Video: Mark Buehrle Does Top 10 List on David Letterman Show

July 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment

A few days after completing the first perfect in the Majors in a half decade, Chicago White Sox lefty ace Mark Buehrle joined David Letterman to deliver last night’s Top 10 List. Watch the video below (found via a link at today’s Hot Clicks), or just skip straight to the list, which I’ve painstakingly taken the liberty of transcribing for you after the video.

And congrats to Josh Fields and Dewayne Wise for their cameo. If you blink you might miss it, but it’s nice to see the two unsung heros of Buehrle’s effort get the credit they deserve.

Video: Mark Buehrle Does David Letterman Show Top 10 List

And here is the list in case you’re at work and can’t watch:

video - mark buehrle letterman top 10 list

Top 10 Things Going Through Mark Buehrle’s Mind While Throwing His Perfect Game:

10. I did it! I did! Oh wait, it’s only the 4th inning.
9. If this doesn’t get Kate Hudson to notice me, nothing will.
8. Too bad I’m not on my own fantasy team.
7. My brother-in-law bowled a perfect game. (then laughs)
6. We’re going to Disney World (with Josh Fields and Dewayne Wise)…and I’m running for the governor of Alaska.
5. Did I remember to TiVo “So You Think You Can Dance.”
4. I’m leaving after the 7th inning to beat the traffic.
3. Should I shave my back?
2. Sunflower seed…lodged in my windpipe…get help!
1. Maybe I’ll give up one hit so I don’t have to appear on Letterman.

Filed Under: Featured Column Tagged With: David Letterman, dewayne wise, josh fields, mark buehrle, mark buehrle perfect game, Top 10 List, video

LOTD: First Hand Accounts and Video of Mark Buehrle’s Perfect Game

July 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Mark Buehrle with wife and kid - Chicago TribuneI don’t want to hear one word about the last five posts that we’ve published have been about Mark Buehrle’s perfect game. Anyone who does not understand why I am still gushing about the performance, and can’t stop writing about it…well I just think you don’t get it.

There have only been 18 perfect games in the history of Major League Baseball (16 in the modern era).

Think about that for a second. There are so few amazing feats rarer than a perfect game. And what are the odds that your favorite pitcher of all-time will be one of the 18 to throw one? I’m seriously thinking about changing the name of this site to Midwest Buehrle Fans, at least for today. 

Anyway, I’ve done enough writing about Buehrle. I listened to the 5th-8th innings on my phone, then realized that MLB.com was allowing free live look-ins and switched over there for the 9th inning. As I mentioned yesterday, my boss had to delay a conference call because I was screaming and jumping up and down in my office after Dewayne’s Rise. Then everyone converged around my computer to witness baseball history.

But nothing would have compared to actually being there, which is why today’s Links of the Day are going to focus on some first hand accounts on Buehrle’s perfect game from some of our friends in the Windy City blogosphere. I enjoy Dallas, but days like yesterday make me wish I was back closer to Comiskey. Luckily, there are plenty of people who are, and who shared their experiences at yesterday’s game.

You’ll Say It, But I Really Was at Mark Buehrle’s Perfect Game — (Zoner Sports)

We hung around for a while after the game, exchanged high-fives and fist bumps with other fans, hooted and hollered and soaked it in. As I waited on the ramp for my friend who was taking a post-game wizz, it was cool to watch all the fans leaving the park and their different expressions. My favorite was the guy with the goofy grin on his face who just kept shaking his head. Because I was doing the same thing.

Mark Buehrle Throws a Perfect Game. I Was There. — (Rickhouse at Tremendous Upside Potential)

This has forever cemented Buehrle as my favorite White Sox player ever and second favorite athlete of all-time, only behind MJ. Derrick Rose, Jay Cutler, Gordon Beckham, Hester, Urlacher, whoever else, good luck gunnin’ for No. 3. 

…

If I had to be one baseball player, I cannot think of anyone I’d rather chose [sic] than Buehrle. Championship ring, World Series save, no-no, perfect game. Super-millionaire. Real cool dude. Try and top that, please. Best of all, he’ll probably be out of the game at 32 – on his own terms – so he can kick it with his wife and kids. Mark Buehrle is the man. 

Here is video from TUP of the crowd reaction as Buehrle seals the deal yesterday:

When Mark Buehrle Has a Perfect Game Through 8, I Go To Chili’s — (Bobby Stompy at Tremendous Upside Potential)

Buehrle K’d Michel Hernandez for his second-to-last out. A ‘he gone’ erupted from Hawk in a tone that I don’t think will ever be replicated or topped again. We witnessed a perfect game, a perfect catch, and the perfect ‘he gone’ all in the same game. Things do come in threes.

And that last out. Whoo. Hawk* damn near turned Alexei’s first name into a prayer verse. Not to far from his “Crede!” call for Buehrle’s no-no in ’07. But this one was bigger. A perfect game automatically makes it bigger, yes, but there’s also the first place implications. 2007 was a season of individual milestones, but it never led to anything bigger. If anything, it simply served as a lesson and reaffirmed to fans that playoffs matter more.

If anyone else can find more first hand accounts from bloggers, please link in the comments. I want to relish yesterday’s game for as long as possible…which means until the pivotal series with the Tigers begins this afternoon with the first game of the double-dip.

Update: here is another really good story I just found.

Mark Buehrle is just like you, but perfect — (Jon Greenberg, ESPN Chicago)

How does Mark Buehrle do it?

Look at him. He’s a monster-truck-driving, deer-hunting, self-proclaimed country boy who strains to hit 90 on the radar gun and was picked in the 38th round of the 1998 amateur baseball draft.

Did you even know there were that many rounds in a draft? Heck, Ron Schueler, the former White Sox general manager who selected the left-handed Buehrle, took his own daughter in the 43rd round in 1993.

No one could have predicted Mark Buehrle’s career.

…

“In the coaches’ room everyone was in tears,” Guillen said. “One thing, it couldn’t happen to a better guy.”

Guillen recalled Buehrle’s first no-hitter, when he wondered how a guy who pitches to contact and prides himself on working fast could get so lucky.

“He’s one of the most underrated pitchers in the American League in the last 10 years,” Guillen said.
 

And some other links from around the web for you on a gloriously wonderful Friday morning:

 

 

* – Mark Buehrle and family phot credit: Chicago Tribune

Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: baseball, Chicago White Sox, links, mark buehrle, mark buehrle perfect game, MLB

“Dewayne’s Rise”: Video of the Dewayne Wise Catch That Saved Mark Buehrle’s Perfect Game

July 24, 2009 By 2 Comments

Dewayne Wise catch saves perfect game by Mark BuehrleAfter throwing the 18th perfect game in Major League history yesterday, Mark Buehrle has naturally and deservedly been receiving tons of praise, including a phone call from the President himself. But another man’s contribution to Buehrle’s perfect day should not go unnoticed.

That man is reserve outfielder Dewayne Wise, and I have been happy to hear that everyone who has discussed Buehrle’s achievement yesterday has quick to point out the amazing catch by Wise that prevented Gabe Kapler from ending the perfection in the first at-bat of the 9th inning.

If you have no seen it, watch the video below of the Dewayne Wise catch that Hawk Harrelson has called one of the greatest catches he has seen, considering the circumstances, in his 50 years of baseball. From now one, I will simply call it “Dewayne’s Rise” and it will be forever etched in my memory as one of the great feats of athleticism and clutch defensive work in the history of the Chicago White Sox.

Update: Looks like the video below has been removed. Follow the link to watch video of Dewayne Wise’s perfect-game-saving catch .

“Dewayne’s Rise”: Video of Dewayne Wise Catch that Saved Perfect Game by Mark Buehrle

The 2009 season has not gone as Wise had planned. He entered Spring Training in a three-man race for the CF and leadoff slots, and ultimately beat out Jerry Owens and Brian Anderson to begin the year in the starting lineup. But Wise has never found a comfort level at the plate this year and is hitting just .196 through 97 ABs.

Dewayne Wise is a 31-year old journeyman who has played for Toronto, Atlanta, Cincinnati, and the White Sox, never ammassing more than 162 ABs in a season. Many people, including Dewayne himself probably, thought this could be the year in which he finally got 400-500 ABs to prove that he can be an everyday player at the Major League level. It has not happened, and I can only imagine how frustrated he must be.

But very few players have the opportunity to make a play that will forever etch their name and image into the fabric of a franchise. Dewayne Wise may never start consistently for the White Sox, or anyone else for that matter. He may never emerge as more than 4th or 5th outfielder and defensive replacement. He will, however, always be able to pop in a tape of Mark Buehrle’s perfect game and take pride in the fact that he rose to the occasion when his number was called and put a spectacular bow on the 18 most spectacular pitching performances in the history of game.
Dewayne Wise catch saves perfect game by Mark Buehrle
I’ve been one of many people who have wondered why Ozzie Guillen has stuck with Wise this season. Yesterday, Dewayne proved why he is worthy of a spot on the White Sox roster. It is ironic that one of baseball’s worst defensive teams would have perhaps the most indellible and meaningful defensive play of the season. That it was the unsung and unheralded Dewayne Wise makes it all the most surprising…and rewarding.

But Dewayne Wise will now go down in history right along with Mark Buehrle as the co-authors of yesterday’s perfect game. Congratulations Dewayne on seizing your opportunity to etch your name in White Sox lore.

Related Reading:

* – Dewayne Wise catch photo credit: Phil Velasquez / AP Photo via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: Chicago White Sox, dewayne wise, Dewayne Wise catch, mark buehrle perfect game, MLB, video

Lebron Video Not Even Bad and Buehrle Makes History

July 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment

When word broke that there was a video of Lebron James getting dunked on, the public wanted to see it. Instead of that happening Nike took the tape, and it wasn’t seen until Wednesday.

The dunk was shot off of a cell phone during Lebron’s summer camp. I watched it, and all I could say was “That was it?” I watched it again and again, but it still didn’t hit why Nike confiscated that tape. The dunk wasn’t even that bad. It’s unknown whether it was the business’s idea or Lebron’s to confiscate the tape. It wasn’t even that worth it. People would not have thought less of James. Everyone gets dunked on, so just because the ‘next coming’ gets dunked on everyone is going to like him less? Just stupid.

They had me thinking it was going to be like a slamball throw down where James just totally gets it handed to him, but it wasn’t even like that at all. I think the everyone overreacted about this video. Most people will watch it and forget about it.

In other non-basketball news: Mark Buehrle threw a perfect game. I am sure all of you know about this even before you read this, but I would just like to congratulate him on such a great baseball achievement. He now has 2 no-hitters and a perfect game under his belt. That is way more than most major league pitchers can say. I agree with Jerod that Buehrle is a very underrated player. He usually flies under the radar. Buehrle is having a great year, and hope he has many great years later in is career.

Filed Under: MLB, NBA Tagged With: Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Cavaliers, lebron james, mark buehrle perfect game, MLB, NBA

What Amazing Feat Do Mark Buehrle, Cy Young, and Sandy Koufax Have in Common?

July 23, 2009 By 3 Comments

mark buehrle perfect gameMark Buehrle completed the 18th perfect game in Major League History today, further cementing his place in the record books among the all-time greats who have ever toed the rubber. And before you start thinking that I’m simply ripe with excitement and hyperbole because my favorite pitcher of all-time just threw a perfect game, consider this:

There are now six pitchers in Major League history who have thrown a perfect game and a no-hitter: Randy Johnson, Sandy Koufax, Addie Joss, Cy Young, and Jim Bunning.  Four are in the Hall of Fame, and Randy Johnson will be. Mark Buehrle may not ever get the credit I believe he deserves while he is playing, but if he keeps pitching another 5, 6, 7 years he very well could find himself in Cooperstown as well.

And if Buehrle decides not to hang up his cleats early, as he has suggested he will do, Buehrle very well could make a legit run at 300 wins, assuming he stays as healthy as he has always been.

But even as amazing as the group above is that he has joined, it can be narrowed down even further to include only three names: Buehrle, Cy Young, and Koufax.  What do these three pitching greats have in common? They share the most amazing combined 2-game pitching lines in the history of Major League Baseball.

We know that no pitcher has ever thrown two perfect games, but these three have come the closest. Check out the combined stat line from Mark Buehrle’s perfect game and no-no, and then the combined stat lines from Koufax’s best no-hitter and perfect game and Young’s perfect game and best no-hitter:

  • Mark Buehrle: 18 innings, 0 hits, 1 BB
  • Sandy Koufax: 18 innings, 0 hits, 1BB
  • Cy Young: 18 innings, 0 hits, 1 BB

The only difference is that Koufax had 26 combined Ks over his 18 innings, while Buehrle had 14.  I’m not sure about Young, as I couldn’t find the box scores for his no-hitters and perfect games.

Regardless, any time you are in a group of players that includes only you, Sandy Koufax, and Cy Young…you’ve done something pretty special. And it’s about time that baseball fans across the country wake up and realize what White Sox fans have known for a long time: that Mark Buehrle is the most underrated ace in Major League Baseball and truly something special. 

Sox fans didn’t need today’s perfect game to confirm this, as we see Buehrle’s consistent excellence on a year in, year out basis.  Hopefully though, today’s performance helps to bring others around to our enlightened point of view. 

What a career: clutch ace of a consistent playoff contender; World Series champion; no-hitter; perfect game. Perhaps one of these days Mark will also add a Cy Young Award to the mantle.  

Congratulations on a hell of a career to this point Mark, and on authoring one of the 18 greatest single-game pitching stories in the long and storied history of Major League Baseball. “Perfect game” is going to look great on your Cooperstown plaque one of these days.

**********

* – Mark Buehrle photo credit: Jim Prisching / AP Photo via ABCNews.com

Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB, Sports History Tagged With: baseball, Chicago White Sox, mark buehrle, mark buehrle perfect game, MLB, MLB history

Mark Buehrle Post-Perfect Game Press Conference Interrupted by Call From President Obama (Video)

July 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

After Mark Buehrle threw his perfect game this afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays, First Fan Barack Obama called the White Sox ACE to congratulate him on his historic achievement.

Via the Tribune:

President Obama heard via email about Mark Buehrle‘s perfect game on his way to the Cleveland airport. In the presidential limousine, Obama immediately cell-phoned Buehrle, who stepped into Jerry Reinsdorf’s office to take the call.

He congratulated him, called it an “unbelievable achievement” and said maybe it happened because he (Obama) wore the White Sox jacket at the All-Star game.

Buehrle became the 18th pitcher in Major League history to throw a perfect game.  Courtesy of Dallas Sports Fans, here is the all-time list of pitchers who have thrown perfect games.

And here is video of Mark Buehrle at the post-game press conference.  Watch at the end, the press conference gets interrupted when Buehrle receives the call from President Obama:

 

Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: barack obama, Chicago White Sox, mark buehrle, mark buehrle perfect game, MLB

You Can Put It On the Board…PERFECT!!!

July 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Mark Buehrle Throws Perfect GameMark Buehrle throws perfect game against Devil Rays!!!

Wow. My apologies if the rest of the this post comes out rapid-fire and incoherent.  I am so excited right now I can barely type.  My boss had to delay a conference call because I was screaming in my office.

What an unbelievable performance by Mark Buehrle and what an UNREAL catch by Dewayne Wise to save the perfect game in the 9th inning after being put into the game as a defensive replacement.

Buehrle stuck out six en route to the perfect game, and the White Sox have moved into a virtual tie for first place with the Detroit Tigers.  To all those who say Mark Buehrle is not an ace (I’m looking at you 857), what do you have to say now?

Oh yeah, the score.  The White Sox won 5-0 thanks to a 2nd inning grand slam by Josh Fields.  It is nice to see Josh Fields and Dewayne Wise, two players have struggled for so much of the season, come up with two of the biggest plays in today’s game.

But I’m just so happy for Mark Buehrle.  He has been such an underappreciated star in this league for so long, and hopefully today’s perfect game will shine some light on his incredibly consistent and effective career.  And for anyone who thinks this was a fluke of any kind, just remember: he’s already thrown a no-hitter.

Hawk Harrelson described Dewayne Wise’s catch as one of the greatest catches he’s ever seen, considering the circumstance.  I agree.  It came off the bat of Gabe Kapler with no outs in the 9th inning and looked like it would be a home run that would end the perfect game and no-hitter in one swing.  But Wise broke back and to his right, tracking the ball the entire way, and then leapt with perfect timing at the wall to bring the ball back.  He even bobbled it into his other hand and as tumbled back to the earth.

It was incredible.

I am beside myself.  That was awesome.

The perfect game by Buehrle was the first one thrown in the Major Leagues in the last five years, the most recent being by Randy Johnson in 2004.

Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: Chicago White Sox, mark buehrle, mark buehrle perfect game, MLB