This discussion should not even exist.

Thome has 600 career home runs, which should be enough evidence in itself, but he also has a career OBP of .403. This proves his value to whatever team he was on over the course of his career.

Unfortunately, the milestone of 600 home runs does not automatically warrant talks of being a first ballot Hall of Famer anymore. The players who played in baseball’s era of the past twenty years, dubbed the “Steroid Era”, are always under question whenever a home run milestone is reached.

There are only eight players who have ever reached 600 home runs:

1. Barry Bonds*- 762

2. Hank Aaron- 755

3. Babe Ruth- 714

4. Willie Mays- 660

5. Ken Griffey Jr- 630

6. Alex Rodriguez*- 626

7. Sammy Sosa*- 609

8. Jim Thome- 600

Notice the asterisks next to the names of Bonds, Rodriguez, and Sosa. This is due to the fact that they have all been linked to the use of steroids. Back in the days of Mays and Aaron, reaching 600 home runs would result in extensive media coverage. In Thome’s case, his milestone was a backstory to Jeter’s pursuit of 3,000 hits.

The main reason for this has to do with the fact that Jeter plays for the Yankees, who, along with the Red Sox, get the bulk of the national media coverage.

Out in Minnesota, Thome quietly approached his milestone with little media coverage until he actually recorded #600. This could have actually worked in Thome’s favor, as he was never distracted by constant attention from the media.

However, no matter the media attention Thome received, he is a clear first ballot Hall of Famer.

There is a giant list of players who have recorded fewer home runs than Thome who are Hall of Famers. Players such as Frank Robinson, Harmon Killebrew, Reggie Jackson, Mike Schmidt, Mickey Mantle, Jimmie Foxx, Willie McCovey, and many more.

One could argue that the players on this list were icons during their time, but Thome has hit more home runs than them, so why shouldn’t he be seen as an icon?

One thing that has hurt Thome is not being on a World Series team during the later part of his career, but this should not matter to the voters of the Hall of Fame.

For a player that played in an era scarred by liars and cheaters, Jim Thome has never once been accused of any wrongdoing. It will truly be a shame if he is not elected to the Hall of Fame on the first year of his eligibility.

[Editor's note: This quickcast was originally posted on July 20th, 2011. Since then, Jim Thome has become the 8th player in MLB history to smash 600 homeruns, hitting 599 and 600 last night. I am pulling this post out of the archives because today is all about giving respect and recognition to an athlete who has embodied everything we want our athletes to be: great on the field while being humble and decent off of it.

Congrats to Jim Thome on joining one of sports' most exclusive clubs. I'll be cheering when you join another exclusive club: the Baseball Hall of Fame.]

In the third MSF QuickCast, Jerod Morris discusses the lack of attention surrounding Jim Thome’s quest for 600 home runs, as well as Thome’s Hall of Fame credentials and why they merit the Bunyanesque masher being a first ballot entrant.

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Give Jim Thome the Respect, Attention He’s Earned

If you would have told me as recently as 5-6 years ago that I would be saying what I am about to say, I would have said you are crazy. But here I am, about to extol the virtues of a baseball player who for years was my sworn, mortal enemy.

You see, I’m a little miffed. I’m miffed that Jim Thome is not getting more attention as he approaches entry into one of the most sacred clubs in sports history: the 600 home run club.

I also a little miffed at, and definitely do not understand, the questioning I have seen and heard of Thome’s Hall of Fame credentials.

When Jim Thome gets to 600 home runs, he will be just the 8^th man to reach that rarified air, joining Barry, Hank, The Babe, Willie, The Kid, ARod, and Slammin’ Sammy. And if you want to insert a little real talk into this debate, Thome will become just the fifth member of the 600 home run club who was not either proven or strongly, strongly suspected of juicing.

So where is the attention for this extremely rare and exciting feat?

Image credit: Paul Battaglia/AP via MPR News

It was not long ago that ARod was approaching 600 home runs. It seemed like an eternity passed between his 599^th and 600^th home run, and I remember being constantly inundated with updates and live look-ins at his at bats. I realize that ARod is a much higher profile player than Thome, and I realize that the pinstripes have a lot to do the excess attention, but shouldn’t a man like Thome, who embodies absolutely everything we supposedly want our athletes to be, galvanize at least 40-50% of that attention?

I don’t care that he’s not playing every day. I don’t care that he’s toiling for a team struggling in 4^th place. And I don’t care that he’s only a DH tasked with pretty much one job at this point: mash home runs. This is Jim Thome.  In baseball, there is nothing more productive that one man can do in a single action than hit a home run. Nothing. And in baseball’s history, only seven men have done it more often than Jim Thome.

That’s worth celebrating, yet Thome – who spent the vast majority of his career in the Midwest – is flying so far under the radar that his quest for 600 home runs isn’t even common knowledge to the casual baseball fan. Which is ridiculous.

What is also ridiculous is questioning of Thome’s Hall of Fame credentials.

It used to be that 500 home runs was an automatic ticket to Cooperstown. It isn’t any longer now that steroids and jackwagons like Rafael Palmeiro ruined it. That’s fine with me though. But 600 home runs?

Again, only seven people in the history of Major League Baseball have hit more home runs than Thome has right now. Seven. The magnitude of the home run is so great that being that high up on the all-time list should make you a no-brainer, automatic, no questions asked Hall of Famer even if the rest of your numbers are subpar.

But have you looked at Jim Thome’s career stats? They are far from subpar.

• He’s a .277 career hitter; not bad for a Bunyanesque masher.
• And if you have a gripe with his batting average, consider that Thome’s career on base percentage is .403 which, for comparison’s sake, is 20 points higher than Derek Jeter’s.
• Thome’s career OPS is .960, the 17^th highest total of all time.
• He also has 1,646 RBIs and 8 seasons of 100+ runs.

I hear the arguments against him. He struck out a lot – true, over 2400 times – and he wasn’t the greatest defender, and he never finished in the top 3 in the MVP voting, and he’s just hanging on accumulating numbers and blah, blah, frieking blah.

Excuse my strong language, but would you cut the malarkey? Seriously.

You don’t just, quote, “accumulate” 600 home runs. Jim Thome is still playing because he brings value to the Minnesota Twins, just like he brought value to my White Sox before they foolishly let him go. He’s still a threat to go deep every time he steps to the plate and points his bat menacingly at the bleachers, and that’s a rare, valuable commodity in baseball.

You know what else is a rare and valuable commodity in baseball, heck in sports? Thome’s character and leadership, both of which should be factored in when his name comes up for Hall consideration.

My feeling on character and leadership is that they should not necessarily work against a player when it comes to the Hall of Fame, especially if their talent and achievements were so great as to make them Hall worthy despite their shortcomings. I actually think guys like Pete Rose and the best of the steroid turds like Bonds, Sosa, and McGwire, should all be in the Hall of Fame in spite of their swollen heads, shrunken balls, and sold-out integrity, though that’s a debate for another day.

I do, however, think that excessively strong character and leadership should work for a player, especially if people have foolishly placed him on the Hall’s borderline. If you don’t think Jim Thome is a Hall of Famer just based on the merit of his on-field accomplishments, fine. Reasonable minds can disagree I suppose.

But consider Thome’s integrity during a time when so many of peers sacrificed theirs. Consider his impeccable attitude, which is why proven winners like Ozzie Guillen, Joe Torre, and Ron Gardenhire have wanted him around despite his declining skills. Consider his presence in the lineup and what it meant for the great players who hit in front of Thome and benefitted from the damn near peerless protection he provided behind them. None of these things will show up on Thome’s baseball reference page, but they matter. At least, they should.

Jim Thome will get to 600 home runs whether America notices or not. And when he does, it shouldn’t be a question of if he makes the Hall of Fame, it should be a question of by how wide a margin he makes it on the first ballot. Because if the Hall of Fame isn’t there to celebrate and honor a guy like Jim Thome, who is deserving of enshrinement in every way, then what’s the point of even having one?

You know what I mean. That guy who calls overreacts to every single little thing and claims the season is over when Tsuyoshi Nishioka can’t figure out the strike zone and doesn’t know how to avoid a base runner trying to break up a double play.

The same kind of person that starts making up excuses why the team isn’t performing the way all of the “experts” said they would — i.e. actually having high expectations, still adjusting to a new home park, not enough to replace lost pitchers out of the bullpen, too much relying on guys coming off of injuries, etc. The Twins thrive off of being the underdog. Be honest, when was the last time the Twins were actually supposed to win the AL Central? Back in the Johan days?

Worst of all, and this is my biggest Simmons pet peeve, I’ve already claimed this team almost too boring to watch.

Admittedly, baseball has never been my favorite sport to watch on TV (in person is a completely different experience), but this year’s team has especially lacked the ability to get me excited. The hitting has been lackluster – it took 11 games to finally get a first inning run – and their “pitch to contact” starters don’t provide much entertainment. No sane person wants to sit around and watch a team that can’t hit and can’t get batters out. That’s not fun baseball.

Fun baseball includes Delmon Young and Danny Valencia continuing their hot streaks from last year. It includes bombs from Jim Thome, Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel, much like this one. It includes Joe Mauer flashing some of the power from two years ago instead of grounding out to short every other at bat. It includes Francisco Liriano striking out 10 batters every five days.

At least I haven’t boycotted twitter and don’t take long walks around Fargo to get over my frustration.

Speaking of Francisco Liriano, our “ace”, the only non-“pitch to contact” arm they have on the roster, he has been the opposite of that so far this year (0-3, 9.42 ERA, 15 ER, 14.1 innings, 4:3 K/BB). Look at his stat line from this Spring Training game. (I know, it’s only Spring Training, but still. He was all over the place) Also, there is this. Definitely not what the Twins need if they want to win this division.

And Poor Yoshi. The guy has high expectations coming from Japan, struggles early with communication and adapting to American style of baseball, then breaks his leg during the first week of the season and is out for up to two months. With the Twins already weak up the middle, delaying Nishioka’s learning curve could be devastating.

I already somewhat wrote about this a few weeks ago to star the season, but that was more of a reverse jinx post. I didn’t mean for it to actually be true. Luckily the Royals and Indians are leading the division so we know that things are definitely out of the ordinary. For now, I’ll try to remain optimistic, wait for the White Sox to experience the Crainwreck, and eventually see the Twins back on top where they belong.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to talk to random people about Shawshank Redemption.

**********

* – Tsuyosi Nishioka photo credit: AP Photo/Kathy Willens via The Baseball Digest

First, the Indians were awesome then. You might recall that from 1995-2001 they never won fewer than 86 games and won the AL Central all but one of the those seasons (finishing 2nd the other). They made to World Series twice (’95, ’97, losing both) and reached the ALCS another time. The dominance of these Indians kept my White Sox from doing anything of significance other than our out-of-nowhere 2000 season.

The second reason I hated the Indians was a man named Frank Dorazio. Frank worked with my dad when I lived in West Lafayette and could actually watch every White Sox game, which is when I really became a die-hard. Unfortunately this coincided with the Indians’ run, and since I saw Frank often I could never escape his wrath. He was (and I assume still is) a big Indians fan and was never bashful about rubbing it in my face that the Indians always had the leg up on the White Sox.

I’m sure that Frank has watched in amusement over the past decade as, one by one, all of those former Indians from the mid-1990s have made their way to Chicago during the latter stages of their careers. The latest example is Manny Ramirez, who is expected to join the White Sox later today.

Because I apparently feel like torturing myself with the White Sox hanging by a thread at 4.5 games out, here is the roster of players I used to hate with every fiber of my being that I later was forced to cheer for once they donned White Sox black.

Sadly, it would make a pretty nice starting lineup, especially during interleague play.

Kenny Lofton – CF

Roberto Alomar – 2B

Manny Ramirez – LF

Albert Belle – RF

Jim Thome – 3B

Sandy Alomar Jr – C

Julio Franco – 1B

Omar Vizquel – SS

Bartolo Colon – P

I suppose we could bring back The Milkman Herbert Perry to play 3rd and bump Thome over to DH in AL parks. See…how White Soxian is this? I’m assembling a team built for the NL first, as opposed to the league the White Sox actually play in. Kind of like how Ken Williams has gone about building this year’s Sox team.

Oh well. The White Sox have Manny now. Nothing was harder than learning to cheer for Jim Thome so I’m sure it won’t be a problem. Let’s just hope Manny can get a little bit of that late-90s feeling back. The White Sox could use down the stretch.

Oh, and by the way Frank, if you have Google Alerts on your name and somehow find your way to this article: laugh and make all the jokes you want. You may have owned an entire half decade, but you never finished the job like the White Sox did in 2005. Damn it feels good to finally have the trump card.

They are fun to read, always interesting, and everyone has their own opinion about the list — especially who was left off of it. Everyone also brings their own biases to sports discussions. I’m an Indians fan, so it should not be surprising that a few former Indians made the list below.

Today, I am listing the 10 most underrated baseball players of the last three decades. I’m doing it this way, rather than just the best players of the last 30 years or the Greatest Hitters of All Time, because I don’t feel like writing about the players who already legendary and who get discussed all the time.

For example, if I did the Greatest Hitters of All-Time. I would just end up reminding you of what you already know: how great of a hitter Joe Dimaggio was and how great it must of been banging Marilyn Monroe.

But I digress…

We’ll save that for another time. Joltin’ Joe is a Hall of Famer and a legend. Today, we’re going celebrate 10 players who were just a notch or two below, but who have not gotten their due.

I like doing underrated players because some of these players you may have forgotten over time. When you see their numbers and accomplishments, you might be surprised how good they really were.

Also, the list starts at 1980 because i don’t remember watching baseball in the 1970s or before.

Okay enough talking, lets start the list.

10. Tim Raines

23 Seasons. 7-Time All-Star. 2,605 Career Hits. .293 Career Batting Average. 808 Career Stolen Bases. .385 On Base Percentage. 2 World Series Wins (96,98). NL Batting Average Leader (1986) 4-Time NL Stolen Bases Leader.

Tim Raines was one of the best leadoff hitters in the 80s. He spent most of his prime with Montreal, which is why he isn’t remembered.

Don’t believe me? Do you remember that Andre Dawson, Gary Carter, and Pete Rose all played with him there? Larry Walker also spent time in Montreal and remember when Pedro Martinez won the NL Cy Young Award there?

Classic example of good player being forgotten because he played in a small market.

Tim excelled at a style of baseball that isn’t used as much now: stealing bases. Raines led the NL four times in stolen bases and topped 50 steals 8 times. His 808 career steals rank 5th all-time.

I couldn’t talk about Tim Raines without mentioning that sometimes he would hide vials of cocaine in his back pocket while he played.

They didnt call him “Rock” for nothing.

9. Mike Mussina

18 Seasons. 5-Time All-Star. 7-Time Gold Glove Winner. 270-153 Career Record. 3.68 Career ERA. .638 Winning Percentage. 2,813 Career Strike Outs. 1-Time AL Wins Leader (95).

Mike Mussina was one of the most consistent pitchers of the steroid-fueled 90s. Mussina also spent his whole career in the historically tough AL East, which featured the World Series winner 7 times while he pitched.

Too bad Moose could never win the big one. During his prime he played for mostly crappy Baltimore teams. Then when he signed with the Yankees, he played during the 2001-2008 stretch when they only made it to two World Series and lost both.

But even without a ring Mike should still make the Hall of Fame. Mussina has won 270 games and recorded a .638 winning percentage while pitching in the AL East during the peak of the steroid era.

Only five other pitchers have at least 270 wins and a better winning percentage and they are all in the Hall of Fame.

8. Fred McGriff

19 Seasons. 5-Time All-Star. 493 Career Home Runs. 2,940 Career Hits. .284 Career Batting Average. One World Series Win (95). Ten 30-Home Run Seasons. 3-Time Sliver Slugger Award Winner.

When he was traded to the Atlanta Braves in 1993, he helped spark one of the greatest division races in baseball history, when his 104-win Braves barely beat out the 103-win Giants. That was the first time a team with 100 wins did not make the playoffs.

He would later go on and win his first and only title with Atlanta in 1995. Besides Atlanta, the Crime Dog spent most of his of career with small market teams (Toronto, San Diego, and Tampa Bay).

Fred finished his career with 493 home runs, exactly the same as Lou Gehrig. He was a very consistent hitter, hitting for power and average.

He wasn’t bulky like some of the other sluggers of the 90s. He was kind of like a first base version of Ken Griffey Jr.

Unfortunately, Fred is most remembered for his appearance on Tom Emanski’s famous Baseball World instructional videos…which have produced back to back to back AAU National Championships.

And yes, I did buy the Tom Emanski Baseball World videos. And we finished back to back to back AAU National Championship Runner Ups.

So close.

7. Todd Helton

14 Seasons. 5-Time NL All-Star. .325 Career Batting Average. 327 Career Home Runs. 2,195 Career Hits. 3-Time NL Gold Glove Winner. 4-Time NL Silver Slugger Award Winner.NL Batting Average Leader (2000). .424 Career OBP. .981 Career OPS.

Todd Helton has quietly amassed a pretty amazing career. He already has over 2,000 hits and 300+ homers. In fact, if you analyze Todd’s stats, you will be amazed how he compares with some of baseball’s all-time greats.

Todd Helton is 10th in career on-base percentage. So in 100+ years of baseball Todd Helton is the 10th best player ever at getting on base. Helton is ranked 11th on the OPS all-time list too. Add in 3 Gold Gloves and Helton can do it all.

But he plays 81 games at Coors Field, a hitter-friendly ball park. So that and no rings is why he isn’t ranked to high. Also, his home run totals have suspiciously dropped over the past few years.

6. Jack Morris

18 Seasons. 5-Time All-Star. 254-186 Career Record. 3.90 Career ERA. Won Four World Series (84, 91, 92, 93). 2-Time AL Wins Leader. 1991 World Series MVP.

Jack Morris was a solid pitcher during the 80s and pitched well in crunch time. Morris is remembered most for Game 7 in the 1991 World Series when he out dueled John Smoltz. That game Morris pitched 10 innings and struck out 8. His performance earned him the World Series MVP.

Wherever Jack went winning always followed him. He won a ring in Detroit with the 1984 team that started off 35-5. He spent a year in Minnesota where he won a championship. Then he won two championships with the Blue Jays.

Morris gets the nod ahead of Mussina because Jack has 4 rings and Mike has 0.

5. Omar Vizquel

22 Seasons. 3-Time All-Star. 2,739 Career Hits. .272 Career Batting Average. 11-Time Gold Glove Winner. 2nd Most Gold Gloves For a Shortstop. Tied For Fewest Errors By a Shortstop In a Season With 3. .985 Career Fielding Percentage.

Omar Vizquel was a defensive wizard for the Tribe during the mid-90s. Omar’s amazing defense and above average hitting helped lead Cleveland to 6 Central Division titles and two trips to the World Series.

From 1993 to 2001 Omar won 9 straight Gold Gloves. Then when he signed with San Francisco, he won two more Gold Gloves at the age of 38 (2005) and 39 (2006).

His .985 career fielding percentage ranks first among shortstops. In 2000 he only committed three errors the whole season.

Too bad Vizquel spent his prime in the AL, which featured great shortstops Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Cal Ripknen, Nomar Garciaparra, and Miguel Tejada. Their offense overpowered Omar’s defense and stole some of the spotlight away from him.

With the latest fad in baseball being defense, Omar may finally be acknowledged as a great shortstop and should take his rightful place in the Hall of Fame.

4. Chipper Jones

17 Seasons. 6-Time All-Star. 432 Career Home Runs. 2,467 Career Hits. .306 Career Batting Average. .405 OBP. 1 World Series Ring (95). 1999 NL MVP. 2-Time NL Sliver Slugger Award Winner. NL Batting Average Leader (2008).

See…I am trying to be fair. I have picked two Braves that beat my Cleveland Indians in the 1995 World Series.

But seriously…Chipper is a great player. He is 3rd all time for most home runs hit by a switch hitter. His .306 career batting is impressive for a power hitter. For much of his career, Jones was a bit overshadowed by Atlanta’s god-like pitching staff.

He also was a good postseason player, hitting 13 HRs with a batting average of .288 in 92 games. All he is missing to be considered an all-time great is that he hasn’t won enough rings.

With Atlanta’s incredible pitching and solid offense, winning only one championship was a pretty disappointing; but at least one is better then none.

3. Trevor Hoffman

18 Seasons. 7-Time All-Star. 596 Career Saves (Most All-Time). 2.87 Career ERA. Nine 40 Save Seasons. 2-Time NL Saves Leader. 2-Time NL Reliever of the Year Award Winner.

Before you start reading this I suggest you blast some of AC/DC’s “Hells Bells”…because it’s Trevor Time.

Trevor Hoffman was one of the most dominating closers in this generation, but he has been overshadowed by another closing great, Mariano Rivera.

Even though Rivera deserves all the praise he as received, let’s not forget about Hoffman. Trevor Hoffman is the all-time career saves leader and he holds the MLB record with 8 consecutive seasons with 30 or more saves. He also holds the record for the most 40-save seasons with 9.

Hoffman’s consistency is surprising when you consider that a) he has never had overpowering stuff, and b) that closers, like kickers, can be head cases who can lose their confidence and never be the same pitcher again. But Hoffman is still pitching, now with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Unfortunately, this has been Hoffman’s worst season in his career, as he has a 8.33 ERA and only 5 saves. But one season shouldn’t tarnish this future Hall of Famer’s great career.

2. Jim Thome

20 Seasons. 5-Time All-Star. 574 Career Home Runs. .277 Career Bating Average. .404 Career OBP. .960 Career OPS. 17 Postseason Home Runs. 2006 AL Comeback Player of the Year. Six 40-Home Run Season.

Jim Thome, who I’ve written about before, is one of the most underrated home run hitters in the history of baseball. Thome is 10th on the all-time home run list. Has the 5th lowest rate of at bats per home run (AB/HR) in MLB history and he has a great career OBP (.404) for a power hitter.

The two knocks on Thome are that he strikes out a lot — 2,537 times to be exact — and he has never won a World Series.

Jim has had two chances to win a title (95, 97). During the 1995 season Thome came into his own, hitting 25 home runs and had a .314 batting average. Unfortunately a great pitching staff stifled the 100-win Indians. (BTW, that Indians team won 100 games in a strike shortened season, as they went 100-44 in the regular season).

In 1997 Jim started to show his true power, blasting 40 home runs, which was then a career high. In Game 7 vs. the Florida Marlins the Tribe had a 3-2 lead until Jose Mesa blew the lead in the 9th…and the rest is history.

If Thome hangs around for a few years and gets 600 home runs, he should be a mortal lock for the Hall of Fame.

1. Eddie Murray

21 Seasons. 8-Time All-Star. 504 Career Home Runs. 3,225 Career Hits. .287 Career Batting Average. 1977 AL Rookie of the Year. 3-Time Gold Glove Winner. 3-Time Sliver Slugger Award Winner. Won one World Series (83). Part of the 500/3,000 Club.

Steady Eddie was one of the premier first basemen during the 80s. He normally had good years, not great, but never bad. He twice finished 2nd for the AL MVP, plus he won a title too.

But what sets Eddie from the rest of these players is that he is in the most prestigious club for hitters in baseball: the 500 home runs/3,000 hits club. The only other three players are in that club are Hank Aaron, Rafael Palmeiro, and Willie Mays; not a bad group to be in.

Eddie also won 3 Sliver Slugger Awards, 3 Gold Gloves, and only struck out more than 100 times once in his career. He was a key part of the 1983 Baltimore Orioles, which beat the Philadelphia Phillies in 5 games to win the World Series.

The biggest reason why we don’t hear Eddie’s name among other great first baseman was his attitude. Murray was a good teammate but he was a quiet guy who didn’t like talking to the media.

This rubbed some people the wrong way and is one of the reasons why he is forgotten. But the baseball writers did show some respect when they elected Eddie Murray to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.

Well here’s my list, if you think there is someone I left off, post your opinion below.

Thome has been one of the most consistent and most underrated players of his generation, but he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.

Why you might ask? Here is six reasons why.

Reason 1: He has played in a small market for most of his career. Besides the few years he spent in Philly and last year when he played the last half of the year with LA, Thome was with small market teams: Cleveland for 11 years, 3 and a half on the South Side of Chicago, and 1 with Minnesota.

Reason 2: He is a nice guy who doesn’t do anything stupid to get noticed. He isn’t Manny Being Manny or he isn’t kissing himself on a mirror. Jim Thome is a great, down to earth guy. Also, he is known to be one of the nicest guys in the majors.

In 2007 he came in second in a MLB player’s poll for friendliest player. In 2002 he won the Roberto Clemente Award, which is awarded to the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.

Reason 3: He played in the Steroid Era. Unfortunately Thome played in an era during which having success hitting home run came with a lot of scrutiny. Many other famous sluggers during this era have used performance enhancers and it has tainted the legacy of all hitters.

But has Thome been ever linked to any PEDs? Nope. Thome has never been on any of the lists that have been released, or in any tell all books, unlike some of the other stars that are featured in the top 10.  (Bonds, Sosa, Rodriguez, and McGwire).

If you take out all the juicers, Thome would be 6th on the all-time home run list.

Reason 4: Played along with other great first baseman/DHs. During the 1997 season Thome moved from 3rd to 1st after the Tribe acquired Matt Williams.

During his prime from 1997 to 2007 the league featured a ton of great first baseman/DHs.

Here’s the AL list from 1997-2002: Tino Martinez, Edgar Martinez, McGwire, Frank Thomas, Rafael Palmeiro, Mo Vaughn, Giambi, Carlos Delgado, and Konerko.

Wow, 5 of those guys hit at least 400 home runs and that’s only in a 5 year span!

Let’s look at the 3 years he spent in the NL (2003-2005): Pujols, Todd Helton, Lance Berkman, Jeff Bagwell, and Derek Lee. All very good players.

Now back to the AL for two years (06-07): Ortiz, Youkilis, Teixeira and  Morneau. All superstar first basemen. This brings me to my next reason.

Reason 5: He hasn’t played in a lot of All-Star Games. Thome has been in five All Star Games. FIVE!!! Are you kidding me!/

Lets look at all the sluggers in the top 10. Bonds 14x, Aaron 20x, Ruth 2x (but that does not really count because the All-Star Game started in 1933 and the Babe only played two more seasons after that), Mays 24x, Griffey 13x, Sosa 7x, Rodriguez 12x, Robinson 14x, McGwire 12x.

This suggests that Thome has been overlooked his whole career. From 2001 to 2003 Jim was voted in the top 10 for MVP, but didnt make an All Star Game in any of those years.

2002 was Thome’s greatest season. He had a career high 52 HRs, led the league in walks 122, slugging .667, OPS 1.122, and OPS+ 197…and he still didnt make the All Start Team! Life’s just not fair.

Reason 6: He has played DH for most of his career.

Because of back problems and poor defense, Thome has spent most of his career playing DH. Playing DH has help extend his career, and let him focus on hitting.

Many baseball purists dislike the DH, which is why you might not hear him being mentioned among the other great players.

So is Thome underrated? Yes.

Should he recognized as a great first basemen? Yes.

So in years to come Jim Thome should be acknowledged as one of the greatest home run hitters in this generation.

When I was younger I always thought the summer was the worst time because the only thing on TV was baseball, but with age comes more appreciation for the national pastime. These days I can’t wait for the Twins to get started and see if signing ANOTHER player who is late into his career will pay off. Is there any way we can get Jim Thome to be 35 again?

Now that my beloved Vikings have gracefully bowed out of the playoffs all I have left to watch as a sports fan are NBA highlights, college basketball (which is only good if Kansas is playing), NFL draft coverage, and tennis. Golf is starting soon, but I usually only watch that on Sunday afternoons when I need to take a nap.

Just recently I was up to the wee hours of the morning watching the Nadal – Murray Quarterfinal match at the Australian Open. As this is being typed it is nearing 3 in the am and Andy Murray is on once again, this time in Semifinal action against Marin Cilic.

I have no clue why tennis is so watchable in the early hours of the day. Maybe it is the simplistic nature of watching two people confined in a relatively small area hitting a ball back and forth. I’m glad men’s tennis is on this late by the way because I don’t like hearing the women grunt like hippos every time they hit the ball. I’m really only interested in the strange clothes their wear, and as an added bonus this year, what kind of clothes they aren’t wearing (Hi Venus!).

The NBA is not watchable on TV at this time of the year. It is getting to the middle of the season where players start to go on cruise control, especially right before the All-Star break. Highlights are always the way to go for me because that’s when things actually happen. The rest is boring. College basketball is much better in that area.
The knock that fans of the NBA have on college basketball is that they would rather watch the best athletes perform consistently rather than have a teenager screw up a simple play, like a layup or outlet pass.

Isn’t that what makes college sports so great though? Games have so much more suspense and are so much more unpredictable because of those things. That’s how a South Carolina team can beat undefeated Kentucky, and how George Mason makes the Final Four in 2005. I don’t think I will ever see any team under a four seed in the NBA playoffs win the Finals. The way the playoffs are set up prevent that.

However, I am more of a fan of college basketball, not a follower. I have no interest in watching a game between Notre Dame and Villanova. I don’t know anyone on the teams. If it is within ten points in the last five minutes, you best believe I’m not going anywhere until the game is over, but until then I don’t pay attention.

The All-Star break in the NBA is sort of fun. Dunk contests, skills competition, and the glorified street ball game that goes on during the last night are definitely things I have on my DVR by the end of the weekend, but they usually get skipped over for the good parts. I think the best part of All-Star weekend is the trade rumors. Everyone loves a good trade. Not salary dump trades like Devin Brown for Aaron Gray. I’m looking to see where T-Mac goes or if Washington will get rid of Gilbert.

NFL draft coverage is something that has always been something that I could watch for days on end. I have the Senior Bowl practice specials on my DVR waiting to be watched. I snuck away during Prom supper my junior and senior year of high school to see where Brady Quinn landed, who Sidney Rice is and what a Tarvaris Jackson was. Needless to say my cell phone was banned from entering the gym on both occasions.

Something about finding a player that isn’t high profile but could be a solid choice in the mid to late rounds has been something I am obsessed with doing. I don’t go crazy and memorize all of the players, but if I see a report on a certain player I will follow him the rest of the way. Already I am on the Pat Paschall bandwagon, a running back from North Dakota State. Sure it’s a homer pick since I am from North Dakota, but he impressed scouts at the East-West game and is stock is on its way up.

You read it here first. Pat Paschall ladies and gentlemen. Get your popcorn ready.

Even though I just listed four different sports and reasons for watching them all, there is always something about them that prevents me from enjoying the whole thing. I can’t watch full NBA games, I get distracted from college games if they aren’t Kansas or are in the final five minutes, I only watch men’s tennis and that’s only for background noise while I am writing, and NFL draft coverage really doesn’t involve much football actually being played.

Wake me up in March so I can see T-Mac’s new jersey, Kansas hoist another trophy dressed up in netting, if Pat Neshek has recovered from surgery, and so I can read a new mock draft every other day about the Vikings drafting a cornerback.

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* – Bored sports fan photo credit: European-Open-Betting.com

* – Venus Williams photo credit: Deadspin

* – Pat Paschall photo credit: InForum.com

I was a little out of the loop last night, leaving my computer at the office for the first time in who knows how long and then going to see a movie with the girlfriend. Every now and then it’s good to get away from sports and blogging for a night. Plus, I was dreading the results of the White Sox first game in Minnesota and didn’t want to be put in a bad mood.

Of course, as a proud iPhone owner and MLB At Bat app user, I could not escape finding out about the Sox 4-1 loss to Minnesota — our 9th loss in 11 games — but, and this is the most disheartening part, it didn’t really disappoint me too much because I was expecting it.

What I just saw this morning upon arriving at the office, however, I did not expect. I guess I probably should have.

The White Sox have traded veterans Jim Thome and Jose Contreras to the NL West. Thome goes to the Dodgers and Contreras to Rockies. In return for the players and “cash considerations” (whatever that means), the White Sox received infielder Justin Fuller from the Dodgers and pitcher Brandon Hynick from the Rockies.

Clearly both of these moves were salary dumps by Ken Williams and the first steps in piecing together the 2010 White Sox.

Fuller is a 26-year old “prospect” still mired in A ball. Brandon Hynick, on the other hand, does seem to have a bit of potential. A 24-year old righty, Hynick has had a solid season at AAA: 3.83 ERA and 92/48 K/BB ratio. According to RotoWorld, Hynick could be an effective reliever at the major league level by next year.

But this post isn’t about analyzing two basically nondescript minor leaguers who may or may not ever contribute to the success of White Sox baseball. This post is about saying goodbye to two White Sox veterans who contributed to some really good times during their South Side tenures.

First, Jim Thome.

I was wholeheartedly against the Thome acquisition when it happened. Still hating him from his days in Cleveland, I just could not wrap my mind around rooting for a guy that for so long had been a sworn enemy. Plus, after we tanked in the second half of 2006, and then sucked beyond belief in 2007, I began to believe that by signing Thome and letting Aaron Rowand go the White Sox had somehow cursed themselves.

But finally, late last season, after his home run proved to be the difference in the one-game playoff against the Twins, I fully embraced Thome. I figured a trip to the playoffs was enough to erase whatever curse might have existed.

But like everyone in the White Sox lineup, Thome has struggled in 2009. His home run totals have gone as follows during the previous three seasons: 42-35-34. In this, his fourth season with the White Sox, Thome had only hit 23 before being traded to go along with a .252 average and a .375 OBP that would be one of the lowest of his career.

At 38, Jim Thome clearly was not a part of the White Sox long-term future. With Ken Williams adding so much salary acquiring Alex Rios and Jake Peavy, the writing had been on the wall that Thome would not be a South Sider for long.

And now he is not, heading to the Dodgers to most likely be in the playoffs and contribute as a pinch hitter. Best of luck Jim. I didn’t like you when you arrived in Chicago, but you won me over with your attitude, leadership, and clutch hitting. I’m sure the Dodgers will benefit from your presence.

It is much harder to say goodbye to Jose Contreras.

I know, Contreras has basically been awful this season except for one short stretch after he went to the minors. His numbers on the year: 5-13, 5.42 ERA, 1,448 WHIP. Terrible, awful, putrid…whatever negative adjective you want to put on it, go ahead.

But this is the season I will always remember and appreciate Jose Contreras for: 15-7, 3.61 ERA, 1.231 WHIP in the regular season. 3-1, 33 innings pitched over four sterling starts during the playoffs.

The season, of course, was 2005, when Contreras teamed with Mark Buehrle, Freddy Garcia, El Duque Hernandez, and Jon Garland (who was also traded to the Dodgers last night) to produce perhaps the greatest team playoff starting pitching performance in the history of Major League Baseball.

Maybe I’m overhyping it, but that’s certainly what it felt like.

And isn’t it telling that three of the pitchers from that staff — Garcia, Garland, and Contreras — are past their prime and battling through tough years and injuries, yet they were acquired by contenders for the stretch run? That’s how indelible the memories are of their tremendous performances when it mattered most.

Look, I don’t know exactly why I’ve always like Jose Contreras so much. For his White Sox career he had a 4.66 ERA and went 55-56. And while most people think he “blossomed” once he got out of New York — and yes, his two best full seasons were in Chicago (2005, 2006), — his ERA was 4.64 as a Yankee and was 4.66 with the Sox. Essentially, Jose was what he was: a mediocre major league starting pitcher.

But throughout 2005 and through the first half of 2006 (during which time he was one of the best pitchers in the game before his season fell apart) I just developed a really strong belief that Contreras would always come up big in big spots. I don’t have stats to cite, or a whole lot of anecdotal evidence other than the obvious from the 2005 playoffs, all I know is this: if it wasn’t Buehrle on the hill in a big spot, I wanted Contreras there.

I appreciated his backstory and all that he went through to pitch in the Majors. I appreciated how quickly he seemed to warm to Chicago after being traded from New York. I appreciated the steely determination in his eyes when he took the hill. I appreciated the fact that he always looked like his only thought was putting his team on his back and carrying them through that night.

And I think his teammates and his manager saw the same thing.

That’s why Jose could go 10-17 with a 5.57 ERA in 2007 and still be in the rotation in 2008. And that’s why, after surprising everyone by coming back this Spring Training from a terrible 2008 Achilles injury, Ozzie Guillen did not hesitate to put him in the rotation. 

The one word I would use to describe Jose Contreras is: resilient. And for a time in 2009, it looked like his resiliency — and Ozzie’s faith in him — would pay dividends.

Jose had a great stretch in the middle of the season after being sent to the minors, but just couldn’t hold onto it. It certainly wasn’t for lack of effort, but perhaps more a lack of trust in his own abilities. Jose didn’t trust his fastball and tried to get everyone out with his breaking stuff. It led to walks, way too many hits, and killer big innings that doomed Jose and the White Sox.

And, in the end, it led to Jose Contreras’ departure from Chicago and our departure from the playoff race.

What are we losing statistically? I don’t really know. It pains me to say this, but not a whole lot.  A 5.42 ERA should not be difficult to replace. And our young pitchers, Gavin Floyd and John Danks, have had time to learn from Jose and soak in the lessons from Contreras’ incredible and unique career in baseball.

So perhaps the timing is perfect for Jose to move on. Ever since the second half of 2006, Jose Contreras has been a shell of the pitcher that he was in 2005. But for that one season, and even for half of the next, Jose Contreras was as good a pitcher as the South Side has seen in many years. And say what you will about his struggles over the last three years, but one thing is for certain: there was one time during his White Sox tenure that the team, the fans, and the city needed him more than any other — the playoffs in 2005 — and he stepped up huge.

I’ve never forgotten that, and neither probably have Ozzie and Jose’s veteran teammates. And maybe that’s part of the problem. The 2005 Jose Contreras just isn’t there anymore, no matter how much we’ve all wanted to see it and how many chances he’s been given to recapture that brilliance. In brief flashes he is the same pitcher, but not consistently, and certainly the flashes are fewer and further between.

He was a spry 33 in 2005 (purportedly) and is now 37 coming off an injury. I still see the same look of determination in him, the same will to win that he’s always had, but Jose’s mound presence and pitching no longer are defined by the same level of confidence he once had. At least not to me.

So maybe it would have been better for the White Sox to have just cut ties with Jose once his season went south in 2006. Had they, the only memory White Sox fans would have of Jose Contreras would be 2005. But that’s not how it happened, and to all White Sox fans — many of whom, like myself, are rightly frustrated with Jose’s recent performances — I will just say this: remember Jose for what he was in 2005, what he helped deliver to the White Sox and the city of Chicago, and for the leadership and attitude he provided even during his most egregious struggles.

Jose Contreras will always be a positive part of White Sox history. The time has come for him to move on and ply his trade elsewhere, but I will always remember him fondly. And the Rockies just became my favorite NL team for the rest of 2009.

As to the overall mindset that created the impetus for these two moves, I’m on board.

Ken Williams did everything he could to solidify the pitching staff and lineup for the stretch run this year. But a 2-9 record with the division lead right there for the taking just is not going to get it done. And with the Peavy and Rios acquisitions clearly meant for the future as much as they were meant for this year, Ken couldn’t just sit on his hands while the team pissed away a golden opportunity to defend its division title.

It’s sad to see two tremendous veterans go, and ever sadder to understand the circumstances for why they are leaving — the team’s failure — but I certainly understand it.

Best of luck to Jim Thome and Jose Contreras (and Jon Garland) in their new digs. Their roles will no doubt be different, but at least they will be playing for something. Unfortunately, after the last two weeks, that’s more than can be said about the teammates they leave behind.

Scott Merkin has a great post at his official MLB.com blog, Being Ozzie Guillen, about Jim and Jose entitled Thome, Contreras = Pure Class. I agree wholeheartedly.

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

* – Jose Contreras ALCS photo credit: Getty Images via MLB.com

* – Jose Contreras hat tip photo credit: Nam Y. Hu (AP) via Camden Chat

First, the much anticipated return of Carlos Quentin is finally here.  The White Sox activated Quentin today from the DL and optioned Brian Anderson to AAA Charlotte.  Ironically, Quentin returns to Chicago in time to help his teammates this week in a big series against the Tampa Bay Rays…the same team the White Sox played in last year’s ALDS without Quentin.  Needless to say, White Sox fans everywhere will hold their collective breath each time Quentin slams a line drive into the gap and rounds first on his way to second…

Also, congratulations to Jim Thome, who was named AL Player of the Week for his impressive surge of power that saw him recently generate 14 RBIs over a three-game span.  As Hawk Harrelson might say, “Hell yes!”

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DALLAS, Texas — May 26, 2009 — The National Unified Trust of the Society of Ass Clowns is pleased award Midwest Sports Fans author an “managing editor” JRod its esteemed Fantasy Baseball Douche Award for the week of May 25th, 2009. JRod has been named this week’s Fantasy Baseball Douche for his untimely and idiotic release of Alexei Ramirez early last week from his first place fantasy baseball team.

Despite extolling the virtues of the Cuban Missile earlier in the year — and being exactly right that Alexei Ramirez was simply off to a slow start and would turn it around — JRod decided to not even listen to his own advice, resulting in his releasing of Ramirez on May 21st. Since being released from JRod’s fantasy team, Alexei Ramirez has found a home hitting in the #2 hole and has gone 8-20 with 2 HRs, 6 RBI, 6 R, and 2 SB. For the season, Ramirez has overcome his putrid start to now have respectable totals for a second baseman of .243, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 14 R, and 8 SB, and obviously he is trending sharply upward.

N.U.T.S.A.C. would like to extend its most heartfelt congratulations to JRod for not only dropping a player with significant more upside than his current second baseman (Alberto Callapso of the Royals) but also for giving up on one of his favorite players in May. Nothing defines “douche” quite like that.

In related news, Lifetime Douchechievement Award winner recipient Jay Mariotti extends his most heartfelt congratulations to JRod.

“Well, I can’t say that I am pleased or proud to be winning this award,” JRod said in a statement. “However, I would like to state for the record that I held onto Alexei Ramirez in two other leagues and have reaped the fruits of Alexei’s success this week. Plus, I would be remiss if I did not point out that one of my motivating factors in dropping Alexei was the knowledge that each year I drop a player and he goes on to post incredible numbers the rest of the season. I was hopeful that by releasing Alexei it would help to turn his season around – which it did, almost immediately.”

After learning of JRod’s statement, N.U.T.S.A.C. has decided to also award him with next week’s Douche Award for using the phrase “reaped the fruits” and for making up a stupid excuse to rationalize his indefensible release of a ridiculously talented player on his own favorite team with a history of slow starts. To be fair, the fantasy team in question does currently sit in first place (thanks to lucky later round picks of Adrian Gonzalez, Jason Bay, and Raul Ibanez) but how soon will that last with such a moronic loose cannon at the helm?

Congratulations JRod. You are this week’s N.U.T.S.A.C. Fantasy Baseball Douche.

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Okay, moving along now.

After a horrific 9-day stretch during which the White Sox went 1-7 and began to fall deep into the depths of the AL Central standings, the team rebounded for an absolutely necessary 5-2 week that got the Sox within 4 games of .500. Of course, this is the White Sox, so it was a 5-2 record unlike many you will see. The 5 wins included a 17-3 thrashing of the Angels last night, a series win against division rival Minnesota, and two straight shutouts against Pittsburgh in Interleague Play.

Amazingly, the two straight shutouts of the Pirates came immediately after the White Sox gave up 20 runs in a loss to the Twins. And the Sox other loss was a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat in the final game of the Pittsburgh series when Bobby Jenks blew the save. The inability of the White Sox to close out a sweep, or win the final game of a series, continues a disturbing trend. Thus far in 2009 the White Sox are 4-11 in the last game of a series. I guess that means no coffee for the White Sox.

Still, 5-2 is 5-2 and right now the White Sox and their fans will take any signs of life and positivity they can get. Last night’s 17-run explosion was certainly a sign of life, and hopefully it will continue. This season is far from over, with the White Sox 5.5 games out of the first place and only 1.5 games back of 2nd place Kansas City. Obviously with plenty of games left against Detroit and the rest of the AL Central remaining, nothing has been decided. And the White Sox veteran core is proving more and more every year that they don’t get hot until the weather warms up, so perhaps this kind of start is what we should have expected.

Of course, not everything was birthday cakes and butterflies last night. Struggling but ultra-important left fielder Carlos Quentin got hurt…again…after doubling in a run in the first inning. He was limping badly after feeling a pop in his sore foot and had to be helped off the field. The reports on Chisox.com actually sound pretty positive though, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed:

That pop cost Quentin the rest of the game and probably the remainder of this three-game set at Angel Stadium. But surprisingly, the injury might not be as bad as it sounds.

“Supposedly, from what I understand from [White Sox athletic trainer Herm Schneider], it is a good thing,” said White Sox bench coach Joey Cora, serving as manager in Ozzie Guillen’s absence. “But we’ll find out [tomorrow].”

By tomorrow, of course, they mean today. I’ll be scouring for news and will update if anything more is known about TCQ’s injury.

In other White Sox news…

Clayton Richard moving back to the bullpen once Jose Contreras is ready to rejoin the club may not be a foregone conclusion; nor should it be. Clayton has pitched very well over the past couple of weeks since being moved into the rotation, and he is a purported building block for the future.

I love Jose Contreras, but his ERAs from 2007-2009 (through 6 starts) are 5.57, 4.54, 8.19. He just has not been the same since being one of the most dominant pitchers in the league through the first half of 2006. I think that Ozzie needs to decide whether he will move forward with Contreras or Colon, but leave Clayton Richard alone. (And when I say “leave Clayton Richard alone”, I mean in regards to his rotation spot…not Ozzie’s apparent propensity for fondling the strapping youngster’s pecs. We should really do a caption contest for the pic to the right…) And if Richard begins to struggle, we can always plug the odd man out between Colon and Contreras back in. Regardless of how Ozzie juggles it, I want to see Richard show what he can do with consistent starts.

Congratulations to Jim Thome for passing Mike Schmidt and taking ahold of the 13th spot on the all-time home run list. I was not a fan of Jim Thome before he got to the White Sox and it took me awhile to warm up to him once he got here, but his homer in the 1-0 victory over Minnesota in last year’s one-game playoff earned him my appreciation. Way to go Jim.

Colon faces Joe Saunders tonight at 9:05 CDT on WCIU. Hopefully we can make it 6 out of 8.

Here are Manny Ramirez’s comments about a possible return to Cleveland, from the original USA Today article by Bob Nightengale:

Manny Ramirez will be back in Los Angeles Monday to renew his love affair with the city, but before his career ends he hopes to be reunited with his first love: the Cleveland Indians.

“I would like to play for Cleveland one more time, to go back where I started,” said Ramirez, with the Dodgers playing their home opener Monday against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. “I have so many good memories there, why not?

“I think to go back where you started is everyone’s dream.”

The article goes on to discuss how Ramirez discussed the possibility during the offseason with former Indian and current White Sox DH Jim Thome. Thome says that Ramirez was “very sincere” when talking about rounding up all of the old school Indians for one more run in the AL Central.

“Me and Thome back in Cleveland?” Ramirez said. “That would be sweet.”

Apparently Albert Belle was not available for comment.

But before Indians fans get all excited and start packing Travis Hafner’s bags for him (if they are not doing that already), our buddies over at Waiting For Next Year provide a Lee Corso-style not-so-fast-my-friends.

From the WFNY story on the Manny Ramirez back to Cleveland comments:

Well, I can tell you what won’t happen: Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez coming back to Cleveland. It’s not saying that I wouldn’t welcome them both back; they would put a ton of fans in the seats, and a few baseballs in the bleachers. But to say that this team has moved on without Manny and Jim Thome would be an understatement.

Among the many reasons cited by WFNY for why Ramirez and Thome coming back to Cleveland won’t happen are the youth of the Indians and the fact that their future currently resides in Columbus with promising youngsters Matt LaPorta and Michael Brantley.

Click here for great deals on Cleveland Indians tickets

I obviously don’t know the Indians inside and out, but I certainly cannot see something like this happening. While I’m sure Manny Ramirez would love to return to Cleveland, he certainly would not do so for free, and I cannot see the Indians shelling out significant money to get him — or they would have done it this offseason when Ramirez was available. In regards to Thome, the Indians would have to pull the cord on the Travis Hafner career life support and eat a huge chunk of change to open up the DH slot. I just cannot see that happening either.

And I will say this about Jim Thome: I wouldn’t want to see him go. Up until last year, I would have gladly shipped him back to the Indians. For whatever reason I always hated Thome, and I was not excited when the White Sox signed him. But he has grown on me the more removed he becomes from his Indians career, and the more I open my mind up to the value he brings to the South Side, both as a lefty power hitter and a clubhouse leader. Now that I’ve finally fully embraced Thome as a true South Sider, I hope he retires with the White Sox. I sure as hell don’t want to have to go back to hating him again if heads back over to Cleveland.

So while I’m sure it’s fun for Indians fans to think about a Ramirez-Thome reunion, much as it would be for White Sox fans to consider Frank Thomas and Robin Ventura reuniting at the corners, I think the chances of it happening are slim to none. At least Ramirez and Thome are still highly productive players, unlike the injured Thomas and retired Ventura, but it would signal a complete shift in organizational direction for the Indians. A shift that, I agree with WFNY, will not happen.

Now, maybe if they could bring back, say, Jaret Wright to replace Cliff Lee in the rotation we might actually be talking about something plausible…

The following players have legitimate shots to move into the top 50 with “normal” seasons. The top 50 cut-off point is currently the 390 career homeruns hit by Graig Nettles.

• Jim Edmonds is at #55 with 382 career homeruns. He needs 9 more homeruns to crack the top 50. Probability: High
• Andruw Jones is at #66 with 371 career homeruns. He needs 20 more homeruns to crack the top 50. Probability: Who the hell knows
• Luis Gonzalez is at #74 with 354 career homeruns. He needs 37 more homeruns to crack the top 50. Probablity: Next to impossible, unless he gets back on the juice
• Albert Pujols is at #98 with 319 career homeruns. He needs 72 more homeruns to crack the top 50. Probablity: Low, but let’s all hope and pray he goes two over that total and becomes the legitimate single-season homerun king.

Now, how about the current players in the Top 20 of the career homeruns list, and where they could end the 2009 season:

• Ken Griffey Jr. sits at #5 on the career home runs list with 611. He needs 49 to tie Willie Mays for #4. I’d love to see it happen, but probably not this season. Maybe if he plays two more.
• Alex Rodriguez sits at #12 on the career home runs list. With 58 homeruns in 2009, he would tie Ken Griffey Jr. for 5th. More likely is that he hits somewhere between 33 and 55 and ends the 2009 season ahead of Frank Robinson for 7th on the career homeruns list.
• Jim Thome sits at #14 on the career home runs list. If he hits 32 or more homeruns in 2009, he will pass Harmon Killebrew, currently at #9.
• Manny Ramirez sits at #17 on the career homer uns list with 527. Harmon Killebrew’s 573 might not be out of the question in Manny plays an entire season like he ended last season with the Dodgers. More than likely, Manny Ramirez will somewhere near or above 36 homeruns in 2009 and challenge Reggie Jackson, who is currently #11 with 563.
• Frank Thomas is currently tied for 18th with 521 career homeruns. The A’s recently declined arbitration with The Big Hurt, and his 2009 season is up in the air, despite his stated desire to play two more years. Mickey Mantle at #15 with 536 homeruns is within reach is Frank is healthy and gets regular at bats.

To figure out where the rest of the Top 50 career homerun hitters could end up after the 2009 season, just use the chart below to see where they currently rank:

Click here to see the rest of the top 500 career homeruns list.

And now, I don’t feel out iota of guilt for putting ^ marks next to players’ names who have been implicated, explicit proof or not, for using steroids. Major League Baseball lost its chance to provide players the benefit of the doubt, in my opinion. As far as I’m concerned, you are guilty until proven innocent when credible allegations arise.

What a bunch of cheating liars…

Game 162 (+1)

Well, it came down to this. Twins vs. White Sox for the AL Central Division championship and a trip to Disneyland.

The air surrounding 35th and Shields was just like that of a World Series game – people milling about bars outside, traffic backups, people trying to make a quick buck with parking, and cops. It was an announced Blackout and anything black that was moving seemed to be gravitating towards the stadium. Frequent shouts of “Go White Sox!” cut through the slightly frigid air. Getting closer and closer to U.S. Cellular Field, the streets became more like sidewalks and movement became stunted.

I had will call tickets and approached Gate 4 attempting to pick them up. A sea of black greeted me and I prepared to wait in the long lines. Salvation came in a sign stating that this was for Stubhub ticket pickup. I thought I had overheard a security guard saying will call tickets could also be picked up at Gate 5; approaching and asking him, I confirmed this. Instead of waiting for my tickets ten plus people deep, I perilously crossed 35th toward Gate 5. The three man line was like water in the desert. I quickly and easily got mine and my friend’s tickets and proceeded to head into the park.

I had heard we were getting black towels to wave around for the park that night, and they weren’t kidding. These were not White Sox towels or “Tiebreaker 2008” towels; no these were plain, simple black towels (which were kind of a let down, considering some stuff they had for the 2006 season). Upon entering the stadium, I began looking for something mentioning the tiebreaker-ness of the game; unfortunately I only managed to find a scorecard which I had to buy with a program.

My friend, after finding the nearest beer booth, found the OfficeMax sign creation station. While waiting in line, we attempted to come up with slogans to write on the board; we eventually settled on “Morneau’s a hoe.” He came up with the saying; I made sure he spelled it h-o-e and even told him to draw a garden hoe on it. Alas, the GSR working the booth came up to him and said, “No profanity.” I countered with, “But this is a garden hoe.” He quickly resolved the altercation by taking out sign away. My friend eventually came up with “John Danks You!”; I with a suggestion to bring our own sharpie to the next game.

We made our way to Section 537, Row 4, only to find (as usual) our seats were taken. We, being the resourceful duo we are, took the empty seats down the row from them. As people filed in (and we eventually strafed to our seats) a blanket of mostly black covered the stadium as if to keep it warm on a cold Chicago’s day. It appeared, by a quick view of the attendees, that about 90% complied with the “Sox Pride Blackout” mandate that was issued after the 8-2 victory against the Tigers. Exceptions included the two guys next to me and the ten or so Twins fans I saw in my section and the one to the left. My friend, seeing all the Mauer jerseys, went back to the OfficeMax booth and came back with, “Mauer’s a flower.”

The game started in the traditional way (the Sox history montage, Thunderstruck), with the exception of Gene Honda reminding everyone that this game was nationally televised on TBS and we should wave our black flags around (which was the prevailing theme of the night, whether it was actually for the Sox or the guy that chose giant lotto ball #3 and yet won all 3). Then the White Sox took the field. I hadn’t been at a game at US Cellular with this kind of emotion, tension, and excitement since Game 2 of the 2005 World Series. The air was slightly let out with the leadoff walk to Span, but became inflated again with the line-out double play and a strikeout of Joe Mauer. We kept riding that wave of excitement through the half-inning and Orlando Cabrera’s leadoff single. Then Dewayne Wise grounded out (instead of bunting) into an interesting double play and Jermaine Dye grounded out. This became the status quo for the evening, as Nick Blackburn would only give up 4 hits and 3 walks, while John Danks countered with 2 hits and 3 walks. Thus the entire season would rest one of the two hits differentiating the teams.

Each hit or walk for the White Sox was met with enthusiasm and high-five throughout the stadium; albeit more so for a hit than a walk. By the end of the fourth, the score was tied at zero; the Sox had 2 hits, the Twins, none. That would change, however, in the top of the fifth.

Mike Cuddyer, the Twins DH, lead off the inning with a double, breaking up the no-hitter. Delmon Young then flied out to Griffey in center field, deep enough to allow Cuddyer to tag up and get to third. So here we were, score tied at zero, Twins with a runner on third and less than two outs. Who would step up?

Brendan Harris swung at the first two pitches, resulting in two strikes. Could Danks be the one to step up and get the strikeout? He had been doing it all night, getting Mauer and Morneau (who usually OWN Danks), but it was not to be with Harris. After taking two balls, he hit a fly ball to center field. Griffey got under it. My initial reaction was that it was too shallow to tag up on. Cuddyer got back to third. Griffey caught it and Cuddyer took off. The Mariners Griffey would got the throw to home on the fly – heck, Cuddyer might not have ran if it was Mariners Griffey – but this was White Sox Griffey, 38 years old with an arm to match. The throw two hopped Pierzynski. On the second hop, he caught it and Cuddyer at the same time. Everyone (and I mean everyone) held their breath. Did Pierzynski hold on? What if he didn’t? He got up and showed the ball to home plate ump Tim McClelland, who signaled out. The stadium let loose like a rocket taking off, jumping, hugging, high-fiving and towel waving all over the place; only to be silenced again by Blackburn setting down the Sox in order in the bottom frame. The sixth inning saw nothing spectacular, with a walk for the Twins the only baserunner. This prompted me to say, “The longer this game goes scoreless, the more trouble we’re in.”

Danks set Minnesota down in order in the top of the 7th. Then Thome came to the plate. The at bat was a typical Thome at bat – he took two balls, looked at a strike and fouled a ball off. Then Blackburn made his only mistake.

I saw the ball leave the bat. I saw it in the air over the outfield. I saw Gomez running to the wall and stopping, looking up. I did not see, however, where the ball landed. I think Thome wanted something for his birth city to remember him by, as the ball may have landed in Peoria. Even after I got home and watched the replays, I still didn’t see exactly where the ball landed. All I know is the stadium, once again, erupted. The fireworks were barely audible over the roar of the crowd. Pandemonium ensued. There was no curtain call, as the crowd began to chant “Paul-ee, Paul-ee;” we wanted back-to-back homers. Everyone was standing and screaming. Konerko then grounded out, sending everyone back down to earth and their seats. But Griffey brought us back up with a double, followed by and intentional walk to Ramirez that elicited boos from the crowd. Gardenhire came out and removed Blackburn to the familiar chant of Steam’s “Kiss It Goodbye.” Jose Mijares came in and induced a Pierzynmki groundout and a Uribe flyout, ending the threat.

The top of the eight was upon us. Danks was still out there and Dotel and Thornton were warming up in the bullpen. He was just under 100 pitches to start the inning; he ended up with 103. A fly out, single, and double play ended the top half. The guy sitting next to me asked if I would bring Danks back out for the ninth or put Jenks in. I said I would put Jenks in; after all, if you can’t put your closer in to a one run game, you shouldn’t be in the playoffs anyways. He was fairly adamant about putting Danks back on the mound. The Sox got a single (off Joe Nathan!) in the bottom of the eighth and nothing else.

“Boom!” Everyone was on their feet, clapping and screaming as loud as they could. Jenks came running in from the bullpen, trying to hang on to the slight advantage they had. Kubel, a noted Sox-killer, pinch hit for Gomez and struck out, making the roar even louder. Span grounded out. The whole stadium was a vacuum of black noise and swirling towels. If Casilla, the next hitter, got on base, Mauer and Morneau were next. In a one run game, that would be disastrous. The crowd didn’t have to wait long. Casilla swung at the first pitch. A short, looping fly ball was hit to right-center field. Like so many balls that were hit by the Twins at the Metrodome last week against the Sox, this one looked destined to fall.

Except it didn’t.

Brian Anderson, a defensive replacement for Griffey, dove and made a spectacular catch. As soon as he hit the ground the entire place shook. Jumping, beer spilling, cameras going off (and being dropped), hugging, disbelief, elation – every positive and jubilant emotion to be had was on display at The Cell. It was like one giant, black-coated hug. The players mobbed each other on the field. Hats and shirts were distributed. Danks, Thome, and Pierzynski were all being sought for interviews before heading to the locker room. The jumbotron was showing the scene inside the clubhouse, taped up and ready to be bathed in bubbly (and Miller Lite!). All the players came back out and sprayed each other; some even ran out to the warning track and sprayed the fans there. After clinching everything in 2005 on the road, it was a nice to see them celebrate properly in front of the home crowd. Thome, Swisher, and Konerko each got on the mic and thanked the fans.

After the celebration died down a bit, I headed off to the gift shop to get some AL Central champs gear. After waiting 10 minutes in line, I entered to no hats left and shirts going for $35.00 (which I passed on). Walking out and down the ramps, high-fiving and chants of “Let’s Go White Sox,” were on every level; I even heard a “Let’s Go Dodgers” chant get started. Reaching the ground floor, we headed towards the ticket windows to see if ALDS tickets were going on sale. I remembered they had a raffle for them and decided not to waste any more time standing there and left.

The streets were blocked off and fans were celebrating on 35th, in the parking lot, and in front of the 2005 World Series monument. As I walked back to catch my ride, horns were being honked like a wedding was passing through. Residents of the area had some out; their children were all waving and shouting “Go White Sox!” in their cherub-like tenor.

The further away from the ballpark we got the, the horns and random shouting decreased. Now all is left is for the Black Plague to descend upon the Tampa Bay Rays.

[tags]chicago white sox, minnesota twins, mlb, mlb playoffs[/tags]

The White Sox did it! I apologize in advance if this post is a little haphazard. I am absolutely going nuts right now. John Danks pitched out of his mind, Jim Thome broke the Thome Curse (which may or may not have ever existed anyway), and Bobby Jenks came in and dominated in the 9th.

The Chicago White Sox will now take on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Thursday in Tampa. I believe the game is at 2:30 ET and on TBS. I’ll confirm that later tonight or tomorrow.

Wow. What a game tonight. I’m not even going to get into previewing the Rays series, or talking about pitching rotations, anything. It’s a good night to just sit back and savor three great wins by the White Sox when our backs were against the wall. Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, and John Danks stepped up and pitched huge, and we got big contributions from different people each game.

Ken Griffey Jr. came up big with a huge through from center to gun down Michael Cuddyer, and A.J. Pierzynski made a great play to hang onto the ball and get the out. Then Jim Thome came up a few at bats later to jack the ultimately game-winning home run. Just a great, great night for the White Sox.

I’ll probably post again later, and Kaner should be filing a report tonight or tomorrow. He was at The Cell tonight, and is probably stumbling around the concourse right now piss drunk and happy as hell. I wish I was there. Way to go White Sox!!!!!

[tags]chicago white sox, minnesota twins, mlb, mlb playoffs, baseball[/tags]

As I was writing my playoff scenario post this morning, and thinking about how poorly the White Sox have played in September, it got me thinking: is Jay Mariotti the reason?

You have to understand, I hate Jay Mariotti. He is the definition of a douche bag and I was ecstatic when he left the Sun-Times, so much so that I thought the city of Chicago should have thrown a parade in celebration of such a momentous occasion of civic good fortune. But did Jay Mariotti leave one last flaming bag of dog shit on the doorstep of U.S. Cellular Field before leaving the Windy City?

What the hell am I talking about? Well, look at the numbers:

The announcement of Jay Mariotti’s departure from the Sun-Times hit the Internet on August 27th. On that day, the White Sox went into their game against the Baltimore Orioles with a record of 76-56. We were in first place, feeling good, playing well, and looking like a team that could play deep into October. Later that evening, the White Sox were shellacked by the Baltimore Orioles 11-3. Carlos Quentin had been given a day off, but had not yet been lost for the season. Since August 27th, the White Sox are 10-18, have seen certain AL MVP Carlos Quentin be lost for the year as a result of a freak accident, have lost five in a row at the end of September to fall 1/2 game behind Minnesota, and have seen a once harmonious locker room turn into a high-anxiety, low chemistry place where belief, confidence, and cameraderie seem to dwindle by the day.

I wrote a post about this week being the determining factor as to whether or not I retire the Jim Thome Curse that I feel has plagued the White Sox since Thome’s arrival and the jettisoning of Aaron Rowand after the 2005 World Series title. But now that I delve deeper into the reasons for our September collapse, it is becoming more clear that The Curse of the Douche Bag may be the more nefarious culprit for our swoon. Jay Mariotti cursed Chicago sports on a daily basis for years as a Sun-Time columnist. Now that he is gone, it seems that he has continued to curse his most hated rival – Ozzie Guillen – with some sort of evil witchcraft that has left our South Siders reeling.

Well damnit White Sox, we cannot give King Douche Bag the satisfaction of being able to watch our season spiral down toilet in a depressing September flush. Mark Buehrle has the opportunity to step up today and provide a huge boost in the quest to end The Curse of the Douche Bag and the Jim Thome Curse. Somehow, despite our poor play in September, we still control our own destiny. We can win today, beat Detroit, and then get one more game against Minnesota at home to make the playoffs. It’s getting harder by the day, but I still believe.

The question is, do the White Sox? I think they do…and there is no way The Curse of the Douche Bag will keep us from playing October baseball.