View from the South Side Cheap Seats

Both 2006 and 2007 looked better on paper than 2005 so you can’t blame a girl for expecting more. Money doesn’t guarantee anything either, if it did the Twins wouldn’t be piranhas and NYY would be winning every year, right?

If it were as simple as that then fans of that other team in town should be pretty mad right now because in regards to long term contracts they have outspent Milwaukee by $360 million and St. Louis by $375 million. They should be running away with things (if it were all about the money) but instead they are battling it out with these very teams and all of their fans are happy.  If they weren’t in the bottom-feeder division that is the NL Central and they played in any other division here is how they would stack up with their current record:

4th in the NL West
3rd in the NL East
4th in the AL East
4th in the AL Central
3rd in the AL West

Chances are that they would be even lower when you consider they’d be playing a tougher schedule in any other division as well but you wouldn’t know it if you talked to someone in their fan base.

So it’s not money and it’s not how a team looks on paper. If it were that easy then why bother to play the game?

As far as what’s left for the year all I want is for us to get to .500 but sad to say, I really don’t think it’s going to happen, especially with all of the experimentations going on right now. I understand the Gooch trade. It was a little sad to see him go but it’s part of the game. My two most vivid memories of him were actually from 2006. One was the unbelievable catch and throw to first that he executed on Easter weekend vs. the Blue Jays. He was fully laid out in the air and delivered the ball to Pauly for an out. It was jaw-dropping, rub-your-eyes-did-I-just-see-what-I think-I-saw AMAZING! I will never forget it. You could see it the rest of the year in highlight reels on ESPN, Fox and Comcast. I still can’t believe what I saw. The other one was his game tying 7 RBIs in the 8^th and 9^th inning during the Sunday night game vs. the Houston Astros on June 25th. But time marches on, contracts expire, trades are made and new guys move into the picture and there were a lot of people raving about Danny Richar down in low ball.   I wanted to take a look at him too and I totally understand that calling him up in Sept was probably not going to be enough to see what he could do. He couldn’t have been platooned with Gooch; we weren’t really going to learn enough about him in just one month.

There is a dilemma with third base and a returning Joe Crede. He has to be proven before you can trade him (if that’s what is going to happen); on the other hand, if he returns to form you want him because he has become one of the best in the business. I think he was screwed on not getting WS MVP in 05, if you disagree take a look at the post-season games again. His defense was so tight and he gave clutch hits left and right. If he’s back like that then you have to play him. Certain to add more stickiness to the situation is the fact that his agent is Scott Boras (there are too many articles to link here but if you don’t know who he is, look him up for yourself).

Adding to this conundrum is what to do with Josh Fields, who until this week was filling in for Joe. We were spoiled with Crede’s presence in the hot corner but it’s funny that just a handful of years ago many were trying to run #24 out of town. Now a lot of people have already forgotten Joe’s road to greatness was not always great. I give you this as an argument for patience with Josh. Besides his leading rookies this year in HRs (BTW he only started playing in June) and the fact that his offense is way better than Joe’s younger years, I heard on the radio the other day that Josh Fields has committed 8 errors in 72 games at third. It took Joe Crede only 52 games to reach 8 errors in his first year.  Fields has proven himself and Kenny wants to find him a spot for next year if Joe returns healthy so now he’s out in Left learning how to play but the torture of watching his reliever, Andy Gonzalez, is too much to bear.  Can’t we let Josh finish the year at 3^rd and have him go to winter ball or something to learn Left?

For those of you who’ve been asking why Andy Gonzalez isn’t auditioning for SS (his “normal” position), the last two nights of errors from third base should put those questions to rest. He may have reached 8 in two games.

Why do I care? Why am I continuing to subject myself to this nightmare of a season?

It used to be the love of the game. The fact that on any given day you could show up to the ballpark and after over 100 years of baseball (with 10-15 or more games per day played from April to September) you could see something that has never happened before.  The skill, the dedication, the history, the chance to see perfection, to see the best of the best, people living their dream and kids in the stands building one, seeing patience actually pay off …

But now it’s because I still get chills when I see pictures of the parade down LaSalle Street—I have a small handful of the 13 tons of confetti that was dropped. The hair on my arms still sticks up when I see and/or hear 2005 highlights. I honestly still tear up when I think about that magical year and the this-can’t-be-happening/is-someone-making-a-movie post season. By the time I’m done with this entry it’s quite possible that there will be tears on my keyboard, a lump in my throat and adrenaline pumping through my veins. I’m just as excited today when I watch my post season DVDs as the day I brought them home (thanks Mitch!) In fact, I think I might enjoy them more now than when they were really happening. I was nauseous and in a daze the entire month of Oct. 2005. I could barely eat and hardly slept. I was such a mess it was hard to enjoy each game especially the last one. I nearly passed out (seriously) after the 2nd out in the bottom of the 9th of the last game because the realization of the White Sox being World Series Champions was hitting me and we were one out away. Decades of people before me hoping, wishing, waiting and wanting was coming true. I don’t know how I made it through that month or kept my job for that matter. I can feel the old knots in my stomach right now.

This was more than merely winning the World Series (which is HUGE in itself). People were born, lived full lives and died without seeing a World Champion White Sox Team (or a World Champion CHICAGO team for that matter). Not only have I been a White Sox fan for two decades and not only was I living in Chicago when it happened but I was living in Bridgeport when it happened.

I saw the transformation of Chicago’s oldest neighborhood first hand. My friend, Jess, and I used to take extra long walks just to see the excitement grow (even when it wasn’t game day you could feel the anticipation, exhilaration and Sox pride). There were helicopters and homeland security checks, we were warned that on certain days we should be prepared to show evidence that we belonged in the neighborhood by displaying a game ticket or show validity of residence in Bridgeport—I have the flyer to prove it. The typical Halloween decorations gave way to White Sox decorations while some were a blurry mix…they ranged from being very creative and others were classic Bridgeport that you’d have to have seen to know what I’m talking about.

Signs hung on fences, in windows and were even spray painted onto bed sheets that were strung across streets. Some of my favorites were “Miracle on 35th Street” (a play on my favorite Christmas movie “Miracle on 34th Street”—the original one from 1947…in black and white with Natalie Wood, Maureen O’Hara, Edmund Gwenn and William Frawley; not the weak remake or the junky Ted Turner colorized version—so you idiots up north who thought you were cute and made the “Miracle on Clark and Addison” signs can take them down as you missed the point entirely), “Houston You Have a Problem”, and my favorite, “Is This Heaven? No, It’s Bridgeport” (a picture of this particular one hangs in my living room and over my desk at work).

This was a team that joined only 8 others in the entire history of the game (again, over 100 years) who were in first place from wire-to-wire (in the regular season). Teams like the dominant 1927 NY Yankees who were 110-44. The year Babe Ruth broke his own single season record by hitting 60 home runs and Lou Gehrig had a Major League Record 175 RBIs. The 1955 Dodgers with “the boys of summer”: Jackie Robinson and Sandy Koufax to name only two. The 1984 Detroit Tigers who started the year off under Sparky Anderson with a 35-5 record. In 1998 both Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez (gag) were Cleveland Indians and were in 1^st the whole time. Lou Pinella managed two of these eight: the 1990 Reds and the 2001 Mariners (gulp).

From there the number grows smaller because only four of these eight teams actually ended up going to and winning the World Series.

Even fewer teams were as dominant in the post season as the 2005 Chicago White Sox. They had an 11 and 1 post season. They had FOUR complete games in the series against LAA for the American League Pennant and then they SWEPT the World Series. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Each night a different hero, each night somebody made it happen seemingly more spectacularly than the night before. Words fall short in describing the elation and euphoria that followed. I was pinching myself for weeks—probably months. I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face. It was everything and then some and no one can take it away. That year was ours and it was astonishing.

…and that’s why I care.

Even with a month left of baseball it seems like in the South Side all that is left to do is point fingers. Some are blaming the players, some the coaching staff and others are blaming Kenny Williams. I have a few opinions but whatever and whomever it is I hope it’s fixed in time for 2008. I don’t expect the White Sox to win the World Series every year, I’d like them to but that would get boring eventually, I guess. I would like to see October baseball more often than not of course but now I’m looking up at .500 like the bottom drain in the deep end of a swimming pool sees a diving board—I don’t really know where that analogy came from either but can we let it slide for now, please?

I’m trying to be realistic with my expectations and all that I ask is for the team to be competitive so to come to the end of the season and to not only be so far under .500 but to be the 2nd to last team in all of baseball, I’m at a loss for words (or at least appropriate ones).

When I heard Baseball Prospectus’ prediction of the Sox only winning 72 ballgames I was actually mad at a computer and now it’s coming true…even worse, the computer could have been generous!!

People are now not only fighting over who is to blame but they are also critiquing Ozzie’s post-game press conferences more than ever. Last night after the 2nd of 3 games against the Rangers he was mad (justifiably so) and today people were talking like he shouldn’t be acting that way. Come on, are you kidding me??!!! I had to change the channel this afternoon because I was going to start yelling at the radio, which A.) looks silly especially when you’re wearing ear buds and B.) doesn’t go over well in the office. A little later on I heard relatively the same thing on another channel. Are you serious? Chastising a guy who is at his wits end because he has tried every approach there is this year only to have nothing work? He’s been a friend and stuck by guys, he’s “thrown guys under the bus”, he’s changed players roles, he’s been patient, he’s turned up the heat, he’s given a bunch of chances, he’s been fun, he’s been business and nothing has worked. I’m sure there are even more things that have been done in the dugout, locker room and in the office that only a few know about. To ridicule a guy who has seemingly done all that he can do and shows emotion because nothing has worked and his team has failed miserably? Are you kidding me? If he didn’t show this emotion I’m SURE these very same people would be criticizing him for not showing any (or enough) desire and emotion. I would put money on it.

What I love about Ozzie is that he IS passionate and he speaks his mind. If he didn’t blow up I would question him and I would be mad that I hadn’t seen him get mad because I’m mad. I’m disappointed, I’m confused and I’m mad but it’d be worse if he didn’t appear to be rattled as well.

True that managers/coaches are responsible for getting everything out of their teams that they can but sometimes it’s just not enough. “A manager/coach is only as good as his players.” If this weren’t the case Ozzie and KW wouldn’t have looked like heroes two years ago and zeroes in some eyes this year. Sparky Anderson would have had a much better result in his first couple years in De-troilet. For that matter Jim Leyland’s Tigers would have won last year. This discussion can go in circles (and I’m weary from this horrible season)…to me, it’s kind of like what came first, the chicken or the egg.

Sure there are probably a couple games Ozzie single-handedly lost but he is not responsible for this putrid season. I think he’s doing his best with what he’s been given.

Which leads us to who does the giving, I think Kenny made a few good moves and a few questionable moves this year. I felt that there were more questions at the start of this year than I was comfortable with but I was not around the front office or at the winter meetings nor was I privy to the trade talks throughout this season so it’s hard to know what could have been or if there was a lot of nothing out there. I’m inclined to think it was more of the latter but I can’t say why. Even though I wasn’t comfortable with some of the way things were laid out I didn’t believe it would be this pathetic.

Should he be held solely responsible for how horrible everyone has been? Could he have had the foresight that everyone would slump not only at the same time but also for so long? One must always factor in injuries but should he have expected such severe ones—with Humpty and Dumpty (Pods and Erstad) probably, but the others? Hmmm, probably with Crede and I think one should anticipate a little time off for Thome these days too. So I do fault him in some ways but how was he to know that even the top veterans would struggle for so long and so badly all at the same time? Should he have known for a while no one would contribute?

I was not happy that we went bullpen shopping once again in KC much less up north and I will fault him there…Dr Don can only do so much. It seems that everything was a problem at one point or another so that does tend to look poorly upon the GM but I don’t think anybody thought it would be this bad, except for that stupid computer (and maybe Michael Lewis but I think he and Billy Beane would say it about any year tied to KW).

I’m not calling for his head, I think he deserves the opportunity to make things right. I think the players have to hold some responsibility themselves. If the coaches can’t help them find it there are a hundred million other reasons ($$) they should be able to find it in themselves. Dig down deep within yourself and figure it out.

Under Kenny’s first six years (which does not count this year) the Sox are 522-450, which is .537; through the end of 2006 it was good enough to rank him as the most successful GM in Sox history. I had a thought; I hope I’m wrong. Were all the preceding seasons under Kenny winning seasons because of the foundation his predecessors laid? Is this the future under Kenny Williams? Is our farm team and scouting awry because of him and we are only now seeing his impact? I’m not saying…I’m just asking. I hope I’m way off. I guess everything appears hopeless when you’re at the bottom. Panic has set in. I don’t think it’s that bad. It’s just that disparity makes one crazy…I hope that’s all it is.

It seems like everything is against us. It’s too bad that Bobby’s phenomenal accomplishment, what is hopefully the season Thome hits his 500th home run (he’s 5 away right now), Buehrle’s No-No and 100th win will all be over-shadowed by such a depressing and weak overall team showing.

It was more fun thinking of titles about this weekend than actually thinking about the games.  There was nothing fun about that, in fact, it reminded me more of a few lines from “Stigmata” by Ministry.  The words kept running through my head all weekend: Chewing on glass, eating my fingers…cutting my face and walking on splinters.  Pleasant, isn’t it?  That’s about as pleasant as the baseball was this weekend in the South Side.  If it weren’t for today’s 5-4 win in a make up game against the TB Devil Rays I don’t think I could have brought myself to write anything for a few days.

I went to the game on Friday evening but missed Sat. and Sunday.  I stopped keeping score Friday in the 4^th.  There was a father and son sitting in front of us.  The kid brought his Pooh Bear.  Basically this photo taken by a friend sums up the night (see attachment below).

I was a little under the weather Saturday so my tickets went unused but as bad as I felt I was glad I wasn’t there.  I was so happy I had an excuse to stay home and the remote to change the channel.  The first 5 innings were actually fairly palatable, Boston began to put some points on the board in the 6^th and it was all over.  Sad to say I was actually surfing and hoping for something as pathetic as “Rock of Love” or some “CSI”/”CSI Miami” that I hadn’t seen 20 times already.  There was the hole that the Red Sox found between SS and third that no one could plug defensively and the mistake by Gonzalez where he didn’t throw the ball home despite AJ’s frantic waving for someone to throw him the ball, which resulted in more runs and so I just had to settle for some bad Summer Saturday afternoon TV instead.

Sunday I spent the day out on the water.  It was a beautiful day.  Stopped into the yacht club after racing was over and it was such a nice day that when I looked over to see the game was on the bar TVs I went back outside.  I didn’t want them to ruin such a pretty day.

Monday looked to follow suit but luckily we were playing the DRays so I hoped there was a chance—how pathetic is that?!  They went up 2-0 in the 2^nd with a homer by Young.  Contreras came back the next inning with three Ks but by the 6^th it was 4-0 DRays.  Sox went down nearly every inning 1, 2, 3 until the 7^th when AJ homered on (what I think was) the first pitch of the inning, JD steps up and a few pitches later he goes yard.  Uribe steps in the box and he goes long.  Yes, back to back to back HRs.  I think it took a sequence of 9 pitches and suddenly we were back in the game.  Richar gets a double.  Gonzalez strikes out as does J.O. but Josh Fields hits a two-run homer and puts the Sox on top for the day.  I still don’t have confidence in MacDougal and thought we were going to give the lead back when he came in during the 8^th but he sent them down in order.

It’s sad how quiet it is when the stadium is empty and Big Bad Bobby Jenks comes in.  It’s usually one of my favorite parts of the game.  You see the XL #45 in the bullpen heading down the stairs as the door opens, POD is playing about the “BOOM” and “…the boys from the South…” and usually it’s so loud the hair on your arms stands up as is everyone in the park.  You can’t hear anything—it’s great!  Well, not today my friends.  I doubt there was even a measly 10,000 and while most all of us were cheering and standing it’s nothing like a full crowd.

I’m glad to see that there is now a veteran in the Sox pen.  I’m just not sure I’m glad that it’s Mike Myers.  To be honest, I’m afraid he’s come home to die.  (He was born in Arlington Heights and graduated from Crystal Lake.)  I think we’ve needed a veteran out there.  In my free time I race sailboats and I have really come to appreciate having veterans aboard every time I race.  You can have all the talent in the world but if you don’t know what to do with it and how it can work for you (and against you) your talent can at times be nearly worthless.   There is still plenty to be learned from the old school so in that respect, OK, we have a veteran in the pen now but the Yankees have kicked it in gear and are hot on the tail of the Red Sox for their division and even closer to the AL Wild Card.  If Myers were that good I would think they would be holding on to him.

The other contract news this week was the re-signing of Jermaine Dye.  His defense the first half was not good (and like the rest of the team neither was his offense).  He was missing catches I believe he would have had just last year. He’s been playing better offensively and defensively the second half but I’m not sold.  I know we are just two years out of him being the World Series MVP but he’s turning 34 this January and with the way things went earlier this year… 

With all the talk about reloading for 2008 and getting on the right track I guess this just took me by surprise.  I like JD and have enjoyed watching him play, maybe I had just mentally prepared myself too well to see him go by July 31.  I don’t know.  Maybe Kenny is overwhelmed by all of the question marks and just wanted to answer one of them.

I think JD would make a good DH for us but Thome is supposed to be here through next year.  Maybe that’s why he’s staying around?  To step into that role in 2009, might work, especially if (when) Thome goes on the DL again next year. 

A few things I DO KNOW is that I do not want to see Uribe, Pods or Cintron back.  Pods could be going on the DL for the third time this year.  The last home stand vs. Seattle Cintron missed two plays in two days. One of which was when he held onto the ball and just ran to no where with it—I thought for a minute I was watching a T-ball game.  I know he’s got a lot on his mind as he is going on the bereavement list for the third time this year and I’m very sorry about that.  There is nothing like having a parent die/near death but his mental mistakes and weak elbow are making his average presence below average.  Uribe, well, this about sums it up. (See “Juan Uribe is in the midst of…’Get on my shoulders, get off my back’”.)

In an earlier post I mentioned times like these force me to look for good things, so here goes another round:

• The Sox broke an 8-game losing streak (ouch).
• Josh Fields has 10 HR since the break and leads this year’s rookie class in going yard.
• Although Bobby wasn’t able to break the record for consecutive batters sent down he did tie it and that in itself is a big feat.  Considering it took 36 years for someone to match the record his name could be in the book for quite a while.
• I was not an Oriole fan at Camden yesterday. (Knock on wood, the way things are going it could have been us, we were headed that way in the Bronx a few weeks back.)
• It’s nearly Half-Way to St. Patrick’s Day.

Two stolen bases (one in a rally that helped to tie the score in the 7^th), three hits (one actually being a bunt) and one super attempt to catch at the wall, although Jerry Owens couldn’t hold on to the ball as he hit the wall it was a great try, blood and all.  Move over Darin Erstad, we’ve got someone looking to be grindy-er than you lately. 

An 8-game losing streak for the Sox, the bottom of our division, a high chance for rain last night and home games the next 6 days I decided for the first time this year to sit home and not go to the game.  So I settled into my usual away game ritual: TV on in living room and radio on 670 in the kitchen but this time I also had the fireworks two blocks away at the park to let me know what was going on.  A few minutes after 7, I went over to my window to hear Gene Honda announce the guys after “the video”.  Shamefully, I also turned on a second radio to listen to da Bears because there is nothing like a game called by Jeff Joniak.  That guy is awesome!

I thought for sure I wouldn’t be the only one not using my tickets tonight.  Yes, the chance to see Bobby set a new record was very enticing but I still opted to stay home.  I was tired.  When the attendance of 35,391 was announced I have to say I was surprised.  KENNY:  YOU OWE SOX FANS BIG TIME IN 2008.  FIGURE OUT WHO CAN GET IT DONE NEXT YEAR.  WE DESERVE IT.

Buehrle was a little scary again tonight but Pods got on the board first with a two-run homer in the 5^th then KC scored 3 in the 6^th.  Thankfully the kids came to the rescue again, it’s good to see.  It gives me hope for next year.  Richar had his second big league HR, which tied the game.  His first was this past Friday and was a grand slam.  Not bad.  Fields had an RBI in the 7^th to give the Sox the lead (after Owens stole 2^nd for the second time in the night). 

After a long time and seeing every available Sox pitcher but Mike Myers it’s time for Bobby.  I turn off da Bears post game and go over to the window to hear a little POD and the crowd cheering as he comes out of the bullpen.  BOOM!  Here comes the BOOM! 

I decided to type the top of the 9^th “real time”.  It went like this:

My stomach is in my throat.  I am sooo nervous.  First pitch, foul.  Whew.

Next OMG MERCY  It’s foul!!!!! 

WOAH (he almost hit Gathright)  GEEZ   YIKES

#&*$^#&*@#%^&*@#&(!@*(&#$^&#*&^@#^%#$^&*   %^&*((*&^%$%^&*$%^&*%!!!  Base hit.  Crap!  I can’t freaking believe it.  That’s just not fair!!  After all this time.  UGH

I guess it just goes to show how big of deal this record is and how hard it is to get there.  The streak is over.  I’m bummed.  

From July 17-August 20, the last 41 batters faced by Bobby Jenks went down this way:

RH: 0-31

LH: 0-10

Ground Outs: 16

Fly Outs: 13

Strikeouts: 12

Walks: ZERO

HP: ZERO

Errors: ZERO

That’s pretty stinking cool and I got to see him tie it in person.  I’m looking forward to the stories they (staff, players and Bobby) were waiting to tell.   How many pitchers can say that they were playing AA ball in July and were a rock solid closer less than 3 months later in the World Series and then go on to say that they tied a Major League Record that stood for over 30 years two seasons after winning it all?  Wow!

It sucks he had to sit on the bench for a week to wait for his chance to go out and beat the record.  I was really hoping he could set a new one.  What was it? Gathright is that good?  He had to sit too long?  Or did his luck just run out?  Maybe a little bit of all three.  He said in an interview later it was his fault.  “I messed up on that one.” 

Once again, typical of this season…that’s not to say that this isn’t amazing and one of the good things about this year.  I guess I’m just left feeling like, well, I want more pie.

As a kid sitting down to lunch each day at home with my mom I vividly remember Paul Harvey being part of every lunch spent at the kitchen table. Whether it was a bowl of SpaghettiO’s, some grilled cheese or Chicken with Stars soup, Paul was there. He ‘d give the news of the day over the AM radio, read some of the ads himself and then had a special segment that was kind of a “behind the scenes” segment called “The Rest of the Story”. They were usually some sort of brief human-interest storylines. I can’t help but think he’d love to tell this one.

Ehren Wasserman’s trail to the big leagues is not an average tale. Maybe that’s why every time I’ve turned around lately it seems that I hear and/or read tidbits on the new White Sox pitcher who joined the team midseason this year. To say he came out of nowhere is pretty accurate I’d say.

I like to think I have a fairly decent idea of the Sox farm system and whom I can expect to see in Spring Training, September call-ups and some time down the road in the Majors, etc. For instance, I already knew who Jerry Owens was. I had been reading the name Josh Fields for a while and my “White Sox Family” (i.e. the season ticket holders next to me and behind me) LOVE to tease me about Ryan Sweeney. I have to admit I was a little confused/surprised when Wasserman showed up one day as I had definitely heard more about the likes of Gio Gonzalez, Adam Russell, Fautino De La Santos, Lance Broadway, and Heath Phillips among others in the list of Sox Minor League pitchers who had yet to make the trip up to the big time (not counting Spring Training). OK, maybe it was more than surprise, maybe my pride was hurt a little bit as I didn’t know much more than his name as he came out of the ‘pen that first night I saw him play and then sit down quickly after allowing no hits and thank goodness no walks (which had become all too typical earlier this year). He came in, got the job done and that was that. In fact, at one point he was the only one coming out of the ‘pen (except for Bobby) who didn’t make me wince.

Currently his ERA sits at 3.18 and if you happen to catch him pitching in a home game there are some other impressive stats flashed up on the big screen that I wish I could remember right now.

So where did this guy who throws strikes with the strange delivery come from? (I recently read a quote from him talking about how other players have told him that he “freaks them out” and “they are scared of him” because he doesn’t seem to take much time to look at the plate before he throws. Apparently they are afraid of where the ball is going to end up, which obviously probably is one of the reasons for his success at the moment.) He played ball at Samford but went unsigned. After college he was a knife salesman in Alabama. Yeah, a knife salesman. He found out that the White Sox were holding open try-outs in 2003 and went out to give it one last shot. You had to be able to throw 90 mph for them to even give you a look—his delivery nowadays is usually more in the high 80s, so he’s not the usual Sox flame-thrower. He made it in to try-outs but was given the old “don’t call us, we’ll call you.” He waited a week and called anyway.

More time passed but eventually he made it to Rookie Ball in Bristol (for those of you who don’t know, before the Majors there is AAA, before that is AA, before that is A and at the very bottom is Rookie Ball.)

There were 100 guys at the try-outs, to be quite honest and to put it mildly, it’s a real long shot if you haven’t figured it out already. So long in fact that in another story I saw recently on Comcast Sportsnet no one could name another player who went to try-outs and actually made it all the way to “The Bigs”. IF they ever made a team, which is hard enough as it is, they spent all their time in the Minors. Huh. That’s pretty crazy.

Well Paul Harvey, “Now you know…..the rest of the story…….Good Day!”

**************************************************
Condolences to Paul Konerko and family on the loss of his grandmother.

After 2006 ended in a disappointing way I was actually hoping there would be less people coming to the park.  While I’m very happy we won the WS there is a downside.  Gone were the days where you and your friends could show up, get some tickets (anywhere) and take a few extra seats to yourself.  You didn’t need season tickets to ensure you could see the games you wanted.  The people who were at the park were there to watch some baseball and the few that weren’t wouldn’t get in your way.

Despite what looked to be a promising 2007 season we all know that it has actually fallen apart but the popularity of going to the park in the South Side has continued even into the “dog days of summer”.  I know Brooks Boyer and team have been working hard to still draw crowds despite an under .500 season and a big letdown in 2006….but can we have a night that teaches these bandwagon yahoos how to act at a Major League game?  I appreciate the hard work done by Brooks and co. but a lot of people that come in don’t care about the game.  It’s not as bad as that place up north but sometimes I’m afraid it’s going to turn into it.

FIRST AND FOREMOST DO NOT DO THE WAVE!!  This is not college football.  It’s bad enough that the jumbo-tron flashes commands for the crowd to cheer at random times but why do people feel compelled to start the wave?!  Why?  If you aren’t interested in watching the game, go home.  These are professionals working their craft.  They get paid MILLONS of dollars to do what they do and some people actually want to watch them.  It’s so distracting for fans who are there to watch, I can’t imagine what it must feel like to be playing and have people doing the wave…blatantly telling you they aren’t interested in what you are doing.  It’s disrespectful and annoying.

The worst night for this was just this past Thursday.  We had just come off sweeping “De-troliet” and had beaten Cleveland in 13 innings with a walk-off by Juan Uribe the night before (after two HRs by JD and AJ that tied the game on two separate occasions—really exciting stuff!!)  DET and CLE are at the top of our division, if we were going to make up any ground and salvage anything of this season this was the time to do it and we were off to a good start.  The offense was picking up and supporting the starters, the bullpen was clicking, Bobby Jenks was nearing both an AL record and two Major League records and I was feeling pretty good about the team again. 

As I crossed under the 35^th Street viaduct I saw an abnormally high number of teenage girls, bouncing around, all with over-sized bows on the tops of their heads.  Cheerleaders. 

Some in their uniforms others in matching school shirts and shorts and others with Sox shirts (but there was no mistaking they were cheerleaders too— the bows are a dead giveaway).

I was there last year when they all convened on the South Side and apart from a little more chatter in the stands I don’t remember it being that bad so I had no reason to think any differently for that night.

Although my seats are right behind home plate the view can be blocked if people are walking around when they aren’t supposed to be as there is actually a landing in front of my seats (between stair sections).  I am at the top of the first set of stairs.   Anytime anyone gets up and walks around I can’t see (nor can a good handful of other people).  It’s not bad during games that have fans actually interested in the game and/or people who understand baseball etiquette (or etiquette at any sporting event for that matter.)  If you don’t know when you aren’t supposed to be walking around during a game use some common sense, if the batter is in the batter’s box and the pitcher is ready to throw it’s probably not the right time to be walking around—it’s amazing to me how many clueless people there are, they probably don’t even know there is a time to leave your seat and a time to sit tight.  (Due to this problem I am on a waiting list to move my seats.)  Just because you aren’t interested in really watching the game doesn’t mean everyone else isn’t either.    There are 30- 40K people there, I’m pretty sure you could find a handful of interested parties. 

Some of the wandering around is for an even worse reason.  It’s due to people who can’t figure out where they are sitting.  Hmmm, let’s see, everyone needs a ticket to get in.  Every ticket has a section number, a row number and even a seat number.  To make it even easier once you get inside there are easy-to-read signs that tell you which section is which, what row is where and each seat is numbered.  These ballpark planners are geniuses as they took it a step further in that all the numbers are consecutive.  Section 110 is next to section 111, row 8 is behind row 7 and even the seats follow the normal numerical progression and, again, every single seat in every single row is marked with its number.  You would think they idiot proofed it.  Unfortunately LOTS of people prove them wrong every game.  I can’t tell you how many at-bats I miss due to wandering, clueless morons who don’t know where to sit. 

The United Center and many other hockey arenas hold guests from walking around at inappropriate times, why can’t it be done at the ballpark? 

Anyway, back to Thursday night with the cheerleaders.  As a reminder we were playing the top team in our division.  We had just come off sweeping the Tigers (which I believe knocked them out of first) and we beat CLE the night before with a walk-off HR in the 13th. Buehrle started the night by striking out Grady Sizemore but then walked Casey Blake. There was a base hit by Martinez, Garko flew out to Fields and then a 6-4 play got Martinez at second.  We were up and down 1, 2, 3 but Buehrle returned the favor by sending them down 1, 2, 3 the next two innings.  Sox scored two in the second thanks to base bits by Uribe and Richar and one more in the third.  Buehrle started to fall apart in the 4^th and so did sections 528, 529 and 530. 

The cheerleaders in 529 and 530 seemed to be fine.  I noticed their coaches were making sure their girls were kept in line as needed before the game and because I didn’t notice them once the game started I’m going to say things were good.  At this point the biggest problem was on the field.  Section 528, however, went from mildly annoying to the point of me going to Customer Relations.  I think they were from Lincoln Way but I can’t say for sure.  At some point they got out of their seats and began SCREAMING “1, 2, 3” with an accompanied “woooOOOOOoooo” while trying to get the wave going.   They had some takers to their left (more cheerleaders and bandwagon fans) but the other side (529, 530 and even the rest of their own section) was not interested.  It quickly escalated from being annoying to extremely obnoxious and distracting.  If you’ve ever heard the Adam Sandler cheerleader sketch it was a lot like that except these girls didn’t eventually get it.  They just kept going, each time more obnoxious than the last.

As a former cheerleader (of 12 years) I can tell you that it is a cheerleader’s responsibility to have respect for the game, the athletes and the crowd.  I’m not sure these girls could spell responsibility much less give a definition of respect.   You are not to take away from the game; you should know when you are welcome and when you are not.  You should know when to cheer and when to shut up. 

When I was cheering in high school there were certain sections we didn’t bother.  We knew the players’ parents weren’t that interested in watching us so we stayed away.  We usually stuck to the student section or the band.  For those sections in between it wasn’t that hard to tell if people want you around or not.  If you can’t tell from their faces the lack of participation should be a big clue.

Cheers are only to be done during an adequate break in play.  There was none of this happening Thursday, just an incessant 1, 2, 3 wwooooOOOOoooo (don’t forget, they weren’t in their seats, they were running up and down the aisle).  When people wouldn’t participate they were yelling at the crowd, not really something real cheerleaders should be doing.

We thought they finally gave up for good at one point as they all ran down the stairs at one time.  Those not interested in their cries for attention clapped and cheered as we all thought they were going away.

Instead they brought the big bowed airhead party train to our section and stood right in front people (on the landing and staggered down the stairs) completely blocking not only my view but also the view of a lot of other people around me.  As they ran up the stairs I told them, “NO!”  I told them to sit down, that we were watching the game, etc. (as did other people around me) but they did not care.  I really think they should find a pole to dance around since they seem to be in such desperate need of being the mindless center of attention.  They make for horrible cheerleaders.  I’d like to see them meet the girls in “Wildcats”.  “U-G-L-Y You ain’t got no alibi you ugly!”

I pushed them out of the way and went down to Customer Relations.  I really wanted to push them down the stairs or off the upper deck but I took all that I had in me and refrained. 

Things calmed down after that but I was “lucky” enough to have the ringleader’s parents sitting nearby.  They look over at me and the other season ticket holders in my row and asked if we were season ticket holders.  We said yes.  They then have the nerve to tell us that next year when we “look on the calendar and see that it’s spirit night, don’t come”.  EXCUSE ME?!  I pay thousands of dollars to sit in those seats to watch these games.  I don’t make a lot of money and sacrifice a lot of things so that I am able to afford these tickets and some &#@*(&$# are going to tell me I shouldn’t come because their stupid daughter and her friends don’t know how to behave and haven’t the slightest clue what cheerleading is about??!!

I told them they should teach their daughter how to act in public and to have respect for people around her and the game.  No response.

I can’t believe the nerve but I guess it’s to be expected.  If the idiot parents don’t understand or care then how would their kids understand?  Sad but true.  I’m also left wondering where their coach was at this point.  I can’t imagine a school sending a bunch of students to represent the district and not sending an adult who would provide adequate supervision.

Next year I hope whoever it is doling out the tickets can put them all together in sections separate from the rest of us like they do for the day camps because one bad apple has definitely spoiled the whole bunch for me.

I was going to wait to comment on this but I heard something this morning on the radio that is just really bothering me and I can’t let it go.  Upon hearing that Bobby Jenks is now tied for the Major League record for most consecutive batters retired Mike North (a proclaimed Sox fan who works in sports radio nonetheless) A) didn’t know Bobby was anywhere near a record (Bobby tied the AL record Friday night which was formally held by David Wells) and B) didn’t care.  Mike may have actually said “so what” upon hearing the news this morning.  Are you kidding me?!  What a jerk. 

First, Mike North, you’ve got a guy sitting next to you every morning reading the news.  Second, you claim to be a Sox fan.  What kind of a *(&#$&^*(@ are you?  Being a fan and being that it’s your job to be up on local sports teams….and you didn’t know and you didn’t care and then you went on to say that Sox fans didn’t know either?  YOU ARE WRONG.  A lot of us knew and a lot of us cared Friday night and Sunday afternoon.  I was there for both games and I KNOW FOR SURE I’m not the only one who knew what was going on.  Sunday was Kids Day, I brought a 5 year-old to the game, in the 7^th we went over to the Fundamentals Deck because there wasn’t much we wanted to see in the game at that point.  At the top of the 9^th we were in line for the batting cages, I heard POD (“Boom”) begin to play.  I thought I must be hearing things because it wasn’t even close to a save situation, I ran to the front and saw #45 walking across the outfield.  I thought to myself, “He wants to do it at home—that’s awesome!”  I ran back to the line and got Ben.  I told him something important was about to happen and even if he doesn’t understand now he should try to remember watching it for when he is older.  We ran to the front of the deck to watch.  We weren’t alone.  Most everyone else stopped playing and went to watch too.  There was a nervous anticipation as we watched him walk up the mound.  We were holding our breath with every pitch and with each recorded out there were loud cheers as if we were about to win a huge game.  People were talking about it, people knew what was happening and they were excited.

He’s faced and retired guys 41 guys in a row.  That’s no big deal?  You’re a jerk and an idiot.  It’s a dark, gloomy and frustrating season and here is a bright spot.  You should know this is an accomplishment.   You celebrated Buehrle in April but could care less about this?  Bobby’s had to be “on” for weeks, the defense has had to be working for him for weeks (and this is a less experienced defense than we had in April), the weather has been different each day, different line-ups, etc., etc. but never mind, who cares, it’s not a big deal, it’s just going in the record books.

(Note, before anyone writes in to correct me, I know I'm not using the phrase in the title the way Boers and Bernstein mean it to be used...)

First, I should probably take a step back and say thanks to Perry and Mike for having me join them here.  I really appreciate the opportunity and hope this outlet allows me to get a little more sleep as opposed to tossing and turning and wondering/worrying/celebrating the White Sox (yeah, it's actually that bad).  Maybe I'll stop yelling at the radio every time someone brings up the Legend of Aaron Rowand and BA.  Probably not but a girl can dream. 

Back to business…I guess we’ll probably find out for sure soon, maybe even by the time this is posted we’ll know.  When I first heard the rumors of Pods possibly going north via waivers I was trying to figure out how I felt.  I’ve come to this decision: indifference.  I was actually surprised he was signed for ’07 to be honest.  I’ve never been a huge fan but his OBP to our wins has a correlation (at least that’s how it was a while back but I haven’t checked it out lately) so I don’t flat out dislike him.  I do appreciate how he can make a pitcher twitch when he’s on 1^st.  It’s fun to watch him get into their heads by just wiggling his left leg when he’s leading off.  It reminds me of a fisherman trying to trick a fish into biting on his hook.   The best view of this is while you’re sitting just off the home dugout on level 100 and you can see him reel a pitchers attention in (and taking it off his concentration in trying to throw a good pitch for those of you who don’t know).  Getting him to throw some balls over to first, wearing out not only his concentration and patience but also his arm a little bit.  He was really good at this in the last home stand against the Motor City Kitties; I think it was the Thursday game vs. Verlander and Miner maybe. (?)  His best days though (the first half of ‘05) are more than likely behind him.   A few weeks ago if you looked into the dugout you may have caught him sitting all by himself, it may have been coincidental but it made me wonder if the rumors of him coming back from his latest stint on the DL and telling the team that they haven’t been trying hard enough were true.  It’s all speculation as far as what he did/didn’t say but if he did say it probably makes things easier to see him go along with a number of other reasons.

I don’t really think he’ll help them up north, it’s just a matter of time before Humpty falls apart again and if you’ve heard any outfielders take on the field condition up there you know it’s not gonna be pretty if he goes.  I’ve heard speculation on him filling in for Soriano but I can’t type that without smirking.  Whatever, it’s a lot of banter over something that hasn’t even happened and might not and if it does, I still say: whatever. 

Big ups to AJ and JD for the last couple nights. 

No. 5 had his ups and downs these last couple games and at least some of his ups were big enough to make up for some of the downs so I guess I sorta feel obligated to shout out to him too but, to be honest, I don't want to and I don't want to see him in a Sox uniform next year.  That defensive arm is great (when it works) but the typical offense and missed defense due to being overweight and whatever else has tired me to the point of not wanting to see him anymore...and before I hear one more person complain that we didn't move him at the trade deadline I have to ask you HOW CAN YOU TRADE SOMEONE WHO ISN'T WORTH ANYTHING?!!  A trade has two sides and everyone wants something back, you have to give up something of perceived value to get something of perceived value.  I'm sure I will revisit this later so before I pull my hair out I'll leave it at that for now.

Too bad no one was on base for AJ and Juan last night.  Buehrle just didn’t have it (and no Ozzie, I’m not mad that we have him for a long time yet, I remember July 8, 2007, and I’m still very happy about it).  He was just OK the first inning, was 3 up and 3 down in both the 2nd and 3rd but fell apart in the 4th (had a chance to minimize the damage if Fields didn't make an error) and it was clear he wasn't bouncing back in the 5th so Ozzie took him out--whew.  The bullpen did have it thankfully.  Unfortunately we can’t seem to get running on all cylinders for more than a game or two. 

Thome hasn’t had a hit in a while.  In fact, he had his 2,000^th career strike-out Tuesday.  Hopefully his bat warms up soon.  Maybe tonight.  He’s due.  I heard Elvis has him as his Pick to Click.

• Jerry Owens He was exciting to watch.  He was fast, he got on base (in an interesting manner in the 9^th   I might add) and did his part last night to get us a win. The Ranger interviewed him after the game and he’s a good kid.  He has the right attitude, he works hard, he knows his place, is living his dream but doesn’t let it go to his head and is making the most of it because he isn’t happy with just being here, he is still looking for opportunities to learn and make himself better.  His at-bats have really improved over the last month.  He’s taking it all in.
• Danny Richar Every time I see this kid play I smile.  I trusted Kenny’s decision to move Guch in order to get a good look at him and I’m SO glad he did it.  I think I would have been glad even if Danny didn’t show as much promise as he does.  The questions would have been answered at least (more on this planned in a separate post RE Joe Cowley’s recent “Reload” article).  Of course I was sad to see Guch go but that’s the way it is in baseball or most any pro sport for that matter.  I’m going to be sad when anyone from the ‘05 team leaves.  I’ll be sad to see Thome go even though he wasn’t a part of that team.  At the end of the day, it’s just the way it is…but back to Richar, he’s great.  I’m glad we have him and I hope we see more of him because I like watching him.  He had a great play last night from second to first.  He didn’t get the runner out but he showed good range and accuracy.  The ball came to him slowly but he picked it up spun around and got rid of it quickly.  He looked good.
• John Danks  Even though he threw too many pitches he threw a good game.  He even had a no-hitter going until the 5^th  -- which to put into perspective, for a kid who was a question mark at the beginning of the season and we didn’t know if he would still be a starter in August, he was facing the #1 team in the AL Central…I think that’s pretty darn good.  Add to that the 8 Ks in 6 innings, I’m happy. 
• I’m afraid to say anything about this and I feel like if I expand on it I’m gonna jinx it so I will only say strangely enough: the bullpen.
• Lastly, something else that put a smile on my face last night….scoreboard watching.  GO, GO ASTROS!!  (Sorry MJ, nothing personal.)  ;)