Friday Morning

Scott, love your blog!! Enjoy your vacation and please write again soon... my vote is for Punch A.J.: You won't be suspended

Thanks for the post Scott. Enjoy your vacation. My vote is for:

Punch A.J.: You won't be suspended

The Sox usually play well against the birds, so I hope they get right this weekend.

Kris

Enjoy the time off Scott. My vote is for the Bud adding the HBP contest. I've got a good feeling that with the Twinkies and Tigers beating up on each other this is where we make our move. As Farmio would say "just a feeling, I have nothing to base it on" GO SOX!

USATODAY is reporting Kenny saying he is done with making any moves. Any thoughts? Does anyone think a move should be made? What if Minny/Detroit get Soriano, Lee, Abreau, or Tejada? Should we make a move for a starter, perhaps? I'm just asking what everyone thinks, that's all. Don't want to start something nasty here.

Are there any starters out there for us? Is the talent any better than what we have? Unless they can somehow get Dontrelle, I'm not really sure there is any type of upgrade at starting pitching. Zito is "available," but he is a free agent after this season and a Scott Boras client. He isn't coming to the Sox as a rental and we aren't going to trade and then sign him.

I really appreciate how the Sox management/staff listens to the fans. I love the later Friday start times.

Another recent addition to the park is the pulled pork sandwiches. They're great and thanks for adding them to the menu!

I don't think we should make a move for a starter, but rather make a move to get rid of a starter and move McCarthy into the rotation. I would imagine we could get a solid relief pitcher or two for Garcia or Vazquez. I'm not sure which I'd rather see go, but at least with Vazquez he's pretty dominant through the order the first two times. We'll see what happens.

Enjoy your vacation and time with your family, Scott.

I don't believe the report that Kenny is done. I'm not sure what he might put together, but knowing him, he'll be considering all possible options right up to the deadline.

As for the Punch AJ contest, my vote is for: "Bud Selig plans to add a new HBP contest to the All-Star festivities." :o)

Yeah, how about those pulled pork sandwiches? They are VERY good! Locating them was quite a challenge. For those of you who are interested, you can find them at the All Star Stand by section 151. They aren't listed on the main menu, but there is a smaller sign introducing them as a new item. Check 'em out. Yummy!

GO SOX!

Scott -

I heard that they are getting rid of half price Mondays since they are filling the ballpark without a problem now. Can anyone confirm or squash this?

Rangers signed Carlos Lee for Kevin Mench, Cordero, other players also involved. That leaves Abreau and Soriano as the big bats left to deal.

I don't understand why Javy is not in play, when teams are talking about Livan Hernandez and Baltimore's starter. Javy at least looks good on paper - why can't we shop him for something? I hope that Kenny is at least entertaining the idea of listening to deals for him.

Have a great vacation Scott!!! You've definitely earned it this year. I vote for the HBP contest Punch AJ line.

As for the half price mondays, I thought that I saw a quote last year that said they were going to maintain them no matter how many tickets they sold because they appealed to a specific fan base that they did not want to lose. Not sure though.

Cyndi

My vote is for Punch A.J.: You won't be suspended

As far as trades...didn't Kenny say he is not trading anyone on the major league roster? Don't look for Freddy or Javy to going anywhere. If anything I'm thinking we'll get another reliever in exchange for minor league players or cash. I wouldn't mind sending Javy to the pen and getting McCarthy at least one start to see how he does, but I'm sure Ozzie is going to stick with Javy just like he did with Jose. It took Jose about a year from when he came to Chicago to get to the point where he finished off last year and rolled into this season....just my thoughts since I haven't said anythning yet on this matter.

Randy in PA

Punch A.J.: You won't be suspended

Have a GREAT vacation Scott...We will prevail!

In the voting,I would have to go along with those who like Punch AJ:You won't be suspended....
Page two(I gotta stop listening to Paul Harvey....)Scott,I think you should use an alias when you go away,so people,or reporters(make up your own joke with that one)will leave you and your family alone...How about...Chuck Wasserstrom?...

What's that,it's being used already? I'm sorry

(For those of you not in the mix,Mr Wasserstrom used to be the assistant PR director/apologist to the "Brunhilde"-like Sharon Panozzo at Jurassic Park at Neverland over on the North Side....)....

Duke,Kenny can listen to deals from now through the deadline Monday...but,as always,it seems that the other teams involved want the cream of the crop from the WS for the curdled creap of the **** that they have.... Despite what some so-called "experts" believe,you do NOT mortgage the future for a quick fix(8 to 12 weeks,depending on how much time is remaining in this season)....at least I wouldn't....

As to the research firm that is doing the popularity polls,the question begs to be asked:(get ready for THIS one,folks....)Is Scarborough fair?

(Anyone who knows me and who didn't see THAT ONE coming from ten miles away,you should be ashamed of yourselves....)

In my humble opinion,I think that the day off yesterday was most beneficial,because it gave the team a chance to get away from the sturm und drang(German for "whole lotta junk")of this slump...And,hopefully,the next three cities(Balmere(don't blame me,folks,that how some of the natives pronounce it),KC and Toronto)might just be the cure-all for what ails them....

We can only watch....

I agree, TomQ, that we shouldn't mortgage the future, but there could be something out there that hasn't been beaten to death by the rumor mill and can be had for years to come. If a decent starter is available, I think we will be in good shape and if he is young enough (....Dontrelle!!), I would give propspects. I don't think that the bullpen needs anymore work, nor do we need another slugger - we have ample bats in the lineup. It is the starting pitching (Javy and to a lesser extent, Freddy and Buerle), that needs a desparate upgrade.

Anyway, let's start fresh and save the season, starting tonight in the Sox-friendly Yard. GO SOX!!

My vote is for: Punch A.J. So MLB can fine the city of Chicago for inciting a crowd

The only possible pitcher out there that I could see Kenny willing to deal for is Jason Schmidt. SF is willing to take a lot less than the Marlins would for Dontrelle. Kenny will not let the farm be fleeced for rent-a-players. If the right move is there he will get it done, but I don't see much out there. I think a role swap for Javy and Brandon might not be a bad idea. If not, hopefully Ozzie will stick to what he said and use Javy for 5 innings next outing and get him out of there with a lead to build some confidence. Pitching is a combination of talent and obtained confindence. Right now we got 3 guys with a lot of talent but no confidence. Let's go beat up on the little guys now to get that confidence back!!!

Hi all! Long time blog reader, first time poster.

I have a suggestion about the Sox starting rotation: take advantage of the off-day yesterday (Thurs.) to swap Javy and Jose, so that Jose starts Sunday in Baltimore and Javy starts Monday in KC. Why? Because Javy has pitched very well against KC (3 starts, 2 victories, and an ERA below 1.60), and this might help him regain some confidence.

Otherwise, we just have to go to the strategy of pulling him once he puts a runner in scoring position after the 5th inning.

Go Sox!

My vote is: Punch AJ: You won't be suspended. Love your blogs. GO SOX!!!

My vote is for Punch A.J. so MLB can fine the city of Chicago for inciting a crowd. GO SOX!!!!!!BEAT THE O'S TONIGHT!!!!!GO FREDDY!!!!!

Have a great vacation Scott, you sure deserve it!

Excited to get back on the field tonight, and begin a string of domination- put on our old Sox so to speak! haha

Let's go Sox!!

My vote is for Vote AJ: He can steal first on national TV

go Sox

Scott,
It has been a tough few weeks and you deserve a vacation. Have fun!!

My vote:Punch A.J.: You won't be suspended.

I saw our good friend Jay Mariotti on PTI today. I actually agree with what he said. "Please put BM in the starting rotation." We despertly need to sweep the O's. Come on guys, get it done!

YAY ROSS!!! Way to go guys!!! Let's hope this is the comeback win that turns it around!!!

Cyndi

I think we've seen the turnaround begin tonight, and it's not just Gload's big blast. The bullpen tonight looked lights out, and that's what will turn it around. Cotts to MacDougal to Thornton to Jenks. That's tough, and we'll be a great late-inning team again. The starters just need to give us 5-6 innings. Go Sox!

Thank you Ross!!! Hopefully that was the shot in the arm this team needed to get going. We'll see what happens tomorrow, but that was one nice ending tonight.

Can somebody please remind Garcia that he was throwing 95mph and was a power pitcher last yeat, and that was what made him successful through his career. He says that as he gets older he is gonna lose some of that power and need to be a finesse/breaking ball pither. As Hawk would say "That is total BS!" Get your body in better shape. Round (which you have become over the years) is not the shape you need to be in. Take a lesson from some other power pitchers like Roger Clemens and Nolan Ryan. You need to work you butt off to keep it up. Changing your approach is not working in case you have not noticed!!!

Not much to cheer about until the 9th. GREAT execution!!! Ross did it tonight. I thought it was just going to be a sacrafice but the darn thing kept going!!!
The bullpen looked great. Thornton is amazing. 98 MPH and nothing but a silky smooth delivery.

Got to get another one. Jon is on a roll. Hopefully we can score some runs early.

Sean

I am voting for the one that says Bude Selig is adding the HBP contest.
Way to go Ross! My daughter had just asked me why are they walking Thome and I said the chance that he hits a home run are too great and Ross might hit into a double play. Shows what I know. Scott have a great vacation. Let's get them Jon.

Kelly

Jim -

What you said about Freddy reminds me of what happened to Wild Thing in Major League 2. If you havent seen it check it out, both of the Major Leagues are great. But he says he needs to look to the future and make sure he doesnt hurt his arm.

ROSS GLOAD???? ROSS GLOAD????
Those quotes,and the subsequent pounding that may have been heard on the suite level at OP@CY came from Peter Angelos,the Baltimore owner....He can see getting beaten by a Jim Thome...it's happened before...He can see getting beaten by a Jermiane Dye...it's happened before...

But....ROSS GLOAD????

The thing I was happiest about when reading the game story in the Trib this AM was that Gload was patient at the plate,working the count to three and oh,then taking a strike,then fouling off strike two,before....

Say it with me,Bethany....

GET OUT THE RYE BREAD AND MUSTARD,GRANDMA....IT'S GRAND SALAMI TIME IN THE INNER HARBOR!!!!

According to the ESPN.com HR tracker,the distance on Gload's HR was 60 feet less than the one that Brian Roberts hit...but it really doesn't matter,does it,WS Universe?Because he was PATIENT at the plate...WS hitters recently,to my dismay,have been caught up in "first pitch-itis",also known as "Cub disease"....By that I mean,a pitcher is wild,and can't find home plate or the strike zone with signal flags...bases loaded,or runers in scoring position ,a heavy hitter gets up and hits one 400 feet....200 feet up,200 feet down...end of inning,end of momentum,beginning of frustration....

Tank you,Brooklyn(Gload's birthplace)for what you did last night...Paulie put it best..."...The bottom line is it's a win.Right now,any win is good.We'll look back at it as a good moment,I hope."

You and all of us both,mon Captain....

As to the race,the first hurdle is vaulting over the Twinkies before setting sites again on los Tigres and the Yank-mes....

Hopefully,young Graland will give them another solid outing and they can get past a kid making his ML debut...I seem to remember not that long ago a KC pitcher made his ML debut against the Sox and walked the entire ballpark in the first inning....hopefully,they can find a way to give the young man a case of the yips from the get-go....

BTW,Duke....players that can be had for YEARS to come? What alternate planet are you living on? This is the era of the quick fix,two years,three years tops,all the money you can glom on to,then go to the next sugar daddy who has an open checkbook...Face it,today the average ballplayer in MLB is no different from the hookers one sees on Saturday night on Broadway Avenue....

Funny story about Gload's HR:
http://www.greatsportsnews.com/mlb/mlbsrch.php?q=Chicago+White+Sox

They desperately needed a shot in the arm.. hopefully, they can start playing again.

a gload grand slam on friday... a big day with the bats so far today. i hate to say it, scott, but i think you're going to have to take a looooooong extended vacation.

hope you're having a great time with the fam.

have a nice day

tuffy

http://christianarchy.9players.org

jeez...really wish it wouldn't have been so close, but it's awesome that the offense was on today. congrats jon on the 7th straight win!!! lets get the brooms out tomorrow!!!

cyndi

Duke,

Thanks for keeping reality in focus during this past week, though I am very impressed by all of the help you received! Even Tomquaid--an eloquent, CAPITALIZED critique of Ozzie's obsession with revenge!

Hey, to foster more of this clear headed criticism, I think I'll take another vacation!

at least they won today.....but mccarthy and cotts have been brutal out of the pen. cotts has been worse than marte ever was last year. i do like macdougal, thornton, jenks combo though. thats some serious heat! podsednik is terrible. if pods and mccarthy for soriano is still an offer do it for goodness sakes! soriano would be the most powerful/speed man since rickey henderson in his prime!

So what happened to our good buddy John the Twinkies fan? Now that they are two games back he isn't posting on our site. I went to his blog and the only people posting are Sox fans. I guess the good people of Minnesota don't even like him.

The most encouraging thing about the last two games is how our offense has been able to string together multiple base hits in the same inning instead of relying on the long ball to score our runs. I also think the Cubs provided a valuble lesson; Kenny showed a lot of patience sticking with Brian instead of shipping him out like the Cubs did Patterson. Sometimes the youngsters just take awhile to develop. In any case let's continue this role Javier.

i can't stand neal cotts. he can't leave an inherited runner on base to save his soul. he is worthless out of the pen. why they keep going to him is beyond me. javier looked ok. lets get some runs and win this. hopefully we wont see mccarthy as he is brutal too. everyday its the same story. those two are awful! get rid of em

Well, Vazguez pitches a good 5 innings and blows it again in the 6th. When will Ozzie learn that this guy should not be a starting pitcher? Then fat boy loses the game in the 9th. The entire pitching staff is brutal!!!! It is going to be very difficult for the Sox to get the wildcard unless the pitchers wake up and discover how to pitch again.

Not difficult, balkeheem - IMPOSSIBLE!! Our pitching has got to be one of the worst in the league since the ASB. No question. Is Ozzie a complete ******* dolt?? How many more games do we need to lose until he realizes that Javy cannot pitch beyond the 5th??!!! Oh, what difference does it make, anyway?? Cotts is brutal and McCarthy ain't that impressive either. We barely won the series against a horrendous ballclub, with our hitting bailing out our brutal arms in every game, except this one. Guess that 7 runs is not enough against Baltimre??!!! This game was ours at least 3 times with last year's pitching. Every loss now is huge and we are just handing this thing to the Yankees and Detroit. Let me be very clear, if we do not make it to the playoffs - I WILL NOT TIP MY HAT TO THE OTHER TEAM!!! I will be pissed that our pitching has experienced a compete meltdown and will demand a complete retooling of this miserable pitching staff, especially the starters. They should all go - except Jose.

This is one of those 'oddities' that you don't know whether to laugh or cry at.

The Sox loss Sunday marked the 9th time this season they lost a game when leading in the 7th inning or later.

Every one of those nine 'blown' games has come against a team currently with a losing record.

The specific breakdown shows:

4/5 Cleveland (8th inning)

4/8 Kansas City (8th)

4/24 Seattle (7th)

5/5 Kansas City (9th)

5/18 Tampa Bay (7th)

5/21 Cubs (8th)

6/1 Cleveland (7th)

6/2 Texas (7th)

7/30 Baltimore (9th)

Are the other teams 'getting up' for the Sox? or are the Sox 'playing down' to the opposition?

I don't have that answer.

Regarding the overall Sox record against teams that currently have a losing record (something that has been an issue all season) here is that breakdown:

Baltimore 5-2

Tampa Bay 1-2

Cleveland 5-7

Kansas City 6-3

Seattle 3-2

Texas 5-5

Houston 2-1

Cubs 4-2

Pittsburgh 2-1

Overall record: 33-25.

In the ultra-competitive American League when you can't beat the stuffing's out of the bad clubs you have a problem.

hopefully williams is just saying he isnt looking to do any moves. id get a solid left fielder. someone that you can play and not have to pinch hit for, take out for defense, or bench against lefties. saturday pods attempted to steal second and was thrown out like a fat kid in a little league game. terrible

Have a good vacation Scott!
I vote for Punch AJ: Bud SElig is adding a HBP contest to the all star game.

Mooney,

I understand your point about Garcia wanting to be able to extend his career. However, how far will he be able to extend it if he is not effective. He has not been the "Sweaty Freddie" that we all know and love. Granted we have more pressing issues with Buerhle and Javy, but I am just baffled because it clearly did not work. If he really wants to extend his career he needs to work harder in the offseason so he can be effective at the velocity he needs to be at. Look at a guy like Roger Clemens. He turns 44 this week and has not lost a step. He works hard and is dedicated.

As for Neal Cotts, the only reason he is still on this team is because he is a lefty. Cotts has been brutal this year. The struggles of him and Politte are somewhat unexplainable. It's not like they had to work real hard in the post-season last year. He was so valuable against both lefties and righties last year, but now both are getting to him every game. I would like to see a lot more of Matt Thornton.

For a manager who used to be a shortstop he sure did screw up the positioning of his infielders on the final hit of the game. With the double play in effect, a runner on third and slow runner at the plate with one out you play corners in and middle back. You don't have to cut off the run with a slow runner at bat. If Iguchi and Uribe are at double play depth Iguchi is able to make a play on that ball and the game goes into extra innings. Ozzie has this constant desire to play the infield in during situations when it is not called for. Granted the bullpen could not hang on to it, but our manager cost us a chance to salvage the game.

Hey Javy why don't you walk a few more guys that lead off the inning. Notice that they always score?

Everyone is on Ozzie for letting Javy pitch late into the game. But they are also on the entire bullpen. So it's Ozzie's fault that Javy is still pitching, but its also the bullpen's fault for blowing the game. What should he be doing?

I would of put Javier in for the 6th yesterday. He had two good innings prior to that. I don't blame Ozzie for the loss yesterday; it's time (really it's beyond time) for the pitchers to take some accountability and get the job done when it's needed...
On a side note I just heard Boston is trying to get Buehrle for Coco Crisp?!? Lay off the crack rock Theo. I mean Mark is having a down year but c'mon! That's one of the stupidest proposals I've heard in awhile.

Jim -
I totally agree with you about freddy, i just found it funny because his excuse has been used already, in a movie no less. I think he is still blaming his performance this year on the WBC. Which Cooper said shouldnt have been a big problem if he just got ready like javy did. I mean look at every other pitcher in the league that was at the WBC (Santana) they started out slow but are now on fire. The Sox should go after A-Rod =) put him back at short.

Sean Casey from the Pirates for a prospect. To make room for Casey, Detroit optioned Chris Shelton to Triple-A Toledo.

Here we go.

Is this it??!! Is this the team that is going to repeat??!! Is Kenny insane??!! What the ****, man??!! GET SOME ARMS OR ONE ARM, OR WE ARE DONE!! Is he really that committed to McCarthy (a 4+ ERA pitcher - welcome to the Sox statrter ERA club) that he won't go after proven talent - Willis, Zito or Schmidt?? Our starters are at best disappointing and at worst are on tap to display one of the biggest meltdowns of a staff from one year to the next. You got 2 hours, Kenny. GET TO WORK!!!

Duke...do you REALLY think that anyone other than J.C.(and I don't mean Martin)is going to come in for eight or more weeks,ride in like the cavalry and save the day for the boys,then go away for a larger payday....Kenny has to install confidence in what he has right now...in the old bromide,"dance with the girl what you can in with"....If it works,it works...If it doesn't work,then the narrow focus will come down like a laser beam on the neck and lower extremities of the GM,and I know that the line of criticism will be long and loud in their discourse...
There are still two months left in the season...What the Sox have to do is to win their games,and whatever else transpires will determine if they get back in October to defend their crown...

H*ll,Duke,you and I both have known fans who are enamored of a trade one minute,then two days or weeks later,want to trade that player for two cracked bats and the tires to a hitting cage...

Alright, TomQ. But these guys better step up. No more excuses. My stomach can't take much more.

Mooney,
I would love to see A-Rod in a Sox uniform. The Rangers are still paying nearly half his salary so it would be a huge salary intake. Uribe has been a dissapointment to me this year. I don't expect a lot out of him offensively, and that is pretty much what we got except for about a 10 day period in interleague play. Uribe's defense has not been near what it was last year. A-Rod would be a major upgrade there and of course at the dish. Could you imagine that line up from 3-8 with Thome, Paulie, A-Rod, JD, AJ and Crede. All we need to do is get rid of Pods for Soriano and we would hit more home runs than the rest of our division would combined. And we would be upgrading defense and speed at the same time. Alex Nellias would be donating a lot money to White Sox charities!!!

Meant to say that A-Rod's salary would NOT be a huge intake.

jimdevereaux...first of all,the man's last name is Snellias...you just heard it wrong through Hawk's Georgia accent...
Duke...they will not have any more excuses,win or lose...These are professionals,here to do a professsional job...Wherever you work,I'm sure that you have a bad day or two,or more...Do you give excuses for them,and are they accepted?

Think about it....

I have been with this team(oh,brother,here he goes AGAIN with the litany)since the year of our Lord 19 and 60,good times and bad,and thought they have disappointed me way too many times,my stomach is still with them...and my heart as well...my eyes have had to adjust to the rigors of age,but they are there as well....and they'll be there the rest of this season,into next(God be willing)and beyond.....

jimdevereux...please excuse the extra "a" I gave you....
As to your desire for A-Rod,please see under the category of "too much for too short a time".....

not in our house.

Back from vacations and camps...can you believe this heat? I'm definitly not a heat girl. Yikes.

Beyond that- good to see the guys get on the board early and often tonight. It is TIME for Mark to snap out of his total funk tomorrow. His 9-9 record is sure disappointing for Ozzie's ace....he needs to start pickin up his team here!! I'm lookin for big things tomorrow, no better palce to start than KC on a Tuesday night.

Gained a game tonight, 7.5 more to go. That's nothing considering its July 31st. Time to catch fire, and not look back!

Lets go Sox!

So close to bloggers night!!....

Tom,

No worries, nobody spells my name right. As for A-Rod, that is more of just a dream to imagine the power that kind of lineup would produce. Considering the ball park we play in, might as well load up. The ball flies out of there non-stop.

If you were new to the English language Hawk would not be the best to listen to. Never would have known the spelling. I just tried to spell it phoenetically. (Hope I spelled that right) If Hawk had his own dictionary we would have words like erra instead of error.

Nice win tonight. A little shaky early on with Jose, but he settled down. I can't remember the last MLB game I saw with 2 balks by the same pitcher. The second one of course could not be seen on WCIU (cause that channel blows!), but they called him for not pausing. There are so many pitchers that never come to a complete stop, or set illegaly that they never call it for. Kind of baffling when they actually do call it. With the 2nd base umpire calling it he really bailed out the home plate ump cause that pitch he called a strike may have come up with dirt on it!

Can anyone at the Sox ask WCIU to please time their commercials better. Kind of ridiculous that you are missing a pitch or two every inning.

Couldn't watch the game last night because we do not get the U way out here in Macomb. Glad to find out Jose went deep into a game. Our pen needed some rest. B-Mc had two scoreless innings too! Like I said a few days ago, if we take care of business in the remaining AL Central games, then the Sox will turn out fine. Mark has to turn it around tonight, right?

BTW, what the funk is the deal with 2 straight games on the U? That channel is garbage and its bad enough that they get 1 game/week.

The U has got to be the worst channel ever for sports. It makes me think of a public access cable channel. I think SportsVision had a better picture. I have DirecTV so we get the digital picture which is a joke. During Bulls games it looks like the lighting in the arena is changing every few seconds, and the glare from the red paint is very distracting. Reds come through horrible in their picture. What I can't believe is they broadcast in HD now through Comcast. I almost fell on the floor when I heard that! They have also needed to fix their speed gun all year long too. It has been consistenly about 7 mph slow on all pitches. I know the Sox will always be considered second class citizens in this city, even though we are the WS champs, but put the crappy team on the crappy channel more often. They deserve it.

brothers devereux and kr-trepac....answering your media questions...After the last out of an inning is recorded,there is supposed to be a toal of 2:05 alloted so that the local/visiting teams can peddle whatever products are sponsoring the event...Usually the umpire at 2nd base has a stopwatch going to time this and let everyone on the field know when play can resume...but with some pitchers like Contreras and Buehrle,time and the alloted eight warmup pitches mean nothing...So,they get a jump on the end of the commercial break....It's a problem that can not be solved,due to Commercials Catch 22:You can't have games on TV without having commercials....
Sponsors are a necessary evil...unless you are in the department of the ball club that works with said sponsors...

Now,Kris,to your dilemma in Macomb(sounds redundant,doesn't it?...just kidding....)I(f Channel 26 was not willing to put the WS on their channel,you would have only about 25 or so games on commercial tv,all on Channel 9...and we all know that it would take an act of Congress to get the Flubs off their TV home for the past(whew)59 seasons...(all the losing,oh,the humanity....)So be grateful that the people at 'CIU give a **** about this ballclub....The other channels in town either won't or can't touch them because of network commitments(Ch 2,5,7,even crappy Ch 32)....So,unless you can put together a syndicate to buy and start your very own TV station(WSOX?--All Sox,all the time....)be grateful to the folks at Weigel Broadcasting....

Now,I don't know if we should be grateful for the news I read in the Some-Times this AM or not....It seems they left the door to the sports department unlocked,and let a certain vermin back in to the building to reek his havoc....Then they compound things by giving the son of a biscuit eater(boy,did I have to clean THAT ONE up....)a new three year contract....I don't know if we should be happy or not....

As to the team on the field,just remember....there are still 62 days left in the regular season...a lot of time for a lot of things to happen,one way or another....

All we can do is watch...and root....

BTW,I look forward to seeing all of you TWO weeks from tonight,as we get together to celebrate WS Universe....and Chris Singleton's birthday....(Alright,Chris,I mentioned it...NOW can I have my pants back????)
Son of BTW....Mr Devereux...way back in the dark ages,before 1968,the number of WS games then available on Ch 9 was about the same(64,I believe,with 51 at old Comiskey)as it is now....We have been spoiled ROTTEN by the idiot box and the availablity of EVERY GAME on the tube.....

To those who wonder what to do with our nag Vazquez, I repeat what others have said before: GIVE MCCARTHY A CHANCE TO START! He did a fine job last year, and showed every indication he could be our 5th starter this year---UNTIL WE ACQUIRED VAZQUEZ, which constitutes Kenny William's WORST off season move. The theory (if you recall) was that Don Cooper could "improve" on Vazquez's mediocre past; clearly this HAS NOT happened. And please don't respond with the obvious fact that McCarthy hasn't been that great in the bullpen. Starting is VERY different from bullpen work, not only in terms of the number of innings you pitch but also the preparation involved. McCarthy has PROVEN he can start; Vazquez continues to prove that he CAN'T.

It's time for a change.

And FYI,brother Devereux....I worked at SportsVision for a year and a half(some times masquerading as the off-camera voice heard at the beginning of each night's programming...."...It's all tonight,HERE....ON SPORTSVISION!!!...")until the management decided to pull the plug on the sidebar programming and just show the games by themselves...and,you're right,at times there was a better picture....but that was because of the descrambler box that you had to purchase with the system...Remember?

But as for yesterdays game, the Flubs were on Comcast. Why couldn't the Sox be on WGN (when the Flubs are not on WGN)? And tonight is ANOTHER U game. Lame.

kolsens...the worst moves that KW has made were these:
1)acquiring that fat head David Wells for a sore-armed Mike Sirotka....

2)trading for rag-armed Todd Ritchie,sending Kip Wells and a pitcher whose name I can't seem to recall to the Pirates...those would qualify in my book as two absolutely LOUSY trades....

As it stands now,the only use that the WS can get out of Vazquez,in your opinion,is my old,reliable Jaime Navarro plan...That is,cut off Vazquez's head,arms and legs...and make 2nd base out of him.....

Josh Fogg

kris:It seems that WGN TV has a deal going with the WB network(soon,Hawk can say it best: HE GONE!!!)to run their programming(???? Gilmore Girls????7th Heaven?????Reba????)during the week....and when the Flubs have night games on 'GN,the entire WB network chain(about two links)gets pushed back until after Tom Skilling's isobars are put away....along with him....It's not really lame,unless you are a baseball fanatic who has no idea of how a TV station makes a profit--that is,by showing only a certain amount of games,while dealing with the public who could give a rat's rear apeture(hi,Dawn---see you in two weeks,dear...)about the Great American Pastime.....

kris...Thanx for the other name...I was in a....
DON'T YOU SAY IT,QUAID!!! DON'T YOU DARE SAY YOU WERE IN A FOG(G)ABOUT HIS NAME!!!!

Too late.....

Vazquez has all the stuff to be a top pitcher. He just runs into that one inning similar to a guy that become our ace last year, Contreras. Remember that guy? Started August last year with 6 wins, and ERA of nearly 5 and couldn't avoid the big inning. That guy who became lights out down the stretch, in the post season and for most of this year.

Give Javy a chance.

BC, today is Aug 1!! Vazquez has been given many chances to prove that he is a starting pitcher and he has proven to all that he can't get the job done! It is time for JV to go to the bullpen and let BM start some games.

Tom,

Have you noticed recently that when the Sox are on Comcast they have been cutting out of the commercials to get back to the game. It's odd that one would do it and the other would not. I know the U has to get as much revenue as they can from their commercials, but it may be time to hire some new sales people to sell air time. They play the same 10-11 commercials all night long.

As far as Sox coverage from 1968 I will have to invoke the Marc Silverman rule (ESPN 1000 listeners should know this). That was 9 years before I was born. I know Sox players from before that time, but where the games where broadcast was not in my knowledge base.

Hey if the Yankess have their own channel (YES - Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network) Then Reinsdorf should put one up too for us in WS Universe. I know its a far fetched dream but I read an interview with KW a week or so ago and he said that Reinsdorf told him whatever money he needed he could have. So make a tv channel for us so we dont have to watch the crappy channels. Like I said i know its just wishful thinking, but hey... it could happen

Don't want to get in a debate over who should go to the pen (not our call) but I have watched for the last two month's and Mark Buerhle's efforts have been brutal with a capital B. Little league brutal.

If the Sox are going to give anyone some time off to get McCarthy a start it's Buerhle, period. Am I suggesting they do that? No, Mark needs to work his way out of the funk. Javy is much closer today to becoming great than Buerhle is to getting back to a sense of normalcy.

I know it's highly unconventional, but.... The last few times McCarthy was in for more than a few, he had some trouble. We know Javy breaks bad after 5...Why not start Javy. Let him pitch 4, then bring in McCarthy for 4. Would be good to see how McCarthy progresses and how his arm handles the work. I know he originally came up as a starter, but it's been some time since he had consistent use....

I have to got with
PUNCH AJ : You won't get suspended :)

I hear ya Kris, these WCIU games are just killing me out here in Davenport. Thankfully The Score picked up Sox games because ESPN radio's signal is wimpy at best out here. Looking (or listening) for big things from Buehrle tonight. This is the night our ace gets his groove back.

I like: Vote A.J.: No one else will

Can you imagine if Jay M. is our good luck charm??!! Go Sox!! Welcome back, Buehrle - we missed you!!!

nice to see buehrle pitch a decent game for once. i am nervous with the thome, konerko injuries. i think the sox should contact carl everett about a return. he is sitting there doing nothing and could at least produce some pop if one of those 2 went down.

howdy! everybody, i'm back....thanks for the personals princesses Dawn, Bethany and Kris. it's nice to be included in the good-guy group. i was out near Savanna visiting MY young princesses and prince ages 9,2 and 4 respectively. it took me all night to catch up on all the posts i've missed for the past week, so i'm writing now to let you all know i'm still alive. maybe i'm the lucky charm ( by not being able to watch for a week) except for sunday's late loss we went four for four. now i know what humidity really is. just walking to our car from the house brought on a sweat. no thanks, i'll keep the high heat and low humidity from now on. that's about it for now, i wish i could see you all at the BIG BASH, but maybe next year. j.k. from the land of sand and cool breezes ( yeah, right!)...

Welcome back J.K.

Glad to see that Mark finally looked like his old self. Maybe July was just a bad month for everyone and now the White Sox can get back to how they were playing prior to July. And guess what, the game isn't on WCIU tonight!!! I think the Sox can take it to this Hudson guy tonight. He started out in the pen and only recently moved into the starting rotation. Paulie and Thome need to heal up quick. Go get 'em Freddy!

Kristofer in Macomb

Welcome back JK. We're feeling your pain, and then some, here. Near 100 yesterday with humidity off the charts. 92 already at 10:23 AM. That's just WRONG!! Good to see Mark back in form. Maybe we had last year's August in July, and all is well =). WC(rap) IU is just horrendous no matter where you are.... Watching it, I feel like I'm 8 and watching UHF channels. Maybe I should fix the rabbit ears :)

Being a transplanted Sox fan here in CA, I would be happy to watch any WS broadcast no matter what the quality (especially for free). Go Sox and sweep!

Heeee'sssssa baaaccckkkk!!

Fantastic performance by Mark after that one mistake of a pitch. And how about David Riske? Two words; Lights Out.

And some very timely hitting, way to go Sox!

Lets not let down, lets SWEEP and continue to build on this momentum!

Any word on Paulie and Thome??

Bethany....as usual,dear heart,you have hit on the key to the game....THAT was the Buehrle that WS Universe has come to know the last couple of seasons...(well,maybe not '04--I think he was bad then,as well....)The bats are coming out of slumber,Crede is showing the home state folks what a clutch hitter he can be,given the right opportunity....To the bullpen we go...Mac Dougal,in my opinion,will be an asset down the stretch....Thornton,although he hung a pitch to Teahen that tied the game,will be helpful as well,and Mr Riske,on just 17 pitches over 1 and 2/3 innings,proved he was worth his acquisition....Manchild came in,gave up one run,but then settled in and mopped up...an appropriate phrase,concerning the temps and humidity that have plagued all of us....So now,the boys go for the sweep,then up to Ontario for a day off to try and figure out if it is cooler in Toronto,because everything is lower there than here...or so it seems....
kr-trepac....I will now apologize for the bard of Tucson,jklein...for his mistaking you for a female....you see,in all the humidity,his glasses fogged up and he couldn't tell whom was whom...(yeh,that's the story....)

Dear Dawn and all the other 'CIU bashers....as stated before,thank goodness for them,because no one else is able to,or perhaps wants to,pick up the coverage....

mooney 1324...in case you are unaware,the WS are part owners and operators of Comcast Sports Net,along with the Cubs,Bulls,Black Hawks and others....The YES network(home to Hawk and Marv Albert---oh,I'm sorry,wrong "YESSSS")is home to the Yank-mes and the NJ Devils hockey team ONLY....So they can have a lot more coverage for the Bronx Bummers,because there is not that big of a pie to split up....

weedenft...You are in luck,my friend...Saturday at 1:05 Pacific time,Sox/Blue Jays....Tuesday the 8th,5 PM Pacific time,Sox/Yank-mes from what should be a raucous Cell....after that,however,only 9 games left on the SuperStation for '06....

You're welcome....

For the rest of us,think good thoughts about tonight,and see what transpires....

Tom Quaid.....GOOD *********** it, I GOTTA stop listening to Paul Harvey.....)

Tom -

I was unaware of that fact. Well we should kick the flubs off of comcast and leave them on wgn and we can take comcast for the year. Go for the sweep tonight guys.

You're a sharp one TQ. I didn't think anyone would notice.

mooney 1324....there is only one thing wrong with what you say....Believe it or not,Rippley,there are people like your obedient servant here who don't have the availability of Comcast...(circumstances as to why will go untold,because they would sound like something out of a sob story.....)So,every so often,I get a bone thrown at me and can actually see with my own two(fading)hazel eyes what the boys are doing,and not have to rely totally on the radio call from Farmer and Singleton....
kris....I notice things like that because,as you say,I am sharp...(right,Maynard....)

Some sad news to finish up with today...One of the investors in the WS from the Bill Veeck days through the present,Fred Brzozowski,passed away a week ago Monday,at the age of 69....He was a trader at the CBOT and worked his way up the ranks to the point where he was able to help save the WS from Seattle in '76 with the second Veeck regime,then stayed with Jerry and Eddie when they took over....I never met the man,but knew of him,and of his passion for the WS....I'm sure that those of us in WS Universe will say a silent prayer tonight for him and his family....after what we hope,as Chris Rangey says,is a WS winner.....

TQ

Thanks TQ - you even converted the start time to PST - I will also get the 8/7 broadcast v Angels (either ESPN or local)

actually, i was referring to Kristine Moore & not kr-trepac, but i'll try not to be ambiguous in the future. go Sox, keep it rolling even though i'm back home. i'd hate to have to travel for the next two months, unless you all could support my trips. as Bethany would say...ha ha......j.k.

oh, yeah, i have to go with vote AJ because of the new HPB contest in the all star game. j.k. ( again), hey, i've got to make up for lost time.....

okay, maybe i should just not watch the games? maybe that would work? Freddie pitched pretty well tonight, but we haven't managed many hits. just another shoulda/coulda at this point. i still think we have some hits left in our bats tonight to get back into this one. j.k......

so now i can stop watching... we'll probably get washed out after 7 complete.. let's keep winning series though, next stop toronto. j.k.....

Hello guys and gals. Haven't posted in a few, just trying to sit quietly and watch game to game, seems if I just sit back quietly they fare better, maybe it's a coincidence, but it's been a little bit better lately. Klein, nice to have you back, you were missed.

Indeed, it is great to have you back JK!

Bummer takin an L tonight, but just keep taking series and we'll be just fine come the end of September. Don't get me wrong- sweeps are great!

Just keep focused, keep believin and keep playing. We'll be ok. Lets go SOX!

That didn't work. i stopped watching after the rain delay hoping that i was the jinx that had us losing with my watching, but we didn't do any better later, so i can officially say that i'm not the reason for any trouble we've been having. whew!! it would have been impossible for me not to watch the games anyhow.

on to baseball thoughts for a change. Ozzie's penchant for keeping his starters in games late so they can have a chance for a W simply isn't working this year as it did last. that's not necessarilly what happened last night with Freddie, but if he had been taken out for a fresher arm after six, we could have tied it up in the eighth, and possibly won it. i'm not second guessing what the Wizard does, just throwing it out for discussion. bottom line is we couldn't get to luke hudson ( aka nolen ryan). as some have pointed out previously, we never seem to fare too well against rookies or call-ups for some reason. ( he was new to us anyway). i'm glad to see that Paulie and Sock-it Thome will be back friday. as Bethany said, keep winning series and we'll be okay. see you all in toronto manana against halladay. go get him, Jon. j.k. from the land of swimming pools and low humidity....

Oh sure, JK, rub it in while the rest of us swelter in this midwest misery. Low humidity... bah! (Welcome back!)

I was hoping for good news as I awoke this morning, but Mike North on the clock radio told me otherwise. Not the best way to wake up... with or without the loss. (Sorry, not a big North fan.)

Onward to Toronto. My gut tells me this will be a tough series, as Toronto needs to rack up some wins to stay in contention. They'll be hungry... I'm hoping we'll be hungrier.

Rest up, guys. We're heading into a long stretch of games now.

-- Maria, from the land of 24/7 perspiration and $300+ electric bills

Tomquaid,

Your point is well taken; I was referring, however, to last off season. On the other hand, I love your plan for cutting Vazquez into pieces, though it does seem a little too easy on him. After all, he has d fans often; shouldn't the be reciprocated?

Tomquaid,

I didn't realize that tor***ed was on the list of words.

Klein et al.,

Last night's seventh inning is an excellent example of why the Sox CANNOT win the pennant this year if, as Kenny Williams says, our starters don't "step up." By "step up," I take him to mean that our starters must begin to pitch 6, 7 or even 8 STRONG INNINGS, with 3 or fewer runs allowed.

Why must our pitchers perform as they did last year? Because (as I said in May) Ozzie DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO MANAGE PITCHERS. If he must make decisions, as he had to last night, the Sox are sunk. This is because Ozzie lacks what most seasoned managers have: GOOD JUDGMENT.

If you listened to Farmio last night, he put a "positive spin" on Ozzie's ineptness. In the 7th, Farmio said that he knows many managers who would not have allowed Garcia to pitch into the 7th. These managers would have pulled Garcia instead of asking him how he felt. Ozzie, said Farmio, likes to give his pitchers "a chance to win."

Farmio's statements merely reiterated what I have said before: that Ozzie lives by the principle (principle #1) that no starter should be pulled before the 5th. It is a principle that "succeeded" last year simply because our starters were so often able to pitch well beyond the 5th. Most of the time--especially in the World Series--Ozzie did not have to make a decision.

This year demonstrates, however, that Ozzie's two principles (#2, you recall, is that when it comes to relievers, we must "match" righties with righties and lefties with lefties) DO NOT WORK when your starters are stumbling and why NOTHING SUBSTITUTES FOR A MANAGER'S ABILITY TO GAUGE A PITCHER'S EFFECTIVENESS, i.e. NOTHING SUBSTITUTES FOR GOOD JUDGMENT. Last night, instead of doing what most seasoned managers would have done (as Farmio suggested), Ozzie "asked" Garcia if he still had his stuff, applied principle number one, and then watched as Garcia gave up two more runs to put the game out of reach. Ultimately a stupid decision, but given Ozzie's limitations, the only one he is really capable of making.

So to repeat what I said in May: let's hope that the starters 'step up' and take Ozzie out of the game. If he's forced to "manage" his pitchers, we're dead in the water.

Kolsens,

Excellent points you bring up here. I absolutely agree with you. What I want to know is where is Don Cooper when all this is going on? What is his role in deciding when a pitcher is done or not? Does he have Harold Baines disease? Has he gone mute? Cooper did a great job last year with this staff, and while not every thing has seemed to go right so far this year he has had some successes with a guy like Matt Thornton. Ozzie has proven he does not know how to deal with pitchers. Let Cooper assume the role. Unless you are going out there to ask Mark Prior (cause he has no balls) if he wants to come out, no starter will take themselves out. They are too competitive.

A managers main job is to put his players in situations where they can succeed, not to let them hang themselves.

It's very easy to second guess Ozzie's calls to either leave or change a pitcher. The fact is the two guys (Cotts and McCarthy) that he would have to bring in for those sitations in the 5th or 6th clearly don't give him a shut down feeling and why would they it seems as though every runner they inherit touches the plate and than some.

Fact is we need to pitch better across the board. The only guy that we can count on consistently is Jenks, getting to him has been the issue.

The starting pitching needs to peform to their skill level and take games to the 7th and 8th innings.

BC - if McCarthy does not give Ozzie that shut down feeling (I agree with your assessment) then why the **** didn't we trade him for an arm or bat that can actually win us some key games??!! I mean, KW keeps saying that he can't win the 2008 World Series in 2006 - well then, if McCarthy can't do the job he is given NOW, we should have gotten rid of him for a better arm, or a bat --Soriano!

DReifer:

I think if the right offer is/was there for McCarthy, KW pulls the trigger. I doubt it ever existed or someone asked for way too much in return.

They are starting to do what they're supposed to do,that is,win two out of every three games played to stay with shouting distance of Los Tigres(division)and the Carmines(aka Bo-Sox)(wild card).... So,what is with all the picking apart and analysis up the ying-yang? If the pitchers can give you six innings,fine...seven,even better...eight,nirvana...the distance? unheard of in this day of 12 man staffs with seven relievers,each of whom has his own role....long innings man,middle innings man,go to the bank closer,pitch to a guy with two first names only....every body wants to get in to the act....I have been watching baseball since it was in black and white,and compatable color,on good old Ch 9...God knows,I should know a lot about it...but there are just some times when you have to send somebody out there,then cross your fingers that they don't come back in pieces....
Same thing for batters....Age has crept in recently with "Sock-It"Thome,and the inside pitch that plunked the Captain on his (less than)funny bone have robbed them of two of the more solid bats in the order,just when the rest of the sticks are starting to get hot(you'll pardon the expression,Maria...)again....

Hopefully,the day off should help...but Halliday is a handful....let's just see what happens.....

TQ,from the same land Maria's in...(and who would have thought THAT was possible???)

Remaining August Schedules for teams that matter-

Yankees -

3 @ BAL

3 @ CWS

4 vs LAA

3 vs BAL

5 @ BOS

3 @ SEA

3 @ LAA

3 vs DET

Boston -

3 @ TB

3 @ KC

3 vs BAL

3 vs DET

5 vs NYY

3 @ LAA

3 @ SEA

3 @ OAK

Tigers -

3 vs CLE

3 vs MIN

3 @ CWS

3 @ BOS

4 vs TEX

4 vs CWS

3 @ CLE

3 @ NY

Twins -

3 @ KC

3 @ DET

4 vs TOR

4 vs TOR

3 vs CLE

3 vs CWS

3 @ BAL

3 @ CWS

3 vs KC

White Sox -

3 @ TOR

1 vs LAA

3 vs NYY

3 vs DET

4 vs KC

3 @ MIN

4 @ DET

3 vs MIN

3 vs TB

Holy ****!! This is it!!! By the end of the month we should know if we're in or we're out!!

It looks as if all the teams who are fighting for the playoffs in the AL are all playing each other for the rest of the season. There is a sprinkle of Tampa Bay and KC in there, but for the most part, all the good teams are playing each other. This playoff picture will come down to the final week of the season and maybe the final day. This should be a good August and September. Go Go White Sox!

Kris

duke and kristofer...you are both right....Divisions and pennants are not won and lost in April or May....but they damned well can be in August and September....For history purposes,I refer back in time to 1951---Brooklyn with a 13 1/2 game lead over the NY Giants with 44 games to play...Giants win 37 of 44(sorry about that,Mr Reinsdorf),and have to have the Dodgers win on the last day of the regular season to force the infamous three game playoff,which ended with the Bobby Thomson HR off Ralph Branca....1964,Philadelphia with a 6 1/2 game lead with 12 games left....they skid,St Louis gets hot...end result? Cards win pennant,upset Yank-mes to win Series,Phillies finish tied for second....We all know,or should know,what happened here in Chi-town in 1969...Metsies and Flubs....
The list can go on and on...As the old expression goes,it's not how you start,it's how you finish....

TQ

BTW,Bethany....did you happen to hear what was playing in the clubhouse on their music system in KC?
You betcha,kiddo--Steve Perry and "Journey's Greatest Hits"

Any connection between that and how they've been playing recently? H-m-m-m-m-m....

See ya in 11 days...and counting.....

TQ...I did catch that, and I was proud! :) I'm telling you, Steve Perry is a very thankful man of the White Sox...they sure brought back his career!

Our man Garland is on the mound tonight, and I tell ya guys, I've got a good feeling that over the next couple of weeks- our guys are really going to open some eyes....bring the magic back, so to speak!

Dreifer- thanks for the schedules! I like being able to line them all up and see them right in front of me instead of constantly searching to compare.

As we can see through dreifers post, this is going to be ONE exciting August- so buckle your seat belt Sox fans! As long as we play like we know how to; grinder ball, small ball, long ball, PITCHING, and stellar defense...winning series, and having a little fun while doing so, we are going to have a very fun end to the season!

Now's the time to let our colors show, because I'm calling it: the White Sox are here to stay!!

I am off to do some chores, then settle down to watch Jon continue to shine! Have a great day all, and as always; lets go SOX!

Baltimore O's traded Catcher Javier Lopez to the Boston Red Sox today to take the place of Jason Varitek and the O's picked up Chris Widger today.

Argghh! now i have to listen to pat tabler and the blue jays team announce tonights game. this after three straight from the lovely city of k.c.. i long for the dulcet tones of Hawk and DJ. i guess tomorrow is my target date. later all. j.k....

to further explain after the top of the first: you never know who will broadcast the games on mlb.tv. it's happened to have been the home teams the last four games. on to victory Boys...

way to go A.J. hold 'em Jon. j.k.....

that was weird! mlb.tv just switched to batting practice at safeco field. first time for that. go Sox, my feed is back.....

in-game up date..... Brandon looks good through two..... one more frame to go, go White Sox....

now that's White Sox baseball!! a slide into first by Paulie! a steal of second by pinch runner Ross, and finally a hit by JD. way to go. three more outs....

and you can put it on the board. keep those jays DOWN. go get them manana Javy, it's your turn..... j.k. from the land of happiness and satisfaction....

Garland pitched a gem.
McCarthy did the same.

Bobby, wow, his movement.

AJ's big bat.

Timely hitting.

Stellar defense (Joe Crede!).

All of this equals a phenominal win for our guys. Great effort out there tonight!!!

(One tough note: Poor Rob tonight, how questionable were those pitches?!)

Like I said, what a phenominal win!

Javy, its your turn to step it up tomorrow...and I expect nothing less!! Lets go SOX!

Hey! Great blogs everybody! Very informative. What i want to know is where the heck is Joe now that the Twinkies are getting SMASHED!!! He's not talking all that **** now is he? BTW, my vote is for Punch AJ..No one else will! Welcome back JK! Let's continue to take two out of three (at least) although sweeps would be much better. If there was ever a time for Javy to turn it around it is NOW!!! TONITE!!! Earn that money boy! I'm tired of watching him fall flat on his face after the 5th! I'll be praying for him as always. But for some reason I feel pretty good about today. So GO GET EM BOYS!!!!

Imunoz,
I also find it humorous that John, in the land of Twinkies, has not posted on this site since his team has been playing poorly. You should visit his blog. The link is on the Sox post titled "Johan Tuesday." It looks like the only people who post on his blog are people who dislike him and the Twins....The Sox have given Vasquez a 3 run lead. Will he blow another game in the 6th ininng or will Ozzie take him out before the game is lost? We shall see!!

Oh Blakeheem!

Yee of little faith! You forgot the option of "or will Javy pitch an incredible game, like he is fully capable of doing...striking out 13 so far (in the 8th)...???"

Javy sure looked like the Javy of the beginning of the year tonight, glad to have you back Javy!! Everyone is sure turning it out around, I LOVE it!!

And Lisa and blakeheem, have you also noticed that our 'friend' "DeanKlub"...you rememebr- the Indians fan, who was ALWAYS around last year and through the beginnign of this year...yea he is also totally MIA. Gotta love the fairweather fans that like to make crazy claims on other teams websites when all is going well for them, but then magically disapper when times grow tough!!

Lets finish out the 9th Sox, and take the series!

WHAT A WELL PITCHED GAME BY JAVY!! ATTA BOY THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR!! I TOLD YOU I FELT GOOD ABOUT THIS TODAY!!! (see, prayer does work)
Lisa

great call Bethany!! Javy indeed did pitch a stellar game. i was a bit worried in the 5th, but that turned out to be just anxiety ( thank you very much). another solid team win with NO home runt to account for our score. keep the jays down for one more, then they can start to win again, kinda like our team when we were down. it should be a very good finale manana with their aj against our AJ. i'm going out on a limb and picking our group. anybody out there want to argue? we are playing like the Sox of Olde again! keep it rolling... j.k. from the land of optomism and breyers ice cream( i just treated myself to a small victory ((for JaVVVy))bowl)........

Soxpride,
You are right! I forgot option 3 because Javy has been bad for so long that I lost faith in him. I am very happy to be proved wrong today. But I hope that this start is not an aberration. Hey, here's an idea. How about a sweep on Sunday? That would be great!

haha, no worries Blakeheem- I'm just glad he did prove you wrong!! haha And as for the sweep you talk about, lets DO it!!

Keep it rolllllin Jose!! Lets go SOX! Come home on a winning note! (I feel like its been forever!)

FYI,the Staurday meeting of the "Why Is Javier Vazquez Still Pitching For the WS" Society has been cancelled...If that wasn't a shot of confidence,I don't know what will be....You did not have to worry about the trhird time through the order,because he only faced 27 to begin with...and dispatched of the last 11 in succession....109 pitches,76 for strikes....and(Coop's favorite)21 1st pitch strikes....I think that passes muster....
Now I know what the naysayers are naysaying..."Okay,he did well today...Let's see what happens Thursday versus the Yank-mes..." Fair enough by me...

Offensively,did Thome and Konerko mean something when they were out of the lineup? You betcha....

Going into their last AB's today....for the first two games of the series,"Sock-It" and the Captain were,combined,10 for 12,with5 runs scored,5 RBI,2 2B and 6 BB....Yeah,the WS don't need them,right?(Right,Maynard....)

They need the big Cuban horse to do his thing tomorrow,then hope that the Indians have about a 14 run lead going into the last wraps for Los Tigres...so that Wedge doesn't put that rag arm Carmona back in...he is absolutely BRUTAL....

Wow!! Javy was great. Is he back??? One more start will let us know ... for now, great job Javy.
Hope to see some of the guys that are "JUST TELLING IT LIKE IT IS" come on and at least give the guy his do. That is the pitching he is capeable of, he just needs to keep it up.

Go get em Jose!!!!

Sean

looks like no one else wants to comment about today, so i guess it's up to me. i was wrong about our AJ in yesterday's post. their aj beat us, or did we beat ourselves? towards the end it looked like we couldn't wait to board that plane for Chitown. i hope that Mark can pitch like he did in his last start, and we've got a good chance to prevail. also, i just heard from my yank-mes friend and he's still sticking it to me for a couple of weeks ago. the only thing to do is keep winning series, as it doesn't appear that we will ever again sweep anybody???? that's the thought from dry and now after the floods of last week, dusty Tucson.

ok, i give up, someone has to help me, because i'm just too old to know this one. what the heck is BTW? i tried

better than wussies

beer that works

beasts (are) thin (on) wednesdays

but that's why

bent towards (the) west

blow the wad

brats taste wild

Bethany trusts willie

bikers tout westerns

black then white

bless the weasel

big tin willow

and my favorite so far:

Buehrle trounces wang.

but seriously folks, a little help here please...j.k. in the land of frustration and consternation ( not to be confused with Whit Sox Nation)....

i'm sure these are wrong too, but....
bless the warblers

beat the west

brave the weather

bart trips (over)weeds

better than warts

bound to weep

blast the wacko's

bleep the wind

blonde's top wiggles

boo the wiseguys

bring the (w)heat

bury the watch

buy the watch

build the watch

bless thy wisdom

better (late) than whenever

buck tooth wisdom

build the website.

more:

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i'm done for now.... please help, please help. bring the whiskey. hey that has got to be it!. j.k.

I was just wondering if anyone knew if Mark Buehrle's wife, Jamie is pregnant or not. I'm just curious and I heard that somewhere so I was just looking for verification. Thanks in advance. Go Sox!
-Holly

By the way...

Thank You weedenft, you have put my mind at ease. Whew, thanks again.
j.k. from the land of peace and composure.

BTW ( wink,wink) Go Sox!!!!!

Sorry JKlein...didn't mean to stump you. (very hard to do..especially when it comes to baseball...you are our blog genius!) Thanks for clarifying it for him weedenft!
Hey Scott, where are you? I miss you. I know your vacation is well deserved but we miss you already!!

Let's start this homestand off right by giving those Angels a beatin'. Let's Go Sox!!!!

GO SOX..... I'm votin for Vote AJ he can steal 1st on national TV

By the way,jklein...(sorry,couldn't help it....)I am honored to share some piece of "blog genius"status with you,sir....There are some members of WS Universe who have thought for some time than your obedient servant is some sort of icon on these pages for the last year or so....My head is not that big,but if it be the case...fine to share with you and the rest....
Now to the start of the homestand tonight with the one shot by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim(Azusa and Cucamonga)....I really don't think I have to say it,but I will anyway....WS Universe,this is the homestand to determine if there will be a second year of post season activity at the Cell....the next three weeks in total is the period for the boys to,as the old phrases go,"fish or cut bait","p*** or get off the pot"(sorry for the vulgarism)...

They have to win,in my no uncertain terms,18 out of the next 21 to firm up either 1)the division or 2)the wild card race....because,as scary as it seems,I really don't see the Tigers fading away....They are getting that cocky-a**ed attitude that so-called "teams of destiny"seem to have....I saw it in I Rod's gesture when they beat the Indians Saturday night....And as much as Leyland might want to soft peddle it,or not bring it up at all,I think he secretly loves sticking it to the WS...

So winning two out of every three doesn't seem to do a **** bit of good in getting the Bo-Sox or the Twinkies off the boys' backsides,either....

so that makes this homestand,as well as the next three weeks,the most important of the year....

Am I right,or am I crazy?(I will take responses either way.....)

And speaking of the Indians...deanklub,if you're out there is California...we would like to hear your take on the team that,I feel,has been the biggest disappointment of '06--bar none....
The Tribe were supposed to provide the WS with their main competition this year,as they did in August and most of September of '05....WHA'HOPPENED????

They fell out of site quicker than Halley's Comet,then began a fire sale the likes of which I haven't seen since the Marlins and Pirates were operating MLB's version of the Home Shopping Channel....

Saturday night,I witnessed Eric Wedge kind of fatherly talking to Fausto Carmona in the visitors dugout in Detroit...after screwing up the game by giving up the game ending HR....A touching site,perhaps,but I would much rather see the players react in a different way...like wanting REVENGE and like wanting to kick some a** the next game....not wimping off to yet another one run loss....

deanklub...the question remains...."WHA' HAPPENED?"

Nice Fred Willard reference.

First, I hope my prediction of Javy V becoming last year's version of Contreras continues (like to see the old Jose back as well). Second, TQ you are absolutely correct. This next stretch of games either puts the Sox in or out. Plain and simple, we will what the 2006 White Sox are made of, starts now!

TQ, you took the words out of my mouth. I told my hubby this morning..this week in particular divides the boys and men. This week especially against the Yankees and Detroit decides our fate. Again those Twinkies and Tigers beat up on each other and I'm not sure who to root for, but we have to take care of our own business so it doesn't matter. Lets hope when we all meet at the Cell next week, that the outcomes this week still have us hoping and not drowning our sorrows in what could have been.

Does anyone know why ESPN does not show the Sox in Indiana when it says on the schedule that the game is on ESPN? I can understand why they would be blacked out in NW Indiana, but I live south of Indianapolis. Even when it is an away game they are still not shown....I also believe that this is the most important week of the season for the Sox. I think they need to win 6 of 7. Let's hope the MB of old show's up tonight!!

Dear Mr. Tom Quaid,

you sir do not have to appologize to me or anyone else about your expertise as far as baseball is concerned. in fact i'm sure that our friend Imunoz meant to talk about you instead of me ( as far as i'm concerned, i am our unofficial story teller and resident old guy), but you are without peer in all matters baseball.

i have to disagree with you however in your statement of having to win 18 out of the next 21. if we continue to simply win series we will be fine. that pencils out to 667 baseball, and while we won't catch the tigers (i think we will however) necessarilly, that should be enough for the post season. i still predict us to win 96 games. if that doesn't get us there, then tip your hat and wait for next year. in any event, it should be fun watching and rooting....j.k. from the land of more optomism and steadfastness....

oh Scott, we need you. please come back to help lead us on to victory. hope to see you manana after i get back from my visit with Dad in phoenix.
j.k. Go Sox!!!!!!!!

the only way we're catching detroit is if they get carmona as their new closer.

this just hurts. will someone please remind me why we didnt trade away brandon, thorton, neal and bobby? we could have gotten some decent hitters and a good starter. i mean, i could have pitched the game tonight after ozzie let mark lose it in the eighth.

WHAT THE **** DO YOU HAVE A BULLPEN FOR IF YOU DONT USE IT?!?!

seriously, what is the point of those guys sitting out there if youre not going to bring them in to help your starter out of a jam?

ive been reading all the whining about ozzie mismanaging and the apologist(s) talking about our still solid record and i have found myself watching games now screaming at ozzie to pull javy, or mark tonight... and ive gradually made my way to the other side of the fence. and it hurts.

i couldnt stand to sit there and hear hawk make excuses and talk about salmons at bat.

thats just as bad as halos fans saying ajs play cost them game 2. man on first with 2 outs. thats not a game changer. loading the bases and then seeing them all cross home was not salmons or the umpires fault. it wasnt even mark's fault since he had no business being out there after it was 1st and 2nd. it was ozzie's fault. the bullpen didnt get the chance to do their job because ozzie didnt do his.

it hurts.

at least for the playoffs our destiny's still in our own hands... but man, id sure love some help right now.

Um...Question: Are we going to pick up this pathetic, has-been's (aka Mark Buehrle) option next year??!! I guess that would be our next stellar move, considering we have one of the worst staffs in the majors right now. Might as well continue this pathetic trend into next year. Don't get me wrong - MB's performance against KC was great. It just would be nice if he could actually pitch against a team other than a AAA ballclub. You know what? I wish he was the only problem. But our whole pitching staff has the consistency of ... oh, ******, I can't think of a good metaphor. They're just pathetic!! It's like the whole staff can't get this thing together. Oh, I forgot - "he just had one bad inning," right Oz?? Keep repeating this over and over and over...I'm sure that's what every team that plays golf on October 4th tells the media and themselves.

Sorry if I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel here folks. The Sox have yet to show me anything resembling inspiration to rekindle my hopes. Belief alone that we're good, we're playoff-worthy, or that a piece of paper with some good looking names on it will bring us into October just won't cut it anymore. Not with 50 games left. Not with us depending on the Tigers to knock the **** out of the Twins. We need to do our own winning against good teams to see October ball. And please!! Let us not pretend that the road trip meant anything great. We played against the MLB's bottom feeders. This team is not showing up when it counts. Hey JK, might as well "tip your hat" now to Detroit. They have the mojo and the division by a landslide. **** - they cruised by Liriano!!! We got crushed by...Silva!! OY!!

Note - Last year Cleveland played great ball when it counted and made a terrific run. Anyone who even thinks that this team resembles the 2005 Indians, what with our "pitchers" (is that what we are still calling them?), and can knock the Tigers off of their perch is delusional.

Next up - Yankees. Then Detroit. Like I said before...OY!!!

Oh, I almost forgot! Thank goodness that Alomar was cathing for Buehrle tonight. That made all the difference in his performance!!

Whether you want to hear it or not, the Salmon at bat was crucial in this game. Mark got screwed by the home plate ump. If he gets the strikeout he is out of the inning. We don't know what happens after that. He could come back out the next inning and **** it up.

What really bothered me is the effort to get out of that inning. As soon as Mark could not find the zone he needed to be pulled. Ozzie please stop trying to give your starters a chance to win the game, and actually win the game!!! I am so sick of it costing us chances to win. Another thing was on the pathetic attempt, or lack thereof, by Scott Podsednik to make a play on the ball hit to him by Chone Figgins in that inning where we imploded. He lets the ball land two feet from him and the runners on 2nd and 3rd score. That could have been the last out of the inning. Is he afraid of hurting himself??? Dive for the **** ball. Show some effort. Even if you miss it both runs score regardless. I could not even watch it after that. I think Peter Pan's days of prancing around left field are done here. Kenny please move him during the offseason!

Mark B pitched great for 6 and 2/3's, take that performance everytime. With as strong a pen as we have especially the late guys, he needed to be yanked after the Salmon walk in the 7th. Let's go, get r done.

Good morning, BC. Unfoftunately for Buehrle, Javy and whoever else decides to screw the game the night he is on the mound, a game lasts for 9 innings. Maybe our "pitchers" should be starting in softball leauges instead. As I recall, they play, what, 6 innings? **** - Javy would win a Cy Young there and Garcia and Buerle could pitch the 60-70 MPH we have seen of late!

Mr. Tom Petty...take it away..."we're free, free falling...!!

dreifer:
Um...Question: Are we going to pick up this pathetic, has-been's (aka Mark Buehrle) option next year??!!

I have to agree here, there is no better way to judge if a pitcher is a has been than by looking at his last 7 starts. Even in 2003 when Buehrle lost 6 in a row from April to May, I thought, "What a has-been this guys is, he'll never regain his form and pitch well." And boy was I right.

Because let's face it, someone like him who has been our ace for a while and has been impressive over his career, giving us 200+ innings year after year, he really doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt.

True pitchers don't go through slumps. Just look back at all the great pitchers and you will find that every single one of them NEVER went through a rough patch. You will also find that every pitcher who ever lost 6 games in a row was a has-been from that point on, no matter how impressive his career stats were.

Dreifer, get a clue. He's going through a rough time, obviously, but to say he's a has-been is just plain stupid. And if you think Mark Buehrle is a has-been because 6 of his last 7 starts, then you are also just plain stupid. For being the huge White Sox fan that you say you are, you certainly don't give anybody on the team or the team itself the benefit of the doubt in any circumstance.

But then again, what have they really done to deserve the benefit of the doubt, besides winning the World Series in 4 games?

Not to mention that the "has-been" started one of those World Series games that the Sox won and he also picked up a Save in another game a few days later.

From one Big Dog to another, well said.

Buehrle's biggest problem right now is his change-up. His best pitch is failing him because he has been unable to locate it like he normally does. Batters are sitting on it right now. Is it cause he is tired? Maybe. He may have just lost the pitch all together. It happens, remember Esteban Loaiza and that amazing cutter that just went away after his first year here.

My suggestion would be to give Mark a bye the next time through the rotation. Go get Haeger or someone in AAA and give them a start. I hate to think that Mark is tired because that is simply an excuse, but is it not worth a try? We need this guy!

Oh Bigdog, I love your lala world!! It must be great there!! The sun is always shining, especially when your head is in the sand! I would love to give Buehrle the...what did you call it, "benefit of the DOUBT." "Doubt" is the operative term here. So, in your mind, when is "doubt" removed? I love the comparisons to last year? Is he the pitcher he was last year? Answer this question, I will help you - NO!! So enough with last year!! Yes, he has done wondorous things for us last year, during the season and the postseason. But honestly, right now, you would pay 9.5 million for this??!! Like I said before, we have around 50 games to go. Unless I see some inspirational play against in the next series, I won't be convinced of our chances. No more hope. No more belief. No more talking a great game. Show up and win games!!

But of course, in sunny, Bigdog land, all we need is rah, rah, rah, let's get 'em tomorrow! That always works!

You act like everything is set in stone with the Sox. That none of our players, who are playing poorly right now, can come out of a slump. And then when someone calls you on it, all you can say is that we are apologists and live in la la land.

I'm not trying to say that Mark B. is the best right now, but things can change. It is still possible.

Hi JKlein and Tom Quaid,
I first had to get through all of the WHINING to post this message (albeit some good points were made, such as, Ozzie's resistance to pull our pitchers when they get themselves in a jam...when will he realize that these are not the same caliber of pitchers we had last year?)

ANYWHO... I just wanted to say that it because of BOTH of you baseball genius' that I continue to scroll this blog. I am still pretty young (only 39, thank you!) And I truly enjoy both of your stories and your wisdom not to mention the spirits and devotion of Bethany, Dawn and Maria! This is a GREAT blog and I often come here seeking wisdom and understanding and knowledge as well as seeking a support system for the baseball team we have all grown up with and loved...Win or Lose!!! ( I have YET to stop believing!)

Lisa

If things change - I like my crow well done!! I will be glad to eat it!

Imunoz, Klein, JimDevereux, et al.,

On Monday night, did you watch Ozzie when he walked to the mound in the 7th? First he talked to Alomar, then to Buerhle. Why? To ask them if Buerhle can still pitch. Everyone in the stadium knew Buehrle should have been pulled except Ozzie, who, ESPN announcers euphemistically said, used "his heart instead of his head."

BUT the reality is that when it comes to pitching, Ozzie has no "head." He CANNOT (I repeat) judge a pitcher's effectiveness. It is his major weakness, and you might as well resign yourself to the fact that he will continue to cost us games in which our pitching staff cannot go the distance.

By the way, Eric Wedge has the same problem. The other night in Detroit, he had NO reason to replace his reliever with Carmona in the 9th, other than(taking a page from Ozzie's book) to boost Carmona's confidence from two beatings in Boston. Result: another last inning loss. Wedge unquestionably deserves the ax, and when he receives it, Mr. Tomquaid, many of the Indians' problems WILL be solved IF they can find someone like Jim Leyland, who CAN judge a pitcher's effectiveness.

NOTE TO SCOTT PODSEDNIK,

Believe it or not, Scotty, opposing pitchers HAVE figured out that you like to take the first pitch down the the middle of the plate. And now that you are at the top of Kenny Williams' off season list, it might be wise to START SWINGING AT THE FIRST PITCH. And even if you don't care about your own pretty rear, swinging at first pitch strikes will provide a good example to Paul Konerko, who has developed the same addiction to taking first pitch strikes.

RE BUHERLE:

A fastball in the 85 mph range? Sorry but that won't make it the big leagues, NO MATTER HOW GOOD BUEHRLE'S LOCATION.

Unless Buherle can regain his speed (last year's fastball was near 90 mph), then the Duke is correct about Buehrle.

I hate the lefty/lefty righty/righty matchup stuff too. But, doesn't every manager play that game?

Kolsens,

I can't agree with you more about Ozzie managing his pitchers with his heart instead of his head. No more giving your starters a chance to earn a win, just with the **** game no matter who is on the mound. As for your point about Buehrle's pitch speed on his fastball be careful where you get that info from. The speed guns for the television broadcasts have been shaky at best this year. The only way to get an accurate reading is at the park. All year Bobby Jenks has been maxing out at 92 or 93mph(no way that is accurate) on WGN and WCIU, and early in the year Comcast was doing the same. Now they put about every third pitch up there. He has slowed down a bit this year, but the changeup location is his biggest problem. He needs to find that pitch again soon.

With apologies to Ernest Lawrence Thayer....
"It looks extremely rocky for the White Sox nine these days....

The score stands 10 behind,with but 52 to play...."

When I was a wee lad,back in the time when dinosaurs were roaming the earth,and the land was just beginning to cool(remember,jklein?),on the TV screen and in the cartoon strip,the can of spinach would always get to Popeye in the nick of time,and he would have the strength to thwart and beat the bejeejus out of Bluto and all other enemies,foreign and domestic....you could always count on Randolph Scott and the US Cavalry to come riding up on time to dispatch the Indians(not the ones from Cleveland)and save the day....

What I am saying,in a susperstitious sort of way,Mr Reifert and fellow members of WS Universe,is this....It is time for the statue of John Wayne to make a reappearance in Mr Reinsdorf's suite at the Cell....and it is also time for the Duke's picture to reappear at the top of this blog page with every new entry that Scott comes up with....The reason I'm suggesting all this is simple....I don't really know what else can be done to get these guys off the deck and kicking and screaming back down the collective throats of the Tigers,Twins,Red Sox,Yank-mes and any other teams left on the schedule....

Now,to pick up my thoughts on the recent other posts ....

kolsens....You know aas well as I do,starting pitchers are very proud,stubborn creatures...They will openly lie to a manager when they are getting killed on the mound,because in their own thought patterns,they can get the job done....no matter what....so Buehrle is no different from any other jamoke who throws a baseball to make a buck....Last year,however,means nothing if you can't get the pitches to do what you want them to THIS YEAR....and you're getting your a** handed to you on a regular basis....no matter if Alomar is catching,or AJ is catching or if Sherm Lollar came back from the dead and was catching.....and as far as your suggestion that batters swing at the first pitch,I suggest that you go back up a few posts ago and read my thoughts on "Cub disease" or swinging at the first pitch.....

kristopher in macomb....Your comment hit another of the nerves that chew on me....Ever since the St Louis version of Perry Mason(T La Russa,who has his law degree,for the uninitiated...)managed here,the L/R,R/L matchup has irked me(i would use another term,but this is a FAMILY section.....)....

jimdevereux....the speed guns and the radar guns once clocked a palm tree in Florida going 85 miles an hour....and it was standing still....You can thank the guns,and their operators(remeber the guy in the white Panama hat at Dodger Stadium who used to stand behind the backstop and point the gun out towards the mound on every delivery? The Dodgers are the ones who started that ****....)for RUINING the arms of young pitchers every where who feel that they have to trhow the ball 100 MPH on a consistent basis,or else no ML scout will ven give them a glance regarding a tryout....

I really don't know what else I can bring up before tonight's game....I just hope that it's not my dinner afterwards.....

Till Wednesday,and with dozens of wishes of a happy belated birthday to dear Maria,I remain.....

TQ(reminding fans at Jurassic Park at Neverland that it was 18 years ago tonight that your faves entered the(then)20th century,and said "Let There Be Lights...." What other excuses do you have for what has transpired SINCE?