Tuesday, April 29, 2008

This from our media notes for today's game:

SOX AND O'S SUSPENDED

The White Sox-Orioles game yesterday was suspended after 11 innings with the scored tied, 3-3 ... the game will resume on 8/25 in Baltimore and will be followed by the regularly scheduled contest ... all statistics from yesterday's game count.

It is the Sox first suspended game since 5/8/84 vs. Milwaukee at old Comiskey Park ... that game was suspended by curfew with the scored tied, 3-3, after 17 innings ... play resumed on 5/9, with the Sox winning, 7-6, on Harold Baines solo homer off Chuck Porter in the 25th inning.

That game remains the longest in major-league history by time (8:06) and longest in American League history by innings (25).

Tom Seaver earned two victories on 5/9/84 ... Seaver pitched a scoreless 25th inning to earn the win in the suspended game ... he then started the regularly scheduled game vs. the Brewers, allowing four runs on three hits over 8.1 IP of the Sox 5-4 win.

Baines, the Sox first-base coach, went 2-10 with a double and solo homer, while hitting coach Greg Walker started at first base and was 2-4 with a run scored.

VIEW FROM THE TOP

The White Sox have been in first place for 21 days this season, including every day since 4/15 ... by comparison, the Sox led the division for one day last season and 35 in 2006.

They led the American League Central wire-to-wire in 2005 (182 days) on their way to the World Championship ... the Sox current division lead of 3.0 games is their largest of the season.

WELCOME ADDITION

Carlos Quentin leads the American League in on-base plus slugging percentage (1.077), on-base percentage (.454) and at-bats per home run (12.83) and ranks among the leaders in home runs (T1st, 6), hit by pitch (T1st, 6), slugging percentage (2nd, .623), runs scored (T2nd, 20) and RBI (T5th, 20).

Quentin, 25, has reached base safely in 13 consecutive games, hitting .390 (16-41) with five home runs and 10 RBI ... he owns an eight-game hitting streak (.462, 12-26) and has reached base safely 12 times in his last three games, going 7-9 with two doubles, a home run, two RBI, three walks and two hit by pitches.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Suspended Game -- What I know right now

We'll finish yesterday's suspended game before our scheduled game in Baltimore on August 25.  Game time and television coverage is TBA (we hope to know later today).

The game picks up where it left off.  Lineups stay the same and if a player played and then was removed from the game, he's done when the contest begins anew.  Only quirky rule is that a player added to the 25-man roster between now and August 25 is eligible to then play in the completion of the suspended game.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Today's Lineup

Swish, RF; OC, SS; Thome, DH; PK, 1B; AJ, C; Q, LF; Crede, 3B; BA, CF; Ramirez, 2B.  Vazquez pitching.

Roger's report: rain off and on all day.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Today's Lineup

Swish, RF; OC, SS; Thome, DH; PK, 1B; AJ, C; Quentin, LF; Ramirez, 2B; BA, CF; Ozuna, 3B.  Contreras pitching.

Move

Late last night after our second game, Mike MacDougal was optioned to Class AAA Charlotte.  Prior to today's game, Ehren Wassermann was recalled from Charlotte.  He arrived in time for today's game.  In fact, he was sitting in front of his locker when I arrived at the ballpark this morning.

Stats

I started playing around with something, in part feeling frustrated by the scoring opportunities we missed at times yesterday.

I decided to compare our first 23 games last year (we were 12-11) to this year in terms of baserunners earned and runs scored.

Last year, through the first 23 games, we produced 275 baserunners (hits + walks + hit by pitch) and scored 95 runs ... 4.1 per game.  The team was hitting .225 with an OBP of .317.

Thru 23 games in 2007, we had succeeded in driving in 34.5 percent of our baserunners (admitting my math isn't perfect in that I haven't taken the time -- this being Sunday morning -- to check on errors).

This year, through 23 games (we are 13-10), the team has generated 296 basrunners and scored 121 runs ... 5.7 per game.  We are hitting .244 with an OBP of .335.

Thru 23 games in 2008, we've scored 40.9 percent of our baserunners.

Not sure it says anything yet, but something to keep an eye on ...

Saturday, April 25, 2008

Game 2 Lineup

Swish, RF; OC, SS; Thome, DH; PK, 1B; AJ, C; Quentin, LF; Crede, 3B; BA, CF; Ozuna, 2B.  Buehrle pitching.

Funny Story

Because I need one ...

Hall of Famer Jim Palmer ran into Moose Skowron yesterday and reminded Skowron that he had homered off Palmer, the very first round tripper the Orioles ace had ever allowed in the major leagues.

It came at old Comiskey Park, Moose explained.  And on the bench, Hank Bauer, then Oriole manager and forever best friend/former teammate of Skowron's with the Yanks, cheered for Moose as he rounded the bases.

Had to make a pitcher feel good ...

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Today's Game 1 Lineup

Swish, RF; OC, SS; Thome, DH; PK, 1B; Quentin, LF; Crede, 3B; Ramirez, CF; Uribe, 2B; Hall, C.  Danks pitching.

This Morning's News

As I walked into the clubhouse, a serious-faced Ozzie Guillen walked past me toward Mark Buehrle, who was talking to a group of Chicago media.

"I'm going to tell him he's starting," Guillen said.  Ever alert, I thought he was joking ... since Ozzie never appears that serious and Mark started last night's abbreviated game.

Turns out I was wrong.  Buehrle will start Game 2 tonight at 6:05 pm.

Here's what happened ...

This morning, Buehrle text-messaged Guillen saying he could pitch.

When he arrived at the ballpark, they met and discussed the idea with everyone.

Result:  the left-handed ace pitches tonight ...

"I wanted to make sure," Guillen said.  "Mark's my ace and will be here a long time.  We plan to compete all season long and he's a big part of that competition."

Guillen did admit that Buehrle's soft-throwing nature factored into the decision.

"He probably could start every day."

So Nick Masset was quickly called and told to get to the ballpark ASAP.

"We haven't had too much luck with doubleheaders here," Guillen noted, remembering that last year the Twins swept the Sox by what Guillen estimated was a score of 62-4.  "Lots of runs, long games, ugly.

"If you have to play a split doubleheader, at least you have Buehrle pitching in game two."

To The Record Books

So now the research begins for the last Sox pitcher to start consecutvie games on consecutive days ... Wood?  Seaver?

Answer later.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Ozzie's Comments Before Tonight's Game

He hopes JD is back Sunday, maybe Monday after straining his groin sliding into home plate and then doubling in his next at-ba last night.

When asked about his skill as a clutch hitter vs. Joe Crede's:

"Mine were bloopers.  Joe's are legitimate.

"But for this organization, the best hitter in the clutch was Harold Baines.

"It;s important that you have the same approach to each at-bat and not try to do too much.  Then it's a little of being in the right place at the right time."

Friday, April 25, 2008

Tonight's Lineup

Swish, RF; OC, SS; Thome, DH; PK, 1B; Quentin, LF; Crede, 3B; Ramirez, CF; Uribe, 2B; Hall, C.  Buehrle pitching.

Last Night

If you have to spend a late night at the ballpark, it's always good to win.

Dirty 30

Many of you may have read today's Sun-Times story click here about Joe Crede quitting Nick Swisher's "Dirty 30" club in dramatic, theatric fashion.  So, today all over the clubhouse, signs are posted (I wonder by who) saying Mr. Crede has been "expelled" from the Club.

Here's my thought, let's come up with a new club for Joe ... offer me a few names (tasteful, please) and we'll see if we can come up with some t-shirts and/or hats to celebrate the group.

As one clubhouse jokester quipped, "You know Joe Crede's club won't have t-shirts or hats because he ain't paying for them."

Konerko, sporting a "Dirty 30" hat laughed about the "competing" clubs.

"You can see were my allegiances are," he said, showing a broad smile.

Nothing beats fun in the clubhouse, except perhaps, winning.

Fun With Numbers

Since you can make numbers prove (or disprove) just about anything and everything, enjoy a laugh at these ...

Bob Beghtol, our Media Relations staff, happily passed around statistical printouts from the playing careers of our coaches, showing which hitters owned which pitchers and vice versa.  You can only imagine the comments, when our coaches read that ...

Eddie Murray owned Kevin Hickey (5-5, HR, RBI)

Ozzie Guillen hit better than .500 in his career against eight pitchers, including Bob Tewskbury (8-14, .571), Mark Leiter (6-11, .545) and Ed Whitson (6-11, .545, HR) and was 1-26 lifetime against Dennis Martinez

Jeff Cox hit 1.000 against 11 different pitchers, including 3-3 against Rich Dotson

Joey Cora hit .571 (4-7) against Jaret Wright and .545 (6-11) against Mark Langston

Harold Baines owned Steve Crawford (11-15, .733, HR) and Greg Hibbard (7-10, .700) but did not necessarily like Dennis Leonard (0-15), Dan Spillner (0-12), Tom Burgmeier (0-10), Richard Yett (0-10) or Rich Monteleone (0-9)

Juan Nieves held Mike Greenwell hitless (0-12)

Greg Walker loved to face Bob Stanley (.643, 9-14, 2 HR) and Chris Bosio (.565, 13-23, 2 HR) but hated to see John Cerutti (0-13) and Bobby Witt (0-10)

Mark Salas hated Dave Stewart (0-13) but loved Jay Tibbs (.714, 5-7) among many ...

And finally, everybody loved to face Don Cooper (joking, just joking).

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Tonight's Lineup

Swish, CF; OC, SS; Thome, DH; PK, 1B; Dye, RF; AJ, C; Quentin, LF; Crede, 3B; Ramirez, 2B.  Floyd pitching.

Rainy night here at the ballpark.  This might take awhile.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Tonight's Lineup

Swish, CF; OC, SS; Thome, DH; PK, 1B; Dye, RF; AJ, C; Quentin, LF; Crede, 3B; Uribe, 2B.  Javy pitching against his former mates.

Ozzie Pregame Comments

On the team's ability to bounce back:

"You want to stay in the pennant hunt, stay in the race.  You come out and compete.  That's the way you need to respond.

"We're going to have games like that, but we're going to win games like that, too.

"They kicked our butt, but we need to show up today and kick theirs."

Ozzie also made a hilarious reference to Derek Jeter having the "perfect life," but I can't reprint all of the details here ...

Notes

The White Sox lead the American League with a +28 run differential and have outscored their opponents, 103-75, including a 93-58 advantage in their last 17 games ... by contrast, the Sox ranked 13th in the AL in 2007 with a -146 run differential (839-693) ... only Tampa Bay finished lower (-162) ... the White Sox also lead the AL with 26 home runs and have given up just eight, the fewest total in baseball ... the homer differential of +18 also tops the majors.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Tonight's Lineup

Swish, CF; OC, SS; Thome, DH; PK, 1B; Dye, RF; AJ, C; Quentin, LF; Crede, 3B; Uribe, 2B.  Contreras pitching.

No A-Rod

The Yankees will be without A-Rod tonight and tomorrow, reportedly, as he has returned to Miami to be with his wife who is delivering the couple's second child.

Strange Notes

Did you know ... the NY Mets have played three times since we last played a game ... the Sox lead the AL in runs scored per game at 5.44 and rank last in stolen bases with three ... with a .242 team batting average, the club is 13th, but a .336 team OBP is fifth ... our .988 fielding percentage is tied for second in the AL ... Sox pitching over the last nine games:  starters:  6-2, 1.44 ERA ... relievers:  0-1, 2.00 ERA.

Lunch Break

Attended the Children's Home + Aid society's annual award luncheon today at the Palmer House Hilton as Andrea and Jim Thome and Jennifer and Paul Konerko were honored before 500-600 guests.

"This might be the first time since I was 12 that I've been honored for something other than sports," Konerko laughed.  "Usually, I'm honored for things I do inside the two white lines.  This feels pretty good."

Andrea spoke touchingly of meeting and spending time with foster kids and their host families.

"We know we can make a difference in their lives," she said.  "And they make a difference in ours."

Konerko spoke of the importance of this cause to both families (his wife Jen's family has helped raise foster kids) and said he looks forward to remaining involved in the charity -- and with the Thomes -- long after his playing career is over.

To donate to this year's Bring Me Home Campaign (which raised $83,000 in 2007 with hopes of topping $100,000 in 2008), visit www.childrenshomeandaid.org.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Today's Lineup

Same as yesterday ...

Swish, CF; OC, SS; Thome, DH; PK, 1B; Dye, RF; AJ, C; Quentin, LF; Crede, 3B; Uribe, 2B.  Floyd pitching.

Gentleman Jim

Silenced the critics quickly last night ...

First Place

It's silly how first place (no matter what time of year) means the water tastes better, showers are warmer, the sun shines brighter, food tastes better, everyone is happier ...

Crazy how the performance of 25 players for three hours a day in a game makes or breaks the other 21 hours in the day.  And how the 24 hours after a victory can be so sweet (and go so fast).

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Tonight's Lineup

Swish, CF; OC, SS; Thome, DH; PK, 1B; Dye, RF; AJ, C; Quentin, LF; Crede, 3B; Uribe, 2B; Contreras pitching.

Visitor

I had no idea on the way into the office yesterday morning that Jim Thome would be watching the game with me later that day.

Thome was fined and suspended for a game by MLB.  Suspended players can work out but then need to clear the clubhouse, dugout and field for the game.  They can watch the game from the stands, so Jim took a seat next to us in a suite for yesterday's game.

"This angle is tough on fly balls," he noted immediately.  (You do really have to watch the fielders and not the ball to tell depth.)

We explained that the game was much, much easier upstairs than downstairs.

Mr. Thome was also impressed by the food options.

"You can eat your way through the game just on nervous energy," he laughed.

Midway through the game, Jim decided to visit his suite.  He's had a suite for friends and family since joining the Sox, but had never visited it.

"I might as well sit in it for awhile."

Imagine the look on the faces of fans yesterday as Jim Thome strode by on the way to his suite.

Warming Room

Orlando Cabrera mentioned yesterday that this is likely the longest he has ever played in cold weather ...

ND vs. NIU

Northern Illinois and Notre Dame's baseball teams take the field at U.S. Cellular Field tonight with proceeds from the game benefitting the NIU Scholarship Fund.  Tickets are available at the door for $10, parking is free.  It's a great night -- finally -- for a ballgame.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008, 3:45 pm

Comments From Ozzie After Today's Win

"That's the thing about this club right now, they aren't giving up any at-bats.  They fight for every at-bat they have."

Guillen pointed to Joe Crede's two-out RBI as an example.

On John Danks:

"That comes with belief, it comes with confidence.  The stuff is there.  It's about building confidence day in and day out at the major league level."

John Danks

Who pitched and won for the second time in his career on his birthday.

"Guys were making plays left and right for me.  I didn't feel like I had my best stuff."

"I feel great.  I'm a different pitcher this year.  I expect great things from myself the rest of the year.  I'm taking these steps and growing."

Defense keyed the victory today, with great plays by Alexi Ramirez, Joe Crede and Orlando Cabrera.

"I felt like I could throw it right down the middle and if it stayed in the yard, it was going to be caught.  That's what I want to do, pitch and make the defense work for me."

"I think we have the best defense in the big leagues.  You can't help but be amazed at the plays they're making for me."

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Today's Lineup

Swish, 1B; OC, SS; Dye, RF; PK, DH; Crede, 3B; Quentin, LF; Ramirez, CF; Ozuna, 2B; Hall, C.  Danks pitching.

Thoughts

Seems like we've seen last night's movie several times over the past few years ... we did have our chances to tie/win that game ... last night and Opening Day are the two games so far you feel like we could have won ... otherwise, we've won the ones we should have and have lost the ones we should have ... before everyone bails on a future Hall of Famer (reading a few of your posts), remember Jim's track record and how he has proven to be a very streaky hitter ...when he's on, he can carry us a long ways.

Trades

A good point was made about trades during a conversation yesterday.  A decision on whether a trade is "good" or "bad" should be made at the time the deal is made.  Afterward, hindsight enters in, as well as many other factors.

Keep a log as this season goes along.  As each team makes a trade, write down what you think of the deal at the time.  Then, check it in November.

Relevence

Critics of the White Sox have recently taken of the chant of irrelevance, as in "The Sox are becoming irrelevant in Chicago."

As if that hurts ...

What these critics never have seemed to grasp -- in my opinion -- is that the White Sox are incredibly relevant to millions of fans in Chicago and nationwide, fans who live and die with each win, each loss and even every pitch.  Just look at the passion our fans bring to the ballpark, to websites and to this blog every day.

I've always felt that cries directed toward the Sox and our fans of "you are irrelevant" actually reveal three key things ... 1. betrays how the critic really feels about the team; 2. betrays a sense of arrogrance that their personal belief actually matters to the world; and 3. insults people who find the Sox relevant enough to buy newspapers, watch on television, read on-line and pay to sit in the stands.

Those are the people I care about.

Monday, April 14, 2008, 5:02 pm

Comments from Ozzie's Pregame Meeting

On moving Buehrle back a day:

"Some pitchers can deal with it, some can't."

On going 7-4 against AL Central competition:

"Look at the past.  We've haven't had too many problems with teams in our division.  It's others, like Oakland, who have caused us problems.  The AL is tough.  Very tough."

When asked what has been the best sign for the team this year, scoring runs or pitching?

"Attitude in the dugout.  Attitude in the clubhouse, that's what's helped this club play the way it has.  Consistency is a good sign for a ballclub..  So far, we've picked each other up.  Guys have been there for their teammates.

"But that's easy when you are playing well and winning.  How are we going to play, how are we going to respond, when things get tough?  Then I'll see who and what I've got."

Answer to a Fan Question today

Our last day in first place in 2007 came on 4/24 (11-8).  We were 12-9 after a win on 4/27.  I've forgotten most of the rest.

Monday, April 14, 2008, 4:05 pm

Tonight's Lineup

Swish, CF; OC, SS; Thome, DH; PK, 1B; Dye, RF; AJ, C; Quentin, LF; Mr. GS, 3B; Uribe, 2B.  Buehrle pitching.

Monday, April 14, 2008, 10:47 am

Yesterday's Fireworks

Sunday was the third time in franchise history that the White Sox have hit two grand slams in one game, first time ever at home ... the other times were 9/4/95 at Texas (Robin Ventura had both) and 5/19/96 at Detroit (Darren Lewis and Robin Ventura).  For a minute I thought I had been at all three, but turns out I was watching that Detroit game from home and Bob Beghtol was with the team.

We've won seven of our last nine overall and now are 42-20 against Detroit since 2005 (20-11 in Chicago).  The Sox have back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 9/26-27/07 vs. KC and have not allowed a run in 22.0 IP.

Javier Vazquez is now 4-0 vs. Detroit since 2007.

Paul Konerko's grand slam in the third inning was the seventh of his career, while Joe Crede connected on the second of the season and sixth of his career.

Guess These Didn't Count

According to today's Chicago Tribune, these wins against the Tigers may not be "real."  We need to wait and see how we play against the A's ...

Leading Off

White Sox leadoff hitters rank third in all of baseball in OBP at .453. (Oakland enters this series at 26th).  Last year, we ranked 27th (and last in the AL) at .321.

Earlier this season, Nick Swisher walked six straight times, becoming the first MLB player to do so since 2003 and the first Sox player since Chet Lemon in 1980.

Rant

Earlier this month, we were shocked and surprised (in a good way) when the national baseball writer for the Chicago Tribune selected Javier Vazquez as this year's American League Cy Young Award winner.

That was a gutsy, outside-the-box selection and surprising because this writer has not liked the Vazquez for Chris Young trade and did not like the extension given to Vazquez last March (something about building the rotation from the back forward).

So despite the preseason props, in yesterday's newspaper it was back to old form as a mini spread of photos and stories repeated the mantra that the trade for Javier has been a bust.

"But the trade for Vazquez hasn't been a good one for the Sox, who lost 24-year-old center fielder Chris Young in the deal," to quote the newspaper.  "The Sox were willing to trade Young because they were loaded with outfield prospects at the time ... Young had the highest ceiling of the four, but (Ken) Williams thought he was expendable.

"Ouch." Please note: That ouch is from the Trib.

This was printed before Javy struck out nine, walked none and allowed only five hits over 7.0 shutout innings to improve to 2-1.

If he does indeed win the Cy Young Award this year as the Tribune predicted, will it still be a bad deal for the Sox? 

So I planned on putting together a stastical argument against yesterday's story but someone beat me to it and did a much better job ...

To read it, click here to read that post (second one down)

They say it much better than I can. 

You can make your own judgments.

But I will point out a few things like ... why does every trade have to have a winner and a loser?  Can't a trade help both teams? 

Chris Young is a very, very good young player with a great future ahead of him ... but at this point all of us are speculating as to what that long-term future will become.

Last year, Vazquez topped Young in "Win Shares", which if you buy into that sabermetric analysis, might be a way to compare players.  Javy topped Young, 19-16.  Young's amazing defense provided 6.8 of his 16 points. (Javy scored 11 Win Shares in 2006 while Young was in the minors).

Finally, for the record, Javy is getting paid 11.5 M this year, not 12.5 ...

You (everyone) are/is free to like or dislike the trade, but at least consider all the evidence ...

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Today's Lineup

Swish, CF; OC, SS; Thome, DH; PK, 1B; Dye, RF; AJ, C; Quentin, LF; Crede, 3B; Uribe, 2B.  Vazquez pitching.

Champions Plaza

Hope you enjoy the pics above of the new Championship Moments monument located in the new Champions Plaza located outside of Game 4.

Seeing the Sun

No precipitation expected today but it is cold.  Roger Bossard was laughing this morning that he used almost a ton of diamond dry on the infield yesterday, nearly 100 bags.  He and his crew were here at 6:15 am to shovel off much of it and prep the infield for today's game.  It's one of the reasons he's recognized as the best in the business.

Stats and Stuff

With 59 runs scored (in only 10 games), we lead the AL, while our .347 OBP ranks second behind Toronto ... with a .251 batting average, the team is tied for 9th ... our 4.81 ERA is 12th (which surprised me some) ... we've allowed only four home runs ... our .987 fielding percentage is tied for third, and our 17 double plays (15 against the Tigers) are second ... our infield defense has been very, very impressive thus far.

Keep Your Arm Up

I spent part of Friday night talking to Bill Pierce.  I asked him about mechanics and what keys he used as a pitcher.

"We had Ray Berres, one of the best in the game, as our pitching coach," Bill told me.  "And he wasn't really big on mechanics.  The one thing he always told us was: 'Keep your arm up.  Keep your arm up.'

"Because if you get out and around your curve ball or your slider, it just spins."

I asked Bill about pitching in cold weather.

"I liked it," he said.  "As a pitcher you can put hot rub on and wear a long-sleeve shirt.  Meanwhile hitters were going up there with cold hands.  And those sliders in on their hands ..."

He smiled and his eyes twinkled.

Honoring JR

Six White Sox coaches and players will wear uniform #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson on Tuesday against Oakland.

In addition to Ozzie Guillen, Harold Baines and Jeff Cox, Jermaine Dye, Jim Thome and Nick Swisher will honor the trailblazer.

In First Place

Who would have thought that Baltimore, the WHITE SOX, Oakland, Florida, St. Louis and Arizona would be leading their divisions at this point?

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Weather

Just spoke to Roger Bossard, king of all groundskeepers.  Sounds like today (and tomorrow for that matter) will be a lot like Friday night in terms of weather.  He thinks we'll get both games in but it will be cold and wet.

Today's Lineup

Swish, CF; OC, SS; Thome, DH; PK, 1B; Dye, RF; AJ, C; Quentin, LF; Crede, 3B; Uribe, 2B.  Floyd pitching.

Random Thoughts

It takes an awful lot to make Jim Thome that mad ...

According to witnesses on that side of the monument, the best part of the unveiling was the looks on our players' faces as the drape came off.

Best part for me was seeing Paul Konerko pick up his son and have the youngster touch the bronze image of his dad hitting a World Series grand slam.

That granite and bronze, not to mention those memories, will be there forever.

What was the Governor thinking?  Why would he want to address a few thousand White Sox fans on a night like that?

Due to the cold weather, light rain and a faulty sound system, the best-laid plans that were the ceremony quickly fell to the wayside, although in classic South Side fashion, it worked for our fans.

We had planned to play John Rooney's call of the final out from Game 4 and then have the players pull the covering as the fireworks went off above us.  We also planned to have our players and staff applaud our fans.

It would have been a great moment.  Instead it was still a great moment for our fans.

Lesson learned:  Even I can't screw up unveiling a World Series Monument.

We probably could have held the ceremony at 3 am in mid January in a blizzard and fans would have attended and been happy.

People really seemed to love the plaza and the monument.

After the ceremony, fans milled around everywhere.

"I found it!" one women shouted, standing over her brick.

Two proposals occurred, with one new couple throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

At 7:30, we snuck back out to have a champagne toast to thank all the workers involved in the project.

Even then, 100 or so fans stood on the plaza, in the light rain.

After the game as we left, fans filled the plaza as lightbulbs flashed.

In 18 years with the club, this is probably my biggest accomplishment, or at least one that hopefully brought the most joy to our fans.  That, or this was going to be my tomb ...

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the Monument on your next trip to USCF.

It's for you ...

Vent

By the way, reading my Tribune today, there was no photo of the Monument to be found, just a lead note in the sports section.  The Sun-Times ran a separate story with a photo (appreciate the coverage).  But if you're the Trib, how can this not be worthy of a photo?

I haven't had a chance yet, but I'm going to go back and see how many photos of the Ernie Banks statue ran when it was unveiled?

And ours was for a World Series title ...

Maybe it is because we spelled everything correctly? (at least I haven't heard of anything yet)

Cheers

Friday, April 11, 2008

Tonight's Lineup

On a cold and blustery night ...

Quentin, LF; Cabrera, SS; Thome, DH; PK, 1B; Dye, RF; Crede, 3B; BA, CF; Uribe, 2B; Hall, C.  Contreras pitching.

Unveiling

We've spent most of the day preparing for the unveiling of the Championship Moments monument at 6 pm tonight.  It's a little windy, which will make uncovering the piece of art much quicker, but hopefully rain holds off.

We actually covered and uncovered the piece three times today, which given the wind, was a challenge.  The first time was at 8 am to see that the cover fit.  The next time was at 2 pm when we tested the unveiling process.  The third time was to cover it for the final unveiling. 

We expect quite a few fans to come out early and brave the wind (this is Chicago afterall) for the event.  Comcast TV will show the unveiling during its pregame show for fans watching at home.

I am looking forward to hearing reaction to the piece from our players and our fans.

Condolences

My personal condolences to Ed and Barbara Farmer on the death today of Barbara's mother (Ed's mother-in-law).  He has flown back to California to be with his family.  Chris Rongey will fill in for the time being.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Game Called

Rain and cold (really cold) weather has caused the cancellation of tonight's game.  It will be re-played on June 9 (had been an off day) at 1:05 pm.  Tickets for tonight will be good for that game only.

Pitching

Contreras moves to Friday, with Floyd Saturday and Vazquez Sunday.  Buehrle and Danks will now face Oakland.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Tonight's Lineup

Stay on the horse ...

Swish, CF; OC, SS; Thome, DH; PK, 1B; Dye, RF; AJ, C; Quentin, LF; Crede, 3B; Uribe, 2B.  Danks pitching.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Odds & Ends

You couldn't ask for a better, and more beautiful, Home Opener.  Special thanks to Javier Vazquez, for finding his groove, and Joe Crede for being Mr. Clutch.

Funny moment:  During Sox introductions, Head Athletic Trainer Herm Schneider led our non-uniform personnel, clubhouse guys, trainers, etc.  The line extended from third base out toward the outfield grass.  The first White Sox player introduced?  Cuban Alexi Ramirez.  He diligently ran down the line, high fiving everyone and then took his place outside Herm.

You could see Herm gesture to Alexi that he really belonged inside the support staff at third base, starting the string of players to home plate.

"I guess that's how they do it in Cuba," someone joked.

Of all the guys to introduce first, we pick the poor guy who has never done this before.

Annual Event:  Roger Bossard always receives a huge cheer.

Payback is a ... Opening Day and Cubs/Sox series mean long lines at the men's restrooms.  "See what it feels like?" one woman asked with a smirk.

Thoughts

From Ron Kittle:  "The key is staying healthy."

From Steve Stone:  "I could get use to this."

Blackhawks

Several Blackhawks players attended yesterday's game and visited with Paul Konerko, Mark Buehrle and others in the Sox clubhouse after the win.  Not being a hockey fan (and not recognizing anyone without a helmet and without a sweater), I had no idea who they were, but they seemed to enjoy the clubhouse experience.

We announced a unique partnership with the Blackhawks yesterday (see news realeases on our site).

Great Sight

Best sight from yesterday was to stand out at the Champions Plaza at Gate 4 and watch all of the Sox fans reading bricks on the plaza trying to find their own personal brick. 

Fans posed for photos next to their bricks and used paper and crayons to make copies.

"And everyone was smiling," a Sox employee noted.

We will unveil the Championship Moments monument this Friday at 6 pm before our game with the Tigers.  Make sure you stop and check out the Plaza and Monument the next chance you get.

Explanation

Yes, that was my spouse on the front page of today's Chicago Tribune, cheering Joe Crede upon his return to the dugout.  As her boss said today, "you'd think if you dodged work to go to a game, you'd be a little more discreet than to land on the front page of the Chicago Tribune."

But here's the TRUE story.

Sure, she was elated by the grand slam -- she does, afterall, have a vested interest in Sox success.

But she was only about 70 percent happy about the blast.  The other 30 percent was meant for me.

You see, I stopped down to see her, her friends and our kids in the third inning.  With two outs, Dye and AJ singled to bring up Carlos Quentin.

"I really think Joe should be hitting seventh," my spouse offered, playing Ozzie for the day.

"No, I like Carlos seventh," I countered, towing the party line.  "I like his bat."

Carlos then flew out.

So her elation in the seventh inning was seven parts joy at a likely Sox win and three parts pleasure at being proven right at my expense.

My guess is that if you look at the photo closely, most married men will recognize that mix of spousal emotions.

Now you know the entire story.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Opening Day Lineup

Swisher, CF; Cabrera, SS; Thome, DH; PK, 1B; Dye, RF; AJ, C; Quentin, LF; Crede, 3B; Uribe, 2B.  Vazquez pitching.

Alternate Tops

We'll be wearing our black alternate tops for today's Home Opener.

Interesting Notes

Today marks just the third time that the White Sox are playing the Twins in the home opener (also 1970-71, Sox are 1-1) ... the Sox are 57-51 all-time in home openers and have won five of the last six (losing last year) ... the Sox have not lost both Opening Day and the home opener since 1996 and have lost both just 14 times ... gates to the ballpark open today at 1 pm ... Emerson Drive will sing the National Anthem, NIU President John Peters will throw out the ceremonial first pitch and today's game will feature a flyover.

Early Morning

Lou Hernandez, Marty Maloney, Roger Bossard, Ron Kittle and Christine O'Reilly were at the ballpark very early today for all of Chicago's early-morning television stations who went live from the park.  Marty drew the shortest straw, showing up at 4 am.  It's thankless work, generally, so let me thank them publicly for making all the interviews and the morning run smoothly.

I'm biased, but in my house Opening Day and the Home Opener are treated like National Holidays.  My kids certainly look forward to the start of the baseball season.  There's nothing like being at U.S. Cellular Field in the early morning, watching the sun come up over the left field fence.  Roger's grass is always so green and everything inside the park glistens.  The silence on the field in awesome.  Then, as the ballpark begins to fill with fans later in the day, you feel the excitement and the buzz.  Nothing like it ... except postseason play.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

I'm Back

After coming down with the flu the last week in Tucson, packing, traveling to Memphis for the Civil Rights Game (what an experience) and then landing in Chicago, I'm back to posting.  And of course, MLB has made all kinds of changes that have forced me to catch up a bit.

Opening Day

What a game with all kinds of twists and turns.  In the end, it's one game, but we shouldn't have had a chance and end the day feeling like it was one we coulda won.

Tonight

Looking forward to game two tonight in Cleveland.

Lineup:  Swisher, CF; Cabrera, SS; Thome, DH; PK, 1B; Dye, RF; AJ, C; Ramirez, CF; Crede, 3B; Uribe, 2B.  Vazquez pitching.

Old Stereotypes Die Hard

The Associated Press came out with its annual estimates of team payrolls and player salaries today.  Those "ever-cheap" White Sox again rank fifth in baseball, according to the AP numbers, in payroll at 121 M.

The Top 10:  Yankees, Tigers, Mets, Red Sox, White Sox, Angels, Cubs, Dodgers, Mariners, Braves.

Notes From Opening Day

Jim Thome recorded his 41st career multihomer game to become just the third player in White Sox history to hit two home runs on Opening Day, joining Sammy Sosa (1991) and Minnie Minoso (1960).

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was just the second time in Thome's career that he has hit two home runs in one game vs. a left-hander, with the first occurrence on 6/20/04 off Kansas City's Dennys Reyes at Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia.

Thome entered the game 0-11 lifetime vs. Sabathia, who himself gave up two home runs in one game to a lefty for just the second time in his career.  Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki was the first to accomplish the feat off Sabathia on 7/30/05 at Safeco Field.

Mark Buehrle made his sixth career Opening Day start, second-most in Sox history behind Bill Pierce's seven, and Paul Konerko made his club-record eighth straight Opening Day start at first base.

The 18 combined runs were the most in a Sox season-opener since 1960 when they defeated Kansas City, 10-9, at Comiskey Park behind Minoso's two homers.