ChicagoSportsBlogs : Non Compete

I almost forgot to comment on this bit of news. The White Sox have done the right thing and exercised Guillen's 2006 option. They also gave him 2 more years (and an option for the 2009 season) I think this is a good move. No matter if Ozzie sticks his foot in his mouth, he has been doing a pretty good job. The contract extension is something that needed to get handled before this team actually got close to winning the division. It would have been a distraction as the season went on.

Ozzie brings a lot of good things to the club and to the city. Specifically, his hard nose approach to the game. The small-ball craze is just what baseball needs this year after all the massive numbers these steroid freaks have been putting up. Perhaps showing people how the game used to be played will help us transition back to an era of clean baseball. I'm being naive, but hey it was worth mentioning. He also is good for all the press he garners. Whether it is good or bad, Ozzie is personable. His accent is thick, but his message is clear. He has the ability to make us laugh, as well as shrink back in our plush leather recliners. This is the stuff that sells papers and makes 30 second clips on the evening news more enjoyable. I think Ozzie's tactics are better than that other manager's in town....(this is another matter)

Finally, when a team is going good and then suffers a set back (a three game losing streak) many people come out of the wood work clamoring for change. Change in baseball means the infamous mid-season trade.Let's take a few minutes and talk about what the Sox could do to change this lineup. Clearly, some people don't think our small ball approach is going to win this division. If the arms start to break down (El Duque anyone?) our 2 run games are going to catch up to us. This requires us to analyze the lineup and figure out what we could to improve. I will leave this for tomorrow, where I will continue this line of thought and start pulling crazy trades out of my twisted head. Stay tuned.

I was enjoying a tasty steak samich Friday night, just as the Sox took the field against a super hot Texas Rangers team. On the mound for the Pale hose was our next great young arm, Brandon McCarthy. I was hoping the kid pitched as well against the Rangers as he did in his first major league start against none other than the Cubs. I clearly should have paid more attention to my samich! McCarthy got rocked, and the Sox seemed to be heading back down to earth as the team was slumping. The nay-sayers would say that the White Sox can't beat a good team. It's the first signs of weakness. Sure, they can beat up on the pathetic Royals, but what can they do against a finely tuned team that is firing on all cylinders!

Well, we can handle those teams as well. Witness the great game Mark Buerhle pitched yesterday afternoon. He did it in front of a crowd that was in the range of over 30 thousand. (eat that you nay-sayers). But the game wasn't an easy win. Damaso Marte came in and almost closed the game out, but a freak error by Iguchi to botch a game ending double play blew that chance away. This bobble was out of character for Iguchi. I guess he got a little excited with all the fans in the stands cheering. It's understandable.

A final note, and a rather big one at that: The Big Hurt came back yesterday. He hurt himself running “too fast” around the bases to score a run on a double from Rowand. It was great to see the fans give the standing ovation to Frank. It was also good to see Frank be genuine about it. He was happy to be home, and while he tweeked a hip flexor (I need a doctor to describe this to me) I'm sure it's nothing compared to what he has endured in the off season just to make it onto the field. Welcome back Frank.

The NFL is a rough business. A week after signing Doug Brien, the Bears released Paul Edinger. The move was made primarily because Edinger would not take a pay cut to stay on the team. I can't blame him either. Teams are fickle when it comes to kickers. Unless you have Vinatieri on your roster, you are pretty much always looking to upgrade at the kicker position. The problem I have with this move is I don't know if Brien is actually better than Edinger. I guess I classify this as a rich man's problem and I didn't expect us to be that rich.

The Bears have an offense that is just plain bad - based on last year's numbers. The effective tune up we have done, via draft and free-agent signings during this off-season forces me to classify next year's team as having “great potential”. The potential upgrade at kicker is a sign that the front office has confidence that all the other offensive pieces are in place. This is why I am concerned. While I have not seen the initial practices of Kyle Orton, Benson, or even the return of Rex Grossman first hand -- I still question why this move was made. I really don't see a difference in Brien and the Bears fifth all time scorer (yea, it's Edinger). This is most likely why I write a blog and don't evaluate football talent for a living. Good thing too, since like most fans - I don't know jack. I wonder if the rumors we heard last week about him not wanting to compete were true? Edinger doesn't have a choice now. He will have to fight for a job somewhere.  May I suggest he work on kicking the ball straight before training camp begins?!

The Bears did a good thing releasing Edinger in time for him to latch onto another team. His agent claims there is interest in Edinger, and thus the reason why they stopped negotiating a trade deal. The papers report both Edinger and his agent are happy as hell to be let go before training camp opens. Let's hope the Bears are just as happy with the decision to go with Brien.

It was a great weekend of baseball in Chicago. The mighty Pale Hose dominated the Cubbies to take the first 2 out 3 games in the season's first cross town collision. It was a strong showing by the White Sox. They surprised everyone on Saturday after watching Zambrano dominate for the majority of the game. He had pitched a gem all the way into the 7th inning. That's when I had to run out of the car for an appointment. Pauly got a hit off Zambrano to break his no hit attempt and I figured I was safe from missing an “instant classic”. By the time I got back into the car, the Sox were up 5-3. Wow!

Ozzie later admitted that Zambrano was the best pitcher the Sox have faced all season. I tend to agree with him. The problem for the Cubs arose when Dusty Baker had to go get Zambrano and roll the dice with his bullpen. It didn't end well for the north siders. That gem of a game Zambrano pitched was lost in the 8th thanks to a shaky bullpen. To top the win off, and make the sting hurt a bit more, Jermaine Dye decided to come out of his slump against struggling (and demoted) relief pitcher Latroy Hawkins. Dye hit the insurance run out of the park and making it official: The Sox took this series.

Yesterday's game was special because of the pitching match up. The Sox put El Duque on the DL and called up rookie Brandon McCarthy. That's a tough situation to get called up for. McCarthy pitched extremely well in the Friendly Confines, and against his Internet buddy Mark Prior. Prior came out looking like a man determined to go the distance. The Cubs needed the win not only to avoid the sweep but to get themselves back on track. They should have taken Saturday's game, and if it wasn't for a nagging injury that Baker was protecting Zambrano from -- they would have. The bottom line is that even in yesterday's loss the Sox proved they can do a few things really well:

1. Win on the road.

2. Trust their talent on the field enough to call up a rookie arm

3. Win 2 out of 3 games in each series they play -- whether it's with small ball or not -- they just get it done.

This team is on a roll. Let's hope it carries us into the next series on the West coast where we match up with the California Angels of California.

I practically put a hole in the ceiling just now. Taguchi comes in for the bottom of the Th and hits a solo homer to tie the game at 6-6. If it wasn't for Pauly who just struck out looking, I'd say this was a great inning. I like the effort I have seen so far tonight. Especially because El Duque struggled massively tonight. He didn't make it through 3 innings.  We can thank AJ for hitting  a grand slam, giving us the early lead for El Duque to blow. Calling it a rough night for the starter is an understatement. If the Sox can pull this out tonight, you can be sure this team has learned an early lesson this year: Never give up.

The momentum in this game has clearly shifted in our favor. Letsee how it ends. Come on Sox, get this win!

9th inning update: Marte gets behind his first batter -- and he pays for it by giving up a MONSTER home run. So much for having the momentum. This kid has some massive control issues. He has not been able to find the strike zone. That is, except for that awesome fastball this dude just smacked out of the park. Let the boos begin...

Final update: 3 Game Losing streak. We tried to claw our way back -- but in the end the Rangers took this one.

John Garland has some explaining to do. What has this kid been doing for the past few years? If I am forced to read my own reviews of his starts last year, I'm pretty sure they would say he was mediocre. So what gives? How does a guy turn it around so quick? I know some folks put it on the fact we have a strong cohesive starting rotation with experienced arms. It's osmosis! That's nonsense. The other pitchers on this team are great, but this doesn't just rub off on you. Or does it? It didn't when Esteban Loiza was in a Sox uniform. Garland had plenty of chances to mimic the almost Cy Young award winning Loiza. (stop laughing, he almost won it that year) Garland pitched 8 great innings tonight against the Sosa-less Orioles. He got the win, and a lot of people got a chance to see it in person. Yes, the stands were packed! Even when they could have stayed home in their pajamas watching the game on WGN-HD, people came out.

Let's make it a habit to get to the south side this season. It might turn out to be a season you won't ever forget. I love winning.

A quick note here... Looks like we can count on an extra win this year! We have signed an extra kicker! Welcome Doug Brien to the city of Big Shoulders. Make yourself comfortable Mr. Brien, I doubt we are going to get close enough for that 50 year old leg of yours to make any field goals. Somehow, I doubt that Edinger is shaking at the sight of an old timer like Brien. But hey, I could be wrong. Way to go guys, its exactly what we needed. Competition at kicker. Are we supposed to think you are settled with all the other positions on this team? Kicker concerns you, does it Lovie? It concerns me too, but at a cost of $765k (it's great to be a vet in this league) I wonder if that money could have been better spent. I know it's not much cash to you high rolling readers, but to some young defensive end its at least a 10th of his signing bonus.

Many of you (ok, both of my readers) have been wondering why I haven't been posting lately. Especially since the pale hose have been on a massive streak. Add to this the fact that the Cubs are struggling and you have a recipe for fantastic blogging. Right? Wrong. I get no joy from the Cubs losing anymore than I get excited about the White Sox winning. It's still early. I'm cautiously optimistic that we are going to continue our winning ways on the South side. I am also pretty sure that the Cubs will eventually find themselves healthy, and mediocre. Truth be told, the posting has slowed down because of common man problems: job stuff, the weather (it has been nice lately), the wife and life in general have been ever time consuming. No matter, let's review some of the fun the White Sox have had in the past week or so:

First, I'll start with John Garland. Mr. Garland has surprised everyone in the league. He has jumped out to a tremendous start and you can tell the rest of the ball club steps it up a notch whenever it's his turn in the rotation. I'm not saying they don't put forth a great effort for Buerhle and company. I just notice the extra sprint in their steps when Johnny-boy is pitching. They want to do good by him. Which leads me to the second point about this great start: team chemistry.

Is it me, or does Ozzie have a group of guys here that just gel together? It could be the cloud that is winning which gives the average fan and purveyor of baseball the illusion of team chemistry. I think winning helps everyone get along. There isn't anything bad to really say about your fellow man when you are winning. All the questions in the post game are shifted in the direction of positives, rather than the negatives like mistakes on the bases or a booted ball.

Finally, Ozzie has been quiet lately. This is good. I only hope that Kenny sat the Oz down and told him the media is eating him for lunch. Let me clear that up. I don't mean to blame the media for the perception that Ozzie is a hot head. He is a hot head. He sticks his foot in his mouth often, but I think he gets provoked. Unlike this little sports blog,  the papers need to sell in the morning. What better way to move product than to open a sports page to a headline reading “Ozzie going to put the Big Hurt on Mags”. Or something to that effect. I'll stick to my day job....

Four days into May and I haven't written anything of substance. Well, that changes today. Hopefully.

The White Sox did a great job coming from behind last night to beat the last place Royals 5-4. It was a good victory for many reasons. Let's discuss the positives. First, Buehrle was pitching last night and he wasn't sharp. He gave up 3 homers last night. 2 of them were to Sweeney alone! Even when he doesn't have his best stuff, Ozzie has faith in him. He left him in long enough to see run support show up in the 8th. This leads me to our second positive of the game, Mr. Iguchi. He smacks his first home run in the majors last night, leading him to 4 hits in total for the game. He is playing a strong second base and is by far the most consistent hitter in our lineup (as of right now). The team isn't really firing on all cylinders, yet they find ways to win games. It's hard not to be positive about this team.

In other good news for the site (I've been working on some big things kiddies), newspaper circulation is down. How ironic I had to link to a newspaper site to get that point across. Many bloggers out there believe that this is a good thing. It somehow shows that blogs are important. This 2% decline has to be because of the fantastic bloggers out there, right? People are putting their papers down and reading more blogs! Wrong. We can't make that leap. While I really hope people are reading more and more blogs out there (this one included), I  doubt blogs are the entire reason why papers aren't selling. I actually think that news aggregators like Google's are a big reason why people aren't getting their news from the print media. That, and a little invention called television can't be helping those circulation numbers. But hey, I could be wrong. If you would rather read me than Sam Smith, more power to you. (and thanks!)

Full Disclosure: I read a newspaper everyday. It's nice for the train ride when I'm not playing with my PSP. Good Times!