on a personal and organizational level. That said, I don't mind the Sox being on this side of these deals.

A great post at South Side Sox exploring the "Masset Theory," which states that no matter how much you rid yourself of expendable bullpen arms, there's always plenty to be had. Good for a laugh as well as a brief introduction to several names you'll likely utter in disgust when they serve up a late-inning homer.

Despite the seemingly endless barrage of trade rumors, Jermaine Dye still enjoys playing in Chicago and even went so far as to say he'd "like to finish his career here." Not sure how likely that situation is to play out, Dye is probably going to have to take a hometown discount to stay with the Sox, but with Jim Thome's $13 million coming off the books after 2009 and Paul Konerko's $12 million coming off after 2010, there might be extra money Dye, especially if he's willing to become a full-time DH. Specifically, Jermaine noted that he likes playing for Ozzie.

Finally, if you're in a betting kind of mood, Bodog.com, one of the largest online sports books released its pre-season odds for all sort of futures stakes in the 2009 MLB season. As for the Central division? Currently the odds are:

Twins, 7/4
Indians, 2/1
Tigers, 7/2
White Sox, 4/1
Royals, 14/1

Also, if you're wondering, the Sox are 14/1 odds to win the American League (somehow, besting the Twins' 15/1 odds) and 30/1 odds to bring home the title. Decent odds, if you believe in this team.

You can Officially Cross the O-Dog off Your Wish List

2009-02-20T14:13:00.004-06:00

Despite their apparent need for a veteran top of the order guy and an established second baseman, the White Sox officially passed on Orlando Hudson who, according to MLBTraderumors.com via Sirius XM Radio, signed with the Dodgers. Not really a shocker here, as the Dodgers have been the frontrunner in Hudson "sweepstakes" (if you can really call it that) for some time, but I was still holding out hope that KW would swoop in and bag a cheap veteran that immediately fills two pressing holes on this team. Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman notes that the Sox are fully committed to the young trio of Getz, Nix, and Lillibridge (in case you didn't already know).

Perhaps Joe Crede is Still Employed by the White Sox

2009-02-20T13:04:00.002-06:00

There's no other rational explanation for why Crede and Scott Boras, his agent, refuse to accept anything less than a $7 million base salary and an added $4 million in incentives for Crede to sign on anywhere in 2009. Are these guys serious? Do they have no concept of the current market for baseball teams? Manny Ramirez is still unemployed. Ditto for Orlando Hudson. Bobby Abreu had to settle for a 1-year, $5 million deal with the Angels and, unlike Crede, has been healthy and productive the last few seasons.

Therefore, the only thing I can come up with is the Sox are shrewdly paying Joe under the table to temptingly dangle his services to the Twins, but never sign on the dotted line. I mean, if he's as healthy as Boras claims, Crede is just what the doctored ordered for the Twins. He's not that old. He's an everyday third baseman and he's got some pop left in his bat. Yet, despite the fact he's a career .219 hitter in the Metrodome and he's only played in 144 games the past two years due to back problems, he's not accepting anything less than a contract that will make him, at least, the Twins' third highest paid player.

Some locals already know signing Crede would be a roll of the dice, and don't blame the Twins for not giving in to his ludicrous salary demands, but they keep sending scouts to watch his workout and batting practice sessions. You just have to know they know how much a healthy Crede would help their team, and yet, they can't come to an agreement. I don't know if stalled negotiations like this have any effect on a clubhouse or team morale, but it's still hilarious to sit back and watch the drama unfold as the immovably thrifty Twins collide with the unstoppably overpriced Crede.

What the Hell is in Jose Contreras's Water?

2009-02-20T12:32:00.005-06:00

It's been just over half a year since Jose Contreras ruptured his left Achilles tendon and was lost for the final six weeks of last season and likely the majority of this year, as well. Actually, at the time, there was a lot of speculation that he was done. Officially, Jose turned 38 years old in December, but Caribbean ballplayers have this nasty habit of actually being older than they claim. Jose could easily be in his early-40's.

Recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon is supposed to be around a 12-month process. Saying Jose wasn't going to be around until mid-2009 at earliest was like saying the sky is blue or grass is green. No arguments. No proof required. These are facts.

So when the leaner Contreras showed up at Glendale (down apparently 30 pounds) walking without a limp and pitching off a mound to live batters, that was a shock. And now? He has a shot to break camp with the team. Six months ago, he was rolling around the bluegrass just behind the 1st base coach's box at the Cell. This guy's 40 years old! If this isn't the most remarkable story of the first week of Spring Training, in all of baseball not just the Sox, then I better read about somebody walking across a lake.

A healthy and effective Contreras immediately makes the White Sox the favorites in the Central. I know a lot of people soured on Jose after his disaster 2007 season, but while he was healthy in 2008, he was pitching just fine. After a rocky start, he reeled off a series of 10 impressive starts from mid-April to June, highlighted by an 8 inning, 3 hit, 10 strikeout gem Memorial Day weekend against the Angels. During this run, he was 6-2 with a 2.19 ERA and .191 BAA. He allowed only 48 hits in 70 innings of work, and was striking out over 3.2 batters for every 1 he walked.

I'm guessing most people forget about this run of above average pitching because he so memorably imploded while secretly pitching with pain in his elbow until mid-July. The nadir of his season was his Saturday start in Wrigley Field when the Cubs battered him for 9 runs and 3 homers in less than 4 innings during the Cubs' sweep. Three starts later, he was shelved for a month and only got 34 pitches into his comeback before his season was over.

There are still plenty of questions surrounding the back of the Sox's rotation. Jose's health is certainly one, even if he pulls off this miraculous comeback and starts April 10 or 11, whether or not his body can get through 30 starts any more is anyone's guess. But if he can recover from a career-threatening injury in half the projected time, who's betting against him?

Mark Buehrle: World Series Hero, Fan Favorite, Buzz Killington

2009-02-16T00:08:00.000-06:00

Well, White Sox Spring camp has literally only been in session for a few hours, but you can already break out the "News I Didn't Want to Hear" folder to file away this nugget... Mark Buehrle is mulling retiring in a few years.

Now, before I do something crazy like overreact, let's remember two key things. First, Mark Buehrle has supposedly wanted to go to St. Louis and pitch for his boyhood idol Cardinals forever. I think I knew Buehrle was a Cardinal fan before I knew who Buehrle was. The guy proved his loyalty to the Sox when he took a hefty hometown discount in 2007 to stay here through his prime years. Next, this article is from Phil Rogers, one of my least favorite baseball writers (and for good reason).

Now, that all said... What the hell, man? It's not like I'm so vain that I think Mark Buehrle "owes" me something, but why does he always drop hints like this? Yeah, he signed the long-term deal here, but for a few years there always seemed to be a story out with him talking about how much he'd like to pitch in St. Louis. Maybe in the fake world of pro sports, he's just too honest of a guy, but for one day, I'd like the fake smile and faux happiness, you know? Pitchers and catchers reported today and now, Mark Buehrle might have less than 100 starts left in his career? Ouch.

Ultimately, I don't think he'll do it. As much of a family guy as he is, I think the competitive fire will still be burning, and at 32, he's going to have to leave an awful lot of money on the table and not just from the Sox. I don't see him pulling a Jamie Moyer and pitching until he can start cashing Social Security checks, but reliable left-handed starting pitchers are just too rare. Now, whether he spends his whole career with the Sox, I'm not sure.

Ah, the joys of being a White Sox fan.

My Five Keys for the White Sox

2009-02-15T15:00:00.001-06:00

Over at The Daily Herald Friday, Scot Gregor published his five keys to the upcoming White Sox season. It's a good article that underscores a lot of points that have already been beaten in the ground as the team opens camp in Glendale today. Yes, the Sox are going to lean heavily on their youth movement this year, but truthfully, almost every team in Major League Baseball will filling roster gaps with some unproven kid fresh from the minor leagues. I'm not sure if it's the complete lack of internal player development over the better part of this decade, or the nearly unparallelled run of sustained success the Sox have enjoyed during that stretch that makes it seem like filling holes with rookies is such a novel concept, but on the South Side, it is.

Anyways, getting back to Gregor, in summary, his five keys to this season are:

Bartolo Colon
Chris Getz or Brent Lillibridge, whoever starts at second
Josh Fields
Carlos Quentin (mostly, proving that his breakout season in 2008 was legit)
Jerry Owens

Now, it's not that I disagree with any of these picks you can (as Gregor shows) make strong cases that the Sox will need solid seasons from these guys if they expect to repeat as division champs. This, however, would not be my Top 5 list, which goes something like:

#1 - Gavin Floyd
Along with John Danks, Gavin Floyd was one of the major reasons the White Sox surprised pundits and fans and eeked into the play-offs. The Sox placed the ball in his hands every 5th game and he didn't disappoint, posting a 17-8 record with a 3.84 ERA in 206.1 IP. Yes, the back end of the rotation sticks out at you like a sore thumb, but for the Sox to even matter in 2009, they'll their front three, Buehrle, Danks, and Floyd to repeat their excellent 2008 campaigns.

Over at FanGraphs, David Golebiewski does a nice job going over several reasons why you can legitimately be concerned about Gavin in '09, his strike-out rate is alarming low and lefties hit him very well. For shits and giggles, I'll add a few more. Gavin's BABIP in 2008 was .259, well below the average that's generally around .300. Generally, it's bad enough when pitchers who pitch to contact are expected to regress back to a league-average BABIP, but that may even be accelerated by the fact the White Sox have questionable defensive players all over the field.

To be fair, there was a lot to like about Gavin's year, too. He was remarkably consistent, and kept his season ERA within 1-point range over his last 27 starts. From May 11 to the end of the season, his low-water mark was 2.92 and his high-water was 3.91. And even though his 2nd half ERA was over a half run higher than his first (4.18 v. 3.55), his peripherals were much better, especially his two most worrisome areas; he struck out more batters and allowed fewer home runs per inning as the season progressed.

There's no doubt that Gavin can continue to grow into the pitcher he seemed destined to become in 2001 when the Phillies drafted him 4th overall but, more so than any other pitcher, the White Sox's season depends on his continued development and another strong season.

#2 - Paul Konerko
In 2006, Paul Konerko hit .313/.381/.551, a very good line that represent his career best at all three stats. Two years later, he struggled through an injury-plagued campaign in which he seemed lost, overmatched, and frankly, over the hill. If you think his final line of .240/.344/.438 was bad, remember that as late as August 12, Konerko was hitting under .220 and had just 11 home runs. If there's reason to be optimistic about Paul in '09, look no further than his last 6 weeks when he hit .292/.396/.625. When healthy, Paul was the rock in the middle of the White Sox lineup we've known for the better part of the 10 seasons he's been here.

It seems to me that Paul's terrible 2008 season can be explained only by bad luck and injuries (more bad luck). His BABIP was .244, almost 40 points below his career norm, and even more shocking his BA on line drives was staggeringly low at .551 (the Major League average is generally around .700). At 33, he may seem like an injury risk, but the 122 games Paul played in 2008 was his lowest total since becoming a full-time player in 1999. Combined with the quality of play down the stretch run of the season (when he was finally healthy), and Paul Konerko becomes a prime candidate for big, comeback year and a rock in the White Sox's lineup.

#3 - Clayton Richard
I'm not 100% sure yet what role Clayton will play for the Sox in 2009, but it looks like it will be a big one. Right now, Richard is slated to be the Sox's fifth starter, but I'm still not so sure how well suited he is for that role. It seems most people fell in love with Richard during his excellent mop-up job in Game 1 of the ALDS, but that performance needs to be taken with a large grain of salt, in 2008, the Rays had the 2nd worst offense in the American League against left-handed pitching.

As it stands now, there's not much about Richard that really gets me excited. His numbers at the Major League level are pretty pedestrian; 6.04 ERA, 1.552 WHIP, and only 5.47 K/ 9 IP (league average = 6.64). What gets me excited about him? He keeps the ball on the ground (essential for surviving in a park like US Cellular Field) and just has a kind of bulldog moxy about him, which makes him an ideal candidate for the bullpen. With Boone Logan thankfully in Atlanta, the Sox have exactly zero left-handed bullpen arms after Matt Thornton. Unfortunately, their lack of depth at starting pitching will probably hurt Richard's development and the team in 2009.

#4 - Jerry Owens
As the frontrunner to land the Sox lead-off spot, Owens will potentially have quite a say in whether or not the Sox swim or sink this year. He's already 28, so it's hard to imagine him getting much better... But if his 2007 season is any indication of his talent, all hope may not be lost. As you may well be aware, the lead-off spot for the Sox was a bit of a problem in 2008. The spot was occupied primarily by Orlando Cabrera (128 G) and Nick Swisher (29), neither of whom fit the "classic lead-off hitter mold." All said, the Sox lead-off hitters combined to hit .274/.339/.372. Not too far off from the .267/.324/.312 line Owens posted in 2007. Though the power is lacking, that's not something in short supply for the Sox.

Owens' speed and the fact that he plays center field is probably enough to qualify him to lead-off for the White Sox in 2009, for better or worse. If he can take instruction well (remember, the Sox turned Scott Podsednik into a dangerous leadoff hitter one year removed from a season in which his OBP was .313) and stay healthy, Owens could at least pass for a lead-off hitter enough for the Sox offense to click.

#5 - AJ Pierzynski
Gavin Floyd is out to prove 2008 was no fluke. Paul Konerko is out to prove he's past 2008's injuries and can still hit. Clayton Richard is out to prove he belongs in the Majors. Jerry Owens is out to prove he can get on base. AJ Pierzynski, on the other hand, has been as reliable as they come, since joining the Sox, averaging 134 games per season. His career averages over 162 games is 14 HR and 74 RBI. So what makes him a key to the season? Well, if you've looked at the White Sox depth chart lately, you'll see they have nothing that resembles a contingency plan in case AJ goes down for any time.

Right now, rookie Cole Armstrong has the inside track to backup Pierzynski in the show. Armstrong's spend three seasons in the White Sox organization and while his numbers have been OK, he's never been viewed as a really exciting prospect. There's still room for growth, as Armstrong will only be 25, but for the most important and physically demanding position in the game, the lack of organizational catching depth is dangerous. During his tenure here, the White Sox have posted a cumulative 4.27 ERA, not great but still very respectable. Undoubtedly, the staff has developed a strong rapport with AJ, and while that would be impossible to reproduce with any other catcher, it's likely the process would be twice as difficult if they were weaning in a rookie.

Three Farmhands Make BP's Top 100 Prospects List

2009-02-14T19:36:00.001-06:00

Baseball Prospectus's Kevin Goldstein just released his Top 100 Prospects list. The White Sox landed 3 players; #38 Gordon Beckham, #74 Aaron Poreda, and #99 Brandon Allen. OK, that's not as impressive a feat as, say, the Orioles who landed three prospects in the Top 20, but given that the White Sox's farm system was a mess a year ago, it's still commendable. I don't have a BP subscription, so I can't read the rest of the article, but I've also read whispers that say Goldstein rated both Viciedo and Flowers as "near misses," due to the difficulty projecting them; Viciedo because his skills are still so unknown and Flowers because nobody trusts him defensively.

Some notes...

Six players from the 2008 Draft are ranked ahead of Beckham, including Justin Smoak, the power hitting first baseman from the University of South Carolina who was drafted by Texas. Smoak, as you may remember, was the other player the Sox were considering with their pick. He is also the only player drafted after Beckham in 2008 that precedes him on this list. The other five 2008 draftees are Pedro Alvarez (PIT), Buster Posey (SF), Tim Beckham (TB), Eric Hosmer (KC), and Brian Matusz (BAL).
Another name you'll recognize on this list is Oakland's Chris Carter, ranked #41. Carter was drafted by the White Sox in 2005, but was traded to Arizona last year for Carlos Quentin. If you're wondering, he wound up with Oakland a few weeks later as part of the deal that sent Dan Haren to the Diamondbacks.
The AL Central received very little love. Only 11 prospects from our division made the cut (if distribution was even, we'd have gotten 16 or 17). The Tigers had the best prospect in the division, Ricky Porcello (#7), but that was their only appearance on the Top 100.
Surprisingly, the Royals only placed 2 prospects in the Top 100, Eric Hosmer (#18) and Mike Moustakas (#21). The Royals have had Top 10 picks in the June Draft every year but once since 1997. They've also nine supplemental pick first/sandwich round picks in that time.
Cleveland matched the Sox's 3 players in the Top 100, Matt LaPorta (30), Carlos Santana (33), and Nick Weglarz. Minnesota's 2 are Ben Revere (36) and Aaron Hicks (39).

The Palehose returns

2009-02-14T12:00:00.000-06:00

One of the best things about being a Sox fan in recent years has been the wonderful work of Carl Skanberg, whose Palehose comics have been fresh and entertaining through the good times and the bad. He will chronicle the adventures of Don Guillote through the 2009 season in Palehose 9.

If you've never seen his work, check it out.

2008-09 White Sox Off-Season Recap

2009-02-13T11:42:00.004-06:00

Can you feel it? The days are longer, the weather is warmer, football has once again disappeared... Birds are singing, bees are trying to have sex with them... As is my understanding. There's a tinge of Spring in the air and, just as it should be, Spring Training will begin in camps across Florida and Arizona.

Of course, the 2008 White Sox were division champs and had one of the most bizarre seasons in franchise history. For all the inconsistency and dissapointment, they sure were quite a lot of fun. As the Sox prepare for their 2009 campaign, it's time to look back on the successes and failures of this off-season.

Key Acquisitions

IF Jayson Nix; FA/Rockies
IF Wilson Betemit; Trade/Yankees
RHP Jeff Marquez; Trade/Yankees
RHP Kelvin Jimenez; Waivers/Blue Jays
C Tyler Flowers; Trade/Braves
IF Brent Lillibridge; Trade/Braves
3B Dayan Viciedo; FA/Cuba
RHP Bartolo Colon; FA/Red Sox

Key Departures

OF Ken Griffey, Jr.; FA/Unsigned
C Toby Hall; FA/Astros
OF-1B Nick Swisher; Trade/Yankees
RHP Javier Vazquez; Trade/Braves
LHF Boone Logan; Trade/Braves
3B Joe Crede; FA/Unsigned
SS Orlando Cabrera; FA/Unsigned
IF Juan Uribe; FA/Giants

Though there was some turnover and the Sox are admittedly trying to get younger and faster, but the core of the team that won 89 games and the division last year returns completely intact. Whether or not the Sox can successfully rebuild while competing rests quite a bit on the '08-'09 off-season. Here's how they did...

Goal #1 - Move away from the "Home Run-or-Nothing" Style of Offense

The above graph shows how much each American League team depended on the home run to score in 2008. As you can see, the notion that the White Sox were an "all or nothing" offense is very true. Over 47% of the White Sox's runs in 2008 scored via the home run (view all the data here, thanks to Baseball-Reference's awesome Play Index). The difference between them and #2 (Detroit) was almost 10%, which is the same difference as between Detroit and #13 (Kansas City). Obviously something was wrong with the White Sox's offense.

The White Sox's answer to this problem was to try to get younger, faster, and sleeker. They dumped Nick Swisher and Javier Vazquez for prospects and left a lot of spots on the roster open, such as second base, to younger talent rather than sign older, more experience veterans, like Orlando Hudson. While the idea was good, the execution still leaves a lot to be desired. Do you really see this team sustaining exciting rallies, or do you see the Sox relying on the same brand of station-to-station baseball punctuated by the long ball? While this off-season may have set the Sox on a better course for 2010 and beyond, it's hard to see this year's version differing much than last with their approach at the plate.

Goal #2 - Rebuild the Farm System

When the Sox acquired Nick Swisher from Oakland last off season, the trade depleted the White Sox farm system. Though work is not yet done (ESPN's Keith Law still ranked the organization in the lower half of baseball), the White Sox have done a marvelous job of adding a lot of talent to their farm system. According to Mark Gonzales, Baseball America's Top 10 Prospect list for the White Sox will be:

Gordon Beckam
Dayan Viciedo
Aaron Poreda
Tyler Flowers
Clayton Richard
Brandon Allen
Jordan Danks
Brent Lillibridge
Chris Getz
John Shelby, Jr.

The bolded names are players who have been added to the organization within the past year. Five of the Top 8 prospects in the White Sox farm system have been added via the draft and trades. Considering the disarray the White Sox's farm system was in just a year ago, the turnaround has been stunning.

Goal #3 - Stay Competitive During a Phase of Rebuilding

This relates to the first two goals, but that has been the mantra of Kenny Williams over the past year. The White Sox's average age in 2008 was 30.5 for positional players and 28.3 for pitchers, third oldest and sixth oldest in the American League respectively. The writing was on the wall, for the Sox to maintain their level of success on the field, they would need to start getting younger. Instead of tearing the walls down and starting from square 1, Williams has decided to take a more modest approach. While it's easy to say pushing the restart button on the franchise is the better approach, I disagree, and I think the Sox's brass does, too.

Since the advent of the Wild Card, baseball's play-offs have turned into a complete crapshoot. Simply having the best team is no guarantee of success. Few people will argue that the Cubs were the best team in the National League in 2008, and they barely competed in their 3-game sweep to the Dodgers. Likewise, the 2006 Cardinals barely qualified for the play-offs but caught lightning in the bottle at the right time and won the whole thing, beating three better teams in consecutive short series. The point is that right now the Central division is not too imposing. Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota, and Kansas City all have fatal flaws that keep them from running away with the pack. While the Sox could have packed it in for the next few years while trying to build a juggernaut, the plan looks to keep the team respectable while slowly building from the inside. The goal of any organization, I'm convinced, should be to make the play-offs, because after that really anything can happen. To throw away the window of opportunity that is available would be a mistake.

Conclusion

Overall, in the long run the White Sox seem to have positioned themselves well this off-season. They've added youth, replaced a few parts that didn't quite fit, and put themselves on a road to sustained success. How many wins that will translate to in 2009, however, I'm not sure. The Sox failed to add adequate pitching depth and a lead-off hitter, two necessary ingredients to the 2005 team that brought home a trophy. Whether it was Williams' unwillingness to depart from his plan or budget constraints, we'll never know, but for all the good the Sox seem to have done since the final out of 2008, a lot of that will be forgotten if these key and prominent holes are the ultimate undoing of this team.

Joe Crede, You are Dead to Us

2009-02-11T15:44:00.005-06:00

The White Sox recently updated the Roster section of the official page, revealing the number assignments for the newbies. The new numbers of note are:

#5 - Jayson Nix
#15 - Wilson Betemit
#17 - Chris Getz (a change from last year when he donned #39)
#18 - Brent Lillibridge
#38 - Cole Armstrong
#40 - Bartolo Colon
#48 - Jeff Marquez
#57 - Kelvin Jimenez

However, one of the new numbers that really caught me by surprise was Dayan Viciedo taking #24. Take that Crede, you haven't even found a new team yet and we're giving your number to a guy who plays the same position as you. Seems like one last dig at Joe for their messy divorce. Now, I'm probably overreacting and I probably take number assignments too seriously, but my immediate reaction was still, "Wow, that was fast." Of course, upon further research, I remembered that the Sox gave away Aaron Rowand's number the first season after his trade to Philadelphia, even though he and the Sox seperated amicably. But at least Javier was an established vet who didn't play center field.

Confirmed: Angels sign Bobby Abreu

2009-02-11T09:30:00.002-06:00

The speculation can end, Bobby Abreu and the Angels agreed to a 1-year, $5 million deal this morning. The thing I can't understand is how everyone in LA is going to get playing time. Their outfield was crowded before they signed Abreu, but now you have to find a way to squeeze 5 guys into 4 spots.

The reprocussion for the White Sox, of course, is that this should pretty much kill all lingering Jermaine Dye trade rumors. The Sox were already having a hard enough time moving him with the current oversaturation of available corner outfielders, and now it looks like he'll be able to finish his contract in Chicago (unless, of course, the Sox tank this year and someone waves an attractive trade offer at Williams).

4 more days until Spring Training... 4 more days until Spring Training..

Keeping Tabs on Free Agents of Interest

2009-02-11T01:18:00.001-06:00

As anyone who follows baseball knows, this has been one of the strangest off-seasons in quite some time. We're just a few days from Spring Training and a plethora of quality players remain unemployed, struggling to find work in a sport that clearly was unprepared for the effect this down economy would have on it (nice giving Raul Ibanez that 3-year, $30+ million contract, Philadelphia. No way does that deal look terrible now). The the White Sox have repeatedly said they're not interested in adding more dollars to their self-imposed budget, they've still been linked to a number of free agents in the recent months and weeks. Plus, there are still several high-profile former Sox free agents out there whose decisions have very real consequences for the organization.

BOBBY ABREU
No more than a week ago, multiple sources had the Sox floating an $8 million offer to Abreu, but that deal always seemed to hinge on the Sox's ability to move Jermaine Dye, a task that has probably proved to be impossible as the corner outfield market is completely oversaturated.

The Mariners had also always been discussed as a possibly landing spot for Abreu, but even local Seattle writers have come to terms that the M's will most likely have to look at cheaper options like Ken Griffey, Jr. (more on him later) or Garret Anderson
Both Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal and some guy at Yahoo! Sports agree that the Angels and Abreu have just about agreed on a deal, even though Los Angeles seems to already have 10 other outfielders.

ORLANDO CABRERA
As the only Type A free agent the Sox lost this off-season, we've all be anxiously awaiting for Cabrera to land somewhere to resolve the question of what draft pick compensation we'd get. After waiting and waiting, there was even some speculation that Cabrera wouldn't sign anywhere until after the June draft, nulling the Sox's compensation and fittingly ending his turbulent time on the South Side with one final "screw you."

Though nobody's talking, it looks like there is a renewed interest between Cabrera and the A's, but uh, good luck landing a contract in the range of $10 million.
At least this guy's on our side: Local writer Bruce Jenkins points out the reasons why Cabrera would be a good fit in Oakland. Really, I just want someone to sign the guy.

JOE CREDE

I have no idea what planet Joe Crede or Scott Boras live on, but the snag in Crede's negotiations are supposedly because Crede has been asking for a deal worth around $7 million/year. What! So far, the only teams that have looked remotely interested are the Giants and Twins, but even the Yankees would laugh off giving a guy whose chronic back problems have cost him over 1/2 his games the past 2 seasons $7 million per year.
That said, this guy from Minnesota thinks the Twins should still try and sign Crede. When healthy, Joe can still hit and the Achilles' Heel for the Twins lately has been the lack of power in their lineup.

ORLANDO HUDSON
Before last season ended and even into this off-season, Hudson was consistently linked to the White Sox and for natural reasons, he would be one of the high OBP guys that could hit at the top of the order that we're sorely lacking, plus he plays a defensive position that we have no real answer for. The main concern was some nagging injury issues, but it seemed like a classic KW "wait and swoop"-type deal; Hudson would sit around, let his value depreciate a bit and the Sox would come knocking with an offer to help him redeem himself.

About a week ago, Hudson was a guest on MLB Network's Hot Stove and he named four teams that have been showing him interest; the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, and Nationals.
Earlier today, the Cardinals released Adam Kennedy, their starting second baseman for much of the past 2 seasons. Despite not having any real solution to their now void second base position, the Cardinals don't seem interested in bringing in any veteran players. Still, this feels like a developing situation that may yield some news yet.
And finally, tonight, the Dodgers reportedly were set to make a big splash in the free agent market and could possibly sign deals with both Hudson and Manny Ramirez by the end of the week.

KEN GRIFFEY, JR

Still feeling the effects of the incredible amount of available outfielders, but he's still waiting. As noted earlier, there's a strong possibility he'll return to Seattle.

FRANK THOMAS

There's been so little interest in the Big Hurt, the best I could find was this post from a Yankees' fan blog that is roughly 95% not about him. After hitting only .240/.349/.374 in 71 gamed between Toronto and Oakland, it looks like the well may have finally run dry.

RAY DURHAM
Obviously, a former Sox All-Star but the free agent second baseman has been getting very little looks, which is surprising. He's not a Type A or B free agent, so he won't cost you draft picks and aside from his down year in 2007 (that now looks very much like a fluke... there's a good article at Fangraphs that backs my argument), Durham has been a consistent and productive offensive player. Can you think of any teams that are in need of a second baseman who can do a little with the bat? I can, the White Sox!

The best offer it seems that Ray has recieved was a minor league deal to come to the Nationals' Spring Training to compete for a roster spot. The deal, worth $850,000 if he made the Nats' 25-man roster, was rejected and Durham has openly mulled retirement if he doesn't get an offer he feels is worth his time.
The only other person I can find that seems to think Durham would be a nice fit for his 2B-less team is Bob Dutton, the Royals' beat writer over at the Kansas City Star.

IVAN RODRIGUEZ
I'm not sure how true the rumors ever were that linked the 1999 American League MVP to the Sox; most of them seemed to be the work of guys who noticed the fit between the two parties; the Sox have no real concrete options to backup AJ Pierzynski and Rodriguez is a veteran catcher, struggling to find work, who also happens to hit on the opposite side ot the plate as AJ.

There were originally some reports that said the Marlins were not interested in brining back Rodriguez, but that's not true says Marlins' owner Jeffrey Loria.
Because they're still the Marlins, though, a few days later is was reported that the Fish would indeed be willing to bring in some veteran talent, but couldn't spend more than $400,000 on them.

SCOTT PODSEDNIK

Will be in Tuscson next week, trying to earn a roster spot with the Rockies again.

BEN BROUSSARD
Remember this guy? Three years ago, he hit 21 combined home runs with Cleveland and Seattle but since his power has mysteriously vanished (I'm not saying, I'm just saying) and his career has crashed and burned. He's played only 125 games in 2007 and 2008 combined, and had signed minor league deals with both the Cubs and Yankees in 2008, getting released soon thereafter both times.

Well, the White Sox brought him abroad today, inking Broussard to a 1-year minor-league deal. I actually don't mind the move, it gives the Sox good organizational depth at 1B/DH in case Jim Thome or Paul Konerko break down, allowing more promising youngsters like Brandon Allen the chance to continue their development in the minors instead of being rushed to the Majors.

Update: Here's Baseball Prospectus's Complete Projected Standings

2009-02-10T17:53:00.003-06:00

Last night I mentioned that BP released it's projected standings for the 2009 season and I was just waiting to find them online before I could comment. Well, here they are. I know the Sox and their fans will probably take it as a slight that we're picked to finish dead last in the Central, but I really don't think that's the case. The Central is very tightly packed, the Sox are only projected 5 games behind 2nd place Minnesota and 10 games behind projected champ Cleveland. Look at the rest of the divisions. The Orioles are projected to finish 32 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East. The Pirates are projected 30 games behind the Cubs. A 10-game swing is not that unreasonable, last year five American League teams posted 5-game or greater differences from their Pythagorean record, and two more had 4-game differences.

Now, that said, this does underscore that even casual, national observers can tell that the Sox have some serious holes to plug. Spring Training kicks off Sunday in Glendale and the Sox still have not addressed some of their problems. While it's nice to think all of them can be fixed internally, the Sox's recent player development history makes me believe otherwise.

Anyways, when combined with yesterday's predictions from Cleveland, the running sum of combined AL Central predictions is:

Minnesota (average preditced position: 1.5)
Cleveland (2.0)
WHITE SOX (3.5)
Detroit (3.5)
Royals (4.5)

On Alex Rodriguez, Steroids, and Why it's Still My Game

2009-02-10T12:05:00.001-06:00

I generally don't venture too far away from the White Sox on this blog, but it's hard to be a baseball fan this day in age and not have the cloud of steroids weigh on you eventually, even more so since Saturday's revelation that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for various, illegal drugs in 2003. I've tried to remain as cynical as possible about the level of steroid abuse in the game, but I'll admit that even I was caught off guard by these allegations. Alex Rodriguez? The same guy that was labeled as the next great ballplayer when he was in high school? The guy that hit 36 home runs in 1996; as a 20-year-old in his first full season? He never looked the part; while Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire's biceps looked like they were going to explode out of their arm, even now, A-Rod has always looked like a toned, fit athlete, not a freak bodybuilder. Even for all the criticism that's come his way; he's never given off the same douchebag vibe like Roger Clemens or Bonds. No, even as I tried to convince myself that this really was a league-wide problem and I shouldn't be shocked at any name that is linked to steroid abuse, Saturday's bombshell was just that.

So where to go? The simple thing would be to throw my hands up, say I'm fed up with the game, and try to walk away. But I just can't. Even back in the late-90s and early-00s, the height of the Steroid Era, the same beauty and rhythm of the game was there. While maybe some of the memories are now tarnished (like the McGwire/Sosa Race for 62 in 1998), to say that an entire era is now clouded is false. It was still the same game.

I think its naïve to believe this trend will ever be curbed. I'm sorry, there's too much money to be had by power players. Pitchers who can touch 100 on the gun and hitters who can hit 40 home runs per year are just too in demand. As long as that demand exists, a supply will, too. A new wave of undetectable drugs will be created to satisfy tomorrow's heroes, and when they fall, the cycle will continue. To some, this is the grim reality of all sports, not just baseball. In the end, however, the game remains unchanged, and what occurs between the two white chalk lines is the same as it was 100, 50, or 10 years ago.

We'll never truly know how deep, or for how long, steroid abuse has been a part of baseball. Scientists first started working on anabolic steroids in the 1940s. If you really believe baseball was a clean and pure game until Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire showed up, we'll have to agree to disagree. The difference in the game then and now is not in the character and integrity of the players, rather, in the availability of information. An average American can now access more data from the palms of their hands than someone could get from a whole library. Both good and bad will be revealed, and frankly, people want dirt, secrets, and scandal.

So my love affair with the game will continue, probably unabated. I don't feel as if my sacred trust has been violated. It's a game. It's entertainment. It gives me a few hours to relax from the worries of day-to-day life. As an institution, baseball has survived worse scandals in its past and will likely face more in its future. As a game, it remains the same athletic ballet I remember as a kid and sucker or not, I'll always be hooked.

Let the Pre-Season Predictions Begin!

2009-02-10T00:51:00.006-06:00

Well, we're still a few days away from the first practice pitch of Spring Training, but several folks are jumping on the prediction bandwagon early. I've read some reports that say Baseball Prospectus picked the Sox dead last in the Central in 2009 based on their PECOTA predictions, but I can't find a good, free site that legally publishes those numbers. If someone knows of a place I can see the 2009 PECOTA predictions without paying for them, I could comment, otherwise, I'll have to wait until sometime in the next few weeks to buy Baseball Prospectus 2009.

Also, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer has published its predictions (still seems a bit early, especially in a division like the Central with so many roster spots up for grabs, but whatever) and they've put their money on the Twins. They've got the Sox in second, Tribe in third, Tigers fourth, and Kansas City bringing up the rear. I'll try to keep an eye out for other predictions and see if we can't keep a running summary of the many, many expert opinions that will soon flood the baseball talk landscape.

Manny Ramirez Saga Affecting White Sox?

2009-02-03T11:08:00.004-06:00

Earlier today, Manny Ramirez spurned the Dodgers' 1-year, $25 million contract offer. Despite what they're saying, I think this means LA is all but done dealing with the slugging free agent. Supposedly, now they've turned their attention to Adam Dunn and Orlando Hudson. Hudson, you may remember, was a free agent favorite of Kenny Williams since at least last year. And though, over the weekend, ESPN reported the White Sox weren't going to be signing any more free agents this off-season, today there are reports the Sox have offered a 1-year contract to Bobby Abreu. The Abreu offer is supposedly worth around $8 million for 2009 and it would likely mean Jermaine Dye will be moved before Opening Day, saving the Sox another $3.5 million. Now, Hudson did make almost double that amount in 2008 ($6.25 million), but in this buyer's market, it wouldn't be shocking to see him not get a much better offer. Aside from plugging a major hole in the Sox's defensive lineup, he'd bring another veteran, high OBP-guy that the Sox are currently drooling over.

White Sox Programming Schedule on MLB Network for February

2009-01-28T08:08:00.006-06:00

I'm working on a few projects right now that will hopefully be finished and published within the week (especially after this weekend and football releases its clutches from my brain), but here's a little something for you. As you may all know, MLB Network launched January 1, providing 24 hours of baseball programming every day. For those of you in Chicago who are slaves to Comcast, MLB Network is channel 410. If you're not sure where to find the network, go to its homepage and enter your ZIP code. Anyway, after watching for a month, I admit that I'm impressed. Yes, there's a lot of Red Sox and Yankees stuff, but they also play a lot of old games and good programming from around the league. Just before the first of every month, I'll publish a list of White Sox-specific programming on the network, so you can set your DVRs and mark your calendars. You can find the full schedule online here, but until they add a widget that lets you break down when your team is on, this will have to do.

All times given here are Central. All times published at MLB.com are Eastern. Remember that!

SUNDAY, FEBRURARY 1
11:00 AM - 2005 World Series, Game 2
2:00 PM - 2005 World Series, Game 3
7:30 PM - 2005 World Series, Game 4
11:00 PM - 2005 World Series, Game 2

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2
2:00 AM - 2005 World Series, Game 3
7:30 AM - 2005 World Series, Game 4

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7
1:30 PM - White Sox at Mariners (8/8/1997) - Randy Johnson strikes out 19

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8
11:00 PM - White Sox at Mariners (8/8/1997)

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10
1:00 PM - White Sox at Mariners (8/8/1997)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15
2:00 PM - Mariners at White Sox (5/2/2002) - Mike Cameron hits 4 HR

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16
4:30 AM - Mariners at White Sox (5/2/2002)

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17
11:30 PM- 1959 World Series Highlights

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18
3:30 AM - 1959 World Series Highlights
10:30 AM - 1959 World Series Highlights
1:00 PM - Mariners at White Sox (5/2/2002)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20
11:00 AM - 2003 Home Run Derby (No White Sox participants, but at U.S. Cellular Field)
4:00 PM - 2003 Home Run Derby

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21
8:00 PM - White Sox at Red Sox (4/10/81) - Carlton Fisk's 1st game in Boston as a member of the White Sox.

White Sox Pile on Barack Obama Merchandise Bandwagon

2009-01-27T09:45:00.011-06:00

They're here!

Last week the White Sox, beaming like a parent sending their child off to the 1st day of school, announced they'd be working on a Barack Obama-styled hat. Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal published the images of the prototypes. According to the article, the hats have been approved by Major League Baseball and are just waiting a thumbs up from the President (you know, if he's not too busy) before they'll be sent to production.

To be honest, they're not that bad. I had earlier reservations about the Sox's jumping into the middle of Obamania, but at least what they've designed is Sox-centric and classy; not the usual over-the-top crap that's out there. And, according to S&S, the proceeds will go to charity.

“We don’t want to be overly opportunistic and exploit this,” [Brooks] Boyer said.
Sure you don't.

Phil Rogers Making Things Up, Passing Them Off as Fact

2009-01-26T22:45:00.000-06:00

If you caught the latest edition of Phil Rogers' MLB Whispers, you undoubtedly saw that he suggests the White Sox pick up former American League MVP and free agent Ivan Rodriguez. Now, this would normally not be a big deal, but for two reasons. First, the name of Rogers' piece is entitled "MLB Whispers," which would lead you to believe that there's some element of a legitimate rumor or two there, right? Nope, the column is all about what Phil thinks KW and the Cubs should be doing. Fine, but it doesn't take much of a search to see that I-Rod isn't generating a lot of interest especially not for the money he's still holding out for. What's especially bothersome, though, is this exact same faux rumor was posted days ago by Scot Gregor at the Daily Herald. But at least Gregor can admit that this is just a wild internet-only rumor with no basis in reality.

However, this does reveal a lot about the White Sox off-season... It's more interesting to talk about what's not happening that what is. Pitchers and catchers report in less than a month, the first Spring Training game is less than a month away and the Sox still have numerous holes on this team. There's no lead-off hitter. There's no centerfielder. There's no lefty in the bullpen after Matt Thornton. There seem to be no real plans at second base or third base. I know the Sox want to invigorate the team with a boost of youth, but they seem to be just a few moves away from being the clear favorite in the Central division. Not all youth movements are the same, and unfortunately, I don't completely feel comfortable with this one.

Big Game Freddy signs with the Mets

2009-01-23T09:45:00.005-06:00

There had been some speculation recently that the Sox were interested in bringing back Freddy Garcia to compete for a spot in their undermanned rotation, but those can be put to rest this morning; Freddy Garcia has agreed to a 1-year, incentive-laden minor league contract with the New York Mets.

Oh well. With Bartolo Colon and Jose Contreras, I think the Sox have already met their payroll limit for Injured, Aging Starting Pitchers. With Garcia officially gone, it's time to start crazy rumors about the next available free agent pitcher who could do some good for the Sox. Might I suggest Mark Mulder? A local guy that's struggled with injuries, he'd be cheap right? Coop will fix him.

Deadspin's Making Fun of us Again

2009-01-20T15:08:00.007-06:00

We're officially 4 hours and 8 minutes into Barack Obama's Presidency, and while his Inauguration is an event that all Americans, Illinoisans, and Chicagoans should be proud of, it's becoming apparent, even to outsiders, that the White Sox are taking this "First Fan" thing a bit too far.

Before I begin, let's get a few things straight:

I like Barack Obama and am glad that he's both the President and a Sox fan. As a lifelong resident of Illinois, I've had the chance to vote for Obama 4 times. 3 times I did. That means I'm batting .750!
Don't read too much into who I've voted for. By virtue of growing up in Illinois' 5th Congressional District, I'm almost certain the politician that I've voted for the most times in my life is Rod Blagojevich.

However, the level of coddling the Sox are doing with the President is beginning to get uncomfortable. First and foremost, over 58 million Americans voted for the other guy this November, and it's likely that a couple of them are Sox fans. I don't think many non-Sox fans are going to jump ship to the Pale Hose for the new President, but I do think you risk alienating some current fans by making a political figure representative of your team.

Second, plenty of teams have famous fans, but not to many of them go this far out of their way to acknowledge their celebrity. Sure, the Cubs have guest singers conduct "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," and every other team likes to parade famous faces out for a ceremonial first pitch, but this whole Obama infatuation really is taking it to a new level... An Obama-themed hat? Too far, White Sox... Too far. The Rangers didn't even have this level of fanfare for George W. Bush and he once owned the team.

Finally, let's not forget how flighty the American public can be. George Bush recorded the highest and lowest approval ratings for a President in his term; 92% in October of 2001 and 19% twice in 2008. Barack Obama may be the toast of the town now, but there's a chance you'll end up with egg all over your face if he's being pushed out of the way in 2013.

Ultimately, I don't mind if individual fans are celebrating Barack Obama's Inauguration and his sports preferences, and I wouldn't mind if the Sox were to bring him in for another First Pitch, but I think the organization is embarrassing itself with its over infatuation of the new President. We're not lonely 14-year-old high school girls, he's not the star quarterback of the football team, and we don't need to be wishfully writing Mrs. Barack Obama on every page of our Algebra notebook.

White Sox Hitch Their Wagon To Obama's Star - Deadspin
South Siders ready to hail the Chief - Whitesox.com
Election Center 2008 - CNN
United States Presidential approval rating - Wikipedia

Hey... Some Good News, Finally!

2009-01-19T23:57:00.002-06:00

In this new, Golden Age of White Sox Thriftiness (oops, did I mean "Smarter Spending?"), it's nice to finally get some good news. Though it's not the lead-off man, center fielder, third baseman, second baseman, 5th starter, backup catcher, or 2nd bullpen lefty we could still use, the White Sox avoided arbitration with Bobby Jenks by agreeing today to a 1-year, $5.6 million deal according to Tribune's Dave Van Dyck.

I like this deal a lot. On the field, he's been a workhorse for the Sox, averaging over 64 IP and 37 saves per season through his first three full years in the Majors. True, his strikeout numbers are a cause for concern, as they have declined steadily over those three years (80 in 2006, 56 in 2007, and 38 last year), but, and not to sound like an apologist, anyone who has watched the Sox consistently during the Bobby Jenks era knows he has grown from simply a flame-throwing, one-trick pony to a more polished pitcher, with other weapons in his arsenal, in hope of extending his career. Yes, the strikeouts have been down, but I remain confident in Jenks because even though opponents are putting the ball in play, he's keeping them on the ground, critical for pitchers who play in a home run-friendly launching pad. Last season, Jenks allowed 184 balls in play; 109 of them were ground balls, almost 60%.

Financially this move is a slam dunk by the Sox. Though Jenks' salary will balloon 10x larger than it was in '07, he's still one of the most affordable, proven closers in the game. As of tonight, with only a few veteran relievers still on the market, Jenks' 2009 salary of $5.6 million isn't even in the top 10 of projected closer's salaries. The list:

Mariano Rivera, Yankees - $15 million
Francisco Cordero, Reds - $12 million
Brad Lidge, Phillies - $11.5 million
Joe Nathan, Twins - $11.25 million
Kerry Wood, Indians - $10 million
B.J. Ryan, Blue Jays - $10 million
Francisco Rodriguez, Mets - $8.5 million
Brian Fuentes, Angels - $8.5 million
Jose Valverde, Astros - $8 million
Trevor Hoffman, Brewers - $6 million
Bobby Jenks, White Sox - $5.6 million
Mike Gonzalez, Braves - $3.5 million
Dan Wheeler, Rays - $3.2 million
Fernando Rodney, Tigers - $2.7 million
Matt Capps, Pirates - $2.3 million
Chad Qualls, Diamondbacks - $1.3 million*
Aaron Heilman, Mariners - $1.2 million*
Joakim Soria, Royals - $1 million
George Sherrill, Oriolez - $900,000*
Jonathan Papelbon, Red Sox - $775,000*
Manny Corpas, Rockies - $750,000
Jonathan Broxton, Dodgers - $454,000
Carlos Marmol, Cubs - $430,000
Heath Bell, Padres - $420,000*
CJ Wilson, Rangers - $417,460*
Joel Hanrahan, Nationals - $400,000
Matt Lindstrom, Marlins - $395,000
Brian Wilson, Giants - $392,500
Chris Perez, Cardinals - $390,000
Brad Ziegler, Athletics - $390,000
Notes: I took the closers from today's projected closers on the ESPN Hot Stove Reports for all teams. All contract information comes from, of course, Cot's Baseball Contracts. Finally, those salaries marked with an asterik are the player's 2008 salary, since those players are still eligible for arbitration and have not had their 2009 salary determined.

As you can see, there are few better players that combine Jenks' durability and affordability. I would say the only team with a better deal for their closer are the Red Sox and Jonathan Papelbon, but with him eligible for salary arbitration this year as well, his contract will likely skyrocket, and probably surpass Jenks', before Opening Day. In any case, with 117 career saves, Jenks has the 24th most saves of all active pitchers, and is ahead of a couple of guys who will be cashing bigger checks than him in 2009: BJ Ryan (115), Brian Fuentes (115), and Kerry Wood (34).

Finally, on a personal note, I've really come to like Jenks. I think he genuinely enjoys playing for the Sox and is appreciative of the organization for the chance they took on him in 2004 when they plucked him from the Angels in what will go down as one of the best waiver wire steals of all-time. Bobby's personal deamons that nearly cost him his career in baseball have been well documented, but you don't have to look too hard in sports to find guys who still retain a sense of entitlement about their profession, despite their best efforts to waste their talent.

Here's to another season in the sun, #45. If you could find a lead-off hitter, though, to come with you, that would be great.

Congratulations, Cardinals

2009-01-18T22:30:00.000-06:00

By now I'm sure you know that the Arizona Cardinals beat the Eagles for the franchise's first NFC Championship and Super Bowl appearance in two weeks when they play the Steelers in Tampa. The Cardinals, of course, are one of the oldest NFL franchises, one of only two remaining NFL charter members (the other is the Bears) and from 1920 to 1959, the Cardinals called Chicago home and for most of that time shared Comiskey Park with the White Sox. For nearly 40 years, the same boundaries and rivalry that seperated Chicagoans in the summer extended into the fall and winter. By the 1950s, however, the Cardinals were struggling on the field and at the gate, and competing against the much more popular Bears was simply not an option. Sadly, in 1959, the same year the White Sox broke a 40-year dry spell and set off celabratory air raid sirens, the Cardinals played their last games in Chicago. By March 1960, the NFL approved the Cardinals' move and that following season was the franchise's first in St. Louis.

The irony is that while I'm writing this, I'm wearing a Bears t-shirt. Being born in the '80s, I don't feel much, if any, connection to the Cardinals (to be honest, I barely remember their days in St. Louis). While I have no emotional attachment to the Cardinals, they do have South Side roots and their current relevance in the sports world gives me the opprotunity to run a few photos of The Baseball Palace of the World retrofitted for football.

This first one is my favorite, it is a picture taken during a game between the Cardinals and Packers in 1946. You can see the infield and part of the pitchers mound to the right, and notice that this predates Comiskey's trademark exploding scoreboard in centerfield.

Say hello to John Panelli. Better known for his outstanding collegiate career at Notre Dame than his swan song with the Cardinals, Panelli was a key member of Notre Dame's 1946 and 1947 National Championships and was the 13th overall pick in the 1949 NFL Draft. He played professionally with the Lions and Cardinals until he retired from football in 1953. In this photo, he's posing just outside of Comiskey's infield with the famous arched windows clearly behind him. There are some other good team photos of the 1952 and 1953 Cardinals posted on johnpanelli.com, both taken at Comiskey and both prominently featuring the arched windows.

Finally, a 1958 Topps trading card featuring a team photo taken at Comiskey Park. Yes, the picture quality isn't great, but the one noticeable detail is the monster scoreboard obviousy visible in the background.

Thinking About Baseball is all that Keeps Me Going...

2009-01-15T23:57:00.010-06:00

... through the depth of winter. Current temperature here in Central Illinois? -13. But don't worry about me, the warm air is due to arrive tomorrow afternoon, so we should get back up to a balmy 12 degrees above zero. Obviously the big news in Soxland is the signing of our old friend, Bartolo Colon. Quickly, I think the move is fine; $1 million base salary that could balloon all the way to $3 million based on innings pitched-based incentives. I'll have a lot more thoughts on the move in the next few days, though. Right now, just some Sox news and notes to go over:

Though the Sox brought back one former pitcher, they're not interested in bringing back former Pale Hose pitcher and free agent Jon Garland, according to Kenny Williams. Obviously, I found this nugget before the addition of Colon, but I'm still not sure it's not a mistake to look at a guy like Garland. Look, I know the Sox are trying to do the whole "youth movement" thing, but once again the Central looks wide open right now. An arm here, a bat there and bam, clear division favorite. Whether or not Jon Garland is that specific arm to bring it all together, I don't know, but consistently the mantra of this off-season has been "save money" and "go young," which just is not the way to handle a pitching staff unless you have megaprospects with tremendous upsides (i.e., none of the young guys the Sox are looking at to round out their rotation).

That said, MLBTradeRumors.com says that Freddy Garcia may be back with the Sox soon. Their story comes via the Daily Herald's baseball blog. While Garcia is another veteran arm, he will come at a bargain price and can't be seriously counted on to log major innings for the Sox.

Speaking of the kids, Jeff Marquez's hometown paper ran a nice little piece on his big league aspirations. It's a quick read and good to go over when you're looking for information on a guy that very well may starting 30 games next year for the Sox. The best part is a little scouting report from Ken Williams, that I'm guessing I just missed:

"He absolutely can challenge for a spot," Williams said of Marquez at a news conference on the day the trade was announced. "We had a good read as to who he is and what he brings to the table. He shows a fastball at 90-94 mph with a lot of sink. It's similar to (John Garland) in our ballpark. In addition, he has a slider and a curveball with depth and a power change to both right-handed and left-handed hitters. He holds runners on well, something we have not been too successful with the last couple of years, and he fields his position."

Looking forward to Spring Training, the White Sox invited 18 players to their first camp at Glendale. A couple of quick notes... First, the Sox's last two 1st round picks, Aaron Poreda and Gordon Beckham will be in attendance. Beckham has almost no chance to go North with the team, but Poreda has an excellent opportunity to break camp in Chicago. This is especially true because of Point #2... There seems to be a serious lack of MLB-ready left-handed pitchers. OK, calling Boone Logan "MLB-ready" was a stretch during the end of the Boone Logan era, but still... After the rotation, you have Matt Thornton (who is playing in the WBC) followed by Richard, Poreda, and some guy named Randy Williams. Does this mean Richard will be in the bullpen? Will the Sox stunt Poreda's development as a starter for short-term gain? Stay tuned!

Also, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt doesn't seem to be done building his "baseball paradise" in Glendale. The Arizona Republic says McCourt is planning on building a hotel and conference center at the teams' new shared facility. This raises the only real legitimate concern about the Sox's new Spring Training home... Will they play second fiddle to the Dodgers in what they're dubbing as the new "Dodgertown?"

Earlier today, the owners decided to not use coin flips any more to determine the location of potential 163rd "tie-breaker" games and will now use the season's head-to-head records. Of course, this came to light last October when the Twins won the season series from the Sox, 10-8, but based on an earlier flip, the tie-breaker game was held in Chicago. For some reason, this didn't bother anyone in the previous tie-breakers, but I guess we're the straw that stirs the drink. Anyway, when I saw this story pop up on the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune, I was hoping for more whining and crying, but alas, it's just the AP press release.

Finally, to celebrate the inauguration of the first Sox-fan President, the White Sox are hosting a private party at the ballpark. Front office staff and privileged guests will watch (while wearing Sox hats, of course) Obama be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States while a congratulatory message flashes over the Dan Ryan Expressway. If you're going, don't expect to see Southpaw, who will be in Washington riding in the Illinois float during the Inauguration Parade.

A couple of late night quick hits

2009-01-11T01:16:00.007-06:00

Aside from the Sox-O-Meter I finally got around to publishing earlier tonight, it's been quiet around here, mostly because the Sox have been pretty quiet. After trading Nick Swisher and Javier Vazquez seemingly before Ken Griffey struck out to end the Sox's season, Ken Williams has played his cards close to his chest. So close, in fact, basically nothing has happened.

On Friday, ESPN 1000's Bruce Levine reported that the Sox were working with the Texas Rangers on a blockbuster trade that would send Jermaine Dye and Aaron Poreda south for Michael Young. The Tribune's Dave van Dyck, however, wasted no time putting that rumor to rest,

Williams, via e-mail, said he "would not waste" time chasing rumors the Sox might... have a big deal working with the Rangers involving All-Star shortstop Michael Young, veteran outfielder Jermaine Dye and top pitching prospect Aaron Poreda.

Fair enough. The only other potential move I've caught wind of in the past few days is this quick, uncited blurb from MLBTradeRumors.com. As I'm sure you know, the site generally just republishes rumors it finds throughout the web, so it was surprising to see them casually mention the Sox as three potential suitors for Freddy Garcia. I'll keep my eyes open.

As for stuff that's actually happened, Matt Thornton will be representing Team USA in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. While I am personally wary of this tournament and the affect it may have on Thornton's effectiveness during the season, I'm sure this is a personal honor for him and I hope he pitches some big innings for Team USA. Not to downplay Thornton's role with the Sox, but honestly, I'd rather it be him than a guy like Buehrle, Danks, or Floyd. With Clayton Richard and Aaron Poreda in the wings, the Sox at least have some talented lefties that could potentially fill Thornton's role should the worst happen.

But let's not think like that.

If the Cactus League has an international flair to it this year, you may be able to thank the Sox. We all remember the huge fight that occurred between the White Sox and Tucson recently; the Sox wanted to move their Spring Training home to the new stadium they're building with the Dodgers in Glendale, but were contractually obligated to stay in Tucson for at least a few more years. Thankfully, a deal was reached and the Sox and the local government settled amicably. Anyway, the Arizona Daily Star reported that a professional, Japanese team may take the Sox's place in Tucson. Can't say I remember something like this ever happening, but it would be very interesting if it did. One of the major limitations to Spring games is that a lot of guys, pitchers especially, don't neccessarily show all their stuff to keep their repertoire fresh for actual games. If an international team played in the Cactus League, it would allow pitchers to work on all their pitches without fear of tipping their hands to a team they'd play in meaningful games later in the summer.

I like it.

Finally, if all the doom and gloom economic news has you down, check out this. The White Sox are giving away season tickets. The contest runs until January 21st. The team is giving away 2 pairs of split-season tickets (which I believe means weekend games only) in the Lower Box. The only catch is you have to become a registered user at whitesox.com, so you'll have to cough up your email address. If you can tolerate the occasional email from MLB.com and the White Sox, then you can find the contest's entry form and official rules here.

Good luck!

Sox-O-Meter: Buehrle, Floyd, Danks... Then Who?

2009-01-11T01:00:00.001-06:00

While I still am holding on to the thought that the White Sox will surprise us all and announce a major pitching acquisition before the start of Spring Training, this undying faith took a major blow Wednesday afternoon when Scott Merkin over at whitesox.com published this nugget of negativity.

Cooper is left to work with a starting five of Mark Buehrle, John Danks and Floyd, rounded out by an inexperienced duo picked from the group of right-handers Jeff Marquez and Lance Broadway and southpaws Clayton Richard and Aaron Poreda.

Fucking great. I'm sure somehow, some way, the Sox will bring in at least 1-2 more guys for the open audition, becuase there's no way any sane person could look at this list of names and really think they could hand 64 starts over to them and not suffer an ill consequences, regardless if that violates the new Sox manifesto of getting younger, faster, etc. However, since those moves remain unseen, let's take these 4 through the S0x-O-Meter and determine who, today, would be the best choice to round out the final two spots in the rotation. As always, the scale is from 1-5, 5 meaning this guy's gold and 1 meaning I wouldn't guarantee him a spot in Birmingham's rotation just yet.

JEFF MARQUEZ
The 24-year-old righty was acquired by the Sox in the Nick Swisher deal earlier this off-season and appears to be the front-runner of the group to grab at least one spot in the 2009 rotation. He predominantly features a sinker and change-up (and now that he's here, probably a cutter, too) and has routinely been mentioned as a decent Yankee prospect for the last few years. However, he never cracked the big league roster in New York, which is minor cause for concern considering how mediocre the Yankees starting rotation has been the last few years.

In 2007 and 2008, the Yankees gave starts to the following worthless pieces of shit: Darrell Rasner (26), Philip Hughes (21), Sidney Ponson (15), Kei Igawa (13), Ian Kennedy (12), Carl Pavano (9), Tyler Clippard (6), Matt DeSalvo (6), Alfredo Aveces (4), Dan Giese (3), Jeff Karstens (3), Chase Wright (2), Brian Bruney (1), and Sean Henn (1). Are you telling me that the Pinstripes wasted 122 combined starts on these 14 guys and never once thought that Marquez couldn't possibly be any worse? You don't even want me to go over the list of guys that just made an appearance in the Bronx (it's horrific like a car crash).

Don't be mad at me when I look at Jeff's slow progression through the minors and his unpleasant K/IP rate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (0.41 K/IP) coupled with the apparent lack of urgency the Yankees had at promoting him ahead of trainwrecks like Kei Igawa and you can see why I'm not rushing out to get my customized Jeff Marquez jersey. That said, as a sinkerballer, his pitching style would translate best to Sox Park and with over 560 innings logged in the minors he's the most experienced of the 4.

Unfortunately, it looks like Marquez might be the best bet of this foursome. Blegh.

CLAYTON RICHARD
You all know the Clayton Richard story by now... Former backup quarterback at Michigan, gave up football for baseball, drafted by the Sox in the 8th round of the 2005 draft, mediocre prospect who rocketed up the organizational ladder in 2008, started the 2008 Futures Game for Team USA, almost went to Beijing for the Olympics, and would have started Game 5 of the ALDS against Tampa Bay had the series lasted that long.

Talk about a whirlwind. After Clayton's somewhat dominating performance out of the bullpen in ALDS Game 1, a lot of people got on the Clayton Richard for 5th Starter Bandwagon. You're going to have to mind with me while I play spoiler...

As good as Tampa's offense was last season, they had the 2nd lowest batting average against lefties in the American League. I'm sorry, but it may have just been the case of a guy taking advantage of a really good matchup.
Though the last 3.1 innings of his season were great, I don't see how that suddenly negates the previous 47.2 innings he tossed during the regular season. I mean, he was never particularly good... Aside from the six shutout innings he threw against Seattle on August 19, what is there that really says "this guy is built for the Major Leagues?" Perhaps now I should mention that the Mariners had the 2nd least potent offense in the American League, averaging 4.15 R/G?

It's not that I don't like Clayton Richard, because that wouldn't be true. It's that I don't like him in the starting rotation. I just don't look at Richard and see a guy that will give you 6+ innings of quality work every 5th day on a consistent basis. Unfortunately, the Sox are in a situation right now that Richard will likely have to start because, quite frankly, the other options are far, far worse.

An arm that's better suited to the bullpen will be forced into the rotation. Hopefully this doesn't ruin him.

LANCE BROADWAY
After a fiery start at the end of the 2007 season against Kansas City, it looked like maybe Broadway, the Sox's #1 pick in the 2005 Draft had arrived. Unfortunately, it looks like Lance need to be limited to just games against the Royals. In 11.1 IP against Kansas City, he has allowed just 2 earned runs in 2 starts and netted 2 wins. Against the rest of the Majors? 11 earned runs in 13 innings... 7.62 ERA. Even at the minor league level, Lance has never put up eye-popping numbers. Even in 2006 for the Barons, when he had an sub-3 ERA over 154 innings, his peripherals weren't outstanding (111 K in 154 innings, for example). Broadway will be 26 years old at the end of this season, so it's nearing time to shit or get off the pot with him. If his audition toward the end of 2008 was any indication, I don't know if he'll ever be ready to be a consistent starter in the Majors, and unlike Richard I don't see much potential value for him out of the bullpen. While I'd give him the chance to win a starting spot this Spring, I'd be willing to believe that some other team out there will be desperate enough for starting pitching that they'd take a flyer on Broadway. I'm not anticipating a major haul for him, but there is a logjam of crappy starters in our system right now.

AARON POREDA
I don't know what to think of Aaron Poreda. On the one hand, you have a guy who was a high draft pick of the Sox during a time when they were notorious for selecting "safer, low ceiling" guys that for the most part, have failed to pan out at the Major League level. But, oh, that fastball. And he's a lefty! It's not like I don't know why the Sox are so infatuated with Poreda. That said, the kid's never pitched above the AA-level and of these four, he's easily the youngest at just 22. There's plenty of time for him to continue his development, and by all accounts, aside from that plus-fastball, he still features very little Major League quality stuff. I'm not going to get too deep into it, because a) this blog has been going on for some time and b) I have no interest in seeing Aaron Poreda at the Major League level next year, barring some dire emergency.

The million dollar question for the White Sox Player Development team continues to be if they can teach Poreda enough of an arsenal to become a dominant starting pitcher, but if not he can still be groomed to be a reliable lefty out of the bullpen. I certainly hope the Sox don't mortgage his promising future for short-sighted goals.

New Jermaine Dye Rumors and Other Notes

2008-12-21T23:00:00.004-06:00

I'll begin tonight with the standard Jermaine Dye rumors. Of course, as everything else apparently does, this directly ties into the Mark Teixiera Mega-Sweepstakes that has currently swallowed everything baseball-related. The lastest news on Teixeira is that his most previous employer, the Los Angeles Angels officially pulled their offer off the table after they tired of waiting, and in his latest blog update, ESPN's Peter Gammons says,

We don't know ... there really might be a three-way deal among the White Sox, Angels and Reds that would put Jermaine Dye in Cincinnati, Joey Votto in Anaheim and Chone Figgins in Chicago.

The deal makes sense for the Sox who, fill a hole at third base and at the top of their lineup and it makes a lot of sense for the Angels, who pick up a young first baseman to fill their new hole on the right side of the infield. I have no idea how trading a young, cheap player with major upside for 1 year of Jermaine Dye makes any sense for Cincinnati, but hey they haven't had a winning season since 2000 so who knows what's going on at Big Red Headquarters.

Meanwhile, the Sox seem to be schmoozing free agent Bobby Abreu... Who just so happens to play the same position as Jermaine Dye! Talk about coincidences.

If you remember, back in July (when it wasn't zero degrees out), I posted that I wouldn't mind seeing the Sox take a flyer on Daniel Cabrera at the trade deadline. Cabrera was released by the Orioles this off-season, but he just signed a deal with the Nationals. So that's that.

Fox Sports' head baseball guy, Ken Rosenthal published this snazzy slideshow of the 11 (I don't know how he settled on that figure, either) best free agents still available as well as where he felt they'd sign. #9 on his list is Orlando Hudson, who the Sox reportedly coveted earlier in the year and who just so happens to play a position that we don't have a definitive answer at the Major League level currently. Talk about coincidences. The Hudons situation feels more and more like a standard KW-style signing... A proven veteran that's been getting little publicity recently because of some nagging side issues (injuries) that fills a definite hole in this team/lineup, and will hopefully accept a lower than desired contract because of said issues. Something to keep your eyes on, but while I wouldn't be shocked if Hudson wasn't the Sox's starting second baseman in 2009, I'd say he's the frontrunner for the job, despite not being employed here yet.

Finally, in case your worried that you've been fixating too much on this whole free agent class, I've got good news for you. The guys at MLB Trade Rumors.com published this list of available (and potentially available) free agents in the 2009-2010 off-season. Headliners include Indians C Victor Martinez, Mets 1B Carlos Delgado, Orioles 2B Brian Roberts, Devil Rays OF Carl Crawford, A's OF Matt Holliday, Sox RF Jermaine Dye, Angels RF Vladimir Guerrero, Tigers RF Magglio Ordonez, Sox DH Jim Thome, Mariners SP Erik Bedard, Sox SP Jose Contreras, Cubs SP Rich Harden, Braves SP Tim Hudson, Angels SP John Lackey, Indians Cy Young SP Cliff Lee, Diamondbacks SP Brandon Webb, and Sox RP Octavio Dotel.

You're welcome. Merry Christmas, Sox fans.

Viva Las Vegas

2008-12-16T06:03:00.004-06:00

The White Sox and Cubs have added two more Spring Training games this year in Las Vegas. The games will be split-squad games for the Sox, and they will be on March 4 and 5 at 7:05 and 1:05 local time respectively. The games will be played at Cashman Field, located a few blocks north of Downtown and about 10 minutes from the heart of the Strip. You can get single-game tickets starting February 2 and they can be purchased through the Cashman Field box office, (702) 798-7825.

The games haven't been added to the team's official Spring Training schedule yet, which can be found here.

Make your plans.

Gifts for the Sox fan in your life

2008-12-14T00:10:00.005-06:00

Believe it or not, Christmas is less than two weeks away, and if you're like me, you've probably got, at least, the vast majority of your shopping to do. Now, I can't help you with your great aunt that you haven't seen in years or your in-laws whose only wish for Christmas is to strap you to a rocket and blast your ass into the Southern Hemisphere, but if you do have a Sox fan on your Christmas list and you're stumped on what to get them, here are some great ideas that you can go ahead and try on for size.

For starter's we'll assume our Sox fan in need already has all the basics; customized jersey of his favorite player, 2005 World Series DVD collection, White Sox hat, etc. You know, the basics (by the way, this is a good time to mention that 2005 stuff is still an acceptable gift. I know it's been a few years, but trust me, it's still a nice, warm memory).

OK, with that out of the way, let's start. The first item on the list is for the Sox fan who simply has it all, and for the generous soul that has about $1,000,000 just lying around... I present to you, Black Betsy, Shoeless Joe Jackson's game-used bat that is currently auctioning on eBay. Both Betsy and Jackson hold legendary status in baseball, let alone White Sox, lore. There are few things you can literally say are "one of a kind" but this certainly qualifies. Bid carefully, however, the seller refuses to ship the item anywhere, so you'd to get to Philadelphia and back before Christmas, but hey, your Sox fan gets maybe the most celebrated piece of White Sox memrobilia in existance and you get the satisfaction of knowing 1/2 your bid went to a charitable cause.

Now, supposing that a million bucks is a bit out of your price range, well here's another spectacular gift that probably any Sox fan would love; a 2005 World Champions street banner. These were the banners that hung around Chicago immediately following the Sox's World Series win in 2005. The banners were auctioned off in November or December of '05, but they still make appearances on eBay every now and then. I just chose that first one because it comes with free shipping and again, the proceeds go to charity.

All right, if you're still with me, I think we can shy away now from the incredibly overpriced gift ideas to the more practical. For the White Sox fan who loves to read, there are plenty of good options out there, but two that I will highlight right now are Sox and the City by Richard Roeper and Minnie and the Mick by Bob Vanderberg. Roeper, of course, is the Sun-Times columnist, national movie critic, and die-hard Sox fan. His book is much more contemporary and is mostly about the '05 season. Vanderberg's work is a baseball history, of the White Sox and Yankees constant battles at the top of the AL standings in the 1950s and early 1960s, a time period in White Sox history that sadly, has never recieved proper attention for its excellence.

If your Sox fan's pad is in need of some color on the walls, here are some suggestions. My personal favorite is a skyline panoramic from local Chicago photographer, Bob Horsch. You may remember his studio on Michigan Ave. Unfortunately, he's dropped out of the retail business, but still runs a website and makes appearances at various art shows. His work is stunning, and really any Chicagoan at hear would appreciate a lot of his work, but in this Sox-centric entry, go with the shots of the skyline taken during the play-off run in 2005. They are hard images to find, especially in frameable size and quality. He has a few different shots and other White Sox-inspired works, so give it a long, hard look.

Another very unique gift idea comes from Joe's Sports store; a canvas painting of a ticket to the 1983 All-Star Game played at old Comiskey Park. Kind of a tall price, but terrific artwork and something I had never seen before I start piecing this column together. I don't think you could miss with this one. Finally, if you're buying for someone in the 25-30 range, consider this commerative plaque of the 1993 AL West Champs. The 1993 team still holds a special place in White Sox history, especially for those of us who were just tuning into baseball when the '93 Sox showed up and won the division. Obviously, the 2005 White Sox have displaced them as "favorite" team for all but a few, but this is still a chapter of White Sox history many of us aren't quite ready to give up on.

All right, books and wall art have been covered, but if that's still not quite what your Sox fan is in to, then how about some memrobilia? Nothing quite beats a great, throwback jersey. Mitchell & Ness are still the name when it comes to throwback jerseys, but don't sleep on Grandstand Sports, a local outfit that will do a lot of great work for you. The online catelogues overlap quite a bit, but if you can't get to Philadelphia to check out the Mitchell & Ness flagship store, Grandstand, located a few blocks west of the Cell on 35th is probably just as good, with a wide array of White Sox, other Chicago sports, and general sports apparell.

If jerseys aren't your thing, then check out this Mark Buehrle "No-Hitter" autographed ball. I've shyed away from autographs so far, mostly because I think they're easy to find with Google and eBay, but this is a really special piece of Sox history. The first no-hitter in 16 years done by one of the team's greats (I think we can call Mark that now). Really nice stuff, he even took the time to note the no-hitter in his signature.

If eBay is scaring you away, no fear, you can find just as nice as piece of Sox history on the team's MLB shop; a 2005 World Series ball in a very nice case. Again, I haven't linked anything to the White Sox online shop yet because, well, it's easy to find on your own, but this is too good to pass up. Just the World Series ball alone is nice enough, but the specially built case really makes this shine.

Finally, for the older Sox fan, there's also this beautiful replica of Old Comiskey Park. Of course, the old park has been gone for years now, but for many older fans it's still a very special place to them, and these mini-stadiums are absolutely gorgeous. Buyer beware, the replica doesn't come with the protective glass box. They'll add the glass case for about $40, but you can probably find something similar at Hobby Lobby for a fraction of that price.

Lastly, for those of you shopping on an extreme budget and nothing falls into price, there's options out there for you, too. Nothing quite so subtely says "you have way too much Sox crap," like a good old tie. And every fan should probably have one, too. They range from the pretty decent looking to the completely and utterly ugly. And, at prices starting at $12 and change, they could fit in even the tightest of budgets. If a tie is a bit too crappy a Christmas present, then let me also suggest this Southpaw bobblehead doll. Current bid is only $19.99 so the price will hopefully be right, and while you can find bobbleheads all over eBay, few will likely be as timeless as this. I don't foresee Southpaw and the Sox having a nasty divorce over a contract dispute (the reason that my Magglio Ordonez bobblehead has been relegated to the very back of my White Sox display). Sure that bobblehead will look great now, but you never know when that guy will suffer a career-threatening injury, try and sandbag the Sox, sign with a hated division rival, have a war of words with our maneger, and lead that team to the World Series.

And finally, if the Sox fan on your list is anything like me, then they still relish division championships and play-off appearances. Sure, the World Series run changed a lot of things, but realistically, I'm 25 years old and I can remember the Sox making the postseason 4 times. 4. So let's not get overly confident in our success. With that said, I'm sure some 2008 Division Champions merchandise will go over well and be timely. Unfortunately, not much of the stuff is left, it seems. There's none available at the official shop and the best I could find was this website, offering all three shirts, but at prices that make you believe they won't be around much longer. If not that, then it wouldn't hurt to check out a local sporting goods store, but if the stores in Central Illinois are any sort of barometer, then available sizes and prices will vary widely.

Merry Christmas.

Jenks' trade value, Top 10 Prospect Shake-Up, and Farm Team featured on Deadspin

2008-12-10T02:21:00.003-06:00

Another pretty quiet day for the White Sox in Las Vegas. The same general rumors are still floating around, Jermaine Dye is available, Jim Thome is available, Paul Konerko is available, but nothing really substantial. The biggest news of the day is that the two best closers available, K-Rod and Kerry Wood look like they've either signed contracts or are close, which of course affects the trade value Bobby Jenks, another asset the Sox supposedly have not been afraid to make available. It's been widely known that the closer market is one of the rare, truly buyer-friendly markets now, as evidenced by the "small" 3 year, $37 million deal Francisco Rodriguez signed with the Mets this afternoon. By no means, loose change, but considering the contract Rodriguez envisioned midseason, its obvious the glut of available closers and relative lack of teams needing closers will affect their value. This, of course means, the Sox will probably not be able to get fair value for Jenks this off-season and at this point, I'd expect him back for '09. Nothing, though, will really surprise me at this point.

Reds manager Dusty Baker weighed in on the ongoing Dye-to-Cincinnati trade rumors and revealed that the biggest stumbling block in the deal was Jermaine's contract, worth potentially $23.5 million over the next two years.

Not terribly shocking from the Red's perspective, they are well known cheap asses, plus it's pretty shitty to lose one of your top prospects (Bailey), rent a guy for 1 year at $10 million and then forfeit your top draft pick in 2010 when he walks as a free agent. This is however, interesting from the Sox's perspective who have repeatedly insisted they're not just slashing payroll for the sake of slashing payroll. If that were really the case, why was it so hard to come to a number everyone liked? I mean, I know it's a business and maybe Williams and Co. are waiting for a few of the other big dominoes to fall before gauging Dye's true current value, but if the real goal of the Sox is to simply get younger and more athletic, then you'd think eating some of Dye's salary wouldn't be such a deal-breaker. This makes me think that either:

The Sox are just cutting payroll for the sake of cutting payroll or...
The Sox are cutting payroll in anticipation of some other unseen moves later down the line.

Here's something that ought to give you nightmares. Joe Cowley, citing unnamed sources, claims that the Sox might try to reunite with Freddy Garcia. I shit you not,

A major-league source told the Sun-Times not to be surprised to see Freddy Garcia back in a Sox uniform in spring training if his current ''aches'' subside. The Sox know what they get with Garcia, and he'd love to be reunited with Ozzie Guillen.

If one of management's new goals was to rebuild some organizational depth, then consider the past 12 months very, very succesful. According to the Tribune's Mark Gonzales, Baseball America is putting the final touches on their 2009 prospect guides and the White Sox revised (since the Vazquez trade) top 10 will look like this:

Gordon Beckham
Dayan Viciedo
Aaron Poreda
Tyler Flowers
Clayton Richard
Brandon Allen
Jordan Danks
Brent Lillibridge
Chris Getz
John Shelby

The bolded names (1/2 the list) are guys who have been in the White Sox organization for less than 1 year. Very unlikely that any of these newcomers will make any, let alone major, contributions at the MLB level in 2009, but considering the complete mess that was the White Sox farm system just 1 year ago, this influx of young talent is very encouraging.

There has been a surprising lack of interest in free agent Orlando Hudson, at least that's what this guy thinks. Considering a few months ago, Hudson was thought to be the prize free agent on Kenny Williams wish list, it is a bit surprising to see those rumors completely vanish. However, the more I think about it, the more this seems to be the KW MO. He was able to snag Dye and Pierzynski for bargain prices before the '05 season because of their injury/character questions and the two have been outstanding, key members of the organization ever since. So even though the Hudson rumors have lulled, I'm not giving up on the thought of him starting at 2B for the White Sox in '09.

Elsewhere, a few other former Sox making news. The shortstop-less A's aren't thrilled at the prospect of signing Orlando Cabrera and forfeiting their 1st round pick in next year's draft. Don't expect OC to sign anywhere until Rafael Furcal, who was not offered salary arbitration by the Dodgers and carries no draft pick compensation, lands somewhere. Also, Jon Garland's name has been popping up. His most previous employer, the Angels, don't seem to keen on bringing him back, and while there were some rumors about him signing on with the Cardinals, the Orioles may also be in the mix.

Finally, the White Sox's newly renamed A-ball affiliate, the Winston-Salem Dash were featured on Deadspin today, the king of the sports blog world. Reason?

The team's new phallic-inspired logo.

I'll probably still just call them the Warthogs.

Quick update before bed

2008-12-09T01:26:00.003-06:00

Very quiet day from Las Vegas, both for the Sox and just in general around Major League Baseball. What did we learn today? Apparently CC Sabathia wants to be a Dodger, Greg Maddux has retired and, as expected, Orlando Cabrera declined salary arbitration from the White Sox, so the Type A free agent is now free to sign with whomever he likes. For right now, I believe this means two things:

The White Sox cannot negotiate with Cabrera until May 15, when he will almost assuredly be off the market and...
The best case scenario for the Sox is OC signing with the Dodgers, as well. Since the first 15 picks of the draft are protected from free agent compensation, the Sox can only snag a 2nd 1st rounder if Cabrera signs with a team holding a pick between 16-30. If I did my math and slotting right, the Dodgers hold the 17th pick in the 2009 Draft.

If I'm wrong on any of those points, please let me know.

The only interesting nugget to chew on that I found today comes from John Perrotto from Baseball Prospectus via Sports Illustrated.com hosted by CNN (got all that?). Perrotto claims that the Sox are likely to bring someone in to fill the hole in center field rather than give the job to our current internal options: Owens, Anderson, or Wise. If that is true, well, I can't blame them.

Finally, Jow Cowley threw together some KW soundbytes from the last few days, which summarize pretty succinctly where he and the White Sox organization stand. Can't be more than 300-400 words and is a good, quick read.

Rumors Run Rampant, Sox trade Dye to Reds?

2008-12-07T23:00:00.004-06:00

That's the way the situation looked earlier this evening. First Jayson Stark noted Jermaine Dye was the #2 trading chip at the MLB Winter Meetings in Las Vegas, right behind Jake Peavy. The way Stark writes, it's as if JD may as well have packed his bags and kept his phone next to him. Stark also mentions that Jim Thome, Paul Konerko, and Bobby Jenks are being shopped by the White Sox.

MLB Trade Rumors runs down the evening's events in pretty good, chronological order. The supposed Dye for Homer Bailey trade was first broken by the Dayton Daily News, but since then that rumor has been rejected by the White Sox, Reds, and Jermaine Dye's agent.

So, for now it looks like that Jermaine Dye jersey you own is still up to date, but Homer Bailey seems like the kind of guy Kenny Williams targets and reels in. He is a former first round draft pick, who has struggled at the Major League level, but has been very, very highly regarded. He has been the Reds' top prospect since they drafted him and peaked in 2007 when he was ranked the 5th-best prospect in all of baseball. Bailey's struggles at the Major League level may warrant getting another player in a deal with the Reds, but that's OK, since they have one of the best farm systems in baseball.

Orlando Cabrera rejected salary arbritation from the White Sox (or at least, he will). Since Cabrera is a Type A free agent, the Sox will recieve either a team's 1st round draft pick (if it is pick 16-30) and a Sandwich round pick or the sandwich round pick and their 2nd round pick (if it is #1-15).

I'm not terribly sad to see Orlando move on. While it wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world for him to come back for one more season and hold down the fort at shortstop while the Sox's bevy of middle infield prospects continue to develop, Cabrera never seemed like a great fit with this team, and if he's leaving while his value is at its peak, he'll bring back more goods in the June Draft. In the end, Jon Garland for 1 year of Cabrera and 2 high draft picks will likely turn out to be another one of Kenny Williams' more inspired moves.

Sox-O-Meter... The Vazquez Trade

2008-12-04T18:27:00.010-06:00

After plenty of speculation, rumors, and hearsay, the White Sox and Braves officially finalized their 6-player deal that sent Javier Vazquez from Ozzie Guillen's doghouse to the middle of the National League East (still trying to figure out whether or not Javier got the raw end of this deal). I'm going out drinking a little bit later, so let's get right to the nitty gritty. 1st part of the Sox-O-Meter measures how much I'll miss the guys that we're saying good-bye, too; 5 Sox mean I'll be holding a candlelight vigil outside of the Cell later this week, 1 Sox means I would stuff the guy in a box and maybe send him Express 2-day mail to Atlanta... If the Sox would let me.

JAVIER VAZQUEZ

I know that everyone is ready to shit all over Javier because his last four starts in a White Sox uniform (the last, of course, being his Game 1 Meltdown in the ALDS) were god awful: 4 G, 0-4 record, 24 ER, 16.1 IP, 13.22 ERA, 24 H, 8 BB 1.960 WHIP, and 18 K.

Ouch. Of course, the book on Javier has always been a guy with A+ stuff and F- balls and his meltdown in 4 of the Sox's biggest games didn't do much to discredit that reputation. But this is still a guy who over the last 9 years has averaged 216 IP and 193 K every 162 games. Those kind of pitchers don't just grow on trees, and for all the huffing and puffing that Javier was a April/May pitcher, I never got the memo that stated games in April and May meant less in the standings than games in September. Yes, he wilted under the pressure, but he still showed up and ate a lot of innings and preformed, at worst at the league average. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people are getting caught in the "Javier Sucks" hype that started when Ozzie called him out, escalated when Javier stupidly said he'd rather spend his time on a beach in Puerto Rico, and was sealed when he performed with the same effectiveness of a BP pitcher.

Look, I knew this was a move that was going to be made back when Ozzie Guillen publicly mused he would start Clayton Richard over Javier had the ALDS made it to a Game 5. Once you're in the Ozzie Doghouse, you don't come back out, but right now there are two very big holes at the back of the White Sox rotation, and unless the Sox add another starter to help shore up the rotation, I have a bad feeling that a lot of people will be pining for Javier by midseason.

BOONE LOGAN
Awesome name. Awful pitcher. Does anyone remember that on June 14, Logan had an ERA under 1.90 and he still finished with an ERA approaching 6? Do you realize how bad you have to be to raise your ERA 4 runs over 18.1 IP? 23 ER, a FOUR HUNDRED BAA, an OPS Against of 1.211 (for comparison, the all-time career OPS leader, Babe Ruth, posted a 1.163 during his career). The fact that Boone's a lefty doesn't even save him now, Matt Thornton's impressive season and Aaron Poreda's probable move to the bullpen mean the Sox have no need for more left-handed arms, especially left-handed arms that only get about 55% of opposing batters out.

Not only would I not ship Logan Express to Atlanta, I would probably first mail him to Prague just so he had to sit in the box for a few extra days.

All right, now we're to the 4 players we get back. Again, the Sox-O-Meter is on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being I'm psyched for this guy, 1 meaning, I have no idea why he was included.

TYLER FLOWERS

The centerpiece of this deal from the Sox's perspective, and Kenny Williams called him a potential All-Star. Plus power. Plus power. But unlike the Sox's previous dabbles with power prospects (Joe Borchard), Flowers seems to understand that concept known as the "strike zone." Last season, in the Carolina League, he posted a .427 OBP and walked 98 times, while still hitting 17 HR, driving in 88 runs, and slugging .494, 5th best in the league amongst guys who spend their entire season in the Carolina League. It would also be nice to point out now that Flowers played insanely well during the AFL, hitting .387/.460/.973 with the Mesa Solar Sox.

The one downside to Flowers I've read have been some questions about his defensive ability behind the plate, but luckily the Sox will likely be shedding Jim Thome after 2009, Paul Konerko after 2010, and Jermaine Dye either after '09 or '10, depending on whether or not his option is exercised. Looks like there'll be some room for him.

Kenny hit a home run here, acquiring a guy with a monster bat who fits in much better in the American League.

BRENT LILLIBRIDGE
Lillibridge absolutely fell apart at the plate last year. After hitting between .275-.300 for most of his first three seasons in the minors, he posted a .220 BA in 90 games in AAA Richmond and then a .200 BA in 29 games with the Braves. Williams called him a supersub in the same style as Pablo Ozuna, but for all the crap Ozuna got around here, he still hit .290 in his 3 1/2 years with the Sox... Looks like big shoes to fill for Lillibridge. Considering the Sox lineup right now might have as many as three gaping holes (Getz/Nix at 2B, Fields at 3B, Anderson in CF), there's only so much offense you can give up.

Whatever, I don't expect anyone to recognize the name Brent Lillibridge in 5 years, except for the high school kids back in Everett, Washington that he'll be coaching by then.

Drinking time now... More to come later. Check back tonight or tomorrow!

Some Quick Notes and Arizona Fall League Updates

2008-10-19T00:08:00.005-05:00

Well, somewhere in watching the Hawks blow a 2-goal lead with 10 minutes left in the 3rd period, my mind wandered back to baseball and I realized I haven't been nearly as productive around here as I hoped when the season ended. Anyways, in the next few weeks I hope to have a few things done around here, such as some player reports and making cases for Carlos Quentin to win the AL MVP and Alexei Ramirez to win the Rookie of the Year (even though I know neither will).

I start off tonight with a real good post over at Sox Machine, that analyzes the current "predicament" the Sox have with some aging players, and why no one should be terribly upset if Williams and the Sox don't make a deliberate attempt to get younger this off-season. Real good read, I'd recommend it to anyone.

Kind of a fluff article in the Tribune today about Aaron Rowand helping cousin James Shields reach his full potential and become one of the stars of the Rays. Shields beat the Sox in Game 1 of the ALDS, so uh, thanks, Aaron.

And a couple of transaction notes, the Red Sox grabbed Dewon Day from the Sox off waivers. Also, MLB.com reported that Josh Fields had arthroscopic knee surgery last week, which does nothing to improve my own personal evaluation of Fields (briefly; he sucks).

Finally, the White Sox have 7 prospects currently playing in the Arizona Fall League with the 1st place Peoria Saguaros (at 8-3, they lead the American Division by 2 games and have the best record in the AFL). The two most intriguing prospects there are Aaron Poreda and Gordon Beckham, the team's best pitching and positional prospect respectively. After starting 27 games with Winston-Salem and Birmingham this year, Poreda has been used exclusively out of Peoria's bullpen; working 4 innings in 4 games. His 6 strikeouts look good, but 5 hits and 2 walks has his WHIP almost approaching 2.

In 5 games, Beckham is hitting .250 with a pair of doubles and 2 walks for a line of .250/.368/.375.

Aside from Poreda and Beckham, 2 other Sox prospects have looked good in their first few weeks of AFL play; Cole Armstrong, a left-handed hitting catcher who hit well in 2 stops in Birmginham and Charlotte this season has continued hitting in Peoria, AZ to a tune of .385/.429/.577 along with a homer and 6 RBI. Stefan Gartrell, a 24-year-old outfielder who played at AA Birmingham this season, is hitting .280/.379/.360. Really the only downer for the Sox at the AFL right now is Carlos Torres, who was lit up in his first 3 appearances of the season, but pitched a perfect inning Friday against Mesa, so hopefully he has turned the corner.

All the Saguaros' stats can be found here.

'08 Season a Failure?, Early Off-Season Analysis, and the Sox Are a Hit on the Boob Tube

2008-10-14T23:18:00.007-05:00

We'll start tonight with a delightful piece from Mike Imrem that was published in The Daily Herald about a week ago. In it, Imrem lambasts the Cubs and Sox as a pair of losers who deserve the same treatment after their LDS flops this past October; even if the Cubs were sexy pre-season picks to win the National League in the World Series, cruised to 97 wins, and were generally considered the best team in the N.L. from Game 1 to 162 while the Sox were written off as pretenders in the A.L. Central and only won 89 games this season, even with the added benefit of getting to play a 163rd game!

If you can't tell, I strongly disagree with Mr. Imrem, who summarizes his basic position when he writes,

The Rays eliminated the Sox in four games and the Sox are considered successes.

Down deep they aren't.

I could go on copying and pasting his rants about how Chicago fans should expect a winner every year, yada yada yada... My only question is where does a Chicago baseball fan get the right to take on that kind of Yankee-fan mentality? When did baseball only become a game of "World Championship or Nothing?" The 100-year-and counting and 88-year-old droughts aren't enough? I'm not saying I'm 100% satisified with the way this season ended, but to paint it a dissapointment and failure is remarkably oversimplifying what this great game is all about.

In the end, I agree with Richard Roeper, a great Sox fan, who summed it up when he noted that, simply stated, the Rays were just a better team. Over the course of the regular season and in 3 of the 4 ALDS games, Tampa Bay was just the superior baseball team. Even with just one week passed since the 2008 White Sox season ended, the dissapointment I felt after Game 4 is fading; this Tampa Bay team is just really good.

Where I stand with the Sox, however, is why I feel this year was a success. Last October, the White Sox were coming off a 90-loss season and looked old and full of holes. The Indians and Tigers looked much better on paper, and it appeared the Sox were doomed to spend the next few years struggling to keep their heads above .500. Now, I look at a roster teaming with good, young players like Carlos Quentin, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, and Alexei Ramirez. I see some holes that if plugged correctly, will make the Sox an immediate contender for next year's American League pennant. In short, I've turned nearly 180-degrees on the Sox. I can't wait for next year to begin. They say that hope always springs eternal in February and March, but if hope springs eternal in October and November, well then how could it be bad?

If you remember, earlier this month I wrote about the fact the Sox had already pulled the official "Division Champs" hats from whitesox.com... Not that I'm 100% sure, but it looks like the White Sox shop has even less Division Champs stuff up now. I could be wrong, but I could have sworn there were more than 5 items up for sale last time I checked a few weeks ago. At any rate, I'm sure there's not a ton of this stuff lying around so get it while you can.

This afternoon, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Ken Griffey, Jr. had his left knee scoped today in Cincinnati. The Enquirer also reported that it's very unlikely the Sox will pick up the $16 million option on Griffey this year, but if Griffey's knee is healthy for '09 (a big, big *if*, I know), he could be an intriguing role player for the Sox. If this bum knee was responsible for his power outage in '08, when his at-bats per home run nearly doubled from 14.27 AB/HR in 2007 to 29.33 AB/HR in 2008, why wouldn't you want a power-hitting left-handed bat with some outfield defensive versatility? For the right price, of course.

The White Sox want you to know that Kenny Williams is hard at work... At least that seems to be the angle of this piece published yesterday on the main site. Though the first half is the general "rah-rah" fluff you'd expect from the official voice of the Sox; the usual lines about needing balance, consistency, depth, etc. However, the 2nd half has some nice analysis of the current state of the Sox's payroll situation. As of right now, the White Sox have 13 players under controlled contract for 2009 at the tune of $99.125 million. With key guys like Bobby Jenks, John Danks, and Gavin Floyd either up for arbitration or still needing to settle on an '09 contract, that figure should balloon, I'm guessing to around last year's Opening Day payroll of $114 million before you even finish the 25-man roster.

I don't know how this will handcuff Williams and the Sox. Merkin wants you to believe that Josh Fields and Chris Getz can be starters on contending baseball teams, but I really don't see it, especially with Fields who is more of the same "all home run, little defense, not much else" that everyone was so damned pissed about in the first place. This also doesn't really address the fact that with Jose Contreras out until at least midyear, the Sox currently have no real plan in place for the 5th starter's spot, other than now to have Richard and Broadway duke it out and pray Contreras isn't terrible when he comes back.

Bottom line: Plenty of holes, not as much money.

Northwestern University's Medill Reports suggests that high ticket prices for the Sox, as well as Bears, Cubs, and Bulls are here to stay despite recent economic problems. The article mostly focuses on the Cubs (rightfully so, since their average ticket price is now 60% higher than the MLB average ticket price), there are some good graphs and interesting data if you're into the whole sports economics thing.

Greg Hansen, a columnits from Tucson, Arizona feels the Sox are trying to dupe the good residents of Tucson as they try to bolt town for greener pastures in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix. Apparently the fate of the White Sox Spring Training plans for 2009 is all the talk of Tucson, and Hansen even gets particularly feisty when he writes,

Here is the deal: Reinsdorf and the White Sox will pay $3million to leave town now. Do they really think we are the kind of suckers who would take that deal? Is the cost of blowing up spring training baseball in Tucson a mere $3 million?

Here's my take, as a lifelong Sox fan: I honestly don't care. I'd like to see the Sox get the best deal they can and bolt Tucson for Glendale... Having never been to Arizona, I can't comment as an expert as to what's going on out there, but as far as I can tell, Phoenix is the place to be. I can fly there and not have to drive almost 2 hours through the desert. Just about every other team that trains in Arizona plays somewhere in the Phoenix area. The Phoenix Metro area has over 3 million more people than Tucson, and believe me, that means much more to do non-baseball-related. And finally, have you seen the park the Dodgers and White Sox will share in Glendale? It's beautiful.

Finally, the Sox had a huge gain in television ratings this past season, despite the fact baseball's TV ratings on average suffered in the '08 season. The Sox's rating jumped 67% from 2007, of course boosted by their 17-win improvment over last year. The only team that had a bigger ratings jump, percentagewise, was the Rays, who nearly doubled their ratings in a single year. Paced by both the Sox's and Cubs' play-off runs, Comcast SportsNet was one of the strongest local baseball television stations in the country, and the White Sox finished the season as the 11th most watched team in baseball.

Good-bye, 2008 White Sox

2008-10-06T22:43:00.003-05:00

As far as season-ending losses go, this one was pretty painless.

That's the way Jim Margalus at Sox Machine (the best White Sox blog out there) described tonight's 6-2 season ending loss to Tampa Bay. As I sat on my couch, watching the outs slowly melt away, there was no agony or depression like in 2003. No heart-breaking dissapointment a la the 2000 ALDS. No bitter numbess like in 2007. It was just ending. A remarkable season, unlike any other in White Sox history ended today, on our home turf with a whimper. When Ken Griffey, Jr. struck out to end the Sox season and perhaps his career, it was just over, like any other game. Of course, over the next few days when I come from work with nothing to watch on television that baseball is over for the winter, but tonight strangely doesn't feel like that. Tonight was a night to celebrate all the Sox had done in 2008; they went from division doormats to a wild, roller coaster play-off race, to division champs. I think this guy, a part-time columnist from Rockford got it better than anyone else. Even the players and management were in good spirits, all things considered.

From a fan... Good-bye, 2008 White Sox. You weren't my favorite. But this was a great season. I had a lot of fun, and when compared to last year, when in mid-season I was agonizingly counting down the days left in that failed campaign, I am already counting down the days until pitchers and catchers report. I'm pumped for 2009, hoping for more heroics at the Cell.

Not much in the news today... Kenny Williams said he has a plan for this off-season that is a crossroads for the organization. With some premium young talent, like Carlos Quentin, Alexei Ramirez, John Danks, and Gavin Floyd, the Sox have an enviable core to build around, but there are a lot of question marks, some the Tribune hits, others it doesn't.

Quickly, as far as I see it, in the starting 9, there are 3 question marks for the '09 Sox... Center field, Shortstop/Second base (depending on where Ramirez settles), and Third base. If the Sox can add three speedy, decent OBP guys to those holes you may be looking at a 90+ win team next year. More off-season musings to come in the next few weeks.

Shockingly, a guy who covers the Tampa Bay Rays has little concept of baseball... The meekest Sox play-off loss since 1919? Come on, dude, stick to the Rays and leave the rest to us. 2000 ring a bell? When the Sox put up the best record in the American League and were swept in the first round by Seattle? Don't pat yourselves on the back too hard, the 15 or so Ray fans out there, we've been beaten much worse before.

A day after his gutsy performance in Game 3, Ranger fans are still trying to put a positive spin on the Danks/McCarthy deal.

Finally, on the lighter side, we have Evan Brunell over at some conglomerate of sports blogs, Most Valuable Network (MVN), who plays GM for the Padres in the '09 off-season today. First move? Trade Khalil Greene, a nearly 29-year-old middle infielder who hit .213/.260/.339 (all career lows) last year for the Padres and is due $6.5 million in '09 for Clayton Richard, the Sox's 24-year-old lefty prospect who had mixed results in his first 1/2-season spend in the bigs.

Uh, OK, dude.

As for White Soxing... I'm not taking too much time off. Work is crazy right now, but there's some off-season stuff to be done.... Player report cards, off-season predictions, etc. Plus, by now I think we all know Kenny Williams isn't afraid to pull the trigger, so there should be some juicy off-season news to write about. Come check back before February, you here?

As for now, enjoy the ALCS, NLCS, and World Series, and go Bears!

Not Over Yet

2008-10-06T01:17:00.000-05:00

Hey, what do you know, they do want to keep playing ball?

After looking dead, old, tired, etc. in two ugly losses to the young and upstart Rays this week, the Sox once again stood on the edge of the cliff, toes overhanging, on the verge of season's end... And once again they pulled it out.

They're getting a lot of attention tonight, from local, out of market, national, and even international press regarding their stubborn resiliency. In the past week, the Sox have played 4 "must-win" games and they've come up aces in every one of them. Funny how in just 2 days you can go from down in the dumps (Friday afternoon) to feeling pretty good about things (today). I don't claim that this win swung the series back in the Sox's favor, even if they win tomorrow they still need to beat Tampa Bay in their dome to advance to the ALCS, a tall task in and of itself. But, at least they didn't just roll over and die for Tampa, either. Now, for some praise.

John Danks, of course, who won his 2nd consecutive "Do or Die" game. His line wasn't overpowering, just 6.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 BB, and 7 K, but the all important win. Danks made pitches when they counted; in the first Tampa put 2 of its first 3 hitters on base and walked away with a goose egg. In the 2nd, after Tampa Bay struck first on a 45-foot RBI single by Akinori Iwamura, Danks could have imploded, especially when the Iwamura and Jason Bartlett moved to 2nd and 3rd respectively on a wild pitch. Instead, Danks got BJ Upton to fly out and end the threat. Danks wasn't spectacular, but he won.

How about Dewayne Wise, who keeps finding ways to win? The career minor leaguer who came up with the Sox's only big hit in the first two games of this series continued his big play in Game 3, stroking a big, 2-run double down the left field line in the Sox's big 4th inning that turned out to ultimately put the Rays down for good. Wise is hitting .400 in the LDS so far, 2nd on the team only to AJ Pierzynski (who had a nice 2-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB game himself batting 2nd for only the 4th time since September 9th). He's been so good even Fox Sport's Senior Baseball writer, Ken Rosenthal has taken notice:

White Sox left fielder Dewayne Wise is the kind of player who makes the baseball postseason unlike any other. Wise, 30, didn't even have a job at the start of spring training. Now, he's starring in the Division Series.

The bullpen trio of Octavio Dotel, Matt Thornton, and Bobby Jenks also were huge in putting this game out of reach. When Upton launched his 2-run bomb that made everyone sweat a litle harder, it was clear Danks was out of gas and in a do or die game, Ozzie needed his three best relievers to seal the deal. They were beautiful, whether it be striking out Evan Longoria looking, having great reactions and making great plays on a bizarre dropped third strike against Willy Aybar, or or slamming the door in Tampa Bay's faces with some 95+ MPH heat. For a unit that's been pretty rightfully maligned this season, the Sox's bullpen has by and large stepped up their game lately when needed.

Lastly, Ken Griffey, Jr. for tagging on up Alexei Ramirez's sac fly, moving from 1st to 2nd. Had he played it safe and stayed at first, he wouldn't have scored on Wise's double, and with Juan Uribe and Orlando Cabrera failing to keep the rally going, the Sox would have been out what proved to be a pretty crucial run. For all the homers and power the Sox can display, they played very smart and very aggressive baseball. They did the small and smart things needed to win games, rather than sit back and wait for someone to hit a 3-run homer. It was actually, very fun to watch.

So, Game 4 is tomorrow at the Cell... Gavin Floyd faces Andy Sonnanstine at 4:07 PM Central time. Nothing has been decided yet in the American League, so don't stop believing, Sox fans!

And now, for a few news tidbits before bed. Carlos Quentin took some live BP today at the Cell and said he felt great in a postgame interview. Ozzie Guillen was a bit more skeptical of Quentin's chances of returning to play in 2008, even if the White Sox advance past the ALDS, but it's nice to see Carlos working his tail off to even make a return a slim reality and not a complete fairytale.

Fox Sport's Gerry Fraley wrote a nice piece about Ken Williams' deliberate plan to keep the Sox competitive past the glory of the 2005 season. Though the Sox took a lot of heat after Games 1 and 2 for looking old and plodding; it's nice to step back and look at the enviable talented core of young playes they have; Alexei Ramirez (26), Carlos Quentin (25), Gavin Floyd (25), and John Danks (23) are as solid as any 4 young and upcoming stars on one team. Though 2007 was a distaster, both the short and long term future of the Sox looks good thanks in large part to Williams' wheeling and dealing.

As for Rays' fans, panic may be too strong a word for their current mindset, but concern may be right on target? A Rays blogger noted what a difference one game makes.

The White Sox looked very much at home. And they looked very much like a veteran team, getting stronger as the game wore on, making adjustments to Matt Garza's power game, staying patient, hitting the ball where it was pitched.

Finally, Metromix has a sweet slideshow of photos from the Sox's win this afternoon up. For anyone lucky enought to attend, try and find yourself! Tomorrow's game already looks to be a sell out (at least, according to Ticketmaster), but there are still some deals available on StubHub.

Go Sox.

I Just Can't Help Myself

2008-10-05T00:20:00.003-05:00

I know, I know... I don't have much room to gloat... But this is still pretty fuckin' funny.

Three Up, Three Down.. 0-2 Series Hole Style!

2008-10-04T22:28:00.003-05:00

Oh god.

I was still confident after Game 1. It was more or less meaningless, the Sox are a veteran team and they basically sacrificed the game when they trotted Javier out there in an effort to reset their taxed rotation. Game 2 was supposed to make everything all right, but after tonight's ugly 6-2 loss, the Sox are once again, on the brink of elimination.

On the plus side, the last time we found ourselves in this situation, the Sox ripped off three straight wins, but methinks taking 3 from Tampa (including another one in their Dome) will be a bit more difficult than winning three straight over the Indians, Tigers, and Twins.

Anyways, here we go.

ONE UP: Clayton Richard
Wow. After Richard allowed an RBI single to Carl Crawford, the first batter he faced, he went on to strike out the next 5 Rays he faced. His line from yesterday is a bit inflated by the fact that Clayton wore down toward the end of his appearance; the last three batters he faced either reached base via the single or walk. Had Ozzie called on Octavio Dotel a few batters earlier, Richard conceivably could have retired 10 Rays and allowed only 2 baserunners. Nice.

Richard was so impressive in his post-season debut, Guillen is seriously considering starting Clayton if the series somehow makes it to a fifth game.

ONE DOWN: The Sox on Fake Field

Metrodome. Rogers Centre. Tropicana Field. Call them whatever you want, but as has been well documented this season, the Sox simply suck in domes and on fake grass. 4-16 this season, the worst record in the American League. I can't say why, maybe it's the teams, maybe it's the way the field plays, but the Sox struggles on turf are more than just a psychological thing at this point, I believe. The plus side is that, even though to advance now the Sox would need to win 1 more game at Tropicana Field, none of the other teams in the postseason play on artificial turf. The Sox are 85-58 on grass this year, a winning percentage over 59%.

TWO UP: Mark Buehrle

Despite the opening pic and his line from Game 2, Mark Buehrle pitched a real nice game. By now, we should all know that he's a guy that pitches to contact, a strategy that doesn't lend itself to turf or hard grass surfaces, where ground balls explode rather than slow down. Yes, he gave up a 2-run, go-ahead homer to Akinowri Iwamura and then was saddled with a few more runs in the 8th, but he still came out and pitched like the bulldog he was, especially considering the Sox found only 2 runs to support him. Here's hoping we get to see #56 at least one more time this year.

TWO DOWN: Wasted Opprotunites

The Sox left 12 runners on base in Game 2, obviously far too many, especially when you're in a tight battle. They left the bases loaded in the 1st, runners at first and second in the 2nd, 4th, and 7th, and a runner on third in the 6th. So many chances, and so many of them wasted. In the 1st inning, when they had Kazmir on the ropes and scored their 2 runs, they were 3-5 with Runners in Scoring Position. They had 7 more at bats with a RISP and failed every single time. You can't win if you can't hit with men on or hit home runs.

THREE UP: Dewayne Wise

Give the guy props, his three-run homer in Game 1 is currently responsible for 50% of the runs the Sox have scored. Wise has had a nice season here for the Sox. Considering he's been a career minor leaguer, I don't know if he's likely to reproduce his numbers, but he's another nice option off the bench and is better at every facet of baseball than Jerry Owens.

Of course, despite the fact he was pretty much the only guy who came through in Game 1, he was on the bench in Game 2, watching Nick Swisher have an OK game, but flying out and striking out in his last two at bats, both times with the potential tying run on base.

THREE DOWN: Jim Thome

For all the press Thome and Griffey have gotten about wanting that elusive World Series ring, neither had done much to show that on the field. The reason I pick on Thome more than Griffey is that Thome is still an intergral part of this team. He bats in the middle of the lineup, and while Junior has clearly lost a step from his prime, Thome still can play at a pretty high level. Yeah, his .245 BA this season was 30 points lower than his career BA and easily the lowest of his career when he wasn't limited to less than 60 games in a season either because he was a 21-year-old rookie still breaking in with the Indians or suffering from back problems in Philadelphia. Thome still his 34 homers, drove in 90 runs, and slugged over 100 points higher than Junior during Griffey's brief stay in Chicago.

This postseason? 1-9 with an RBI, and that easily would have been 0-9 had the Rays had their usual shift on for Thome.

Look, I know Thome was critical to the Sox, and was the only offense in their win over the Twins in the Tiebreaker game, but if you want to do more than just get there again, more production will be required.

Rob Neyer: Sox Aren't Dead Yet

2008-10-04T09:47:00.005-05:00

Lead off this morning, with a quick blog post by ESPN's Rob Neyer, who proclaims,

You have to like the Rays in a best-of-five series, straight up. So you have to really like them now, when they need to win just one of three. But the White Sox have a shot because they're heading home, where they have thrived. Tampa Bay's 57-24 record at home was the best in the American League; Chicago's 54-28 was third-best. The White Sox finished second in the American League in home scoring, and their 143 home runs at home were easily the most in the majors.

So there you go. Nice to have someone in Bristol (sort of) on our side. Tampa starts Matt Garza and Andy Sonnanstine in Games 3 and 4. The Sox that have seen Garza, have hit him well. In 41 combined plate appearances, the Sox have hit him to a combined tune of .382/.488/.618, not bad especially when paired with a notoriously offense-friendly ballpark. However, those numbers are pretty light; Jerry Owens, for Christ's sake, is one of the most seasoned players against Garza.

Sonnanstine is a bit different. Of course, he pitched a three-hit shutout against the Sox earlier this year, but he was pretty mediocre in his two other starts against the Sox; 12 IP, 19 H, 7 R (all earned), 1 BB, 4 K. That's an ERA of 5.25 and a WHIP of 1.667.

Confidence is probably too much, but I still think they can hang around in this thing. Toward the end of his post, Neyer says that if the Sox can get the series back to Tampa Bay, they at least have a chance. You have to assume if the Rays let a 2-0 series lead evaporate into a 2-2 tie, they'll come home on their seat's edge. Can they reverse their struggles indoors? I don't know, but anything can happen in what is essentially a 1-game play-off, and right now, that's all I got going.

If you want a Division Champs hat, you'll need to look for one offline somewhere. Sometime earlier, MLB.com pulled the official hats the Sox were wearing on the field after they beat Minnesota; the ones that look like this. Apparently, the reason is that since the Sox were the last of the 6 division winners to make the cut, they simply ran out of hats. If you notice, all the hats look exactly the same, just with different patches sewn on the front.

If you want one, whitesox.com won't be any help. Check out sporting goods stores around the area.

Finally, the Seattle Times speculates that White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn is in the running for the vacant GM position with the Mariners. Best of luck. Seattle is a nice town, but Lord help the guy who tries to fix that team right now.

P.S., Rick, if you land the job, I would like to request your first order of business to trade Ichiro to the Sox. We can play hardball here and work out the terms, but I won't take "No" for an answer.

Now We're in Trouble

2008-10-03T20:09:00.006-05:00

If you replace "Bears" with "Scott Kazmir," you get a pretty good idea of what just went down in Game 2.

In his first post-season start Kazmir was crappy. He his Orlando Carbera, walked Nick Swisher, and allowed a single to Jermaine Dye. Bases loaded. No outs. Meat of the order coming up. And they scored... Two fucking runs, on a single and sacrifice fly. Garbage.

Mark Buehrle came up pretty big. I can't say he came up huge, because he is going to get hung with a loss in a must-win game, but damnit, he held a 90-win team to 3 runs for nearly 8 innings. So, while Buehrle doesn't get an A+ with a star for this effort (his line is worse than he pitched, as he wore down toward the end and the bullpen allowed 4 more runs to score in the 8th), but the story of the night... No offense.

So, the Sox are down 0-2 to Tampa Bay. But we're coming home to a real ballpark. It's not over, Danks and Floyd have been huge, and if we can send it back to Florida tied at 2, I don't dislike our chances.

More later... Maybe tonight, maybe not.

Fairweathers.

Game 2: Must Win for Sox

2008-10-03T00:25:00.004-05:00

Just to reiterate, tomorrow afternoon's game in Tampa is critically important to the Sox. While the Rays would just "play out" their homefield advantage, history says that even if the road team drops its 1st 2 games on the road in the baseball play-offs, they are all but done.

Since baseball expanded the post-season to the Division Series round in 1995, there have been 52 completed LDS series (1995-2007 = 13 years). By my count, the team with home-field advantage has won the first 2 games of the series 19 times and they have gone on to win 16 of those series, an 84% success rate.

2007 ALDS - Red Sox win 1st 2 in Boston, beat Angels in 3
2007 ALDS - Indians win 1st 2 in Cleveland, beat Yankees in 4
2007 NLDS - Diamondbacks win 1st 2 in Phoenix, beat Cubs in 3
2006 NLDS - Mets win 1st 2 in New York, beat Dodgers in 3
2005 ALDS - White Sox win 1st 2 in Chicago, beat Red Sox in 3
2005 NLDS - Cardinals win 1st 2 in St. Louis, beat Padres in 3
2004 NLDS - Cardinals win 1st 2 in St. Louis, beat Dodgers in 4
2003 ALDS - A's win 1st 2 in Oakland, lose to Red Sox in 5
2000 NLDS - Cardinals win 1st 2 in St. Louis, beat Braves in 3
1999 ALDS - Indians win 1st 2 in Cleveland, lose to Red Sox in 5
1999 ALDS - Yankees win 1st 2 in New York, beat Rangers in 3
1998 ALDS - Yankees win 1st 2 in New York, beat Rangers in 3
1998 NLDS - Braves win 1st 2 in Atlanta, beat Cubs in 3
1997 NLDS - Marlins win 1st 2 in Miami, beat Giants in 3
1997 NLDS - Braves win 1st 2 in Atlanta, beat Astros in 3
1996 ALDS - Orioles win 1st 2 in Baltimore, beat Indians in 4
1996 NLDS - Cardinals win 1st 2 in St. Louis, beat Padres in 4
1995 ALDS - Indians win 1st 2 in Cleveland, beat Red Sox in 3
1995 ALDS - Yankees win 1st 2 in New York, lose to Mariners in 5

21 times, however, the road team has split the 1st 2 games. 12 times, the road team that earns a split, 57%, end up winning the series. 84% is certainly not a death sentence, but the White Sox will certainly put themselves in a serious, serious hole if they come home down 0-2.

Here are the series in which the road team earned a split in the 1st 2, and how they ended for them.

2006 ALDS - Tigers split 1st 2 in New York, beat Yankees in 4
2005 ALDS - Yankees split 1st 2 in Los Angeles, lose to Angels in 5
2005 NLDS - Astros split 1st 2 in Atlanta, beat Braves in 4
2004 ALDS - Twins split 1st 2 in New York, lose to Yankees in 4
2004 NLDS - Astros split 1st 2 in Atlanta, beat Braves in 5
2003 ALDS - Twins split 1st 2 in New York, lose to Yankees in 4
2003 NLDS - Marlins split 1st 2 in San Francisco, beat Giants in 4
2003 NLDS - Cubs split 1st 2 in Atlanta, lose to Braves in 5
2002 ALDS - Angels split 1st 2 in New York, beat Yankees in 4
2002 ALDS - Twins split 1st 2 in Oakland, beat A's in 5
2002 NLDS - Giants split 1st 2 in Atlanta, beat Braves in 5
2001 ALDS - Indians split 1st 2 in Seattle, lose to Mariners in 5
2001 NLDS - Cardinals split 1st 2 in Phoenix, lose to Diamondbacks in 5
2000 ALDS - Yankees split 1st 2 in Oakland, beat A's in 5
2000 NLDS - Mets split 1st 2 in San Francisco, beat Giants in 4
1999 NLDS - Astros split 1st 2 in Atlanta, lose to Braves in 4
1999 NLDS - Mets split 1st 2 in Phoenix, beat Diamondbacks in 4
1998 ALDS - Red Sox split 1st 2 in Cleveland, lose to Indians in 4
1998 NLDS - Padres split 1st 2 in Houston, beat Astros in 4
1997 ALDS - Indians split 1st 2 in New York, beat Yankees in 5
1996 ALDS - Rangers split 1st 2 in New York, lose to Yankees in 5

No Need to Panic Quite Yet

2008-10-02T22:59:00.004-05:00

Yes, this afternoon's 6-4 loss sucked. Sucked hardcore; and once again a lot of the blame falls square on the shoulders of Javier Vazquez who continued to cement his reputation as the anti-Big Game Pitcher. Today's effort fits right in with his career play-off trend. And while Javier claims he would like the ball again,

"I'm not quitting,'' Vazquez said Thursday, after the media horde departed for less depressing lockers. "I want the ball again... I would love to get the ball again, to get another chance. All of us here are competing for the same goal, to win the World Series, and I want to do my part.''

You'd have to believe that Ozzie and crew would be downright crazy to actually do it, and thankfully, Ozzie seems to be on the same page with the rest of the world. Right now, it's wishful thinking if you're even looking at Game 4, let alone Game 5, but Guillen said if the series goes the distance Javier would likely not be getting the call.

So... Why should we all be optimistic? Here's two good reasons: Mark Buehrle and John Danks. The Sox lefties are scheduled to start Games 2 and 3, both on normal rest, and if there has been one Achilles' Heel to the Rays improbable run to the post-season this year, it has been their struggles against left-handed pitching. Did anyone notice that Clayton Fucking Richard completely handcuffed them until he ran out of gas? Yeah, his line doesn't look great; 3.1 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 5 K, but he was clearly coasting on fumes toward the end and allowed the last three batters he saw to reach base... Take those AB's away and Richard got 10 outs, 1/2 of them via strikeout, and allowed only 3 baserunners. Fucking tight. Tampa Bay had the 2nd lowest BA against left handed pitchers in the American League this season, and were only 25-24 when facing a lefty on the hill. But, to play Debbie Downer, the Rays have had some success against Buehrle. So we'll see how this plays out. The point being, everyone, we're not out of this thing yet; we could be down 0-2 after 2 home games (sound familiar?)

Aside from Dewayne's 3-run homer, the only other moment of excitement in today's game occurred in the 7th when Orlando Cabrera and Grant Balfour shared an awkward at bat. Not sure what happened, but after Balfour's 1st picth sailed well outside, Cabrera kicked some dirt in his general direction, and tempers momentarily flared. You can see video embedded at Awful Announcing if you missed the broadcast. After the game, however, Cabrera said it was just a misunderstanding, but this opens the door for some added spice; hopefully the next time the Balfour/Cabrera duel erupts, the outcome is a little better.

Ozzie's decision to start Javier Vazquez in Game 1 had "Airmchair Manager Fodder" written all over it, especially when juxtaposed with Richard's excellent work out of the bullpen. NBC Sport's Baseball "Expert" Tony DeMarco feels that Ozzie's decision to start Javier in Game 1 was a mistake that has put the Sox behind the 8-ball. Here's why I respectfully disagree:

It is not critically important for the Sox to have won both games in Tampa Bay. Sure, it'd be nice, but if the Sox leave with a split, they're in very good shape. Mark Buehrle was going to start one of the two games, the question was Game 1 on short rest or Game 2 on normal. Considering Mark has started 2 of his last 3 games on short rest, I'm perfectly happy with the decision to give Mark and extra day off and hopefully put him in a better position to win. Put it this way: would you feel more comfortable with the Sox down 0-1 and Buehrle pitching tomorrow or Buehrle losing Game 1? Exactly.
The move allows Danks and Floyd to pitch Games 3 and 4* at the Cell. Granted, Danks' home/road splits favor him on the road, but for both it will be their first postgame start and I don't think you can overestimate the crowd factor. Rather than facing 40,000 cowbell-clanging, mohawk-wearing, clowns amplified because there's a god damn roof on the stadium, the pair of youngsters will come home to 40,000 supportive South Siders wearing black and waving rally towels. Much better. Also, I know you don't like to plan for down the road when you're in "Win Now" mode, but the Sox still need to remember to handle these arms very cautiously. Both Floyd and Danks have pitched a number of innings, many important ones in the past few weeks, and it would be reckless to simply overwork these guys who are so prominent in the short and long-term plans for this team.

Finally, on the lighter side, Jimbo's Pub, the most notable "Sox bar" in Bridgeport lost its appeal in Illinois Appellate Court and looks to be headed the way of the dinosaurs, but fear not, the bar will at least remain open until the end of the White Sox season. Speaking of bars, if you're like me and are a North Side Sox fan, Time Out Chicago published a brief list of "Sox-friendly" bars in enemy territory.

Play-Off Beard Update: About two days since I shaved clean in preparation for October. Anyone who knows me knows that I grow facial hair about as fast as the continents move, so I'm still at that sharp, sandpaper state.

Remember, everyone... Not in trouble yet. Talk to me tomorrow night.

UP NEXT: Tampa Bay Rays, ALDS (Updated)

2008-10-02T07:33:00.000-05:00

SERIES SCHEDULE
Game 1: at Tampa Bay, Thursday, Oct. 2, 1:30 PM
Game 2: at Tampa Bay, Friday, Oct. 3, 6 PM
Game 3: at Chicago, Sunday, Oct. 5, Time TBA
Game 4: at Chicago, Monday, Oct. 6, Time TBA -*
Game 5: at Tampa Bay, Wednesday, Oct. 8, Time TBA -*

Games 4 & 5, of course, are if necessary. All times are in Chicago time. All games will be aired on TBS.

Some key Rays stats... They scored 774 runs this season (4.78 RPG), 9th best in the American League. 142 stolen bases, the most in the American League (yikes). 30.8 at bats per HR, 4th best in the A.L. 3.82 overall ERA, 2nd best in the A.L. 3.35 ERA vs. the Sox, 3rd best mark in the A.L., and best of the 6 teams that played the Sox at least 10 times this year. Allowed 40 HR in September, 2nd most in the A.L. that month.

Per usual, the Sox are getting very little love; most national, local, and even electronic pundits are raving about the Rays, picking the Rays, etc.

So why will the White Sox win? Pressure. The Sox pushed themselves to the brink of elimination and had to do something no team has ever done in the 130+ years of MLB history; beat three different teams in three different days to finish a season. Maybe they stumbled toward the very end of the year, but when the clock was about to strike midnight, they answered the call. There's no pressure on them; no one expects them to win, while the Rays have been the darling story of the 2008 season; the champs of the best division in baseball, and a cute pick to win the American League and maybe the World Series.

Pressure.

The series kicks off later today, and Javier Vazquez will get the nod to start Game 1. OK, that's not news to anyone by now, but I am surprised at how many folks are up in a tiff about this. I know Javy didn't make any friends these last few weeks, first by essentially saying how he doesn't care about any of this since he's just focused on that beach in Puerto Rico, and then by imploding against Minnesota and Cleveland, further cementing his reputation as a big game choker, and turning in a 12-16 record and 4.67 ERA, one of his statistcally worst seasons of his career.

I get that, but the bottom line here is that the Sox do not need to win both games in Tampa. Even if Javier lays another egg, if the Sox can win one of the first two, they'll be sitting very pretty heading home to Chicago. Regarldess of how Vazquez performs, the move allows Buehrle, Floyd, and Danks to get back to regular rest and hopefully perform to the best of their abilities.

Javy v. Scott Shields, 1:30 PM.

How good does it feel?

2008-10-01T00:28:00.002-05:00

How good does it feel, Sox fans? How good does it feel? If you're reading this, you staved off the seemingly inevitable heart attack/nervous breakdown/any other ailment brought on by last week's roller coaster ride with the Silver and Black.

From the deepest despair, to the brink of elimination, to the guarded optimism of watching the Royals (the friggin' Royals) slap around the Twins at the Metrodome, to the soon-to-follow dejection of watching the Indians slap around the Sox... To the endless scenario projections (if we win today, and the Twins lose, then we play Monday, but if we win that..., etc.), to dejection after Gavin's error, to sweet, sweet joy after Alexei's granny, to finally, ultimately, nervous anxiety replaced by the sweetest, most beautiful ecstacy. Does it get any better than this? Is this not what baseball is made of? 162 games, coming down to 1 run scored over 9 innings?

Thank you, for a wonderful season. A team picked, at best, to finish 3rd in their division, losing some of their best players along the way, scrapped and fought and did it. If you're a White Sox fan, and you truly understand the long, agonizing history of this team, you understand the true gravity of that sentence. They did it. The journey's not complete, but how White Sox would it have been to have checked out today?

Get some rest, tomorrow, everyone. We go from 89-74 today to 0-0 Thursday. Game 1 is in Tampa Bay; first pitch is at 1:30 PM.

What a ride. Hopefully the best is yet to come. GO SOX!

I Picked a Great Time to Come Back

2008-09-23T23:23:00.003-05:00

Easily one of the worst Sox losses I can recall in quite some time. I know, it's the Metrdome, it's the Twins, it's September, etc. etc. etc. But for all the excuses, man, they looked terrible tonight, and the Twins beat them in every way. Javier Vazquez? Terrible. Offense? Terrible. Bullpen? Boone Logan terrible. The Twins dunked and dinked them, and then they powered past them.

All that said, a little perspective people, the Sox are still 1.5 games up on the Twins and have the inside track on the American League Central, especially if they can escape from the Metrodome with ONE friggin' win this week. I know it's bad, I know it was embarrassing, but Mark Buehrle and Gavin Floyd go the next two days and you just have to believe one of them will pull out a gem and get us back to Chicago with at least a 1.5 game lead and a Magic Number of 3.

The New York Times wrote a nice recap of the game as well as hopefully, some reason for hope.

Carlos Quentin sounds very optimistic about his chances of returning before the calendar turns over to 2009. Hopefully this is good news; the Sox haven't been a juggernaut without Quentin, especially these last few weeks so hopefully his big bat is just what the doctor ordered, especially in the post-season.

What do the White Sox mean to Chicago's economy? Try $72 million if they make the postseason.

Finally, hopefully the Royals' pursuit of 4th place kills all hope for Minnesota. Of course, after the Sox jet out of the Twin Cities, the TC's face the Royals in their last series of the season. Considering the Royals have finished in dead last 5 straight seasons, perhaps that's more of a goal than we'd like to believe. Hell, I remember last year, when the Sox were tanking, finishing not in last place became a quasi-obsession.

Keep the faith, Sox fans. Keep the faith.

MAGIC NUMBER = 5

I Don't Want to Talk About it

2008-08-03T23:36:00.004-05:00

Sox-O-Meter... The Ken Griffey Trade

2008-07-31T22:30:00.007-05:00

Well, by now everyone's certainly heard that the White Sox acquired Ken Griffey, Jr. from the Reds today for Nick Masset and Danny Richar. Let's analyze!

1 Sox = getting/giving this player will not do well for the White Sox, 5 Sox = Having/unloading this player will be awesome for the Pale Hose.

KEN GRIFFEY, JR.
Obviously not the player he was even a few years, ago but can still be an impact bat. He still gets on base at a .355 clip, but he's only slugging .432 this season, down over 100 points from his career average and 50-60 points below both of his last 2 seasons. All this despite playing in the bandbox known as The Great American Ballpark.

PROS: Despite some injury troubles in Cincinnati, he's been remarkably healthy the last 2 years, playing in 246 of the Reds' 271 games in '07 and '08. As I said, I still like his OBP and his 61/64 BB:K ratio is something that is sorely lacking on this team. For reference, that is 1 walk for every 1.05 strikeouts. Meanwhile, the Sox have collectively walked 372 times and struck out 667 times; a walk every 1.79 strikeouts. The Reds are picking up a chunk of Griffey's contract and the Sox really didn't give up much to acquire him.

CONS: Well, I don't know where he's going to play. Griffey has not played a game in CF since September 4, 2006. He's been in RF for the last 2 years, and while his numbers are still all right (7 outfield assists... Nice), I don't know if Old Legs is really the answer the Sox were looking for defensively. Sandwiched between Quentin and Dye, that's got to be one of the league's slower outfields, but the White Sox play in one the smaller outfields.

VERDICT

A nice pickup, he's another left-handed bat to break up the righty dominated middle of the Sox order and if the rumors are true, he's replacing Paul Konerko in the lineup. Couple that with the reduced salary the Sox are paying and the fact that Williams didn't have to part with any big-time prospects. A classic low-risk, high-reward trade.

NICK MASSET
Masset came to the Sox in the McCarthy-Danks trade and was never able to wiggle his way into the Sox rotation. Though he's only started a pair of games, he's looked good in both. Of course, we remember his memorable win over Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs last season, but in his time in the White Sox bullpen, Masset had his successes and failures.

PROS: Not a whole lot from the White Sox perspective. Masset struggled in the bullpen and with 4 veteran starters ahead of him and a handful of more intriguing pitchers behind him, Masset was never going to get a chance to pitch every 5th day in Chicago. He may be able to win that opportunity with the Reds.

CONS: Again, not that many. Granted, the White Sox bullpen has been a mess lately, but Masset's not the answer. His career ERA in the bullpen is 5.75 and a whopping 8.31 in the 2nd half of the season. I think Nick still has a promising future if he can learn how to harness all his pitches, but he wasn't going to be a key guy for the Sox in 2008.

VERDICT

I mean, he's still on the 25-man roster so the Sox obviously felt he was better (or at least, more polished) than the arms in Charlotte and Birmingham, but his future is not with this organization.

DANNY RICHAR
Though he looked to be the starting second baseman when Spring Training started in February, visa troubles and injuries completely derailed his season. Currently he's hitting .262/.321/.427 with the Knights.

PROS/CONS: Richar made himself expendable and the White Sox suddenly find themselves flush with middle infield talent. Alexei Ramirez is obviously a keeper, he's had a great rookie season in Chicago with presumably a few years of maturing to go. Chris Getz is having a nice little year in Charlotte and has made himself a fan favorite of Sox farmhand watchers. Hell, 1st round pick Gordon Beckham may only need a few seasons of seasoning before he's ready to debut in the Show, if he's as good as the hype. Double hell, even Juan Uribe, who is a superior defensive infielder has even looked somewhat competent with the bat since getting PT to cover for Joe Crede.

All in all, middle infield is a position of depth and strength for the White Sox. While Richar might have been a nice option at 2nd base if Orlando Cabrera doesn't resign with the Sox (which he reportedly won't), it's not like the cupboard is bare. Williams has supposedly been taking a long hard look at Orlando Hudson, the Diamondbacks second baseman who will be a free agent this winter. OK, so the last 2 FA's Williams targeted were Torii Hunter and Aaron Rowand, and we know how that worked out, but there are a lot of options, with or without Danny.

VERDICT

No real loss here. Danny's a nice talent, but he's not a blue chipper, and if he's the pivotal player you give up in a deal, you can't be very upset.