Fascinating Video: Joe Mauer Tipping Pitches From Second Base

Just made my morning jaunt over to Deadspin and caught a fascinating video that shows Joe Mauer blatantly tipping pitches to Jason Kubel during the Twins-Tigers series.

Mauer is on second base with Justin Verlander pitching. The cat and mouse game, exquisitely captioned by whoever created the video, is a rare glimpse into the game-within-the-game that can be so often overlooked when watching a baseball game.

For some reason, all I can think about right now is how much I would love to hear Hawk Harrelson announcing this sequence.

Video after the jump.

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With Contract Up After 2010, What Should the Cubs Do With Sweet Lou?

Let me preface this entire article by saying that I have always been a fan of Lou Piniella, and when the Chicago Cubs hired him as their manager in 2006, I was extremely excited.

That being said the most recent collapse and downfall of the goat franchise of Major League Baseball begs the question: is it time to let Lou go and move on?

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Two Holes in One for Steve Blass: The Most Ironic Story of Redemption in the History of Sports

In 1968, Steve Blass won 18 games, had a 2.12 ERA, and pitched 7 shutouts.

By 1973, Blass had an ERA of 9.81 while walking 84 batters in 88 innings.

By 1975, Blass was essentially incapable of throwing the ball over the plate and was out of baseball.

Since 1975, every Major League Baseball player who has inexplicably lost the ability to accurately throw a baseball has been dubiously compared to Blass and described as having contracted “Steve Blass Disease”. Mark Wohlers, Chuck Knobluach, and Rick Ankiel are a few who come to mind.

Now, nearly 35 years later, the man who lost the ability to throw a ball that is 2 7/8″ in diameter a distance of 60 feet and 6 inches into an area that is roughly the size of a human torso has apparently found the ability to do something much more difficult (and do it twice!): use a club to hit a ball that is 1.68 inches in diameter over a distance of between 150-175 yards into a cup that measures 4 1/4″ wide.

That’s right ladies gentleman. Steve Blass, the man synonymous with baseball inaccuracy, has recorded two feats of athletic achievement that require complete and almost unfathomable accuracy: the hole in one.

And, as mentioned, the 67-year old Blass did it twice.

The Biggest Games. The Best Tickets. StubHub.com

The irony of this story is so delicious that it feels as if I’m typing from a table at Fogo de Chao. But even more than the irony, this is a just a terrific story of delayed redemption that only the sports world can provide.

According to Golf.com’s account of Steve Blass getting two holes-in-one during one 18-hole round:

Blass’s first hole-in-one Thursday at Greensburg County Club came with an 8-iron at the 154-yard, par-3 15th hole – because of the format, his fivesome started on the back nine.

His second ace came with a 7-iron on the 175-yard, par-3 seventh hole.

Golf Digest estimates the odds against a golfer having two holes-in-one in the same round at 67 million to 1.

The two holes-in-one by Steve Blass came at the Pittsburgh Pirates’ annual team golf outing today.

Congratulations to Steve Blass on his incredible feat. Perhaps now he can be remembered for both his famous and infamous athletic achievements.

And I guess if Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson or any other golfer ever holes out two aces in one round, we can give a new, positive meaning to saying they have “Steve Blass Disease”.

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* – Steve Blass photo credit: SI via Podium Sports Journal

Gordon Beckham Injury Update: Strained Oblique, Return Likely This Week

White Sox rookie 3B Gordon Beckham has put his name front and center in the AL Rookie of the Year discussion by leading all AL rookies in doubles (23), RBIs (52), and extra base hits (34).

He is also dealing with a strained right oblique injury that may threaten his ability to battle Rangers shortshop Elvis Andrus mano-a-mano for the award down the stretch.

The injury forced Beckham to leave Saturday’s game against the Boston Red Sox in the first inning, and was originally called a “stiff back.” As I mentioned in a previous post, all White Sox fans have become conditioned to fear our third baseman and the term “stiff back” being placed anywhere near eachother.

Luckily for Beckham and the White Sox, the injury does not appear serious and his return is likely this week. Most likely, Beckham will return on Wednesday, but the White Sox could hold him out until Friday (with an off day mercifully coming on Thursday).

Scott Merkin wrote about Beckham’s injury today at his White Sox blog “Being Ozzie Guillen” and says that the manager is going to err on the side of caution with his young phenom, but that Guillen also wants Beckham back in the lineup when he is ready to both help the White Sox finish strong in September and compete for the Rookie of the Year.

From Merkin’s article updating the status of Gordon Beckham’s injury:

“I want him to finish strong,” said Guillen of Beckham. “Hopefully he can get what I want him to get, that award. He deserved and earned it. It’s our job to make sure we do the best for him to get it. We’ll talk to (White Sox athletic trainer) Herm (Schneider) about it. It’s a day game today and hopefully the long day he’ll get better.”

Let’s hope the kid can come back and find his hitting stroke again.  Gordon Beckham struggled out of the gate, then got hot, and has cooled off as of late (7 for his last 36 with only 1 2B). When Beckham was hot, the White Sox were playing their best baseball of the season and threatening the Tigers’ hold on the top spot in the AL Central.

Though another AL Central crown and a return trip to the playoffs seems out of reach for the White Sox in 2009, crazier things have happened. No question, the White Sox need a healthy and hitting Gordon Beckham to have even a prayer of a late September surge.

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* – Gordon Beckham thumbs up photo credit: Michael O’Day via MLB.com

The White Sox Take a Break From Choking to Blatantly Mock Their Fans

Below, you will find a screen grab I just took a few minutes ago from chisox.com. Its claims and insinuations are so outlandish that you might think it’s doctored. But rest assured, this is exactly as it appeared to any website visitor as of about 1:45 CT.

Please give me a moment, as I must collect myself — and navigate through the tricky emotional ocean of simultaneously wanted to laugh hysterically and cry plaintively — before I will be able to write anything coherent and worthy of your eyes.

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Quick! While I’m composing myself, follow this link to purchase your very own 2009 White Sox playoff tickets!

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Seriously? The only explanation I can come up with is that, for some reason, the White Sox are mad at their fans and lashing out. Maybe it’s the poor attendance? Who the hell knows.

But why else would this be the second image in the rotating melange front and center on the White Sox home page?

To go into complete cliche territory here for a second: Playoffs? Are you f%&*$n#g kidding me? Playoffs?

Not in 2009. No sir. Not anymore. No way, how how.

A couple of weeks ago, when the Sox were still hovering a few games over .500 and within a good weekend’s striking distance of Detroit, something like this would be understandable. Get your playoff tickets! Get excited for the stretch run everybody! Jake Peavy! Gordon Beckham! Jake Peavy! Gordon Beckham!

But over our last 11 eleven games, the White Sox have managed to go 2-100. I’m not sure how it’s possible…I know the math doesn’t add up…but it’s true. 

We’ve lost 100 games in two weeks.

Or does it just feel that way?

If someone gave me truth serum, I would tell them that when I wrote this post six days ago I honestly had not totally given up on the team yet. Part of my motivation in writing it, with the season on the brink of slipping away, was a little reverse psychology. The White Sox always seem to tank whenever I praise them on MSF; I figured by publicly doubting them I could reverse that maddening trend. (I realize this is a ridiculous notion, but I’m obsessed with sports and the White Sox, okay? Give me a break.)

Instead, they’ve lost 75 games in the week since that post was published.

Wait…damnit, sorry…it just feels that way. I know it’s only been 50 losses in the past week.

Playoffs. You have got to be kidding me.

(And by the way, as I write this, Mark Buehrle is being outdueled 2-0 by perennial Sigh Young candidate Brian Duensing. The White Sox are teetering dangerously close to another sweep in the Metrodome.  Wait…Scott Linebrink just came in.  Expect a crooked number any second now.)

My apologies for the negativity. You know I don’t like to be this. You know I always look for the positives in everything. But these last two weeks of White Sox baseball easily rank in the top 10 letdowns of my life as a sports fan. It’s all about expectations, and I legitimately expected this team to make it to the playoffs and have a chance to make some noise.

I never expected that we’d be completely and utterly embarrassed like we have been.

Why am I wasting time ranting like this?  Oh yeah, because the White Sox decided to mock their own fans with their outlandish website claims of playoff tickets even being a remote possibility. And while I actually agree with the moves, based on the team’s performance of late, Ken Williams can gussy up the trades of Jim Thome and Jose Contreras however he wants: he waved the white flag.

Sadly, I don’t blame him. But maybe he should have informed the guy in charge of managing the website.

Damn you, White Sox web admin. Damn you.

Update: My strategy may be working!

Down 2-0 headed into the top of the 9th, the White Sox were facing certain death when Joe Nathan came in to close it out. But a funny, unexpected thing happened…the Sox exploded for two runs!!! Wait…just checked again…now three runs!!!  No, four! And we knocked Nathan out of the game!

Time for Bobby to come in and close this out.   Yeeessss!

Maybe my diabolical plot of reverse psychology will work after all.  So about those playoff tickets…

Update: Sox win! 4-2! Bobby shuts the door in the 9th.

A team-galvanizing win that could harken a turnaround…or just a momentary blip in a September of wasted opportunity? We shall see.

But it does, I’ll admit, feel good to get a comeback win at Minnesota.

I’ll Tell You This: Dodgers Looking Strong, Pacman and RichRod Not So Much

[Editor's Note: This is the first of a new weekly series by Big MB called I'll Tell You This. MB loves to tell people things, and especially loves using that phrase when doing so, so this is a match made in sports blogging heaven. Have at it MB.]

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We are just over one week away from NFL kickoff 2009, less that a week from College Football, and coming down the stretch in Major League Baseball. Here are my top 5 stories for this week.

1 – LA Dodgers Make Deals to Solidify Playoff Roster

As the waiver deadline approaches the most active team seems to be the L.A. Dodgers, picking up White Sox slugger Jim Thome and Diamondbacks’ hurler Jon Garland. As of today the Dodgers hold a 5.5 game lead on Colorado, who also made a move trading for White Sox pitcher Jose Contreras.

I’ll tell you this: the Dodgers are putting together a team that will compete with the Yankees in the World Series. There is no doubt in my mind that the Dodgers are the team to beat in the National League, save for maybe (and this is painful for a Cub’s fan to admit) the Cardinals.

2 – A Tale of Two Cities: Minnesota and Philadelphia

Brett Favre and Michael Vick have made their comebacks and the inevitable debates have followed.

In Minnesota, talk of team mutiny was rumored, some sources saying that the locker room was split. These rumors were put to bed quickly, but Viking Nation may see it differently. One Vikings fan was found to have a live goat in her trunk painted purple and gold.

Vick has also been met with equivalent praise and disapproval, with Donovan McNabb going on record saying that Vick’s presence and the style of play-calling involving Vick was “a gimmick” and a distraction from their game plan.

I’ll tell you this: Like it or not, the Vikings became a contender when they signed Favre. However, Vick brings quite the distraction both on and off of the field. It will be interesting to see, but if McNabb is already skeptical about Vick’s role, then that can’t be a good sign for the Eagles.

3 – Trouble in Ann Arbor

In what has been a tumultuous summer of violations in College Football, one last situation has raised its ugly head right before the season’s start.

This week some former and current players accused Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez and his staff of exceeding the NCAA’s practice guidelines and complained that the staff was over-working student athletes beyond the maximum weekly and daily hours limitations. Rodriguez responded with an emotional press conference, completely denying the allegations by saying that they were “miscommunications” and “just not true.”

I’ll Tell You This: The Wolverines went 3-9 last year in Rodriguez’s first year at the helm. While it would not surprise me that these players were over-worked, I think the bigger issue is that, to save his job, Rodriguez has to find a way to bring Michigan back to being one of the premier teams in the NCAA.

4 – Injuries in the NFL Preseason

With the NFL preseason coming to an end, injuries have already begun to raise their ugly heads at big-time positions for teams.

Patriots QB Tom Brady injured his shoulder when Redskins $100 million dollar man Albert Haynesworth crushed him in the second quarter of their game last week. The master of masking issues, Bill Belichick, down-played the injury saying that Brady would be ready for the regular season.

Brett Favre has said that he has a cracked rib, but played in the Vikings’ preseason game against Houston without any protection. Could it be that Favre is preparing an excuse for what might become a disappointing season?

Finally, all of Kansas City stopped breathing for about 24 hours when off-season acquisition QB Matt Cassel went down hard with a knee injury. At first the prognosis was 4-6 weeks, seemingly a finishing blow to KC before the season even started; however, now reports are saying that the MCL strain that Cassel suffered was minor and he would return to the lineup possibly sooner rather that later, maybe even for the season opener.

I’ll Tell You This: Nothing can kill a team’s season faster than an unexpected and unnecessary preseason injury. Hopefully all of the above stay healthy so we can watch as many teams battle it out for the playoffs at full strength as possible. A healthy NFL is a more fan-friendly NFL.

5 – The Return of Pacman

Adam “Pacman” Jones has returned to football. But this time it’s not in the NFL. It’s not even with the upstart AFL, which launches next month. 

No, Pacman Jones is headed to the Canadian Football League. He has signed “in principal” a one year deal with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

I’ll tell you this: Who cares?

Apparently no-one in the NFL is ok with giving Jones yet another chance to prove that he can’t control his personal life, and honestly, I can’t blame them. Jones is just one of those players with all the talent in the world but no self-control. And playing professional sports is a luxury. He can’t control his life, he is a thug, and he is not a role model like we want our athletes of today to be.

Good riddance Pacman. Canada, you can have him.

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You can follow BigMB on twitter by going to www.twitter.com/mylesb3269

* – Jose Contreras and Jim Thome photo credit: by Charles Rex Arbogast – AP via South Side Sox

In What Direction Are the Chicago White Sox Heading?

I am not really sure if the White Sox are moving in the correct direction.  Were the moves that Kenny Williams made at the trade deadline meant to stock up the current team for the playoff push or lay down the foundation for next year’s team?

I do not think that anyone will argue with me when I say that one of our biggest liabilities is the pitching staff.  More specifically, the bullpen.  There are certain pitchers that come out in relief and all you can hope for is that they are not going to pitch batting practice.  I cannot explain the level of frustration that I feel when I am listening to a game and I hear that Dotel or Linebrink are warming up.

The move to bring in Jake Peavy was a good one.  But if and when he comes back this season, he will still need run support and that appears to be lacking as of late. While I am a supporter of Freddy Garcia due to his performance in 2005, I am not really sure if he gives us a greater chance of winning the division this season.

Speaking of the division, are we just hanging around or what?  We’re not gaining any ground on the Tigers and the Twins are now right up there with us due to our respective performances in the last two series. 

I am just not sure if what we are seeing is a team that has just lost its stride and is going to limp into the rest of the season or one with the potential to still turn things around.  Trust me when I say that I hope that I am wrong, but I think that the writing is on the wall and not even a healthy Jake Peavy can come in the save the day.

White Sox Cannot Escape the Gravitational Pull of Mediocrity

Working hard to get my fill,
everybody wants a thrill
Payin’ anything to roll the dice,
just one more time
Some will win, some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on…

Don’t stop believin’
Hold on to the feelin’…

I suspect that I don’t have to tell you what song those lyrics are from. Nor, I would imagine, do I probably need to remind you of the importance of that song to Chicago baseball fans and, specifically, to White Sox fans. It was the anthem of that glorious run in 2005 that put the win in Windy City baseball.

After the last week and half, 2005 seems like eons ago. And even for me, Mr. White Sox Positivity, the guy who can usually find a silver lining even in every home run given up by Scott Linebrink, it is becoming really, really hard to continue believing in 2009.

Oh sure, I know that the White Sox are working hard to get their fill, and doing their best to give everyone on the South Side a thrill.

And Ken Williams certainly has proven that he is willing to pay anything (too much?) to roll the dice…even just one more time with the current core of veterans.

And yes, in any given year some will win, and some will lose, and I am a Chicago baseball fan which makes me predisposed to singing the blues; but, the 2009 season has just been a terribly frustrating movie — one of those ones with a great director and really good actors that you like, and you keep thinking it will get good, but the script just never fulfills its potential — that just goes on and on and on and on…

I am reluctantly writing this post to say that I have officially stopped believing in the 2009 Chicago White Sox.

Certainly, I will not stop rooting for them. I will not stop hoping beyond hope that this team has 6- or 7-game winning streak in it somewhere that can get us back into legitimate contention. I will not avoid tracking the White Sox every night by listening to Ed Farmer on my iPhone. No, I am a fan. I will suffer while mired in frustrating mediocrity with the rest of the fan base and the organization.

But no matter how hard I try, it will be hard to not lament what has been such a wasted opportunity in 2009. I really thought the White Sox had the potential to be better in 2009. And maybe they did; it just hasn’t happened yet.

I don’t remember where I read it, either at Sox Machine or South Side Sox, but someone described the White Sox in 2009 perfectly by saying that they have a “gravitational pull towards .500.” No description could be more apt.  Every time we’ve gotten two or three game below even, we go on a winning streak. Every time we taste prosperity and show signs of turning things around for good, we lose games we should win and fall right back.

Now, today, on August 27th, we are a game under .500, 4.5 games back of Detroit in the pathetic AL Central, and tied with Minnesota for second place. And our last loss came off the bat of one of the best clutch hitters of my lifetime, David Ortiz, but a guy that has appeared washed up for the majority of this season.

The White Sox have lost four in a row, five out of six, and are 9-13 thus far in August. As we sit mired in one of our worst team-wide slumps of the season, another game at Boston, plus two more road trips to New York and Minnesota beckon. New York is the best team in baseball and the Metrodome is a constant house of horrors for the White Sox.

I want to believe, I really do…I just can’t find any genuine belief left in me. I wonder why…

• Carlos Quentin, a guy that at one point early in the year I called the best player in the American League, is hitting .234 and slugging .448.
• The White Sox bullpen, which I lauded as one of the best in baseball, has been shaky at best in some of the most important moments of the season.
• Mark Buehrle, who I have called a true ace to anyone who would listen, has been nothing more than a #4-type starter since his perfect game.
• Jermaine Dye is hitting .264 and struggling to produce runs, while Paul Konerko is down to .278 and had 20-some at bats recently without a hit.
• Our two most consistent offensive players have been AJ Pierzynski (.315 batting average), a guy with only 38 RBI, and Scott Podsednik, a guy that was sitting on his couch when the regular season began.
• The guy that I have the most confidence in right now is a rookie third baseman and his cheesy 80s walk-up music.
• Our two key in-season acquisitions have done little to provide a shot in the arm. Jake Peavy has yet to pitch in Chicago, while Alex Rios has one hit in his last 16 at-bats.

And, honestly, I could keep going. But I don’t want to. It’s depressing.

Sadly, I am beginning to wonder now if my hope and belief in this team was misplaced all along. In 2007, the White Sox were an abomination. Last year, we surprised everyone by winning the AL Central and making the playoffs. Perhaps I should have expected 2009 to settle in somewhere right in between those two seasons, with virtually the same core intact. That is exactly what has happened.

I keep waiting, hoping, believing that the next White Sox winning streak will be the one that blows us past .500 and to the top of the standings for good. But at some point, you are what you are.

The 2009 White Sox are, simply put, a .500 baseball team.

Not great, but not terrible.

And in a poor division, that is just good enough to keep us within reasonable striking distance. And it was not too long ago (2006) that an 83-win team (the St. Louis Cardinals) won their division and shocked the world by winning the World Series.

The difference is that the 2006 Cardinals got off to a great start, were 16 games over .500 early, still 7-8 games over .500 heading into September, and hit the serious skids late in September while dealing with injury issues. But they had shown the ability to be a division-leading, playoff team.

The 2009 White Sox, on the other hand, have shown only flashes of such potential. Unfortunately, we’ve shown just as many flashes that we have the potential to be as bad as we’ve been over the past week.

As I said, a .500 team.

And to make things worse, while the North Siders are crowing (typically) about how the sky is falling and how awful their season has been — and they are right — the Cubs are still at least two games over .500. They just play in a division that has a great team, the Cardinals, so at least they have had the benefit of closure and of knowing that their team will not be making the playoffs.

I think closure may have come for me last night when Big Papi hit his walk-off home run. 

Yes, the White Sox are “only” 4.5 games out. And yes, we still “control our destiny” with games upcoming against Minnesota and Detroit. But the term “control your destiny” only has meaning and leads to excitement when you actually believe that your team has it within themselves to win the games that will determine their destiny.

Back in April, the White Sox opened the season with a win over Kansas City (4-2) before losing their second game (0-2). Thus, after two games the White Sox stood at .500 and had given up as many runs as they had scored. Now, after 127 games, not a lot has changed. The White Sox sit at one game under .500 and have scored only six runs more than they have given up. 

Maybe we should have all realized way back in April, after those first two games, that the White Sox were nothing more than a .500 club. And maybe a lot of people did; I was just not one of them. Now I have to deal with the consequences: high hopes dashed during the dog days of disappointment.

I expect the White Sox to win tonight’s final game in Boston, putting us right back at .500. After that, in New York and Minnesota, who knows.

But I do know this: if the White Sox somehow rebound from this awful four-game performance to get a few games over .500, I’ll wait to see if they can maintain it before totally buying in. That way, I can be pleasantly surprised instead of incredibly disappointed.

Eh, who the hell am I kidding. I’m already incredibly disappointed by 2009. Yeah, there is still time to turn things around and make one last dash for Detroit, I suppose. But hopefully they help us out by fading and reverting closer to .500 themselves. Sadly, that is probably what it will take. 

If the first 127 games of this season have proven anything, it’s that the gravitational pull of mediocrity appears to be too much for the White Sox to overcome.

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* – Ozzie Guillen thinking photo credit: Chicago Sun-Times

* – Ozzie Guillen hand on face photo credit: Charles Krupa, Associated Press via Chicago Tribune

Chris “When He’s Healthy, He’s Virtually Unhittable” Carpenter: NL Cy Young Favorite?

A week ago Monday night, as Chris Carpenter labored through his first two innings at Dodger Stadium, the ESPN commentators claimed “something wasn’t right.” Apparently they were wrong, as Carpenter dominated the NL’s best team the rest of the way en route to eight innings of two run ball and another win.
 
My father, who attended the game and has watched baseball for nearly 60 years, emailed me the following morning:

“This guy is a classic pitcher – gets stronger as game goes on, which is rare these days.”

 
Carpenter was strong again all Saturday night on San Diego — seven shutout innings on just three hits — prompting this Sunday afternoon email from a good friend who works in the Padres scouting department:

“When he’s healthy, he’s virtually unhittable.  Completely shut us down on Saturday.”

 
Carpenter’s continued success has enabled Tony Larussa to confidently “bump him up” to start this Thursday afternoon vs. Houston due to injuries in St. Louis’ back end of the rotation. There, ”Carp” will seek his seventh consecutive win. He has not lost a decision since July 22, and despite missing over a month, is now tied for the NL lead in wins at 14. 
 
Chris has the league’s lowest ERA as well, putting him, in my view, in the driver’s seat for Cy Young — though many believe Tim Lincecum is right there as well. Lincecum has struggled his last four starts and, even with four extra starts, has two fewer wins and a higher ERA than does the durable St. Louis righty. It’s therefore Carpenter’s to lose, though the media has been favoring Lincecum all season to this point.
 
Not bad for a 34 year old who basically missed the past two seasons entirely after a World Series winning season (2006) and Cy Young prior (2005).
 
I shall endeavor to personally watch the potential two-time Cy Young winner Labor Day weekend in Pittsburgh.

Who should win the NL Cy Young?

• Chris Carpenter (0%, 0 Votes)
• Tim Lincecum (0%, 0 Votes)
• Kevin Gregg (0%, 0 Votes)
• I thought about answering Kevin Gregg and then realized I'm an idiot. (100%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 0

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* – Chris Carpenter fist pump photo credit: Mike Shannon’s Cardinals Blog

* – Chris Carpenter cap wave photo credit: Arches and Ivey

White Sox Fans Await Return of New Hero (Jake Peavy) As Old Hero (Freddy Garcia) Returns to the Bump Tonight

On the same day that we got a little more information regarding the White Sox debut of Jake Peavy, a familiar face will take the mound at U.S. Cellular Field for the first time in three seasons.

First, let’s talk about Peavy.

It had been rumored that Jake Peavy might make his White Sox debut on September 3rd when the pale hose travel to the North Side for a makeup game with the Cubs. Everyone seemed excited about this because obviously we’d love to crush Cubs to win the season series 4-2 while furthering erode the North Siders’ playoff chances and bolstering our own.  Plus, the irony of Peavy doing it would be delicious considering how much the Cubs wanted to pry him away from San Diego.

However, it’s not happening…and for good reason.

As reported this morning by Dave Van Dyck of the Tribune, the White Sox are not going to chance having Peavy bat and run the bases. Hence, he will only pitching in the safe haven of AL ballparks (possibly as soon as August 28th against the Yankees, depending on how he feels after his next rehab start) where his healing ankle can take cover in the dugout while the White Sox are up to bat.

“He’s not going to pitch over there (at Wrigley),” Sox general manager Ken Williams said. “He got hurt on the bases.”

This is a pretty easy one: I agree. Why chance it? Peavy reportedly looked great in his first rehab start at AAA Charlotte (3 innings, 43 pitches, 1 hit, 5 Ks), and will be heavily counted on down the stretch with our pitching staff looking a bit wobbly lately. Gavin Floyd and John Danks have put together some solid starts recently, but Mark Buehrle has struggled since his perfecto and Jose Contreras has just been awful. 

And then there is the lingering question mark of who takes the ball every fifth day now that Clayton Richard is in San Diego. That’s where we get to the other half of the headline, regarding the former hero returning to the South Side. 

Freddy Garcia, who won 40 games for the White Sox between 2004-2006, takes the ball tonight in the second game of a huge series against the Kansas City Royals. He will be opposed by Gil Meche, who is only 5-9 on the season, but has a solid career track record against the White Sox. 

Garcia has only pitched 73 innings since leaving Chicago in 2006 after going 3-0 in the 2005 playoffs and helping bring a World Series title to the Windy City. He failed to gain traction with the Phillies or Tigers and is now back on the South Side being managed by his good friend Ozzie Guillen.

As Scott Merkin reported at chisox.com, while Garcia’s right shoulder may not quite be back to its old strength, he was hitting the low-90s on the gun in his last rehab start.  Plus, his manager and teammates have confidence that Garcia has that “wily ‘ol vet” experience and ability to still be effective and help the club.

“I’m really glad to be back,” said Garcia, who joined the White Sox on Monday after their six-game, seven-day West Coast road trip. “It took me a long time to come back, but I’m glad to be here.”

…

With Jose Contreras struggling mightily over his past six starts, allowing 24 earned runs over 28 1/3 innings, a strong effort from Garcia could propel him into a permanent starting spot over the season’s final six weeks. Manager Ozzie Guillen will go with the hot hand, both in the field and on the mound, but cautions fans not to expect the 2005 Garcia to take the field against the Royals.

“He knows how to pitch, he knows how to get people out,” said Guillen. “I think he’ll be fine. He knows how to do stuff out there.”

“All I need to know is that he’s healthy and he’s got his arm strength to where it is at a point where he can effectively use his offspeed stuff to complement [his fastball],” said White Sox general manager Ken Williams. “His fastball doesn’t have to be 93 [mph] because of his second and third pitch.”

We know that Jake Peavy will have a spot in the rotation when he returns, and now it looks like two of the 2005 heroes will be duking it out for the 5th spot. Regardless, it will good to see Freddy Garcia back on the bump for the White Sox tonight, and I expect the Comiskey faithful to give him an appreciative hand when he takes the mound.

Hopefully he gets an ovation when he walks off the mound as well, because that would most likely mean that he has put the White Sox in a position to win. Sitting two games back, with September rapidly approaching, and a roadtrip to Boston, New York, and Minnesota on the horizon, the White Sox need to get as many as possible against the Royals and Orioles at home this week.

Here’s hoping “Big Game” Freddy can live up to the nickname his first time out.

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* – Jake Peavy photo credit: Bill Walker/Charlotte Knights via Knights website

* – Freddy Garcia photo credit: HotFootBlog

White Sox Begin Huge Six-Game Home Stand Today

Much was made of the recent 6-game West Coast trip that faced the White Sox. As any Sox fan knows, we typically struggle out west, especially at Oakland. For that reason, a 3-3 split against the Mariners and A’s is actually palatable. What is frustrating is that it should have been 4-2, but the White Sox could not hold a 2-1 lead in the 8th inning yesterday after another solid pitching outing from John Danks.

But the White Sox stole one in the 9th last Tuesday against Seattle, when Alexei Ramirez cracked a three-run homer in the top of the 9th, so I guess you could say Sunday’s loss was just the road trip evening itself out.

What faces the White Sox this week is, on the surface, much less intimidating than last week’s West Coast swing and the impending road trip against Boston, New York, and Minnesota. The White Sox go back home for three against the cellar dwelling Royals, an off day, and then three more against the cellar dwelling Orioles. Sitting 2.5 games behind Detroit with 44 games left to play, this is a huge opportunity for the White Sox to quit flirting with .500 and get to six or seven games over.

Expecting anything more than a split next week is probably wishful thinking, so the White Sox need to take it upon themselves to string together some victories — and some breathing room — against teams that they should beat at home this week.

Mark Buehrle kicks off the home stand today against Brian Bannister, and Mr. Perfect needs to fulfill his role as staff ace and get us off on the right foot. 

With the most difficult stretch of the season beginning one week from today, the White Sox cannot afford to waste this opportunity.

White Sox pick up Alex Rios

In How the Economy has affected Major League Baseball, part 1,873, Alex Rios is now a member of the South Siders, the Chicago White Sox. Rios was claimed on waivers this past weekend by the Sox and the Blue Jays agreed to let him walk yesterday while the Sox will assume the rest of Rios’ nearly $70 million contract.

Purely from a baseball standpoint, this is a great move for the Sox. Nothing against Scott Podsednik, but Rios is a superior player at the plate and above-average in the field, and while he is having a below-average offensive season, most of that is driven by bad luck. Currently Rios has his lowest wOBA since 2005, largely driven by the lowest BABIP figure of his career. While Scotty Pods has outperformed expectations, White Sox center fielders still only have a .269 wOBA on the year. Rios easily surpasses that and if he can get back to last year’s form, he could be one of the best pickups of the year.

The drawback, however, is the money question. Rios has an extremely backloaded contract, with salaries at the $12 million mark for 2011-14. While the media will make a big deal about how much payroll the White Sox are taking on, one key point is that the White Sox payroll dropped by $25 million in the offseason. The club also has close to $35 million coming off the books for next year. Williams and Reinsdorf clearly want to win and aren’t shy about spending money to try and get that next championship. One big thing for the White Sox is the amount of payroll they’ve taken on recently. With the acquisition of Peavy and Rios, Kenny Williams is clearly gunning for the World Series this year. And, all things considered, they have the team to get there. Once Peavy gets back, the White Sox looks like this:

Buerhle – Peavy – Danks – Contreras – Floyd

From top to bottom, I’m not sure there’s a better rotation in the American League. That certainly beats the rotations of the Angels and Tigers, two division leaders. Only the Yankees really have a claim that they have a better rotation, but Sergio Mitre is also in that rotation, who isn’t better than Gavin Floyd.

As far as the lineup goes, Rios gives Ozzie Guillen a lot more options if he wants to rest his outfielders. Jim Thome could also get some rest against lefties. Currently the lineup looks a little crowded, but here’s a guess at a potential lineup:

CF – Podsednik

3B – Beckham

LF – Rios

RF – Dye

1B – Konerko

DH – Quentin

C – Pierzynski

SS – Ramirez

2B – Getz

That could be a potential lineup against lefties. Another lineup could look something like this:

CF – Rios

3B – Beckham

RF – Dye

DH – Thome

1B – Konerko

LF – Quentin

C – Pierzynski

SS – Ramirez

2B – Getz

Either one of those lineups could be interesting. No matter what happens, the Sox should be able to overtake Detroit with these additions and take the AL Central.

Contract data from Cot’s Baseball Contracts.

Baseball Stats from Fangraphs.

Cubs Offense Needs to Stay Hot

The Cubs need to stay hot if they want to stay in this close NL Central division race.

Carlos Zambrano is the most recent victim of the DL for the Cubs. These things have happened a lot to the Cubs this season, but they have battled to stay close to the top of the NL Central. Aramis Ramirez has also been hurt recently. This time it’s his left shoulder. It is not, however, supposed to be serious, and Ramirez will decide Monday whether he will play the last game of the 4-game series against the Rockies.

As of Saturday the Cubs were only 1 game behind St. Louis, but that could change in a heartbeat. Holliday and Pujols are starting to hit, and if the Cubs don’t do the same thing they could see St. Louis run away with the division.

Both the Cubs pitching and batting have been very inconsistent, but as of late the two are staring to come together. Rookie Randy Wells is still having a tremendous year, and is the best pitcher on the team right now. Derek Lee has started to act like the old D Lee, hitting home runs and driving in runs.

While still not playing like he should, Milton Bradley is hitting better. With an average still under .250, Bradley hasn’t shown a great performance after the All-Star break but he has made some improvement.

The bullpen still remains a mystery. Sometimes they perform well, and other times they just plain suck. Carlos Marmol isn’t showing the same dominance that he had last year.

Kevin Gregg has been decent, but fans still don’t trust him when the Cubs have a slim lead heading into the ninth. No one in the bullpen has become a sleeper. No one has really stood out, and I think that has really hurt the Cubs’ bullpen.

It’s a mystery to me how this team is still very close to making the playoffs. I don’t know if it’s because of the Cards not playing well, the overall mediocrity of the division, or just that the Cubs are playing well when they need to.

The last month and a half will prove what team can play better ball in the closing stages of the season. My pick is St. Louis.

At a Glance: Contenders and Race for the NL Central Crown

Taking control of the NL Central this year hasn’t been easy. 4 teams out of the 6 are still in contention for a division title, and things could just be heating up.

1.St. Louis Cardinals – The division leader for most of the season has just recently been tested by the Chicago Cubs. The acquisition of Matt Holliday has paid off. With Ankiel and Ludwick not performing like last year, Holliday was a must pick-up to add offense to the outfield. The return of Carpenter has also helped the Cardinals stay atop of the the division. Pitching hasn’t been the problem for the Cards since their ERA is 3.71, 3rd in the whole league.

With players like Holliday, Pujols, and Carpenter why didn’t the Cards take more firm control of the division?

The problem is their inconsistent hitting. The Cards are ranked 23rd in hitting, batting a team average of .256. The Card’s hitters are not doing as well as last year, and it is hurting them. Ankiel and Ludwick are having a tough time following up on their breakout season that they both had last year, although Ludwick has been hittin much better since the break.

Overall it has been the consistent pitching that has kept St. Louis afloat and in the race for the division title.

2.Chicago Cubs – The team picked to win the division has been the most up and down this season. There have been points in the season were the Cubs looked totally out of it, and now suddenly they are tied for first along with the Cards. The Cubs are behind the Cards in hitting and pitching, but their offense has started to pick up as of late and that is why you see them on top of their division.

The Cubs season hasn’t been without a lot of criticism of the team and the signings of certain players. Randy Wells, however, has been a revelation as the only consistent pitcher for the Cubs. Wells, a really nice catch, has produced many great starts, and has been a huge part in the Cubs staying in the race. The Cubs just might make the playoffs this year, but they need to watch out for Holliday and Pujols. If those guys start hitting on all cylinders, then the Cubs could be in trouble.

3. Milwaukee Brewers - The Brew Crew are playing at the level most people thought they would play. They have begun to dip a little in the recent weeks, but are still only 4 games out of first, which is still a very reasonable distance considering that they are 1 game below .500.

Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder are having great seasons again but it’s not the offense that is lacking. It’s the pitching. After losing CC to the Yankees, the Brewers are having trouble finding a go-to pitcher. Every one of their pitchers are having decent but not great years. Before the season started people knew the pitching was the weak point so it doesn’t come as a surprise. Look for this team to contend in a few years if they get the pitching help they need.

4. Houston Astros – A huge shocker that this team is were they are at. They have sipped the past 10 games going 3-7, but they are still hanging in there after a terrible Spring Training and start to the year. Having only three big names on the team —  Oswalt, Lee, and Berkman — the Astros are really holding their own. Almost a sleeper this year, the Astros have flown under the radar. Now I am not saying they will win the World Series or even make the playoffs, but they are doing a good job of at least keeping a possible playoff appearance within the realm of possibility.

With a few more months left in the regular season, the Central Division race should be an exciting and close race all the way to the finish. We will have to see which teams are still contending after August, and which have fallen off the playoff wagon.

Get ready to watch some great American baseball!

* – Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday photo credit: SkyNews

Random Observation / Question: Do Baggy Baseball Pants Influence the Strike Zone?

Last weekend I was lucky enough to catch a baseball game everyday.  Watching the White Sox vs. Yankees series was entertaining, there is not doubt about it.  Sitting in front of the TV I was able to revisit something that has been on my mind:  

Has the advent of the baggy pants (pajamas) in baseball caused the strike zone to change?

My perspective on this is that once the players started to wear loose fitting pants the umpire was no longer able to see exactly where their knee began.  While it is comfortable for them, they are putting themselves behind the eight ball from the umpire’s perspective.

One player that I noticed tried it both ways was Jermaine Dye earlier in the season.  While he only wore the pants in the traditional fashion for a couple of games, to me it was obvious that his strike zone was different.  It would be nice to sit down and discuss this with him.  I wonder if he saw the same thing that I did while I was sitting on my couch?

It is obvious that taller players with long legs are at the biggest disadvantages.  I also think that it has to have some impact on their ability to run.  Just look at Manny Ramirez’s pants.  How can he run in those things?

I guess the bottom line for me is that if you take away the umpires’ point of reference, then don’t complain.  I really wish the players all would go old school and wear their pants in the traditional sense.  Just for arguments sake it would be interesting to see if the strike zone were to go back to the official rule definition of the strike zone.

* – Jermaine Dye photo credit: Getty Images via Daylife