ChicagoSportsBlogs : Non Compete

The dreaded lead-off walk! I just finished watching McCarthy walk the first man up in the bottom half of the 3rd. It's not that bad, because he actually got the next batter to ground into the double play. So far, the kid looks good. We lost the opener or first game of the doubleheader, and we need to get this one. The lead is down to 7 games and I would be lying if I didn't tell you I was getting nervous. I refuse to count my chickens before the hatch. I hope the Sox rattle off another 5 or 6 runs today to make up for the complete lack of concentration on defense these past few days. The shennanigans continued tonight when Widger dropped a routine pop-fly in foul territory. We're lucky we got out of the inning. Jermaine Dye hit a 2 run homer to give us the lead (still at 3-0). It would be nice get this win.

A lot has changed since I took off for my vacation. Cedric Benson signed, finally. Kyle Orton is our starting QB and this years Jim Miller is Jeff Blake.

Wow. That's a lot of crap to cover. I'll be brief because my internal clock is telling me it's time to go to bed. I just haven't hit my groove yet. Here goes:

Orton was destined to be the starter this year anyway. Whether it was the first game or the 10th, anyone in a Bears uniform who throws the ball should be ready to come in at any time. This doesn't bother me. Orton was a great pick in the draft. I know many Bears fans are going to cry in their beers this year because we are starting all over again at the QB position, but I don't see the big deal. In fact, I see improvement in our front office and coaching decision makers. They acted swiftly in hopes that there wasn't going to be a revolt by players and the fans of this great city. Do you want to see another Quinn moment this year? Who cares if the kid is a rookie. Who cares that Jerry Angelo didn't sign a real veteran backup until after Rex went down (again). I don't. Let the kid play. He earned the spot with his preseason performances, and the staff actually noticed and did something about it. We'll be fine with Orton. Just keep him healthy.

As for Benson -- I have no idea what to think. I'm not a running back. I've never had to sit out from work for 35 days because I didn't like my guaranteed money. I do have concerns, just like everyone else in this town. I read a lot about how the kid is bitter. I also read a lot about how the kid has been practicing his ass off in Texas while waiting for his agent and the Bears to finalize a deal. At the same time, I hear it doesn't matter how hard you train, it's not the same as being hit in practice. You need to develop that first layer of bruises or some such nonsense. If the kid comes in with a chip on his shoulder, then watch out -- it could be another Bears RB disaster. I just hope he comes in, and simply runs. He'll move up past Peterson quickly, although I'm not so sure Thomas Jones is going to just lay down and give the kid his job. We'll see.

Finally -- let's talk about Blake. He's 34 years old and he still has a gun for an arm. Or that's at least what people tell me. I think he probably sees some time this year by game 5 if Orton struggles. Especially if the defense is as good as everyone says it is. There will be pressure to get the kid out of there if he is costing us games. This means a veteran like Blake will be moved in to keep us floating around that mediocre line we have all grown accustomed to. I could be wrong, but Blake might have something left in the tank. I hope we never find out, because I'd rather see Orton play a full season with a 6-10 record than 4 quarterbacks swapping in and out for a slightly better 8-8 record. 8-8 isn't going to get the job done folks. Sorry. 

All right kiddies! I'm heading off for a bit of a vacation -- I'll be back in time to see the White Sox clinch the division

(I hope)

MikeJ will be holding down the fort while I am gone -- so make sure to stop by and see what he is up to while I am gone.

Back in 15!

 

There are a lot of things we need to cover. It's a busy time of year. Especially when the city's two baseball teams are running in opposite directions. Is there any doubt that this is the White Sox year? We're still the best team in baseball. Yet, this still doesn't satisfy some people in Chicago. Especially certain sports writers who need to move papers. The recent survey/article by said writer asks a ludicrous question of Sox fans: Would you take Raffy? The clear answer is no. For many reasons. First, he's a cheater. This is the low hanging fruit reason. It's obvious that Raffy is a liar and his entire career is a sham. Why would we want this static on our team. If you think Ozzie talks crap about Big Frank, imagine what he will say to reporters about Raffy. Besides, he won't be able to concentrate in the stretch run. This makes him a distraction to the rest of the team. We don't need a savior anyway. I know people are nervous about our hitting. We haven't scored many runs in the past few weeks. Eventually 1 run victories are going to go the way of the dodo. Luck is something better served in the playoffs. I hope we don't run out of it during the regular season. I'm always afraid of winning the regular season -- and losing in the playoffs. It's happened before in this town. The Cubbies on the other hand, have stumbled out of playoff contention. Baring miracles of course. We all know how often Cubs' miracles happen...they're done. Cub fans are now free to enjoy the Bears season. The rest of us are saving our pennies for playoff tickets.

In the meantime -- let's hope the White Sox take care of business in Beantown....

Why else would Ozzie leave Cliff Politte in at the bottom half of the 9th....after getting out of a jam in the 8th?! First pitch fastball -- and guess what? A-Rod goes yard. It's 2-1 and instead of winning a close game -- I get to watch Damaso blow it against Matsui or Giambi next. DAMN. Update: Marte gives up a single...the pinch runner for Giambi is on third and NOW Ozzie wants to go get Hermie...NOW. What the hell is wrong with you Ozzie? We need this game. I'd like to know why our closer wasn't in to start the 9th. We drop it, and I put this on OZ. FINAL UPDATE: Geoff Blum just earned his paycheck. He also earned Ozzie's today because that line drive smash that Bernie Williams just hit off of Hermanson was fair, and it would have been a triple. A base clearing, walk off, game winning, heart breaking triple. Instead it was a great catch by Blum. Good guys win. How's that for playoff atmosphere? The question will remain (for tomorrow, because I am tired as hell) what was Ozzie thinking?!

For as long as I have been alive and kicking, the third string QB on any given Chicago Bears team is always the fan favorite. Always. Third string. This gives you an idea of how accustomed we have become to crappy leaders at the helm. The laundry list of starting QBs over the past 10 years is staggering. I won't rehash it here if only to get more time in to talk about our new favorite third string QB: Kyle Orton.

The Bears won their first pre-season game of  '05 last night against Miami. They ruined the debut of  Miami's new head coach, Nick Saban. They also gave the NFL its first look at Ricky Williams since he ran off to live in a hut on the side of mountain in Timbuktu.

It is a new day for ChicagoSplogs (aka ChicagoSportsBlogs.com -- damn those spammers).

Did anyone find it ironic that I spent these past 2 years writing about team sports in the City of Chicago -- alone? If you listen to sports-talk radio you rarely hear anyone working the mic alone. I was basically talking to myself. Well, until the two readers showed up. Thanks for that fellas. Those two readers brought a few more friends, and eventually we settled down to about 4 readers...but no more! One of our readers has crossed over...

Spotty coverage, incoherent babble, and a writing style that people shrug off. I was the lite beers of sports blogs. But no more I say!! Life is short. Who wants to keep drinking lite beer? I say have a real pint!

With that -- I want to welcome our latest addition to the ChicagoSportsBlogs.com faimily: MikeJ. He's a Cubs writer and massive, massive, massive sports nut. He is also, like me, a born and raised Chicago guy. So you can't go wrong there. I think you will find his coverage to be a great addition. So, like hockey before us, we expand. Hopefully to places a lot smarter than Florida or Columbus. HAH!

Who wants to sing the Blackhawks theme?? That's got me thinking....we need some theme music...

 

Man alive -- we were once up 2-0 in this game. Then all of a sudden Garland gets rocked. It's 7-3 in the bottom of the 8th...let's hope we can get close....

I've been goofing around with various new “widgets” (aka controls) for the site. I know I have been lazy about it, but I have been playing with some cool stuff from BlogPulse.com. Check out this graph of the White Sox:

 

UPDATE: Damn image wouldnt show up....try again later!

Oh boy. It wasn't a good day for the Orioles. That blasted clip of Raffy pointing his finger at the man is going to haunt us forever.  It was no wonder the Sox were able to sweep past the mentally drained Os. It's a shame. This poor team used to be in first place.

I honestly dreaded a similar fate for our Pale Hose. I get more comfortable watching the Twins lose every day. Let's hope we can sustain a solid streak in August to avoid the collapse that has plagued Baltimore this season. The game itself was memorable for  Buehrlegetting tossed in the 6th after hitting a batter in retaliation. I guess Cabrera threw at A.J. and the Sox had enough. You can't go hitting a man's catcher. Buehrle took matters into his own hands in the bottom half of the 6th and plunked B.J. Surhoff before getting ejected. That's funny. I wonder when the last time 2 opposing hitters with initials for first names were plunked.

Let's wrap this up. The BlueJays are in town tonight! Garland is on the mount looking for that 16th victory he should have had in his last outing. Go Sox!

Back in 5!

 

Last night's game was a thing of beauty. The rest of the country saw exactly why the White Sox are the best team in baseball. None of the 9 runs the White Sox scored last night came from a home run. We hit the ball well and consistently. Freddy was solid in the outing against the Os, and spectacular against a former Chicago fan favorite. Who knew it was so hard to layoff a curve ball?

The Sox have extended their lead to 14.5 games over both Minnesota and Cleveland. We had a few rough games against Detroit and Kansas City a few weeks back, but this series against the former division leading Orioles should keep us on track. August is a tough month for the White Sox. We have to face the Yankees,  Boston, and Minnesota. If we make it through with at least half of those games, we should be able to coast into the playoffs. The main thing to worry about now, is our health.

Finally, I wanted to send out congrats to Ryne Sandberg for making it to the hall. When my brother and I played baseball we wanted to play the game like Sandberg. He was amazing. A complete player. A total gamer. He was everyone's hero in this town. In my experience, the three most important athletes in Chicago sports for guys my age where Walter, Jordan, and Ryno. It's great to see him make it to the top of the mountain. Congrats Ryno.