Tag Archives: white sox

April 16, 2011 · 4:41 pm

And, the rain continues to fall. Or: Here we go again.

Well, it seems like the entire east coast is wet, soggy, cold and miserable.

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Even the games that aren’t delayed or postponed seem to be going on with some less than desirable weather. Not exactly a fun afternoon at the ballpark for anyone east of Chicago today.

They (whoever “they” are) tell me that the Sox are still expected to play starting at the top of the hour. So, maybe we are in for another game like last night. Rain coming down for pretty much the whole game, raging winds, the Halos bundled up in their fleeces, and 2 separate rain delays.

We didn’t play terribly (at least, there was nothing epically terrible to complain about – we were kind of just generally blah) all things considered, but it didn’t work out so well for us yesterday and I’m not all that eager to relive it today.

So, click [here] for a not-quite-family-friendly picture that sums up how I feel about the rain situation today.

So, for the moment, I just finished up the Reds/Pirates game (I hope Juan Francisco can walk off whatever was causing him to hop to first in the bottom of the 8th) and now I’m killing time with Rays/Twins. A roof is looking like a good thing right about now, because no matter what “they” say – the weather looks pretty miserable and I’m not holding my breath.

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April 15, 2011 · 10:10 pm

And the heavens opened up. Or: Even Mother Nature is trying to drive me crazy.

If the drama isn’t coming from the bullpen, it’s coming from the skies.

Of course, just as we finish the fifth (with the boys down by 3), they call for the tarp. It looks like we’re headed into a rain delay at the end of just enough baseball to make the game official.

And, then they take so long getting the tarp that the rain lets up and we play almost another half of an inning. And, the rain starts to pour down again.

2 outs, Halos on first and third and they pull the tarp out for real this time. Looks like the Angels are going to be the team that breaks .600 by the morning.

All of this stress is almost enough to make someone want to defect to the National League.

Seriously, all I want for Christmas is an easy nine innings. No extra innings, no acts of weather, and no nuclear meltdowns in the bullpen. That’s it. (And, maybe a few more amazing grabs like the one JP had when he stole the homer from Abreu in the 5th.) Unfortunately for me, it’s not December.

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April 15, 2011 · 1:11 pm

Happy Jackie Robinson Day. Or: Sometimes I talk about things besides the White Sox.

A day off for the White Sox means a day of sitting back and enjoying some of other fine offerings from around the league(s) – thank you, MLB Extra Innings! – without the stress of suffering through the 8th and 9th (and inevitable 10th) innings at The Cell.

Last night, the Twins @ the Rays provided a pretty exciting night of baseball. Watching Fuld steal 2nd in the 6th (and left stranded at third), Johnson running into the Rays’ dugout for the third out at the top of the fifth, Joyce’s double to tie it up in the bottom in the ninth, the Twins pulling ahead by one in the top of the 10th, and Damon’s 2-run walk-off homer to win it in the bottom of the 10th (followed by Damon getting a towel-full of shaving cream in the face, courtesy of BJ Upton).

It was a good night to be Rays fan, but after the string of 10th inning drama that we Sox fans had to endure this last week at The Cell, I can certainly sympathize with the Twins fans. Maybe I should start mass-producing my 9th inning survival kit.

Sox vs. Angels tonight in ChiTown! I’m excited for the boys to be back, but not so excited for the fact that we are playing a team with such a strong bullpen when that’s where we’re feeling the hurt the most. But, I guess, no time like the present to see what’s what. Pressure’s on, boys. Go Sox, go!

(And, as an aside – because apparently I’m always going to have something to say about the Sox – I am a little irritated that so many blogs and news sites are talking about Ozzie running off to Florida like he’s running away from the club on their day off. I know we’re having bullpen difficulties and I know that things are kind of tumultuous in the Sox camp right now, but with or without baseball, life happens. He’s said in a number of places that he’s off, visiting his son, and cheering him on. And, not that anyone asked, but that’s certainly okay by me. Ozzie isn’t the pitching coach and the boys in the bullpen are big boys, I’m pretty sure they don’t need Ozzie holding their hands on an off day. Things are going to be what they will be, they probably won’t be fixed overnight, and I hope that everyone took the off day to relax, re-focus and refresh. We’re going to need it.)

If you’re itching for some baseball content to get you through until the games start tonight, spend some time at iam42.com and celebrate Jackie Robinson Day. Even for a sport so rich in history, this is some of the good stuff.

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April 13, 2011 · 5:26 pm

Building my ChiSox survival kit. Or: The 9th inning may be the death of me.

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I think someone needs to point out to the White Sox that games really are only supposed to last 9 innings (and, that 8 and a half is perfectly acceptable when you’re playing at home).

If they’re going to keep doing this – and if I’m going to survive the rest of the season – I’m going to need to arm myself with the essentials: valium, rolaids, red wine, and the television remote.

The game’s not over yet, but with the A’s having a 3 run lead in the top of the 10th, I’m going to hold out on hoping for that miracle this afternoon. Hopefully a day off to clear everyone’s heads (And, also, taking time to remember that just randomly throwing different pitchers at the batting line-up and hoping one will stick probably isn’t going to be an effective long-term survival strategy.) will be just what the doctor ordered.

At least, I certainly hope so.

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April 12, 2011 · 10:55 pm

I think we’re taking “All In” a little too literally. Or: Everyone gets a participation ribbon tonight.

So, I guess I can stand behind “All In” as general concept, and it certainly makes for a snazzy catch phrase, but I don’t think that the Sox really needed to adopt it as a permanent game strategy.

RIB1-PAR.jpgSeriously, both of the bullpens at The Cell tonight seemed to have automatic revolving doors on them and it seemed like people were in danger of getting crushed if they didn’t keep moving through them. It was one of those games that remind me of the games I played as an 8-year-old where the lineup changed every inning so everyone got a chance to play.

Thank you, Alexei Ramirez. Thank you for stopping me from biting my nails down to the quick, thank you for allowing my heart rate to finally go back to normal, and thank you for finally allowing me to get go to bed so I am not a zombie at work all day tomorrow.

Bottom of the 10th, walk off home run. And he knew it was out of there the second his bat made contact with the ball, tossing his bat behind him and just watching the ball fly over the fence.

MAGIC.

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April 12, 2011 · 1:09 am

Watching the entire 9th inning from behind my hands. Or: Can I get off this emotional rollercoaster now?

I know we’re approximately 5 minutes into the regular season, but if the Sox keep doing this to me, I’m going to need an extra-large container of Tums and a handful of valium if I’m ever going to make it past the 8th inning.

Tonight hurt, being so close in so many ways that you could practically taste it. I’ll commend the A’s on a job well done (to make particular mention of the save by Fuentes), but man, this one stung.

But, to digress from the Sox for a moment, what up with Tampa @ Boston tonight?

Fuld, who came to the Rays from the Cubs in the Matt Garza trade, hails from Durham, N.H., and grew up watching Red Sox baseball. By his own estimation, he figured he had seen 40 to 50 games at Fenway Park. Monday night’s game proved to be his first as a Major Leaguer at the historic field, and approximately 30 family members and friends were on hand to watch. They were treated to a performance in which he displayed why he has become an emerging force for the Rays.

… Fuld, who made an extraordinary diving catch Saturday against the White Sox, repeated the feat in the fifth when Dustin Pedroia hit a drive to the gap in left-center field. Fuld raced to the ball and dove at the last second to rob Pedroia of extra bases.

Fuld tripled to lead off the sixth, leaving him a single shy of the cycle. After he flew out in the seventh, he had one final at-bat in the ninth and he appeared to notch the final piece to the puzzle. He lined a ball into left field, but he didn’t stop at first and finished with a stand-up double.

Entire article: http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2011_04_11_tbamlb_bosmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=tb

This guy is trying really hard to stay on my radar right now and I have to say, my interest is piqued. It’s got to be an exciting night to be a Tampa Bay fan.

And, to make matters worse, I’m pretty sure my brother is going to be able to rub a Jays’ win in my face by the time morning rolls around.

(In reality, I’m only mildly kidding about that. I will have to discuss my historic love affair with the Jays some other time, but that doesn’t mean its any easier to swallow coming off the night at The Cell.)

Well, at least some of us are having a good night. I’m hoping tomorrow’s my turn!

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April 11, 2011 · 9:18 pm

Timing is everything. Or: Just making a little bit of history.

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First shot, solo homer!

Way to go, Brent Lillibridge!

First one of the season, and what a great one it was. 10,000th in ChiSox franchise history and putting the boys on the board.

I’m not going to count my chickens just yet, but a milestone like that deserves a little bit of celebration, regardless of how the rest of this goes.

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April 11, 2011 · 12:11 pm

Pre-Game Ramblings. Or: Its always easiest to talk about pitching.

So, as the ChiSox get ready to take on the A’s tonight at the Cell, I’m trying to work my head around the first match-up of the season. This is always hard for me. I can read the stats and crunch the numbers, but I guess I just need to see it to believe it. But, if you’re going to try to ponder a game before the roster is even submitted for the day, you pretty much have to talk about the pitching.

As the headline on mlb.com points out, both probables have pitched perfect games in the last two seasons, but that’s a remarkable acheivement that doesn’t help me much today. Neither of these teams are the Rays.

And, while Braden has a better record (2-0) against the ChiSox than Buehrle does against the A’s (4-13), but the disparity in the number of games should say something about the ability to draw comparisons. Looking at IPs, Braden has 22 1/3, while Buehrle 152 1/3 lifetime innings. That’s the difference of couple of seasons, right there.

And, this season, Braden’s record is 0-1 and Buehrle is 1-0 (and a no-decision in KC).

So, really. Pitching-wise, I might want to hedge with Braden a bit, given that his one loss was still a decent showing, but I need to see how things start to unfold. And, given that my heart lies with the Sox, I have to hope that the numbers don’t mean anything when put into action. Talk to me again after I see what they’re throwing for the first inning or so and what’s happening on offense (and, of course, defense). There are always factors to consider other than the pitching, and there are a number of reasons that I think the Sox are going to be the stronger club tonight.

Until then, I figured this method of predicting the outcome of tonight’s game (basedon pitching) is about as accurate as any (particularly any that I can come up with)…

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April 10, 2011 · 3:40 pm

Holy drama, batman! Or: We all knew this was coming.

So, what to say about the Rays/ChiSox today?

Well, it was all Chicago all the time until Sam Fuld decided (again) to show his teammates, his management, and pretty much everyone else in the world of MLB what he’s worth. A double which had him on base an in position to score, putting the Rays on the board (6-1). Really, the only hiccup in Gavin Floyd’s day was his throwing error (though, I would have to argue that he wasn’t alone in that one) that allowed Fuld to score.

And, then comes the drama. The score was (very briefly) 6-2 until the call on Johnson was reversed and his RBI (bringing Damon across home plate) didn’t count.

And, then Maddon got mad. Pun intended. He was pissed. He came out of the dugout red-faced and hand-waving in the familiar way. My lip-reading skills are amateur at best, but I saw an awful lot of bullsh*t getting thrown around in amongst the general flailing. I think he knew from the time he marched onto the field that he was going to yell until he got himself tossed from the game. It was a close call, an arguably an important one, so the dramatics weren’t unexpected.

But, I can’t help but wonder if at least 50% of Maddon’s ranting was letting out 7 games worth of frustration in a public venue. It’s been a rough start for them, really, and who could blame him? Unfortunately, it didn’t help his boys today.

However, aside from that aforementioned throwing error, this guy was having a pretty great day (and getting a reasonable amount of exercise, running back and forth to first):


Way to go, Gavin Floyd.

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April 9, 2011 · 7:04 pm

Credit where credit is due, Or: Wow.

It’s a lot easier for me to be complimentary about someone on the opposing team when the sox still came out with the W against Tampa today.

I’m new, so I doubt there is anyone reading this, but just for the record, I have a deep abiding love of the outfield – especially right outfielders – and sometimes people like to give me heat for it.

But, come on. There are almost no words for how awesome this was, no matter which team you were pulling for today and whether you, like me, love the outfielders or really couldn’t care less.

http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?c_id=tb&content_id=13609203&topic_id=8877450

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