It's been a while since I blogged as I've been busy with moving and selling my condo. Farewell Chicago, hello suburbs (ugh).
Anyway, the big news is that Big Frank is most likely out for the year. Now this shouldn't hurt their chances to make the playoffs which, barring a complete collapse, are a sure thing. But it sure will hurt them in the playoffs when their mediocre offense will have to line up against good pitching every day.
So now is the time for Kenny Williams to stop worrying about AJ Burnett, or any other pitcher, and pick up another bat who can help the Sox score some runs this postseason. I'll take my chances with a starting rotation of Buerhle, Garland, Garcia and Hernandez (if a 4th starter is needed). But I don't think this offense can produce enough to take the Sox to the World Series.
Three names I would like to see in a Sox uniform:
Adam Dunn
Ken Griffey Jr.
Aubrey Huff
Friday, July 29, 2005
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Sox Are Not Like The 2003 Royals
I’ve read a few articles comparing the Sox to the 2003 KC Royals, including one in today’s Tribune, and a lot of smart people have blogged the same thing. But the two teams have very little in common.
- The 2003 Royals started the season at 17-4. That is where the Royal’s would peak as they would not reach 13 games above .500 again. The Sox are 49-22, 27 games above .500 after 71 games.
- The Royals were 37-34 after 71 games and in second place. Only a horrible three week stretch by both the Twins and White Sox left the Royals 7.5 games up at the All Star break with a 51-41 record.
- The Royals were outscored by their opponents in 2003, 867-836, even though they finished with a winning record (83-79). Now that’s luck. The Sox have outscored the opposition 344-271 so far in 2005.
- The Sox are built on pitching (3.56 ERA). The Royals were built with smoke and mirrors and they had a 5.03 ERA, third worst in the league.
So for all you Twins fans looking for a 2003 repeat, don’t bet on it.
- The 2003 Royals started the season at 17-4. That is where the Royal’s would peak as they would not reach 13 games above .500 again. The Sox are 49-22, 27 games above .500 after 71 games.
- The Royals were 37-34 after 71 games and in second place. Only a horrible three week stretch by both the Twins and White Sox left the Royals 7.5 games up at the All Star break with a 51-41 record.
- The Royals were outscored by their opponents in 2003, 867-836, even though they finished with a winning record (83-79). Now that’s luck. The Sox have outscored the opposition 344-271 so far in 2005.
- The Sox are built on pitching (3.56 ERA). The Royals were built with smoke and mirrors and they had a 5.03 ERA, third worst in the league.
So for all you Twins fans looking for a 2003 repeat, don’t bet on it.
Offensive Consistency
For awhile now I've been wanting to test the hypothesis that although the Sox scored way more runs last year, their offensive consistency this year was helping them win more ballgames. But it sounded like hard work! Anyway, I knew with all the great baseball minds out there someone would eventually run the numbers and tell us what's going on.
And here are two bits of information that help answer this hypothesis. First, this piece by John Dewan explains that while the Sox don't have the big games as often as last year's team (2 games above ten runs instead of 14 through 64 games - 14!) they have only scored less than 2 runs five times compared to ten times last year.
Studes then takes this discussion further (scroll down) to show that Sox offensive output is bunched around 2-7 runs per game, and is more highly concentrated around these numbers than the rest of the league.
As they say, read the whole thing. But the bottom line is if you combine an offense that consistently score 2-7 runs per game with a good pitching staff you are likely to win a bunch of games.
Finally, I think this clear headed analysis shows that it might be better if the Hardball Times had someone other than an avowed White Sox hater write about the best team in baseball.
And here are two bits of information that help answer this hypothesis. First, this piece by John Dewan explains that while the Sox don't have the big games as often as last year's team (2 games above ten runs instead of 14 through 64 games - 14!) they have only scored less than 2 runs five times compared to ten times last year.
Studes then takes this discussion further (scroll down) to show that Sox offensive output is bunched around 2-7 runs per game, and is more highly concentrated around these numbers than the rest of the league.
As they say, read the whole thing. But the bottom line is if you combine an offense that consistently score 2-7 runs per game with a good pitching staff you are likely to win a bunch of games.
Finally, I think this clear headed analysis shows that it might be better if the Hardball Times had someone other than an avowed White Sox hater write about the best team in baseball.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Understatement of the Year
"Frank is one of the best on-base percentage people in baseball in the last 14 years" - White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen 6/19/05
Frank Thomas' .428 OBP ranks 11th best in major league history.
Friday, June 17, 2005
Durbin, Our Senate Embarrassment
For some reason our humble state is unable to produce many leaders that we can take much pride in. Our governor may have "testicular virility" but he is not the biggest Dick in the state. That would be our senior Senator Dick Durbin.
Dick Durbin is a moron for two reasons. Well, actually, he's a moron for a whole buncj of reasoms. But right now I'll focus on his use of the always ill-conceived use of a Nazi analogy on the Senate floor this week. (Note to politicians - do not make analogies to Nazi Germany unless your opponent is attemting to murder 6 million Jews - even if you have an apt analogy it will be lost in the frenzy that will surely follow). First, he’s a moron because he had know idea that comparing our interrogators and the Guantanamo detention center to Nazis, the Khmer Rouge, and a Soviet gulag would cause a political firestorm. Second, he’s a moron because it completely overstates the complaints being made at Guantanamo.
I don’t care how many Korans were tossed on the floor, that hardly makes it a Nazi death camp. Maybe we shouldn’t do it, but if you ask me it’s not a bad idea to exploit their religious fanaticism to our own benefit.
And for crying out loud, I’m supposed to get worked up because these terrorists have their personal space invaded by female interrogators? Well, holy shit, where do I sign up for these interrogations?
The main complaint Durbin seems to have was that one prisoner was chained up naked a got the shivers because the air conditioning was set too low. Not very nice, but far from the awful experience of a Soviet gulag.
Another complaint was that prisoners are forced to listen to loud rap music. Well, boo fucking hoo. Unless it was Vanilla Ice, I would have a hard time calling that torture. My wife deals with it. And have you listened to Pakistani music? If you have then you'll have a hard time believing a little Ludacris will drive these guys over the edge.
Now I want to make clear that I am not promoting the use of heavy handed torture techniques, or having any prisoners demeaned and humiliated in the way they were at Abu Ghraib. But what Durbin is complaining about at best comes to crossing a line that I would draw, but hardly justifies him comparing our methods (I’ll give him the benefit of doubt that he’s not comparing our troops) to those of the most murderous regimes in modern history.
The best editorial I read about Durbin appeared in the Investors Business Daily which ended:
Dick Durbin is a moron for two reasons. Well, actually, he's a moron for a whole buncj of reasoms. But right now I'll focus on his use of the always ill-conceived use of a Nazi analogy on the Senate floor this week. (Note to politicians - do not make analogies to Nazi Germany unless your opponent is attemting to murder 6 million Jews - even if you have an apt analogy it will be lost in the frenzy that will surely follow). First, he’s a moron because he had know idea that comparing our interrogators and the Guantanamo detention center to Nazis, the Khmer Rouge, and a Soviet gulag would cause a political firestorm. Second, he’s a moron because it completely overstates the complaints being made at Guantanamo.
I don’t care how many Korans were tossed on the floor, that hardly makes it a Nazi death camp. Maybe we shouldn’t do it, but if you ask me it’s not a bad idea to exploit their religious fanaticism to our own benefit.
And for crying out loud, I’m supposed to get worked up because these terrorists have their personal space invaded by female interrogators? Well, holy shit, where do I sign up for these interrogations?
The main complaint Durbin seems to have was that one prisoner was chained up naked a got the shivers because the air conditioning was set too low. Not very nice, but far from the awful experience of a Soviet gulag.
Another complaint was that prisoners are forced to listen to loud rap music. Well, boo fucking hoo. Unless it was Vanilla Ice, I would have a hard time calling that torture. My wife deals with it. And have you listened to Pakistani music? If you have then you'll have a hard time believing a little Ludacris will drive these guys over the edge.
Now I want to make clear that I am not promoting the use of heavy handed torture techniques, or having any prisoners demeaned and humiliated in the way they were at Abu Ghraib. But what Durbin is complaining about at best comes to crossing a line that I would draw, but hardly justifies him comparing our methods (I’ll give him the benefit of doubt that he’s not comparing our troops) to those of the most murderous regimes in modern history.
The best editorial I read about Durbin appeared in the Investors Business Daily which ended:
Al-Qahtani is the so-called 20th hijacker of 9-11. Among the other "torture" techniques said to have been used in his interrogation is showing him pictures of the burning towers, the incinerated bodies and the deaths of 2,973 Americans.
It might not be a bad idea if Sen. Durbin and his brethren were forced to look at them again as well.
Pitching Wanes, Offense Waxes
It was great to see that touchdown the Giants scored on the Twins last night in the 9th. Even more encouraging is that Joe Nathan doesn't seem so unhittable this year.
Last year Joe Nathan gave up 13 ER runs in 73 appearances. This year he's given up 12 ER in 28 appearances.
And looking at his stats you can see that Gardenhire is not using his best reliever very efficiently or maybe Nathan doesn't have the "testicular virility", as our governor might say, to come in with runners on. So far this year he has not inherited a runner in any of his relief appearances.
But enough about those soon to be former Central Division champs. Let's talk about the Sox.
The Sox offense has arrived in June as they lead the AL in runs scored and home runs for the month (helped slightly by a 15 run game at Coors field). Even Joe Crede is getting into the mix in June, batting a very impressive 306/405/694. And if this past series against the D-Backs is any indication, the balls are going to be flying out of the Cell as in years past.
Unfortunately, that's bad news for our pitchers. As the offense has heated up, the pitching has slipped. This shouldn't be a suprise as many of the Sox pitchers were playing well above the career averages the first two months of the season. All the starting pitchers except for Buehrle have posted a high ERA this month:
June ERA
Buehrle 1.93
Garland 5.03
Garcia 5.14
Contreras 5.50
Hernandes 7.56
I would say both Garland and Garcia have pitched a little bit better this month than their stats suggest. Poor defense led to 4 of the 6 runs Garland gave up on Tuesday and his WHIP is 1.32 for the month. Not good, but good enough for a sub 5.00 ERA. Garcia's WHIP for the month is actually a miniscule .93, but he gave up a 3 run homer to inflate his ERA in both of his starts this month.
Playing in the Cell, there's no doubt that Sox pitchers are going to give up some dingers and have some rough nights. That's why it's so important for the pitchers to throw strikes and not give up any walks to keep these home runs solo shots. I'm not quite sure that all of these pitchers are up for the task. But I still feel good with Buerhle, Garcia and Garland taking the mound.
Last year Joe Nathan gave up 13 ER runs in 73 appearances. This year he's given up 12 ER in 28 appearances.
And looking at his stats you can see that Gardenhire is not using his best reliever very efficiently or maybe Nathan doesn't have the "testicular virility", as our governor might say, to come in with runners on. So far this year he has not inherited a runner in any of his relief appearances.
But enough about those soon to be former Central Division champs. Let's talk about the Sox.
The Sox offense has arrived in June as they lead the AL in runs scored and home runs for the month (helped slightly by a 15 run game at Coors field). Even Joe Crede is getting into the mix in June, batting a very impressive 306/405/694. And if this past series against the D-Backs is any indication, the balls are going to be flying out of the Cell as in years past.
Unfortunately, that's bad news for our pitchers. As the offense has heated up, the pitching has slipped. This shouldn't be a suprise as many of the Sox pitchers were playing well above the career averages the first two months of the season. All the starting pitchers except for Buehrle have posted a high ERA this month:
June ERA
Buehrle 1.93
Garland 5.03
Garcia 5.14
Contreras 5.50
Hernandes 7.56
I would say both Garland and Garcia have pitched a little bit better this month than their stats suggest. Poor defense led to 4 of the 6 runs Garland gave up on Tuesday and his WHIP is 1.32 for the month. Not good, but good enough for a sub 5.00 ERA. Garcia's WHIP for the month is actually a miniscule .93, but he gave up a 3 run homer to inflate his ERA in both of his starts this month.
Playing in the Cell, there's no doubt that Sox pitchers are going to give up some dingers and have some rough nights. That's why it's so important for the pitchers to throw strikes and not give up any walks to keep these home runs solo shots. I'm not quite sure that all of these pitchers are up for the task. But I still feel good with Buerhle, Garcia and Garland taking the mound.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Oh Well, A 5-1 Road Trip's Not Bad
The Sox come home from a successful road trip to face the D-Backs tonight. Rowand's three run homer in the tenth yesterday helped soothe my pain after staying up late to watch Hermanson blow his first save as Sox lost 2-1 on Saturday night.
Everyone knows what happened, so I won't recap. But I will add my to voice to all the other Sox fans who cannot believe Guillen let Mark Buerhle bat with no outs, runners on the corners, in the 8th inning of an one run game!
But hey, the way the Padres were teeing off on Hermanson in the 9th, I doubt that would have stopped scoring at 2 runs anyway (at least that's what I was telling myself as I was trying to sleep after the game).
While it certainly has been frustrating watching Ozzieball the past 200+ games, I've come to the realization that the in- game tactics of a major league manager just aren't that important (at least in a 162 game season). It might cost a team a few games over a full season, but getting the team to play each and every day to its fullest potential is the hallmark of a great manager.
For crying out loud, Guillen's not even as bad as Dusty on the North Side, yet Baker continues to have his teams in the playoff hunt every year!
Anyway, the fact that the Sox have led in all but 4 games this year is a sign that the Sox come ready to play. And the amazing thing is, even though thay have baseball's best record, it's not that hard to imagine them with something like a 47-15 record instead of 42-20. The fact they have led in all but 4 games also means that they have blown 16 leads!
Everyone knows what happened, so I won't recap. But I will add my to voice to all the other Sox fans who cannot believe Guillen let Mark Buerhle bat with no outs, runners on the corners, in the 8th inning of an one run game!
But hey, the way the Padres were teeing off on Hermanson in the 9th, I doubt that would have stopped scoring at 2 runs anyway (at least that's what I was telling myself as I was trying to sleep after the game).
While it certainly has been frustrating watching Ozzieball the past 200+ games, I've come to the realization that the in- game tactics of a major league manager just aren't that important (at least in a 162 game season). It might cost a team a few games over a full season, but getting the team to play each and every day to its fullest potential is the hallmark of a great manager.
For crying out loud, Guillen's not even as bad as Dusty on the North Side, yet Baker continues to have his teams in the playoff hunt every year!
Anyway, the fact that the Sox have led in all but 4 games this year is a sign that the Sox come ready to play. And the amazing thing is, even though thay have baseball's best record, it's not that hard to imagine them with something like a 47-15 record instead of 42-20. The fact they have led in all but 4 games also means that they have blown 16 leads!
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Sox Notes
The Sox have played in 20 series so far this year. They have won the first two games in 14 of the 20 series.
In Game 1 of a series the Sox are 15-5.
In Game 2 of a Series the Sox are 17-3.
In Game 3 of a series the Sox are 7-9.
In Game 4 of a series the Sox are 0-2.
The Sox have had 10 previous chances to finish a 3 game sweep but have only gone 3-7 in those games. They get their 11th opportunity tonight against the Rockies.
This year the Sox have scored two runs or less 14 times and are 6-8 in those games. Last year at this time the Sox had scored two runs or less 14 times and were 0-14 in those games.
In Game 1 of a series the Sox are 15-5.
In Game 2 of a Series the Sox are 17-3.
In Game 3 of a series the Sox are 7-9.
In Game 4 of a series the Sox are 0-2.
The Sox have had 10 previous chances to finish a 3 game sweep but have only gone 3-7 in those games. They get their 11th opportunity tonight against the Rockies.
This year the Sox have scored two runs or less 14 times and are 6-8 in those games. Last year at this time the Sox had scored two runs or less 14 times and were 0-14 in those games.
Friday, June 03, 2005
Treading Water
Since going to a season high 19 games above 500 after two wins against the Cubs the Sox have been basically treading water. The shame of it is that ther have a lot of winnable games that let get away in the late innings (the Prior game against the Cubs, the Contreras game in Anaheim, the Contreras game on Wednesday). It seems that even thought the sox continue to enjoy the best record record in baseball a lot of people are down on them. Perhaps the persistent disrespect given to this team by the national media is starting to permeate the fan base.
But I'm not too worried. For me, the fact that the Sox have been playing like crap the last two weeks and are still 17 games above 500, 3.5 games ahead of the Twins, is a great sign. This team is going to turn things around offensively and the pitching should continue to shine.
Hopefully, with Walker being sent down and Vizcaino getting hit hard, it has become even obvious to Ozzie what the pecking order should be in the bullpen. It looks like he will need to stick with Marte, Politte and Hermanson. If he has to go to the pen early, go to Cotts. Vizcaino and Takatsu should only be used when they Sox are comfortably ahead or uncomfortably behind.
But I'm not too worried. For me, the fact that the Sox have been playing like crap the last two weeks and are still 17 games above 500, 3.5 games ahead of the Twins, is a great sign. This team is going to turn things around offensively and the pitching should continue to shine.
Hopefully, with Walker being sent down and Vizcaino getting hit hard, it has become even obvious to Ozzie what the pecking order should be in the bullpen. It looks like he will need to stick with Marte, Politte and Hermanson. If he has to go to the pen early, go to Cotts. Vizcaino and Takatsu should only be used when they Sox are comfortably ahead or uncomfortably behind.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
6PM Weekday Start?
For the first time I can remember, the Cubs are playing a 6pm night game at Wrigley. That should make for a nice commute home!
Speaking of Wrigley, I'll be going to my first ballgame of the year tomorrow as the Cubs play the Rockies. It's pretty funny listening to Cub fans get excited over the prospect of reaching .500 after hearing them criticize the Sox for not beating any "good teams" (which I guess doesn't include the Twins, Blue Jays, Orioles, Rangers, Indians and of course the Cubs). Now that the Cubs have strung a few wins together against the likes of the Pirates and Astros they're all giddy about making some trades for a playoff run.
But here in the reality-based community, we have actual playoff tweaking to do, such as replacing Joe Crede at third. So here's my question: is Joe Randa a big enough step up to make it worth trading a prospect? Or more likely, would the Reds trade Randa for Crede straight-up, going with Crede's lower salary and slight upside?
Speaking of Wrigley, I'll be going to my first ballgame of the year tomorrow as the Cubs play the Rockies. It's pretty funny listening to Cub fans get excited over the prospect of reaching .500 after hearing them criticize the Sox for not beating any "good teams" (which I guess doesn't include the Twins, Blue Jays, Orioles, Rangers, Indians and of course the Cubs). Now that the Cubs have strung a few wins together against the likes of the Pirates and Astros they're all giddy about making some trades for a playoff run.
But here in the reality-based community, we have actual playoff tweaking to do, such as replacing Joe Crede at third. So here's my question: is Joe Randa a big enough step up to make it worth trading a prospect? Or more likely, would the Reds trade Randa for Crede straight-up, going with Crede's lower salary and slight upside?
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Condo For Sale
I'm selling my condo if anyone is interested in moving to the Lakeview area. I live 5 blocks directly north of Wrigley, description below:
Buena Park Gem!
Spacious, sunny vintage home with all the modern comforts, and deeded parking included! This top floor, 6 room (2 bed + den, 1 bath) unit features hardwood floors throughout, gorgeous moldings, original oak built-ins, 9'+ ceilings and lots of character. Kitchen has 42" white cabinets and a large bkfst. bar opens to the dining/great room. Living room has big bay windows and lovely French doors. Both bedrooms have closet organizer systems and custom painting. Den is the perfect space for an office or nursery. Huge south-facing deck, in-unit wash/dryer, central air/heat, and one deeded parking space make this home a true find! Private storage space in basement is a bonus. Building is a 3-story, brick six-flat on a quiet, tree-lined street. Walk to "el", lake, shops, parks, dining. Just move in and start enjoying this unique home!
LR. 17x14, DR. 19x12, KT. 14x9, MB. 12x11, B2. 12x10, DEN 10x8, DECK 18x8, STRG. 11x11.
Plus one additional shared guest parking space for the building.
Assmt. $159/month, taxes $2669 in '03, pets are welcome!
E-mail me for more info.
Buena Park Gem!
Spacious, sunny vintage home with all the modern comforts, and deeded parking included! This top floor, 6 room (2 bed + den, 1 bath) unit features hardwood floors throughout, gorgeous moldings, original oak built-ins, 9'+ ceilings and lots of character. Kitchen has 42" white cabinets and a large bkfst. bar opens to the dining/great room. Living room has big bay windows and lovely French doors. Both bedrooms have closet organizer systems and custom painting. Den is the perfect space for an office or nursery. Huge south-facing deck, in-unit wash/dryer, central air/heat, and one deeded parking space make this home a true find! Private storage space in basement is a bonus. Building is a 3-story, brick six-flat on a quiet, tree-lined street. Walk to "el", lake, shops, parks, dining. Just move in and start enjoying this unique home!
LR. 17x14, DR. 19x12, KT. 14x9, MB. 12x11, B2. 12x10, DEN 10x8, DECK 18x8, STRG. 11x11.
Plus one additional shared guest parking space for the building.
Assmt. $159/month, taxes $2669 in '03, pets are welcome!
E-mail me for more info.
Idol Thoughts
I’ve been a huge fan of American Idol since its first season and always wanted to blog about it. Now that the contestants are down to a manageable five, I guess I’ll go ahead and do it. My comments from last nights show, in order of appearance:
Anthony “The Ballad King” Fedorov: Anthony has really limited range and only does well with slow ballads. His version of Poison Ivy was just horrible. But he usually picks songs with limited range and does decent enough for him to get by on his squeaky clean white boy looks.
Scott “Chief Wiggims” Savol: Scott Savol has to be one of the ugliest contestants to ever appear on American Idol. What’s even more surprising about his success on the show is his complete inability to sing. And to hit the trifecta, he has an awful whiteboyghetto attitude that is absolutely grating. How he lasted longer than Nadia Turner or Nikko Smith is beyond me.
Oh, and did you here his comment last night about how its great to have a fashion consultant on the show to help him appear more appealing to America? Hey Scott, did she tell you to shave your thin-lined beard for the show? Because I must say, I don’t think it was such a hot idea to expose your fourth and fifth chins to America last night. Ick.
Anyway, about the performance. His version of On Broadway was actually not the bad. But the Brian McNight song he did deserves to get him booted off the show.
Vonzell Solomon: Vonzell brings so much energy to the stage that it makes up for some voice problems. But she sings alright and is beautiful to look at it. And she has a slightly ditzy personality that is also very attractive (don’t ask me why). That shout-out out to the US Postal Service was hilarious!
Carrie Underwood: Great singer, wonderful to look at, but stiffer than a mannequin. You need some type of stage presence to win American Idol and she just doesn’t have it.
Bo Bice: His Stand By Me was a copy of the original, not very creative. Pretty much the same thing with that Los Lonely Boys Song. But he has a niche that should carry him to the finals.
My Preference:
1. Vonzell Solomon
2. Bo Bice
3. Carrie Underwood
4. Anthony Federov
5. Scott Savol
General Thoughts: I think the contestants in previous years had much more talent. This year they all seem to have issues. And thank goodness Constantine got booted last week. His playing up to the cameras was unbearable. And what was up with all the eye liner! Are the Cure looking for a new lead singer?
Anthony “The Ballad King” Fedorov: Anthony has really limited range and only does well with slow ballads. His version of Poison Ivy was just horrible. But he usually picks songs with limited range and does decent enough for him to get by on his squeaky clean white boy looks.
Scott “Chief Wiggims” Savol: Scott Savol has to be one of the ugliest contestants to ever appear on American Idol. What’s even more surprising about his success on the show is his complete inability to sing. And to hit the trifecta, he has an awful whiteboyghetto attitude that is absolutely grating. How he lasted longer than Nadia Turner or Nikko Smith is beyond me.
Oh, and did you here his comment last night about how its great to have a fashion consultant on the show to help him appear more appealing to America? Hey Scott, did she tell you to shave your thin-lined beard for the show? Because I must say, I don’t think it was such a hot idea to expose your fourth and fifth chins to America last night. Ick.
Anyway, about the performance. His version of On Broadway was actually not the bad. But the Brian McNight song he did deserves to get him booted off the show.
Vonzell Solomon: Vonzell brings so much energy to the stage that it makes up for some voice problems. But she sings alright and is beautiful to look at it. And she has a slightly ditzy personality that is also very attractive (don’t ask me why). That shout-out out to the US Postal Service was hilarious!
Carrie Underwood: Great singer, wonderful to look at, but stiffer than a mannequin. You need some type of stage presence to win American Idol and she just doesn’t have it.
Bo Bice: His Stand By Me was a copy of the original, not very creative. Pretty much the same thing with that Los Lonely Boys Song. But he has a niche that should carry him to the finals.
My Preference:
1. Vonzell Solomon
2. Bo Bice
3. Carrie Underwood
4. Anthony Federov
5. Scott Savol
General Thoughts: I think the contestants in previous years had much more talent. This year they all seem to have issues. And thank goodness Constantine got booted last week. His playing up to the cameras was unbearable. And what was up with all the eye liner! Are the Cure looking for a new lead singer?
I Know It's Early, But...
Okay, I know its early in the season, but I’m ready to drink the Kool-Aid and declare the Sox the best team in the AL Central. Everything I write from here on out will be with the expectation that the Sox will be division champs come October.
For the first few weeks of the season, the “experts” said that the Sox pitching would eventually falter. They said the Sox couldn’t continue to win with an offense that didn’t draw walks and had the worst OBP in baseball. Well, so far the experts have everything backwards.
It was the offense that was playing well below its potential. In the past two weeks the Sox have improved their OBP by over 20 points and they now stand 8th in the AL at .321. At the same time the pitching staff continues to dominate the AL with an ERA of 3.05. The next closest team are the Angels at 3.52.
Now I think we have two pitchers who will regress towards their career averages: Garland and Contreras. But I don’t think the regression will be as sharp as many people expect, as both, especially Garland, may be finally living up to expectations.
But even if that team ERA does drift closer to 4.00 than 3.00 as the season progresses, the offense should improve more than enough to keep the team atop the Central. Even now they are scoring as many runs as the Twins without significant contributions from the heart of the order. Their 4/5/6 hitters, Konerko, Rowand and Dye, have OPS percentages of .769/.663/.552, respectively, well off their career averages of .824/.804/.792. When these guys get going the pitching staff will be able give up a few more runs while still winning ballgames.
The bottom line is that Kenny Williams has built a nice solid team. And make no mistake,this is his team. His first four seasons at the helm were spent basically trying to tweak the 2000 division winners he inherited from Ron Schueler. For whatever reason, these teams were never able to duplicate its earlier success.
So Kenny finally gave up on Lee, Ordonez, and Valentin and decided to go in a new direction. So far that direction is up. The pitching staff consists of a solid starting five, if not an ace, and a strong bullpen. The offense is a nice mix of power and speed. As someone who has often criticized him in the past, I have to give Williams credit for a job well done.
For the first few weeks of the season, the “experts” said that the Sox pitching would eventually falter. They said the Sox couldn’t continue to win with an offense that didn’t draw walks and had the worst OBP in baseball. Well, so far the experts have everything backwards.
It was the offense that was playing well below its potential. In the past two weeks the Sox have improved their OBP by over 20 points and they now stand 8th in the AL at .321. At the same time the pitching staff continues to dominate the AL with an ERA of 3.05. The next closest team are the Angels at 3.52.
Now I think we have two pitchers who will regress towards their career averages: Garland and Contreras. But I don’t think the regression will be as sharp as many people expect, as both, especially Garland, may be finally living up to expectations.
But even if that team ERA does drift closer to 4.00 than 3.00 as the season progresses, the offense should improve more than enough to keep the team atop the Central. Even now they are scoring as many runs as the Twins without significant contributions from the heart of the order. Their 4/5/6 hitters, Konerko, Rowand and Dye, have OPS percentages of .769/.663/.552, respectively, well off their career averages of .824/.804/.792. When these guys get going the pitching staff will be able give up a few more runs while still winning ballgames.
The bottom line is that Kenny Williams has built a nice solid team. And make no mistake,this is his team. His first four seasons at the helm were spent basically trying to tweak the 2000 division winners he inherited from Ron Schueler. For whatever reason, these teams were never able to duplicate its earlier success.
So Kenny finally gave up on Lee, Ordonez, and Valentin and decided to go in a new direction. So far that direction is up. The pitching staff consists of a solid starting five, if not an ace, and a strong bullpen. The offense is a nice mix of power and speed. As someone who has often criticized him in the past, I have to give Williams credit for a job well done.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Sox v. KC
Tonight the Sox look to continue their success against the AL Central (15-4) and KC (3-0) in particular as Mark Buehrle takes on Brian Anderson. Brian Anderson looked as if he was going to be a nice pick up for KC as they traded for him late in 2003. But he followed up a couple of decent starts for KC in 2003 with his worst year in the majors. Last year he went 6-12 with a 5.64 ERA. Of course two of his six wins came against the Sox. Both wins came in complete games (his only 2 in 2004) with one being a shut out.
Let hope the Sox can do better against him tonight. Mark Buehrle takes the mound trying to shake off his worst performance of the year. Buehrle couldn’t hold on to leads of 3-0 and 7-4 against the A's last Wednesday before leaving the game without a decision. Buerhle didn’t have his best stuff but managed to shut out the A’s through 4 innings. But things fell apart in the fifth after he failed to respond to Rich Harden’s deliberate beaning of Crazy Carl.
Let hope the Sox can do better against him tonight. Mark Buehrle takes the mound trying to shake off his worst performance of the year. Buehrle couldn’t hold on to leads of 3-0 and 7-4 against the A's last Wednesday before leaving the game without a decision. Buerhle didn’t have his best stuff but managed to shut out the A’s through 4 innings. But things fell apart in the fifth after he failed to respond to Rich Harden’s deliberate beaning of Crazy Carl.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Streak Over
Last nights game was pretty hard to watch. The Sox basically gave away a game they should have won. They did a great job getting to Harden yet failed to break the game wide open. But still, taking a 7-4 lead in the sixth should have been enough to carry them home.
They lost this game for a number of reasons. Horrible defense, bad calls, injuries, you name it. But the biggest part of the blame has to go to Ozzie. It was clear all night that Buehrle didn’t have his best stuff. He wasn’t striking out anyone and needed 3 double plays to escape jams in the early innings. So it was no surprise that he gave up 4 in the 5th to let the A’s take a 4-3 lead.
So when the Sox got the lead back he needed to be on a short leash. This was especially true in the 7th as the top half of the inning took over 15 minutes to play. Uribe went down with an injury just standing in the batters box and the trainers were forced to come out again when Ozuna was hit in the forearm with a pitch.
I didn’t have a problem with Buehrle starting the inning as his pitch count was still in the 80s. But he needed to be pulled when Byrnes opened the inning with a single. He really needed to be pulled after Kendall followed with another single. How do you let him face Chavez in this situation? Marte was warmed up and ready to go. But Ozzie left Buehrle in, Chavez doubled, and the Sox went on to lose.
I shouldn’t be too upset as the Sox won a couple of games they had no business winning during this streak. But somehow that fails to make me feel better. Luckily there is a quick turnaround and I can erase this one from my memory with a Sox victory this afternoon.
And one final thing: Harden clearly threw at Everett, nailing him in the back in the 5th. It was really a punk ass move that required some sort of retaliation. The Cheat is right that something needs to be done today if Ozzie wants to back up all his smack with some actions.
They lost this game for a number of reasons. Horrible defense, bad calls, injuries, you name it. But the biggest part of the blame has to go to Ozzie. It was clear all night that Buehrle didn’t have his best stuff. He wasn’t striking out anyone and needed 3 double plays to escape jams in the early innings. So it was no surprise that he gave up 4 in the 5th to let the A’s take a 4-3 lead.
So when the Sox got the lead back he needed to be on a short leash. This was especially true in the 7th as the top half of the inning took over 15 minutes to play. Uribe went down with an injury just standing in the batters box and the trainers were forced to come out again when Ozuna was hit in the forearm with a pitch.
I didn’t have a problem with Buehrle starting the inning as his pitch count was still in the 80s. But he needed to be pulled when Byrnes opened the inning with a single. He really needed to be pulled after Kendall followed with another single. How do you let him face Chavez in this situation? Marte was warmed up and ready to go. But Ozzie left Buehrle in, Chavez doubled, and the Sox went on to lose.
I shouldn’t be too upset as the Sox won a couple of games they had no business winning during this streak. But somehow that fails to make me feel better. Luckily there is a quick turnaround and I can erase this one from my memory with a Sox victory this afternoon.
And one final thing: Harden clearly threw at Everett, nailing him in the back in the 5th. It was really a punk ass move that required some sort of retaliation. The Cheat is right that something needs to be done today if Ozzie wants to back up all his smack with some actions.
Friday, April 22, 2005
The Sox are on to Kansas City to face the Royals. KC failed to help the Sox yesterday as they blew a couple of leads and fell 10-9 in ten innings against the Twins. Let's hope they continue playing bad ball against the Sox.
They Sox are starting to hit the ball and draw some walks. It’s about time the offense comes around as they aren’t going to win the division getting on base at a .285 clip. Especially since I don’t expect them to lead the AL in pitching all year.
Anyway, I’m not a believer in this team yet, preferring to wait until they finish up their road trip against Oakland. If they can finally win a series at the Coliseum I might start to take their playoff chances seriously.
They Sox are starting to hit the ball and draw some walks. It’s about time the offense comes around as they aren’t going to win the division getting on base at a .285 clip. Especially since I don’t expect them to lead the AL in pitching all year.
Anyway, I’m not a believer in this team yet, preferring to wait until they finish up their road trip against Oakland. If they can finally win a series at the Coliseum I might start to take their playoff chances seriously.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Sox 5 Twins 4
The Sox have certainly had a strange start to the season. Any unbiased observer would admit that they are not exactly playing good baseball and yet they are 9-4. But they are 6-1 in one run games, a pretty good sign that they are catching some breaks. The question is whether the way they are playing now is indicative of their actual talent level. If it is, the good times will not last long.
But who knows. I've had a hard time figuring out this team the last few years so why should the 2005 version be any different.
As for the mini-controversy between Guillen and the Big Hurt, I would really like to know what Ozzie was thinking. Frank has been a good trooper, saying all the right things, and there is no reason for Ozzie to continue to take shots at him. Let the man be!
And everyone needs to chill a bit on Crazy Carl. Yes, he's off to a good start. But he's not doing anything that extraordinary. He's putting up numbers that would be considered par for the course for Big Frank. When Big Frank comes back, he will need to get most the at-bats at DH.
I will say this about Everett though, his second homer off Lohse, a monster shot, was a thing of beauty. Man, was he waiting for that fastball!
But who knows. I've had a hard time figuring out this team the last few years so why should the 2005 version be any different.
As for the mini-controversy between Guillen and the Big Hurt, I would really like to know what Ozzie was thinking. Frank has been a good trooper, saying all the right things, and there is no reason for Ozzie to continue to take shots at him. Let the man be!
And everyone needs to chill a bit on Crazy Carl. Yes, he's off to a good start. But he's not doing anything that extraordinary. He's putting up numbers that would be considered par for the course for Big Frank. When Big Frank comes back, he will need to get most the at-bats at DH.
I will say this about Everett though, his second homer off Lohse, a monster shot, was a thing of beauty. Man, was he waiting for that fastball!
Thursday, April 14, 2005
So Far So Good
The Sox are 6-2, winning close games, and relying on their starting pitching. There were two big questions marks in the starting rotation to start the season: will Hernandez stay healthy and will Contreras stay consistent. Its way too early to make any judgments, but so far the results look good. We'll get another look at El Duque tonight as he takes the mound against the Indians.
I actually have more faith in Hernandez staying healthy than Contreras staying consistent. I really think it's a matter of time before Contreras gets knocked around. The key will be how he responds. Let's face it, for the last two years the Sox played with only four starting pitchers and basically forfeited games in the fifth slot of the rotation. So they can afford for Contreras to blow up every now and then. But if he can limit those blow up games and go six innings 80% of his starts, the Sox will have a chance to win 90+ games this year.
I actually have more faith in Hernandez staying healthy than Contreras staying consistent. I really think it's a matter of time before Contreras gets knocked around. The key will be how he responds. Let's face it, for the last two years the Sox played with only four starting pitchers and basically forfeited games in the fifth slot of the rotation. So they can afford for Contreras to blow up every now and then. But if he can limit those blow up games and go six innings 80% of his starts, the Sox will have a chance to win 90+ games this year.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Sandy Berger Should Be Sent to Prison
I live life on a pretty even keel. I like to think of myself as an optimist but with a firm grasp on reality. What I’m trying to get at is that it takes a lot for me to feel outraged.
But today I sit here in disbelief reading about the criminal acts of Sandy Berger. For months everyone knew he took classified documents out of the national archives as he prepared to testify before the 9/11 commission. He claimed he took them out by accident and then when he got home he accidentally destroyed them. Oh boy, does this man have accidents. Former President Bill Clinton backed him up. The press didn’t pursue the story.
Now the Washington Post has a story saying Berger will plead guilty to a misdemeanor and goes on to shed some light on what actually happened:
So here we have the 9/11 Commission trying to figure out how the attacks happened and what could be done to prevent new attacks in the future. It was a commission trying to answer questions vital to this nation. It was a commission that needed the full cooperation of all witnesses.
And here we have Sandy Berger committing criminal acts in order to cover his ass, or Bill Clinton’s ass, or someone’s ass. We’ll never know as these documents have been destroyed. And then he lied to investigators and tried to cover up what he had done.
I wish this was the only outrage to the story but there is so much more. The press ignored this story even though the basic facts were known. Why wasn’t it pursued? They pursued the Bush national guard story for five years, but couldn’t pursue this one for five days.
But the biggest outrage is the potential plea agreement that may be reached. According to the Post, “he has agreed to pay a $10,000 fine and accept a three-year suspension of his national security clearance”.
What? Are you kidding me? This man commits a crime in order to hide information from the 9/11 Commission and all he has to do is pay $10,000? And he will get his security clearance back! Please, this man belongs in jail.
We’ll see how this plays out but I can’t help but think we’ll be hearing plenty more about this story in the next few days.
But today I sit here in disbelief reading about the criminal acts of Sandy Berger. For months everyone knew he took classified documents out of the national archives as he prepared to testify before the 9/11 commission. He claimed he took them out by accident and then when he got home he accidentally destroyed them. Oh boy, does this man have accidents. Former President Bill Clinton backed him up. The press didn’t pursue the story.
Now the Washington Post has a story saying Berger will plead guilty to a misdemeanor and goes on to shed some light on what actually happened:
The terms of Berger's agreement required him to acknowledge to the Justice Department the circumstances of the episode. Rather than misplacing or unintentionally throwing away three of the five copies he took from the archives, as the former national security adviser earlier maintained, he shredded them with a pair of scissors late one evening at the downtown offices of his international consulting business.
So here we have the 9/11 Commission trying to figure out how the attacks happened and what could be done to prevent new attacks in the future. It was a commission trying to answer questions vital to this nation. It was a commission that needed the full cooperation of all witnesses.
And here we have Sandy Berger committing criminal acts in order to cover his ass, or Bill Clinton’s ass, or someone’s ass. We’ll never know as these documents have been destroyed. And then he lied to investigators and tried to cover up what he had done.
I wish this was the only outrage to the story but there is so much more. The press ignored this story even though the basic facts were known. Why wasn’t it pursued? They pursued the Bush national guard story for five years, but couldn’t pursue this one for five days.
But the biggest outrage is the potential plea agreement that may be reached. According to the Post, “he has agreed to pay a $10,000 fine and accept a three-year suspension of his national security clearance”.
What? Are you kidding me? This man commits a crime in order to hide information from the 9/11 Commission and all he has to do is pay $10,000? And he will get his security clearance back! Please, this man belongs in jail.
We’ll see how this plays out but I can’t help but think we’ll be hearing plenty more about this story in the next few days.
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