Hell Yeah! Hawk Harrelson Gets More Excited Than Usual Calling Paul Konerko’s Three Home Runs

You all know that I love Hawk Harrelson. And obviously I think his signature home run call (You can put it on the board…YES!) is so great that sliced bread should be jealous of it.

Well, last night Hawk took it to another level when Paul Konerko jacked three home runs in the White Sox series-opening victory over some random AA team that is in town for the weekend. During the second and third of Konerko jacks, the second being a grand salami, Hawk adds in a jubilant “Hell yeah!” to his normal home run call.

Unfortunately, MLB.com does not allow you to embed videos (or at least they don’t make it very easy or intuitive if they do) so I’ll just have to link you over there. But it’s worth it.

(Thanks to Jimmy Traina at Hot Clicks for linking to this since I had to miss the game last night.)

Hawk Harrelson: Total Homer, a Little Crazy, and the Best White Sox Announcer Ever

I don’t remember exactly when I really got into the Chicago White Sox. But here are a few things I do remember:

• I liked them peripherally for a while in the early 90s and then my White Sox fandom began in earnest while I was in high school, and I’m pretty sure KVB and I got into the White Sox at around the same time (although he may have been a fan first…you’ll have to ask him).
• My favorite players from those early years were Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura, Black Jack, Ray Durham, Mike Cameron, James Baldwin, and Roberto Hernandez.
• From the first moment I heard Hawk Harrelson call a game, I was hooked.

(For the record, what I do remember from my early baseball years is that I hated the Cubs long before I ever loved the White Sox, simply because so many of my Indiana friends loved the Cubs and I could never understand it. They received so much adulation yet never seemed to win anything. I wasn’t about to offer any more undeserved adoration.)

I realize that Hawk takes a lot of grief for being an unabashed homer, for sometimes telling long and sprawling stories about guys like Ted Williams and George Brett, for firing Tony LaRussa during the Hawk’s ill-fated tenure as White Sox GM, and for sometimes talking about things that make you wonder if he’s doing okay. Plus, we all know that he likes to make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. (Well, not really the question mark…more like batting gloves. And that actually doesn’t seem to be such an outrageous claim after all.)

But…and it’s a big BUT…for the life of me I cannot understand how any White Sox fan does not enjoy listening to a Hawk-called game over a road announcer or one of the national schmoes they trot out on ESPN or Fox.

I started thinking about this today when I went searching online for a list of Hawkisms that KVB needed for a gift he’s making a friend of his and a friend of the South Siders. I unwittingly stumbled upon the unfortunately named website HeaveTheHawk.com. As you might expect, the creators of this website are not big fans of Hawk for the reasons mentioned above and many more.

Now, I don’t know much about this site nor do I have the time or inclination to go digging. (And for all you haters out there, I am blatantly violating journalistic ethics and integrity by not reaching to them for a comment before publishing this. If you’ve got something to say about, email me.) It appears as if they are White Sox fans, but I suppose it’s possible that it’s a bunch of Cubs fans looking to poke fun at the TV face of White Sox baseball. I have no idea.

All I know is that I disagree wholeheartedly with their “Manifesto“. I do know that one of their gripes is that Hawk Harrelson never played for the White Sox, as evidenced by this excerpt from their page “10 Reasons Why the Hawk Must Go”:

3. Hillbilly. The fair city of Chicago is the third largest media market in the country. So why must we listen to a South Carolinian carnival barker with NO White Sox connection? But wait, he was GM, you say? Yes, read on.

I have never lived in Chicago, so perhaps there is more of this sentiment floating around than I realize. But I consider myself about as die-hard a Sox fan as they come (though, admittedly, not as die hard as these guys or these guys) and I’ve certainly never once thought of Hawk as a “South Carolinian carnival barker.” Plus, what exactly does Hawk need to do to develop a “White Sox connection”? The guy’s been with the White Sox for as long as I’ve been following them. Sure, he didn’t play on the South Side, but doesn’t he have more of a White Sox connection than, say, Mike Cameron, who was only with the White Sox for a couple of seasons? How exactly do we define “having a connection”?

Anyway, I don’t want to make this a long and drawn-out post, and the truth is that I can’t because two of my best friends from Indiana are flying into town tonight (they’re in the air as I type this) so I have to actually put the blog toy away for a little while. But seeing that ugly website earlier today made me feel compelled to throw some support behind my man Hawk. White Sox games just aren’t as fun when Hawk isn’t announcing, telling balls to “stretch”, imploring the scorekeeper to “put it on the board”, and giving opposing batters their proper “he gone” send off after a strikeout.

Yeah, Hawk’s a huge homer. Probably the biggest one in all of baseball. So I can understand why a non-White Sox fan might abhor him. But for Sox fans to not like him? That I do not understand, and I’d like to get some feedback. If you’re a White Sox fan, what do you think of Hawk? Surely you love the guy, right? I can’t be this wrong about our fan base, can I? (And if you’re not a White Sox fan…be gone! I’m sure you don’t like him, so you can spare me the trite Hawk criticisms that I’ve already discussed.)

But before you head down to the comment section, sit back, relax, and strap it down as I offer you one of the only redeeming aspects of HeaveTheHawk.com. It’s a sublime song that lists out pretty much all of Hawk’s most famous Hawkisms. I’m assuming it’s meant to be a sarcastic dig at Hawk, and it’s certainly not all that great musically, but it’s still awesome. So click here and check it out.

And then send the creators of HeaveTheHawk.com some hate email. Because, as well know, Hawk looooves email, and I’m sure he’d love knowing that White Sox fans have his back. Say what you will about him, but he has a more tenured association with the White Sox now than anyone but Jerry Reinsdorf. And as far as I’m concerned, I hope he never gets “heaved”, because White Sox games just wouldn’t be as much fun without him.

I agree with the guys at HeaveTheHawk.com that listening to Ed Farmer on the radio is great. But nobody compares to Hawk Harrelson. And unlike the guys at HeaveTheHawk.com, I say that in the most positive context possible.

Hawk…you rule.

What do you think of Hawk Harrelson?

• Greatest. Announcer. Ever.
• Love him
• Heave him

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Say It Ain’t So Joe! Crede Moving To Minnesota, Hawk Harrelson Bids Crede Farewell

You have to love Joe Crede if you are a baseball fan. He gives it his all everyday, he plays through injury, he’s more clutch than Robin Ventura with the bases loaded, and he makes the most exciting diving stabs at third base — making even Hawk Harrelson lose his breath.

He will be missed and the reactions on Chicago’s 670 The Score this morning had the Southside callers sick to the stomach at the idea that Minnesota, of all teams, signed him. This sentiment will fade in due time, but if he’s in the playoffs this year and The Good Guys are not, I will cut myself.

Not really, but I will NOT root for the Twinkies.

Side note: I have thought about if anyone else would laugh (besides me) if Kirby Puckett made a come back and Bobby Jenks plunked him in his good eye, blinding him in both for good. Don’t judge. I always will laugh at multiple pudgy baseball statures like Bobby Jenks, Kirby Puckett, John Kruk, Fernando Valenzuela….Mike LaValliere.

Where was I?

Oh yeah, Joe Crede. I am afraid Crede’s career might not be totally over after the Minnesota signing, though it is only a one year deal. But then again I wouldn’t ever make that claim — unless, that is, the Cubs signed him (where every player goes to die). Rest In Peace Milton Bradley.

Joe, I hope you come to MSF, get this file, and download it to your IPod before you go hunting in Missouri and listen. Because Hawk Harrelson calling your clutch home runs is priceless. Thanks for giving us life at 3B after Robin Ventura. (FYI…I cut this from highlights played by Waddle and Silva on 670am The Score 06.08.2008:

Hawk Loves Joe Crede

And just in case you don’t want to download the mp3, here is a little picture video in tribute to Joe Crede:

Chicago White Sox Projected Starters for 2009

This article will be meaningless in a couple months after spring training, injuries and other surprises but it is a quick preview as hype to the 2009 baseball season builds. At this point even Tampa Bay Rays fans…er that’s no longer a good analogy…Kansas City Royal fans think their team has a shot at the world series.

Projected Batting Order from Whitesox.com :

1. CF Jerry Owens:
.276 BA, .346 OBP, 30 SB at AAA Charlotte in 2008 (2007 MLB: 356 AB, .267 BA, .324 OBP, 32 SB, )
2. C A.J. Pierzynski:
.281 BA, 13 HR, 60 RBI in 2008
3. LF Carlos Quentin:
.288 BA, 36 HR, 100 RBI, .394 OBP, .571 SLG in 2008
4. DH Jim Thome:
.245 BA, 34 HR, 90 RBI, .362 OBP, .503 SLG in 2008
5. RF Jermaine Dye:
.292 BA, 34 HR, 96 RBI, 41 2B, .541 SLG in 2008
6. 1B Paul Konerko:
.240 BA, 22 HR, 62 RBI in 2008
7. SS Alexei Ramirez:
.290 BA, 21 HR, 77 RBI, 13 SB in 2008
8. 3B Josh Fields:
.246 BA, 10 HR, 35 RBI for Charlotte in 2008 (2007 MLB: 373 AB, .244 BA, 23 HR, 67 RBI, .958 FPCT)
9. 2B Chris Getz:
.302 BA, 11 HR, 52 RBI, 11 SB for Charlotte in 2008

There is nothing wrong with this projection. Center Field and Second Base are the only positions up in the air and will be decided by Ozzie during spring training. The only other CF options are veterans Brian Anderson with Dewayne Wise being the underdog and fan favorite. One of the two will make the team regardless.

At 2B the options are young or experienced. Besides Getz, Wilson Betemit will get a look as he came from the Yankees in the Swisher trade. In this Baseball-Reference.com link Betemit’s seven year career stats are compared to that of Joe Crede (he gone) who was missing from the lineup more than half of the games in 07 and 08. This also opened the door for Josh Fields getting a solid 100 of major league experience in 2007. But back to Betemit specifically, he could easily get a lot of time if the inexperienced Getz doesn’t impress Ozzie. Though there is a lot of confidence verbally from Ozzie already. Whoever has the better glove in spring training will start the season.

Projected rotation from WhiteSox.com :

1. Mark Buehrle, 15-12, 3.79 ERA in 2008
2. Gavin Floyd, 17-8, 3.84 ERA in 2008
3. John Danks, 12-9, 3.32 ERA in 2008
4. Bartolo Colon, 4-2, 3.92 ERA with Red Sox in 2008
5. Clayton Richard, 2-5, 6.04 ERA in 2008

The pitching staff is closer to being in order after the Bartolo Colon signing by GM Ken Williams. Mark Buerhle is still the number one and has been for some time. Gavin “Pretty Boy” Floyd and John Danks look to improve on stellar 2008 campaigns. Both youngsters were the main reasons “The Good Guys” even made the playoffs last year.

The fifth position with Clayton Richard could be good enough if the former Michigan quarterback can get more strikeouts and give up less base hits. If that doesn’t hold to be true in his first full season in the majors you might see Jose Contreras be the man if his ruptured achilles is healed by the All-Star break.

Aaron Poreda is one of the challengers if Richard doesn’t impress in spring training or catches the injury bug. Poreda is looked at as one of the best pitching prospects in the organization and also the biggest ( 6′6″ 240 lbs). He just turned 22 years old in October and has a dominant stat line after a short 2007 in rookie league and a 2008 season in single and double A: 2.69 ERA 1.09 WHIP 207.1 IP 166 K and only 7 home runs given up in that span.

Pitchers and catchers will report Sunday February 15th so the season is fast approaching. I would say I have the White Sox finishing in first place this year but that wouldn’t be different then any other year. GO GO WHITE SOX!

Chicago Celebrates Resignation of Jay Mariotti

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Chicago Celebrates Resignation of Jay Mariotti

The city of Chicago has announced that it will hold a parade in celebration of Jay Mariotti’s departure from the Chicago Sun-Times. Parade sponsors include the White Sox, Cubs, Bulls, Bears, and all citizens of Chicago.

Chicago, IL – Word broke late last night that notorious Chicago sportswriter Jay Mariotti, a future first ballot inductee into the Turd Hall of Shame, was resigning from his post as Sports Blowhard at the Chicago Sun-Times. Unfortunately Jay the Joke, as he is often referred, made no mention of giving up his seat at the Roundtable of Nonsense otherwise known as ESPN’s Around the Horn.

According to longtime Chicago sports fan Jevin Morriline, today’s announcement was “an act of divine intervention proving the unyielding benevolence of God.” It appears as if Morriline is not alone in sharing such a feeling

The city of Chicago, led by Mayor Ozzie Guillen and Secretary of Ducksnort Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, have announced that plans are being developed for a city-wide parade to celebrate the departure of Jay Mariotti.

The proposed route for the parade would begin at U.S. Cellular Field and end a few blocks North of City Hall. It is the same route the 2005 Chicago White Sox went on when they won a World Series that Jay Mariotti never thought was possible.

The following is an official statement made by Mayor Ozzie Guillen and released to Midwest Sports Fans this afternoon:

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Breaking News: Jay Mariotti Leaves Sun-Times

by Jerod Morris

White Sox fans everywhere…rejoice! Jay Mariotti aka Jay The Joke is leaving the Chicago Sun-Times and making the Chicago sports media infinitely more respected and competent in the process. This is truly a case of addition by subtraction.

I’m at work and can’t expound too much right now (though I will later).

Head over to Deadspin.com for more information on Jay Mariotti’s resignation right now. Then come back later for a Midwest Sports Fans “tribute” to the man whose ass Ozzie Guillen would like to kick into submission, and who all White Sox fans pretty much consider a worthless, petty, egotistical, blow-hard.

While you’re here, take a quick trip down memory lane:

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NFL: Joe Buck is a Massive Tool | Gus Johnson is Incredible

by Jerod Morris

As Lynyrd Skynyrd once sang, “Oooh, that smell. Can you smell that smell?” I know what I can smell, and for once it isn’t the stench of Grady Sizemore’s female parts since the Cleveland Indians are so waaaaaay far behind the White Sox in the AL Central Standings.

No, that smell is the first wiff of Fall. And Fall means one thing, and one thing only: Football. I could write an entire post about all of the many images, memories, feelings, and pangs of sublime anticipation that rush through every fiber of my being when this glorious time of year rolls around. However, I might crash the server due to the length of the post.

So instead, I will go a different route and highlight one of the few things about football season that I absolutely abhor. There aren’t many, and most of them are so meaningless that they are essentially infinitesimal. But there is one steaming pile of arrogant and monotone nepotism that hangs over the Fall like an unexpected early morning dingleberry carwash. And unfortunately, it hangs over October baseball as well. You all know who I’m talking about:

Joe Buck.

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Chicago White Sox: Hawk and DJ Rule

by Jerod Morris

Stumbled across this video while doing some random YouTube surfing today. I love Hawk and DJ. If I didn’t legitimately wish that I’d thought of this first, I’d make fun of whoever did this for having too much time on their hands.

And while we’re on the subject of Hawk, YouTube, and complete idiots (well, we weren’t on that subject…but I’m currently watching ESPN, which reminded me of Around the Horn, which reminded me of Jay Mariotti, which immediately brought the term “idiot”, among many other derogatory terms, to the forefront of my thoughts)…well, just listen to Hawk. He’s the Gza.

Chicago White Sox | News Links: August 1, 2008

by Jerod Morris

News and commentary from around the web on the morning after the Chicago White Sox made a huge and surprising splash just before the trading deadline by dealing for Ken Griffey Jr. This should be interesting…

Follow the “Read More” link for White Sox news links…

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