tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89899067239954659492024-02-07T21:35:26.497-06:00ChicagoPalehoseThe in and outs of Chicago White Sox baseball. Where White Sox fans go to chat and interact with each other.Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-83420055194458953942015-03-20T19:19:00.002-05:002015-03-20T19:19:58.978-05:00Lets Not Taste Ourselves Too Much Over This White Sox Club<br />
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I understand the excitement for this 2015 White Sox team because the last two years have been so bad. But to me it looks a lot like what the Cubs use to do in the 2000's. They would sign guys just to sign them. The fans would buy into it and buy tickets and come August the high price free agents that were signed in the off season are the ones getting hammered on sports talk radio. Look I get it. The last two years have really sucked. But when the Sox signed Adam LaRoche and some, not all, some Sox fans were ecstatic. I mean for $25,000,000 shouldn't the guy hit better than .204 against lefties. Is LaRoche a part time player? Looks like it. Maybe a 2/3 of a time player. Okay, hey its not our money. Well, not until we buy the tickets. Then some of that money is ours. <br />
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Melky Cabrera signed a three year contract. I am guessing by year three he is not even playing everyday. Yes 42,000,000 million Jerry bucks for Melky. I would have rather seen Nick Markakis and his 40 plus extra base hits in left field for four years at $44 million. <br />
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Are you telling me we couldn't get a cheaper left handed specialist than Zach Duke? Neil Cotts? $15 million is a lot of cash for a guy to come in and get a lefty out 30 times a year. <br />
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Is David Robertson worth $46 million at four years? He may be. If he did what he did the last 4 years. No doubt the White Sox improved a horrible bullpen from 2014. I just hope they improved on defense. <br />
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The trade for Jeff Samardzija should help. I just hope he can handle facing the American League and those tough DH hitters. A big change from pitching to pitchers and pinch hitters coming cold off the bench. Of course Chris Sale is a stud. When he isn't hurt. He normally misses about 7 starts during the season. So I hope they have a plan for when he goes down. Speaking of going down Adam Eaton will miss another 15 to 20 games as he hustles on every play but like Aaron Rowand isn't around all the time because of injury. Carlos Rodon is very good. I cant wait to see him at Sox Park this summer. He will be a fun guy to watch in this game. Robin Ventura has a much more talented team than a year ago. They should hit much better. So much better that third base coach Joe McEwing getting guys thrown out at home won't hurt as much as the last three years. <br />
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If Tyler Flowers can hit his weight (245) and throw some guys out at second base and Gordon Beckham can fill in late in the game for his defense the Sox should be a .500 team. Again this year I like Conor Gillaspie at third base for his bat. He is a tough out and he knows how to hit in situations. I am not really sure what Emilio Bonifacio brings to the table other than a back up. Which is of course needed. But nothing to start buying playoff tickets about. They still need to get past KC and the Tigers. <br />
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Either way can it be as bad as the last two years and that September 2012 swoon? Lets hope for no more September chokes like in 2012. <br />
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<br />Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-79050663278194392462015-03-01T12:48:00.003-06:002015-03-01T12:48:57.396-06:00For A Guy Named Minnie He Was HugeMinnie will be missed. He was loved by so many baseball fans. He was one of the greatest ever to play the game. His number 9 will be forever retired. One day he will make the Hall Of Fame. Lets hope its sooner rather than later. Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-63800675772160849352012-07-10T16:16:00.004-05:002012-07-10T16:16:35.244-05:00Cooper Looking For Starter and Bullpen Help For Second HalfWith 77 games left in 2012 the White Sox find themselves in a place (First 47-38) they did not expect to be in. I guess Managers and coaching staffs do matter. (i.e, Rios in RF, Viciedo in LF). At least most people never thought they would be buyers at this time of year. With Jake Peavy making 17 million this year and Matt Thornton making 5.5 million the White Sox front office thought they would be selling these guys off to the highest bidder this month. Well surprise, surprise. Sox lead the division by 3 games and pitching coach Don Copper is asking Kenny Williams for one more starting pitcher and one more veteran guy in the pen. <br />
With doubts on John Danks making it back before August and doubts that Phil Humber can be a serious 7 inning starter, Cooper is hoping Williams can pull off another steal of a trade similar to the Youkilis robbery last month. Can Gavin Floyd be trade bait? Or does Williams keep sending him out to the mound and hope he gets the good breaking ball Floyd most of the time. Jose Quintana has been lights out for the Sox and is a real find by the Sox scouting department. But after Peavy, Sale and Quintana the pitching staff is a thin one. With only one veteran in Thornton out in the bullpen Copper would love to have another, go to guy that has "been there" before during the heat of a hot summer pennant race. If Jesse Crain comes back healthy that would be a huge help. <br />
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Making matters worse for the White Sox brass is that fan attendance for the first half of 2012 is down 5%. The good thing is with all these young players the Sox payroll is down 24%. <br />
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But after this season they will have to decide what to do with A.J. Pierzyski, Gavin Floyd, Jake Peavy, Dayan Viciedo, Chris Sale and Alejandro De Aza. All are either free agents or have club options. But lets not get ahead of ourselves. We need to see how Sale and Peavy hold up and if Paul Konerko wrist can make it through another 77 games. <br />
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If the Sox can win 40 of those 77 games that may be good enough to win the AL Central.<br />
<br />Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-91389472388658755822012-07-04T12:58:00.000-05:002012-07-05T08:41:58.704-05:00White Sox Fans Don't Feel So Bad About First Place Team<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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White Sox fans it's okay. It happens. I know you feel like the girl that gets lied to by the only guy you really cared about. Look it's not easy letting go, it's hard to forgive someone that has hurt you in the past. Really you didn't know. Everybody was saying how bad they are. First it was Robin Ventura can't be a manager he never managed before. He needs to do what Ryne Sandberg did and go to the minors for 3 to 4 years to get the "experience" as a manager. Ok we now know that was just a lie Jim Hendry told Sandberg to get out of the Cubs hair. Of course their was the Sergio Santos trade and Carlos Quentin trade. The Sox don't care about me anymore, they let favorite Mark Buehrle go. Boo who. So I understand you are, as a White Sox fan a little gun shy. A little hurt. Don't forgot they traded Ozzie Guillen the best manager ever in the history of the world. Right? He was so funny with his tirades and tweets and his sons ripping that stupid Kenny Williams who signed Jake Peavy and Adam Dunn. Ouch. It all hurts. Plus when someone, some expert comes out and tells you that the White Sox may lose 100 yes 100 games in 2012. Well. That about seals the deal. Heart broken. Never, ever, ever coming back to watch this team. I mean really Ventura got beat up by Nolan Ryan. If that doesn't say he can't be a manager nothing does. If that wasn't enough the same old Alex Rios. Ugh. And A.J., he can't throw out the garbage. So with no closer, no ace, no DH and an aging Paul Konerko, I get it. White Sox fans you are hurt. It's like when the so called Wall Street experts tell you to sell your stock in May because the slowing economy and it turns out June was the best month for stocks in years. Go figure. Lies and lies. Your heart can't take it.<br />
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And now this. You missed the cool party. Your first place team. Who knew that Dunn will blast 25 bombs. Or Chris Sale will have 10 wins before the All-Star break. It hurts. I mean really. The second half only means more heart break if you open up and let them in. No way can Dunn hit another 25 home runs. I mean really if he hits 50 that would be the most he ever hit in a season. And if Sale gets 10 more wins. 20 wins. It's been a long time since a Sox picher had 20 wins. I hate to bring this up but Jake Peavy looks really good. I know you missed it. It's been a busy spring with work and the kids, well you know. I get it. Pain is hard. I hesitate to tell you about the season Dayan Viciedo is having in left field. Um yeah its pretty decent. He has thrown out a few runners, caught everything and he can hit for power too. Sorry. But I know you know this already. The TV and radio ratings are way up. Watching the Sox on TV is like stalking your ex on Facebook. you can see what they are up to without putting yourself out there. I get it.<br />
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But now what do you do? It's 5 games before the All-Star break and we, us, them are in first place. What? The Tigers. Yeah yeah they will get better. Who? Yes the experts say that. That they will get hot and the Sox will suck and Peavy will get hurt and Sale will have elbow problems and Rios will stop hitting and catching, etc etc. Yes I know you need to tell you these things. It's how people coup with hurt. So the hesitation is still there. Do you really want to come to a game and cheer? How many games in first place do they really need to be before you step foot to watch this team. How many young rookie pitchers pitching well will it take? I guess only you can answer that question. <br />
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Bad news is they only have a few home games in July. But in August...what? Oh school starts up and work gets busy, right. I see. I know its hard but maybe you can try to see one game in the second half. Maybe the game that Dunn hits his 40th or Tank hits his 20th. Or Youk blast a 3 run homer to win the game for Sale. Or Addison Reed gets his 15th save. <br />
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Anyway its okay that you missed one of the most exicting first halfs of Robin Ventura first year as manager. I mean do you really think he will win Manager of the Year. A team that was picked for last. Will Adam Dunn or Alex Rios win Comeback Player of the Year? Will Sale win 20 games? I guess you will have to continue to watch on TV. Yeah its safer that way. You can always turn it off.Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-4319115157379797782012-06-09T12:49:00.001-05:002012-06-09T12:49:44.426-05:00ChicagoPalehose: Hickey A True Chicago Type Of Guy<a href="http://chicagopalehose.blogspot.com/2012/05/hickey-true-chicago-type-of-guy.html">ChicagoPalehose: Hickey A True Chicago Type Of Guy</a>Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-29147552642497529712012-06-09T12:48:00.001-05:002012-06-09T12:48:41.925-05:00ChicagoPalehose: Smoak and Mears: White Sox in First<a href="http://chicagopalehose.blogspot.com/2012/06/smoak-and-mears-white-sox-in-first.html">ChicagoPalehose: Smoak and Mears: White Sox in First</a>Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-6796967361688770332012-06-05T22:58:00.002-05:002012-06-05T22:58:44.286-05:00Smoak and Mears: White Sox in FirstA team that has a left fielder that has never played left field, a closer that has never closed, a first year starting centerfielder, a third baseman without a home run and a manager that has never coached. Introducing your first place Chicago White Sox. <br />
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Oh yeah a minor league hitting coach and Chris Sale who has never started as a professional. Other then that this team should be pretty good.<br />
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Smoke and mirrors. So far so good. Lets see what happens in June. The good news is they play a few weak NL teams. That should keep the south side faithful dreams alive for another month. <br />
Come July they have only 9 home games. 9. Tell me that wont hurt the in the pocket book for the Sox. Of course come September when everyone is back at school and work the White Sox have 19 homes games. Go figure. 2012 is a wacky one.Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-77169707636652834492012-05-16T23:02:00.000-05:002012-05-17T01:10:20.321-05:00Hickey A True Chicago Type Of Guy<br />
Kevin Hickey is a Chicago kid made good. For a guy to have pitched in the Major Leagues and he never played high school baseball- that is one heck of an underdog story. Hickey was signed out of 250 other dreamers at a White Sox tryout day at old Comiskey Park. Hickey told me when he was trying out as a pitcher when one of his pitches went thru the catchers glove. Now that's fast. I guess when you see that for a left hander it would be hard not to sign him to a minor league contract. For a kid that was working at a factory in Melrose Park and playing 16 inch softball he figured what the heck I will try out for the Chicago White Sox. Well the rest is history. He has been part of the Sox family ever since. <br />
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Kevin passed away on May 16, 2012. He was 56. He fell into a coma on April 5 and never came out. Hickey will be missed by many. He loved people and baseball and they both loved him back.Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-67633297748735644542012-03-29T18:27:00.000-05:002012-03-29T18:27:43.053-05:00Ventura Getting Advice From Old CoachesRobin Ventura shows class as he brings back retired coaches Joe Nossek and Art Kusnyer as spring training advisers. Ventura doesn't forget the people that have helped his career. Nossek and Kusnyer were White Sox coaches when Robin played in the 1990's. Both Nossek and Kusnyer are great guys to have around.<br />
It's great to see that Ventura is going about it the right way. He isn't saying he knows everything and doesn't need any help. The well grounded Ventura is preparing to succeed by getting as much knowledge as possible from those that can help the cause. Below is a little background to what kind of guy Art Kusnyer is.<br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/7EdWjjkx9yA">http://youtu.be/7EdWjjkx9yA</a>Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-42041171040779851072012-03-29T18:16:00.000-05:002012-03-29T18:16:14.945-05:00Sox May Look At Steve Dahl to Sell TicketsRobin Ventura will be thrown to the wolves the first month of April. Having to make his managerial debut in Texas. Ouch. John Danks gets the start for the first game. Do you think he said to himself, "can't I start in Cleveland instead?" Either way Danks, Ventura and the rest of the 2012 Sox will have a tough April schedule. With Cleveland on the road following the 3 games in Arlington they come home to the big, bad , they won't ever be beat Detroit Tigers. The Sox home opener will have Jake Peavy on the mound. Chances are the Sox may be 1-5 before their first home game. If Brook Boyer is having trouble selling tickets now just wait until the Sox are swept in Texas. Boyer may be calling Steve Dahl for another Disco Demolition night to get the fans to come out. After they have 3 with the Tigers, Baltimore comes in for a four game series. Then off to the west coast to face Seattle and Oakland. The west coast trip is always a hard one. After those 6 games on the road, they take on the always strong Boston Red Sox at home for four. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGi7MkzjGH3Aq54W1Yv5TWbZWOJ35KBtabuK7UIrQ1v5AbNKom6uw8cbLBU-AvWTMQmc_HUPPfdYU4igrVfc1rJxjhyphenhyphenmvC1_QiNx_QAzLNQMVi24kNjQKTdnas-hqC58YioIJBxlEaG7Hq/s1600/disco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGi7MkzjGH3Aq54W1Yv5TWbZWOJ35KBtabuK7UIrQ1v5AbNKom6uw8cbLBU-AvWTMQmc_HUPPfdYU4igrVfc1rJxjhyphenhyphenmvC1_QiNx_QAzLNQMVi24kNjQKTdnas-hqC58YioIJBxlEaG7Hq/s320/disco.jpg" width="0" /></a></div>Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-75634116644426649082012-02-26T16:20:00.001-06:002012-02-26T16:24:12.702-06:00White Sox Pitching Not That BadQuestions are plentiful concerning the 2012 White Sox pitching staff. For some of us anyway. A few of us already have all the answers. So they think. I have a few. But what I do know is this. Danks, Peavy, Floyd and Sale. Should be better then average. I know a couple thousands of you think Peavy is finished. Well he might be. But he will be sent out to the mound every 5 days until his arm falls off. That is what I do know. As far as Chris Sale is concern. It will most likely take him a couple months as a starter before he settles in. Lets hope Don Copper and Robin Ventura give him the time to settle in. For a yound skinny kid like Sale he will have a whole lot of learning to do this summer. With the Sox not expected to do anything this year I see no reason why you also wouldn't send Sale out to the mound every 5th day too. Phil Humber will be good for the first few months anyway. After that who knows. Maybe Kenny picks up another young pitcher or gives someone like Axlerod a chance. I know Kenny likes Drabek so maybe he will on the south side this year. <br />
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One thing WE all know is that Danks and Floyd is what you see is what you get. I don't see them getting any better or any worse in 2012. I wouldn't mind seeing Kenny Williams trade Floyd and A.J. for some prospects. <br />
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As far as the bullpen goes it looks good. Can Addison Reed be the full time closer? I think he too will take some time getting use to that role. So look for Crain and Thornton to close when needed depending on the batters that they face. <br />
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The Sox defense will be better this year so that will help the pitching staff. With De Aza in CF and the Tank in rightfield not everything will be caught but with Rios in LF it can't be all that bad. Can it? Okay Rios seems like the kind of player that may be jittery near the foul line and the stands when going for a foul ball. Look for a few pitchers to get upset when Rios slows up and is unable to catch a foul ball near the stands this year.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiug4S0M2o_FjDDrK9m9Fs6NM80zJpBYnNuGyVx4odOAHaFbppXYkFBF4GXvl9Yryj6_Uh5lxZfp9nS5XnLXcepbvVpUBJdU13oLF3RDY3QGCEEQP2-KYMmk78I1EBOrHB1ikNK2ncESWU2/s1600/baines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="0" lda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiug4S0M2o_FjDDrK9m9Fs6NM80zJpBYnNuGyVx4odOAHaFbppXYkFBF4GXvl9Yryj6_Uh5lxZfp9nS5XnLXcepbvVpUBJdU13oLF3RDY3QGCEEQP2-KYMmk78I1EBOrHB1ikNK2ncESWU2/s320/baines.jpg" width="0" /></a></div>Other then that lets wish Bobby Jenks a quick recovery from spinal fluid leaking out of his spinal column last month. He almost lost his life. Anyway go White Sox.Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-75279191384423732712012-01-29T21:40:00.000-06:002012-01-29T21:40:23.349-06:00I Like The 2012 White Sox. So Should You!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKupgSQLcd1-ZyhcmOBllg1QsWMAUh46zJ2ihRonGEQ_baeVhCQEVBoSBm7GVNpVSzil4upv6H6rumer3CwmDIG2oIm63bsjFd4ueot0uwdBtNNSQGV9p9K7pWOy_8_Ltu_mhlGSnHDp9/s1600/swing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoKupgSQLcd1-ZyhcmOBllg1QsWMAUh46zJ2ihRonGEQ_baeVhCQEVBoSBm7GVNpVSzil4upv6H6rumer3CwmDIG2oIm63bsjFd4ueot0uwdBtNNSQGV9p9K7pWOy_8_Ltu_mhlGSnHDp9/s320/swing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I can see the confusion that is befalling on White Sox fans. The confusion begins with the smoke signals coming from 35 street. One day its rebuilding the next day its retooling. Call it what you want but I call it messing with the fans. I know the real fans understand that this team really hasn't changed that much from last year. The only thing that's changed really is what is coming out of the marketing department. Thank goodness for that. The slogan last year of "All In" was just flat out bad. Talk about putting undo and unnecessary pressure on people. Wow. This year so far we have not heard or seen anything coming from the marketing people. <br />
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Meanwhile on the field we have the same CF, 1B, 2B, DH, 3B, SS and catcher. Like Adam Dunn said at Soxfest this weekend the best moves the Sox made so far is that Rios and Dunn are coming back. As strange as that sounds its the truth. If Dunn can go back to what he did before he choked with the huge contract he will be one heck of an off season keep by Kenny. Lets just play lets make a wish. Lets say Dunn hits 30 HR this year. Nice right. Lets say Rios hits .275 and 20 HR. Not bad right. Maybe he will even run and throw like an average CF. We will take that right? Ok say Beckman goes back to his rookie year stats and hits .270 and 14 dingers. Huh? Not bad. Yes its wishful thinking but its not out of the question for these three guys to do just that. Ok lets pretend that Brent Morrel gets better at the plate. Ok not bad then. Lets say Alexi gets just a little bit better or stays the same. That's a good shortstop right there. So what about the new guys. Yes. Tank and De Aza. Bam. They will be the other pieces to this puzzle. De Aza in CF? Rios in LF? Tank in RF. Hmm. Ok. Tank hits .265 and 22 bombs. Not bad. De Aza hits .288 and steals 30 bases. Hmm. I think this team can contend all summer long. Come back next week and hear my take on the 2012 pitchers.Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-3312854854525785002011-11-30T12:01:00.000-06:002011-11-30T12:01:34.150-06:00Kenny Williams is not home can I take a message?After hearing about the man breaking into Kenny Williams house last week it made me wonder if this man was in his home last year when Adam Dunn's agent called. Maybe it was this man that broke into Williams house that answered the phone and said yes to the big contract for Dunn. Either way the real Kenny Williams is on a mission from God (or Jerry Reinsdorf) to cut the payroll. Or is he? Sure Kenny is shopping Matt Thornton and his 12 million per year contract. Which we all understand. Even though it was Kenny who just signed him to that last year. ??? Yes why? Or was it the intruder to his house that signed him? 2011 showed thatThornton could not handle the closer spot. Santos the former infielder solidfied that position. The trouble area is the fact that the White Sox are shopping John Danks. Danks is a young strong kid. If they do trade him I hope they get a ton for him. Another starting pitcher at least. I would rather seem them trade Gavil Floyd before Danks. <br />
With Mark Buehrle certain to sign with another team the second city Sox team will be competing with the Joliet Jackhammers for customers in 2012. <br />
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If the mission is to cut payroll how soon until A.J. is shipped off for a box of balls? It seems like they will give Gordon Beckham at least another 3 months before they send his butt some where else if he continues to hit in the .230 range. Number 23 Ventura will have a long summer if Dunn and Rios don't hit in 2012. Ventura and Williams might be at each others throats before the All-Star game.Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-77392636273321889262011-11-21T21:18:00.000-06:002011-11-21T21:18:52.029-06:00Moose tells us about the 1956 World Series<a href="http://youtu.be/iaq3BD-oTe4">http://youtu.be/iaq3BD-oTe4</a><br />
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Moose talks about his 1956 World Series grand slam.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikP4UFv-O87uSwrqZxvOI3_iXhYThY3uAPv94jzgWVHeGPIrG_qbvjXEk7n4Qg-cyR9OKA0mqx5B-AhintfJWBEz73MEgZTzKhbUKrv4vvyDdNJYhr_mhuQhbqDdgREZomPCBucDKz6poo/s1600/moose.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikP4UFv-O87uSwrqZxvOI3_iXhYThY3uAPv94jzgWVHeGPIrG_qbvjXEk7n4Qg-cyR9OKA0mqx5B-AhintfJWBEz73MEgZTzKhbUKrv4vvyDdNJYhr_mhuQhbqDdgREZomPCBucDKz6poo/s320/moose.JPG" width="316" /></a></div>Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-22631892223991853552011-11-21T21:07:00.001-06:002011-11-21T21:21:07.812-06:00Ventura taking control of the clubhouse<a href="http://youtu.be/zxeRa43xhEw">http://youtu.be/zxeRa43xhEw</a><br />
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Watch as the new White Sox Manager hands out some advice to Jimmy Hill. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyz62cpQtTHuHUxfh4gtOZke8-ia56lgQkBm50DEI643tfDhDGWr3Gmv7-znC72irHoK0F4Ixr-EVnFrnfkYv-1xc1s6s_H28Py6_Z4cYzYinsmdEpADSz5zazr6xquwvNqYhixfY0ESQd/s1600/robinnotimpress.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyz62cpQtTHuHUxfh4gtOZke8-ia56lgQkBm50DEI643tfDhDGWr3Gmv7-znC72irHoK0F4Ixr-EVnFrnfkYv-1xc1s6s_H28Py6_Z4cYzYinsmdEpADSz5zazr6xquwvNqYhixfY0ESQd/s320/robinnotimpress.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-19778954062399891242011-11-05T11:37:00.000-05:002011-11-05T11:37:55.834-05:00There is No Crying in BaseballMY CURRENT THOUGHTS ON THE WHITE SOX<br />
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By Alishia Thompson<br />
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I think it’s been so long since you’ve heard from me because the thoughts in my head haven’t stopped swirling for quite some time now. Do I eulogize the White Sox and the season that should have been. Am I going to cry (again) over Ozzie? Should I curse Rios, Dunn, and Beckham for ruining what could be what’s left of the narrow window the Sox have to win with Paul Konerko? There’s even the countless new trade rumors and plans for next season spewing about.<br />
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Most of us had high hopes at the beginning of the season, with the addition of Dunn and retention of both Paulie and A.J. Pierzinski. Pitching was strong, defense was good and finally the offense looked like it could do some serious damage to the division. Unfortunately, Dunn, Rios, and Beckham decided not to show up offensively, (with Rios being useless on defense, as well) and game after game, chance after chance, the season fell apart and playoff hopes were lost.<br />
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Not helping matters any, Ozzie and Kenny continued their drama straight through to the end. For Ozzie, however, the end came before that of the rest of the team. Before the final game had been played at The Cell, Ozzie Guillen had decided to take his talents to sunnier weather and an empty park in South Beach. Ozzie was released from his contract which continued through 2012, and signed a four year deal with the Miami Marlins. The team was left in the hands of Don Cooper to manage the final two games of the season, and with that, the beloved, entertaining manager and face of the organization was gone. The Ozzie Era was over.<br />
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Though many felt that Kenny should have been shown the door right behind Ozzie, he survived the on-going feud and shocked the nation , naming former White Sox third baseman, Robin Ventura, as the new manager for the club. Only Kenny himself could have seen this coming, seeing as Ventura hadn’t even considered managing until offered the job. On October 31st, the Sox filled out their coaching staff, adding Jeff Manto as hitting coach, Joe McEwing on third base, and Mark Parent as bench coach.<br />
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I’ll save the trade talk for another day, but will leave this to consider of the upcoming season: Has the window closed on Konerko’s chance to win another ring within his playing career with the White Sox? And if so, should he still want his final days as a player to be spent in Chicago?<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaaOh4WZCnjaFVDp6EvmJtQqpUrD9Mo4TnYD3HvhaX6oS-w_BBXQxhWhfDO5sQbRpE8OVa-L0uAKGPdJl5pB5e674duWCOQY5hAHBcMlET3134EduS3ysK1IEBZ7YknWj2lSdNaOzxU8v5/s1600/coxteam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="0" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaaOh4WZCnjaFVDp6EvmJtQqpUrD9Mo4TnYD3HvhaX6oS-w_BBXQxhWhfDO5sQbRpE8OVa-L0uAKGPdJl5pB5e674duWCOQY5hAHBcMlET3134EduS3ysK1IEBZ7YknWj2lSdNaOzxU8v5/s320/coxteam.jpg" width="0" /></a></div>Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-48887956311436387572011-10-01T20:17:00.002-05:002011-10-01T20:17:43.669-05:00Ozzie Walks to his last press conference as Manager of White Sox<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/2_dVF0fiCfc/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2_dVF0fiCfc&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2_dVF0fiCfc&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div>Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-81934997907815676552011-09-24T22:31:00.000-05:002011-09-24T22:31:24.170-05:00Will Sox Trade Ozzie to Florida and bring in Buddy Bell?Will the new Chicago White Sox manager have a ring to his name? With Ozzie all but certain to be let go the Sox are searching for a new manager. First things first. While the Sox still have rights to Ozzie the front office is looking to trade him to Florida. If the prospect is right look for Ozzie to go south with Joey Cora next spring. Seen in the hallways of U.S. Cellular Field has been 3 time Major League manager Buddy Bell. Will Bell bring his talents onto the field in 2012? <br />
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With Ozzie gone who will stay? Greg Walker is most likely not staying. Pitching coach Don Cooper maybe staying. But for Cooper to stay look for him to sign a 7 figure deal. Maybe some where in the 4 years at 2 million. After that it might be up to Bell to bring in his guys. Harold Baines seems to have had enough of the on the field stuff and maybe moved up to the front office. Either way the White Sox will be a much more fundamental team in 2012.Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-16868859374472913662011-09-23T15:18:00.000-05:002011-09-23T15:18:20.924-05:00Ozzie and coaching staff blowing in the windWith Ozzie on his way to South Florida who does he take with him? I assume Joey Cora goes. Does Baines go with? Does Baines retire? Maybe he will move upstairs and be the Chairman's special assistant. What about Cooper? He and Kenny got in a big fight this year too. Only the Walker and Williams fight made it public. Speaking of fights the fight between Hawk and Walker on the White Sox Charter never saw air either. Anyway Cooper will get hired some where. He could be on the Yankees staff right now but Williams said no. Now Cooper looks like he is free to go in 6 days. Jeff Cox. Does Ozzie take him with. Ozzie gave Coxy a good job the last few years. But can Cox deal with all the in house fighting. Cox is a guy that will also get picked up. If Mike Quade is with the Cubs next year look for him to be his bench coach on the northside. Nieves the bullpen coach? Does he go with Ozzie to Florida. Does Walker go? I think Walker might be heading to his farm to take it easy for awhile. If Ozzie needs a hitting coach look for him to take another member of the current Sox staff with him. Is Darryl Boston in line for anything? What a fun off season it should be at 35 and Shields with all the changes.Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-91757444111825441442011-09-04T15:52:00.002-05:002011-09-04T15:52:39.423-05:00The Top Ten Lies Told To White Sox Fans This YearThe Top Ten Lies Told To White Sox Fans This Year: <br />
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10. Brett Morel will hit 15 Home Runs.<br />
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9. Gordon Beckman will hit .270<br />
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8. Alex Rios will hit .280<br />
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7. Matt Thornton is ready to be a closer.<br />
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6. It's AJ's fault that other teams steal at will on the Sox.<br />
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5. It's the pitchers fault that other teams steal at will on the Sox.<br />
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4. Don't worry about the Tigers, worry about the Twins.<br />
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3. Juan Pierre will steal 35 bases.<br />
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2. The Sox will hit when the weather warms up.<br />
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1. Adam Dunn will strike out a lot but he will hit 40 Home runs.<br />
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Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-43004467826813636572011-08-26T23:06:00.000-05:002011-08-26T23:06:28.916-05:00The Captain Hits #2000<div>The Captain Hits #2000!</div><div> </div><div>By Alishia Thompson<br />
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Since Paul Konerko’s first hit (a single) on September 8, 1997 as a pinch hitter with the Dodgers, he has delighted, awed, and given fans of both sides of town something great to be proud of and believe in. Tonight, he’s continued that tradition by reaching another milestone, his 2000th career hit.<br />
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In his 14 year career, Konerko has put together a humble stat line of 2000 H/393 HR/1242 RBI/.282 AVG/.359 OBP/.502 SLG with a 280.7 VORP and 23.4 WARP. He’s made 5 All-Star appearances and has been Captain of the White Sox, one of only 3 in baseball, since 2006. While he’s rarely talked about by the national media and tends to shy away from public praise and cameras, Paulie has been the epitome of a major league baseball player. He’s grown mentally and physically both on defense and with his team carrying offense. As a young player, he was a lot like Carlos Quentin, taking every swing personally and beating himself up when at bats didn’t go his way. Over time, he’s developed into what Greg Walker has called, “very mechanically and technically correct with his swing.”<br />
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In recent years, it’s looked like Konerko was settling in and slowing down. Nagging bone bruises and month long slumps gave the impression that his days were numbered. He was spending more time as a DH and less as an automatic everyday first baseman. In 2010, it was a contract year and the White Sox Captain would be a free agent at the end of the season. What a season it was! 2010 was an amazing year for the slugger with 171 H/39 HR/111 RBI/.312 AVG/.393 OBP/.556 SLG a VORP of 37.1 and a WARP of 3.4. He was like a new man, yet still undervalued in his profession by both baseball and the media. Loyal fans cheered and gave ovation after ovation for Konerko game after game, terrified of what the future seemingly held for him. The annual slump never came and if it was to be his swan song, it was one that Paulie and Chicago could be proud of. <br />
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In the off-season, the White Sox signed career slugger Adam Dunn. A move that looked to end Konerko’s amazing run on the South Side. Thankfully, however, this would not be the case as Konerko signed a 3 year, $37.5 million contract to likely finish out his career with the Sox. The fear then became the question of Paulie’s ability to continue last year’s success in the 2011 season. Not that it’s Konerko’s style, but athletes tend to have stellar seasons when contract talks come around and then settle into lower comfort levels once the ink has dried. Like I said, that’s not Konerko, and 2011 has been just as phenomenal for him, with his numbers currently looking as though he can finish even better than last season in every category.<br />
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The White Sox owe 90% of their season to their Captain, who lately, has reminded fans of another Chicago athlete known to reach new levels of play and success when faced with bouts of illness or injury. His career will never be compared to that of Michael Jordan, and shouldn’t. Konerko is all class, and regardless of which local team you cheer for, he is a player we can all be proud of and will hopefully enjoy watching for years to come.<br />
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</style> <link href="http://o.aolcdn.com/cdn.webmail.aol.com/34061/css/microformat.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"></link>Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-84401649243606849542011-08-25T23:30:00.000-05:002011-08-25T23:30:30.470-05:00Williams Going After Walker A little birdie told me that last week GM Kenny Williams and hitting coach Greg Walker got into a heated discussion in Ozzies office. The subject of discussion was Williams being quoted in a paper that Gordon Beckhams hitting has gone downhill since he got of college. Walker upon reading the article asked Mr. Williams to discuss his comment. As the two became angry and started yelling Ozzie told them to take it into his office and out of the club house. The door to Ozzies office slammed shut and the people in theclubhouse could hear the two yell at each other. <br />
No punches were thrown but as Jerry Reinsdorf stood outside the office Walker could be heard telling Williams to "go ahead punch me." Williams knew better then to take it down that road. <br />
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Finally Kenny comes out of the office and tells Reinsdorf that Walker is gone and that he better pack his stuff up and leave. Reinsdorf then went to Walker and told him not to pack anything up. Reinsdorf then went and huddled with Harold Baines. After a 15 minute talk with Baines, Baines went up to Williams office to cool him down. <br />
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Walker during this time was heard he never liked Williams when he played with him and he sure doesn't like him now. Appartently what ever Baines and Reinsdorf said to Williams saved Walkers job. Walker's future with the team looks in jepordy. Truth be told the whole coaching staff looks like this is their last year. Reinsdorf would be hard pressed to keep this group around for 2012. Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-3730030167475970652011-08-14T11:15:00.000-05:002011-08-14T11:15:51.329-05:00Photo Day with Steve Dahl, Harold Baines and 2011 Campers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxx5zZdQI6y7_NcCUG-aQ6W_63V1pZenDFfzCXSAQpgSOuN1IC4F2qdthP4hKD2rySmGSLuuGigE8H0RZ-Nsw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The 2011 White Sox Fantasy Camp held in Glendale, Arizona. In this video you see Chicago Icons Steve Dahl and Harold Baines getting their team photos taken. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Fantasy Camp is held in January at the home of the White Sox Spring training site in Arizona. If you like to play baseball and warm weather in Arizona this is the trip for you.</div>Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-7100152519301702422011-07-31T12:34:00.000-05:002011-07-31T12:34:56.307-05:00Getting Pictures Taken 2010 Fantasy Camp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx0zBFcrXwmD5xWhKFKhdi7r7GocNzqhaCypBUBU89LJvBmXzBSDHDTx85G0PUzl7dkBGlGSzFV3omnjcNi' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Just a little video clip from the Chicago White Sox 2010 Fantasy Camp.Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0Arizona, USA32.505963870239562 -112.2802545375000129.669922370239561 -115.16593853750001 35.342005370239562 -109.39457053750002tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8989906723995465949.post-35321183430163969862011-07-31T12:18:00.000-05:002011-07-31T12:18:25.388-05:00Not Afraid Of Team That Can't HIt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwA8dXeK0hUoY9tX-lhfmufWdAhve0vJM1IyqKMqHiAp5lqzsWiFnbnox4iM9nSHTnPrf20MmT9B87SJUqv8w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
It looks like with the White Sox one game under .500 Kenny and company will be sticking with what brought them. With only one trade so far the Sox appear to be all in with nothing else to bet with. Don't blame them. As Adam Dunn continues to hit fourth in the lineup and Rios in CF hitting .205 most Sox fans don't see this team making a run for the AL Central. Even with the Sox great starting pitching and bullpen most teams know the White Sox will not out hit them. <br />
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It's too bad the Sox have invested millions into a player that is being paid to do one thing and thats hit. So what happens when this player doesn't hit. You're all in with nothing to show for it. At the age of 32 maybe Dunn can get in shape and work on his swing in the offseason. Otherwise what else can the Sox front office do. <br />
Some players hold out when they think they are being under paid. Will Adam Dunn give some of the money back from the 2011 season. <br />
Heck its Frank Thomas Day. Put him in uniform and lets go take 2 of 3 from the BoSox.Dougy Lowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17208333092731148977noreply@blogger.com0