The biggest on-field news in the sports world yesterday obviously revolves around the Philadelphia Phillies beating the LA Dodgers to reach the World Series.

The biggest off-field news in the sports world yesterday involved ESPN, Deadspin, and some pretty lurid tales of sex, ego, and quid pro quo. We discussed this as it was happening, but there have also been new developments in the “ESPN Horndog Dossier” since we signed off yesterday.

But that was yesterday. It’s now Thursday, and we already have the most important news of today and it’s not even 6:30 CT yet: Ozzie Guillen will be working for Fox as a studio analyst during this year’s World Series. Yep, this is going to be great.

And now the rest of What You Need To Read for Thursday, October 22nd, brought to you by…Kate Beckinsale.

Hot topics

It wans’t just Deadspin throwing out the salacious ESPN stories. The Big Lead got in on the action as well, although they weren’t quite as upfront with the names.

Last note about the Steve Phillips’ story. Answer this question honestly: if someone had told you a week ago that one of the three people pictured here would be involved in a sex scandal with Steve Phillips, who would you have guessed it would be? I would have guessed the one on the right.

Times are tough for SEC officials. The crew that blew calls in the Florida v Arkansas game has been suspended.

A-Rod is definitely the story of the playoffs so far this year.

Sam Bradford appears headed for season-ending surgery.

This one shouldn’t surprise anyone: Tiger Woods is the most popular athlete in the world.

It’s NFL Power Rankings time. Go here, here, here, and here.

You’ve probably heard by now that Steve Largent defended his friend Jim Zorn against the crimes being committed against him by Dan Snyder, Vinny Cerrato, and the gods of the NFL. But who really cares. You should click on this link simply for the unintentionally hilarious picture of Largent and Zorn from yesteryear. And if the words “Brokeback Seahawks” or “Brokeback something” don’t pop into your head…well, you’re lying. Or Jim Zorn.

Midwest sports news

In Big Ten news, the Purdue-Notre Dame series has been extended to 2021 while the buzz builds for the Boilermakers 2009-10 basketball team. Also, Terrelle Pryor’s teammates apparently think he has hit rock bottom and Joe Paterno is not intimidated by the Big House.

In Browns news, not only does half the team apparently have the flu, but the good folks at Cleveland Frowns are wondering why Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone is so obsessed with Eric Mangini.

In Bengals and Bears news, former Bears bust Cedric Benson apparently feels emboldened by his strong start to the 2009 season and has forgotten just how bad he sucked in the Windy City. The guy who would now be Benson’s QB, had Benson not sucked so bad and been jettisoned from Chicago, just got an extension that the guys at NQTC think was a good move for all involved.

In Packers news, the team has dipped into its past to sign Ahman Green again. And amazingly, Green is only 46 yards away from setting the franchise record for career rushing yards. The guys at Rumors and Rants regale us with a list of things that were popular back when Ahman Green was relevant.

Blogging, social media, and other stuff

Here is a fun dare — do something different! — from one of my favorite non-sports bloggers.

Ha, ha, ha

There really is nothing more entertaining than walking through Wal-Mart and people watching. The fine folks at Uncoached have compiled some of the best Wal-Mart people photos ever, including gems like a shirt that says “While you were reading this…I farted” and a guy that I would swear is KVB if I didn’t know better.

The guys at Gunaxin have broken down the ten best TV commercials of the always funny Sir Charles.

Tirico Suave gives us other shirts that Jeff Fisher might be wearing soon.

And a little something extra for the fellas

More from Uncoached, some interesting photos of women communing with the outdoors.

Asylum has broken down ten stupid things girls like.

Luckily, Gunaxin counters with the decidedly non-stupid things that guys like: hot girls.

And in case you didn’t know, Kate Beckinsale was recently dubbed the “Sexiest Woman Alive” by Esquire. Here is the video evidence they have put forth in support of their claim. You decide.

And that’s it. Have a great Thursday everyone, and remember to send your tips here.

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* – Kate Beckinsale photos credit: Girls.Pic

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I wrote about a week back regarding the obsessive magnetic attraction that this year’s Chicago White Sox have with .500.

Every time we get a few games over .500, we can’t stand the prosperity and play like the Royals.

And then once the pendulum has swung back, and we’re under .500, and jackass bloggers like myself are acting like the sky is falling, we turn into the Yankees.

Case in point: the last four games.

After dropping what felt like 6,000 games in a row, and essentially falling out of the AL Central race, the White Sox have reeled off the following:

• Scoring four runs off of Twins closer Joe Nathan in the 9th inning to steal a win in the Metrodome.
• Shutting out the Cubs 5-0 in Wrigley Field in a makeup game from earlier this season. Perennial Cy Young candidate Carlos Torres pitched 7 shutout innings, striking out six Cubs.
• Dominating the Boston Red Sox at home, winning 12-1 on Friday and then 5-1 today powered by a Gavin Floyd gem for which the post game show was not canceled until two outs in the 6th inning.

So, in summation, the White Sox had fallen to 64-69 on Tuesday. Now here we sit on Saturday night with the White Sox one game under .500, 6.5 games out of first place, and playing like we all know this club is capable of playing.

Personally, I plan on enjoying it until we get to a few games over .500, and then the fear of an inevitable three- or four-game implosion will overshadow any optimism that builds up.  It’s just been one of those years.

If the White Sox finish anything other than 81-81 this year, I will be surprised. (And believe me, I hope to be surprised…positively.)

Here’s the thing, as bad as things have seemed this season, the White Sox are not out of it yet. If we just make up one game per week on the Tigers leading up to our final three game set with Detroit from September 25th-27th, we’ll be a home sweep away from being tied for the lead in the division.

A long shot? Sure. But for a veteran club that’s experienced in pressure, pennant-race baseball, it’s not completely outlandish. 

In other White Sox news, one thing that could make a late-season charge up the AL Central standings more difficult would be for Gordon Beckham to miss any time. The Sox sterling rookie left today’s game in the first inning with back tightness. Though it doesn’t sound serious, I’ve seen no updates on his status moving forward, and White Sox fans have been conditioned to be fearful about back tightness and our third baseman being mentioned in the same sentence.

Perhaps it was just time for a day off. Gordon has played in 81 straight games, counting today’s.

Also, a big congrats to Ozzie Guillen, who won his 500th game as a manager yesterday. Hopefully there are at least 500 more, and then 500 more after that, for Ozzie on the South Side.

Anyway, to close this post, I will just say that even though I’ve said previously that I have essentially given up hope on the White Sox making the playoffs this year, I’m starting to get pulled back in. Impressive four game streaks have a way of doing that.

If we can keep up the good play over the next four at home, and then defy historical trends by playing well out West on a six-game trip to LA and Seattle, I’ll really be excited.

Let’s go Sox. Championships are won in September, and there is still a whole lot of September left.

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

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

…

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

…

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

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

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

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

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

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

We’ve lost 100 games in two weeks.

Or does it just feel that way?

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

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

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

Playoffs. You have got to be kidding me.

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

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

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

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

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

Damn you, White Sox web admin. Damn you.

Update: My strategy may be working!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wow.

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

No one who roots for the White Sox is happy right now.  And that’s an understatement.

I was already despondent heading into today’s game against the Yankees, but was at least excited that the game would be on WGN so I could watch it down here in Dallas. 

After watching Sergio Mitre and a reliever one-hit the White Sox, I wish I hadn’t wasted my time watching. And Ozzie Guillen apparently feels the same way.

A sampling of Ozzie Guillen’s comments after today’s Yankees loss for the White Sox, from ESPN.com:

“I feel like I’m stealing money from Jerry, and that’s a shame. When you have more errors than hits, you better look yourself in the mirror and second-guess yourself. I’m second-guessing myself right now, making the wrong lineup every day. I watched Little League this morning … they were playing better than we did. At least it was more fun. This is not major-league baseball, sorry.”

…

“There’s no doubt in my mind we’re better than this. But you get to a point where it is what it is. And my hope is getting less and less. It’s a long mountain, and the mountain is getting higher and higher every night. And if we’re going to climb to the top, maybe they need a cable car to get up there. But they’re not going to walk up there.”

Ozzie also discussed his frustration in having no option other than Jose Contreras to throw out there every 5th day. We all remember and love Jose for his incredible contributions in 2005, and it’s sad to see such a great champion struggling so badly.

It’s also sad to see a team with so much potential, and such a great chance to defend its AL Central crown, flush it down the tubes with its continued inconsistency and ineptitude. 

We can only hope for better things tomorrow. And as they say, momentum is tomorrow’s starting pitcher.  Unfortunately for the White Sox, that isn’t yet Jake Peavy…it’s Freddy Garcia. As with Contreras, we all remember Freddy from 2005. Freddy in 2009?

Ugh.

And that pretty much sums up the last week of White Sox baseball.

Update: Jake Peavy left today’s rehab start early. Great.

UPDATE: Since writing this post a few hours ago, Bruce Levine broke word on ESPN Chicago that TCQ will start the post-All Star break portion of the season in AAA Charlotte. According to Levine, if Quentin continues to progress in his rehab from plantar fasciitis, he could rejoin the White Sox within a few days.

Levin also says there is still the possibility of a trade to upgrade the 5th spot in the pitching rotation.

Our most recognizable fan has garnered some criticism for a relatively weak toss before the All Star Game, and also inexplicably forgot the name of our ballpark (or old ballpark, to be exact) in an interview, but as the All Star break winds to a close there is some good news on the South Side.

And it deals with the man, the myth, the legend that is: THE Carlos Quentin.

According to Mark Gonzales of the Tribune, Carlos Quentin could be back in the White Sox lineup as soon as Friday against Baltimore.  TCQ has been out of the lineup since May 25 while dealing with the debilitating effects of plantar fasciitis. And while Sox fans everywhere will certainly be happy to have Quentin back in the lineup, don’t think the injury concern is over.  Rickhouse over at Tremendous Upside Potential posed the ominous question today, will Carlos be able to overcome the dreaded plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is quickly becoming a common enemy in Chicago sports. The foot injury has kept Carlos Quentin out the last month and a half, but now Q! is ready to come back, perhaps as early as tomorrow. But how effective will he be?

Make no mistake: this injury blows. Big time. It basically ruined the careers of NBA greats Andrew Toney and Andres Nocioni (Ha!). But before you laugh too hard at my hilarious joke, remember that Noce wasn’t always the worst player ever. There was a time – specifically in the 2005 playoffs against the Wizards – when Noce was accurately described best with words like “bulldog” and “warrior”. Then he got plantar fasciitis, missed a third of the 2006-07 season, and quickly became a laughingstock.  

That’s not exactly the most optimistic of anecdotes.  But at least he ends it on a positive note:

But will Quentin be able to mash right away? Who knows. But if anyone can do it, it’s Q!perman.

And Rickhouse is right in his article when he says that the White Sox need Quentin.  I think the team has done an outstanding job of compensating for his loss, and certainly the offense has picked up considerably over the past six weeks.  But to compete for the AL Central crown, and to battle deep into October, the White Sox need what they did not have last year: their best overall player healthy and providing a potent bat in the middle of the lineup.

According to Gonzales’ article, Quentin received a shipment of special shoes that are designed to help him deal more effectively with the plantar fasciitis issue.  But everything I’ve read about his injury has suggested that he won’t be truly 100% until the end of the season.  Ozzie and the Sox seem prepared for this inevitability, as they are already planning to remove Quentin late in games for defensive purposes and to give him rest whenever the opportunity presents itself.

But with all the talk this year about the White Sox trading for a pitcher like Jake Peavy or Roy Halladay, or even going after another power bat, the impact of an effective Quentin returning to the lineup cannot be understated. The White Sox have done more than just tread water in Q’s absence; they’ve drawn to within striking distance of the Tigers in the Central.  Now, assuming Quentin comes back at somewhere in the neighborhood of 80-90% effectiveness, we are essentially adding one of the 25-30 best hitters in the game to the lineup without having to give up any prospects to do so.

So here’s hoping Carlos is healthy enough to have a significant impact, as well as healed and protected enough to prevent further injury this season.  The White Sox were left for dead by many people in mid-May, but are back in the thick of things as we head into the second half of the season.  I still believe this team is going to the playoffs, and as I said a couple weeks back Carlos Quentin’s return is paramount among the reasons why.

* – Carlos Quentin “Q!perman” photo credit: Tremendous Upside Potential

I have had the great privilege to love sports.

At the age of three i could name all the baseball teams by just looking at their logo. My dad would turn the ball game on, and he and I would sit at the sofa together and watch some baseball. It was a great bonding ritual that we had that I will never forget.

My dad was a Cubs fan so naturally I was one too. The only pride a Cubs fan has is Wrigley Field. Dubbed the ‘Friendly Confines” by Ernie Banks, Wrigley Field has attracted many baseball fans and tourists alike. But this article isn’t about the Cubs or their park. This article is about Comisky Park (now U.S. Cellular Field). More specifically, it’s about the team that plays in that field.

I was raised to dislike the Sox because I was a Cubs fan. (And, for the record, I never really got that you should hate a team “just because”, but it’s just the way it goes.)  I just love watching sports, and any team or person that plays with integrity, heart, and soul I like. Well, I was able to go to some Sox games this year and to tell you the truth, I never had anything against the White Sox. I was happy for them when they won the World Series in 2005. I didn’t know much about Ozzie Guillen, but I already liked him. His interviews are the best, he never says anything he wouldn’t tell his players first, and his knowledge of the game, though it might be different than others, is brilliant. He is a very underrated manager that gets his players to play their best. Nowadays that is a great achievement.

I also enjoy watching the Sox more than the Cubs.

There is something you get form the Cubs..Oh yeah! Overpriced busts. The Sox, on the other hand, just look they are having fun playing the sport they love, while the Cubs look like they know they are playing bad. The Cubs players never look like they are having fun. Maybe because this year has been one bad thing after another, but they do have a job that millions would kill to have. It looks like they don’t respect that honor.

I think the upbeat attitude of the Sox players comes from the way they are managed. I will say that Ozzie is a way better manager than Lou. Lou looks like he wants out, and has finally realized that the Cubs are just a bunch of loonies. Sox players have one thing Cubs players don’t have: respect for their manager. Sox players love Ozzie, and it shows in the way they play the game.

I am a fan of teams that play well, respect their manager and the game, have upbeat attitudes, and that give the love back to the fans. Any team that does all that, I am a fan of…and the Sox fit every category

The calendar has flipped to July, trade rumors have intensified, and teams are preparing to start their final series before the All Star Break after getaway day on Thursday. That can only mean one thing: the Chicago Cubs are only a few months away from tacking another year of futility onto the ever-growing grand total (which you can now track on your iPhone!).

But it also means something else: it’s time to dole out some midseason awards.

Since our primary focus here at Midwest Sports Fans is, well, the Midwest, I am going to focus my award giving to just the Central divisions of the American and National League. Let’s get right to it.

NL Central 1st Half MVP: Albert Pujols, and I really don’t need to say anything else about it. His name itself is becoming hyperbole. I want to see a new version of “The Most Interesting Man in the World” commercials featuring Pujols. They could be called “The Most Dominating Presence in Baseball” and include lines like “he once struck out, just to see what it felt like” and “he’s seen less pitches than the World Cup, yet his goatee alone has hit more home runs than Ryan Ludwick.” Albert Pujols is amazing and is not just the NL Central MVP, but the MLB MVP for the first half of 2009.

AL Central 1st Half MVP: This one is not so clear cut. Let’s take a look at a few of the candidates (stats as of July 9th):

• Joe Mauer, Twins: 60 G, 224 AB, .388 BA, 15 HR, 47 RBI, 48 R, 1.118 OPS
• Justin Morneau, Twins: 84 G, 319 AB, .317 BA, 21 HR, 69 RBI, 56 R, .984 OPS
• Jermaine Dye, White Sox: 77 G, 276 AB, .297 BA, 20 HR, 54 RBI, 51 R, .940 OPS
• Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals: 10-5, 2.12 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 129 K, 29 BB

Obviously I really want to say JD, or even Scott Podsednik, and I think there is an argument to be made for them as their value has been highlighted by the injury to Carlos Quentin, but I have a hard time giving it to anyone other than Justin Morneau or Joe Mauer with the impressive stats both have racked up.

It certainly isn’t Zack Greinke, whose team becomes more irrelevant with each passing week. If his ERA was still 1.00, then maybe. But he hasn’t been as lights-out recently, which is to be expected since he isn’t the greatest pitcher in the history of mankind and all beings, as some have suggested.

While everyone is salivating over Mauer, and don’t get me wrong — he has been great since returning from injury, Morneau has been producing at a high level for 24 more games and over the span of almost 100 more ABs than Mauer. Plus, batting average is an overrated stat, so Mauer gets no bonus points from me because he’s making everyone dream about .400. Both are great candidates, and by the end of the year such a difference in games won’t be so magnified, but right now I have to go with Morneau, who has been the most consistent run producer in the division over the course of the entire first half.

NL Central 1st Half Cy Young: I see two primary contenders: Adam Wainwright of St. Louis and Yovani Gallardo of Milwaukee. Here are the stats:

• Yovani Gallardo, Brewers: 8-6, 109.2 innings, 2.95 ERA, 120 K, 51 BB
• Adam Wainwright, Cardinals: 9-5, 122.1 innings, 3.09 ERA, 110 K, 45 BB

Pretty damn close based on the numbers (and you could probably throw Ryan Franklin in the mix here too, who has been great as the Cardinals’ closer). My first instinct when comparing Gallardo and Wainwright is to go with the guy pitching for the team in first place, but it’s hard to use team record as a tie-breaker considering the Cardinals are only one game up on the Brewers in the standings. Or is it? With two pitchers this close, sometimes it comes right down to head-to-head battles.

Thus far in 2009, Wainwright has absolutely dominated Milwaukee. He is 2-0 in two starts against the Brewers, going 15.1 innings and giving up just a single run while striking out 18. Gallardo, on the other hand, has struggled somewhat against his team’s primary competition for the division title. Despite having a better overall ERA and WHIP than Wainwright, Gallardo is 0-1 against St. Louis. Sure, he pitched 8 innings of shutout ball while only giving up 2 hits in the teams’ May 25th battle, so you can’t blame him for the no decision there, but that game was not head-to-head against Wainwright like the July 7th game was. In that battle, Gallardo lasted only five innings and gave up four runs in a 5-0 loss for the Brew Crew.

So maybe that one game difference for the Cardinals is the difference between Wainwright and Gallardo. I’m giving the 1st half Cy Young for the NL Central to Adam Wainwright.

AL Central 1st Half Cy Young: Lots of legit contenders here. Let’s list them out with stats:

• Mark Buehrle, White Sox: 9-2, 3.14 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 114.2 innings, 65 K, 25 BB
• Joe Nathan, Twins: 0-1, 1.13 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 33.1 innings, 22 saves, 43 K, 7 BB
• Justin Verlander, Tigers: 9-4, 3.59 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 115.1 innings, 141 K, 35 BB
• Edwin Jackson, Tigers: 6-4, 2.59 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 114.2 innings, 93 K, 33 BB
• Zack Greinke, Royals: 10-5, 2.12 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 127.1 innings, 129 K, 29 BB
• Fausto Carmona, Indians: 2-6, 7.42 ERA, 1.81 WHIP, 60.2 innings, 36 K, 41 BB

If we were giving this out to the pitcher who has been the most generous to opposing hitters and teams, Fausto Carmona would win in a landslide. And yes, this is the same Fausto Carmona that went 19-8 with a 3.06 ERA in 2007. But obviously I only listed Carmona here to throw more salt in the multitude of open wounds Cleveland’s start has given its fans. More on him later.

Back to the subject at hand. Zack Greinke obviously has the best numbers, but I just don’t believe in handing out awards to players whose teams are not in the playoff race. There is a different level of pressure when your team is expected to win and when games are meaningful. If the award were Most Outstanding Pitcher, it’s Greinke by a landslide. It’s not, and it clearly states in the fine print of my own personal Cy Young and MVP criteria that last place teams (Cleveland sucks so bad they don’t count anymore) cannot have Cy Young or MVP winners, so we’ll let Willy Wonka tell Zack Greinke what he’s won:

(By the way, credit goes to Hugging Harold Reynolds for tweeting that video yesterday. I hadn’t seen that in forever, but always loved Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Charlie Bucket is a golden god.)

Honestly, I can’t find a whole lot to separate Buehrle, Verlander, and Jackson. All three have had excellent seasons. I’d give the edge to Buehrle because he owns the Tigers and Verlander sucks against the White Sox, and both have more wins than Jackson, but it’s really splitting hairs between those three.

My 1st half AL Central Cy Young goes to Joe Nathan, who has just be out-of-this-world awesome. The Twins’ pitchers (other than Nick Blackburn, who is having a very good yet under-the-radar season) have struggled this season. Francisco Liriano, Scott Baker, and Kevin Slowey have all dealt with injuries and bouts of ineffectiveness. The one constant (throughout all the years Ray, has been baseball) has been Joe Nathan at the back end of the bullpen making sure that when the Twins do have a late lead, they do not surrender it.

I’m not a huge proponent of giving Cy Youngs to closers who typically pitch less than a third of the amount of innings a top-line starter does, but Joe Nathan has given up only 18 hits in 33.1 innings and is 22-24 in save opportunities. He has been beyond dominant and there is no way the Twins would be as close to first place as they are without him. It’s a competitive field, but Nathan is the choice.

NL Central Manager of the 1st Half: Tony LaRussa, and I don’t think it’s close. Ken Macha has done a nice job in Milwaukee keeping the Brewers in the race without C.C. Sabathia or Ben Sheets, but LaRussa has the Cardinals in first place with one legit hitter in his lineup. Yes, that hitter is the great Pujols, but look at the rest of the team’s offensive stats. Putrid. And it’s not like their pitching has been lights out. Ryan Franklin has been a revelation in the bullpen, and getting Chris Carpenter back has helped, but this is still a rotation that counts on guys like Kyle Lohse, Joel Piniero, and Todd Wellemeyer. That LaRussa has the Cardinals in first place is a testament to his managerial genius (and to Pujols’ utter dominance, of course).

AL Central Manager of the 1st Half: I really want to say Ozzie Guillen, and I think that he’s done a great job, but my vote goes to Jimmy Leyland of Detroit. It’s not just that the Tigers are in first place, it’s that they’ve been able to rebound from last season’s disappointment with a far less potent offensive attack and without the benefit of an above-average bullpen. Leyland has navigated his way through the struggles of Dontrelle Willis and Armando Gallarraga, plus had to deal with Magglio Ordonez’s sharp decline. Leyland essentially has a lineup with only three hitters who have been consistent producers (Miguel Cabrera, Brandon Inge, Curtis Granderson), yet there the Tigers sit, a couple games up and eight games over .500.

2009 has been an excellent rebound season for Detroit, and Leyland deserves credit as the man steering the ship. He also deserves credit for having one of the most hilarious old school baseball cards ever. The hat, the mustache, the sunburned face…I’m not sure if he’s at Spring Training, a train conductor, or working at a carnival.

And with that, let’s transition into a few “alternative” awards for the first half.

NL Central Least Valuable Player of the 1st Half: Milton Bradley wins this one. Signed in the offseason after putting up terrific numbers in Texas, The Angry One has only gotten 203 ABs so far this season and hasn’t done much with them. He’s hitting .236 and, even worse, is slugging only .374. Ouch. Plus, he is being his usual distracting self and getting into public pissing matches with his manager when he’s not forgetting how many outs there are in an inning. Like most things having to do with the Cubs, you just get the feeling that this is not going to end well.

AL Central Least Valuable Player of the 1st Half: Fausto Carmona of the Indians. We touched on his stats above, and they really say it all. This guy has just gone straight downhill since 2007 and the Indians have to be wondering if he’ll ever be able to recapture the ability that made him appear to be one of the bright young pitching stars in the big leagues. Despite a rough 2008, a lot was expected out of Carmona this year. Well, the Indians have gotten a lot out of him…it’s just all been bad.

AL/NL Central Worst Manager of the 1st Half: Hands down Eric Wedge. You need look no further than this site, where our very own AJ Kaufman calls for Wedge’s head in pretty much every article he writes. The Indians were expected to contend for the AL Central crown, yet they are 13.5 games out and 19 games under .500 already.

AL/NL Central Manager with the most potential to give his kids truly awful awesome names: Eric Wedge. If he had any sense of humor he would name his kids Orange, Potato, and Cheese. No such luck though. As it is, he and his wife named their kids Ava and Dalton Cash. Oh well.

Come to think of it though, Dalton Cash Wedge is a pretty sweet and unique name. The kid is either going be a scrappy middle infielder/#2 hitter in the majors or the lead actor in his generation’s version of Dawson’s Creek. Well done Eric. (See, we don’t always criticize you on Midwest Sports Fans.)

AL/NL Central Quote of the 1st Half: This one is easy and goes to (who else?) Ozzie Guillen. And there were a few of them, all of which were gloriously derogatory towards the team from the North Side.

“But one thing about Wrigley Field, I puke every time I go there. That’s just to be honest. And if Cub fans don’t like the way I talk about Wrigley Field, it’s just Wrigley Field. I don’t say anything about the fans or anything now. But Wrigley Field, they got to respect my opinion. That’s the way I feel…I don’t care if they hate me. They don’t feed my kids. If they hate me, that’s cool.”

That’s just a great quote, although the part about Ozzie not talking about Cubs fans may not be entirely true. Ozzie also had this gem:

“…our fans are not stupid like Cubs fans.”

AL/NL Central Home Run Call of the Year: Hawk Harrelson, two days ago. Hell yeah!

That’s all I’ve got. Sorry for not even mentioning your teams Reds, Astros, and Pirates fans…they’ve all been pretty uninteresting so far this year, at least as far as I’m concerned. But feel free to add your own midseason awards in the comments.

The White Sox bring out the brooms again tonight, and then play the Twins in a pivotal pre-All Star Break series. As Hawk might say, I loooove baseball.

* – Jim Leyland baseball card image credit: Vinewood Sports Cards

* – Albert Pujols photo credit: Urban Shocker

If you just want to listen to the podcast and skip my mumbo-jumbo below, here is the link. Click it to play with your browser audio player or right-click and download the mp3. (And don’t worry, it’s free, for those of you have asked.)

• Midwest Sports Fans podcast featuring Rick Telander

Update: The Midwest Sports Fans podcast is now available via iTunes.

On Monday afternoon I had the great pleasure of conducting the first ever Midwest Sports Fans podcast, and I could not have been more excited to be joined by a guy I grew up reading and watching: Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times. With almost 40 years in sports media, plus a successful college football career and 8 books on his resume, Rick’s diverse knowledge, experience, and perspective on a wide range of sports is nearly unparalleled by anyone else in his profession.

And contrary to what Bo Schembechler or anyone else might say, Rick is decidedly not a loser. You don’t write a seminal book about the issues plaguing major college athletics, one that was years ahead of its time, if you are a loser. You also don’t write Barack Obama’s (and many others’) favorite book about basketball, “Heaven is a Playground”, which is preparing to be re-released to celebrate its 35th anniversary, if you are a loser. And, of course, you don’t make the eminently wise choice of the White Sox having a better shot at the 2009 playoffs than the Cubs if you are loser.

Rick has always been a guy who has galvanized strong reactions on both sides of his opinions because he is not afraid to speak his mind. He certainly did not disappoint during our wide-ranging conversation in which he tackled the following subjects:

• His unnecessarily controversial (and apparently widely unread) post in which he dared to mention Ryan Theriot’s name in the same sentence as steroids. (He takes nothing back, by the way.)
• His thoughts on bloggers, the proliferation of blogs as a relevant and powerful source of information, and the effect this has had on the newspaper industry.
• Journalism, and why it is not close to being dead even if newspapers may be.
• How the picture to the right shows just how many similarities there are between bloggers and mainstream writers, all of whom must face the intimidation of the blank screen in their quest for quality.
• His book “The Hundred Yard Lie” and its relevance two decades later.
• The ups and downs of the White Sox and Cubs and the roles that Ozzie Guillen and Lou Piniella play in their respective clubhouses.
• His astute prediction (highlighted by a beautiful Hawk Harrelson interlude courtesy of KVB) on which Chicago baseball team has a better chance at making the playoffs.
• The enormous expectations being placed on new Bears QB Jay Cutler.
• The “gift from God” that was his experience immersing himself in New York City basketball to write “Heaven is a Playground” 35 years ago.
• The genesis and current status of his love affair with music and his band Del Crustaceans.

A few quick highlights:

On the reaction to his article about Ryan Theriot:

“If you are in a tainted game, there is something to be said for that. If you want be in a bar, there’s a chance you might be drunk. And that’s what baseball is, and when I spoke to Theriot about this after a lot of people misread the story, which they love to do, and started screaming all over “Rick Telander says Ryan Theriot’s using steroids,” well, come on clowns, I can’t help you read. And if you don’t get nuance, and satire, and you can’t pick out the truth in between all that stuff, well then I can’t help you. But when I did talk to Theriot, even he understood what was going on.”

On whether there is a difference in what topics are fair game between mainstream media writers who have access and bloggers who do not:

“The truth is the truth, and in this country, we write opinions, and if we can no longer write opinions, because, say, for instance, you and I interview Obama’s cabinet, so therefore if you haven’t talked to him, you can’t have an opinion about our President? Well that leads to chaos and other nonsense. On the other hand, I think we do need to be careful and we do need to realize we are dealing with human beings.

And so I didn’t catch all that much flak because, quite honestly, not too many people want to go head-to-head with me in a debate, because I’ll annihilate them and I don’t care who they are. Not many people have been writing about sports in this country for 38 years and have been to five Olympics on three different continents and countless World Series and Super Bowls and NCAA Championships and Masters and the British Open. So if they want to come at me, they better come at me with all their ammo, and they’re not going to have enough.”

In response to a quite by WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg that “journalism is not dead; newspapers are dead.”

“I would say kudos to him for understanding that, and that is absolutely true. If you can’t tell the difference between somebody writing a limerick on a bathroom door, and the poems of Emily Dickinson, well, there is no difference between journalism and just crap. But quality will win out, and true information will win out, and art, and craft. The things beyond just slanderous stuff will rise to the top; I think he’s absolutely right.”

On whether the issues he discussed in “The Hundred Yard Lie” have improved in the 20 years since the book was published:

“They’ve gotten more technological and more devious, but I guarantee you they haven’t gotten better…

…

And ESPN and the other TV networks and the NCAA and the coaches and the boosters, they just keep pushing it and pushing it and pushing it. I just can’t even write about it anymore because it’s that essential thing: people say, “We can’t pay the athletes!” and I say, “Well, why?”

That is just a small taste, and hopefully you’ll take a listen to what was certainly an entertaining discussion to take part in and one that I think you’ll all find interesting and insightful. Once again, here is the link to listen to the podcast:

• Midwest Sports Fans podcast featuring Rick Telander

• Update: The Midwest Sports Fans podcast is now available via iTunes.

We don’t have it set up on iTunes yet, but we’ll be getting it there soon. Our goal is to start bringing you a new podcast every couple of weeks starting out, and then gradually make it a weekly or even twice-weekly feature here on the site. Your comments, good or bad, are appreciated as we tweak the podcast to make them as enjoyable, compelling, and listener-friendly as possible.

I also need to give three huge shout outs.

First, to Cody Dunlap of our sister site Dallas Sports Fans for helping me transcribe the excerpts.

Second, to our very own KVB who edited the raw audio together and ingeniously added the Hawk Harrelson sound bytes to the White Sox discussion. He also made the incredible logo that you see pictured to the right, featuring my pasty whiteness, which keeps in mind an adage that is always true: cut-out heads with no necks are hilarious.

And third, a shout out to another of our very own, Nick Gerlach, whose band The Twin Cats (and their face-melting funk) provided the soothing, melodic saxophone tones you hear in the intro. Song credit:

• “Country Crock”
• The Twin Cats
• Album: United
• http://www.thetwincats.net/

Photo credits:

• Rick Telander headshot credit: Chicago Sun-Times
• Rick Telander sitting at desk credit: RickTelander.com

And finally, I will send you off with the YouTube video that Rick and I discuss at the end of the podcast. It features Rick’s band Del Crustaceans, and their guest soloist Bill Murray, rocking it out to “Hang On Sloopy.” Enjoy:

The Chicago White Sox, currently in the midst of their hottest stretch of the season, are one step closer to get their best all-around player back in the lineup. Mr. Porcelain (but also Mr. 2008 Should-Have-Been AL MVP) Carlos Quentin is in Charlotte and set to play for the Knights tonight as he recovers from plantar fasciitis. According to the Sun-Times, TCQ is set to play three innings today.

It is unfortunately important to note that just because Quentin will be taking swings in Charlotte, it is not automatic that his foot will hold up:

The 2008 MVP candidate has been on the shelf with plantar fasciitis in his left foot since May 26. He said two weeks ago that even if the tendon in the foot holds up the rest of the season, he might have surgery after the season.

If it doesn’t hold up?

”We’re aware that if a relapse happens where the tendon ruptures even more, well, that’s major,” Quentin said.

Guillen and the organization want to make sure that Quentin gets to the end of this season without any setbacks. Then they can make a decision on the next step.

”We’ll see what happens,” Guillen said. ”I’m very optimistic about his improvement. But in the meanwhile, I have to see it first, then I’ll get excited.”

Still, for White Sox fans (and especially this one, who banked a lot of pride on Quentin’s eventual healthy return) today is a positive sign. Hopefully the reports from Charlotte will be as good as the reports were from Kansas City yesterday.

The White Sox had one of their most impressive wins of the season against Zack Greinke and the fading Royals last night, a 5-0 shutout. A few performances in particular stood out:

• Scott Podsednik (the 2009 AL MVP? That’s not as ridiculous as it sounds…) went 3-4 with 2 runs and a double and continues to be a stalwart atop the White Sox order. He also continued his impressive and surprising dominance of Zack Greinke. Look at this numbers: 16-30 (.533 BA), 5 2B, 1 3B, 1.342 OPS. Wow.
• AJ Pierzynski continued his hot hitting by going 3-4 with a home run and evening his average up at .300 for the season.
• John Danks captured his 7th win of the season, pitching 7 1/3 shutout innings and striking out 5 while giving up only 5 hits and, most importantly, walking no one. Danks now has a 2.70 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP lifetime in 7 starts against the Royals.

Today, Gavin Floyd looks to continue his hot pitching and lead the White Sox to their 8th straight victory of the year. He will be opposed by Luke Hochevar. The White Sox are currently only 2.5 games out of first place with Minnesota and Detroit beating up on eachother this weekend. Either way, a victory for the White Sox will see them get closer to Detroit or put more distance between 2nd and 3rd place. And if Carlos Quentin has a successful first step in Charlotte, even better.

It’s not too greedy to ask for a double-dose of good news on July 4th is it? Let’s see some fireworks White Sox, and a safe, comfortable, healthy return to the field for Carlos Quentensity. (I like this name a lot better than Mr. Pocelain…)

On Wednesday night the Chicago White Sox did something that they have only done one other time in 2009: complete a sweep. With a 6-2 victory over the hapless Cleveland Indians, led by another stellar outing from Jose Contreras, the much maligned White Sox of ‘09 moved to 40-38, tied with the Minnesota Piranhas at 3.0 games behind the Detroit Tigers.

The White Sox only other sweep of the season came at the end of May when the Good Guys swept three on the road against the Kansas City Royals. And as KVB and I lament to eachother all of the time, the White Sox never seem to complete sweeps. It always seems like any time we take the first two or three games of a series there is a letdown in the final game. Either the regular lineup sleepwalks through the game, we get a terrible pitching performance, or Ozzie throws out one of his crazy lineups where Brian Anderson is hitting cleanup.

I’m exaggerating…but not by much.

Not yesterday though. Last night, the White Sox continued playing the solid brand of baseball that has propelled them to five straight wins and 12 wins in their last 17 games. Over that same time span, a fan base — and maybe even a team and an entire organization — has been reborn into one that expects, rather than hopes, to be playing baseball in October.

At least that’s how I feel. And hopefully the rest of the South Side is with me. (And if you’re not, I have a few words from Steve Perry I’d like to share with you. That’s right, I went there.)

Truthfully, what has transpired over the last couple of weeks has renewed my faith that the White Sox will ultimately come out on top in a very competitive AL Central. I have to admit that through the ups and downs of this season it has been hard to maintain that faith. Case in point: Ozzie saying that we are in trouble if we have to bring up Gordon Beckham…and then shortly thereafter Beckham gets brought up.

And yes, I realize that the majority of the recent success has come against the inferior National League (and then the even more inferior Indians), so I will grant you that the White Sox haven’t exactly been mowing down the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays; but, the Brewers, Cubs, Dodgers, and Reds are all at least decent teams (especially LA, with our without Manny) so I don’t think you can simply chalk up the White Sox success to playing subpar competition.

No, there are many reasons why the White Sox are winning and the majority of them have to do with the players themselves and the better brand of baseball they are playing.

Will they make the playoffs? I’m not going to make any proclamations and jinx them. (Full disclosure: in preparation for this post I researched Jim Fassel’s infamous playoff guarantee when he was coaching the Giants and had planned on altering it for purposes of my own guarantee here. Then I thought the better of it.) But what seemed like a rather ridiculous conversation a few weeks ago is starting to look more and more realistic.

So in honor of the White Sox 40th victory of the season, and because it is my lucky number (in honor of my favorite basketball player of all-time), here are 40 reasons, in no particular order, why the White Sox have a great shot to win the AL Central and make a return trip to the playoffs in 2009.

1 — Ozzie Guillen. The SI players poll may suggest that other players don’t want to play for him, but his own players do. And they have proven it every year outside of that awful and anomalous 2007. As long as Ozzie is the skipper, I’ll always believe in the White Sox. Paws up.

2 — We actually have a productive 1-2 punch at the top of the order! Most White Sox fans had forgotten what that feels like. 2005 hero Scotty Pods and Sexy Alexei have reminded us over the last 50 or so games. If Podsednik can come close to maintaining his .368 OBP, and if Alexei can continue to put his early season woes behind him (and improve upon his .398 SLG), the White Sox will have the run production and speed they need at the top of the lineup.

3 — We get THE Carlos Quentin back around the All Star Break. Remember him? Mr. Porcelain, but also the best player in the American League through the end of August last year? The White Sox offense has fortuitously been able to find its footing over the last month without him, but no one has forgotten how important Quentin is to the overall makeup of our team. Assuming Quentin can even be 80% of his normal self throughout the rest of the season, he will provide a huge presence that has been sorely lacking.

4 — Jose F*****g Contreras. I love this guy. He’s like a phoenix. Every time you think he’s finished he rises again to prove why he was such a hot commodity upon defecting here from Cuba. And there are few guys that I trust more in big spots than Contreras. He was AWFUL to start the year, but since heading down to the minors he has found his touch again and has given up only 9 runs over five starts that have covered a little over 37 innings.

5 — Mark Buehrle is Mark Buehrle. He’s not always pretty, and he’ll get knocked around every now and then, but the numbers are always there. This year he’s 7-2 with a 3.26 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He’s an ace. You have to have one to win division titles, and I’ll just say it: you’re wrong if you don’t think Mark Buehrle is an ace.

6 – Gavid Floyd has become the good Gavin again. Gavin’s season has followed an arc similar to Contreras’. He struggled mightily out of the gate, but look at his game log since May 22. Floyd has not gone less that six innings or given up more than three runs in any start. That’s eight quality starts in a row. Even more exciting is the fact that he hasn’t walked more than three batters in any of those starts either. This guy was the #4 overall pick in 2001 by the Phillies for a reason. We’ve seen why over the past 6 weeks.

7 – John Danks has become the good Danks again. Danks is another pitcher who had an up and down first 6 weeks of the season, but has turned it around. And he’s saved his best outings of the season for his two most important starts thus far: his two outings against the Cubs. Danks gave up one run over 14 innings against the Cubs. Yes, their offense sucks, but Danks has pitched four straight quality starts, going at least seven innings in all four, and the guy proved last year that he’s clutch.

8 – Is the quartet of Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, John Danks, and Jose Contreras reminding anyone over the last month or so of another White Sox pitching staff of recent vintage? Eating innings, throwing quality starts almost every time out, and stepping up big in key spots…sounds a lot like the 2005 staff to me. Buehrle and Contreras are the holdovers, but Floyd and Danks have been every bit as good as Garland and Garcia. And remember, neither El Duque or Brandon McCarthy was that great in the fifth spot during the regular season that year. If the pitching continues on its current trend, and we know they are capable, this is a World Series-quality staff.

9 – Gordon Beckham is here and he’s every bit as good as advertised. Yeah, the kid struggled out of the gate, but look at his last seven games: 12-21 with a HR and 6 RBI. We all love Josh Fields and wish he had taken ahold of the hot corner when he had his chance, but Beckham is the future. And he is proving that he just may be the present as well.

10 – Did I mention Carlos Quentin is coming back at the All Star Break?

11 – Aaron Poreda is with the big club now and has not given up a run in his first five innings of work out of the bullpen. He has six Ks and only one BB and has given up only four hits. The Rays received a jolt from their phemon pitcher David Price last year. Could Poreda fill a similar role for the White Sox? He’s certainly had an auspicious beginning.

12 – Bobby Jenks is still one of the best closers in the game, and is as battle tested as anyone not named Mariano Rivera or Jonathan Papelbon. The big man has 18 saves on the season and has 28 Ks in 28 innings this year, a drastic improvement upon his sharply declining K rate from last year. He may not have the same gas he had back in 2005, but he is a much better pitcher now. And he’s already proven his stones on the biggest stage.

13 – Still, there are rumors that the White Sox might trade Bobby Jenks before the trade deadline. I do not want to this happen, nor do I think it will now that we’ve reemerged as a legitimate contender. Closers with Bobby’s stuff, talent, moxie, and proven experience do not grow on trees; and it’s rare to see a team get far in October without one. Regardless, on the off chance that we do trade Jenks, we’ve got a great bullpen filled with guys I would have confidence in to take over the role. (But Kenny…if you’re listening…don’t trade Bobby!)

14 – Matt Thornton has had a few rougher outings of late, but is still holding opponents to a .214 average and has struck out 39 batters in 31.2 innings.

15 – Octavio Dotel is walking way too many guys (21 in 30.2 innings) but has 39 strikeouts of his own through 30.2 innings and has successful closing experience in his past.

16 – D.J. Carrasco has come into his own as a very valuable asset in the bullpen. He’s logged 48.2 innings in 26 games and has an ERA under 3.00. He has given up seven runs over his last six outings though, so he needs to get himself back on track. But, as a former starter, he has the arm strength to be a bullpen savior on days when we need one.

17 – Scott Linebrink has not been great this year, but still has an ERA of 2.17 and averages more than a K per inning. He is not closer material — Thornton or Dotel would pick up that slack if Jenks is moved — but he remains a solid option as a setup man.

18 – Regardless of whether or not Kenny trades Bobby (don’t do it!!!), each of those four guys plus Poreda gives the White Sox an outstanding bullpen that I’d put up against any in the league. Still, I think Kenny will hang onto a proven closing commodity like Jenks, so each of the bullpen guys will get to stay in the roles they have been successful in and form one of the most unsung units in all of baseball.

19 – Ken Williams. He has to be listed as a reason why the White Sox can (and will!) make the playoffs. As White Sox fans we may not agree with all of his moves, but we have to give him this: he never stops being proactive to improve our chances. And I think his gameplan entering this season was brilliant. He put together a vet-laden team with a few new additions that, if everything fell right, had a good chance to make the playoffs. But he also has been restocking the farm system to the point where we can all feel pretty secure that when the Buehrle-Konerko-Dye era ends, the White Sox will be okay.

20 – Let’s get back to the offense, because its resurgence is one of the main reasons why the White Sox have started playing better baseball. And the most important cog in the White Sox offensive machine is still Jermaine Dye. As usual, Jermaine is quietly putting up solid numbers (.294, 18 HR, 48 RBI) and providing a steadying and consistent presence in the middle of the lineup. This guy was a World Series MVP in 2005 and was damn close to being the league MVP in 2006. He’s not quite the same player now — age will do that to you — but he is still good enough to be the second best hitter on a team that makes a deep playoff run.

21 – Carlos Quentin, of course, will hopefully resume his role as the best hitter on the team when he returns. And did I mention that he’s coming back around the All Star Break? My apologies if I didn’t. Quentin is coming back around the All Star Break.

22 – Paul Konerko, like Jermaine Dye, is having a solid season in the heart of the order (.290, 13 HR, 49 RBI). Like Dye, Konerko is not as ferocious as he once was, but is still good enough. And like Dye, Konerko has proven himself in clutch situations. I know that the combo of Dye and Konerko may not be all that sexy or exciting, but there is something to be said for battle-tested veterans who are team leaders and the essence of the term “professional hitters.” Paulie is still getting the job done both at the plate and in the field, as is JD.

23 – Chris Getz sometimes gets lost in the shuffle with all of the hullabaloo about Gordon Beckham, but Getz is providing something that our lineup has sorely lacked over the last couple of years: speed. He, Scotty Pods, and Alexei all have 11 or more stolen bases. Finally the White Sox have some people who can put a little pressure on other teams with the running game.

24 – AJ Pierzynski will never wow you with his stats, and he’ll do things that make you scratch your head sometimes (like his putrid ground out on the first pitch with the bases loaded at the end of one of our games last week), but he’s scrappy and he’s a winner. AJ comes through in the clutch more than often than not, and is underrated behind the plate (except for his arm, which can’t really be rated low enough). You need a good catcher to win, and the White Sox have one in AJ.

25 – The White Sox also seem to have found a backup catcher. Ramon Castro has blasted two home runs in 21 ABs since joining the team a couple weeks ago and is a guy who has always had monstrous power. Playing half of his games at The Cell with the weather warming up may be just the opportunity he needs to show that he can be a 25-30 HR guy someday. We’ll gladly take production anywhere close to that from our backup.

(BTW…all stats for the last six or seven of these have been taken from the White Sox hompage.)

26 – A couple of curses ended last year and we don’t have to worry about them anymore. The Jim Thome Curse and The Curse of the Douche Bag.

27 – Detroit has only three starters worth a crap (Verlander, E. Jackson, Porcello) and one of them is a 20-year old rookie (Porcello). Yes, Porcello has been very good this year, but how is his arm going to be holding up in September? He supposedly has a great makeup, but he’s never been through the pressure of a pennant race. If the Tigers cannot some more starting pitching, they are going to fall back even further to the pack.

28 – Curtis Granderson (.339 OBP, 18 HR, 13 SB) and Miguel Cabrera (.331 BA, 16 HR, 47 RBI) are really good, and Brandon Inge has certainly rebounded this year (18 HR, 52 RBI) from his subpar 2008, but what do the Tigers have after that? Magglio is on the sharp downside of his career and just is not supplying power anymore. Look at the other names that have chewed up the most ABs for Detroit this season: Placido Polanco, Gerald Laird, Adam Everett, Josh Anderson. Call me crazy, but I’ll take our offense for the rest of the season…especially once Quentin gets back.

29 – By the way, Quentin is coming back at The All Star Break.

30 – Minnesota is the Chicago’s other main competitor in the AL Central, and they have as many holes as Detroit. I do think that Minnesota’s pitching is better than what the numbers show (i.e. Baker’s 4.99 ERA and Slowey’s 4.41 ERA despite better peripherals) but this is a team that needed Francisco Liriano to be be an ace. Detroit has its ace in Justin Verlander and we have ours in Mark Buehrle. Who is it for the Twins? Baker and Slowey and very good #2-#3 starters, but the Twins do not have a guy who has proven he can take the ball and throw a gem in a big spot when the team needs it. Argue if you wish Twinkie fans, but that’s how I see it.

31 – Offensively, Minnesota has been surprisingly balanced this season. Look at the their team stats and tell me you aren’t surprised to see five guys with double-digit homers on the 2nd of July. In addition to the usual suspects (Mauer and Morneau), Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, and (*sob*) Joe Crede all have 11 or more dingers. Add in the speed of Denard Span and Carlos Gomez and the Twins have a more dynamic offense than usual that has been able to somewhat compensate for its struggling pitching. However, this is still a team that goes how Mauer and Morneau go, and you may be surprised to learn that both hit below their career averages against the White Sox. In 331 career ABs against Chicago, Morneau (a .284 lifetime hitter) hits only .275. He has a career OPS of .858 that drops to .840 when playing against Chicago. (For the record, his HR rate is almost identical.) As for Mauer, Mr. .400 blah blah blah, he is a .324 career hitter with an OPS of .881. Against the White Sox that drops to .313 and .858. Are Mauer and Morneau terrible against Chicago? No. Have they come up big at certain points against the White Sox in the past? Yes. But they sure as hell didn’t against John Danks in last year’s one-game playoff, and anytime you make those two hit worse than normal you have a great chance to beat Minnesota.

32 – Detroit and Chicago are big-market teams that will make moves at the deadline to improve their chances this year. Minnesota does not have the same luxury. That knocks the Twins down at least a peg in comparison to the Tigers and White Sox.

33 – Take a look at a quick comparison between the aces of the White Sox and the Tigers. In 15 career starts against Chicago, Justin Verlander is 3-9 with a 5.44 ERA. In 27 career starts against Detroit, Mark Buehrle is 14-8 with a 2.99 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. And, for the record, Buehrle is 23-13 lifetime against the Twins. So Peter Gammons and all of the other baseball analysts can go into the bathroom with a moist towelette and a mental image of Verlander’s incredible “stuff”, but the fact of the matter is that he doesn’t get the job done against his division rival. The underrated Buehrle, of course, does. So, in review: Minnesota has no ace, the Tigers do but he sucks against Chicago, and the White Sox ace (who many people erroneously don’t consider to be an ace) dominates the two best teams in his division. HUGE advantage White Sox.

34 – The White Sox schedule in the second half of September sets up beautifully for a late charge to pull away from the pack. From September 21-27 the White Sox play the Twins and Tigers three times each, all of which are in Chicago. These six games are sandwiched between three at home against Kansas City and then three on the road at Cleveland to end the season. And there is actually a good chance Cleveland will have just called off the season by then, giving the White Sox a three-game sweep by forfeit.

35 – Since the White Sox have no more games against the Rangers, I most likely will not be able to see them play live for the rest of the regular season. This is good because I think the White Sox have a .200 winning percentage in games I’ve attended over the years. When KVB and I go together it’s even worse than that. (Be thankful that we never moved to Chicago and got season tickets.) If the Sox make the playoffs, however, and especially if they go deep, I may not be able to stay away. My apologies in advance.

36 – I know, I know…I’ve left someone out who deserves mention: Jim Thome. Now that the White Sox are back playing in AL parks, Thome has returned to the lineup. He is by no means the masher he was in Cleveland or Philly, but the guy is still a productive hitter (.402 OBP, 13 HR, 42 RBI) and a tremendous leader in the clubhouse. It took me a while, but I’ve fully embraced him as a true Good Guy and he is another one of our battle-tested veterans who heats up with the weather.

37 – Time to address the elephant in the room: defense. This is the White Sox biggest weakness. Currently, there are only five teams in baseball with more fielding errors than the White Sox. And no one has had worse defense at the hot corner than Chicago (17 errors, .922 fielding percentage). With Joe Crede gone and the combo of Josh Fields-Gordon Beckham over there, that is to be expected. But on the bright side, this has no place to go but up. And considering that Gordon Beckham has only been playing third base for about a month, his struggles were anticipated. Most seem to think that he is a good enough athlete to become very good defensively at third. As the season goes along, I think we’ll see his production in the field improve.

38 – Another area on defense where the White Sox have struggled is at shortstop, where Alexei Ramirez recently drew the ire of Ozzie Guillen for lackluster and unfocused play. I definitely see this improving. Alexei has all of the tools to be not just a good shortstop, but a great one. And there is no way Ozzie will allow that position to be a consistent weakness.

39 – Getting back to pitching because I forgot someone: Clayton Richard. On the season he is 3-1 with a 4.48 ERA in 22 games (10 starts). Immediately after stepping into the rotation when Bartolo Colon went on the DL, Clayton strung together three straight excellent starts. I then picked him up on my fantasy team and he hasn’t thrown a quality start since. White Sox fans will be happy to know that I’ve dropped him again, which means that he will likely turn things back around. All kidding aside, Richard is nothing more than a 5th starter right now, but he is adequate. And when Colon comes back to the rotation (if he even does), he gives the White Sox a veteran presence who is still capable of putting up halfway decent numbers. The point is that while the White Sox don’t have a world beater in the 5th slot of the rotation, the guys they are throwing out there aren’t horrible. And with the offense picking things up, we can win with Richard or Colon on the bump. And who knows, maybe Poreda steps in there at some point and provides Porcello-like production. Either way, this slot will not keep up from winning the Central.

40 – And finally, reason #40 why the White Sox can, should, and I think will win the AL Central: the return of Carlos Quentin. Am I putting a lot on his shoulders? Yes. Is there a chance he comes back and gets injured again? Yes. But is his presence in the lineup necessary for this team long-term in 2009? I believe it absolutely is. The White Sox are proving they can without TCQ, but when you get one of the best players in the AL back after an extended absence it cannot be anything but a boon to your chances. And Carlos will have the entire second half of the season to get his timing back. Perhaps this year will be a reverse of last year in that Quentin will save his best for September in 2009. We missed him in September last year, but still found a way to claw our way to a playoff berth. With Quentin in September this year, I think the White Sox have a good chance of heading into the playoffs with momentum and their best all-around player hitting on all cylinders.

Say what you will about the 40 reasons listed above, but one thing is certain: those who stuck a fork in the White Sox a few weeks back did so prematurely. For some reason, people always seem to underestimate the managerial and leadership ability of Ozzie Guillen and the heart, character, and talent in the White Sox clubhouse. The good thing is that the only people who matter (Kenny, Ozzie, and the team) never doubted. Over the last three weeks we have seen why, and White Sox fans have every reason to believe that a return trip to the playoffs is not only possible but, at least in my opinion, very probable.

So sit back, relax, and strap it down, and let’s all enjoy what should be a great three-team race for the 2009 AL Central crown…one that will be made all the more exciting when the White Sox end up repeating as champions.

* – Scott Podsednik photo credit: MouthPieceSports.com

Kudos for the lovely art work go to KVB, who was so pumped about the White Sox actually completing a sweep (only their second series sweep of the season) that he immediately jumped on Photoshop in the throes of unbridled White Sox optimism and excitement.

And even though the sweep was against the lowly Indians, perhaps the worst team in baseball right now, it was still very important for the White Sox. Tonight’s 6-2 victory put the White Sox two games over .500 for the first time in what seems like forever, and has them only three games back of Detroit in the Central, tied with Minnesota.

I’ll have more on this in the morning (in fact, I’ve already got a draft started) but this picture demanded immediate posting.

Well done White Sox! You can put it on the board…YEEESSS!

According to a recent SI poll of 380 basbeball players, Lou Pinella and Ozzie Guillen have been voted the 2 managers that players would least like to play for. That is very suprising to me, especially Guillen. I may not be a Sox fan, but I don’t hate Ozzie. Now let me say that players could not vote for their own managers, so these numbers are not coming from the two managers’ players.

What this is pretty much stating is that Chicago has the 2 worst managers in the league according to the players. And you can add this to Lou Pinella’s bad week. He has been critized for having lost his “fire”, and was forced to apologize to Milton Bradley. On the other hand, Ozzie Guillen has always been a “different” manager. He has been criticized for some tactial stuff but overall it seems like his players and Sox fans both adore him.

Both teams are underplaying preseason expectation. The Cubs currently have a 36-38 record, and are 4.5 games out of first. The Sox currently have a 39-38 record, and are 4 games out of first. But records don’t seem to have swayed the players who voted. There are plenty of other teams with bad records, but their managers did not make the top 5, not even the Nationals’ manager Manny Acta!

To me this was a huge shocker. I would have never guess Chicago has the 2 least liked managers. I am sure both Cubs and Sox fans will also be shocked.

First a disclaimer: I am not a diehard White Sox fan like Jerod. I was not born in the Midwest and I am not particularly tied to the fortunes of those particular professional teams.

However, I am a student at Northwestern University, which allows me to witness the microscope both Chicago baseball teams are placed under.

And, as a neutral observer, I have to make a confession.

I think Ozzie Guillen is awesome.

Are there better tactical managers? Eh, maybe. I don’t know. I’m not the best person to say. Each manager has his own particular strength on the tactical side of things.

But, based on my own outside observation, there doesn’t seem to be a manager that gets his guys to play harder for him than Ozzie.

Personally, I think Ozzie has such success because he has a team with several key veterans. The leaders of that team – Dye, Thome, Konerko – are all guys that have been around for quite some time. They all know their roles and Ozzie knows his. With a younger team? I don’t know. Ozzie might not have the patience to deal with a bunch of rookies.

But Ozzie’s skills as a manager are not what I like the most about him.

What I like most about Ozzie Guillen is that he is never boring.

Seemingly every day, there’s a new story involving something off-the-wall regarding Ozzie. Most recently it was his comments about how he hates Wrigley Field that caused a big hullabaloo.

I thought it was pretty funny to see Ozzie come out against Wrigley (which, by all accounts, is a tomb underneath the seats in the locker rooms) and see people react negatively to those comments.
Although there wasn’t that much of a negative response – people are starting to get used to Ozzie’s antics. What did you expect? Ozzie to come out and say that Wrigley is the greatest ballpark in the major leagues?

My favorite Ozzie story comes from a game I attended between the Texas Rangers and the White Sox in Arlington on June 14, 2006. The White Sox were defending their 2005 title well, entering the contest with a 40-24 record. The Rangers were clinging to first place with a 34-31 record.

The game itself was a clunker, with the Rangers running away with it early, scoring 4 runs in the third inning to go up 5-0. What is notable is what happened in that game. Vicente Padilla, the almost certainly crazy right-hander, hit A.J. Pierzynski twice in his first two trips to the plate.

The Rangers pounded Javy Vasquez for six runs in six innings, so he was lifted for young reliever Sean Tracey, making his third major league appearance, entering the seventh with the White Sox trailing, 6-0.

Lefty Hank Blalock was leading off the inning for the Rangers, having already doubled and homered in the game. Tracey’s first pitch was way inside; in fact, it went behind Blalock. The next couple of pitches went for strikes, but the fourth pitch was again a ball inside. Blalock, however, was not hit, and grounded out to second base on the next pitch.

Tracey was then pulled for Agustin Montero, who finished off the game, giving up a pair of runs in the eighth. Tracey was immediately optioned to Triple-A Charlotte after the game, and wouldn’t make another appearance for Chicago for more than another month.

Ozzie said after the game that he brought Tracey in specifically to hit Blalock, regardless of whether or not he would have been thrown out.

Above all else, that’s why I love Ozzie. He does things his way and doesn’t worry about what people think.

So here’s to you Ozzie – thanks for being Ozzie.