Lineup for 3/1

Get your pencils and scorecards ready, here are the correct lineups for todays ballgame.

Owens, CF
Valido, SS
Jimmy, DH
J.D., RF
Mackowiak, LF
Fields, 3B (Still my favorite)
TobyH, C
Rogowski, 1B
P-Lo, 2B

And on the mound:
Javy Vazquez, SP

Sox lose 12-4 in Spring Opener

There should be a Street & Smith curse. You know... like how they have the Madden Curse? Yeah well Street & Smith magazine chose the Sox to finish 2nd in the division behind the Tigers. Based on how today went they may be competing with the Indians for #4.

Mark Buehrle started the game (which I missed the first 6 batters of) for the Sox and pitched quite well actually. He went 2 innings gave up 6 hits and allowed 4 runs. But thats not all! Jon Garland came in in relief for Mark in the 4th inning went 2 innings allowed 8 hits and 7 RUNS! What're you thinking, Jon? He told Farmer and Singleton that he threw nothing but fastballs except when he tossed in one changeup. Then after Garland's little "stint" came Bobby Jenks. He faced 2 batters, walked one hit the other, then had to leave due to shoulder stiffness. Ouch.

Mike MacDougal came in and he was the first decent pitcher we had since the first pitch Buehrle threw. He faced 2 batters, made one ground into a double play, and stuck out the other. Then came my (relief) guy, Matt Thornton! He threw 1 inning faced 5 batters and struck out 2 of 'em. I really like Thronton and I have since he came from the Mariners. Then was John Danks! Yeah! HE KO'ed 2 batters in his first ever appearance in a Sox uni. I like him! And don't forget he's one of the 5 "Rubber Maid's" as I call them. Dewon Day finished out the game with an inning pitched, a K and 3 hits.

Then on the offensive side, Brian Anderson was the only guy who came close to hitting a homer. Well... never mind I lied. I just forgot who else came close. Iguchi was the only guy who did 1/2 a good job today. He had a double, a ground out, and a K. Juan Uribe stole a base! And so did Darin Erstad (SB #1 of my Erstad count).

Again final score:

White Sox - 4 Rockies - 12.

Tomorrows Lineups

The lineup was announced and here it is

Erstad, LF

Gooch, 2B
Jimmy, DH
Paulie, 1B
J.D., RF
A.J., C
Crede, 3B
Anderson, CF
Uribe, SS

So Brain Anderson gets the start in center field. Pods isn't starting in left, so we get to see Darin Erstad for the first time! And that is him in the picture diving up the wall clearly robbing a homer from Milton Bradley. Uribe batting last surprises me.

So there ya' go!

GO WHITE SOX!!!

Buehrle to open Spring Training

The starters for tomorrow's game were announced! For the Sox (as the title says) will be my guy Mark Buehrle. Even though whitesox.com has Contreras listed as their first starter they have opted to go with Mark Buehrle, which in my mind is a smart move. I like the way he pitches even if he looses 13 games.

Pitching for the Rockies will be their new ace (him and Jeff Francis) Aaron Cook. He's an ok pitcher but not that good. Cant wait for Dye, Thome, and Paulie to beat up on him.

If the lineups are announced before the game like... today... I'll post 'em and you know I will. Pierzynski will get the start behind the plate, I know that much.

[Game Info]

Ahh, the first time I've typed that out of many this year. So the game will be on WSCR AM 670 The Score with my guys Chris "The Ranger" Rongey, Ed Farmer and Chris Singleton. The game is slated for 2:05 CT. And remember, Cook vs. Buehrle!

1st Spring Training Game

Ahh... I can smell the spring grass already. Sure its covered with snow but not in Arizona!



The Sox are playing a split-squad game (where half the team plays one team and half the team plays another) and the game thats going to be on WSCR is the game against Cleveland. That means we get to hear Travis Hafner play for 3 innings, while Grady Sizemore gets to go all the way. And we get to C.C. Sabathia pitch against the Sox, then get nailed in the but by a Gooch line drive and be out the whole season.



Cant wait to see Sweeney again. Cant wait to watch Dye, Thome, Paulie, and Crede crush over 30 homers again. Oh boy... and Contreras win 17 straight again? Maybe? Ok fine...



What about Guillen blowing up in an umps face (pic to the right)?

Boy Guillen is a piece of work. But he's our piece of work, 'ya know?

Spring Has Finally Arrived!

OK, I am back for yet another Chicago White Sox season. And this year they have a slogan entitled "Back to the Grind". I know kind of corny but thats we we need to do is get back to the grind this year and build towards another championship year. Most of the building blocks have been set, and we have plenty of prospects waiting in the minors if we need them.

Ryan Sweeney is a guy I am looking into putting in center field, as well as Brian Anderson (2nd half Brian Anderson that is) and possibly Darin Erstad. Oh... I didn't mention that? Yeah, well in the off-season one of our moves was signing Darin Erstad to fill in in center field if we need him to and he can also fill in for Paulie at 1st if he needs a day off. Its a win/win situation having Erstad there. But back to Sweeney. He is a good looking prospect with an OK arm and he can hit. Last year for the Sox he played in 18 games and had 8 hits. They don't have his minor league stats up but I will find them... Ah Ha! Found 'em! Last year he had 13 homers and 70 RBI in 118 games. 133 hits is average for a minor leaguer, although he had 449 at bats so he had major league hits numbers for a rookie, 'ya know?

Our bullpen has 5 fire-armed rocket throwers. 5 of our relievers can throw 95+ MPH. Bobby Jenks who can hit 100. Mike MacDougal who can throw around 97-98. David Aardsma who can reach 97 but stays around 94-95. Andrew Sisco, who we picked up in the Riske - McCarthy trade to KC, can hit 98. Matt Thornton who is an awesome pitcher late in the game can hit 97. This group of throwers whom I have nicknamed "The Rubbermaid's" can be brutal to face late in the ballgame.

Toby Hall and A.J. Pierzynski have been working with the pitchers for about a week now and I like the idea of having Hall catch on some days, but Pierzynski getting the majority behind the plate.

The starting rotation is a big one. Even with the loss of Freddy Garcia we should do quite well with this rotation:

• Jose Contreras
• Mark Buehrle
• Jon Garland
• Javier Vazquez
• Gavin Floyd

I'm not quite sure about Contreras going opening day but I guess if that's what Ozzie & Kenny like then we should go along with it for awhile. Buehrle is always a good pitcher even if he loses 13 games. Garland is an 18 game winner every year. Vazquez won 6 straight last year, and Floyd was on the mound when Rowand broke his nose! How much better can you get?

Uribe Gone In 2007?

Shortstop Juan Uribe may have to sit out the entire 2007 season. Due to a run-in with a shooting he has been acused of killing the man. He is set to appear in court twice a month in this year which may force him to sit out.

"Very simply, if it turns out he is in more trouble than we originally thought, decides not to report, or is distracted and can't play at a championship level, Alex will take his job," Williams said via e-mail Saturday night.

Of course, the Alex referred to in Williams' text is Alex Cintron, recently signed to a one-year, $1.9 million deal that avoided arbitration with the Sox. Cintron played in 91 games last year and started 64, but his multi-positional ability was his true value. The switch-hitter made 35 starts at shortstop, 23 at second base and six behind Joe Crede at third base. For his career, Cintron has started 286 games at shortstop, 74 at second base and 39 at third base

This means, Alex Cintron may get to play a little shortstop this year, if the case of Uribe really does turn out worse.

Will Thome Make The 500 Club?

DH Jim Thome has the chance to make it to an exclusive club consisting of over 20 players. This year, 2007, he could make the elusive 500 club.

Going into the season he will have 472 career home runs. He will only need 28 home runs to get to the club. Last year he hit 42 round trippers so he should easily have 507 (35 homers) by the end of the season.

When Big Jim was in Philadelphia he played first base and was frequently injured. Before the Phillies "Slugger Jim" played for the Cleveland Indians. He was also a first baseman there, but did play some DH.

In those times he was injured so much that he couldn't even get to 450 home runs. In 05 for the Phillies he only had 3 due to extensive injuries.

Lets pre-welcome Jim "Big Jim, Jimmy, Slugger Jim, Bopper, Big Stuff, (The) Thominator, Mr. Incredible" Thome to the 500 club

Cintron Signs 1-Year Extension

Cintron was very helpful against the Pittsburgh Pirates last year belting a grand slam and a walk-off home run. He was also key player to their end-of-season run towards the playoffs. Every team needs a utility guy like Cintron. Last year he batted .285 in 288 at bats. With 5 home runs and 41 RBI you can tell he is a killer of the bench. And with his new

He did start a few games at short and some at second. Compiling a total of 91 games played out of a possible 162. He also tallied 10 stolen bases out of 13 tries.

Cintron will play some more utility in the infield and will most likely start his fair share of games.

Boy am I glad we re-signed him!

McCarthy Traded to Texas

You can forget everything I said in the last post.



Brandon McCarthy was traded in exchange for the Rangers' 3 top minor league pitching prospects. John Danks, Nick Masset and Jacob Rasner.

Nick Masset was 0-0 last year with a 4.15 ERA. He appeared in 8 games and pitched 8.2 innings for the Rangers late last year.

Johnny Danks is a starter who went 4-5 last year in the minors. He had 72 strikeouts in 14 appearences with an ERA of 4.33.

Jake Rasner is a troubled starter with an '06 record of 6-16 in the minors. With an ERA of 5.41 and 144.2 innings pitched.

McCarthy + Starting Rotation = Possibilitiy?

Relief pitcher Brandon McCarthy was a well though out plan last year for the Sox.

1) He comes in in the 8th

2) Gets out 1 or 2 batters

3) Sets up Bobby Jenks

This year, however, Kenny Williams says he is going to send him down to triple-A Charlotte for the opening weeks of the season. Now the thing is... will he be on the Sox staff for spring training? And if all goes well will he be in the starting rotation?

With the trading of Freddy Garcia to the Phillies that opens up a spot in the starting 5. Gavin Floyd and Brandon will most likely be competing for the 5th spot in our rotation. But Floyd will probably get the job if McCarthy is really going to be in Charlotte.

In my mind McCarthy is the better pitcher. He worked a few long innings last year, going 2 full in some cases. But Floyd was a big piece to the Phillies' success in '06.

Im still wondering why the Sox traded Freddy to the Phils. Im gonna miss that guy. He was a horse. Look at how horrid he looks in... red and... white pinstripes.

I CANT TAKE IT!!!!!!!!

Sox Trade Gload, Sign Toby Hall

Hall pictured here

Now the Sox have traded away another player! This time it was Ross Gload who was sent away. To the Royals little Ross goes and from those Royals comes Andrew Sisco a sophmore, left handed relief pitcher who was 1-3 last year.

Also in the White Sox news (you like that?) I have seen that they have signed Toby Hall to be A.J. Pierzynski's backup catcher. They inked him for a 2-year deal with an option for '09 (boy thats weird to type...).

Sox Re-sign MacDougal

Relief pitcher, Mike MacDougal re-signed his deal with the White Sox. HOORAY!!!!! Mike is the most talented pitcher on the Sox relief staff, and he can reach the 100-MPH mark.

The deal is 3-years, $6.45 million. With an option for 2010 (4th year). If they choose to buyout his contract at anytime it will cost $350,000.

Sox Trade Garcia To Philly For 2 Pitchers

Floyd Pictured Here

Freddy Garcia, one of our horse's has been traded to the Philedelphia Phillies. The deal was final on Thursday night. We traded him for a pitcher by the name of Gavin Floyd.

Floyd was 4-3 last year with a 7.29 ERA. That is a really high ERA for a guy who only pitched in 11 games last year.

We also acquired, ironicly, Gio Gonzalez. Gonzalez was part of the trade that sent Aaron Rowand to the Phil's and brought Jim Thome here.

Now we got him back on our side. Gio is a good looking young pitcher, wit a lot of talent. Look for him in the starting rotation in years to come.

Ex-Sox Carlos Lee Signs with Astros

Lee third from left

Carlos Lee has signed with the Houston Astros on friday, and Im a little late on the report, he signed a 6-year $100 million deal. Carlos Lee played for the Sox for a long time and he patroled left-field real well. He had a few 40 home run seasons for the Sox. I hope he does well, and Im sure you do too.

Crede and Dye win Silver Sluggers

Third baseman Joe Crede of our beloved White Sox has won his first Silver Slugger award. He batted .283 on the 2006 season with 30 home runs and 94 RBI. 544 at bats clearly made him avaliable to win an award. While Jermaine Dye, on the other hand, won his first Silver Slugger. Dye batted .315 on the season, with 44 home runs (team leader) and 120 RBI (also, team leader). Dye had 7 stolen bases surprisingly.

YOU GUYS CAN PUT THOSE PUPPIES ON YOUR MANTLES!!

Sox acquire David Aardsma from Cubs for Neal Cotts

As the subject (clearly) states. The White Sox have offered and made a deal with the Chicago Cubs (northside scum!). Our fine relief pitcher has been sent from the Sox all the way (some 12-15 miles) north to the ivy covered Wrigley Stadium. They have acquired the rookie pitching "sensation" David Aardsma from those blue titans 'o' Chi Town. He is a flaming right hander capable of throwing missles up to 98 mph. We also acquired pitching prospect Carlos Vazquez whom nobody knows anything about. WHY COTTS!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! (5.17 ERA, 37 Earned Runs... IN 70 GAMES!!!). Ohhhhhhhhhhh, thats why.

Jim Thome awarded comeback player of the year!

The title says it all!

Breaking Injury News: Jose Contreras

Pitcher Jose Contreras, our big horse, has sadly but truly been injuried. He was chasing out a ground ball in the 2nd inning, ran to first, and for somereason slid into first! And the runner ran right into his shin and I believe he has a leg injurie, well of course he does. I am not sure if he has a leg injurie or a shin injurie. As I post this, the Sox are losing in the 9th, and as soon as that game ends I will post my post game report and my, highly rated, Visiting the Central.

INJURY REPORT: Pablo Ozuna

In last nights game, Pablo Ozuna got hit in the head by a ball. He was checked out last night and the x-rays turned out negative (meaning that he's ok). So Pablo is fine, hes back on the bench and is ready to contribute.