tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-110969752011-04-21T17:19:53.776-04:00From Joe Jackson to Frank Thomas, A Look at the Chicago White Sox, Both Past and PresentJay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.comBlogger1701100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1137724465865801862006-01-19T21:32:00.000-05:002006-01-25T06:41:19.770-05:00

I'm still working on a few things, but Black Sox Blog has a new home. You can now find me athttp://www.blacksoxblog.comMy new RSS feed is athttp://www.blacksoxblog.com/?feed=rss2Kindly change your bookmarks and links.Also, be sure to check out these great new blogsBaseball's SaviorTom Seaver Fan ClubThe Gas House Gang

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1137333721064015612006-01-15T09:00:00.000-05:002006-01-15T12:14:34.026-05:00

Record - 93-58, Finished First Place in the American LeaguePythagorean Record - 90-61StartersHitters (BA/OBP/SLG)C - Billy Sullivan (.214/.262/.297)1b - Jiggs Donahue (.257/.320/.318)2b - Frank Isbell (.279/.324/.352)3b - Lee Tannehill (.183/.254/.220)SS - George Davis (.277/.338/.355)LF - Ed Hahn (.227/.335/.262)CF - Fielder Jones (.230/.346/.302)RF - Bill O'Neill (.248/.301/.276)Team

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1136754504115942032006-01-08T15:59:00.000-05:002006-01-08T16:10:47.356-05:00

I was going to take a look at what I thought would be the White Sox anticipated 2006 lineup, but Winning Ugly beat me to the punch (and did a much nicer job then I would have). The only difference I have is that Tad Iguchi will probably bat second and Juan Uribe will probably hit seventh or lower. Of course time will tell. Here's some additional thoughts.Out lineup has a lot more punch then it

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1136426252495973022006-01-04T20:53:00.000-05:002006-01-04T20:57:32.510-05:00

The White Sox signed Rob Mackowiak to a two year, $5.3 million deal. In the process, they'll avoid salary arbitration with the utility infielder.Mackowiak came over from the Pirates in a trade for Damasco Marte. Not a horrible move because Mackowiak can shore up the infield and he's a solid left handed bat. In 2004, he hit 17 homeruns and in 2005, he played every position except shortstop,

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1136375346704451472006-01-04T06:39:00.000-05:002006-01-04T06:57:28.456-05:00

If there was any question that Frank Thomas was a star in the making, his first full season ibn 1991 put any of those to rest. Frank Thomas got off to a rough start (.200 batting average in his first ten games) but he then hit homeruns in back to back games and never looked back. By the end of the season, he'd rack up numbers that would garner him a third place finish for the Most Valuable Player

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1135863190429919002005-12-29T08:26:00.000-05:002005-12-29T08:34:05.010-05:00

The White Sox inked Jon Garland for the next three years and avoided salary arbitration in the process. The three year, $29 million deal is back loaded as he'll earn $7 million next year, $10 million in 2007 and then $12 million in 2008.There's no doubt Garland had a monster year. Garland had 24 Runs Saved Above Average (RSAA) last year and his career mark is only 26. He had never won more then

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1135635452704490672005-12-26T17:12:00.000-05:002005-12-26T17:17:32.743-05:00

Record - 92-60, Finished Second Place in the American LeaguePythagorean Record - 97-55Starters (Note - I couldn't find a set lineup, so I'm listing the players who got the most time at their respective positions)Hitters (BA/OBP/SLG)C - Billy Sullivan (.201/.239/.269)1b - Jiggs Donahue (.287/.346/.349)2b - Gus Dundon (.192/.248/.228)3b - Lee Tannehill (.200/.274/.244)SS - George Davis (.278/.353/

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1135027946259371982005-12-19T16:31:00.000-05:002005-12-19T21:04:11.723-05:00

The White Sox inked A.J. Pierzynski to a three year, $15 million deal today. The Sox and A.J. will now avoid arbitration.Not a bad move. A.J. had a pretty good year, especially for a catcher. While he hit only .257, he did hit 18 homeruns. $5 million per is a chunck of change, but I think the Sox are doling out premiums to the guys who helped them win it all last year.Season lookbacks are

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1134745747448963412005-12-16T10:03:00.000-05:002005-12-16T10:09:07.466-05:00

Alright, I've thought a little further about the whole Javier Vazquez trade, and the one thing i'm worried about is what'll be happening to Brandon McCarthy. McCarthy was kind of the poster boy for this site and I still have high hopes for him, but it looks like for now he's the odd man out. What I really hope Ozzie Guillen does is put him in the pen so he gets some quality innings at the major

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1134613384301998382005-12-14T21:22:00.000-05:002005-12-14T21:23:04.323-05:00

Alright, I think this is a great deal. Orlando Hernandez was the worst of our five starters last year. While he threw some good games at times, his strikeout rate was at an all time low and he was still walking over 3.5 every nine innings. His WHIP bordered on 1.50 and by most estimations, he was lucky to have that .500 record. Throw in injury concerns and he's not a guy we could rely on going

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1134576021911465432005-12-14T10:59:00.000-05:002005-12-14T11:00:21.930-05:00

I like this trade a lot. Check back tonight as I'll break down the deal.

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1134355173195599552005-12-11T21:22:00.000-05:002005-12-11T21:40:54.340-05:00

It didn't take Frank Thomas long to make his mark on major league baseball. After being picked seventh overall in the 1989 draft after starring at Auburn University, Thomas made his major league debut on August 2, 1990. On that day, Thomas ended the game zero for four, but on his final at bat he hit into a fielders choice that scored Ivan Calderon. While he'd get his first RBI in that game, he'd

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1134096755642782732005-12-08T21:50:00.000-05:002005-12-08T21:52:35.660-05:00

Nothing too earth shattering here. Marte had a pretty rough year last year after three pretty good seasons. Adding Mackowiak gives us a left handed bat who can fill in just about anywhere.

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1134007205553868522005-12-07T20:57:00.000-05:002005-12-07T21:00:05.566-05:00

This is a pretty sad day as Frank Thomas will no longer be a Chicago White Sox. Thomas was one of the best hitters in the 1990s, and one of the best players to ever lace up a pair of cleats for the Sox. I'm a little disappointed, and I'll probably be taking a look at the Big Hurt's career over the next few weeks in memorium.Carl Everett and Raul Casanova are also gone as neither was offered

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1133500189407308582005-12-01T23:18:00.000-05:002005-12-02T00:09:49.423-05:00

I'm definitely happy with this. It gives us something we didn't have last year, and that's two mashers. Jim Thome can be the DH because he's been less the durable of late and Konerko can man first base. My initial thought is that we could see 100 homers between the two of them.Unfortunately, that means one of the greatest hitters to ever wear a White Sox uniform is the odd man out. I can't

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1133379171349350992005-11-30T14:32:00.000-05:002005-11-30T14:32:51.376-05:00

The final deal looks like it'll be five years for $60 million. I'll talk about this more tonight, but this is definitely good news.

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1133185651166653422005-11-28T08:38:00.000-05:002005-11-28T08:47:31.196-05:00

Alright, I'm even more happier. According to this story, not only did Jim Thome pass his physical, but it looks like Gio Gonzalez is not part of the deal unless he's the "player to be named later." Everything else that I reported on Thursday is still pretty valid.Ken Williams is saying that Paul Konerko is the next player he's targeting, but I'm still not convinced this is what we should be

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1132887211873509772005-11-24T21:26:00.000-05:002005-11-24T21:57:03.103-05:00

Alright, I had my Thanksgiving dinner (two of them actually) and I had some time to think about this. In some ways, I like the deal and in others I don't.First off, let's look at what we're getting. We know Jim Thome well because he was a scourge of the rest of AL Central when he played for the Indians. Since moving to the Phillies, he's had two really good years (more then 40 homers and more

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1132837866703185462005-11-24T08:08:00.000-05:002005-11-24T10:33:14.430-05:00

I'm heading out for Thanksgiving, but I wanted to touch on this really quick. Looks like the Sox and the Phillies have agreed on a deal that would send Aaron Rowand to the Phillies for Jim Thome and a boatload of cash. I'll do a more detailed analysis tonight, but my first question would be what about Paul Konerko? Will Thome be the DH or are they giving up on signing Konerko.I have mixed

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1132541552528712732005-11-20T21:45:00.000-05:002005-11-20T21:52:32.546-05:00

The White Sox re-signed Pablo Ozuna to a one year, $500k contract. Ozuna played every spot last year except for pitcher, catcher and centerfield. He's a replacement level hitter, but I guess he gives Ozzie Guillen some flexibility late in the game because Ozuna is a solid third basemen and shortstop. And he played on THE TEAM (the 2005 White Sox) so any time we lose a player, it'll be looked

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1131933406604619342005-11-13T20:53:00.000-05:002005-11-13T20:56:46.623-05:00

Not a big surprise last week, as Ozzie Guillen won Manager of the Year for leading the White Sox to the second best record in the major leagues. I still don't agree with a lot of his philosophies, but he led the Sox to the their first World Series in a long, long time, so he's going to get a free pass for quite some time.This story talks about how the White Sox aren't interested in Manny Ramirez

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1131329724413366282005-11-06T21:07:00.000-05:002005-11-06T21:15:24.430-05:00

The Chicago White Sox bought out Frank Thomas for $3.5 million, making one of the greatest hitters to ever lace up his cleats on the South Side a free agent.We all know Thomas has been less then durable the last few years, so the decision doesn't come as a surpise. In three of the last five seasons, Frank Thomas wasn't even able to make it to the 80 game mark, although one of those seasons (2003

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1130677260929991322005-10-30T07:58:00.000-05:002005-10-30T08:01:00.946-05:00

Not unexpected, but I fully expect Konerko to be back in a White Sox uniform next year. He's our best hitter, and if we let him go, he'd be the best first baseman on the market.Also, for some good reading, be sure to check out WSJ.com's cool article talking about how baseball executives had an idea that the 1919 White Sox were going to throw the World Series.

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1130409799203698642005-10-27T06:37:00.000-04:002005-10-27T06:43:19.216-04:00

Looking back, it seems so much easier then it should have been. The White Sox finished their sweep of the Houston Astros, and for the first time in 88 years, the city of Chicago, and more specifically, White Sox fans, have a World Series championship.Freddy Garcia and the bullpen were awesome. Garcia went seven innings and gave up only four hits with seven strikeouts. The big guy, Bobby Jenks,

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1130362872776734302005-10-26T17:39:00.000-04:002005-10-26T17:41:12.786-04:00

The last time the White Sox won the World Series, World War I, while winding down, was still happenning. The Great Depressing was well over a decade away, and a man named Woodrow Wilson was the President.The 88 year drought could end tonight.

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1130323068815371902005-10-26T06:28:00.000-04:002005-10-26T06:39:03.106-04:00

Wow.Let me say it again. Wow. Down 4-0, I had pretty much wrote this game off. Then the fifth came, and the White Sox could not be denied. Joe Crede led off the inning with a solo homerun to make it 4-1. I'm not sure if that was the inspiration that the White Sox needed, but the flood gates opened. Juan Uribe, Scott Podsednik, and Tad Iguchi all singled and it was 4-2. Another single by Jermaine

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1130150735982895642005-10-24T06:39:00.000-04:002005-10-24T06:46:17.300-04:00

Playing in the rain, the White Sox accomplished what they've done all season. It wasn't pretty, but they did just enough to win. In the top of the fifth, Morgan Ensberg drove in two runs with a double and the Astros looked like they were going to cruise to a 4-2 lead.Paul Konerko had something else to say about it though. In the bottom of the seventh, Paul Konerko hit a two out grand slam to give

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1130118301258292002005-10-23T21:40:00.000-04:002005-10-23T21:45:01.266-04:00

My favorite White Sox is Joe Crede. Seeing him play the way he did yesterday was simply awesome. I've been hoping he'd turn into the 30 homer, gold glove third basemen that some thought he might, however, if he can nab a World Series MVP instead, it would be even sweeter.Three huge defensive plays at third and a solo homerun were his contributions. Jose Contreras pitched well, as did Cotts and

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1129824785054884762005-10-20T12:09:00.000-04:002005-10-20T12:13:05.090-04:00

Game one of the World Series was always for Saturday, but as of last night, the White Sox have an opponent. The Houston Astros topped the St. Louis Cardinals in five games, so the Astros travel to Chicago for game one.Jose Contreras will square off against one of the greatest pitchers ever, Roger Clemens. Clemens had some leg problems (I want to say it's his hamstring) so hopefully Konerko and

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1129632218220417082005-10-18T06:41:00.000-04:002005-10-18T06:43:38.226-04:00

The Cardlinals avoided elimination last night with some two out heroics in the ninth inning. In the meantime, I recommend you check out this White Sox column by Broken Cowboy.

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1129545276502107132005-10-17T06:28:00.000-04:002005-10-17T06:35:31.776-04:00

For the fourth straight game, and the fourth straight win, a White Sox starter has gone the distance. It's been almost a week since the Sox used a reliever.Jose Contreras gave up three runs on only five hits. The White Sox got on the board first with a sac. fly by Joe Crede in the second inning but the Angels matched that with a run in the third. The Sox then took the lead back on a Jermaine Dye

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1129432031967669272005-10-15T23:02:00.000-04:002005-10-15T23:07:11.980-04:00

The White Sox are up 3-1 and they have a chance to win the series without even having to come home to play in Chicago. Freddy Garcia was the third straight starter to shut down the Indians as he went the distance. He gave up only two runs on six hits with one walks.Once again, the White Sox got all they needed in the first inning. A repeat of yesterday, Paul Konerko hit a three run homerun to

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1129376460206742562005-10-15T07:36:00.000-04:002005-10-15T07:41:00.220-04:00

Who needs a bullpen. Jon Garland, like Mark Buehrle in game two, went the distance. 83 of his 118 pitches were for strikes as he gave up only four hits and one walk while striking out seven.Paul Konerko came up huge as well. Three for four with a homerun, and three of the White Sox five runs were driven in by him. Tad Iguchi made the most of his two times on base and scored both times. They

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1129206771373917052005-10-13T08:24:00.000-04:002005-10-13T08:32:51.380-04:00

This is how they White Sox have won all season. Ride your starting pitcher, then pick up some runs here and there. They led the league with 35 one run wins this season, and it's nice to see their continuing to pull these games out.Mark Buehrle was spectacular. Nine innings, five hits, now walks and four strikeouts. The game finished in a typical fashion for one his starts. Two hours and 34

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1129135693248362622005-10-12T12:39:00.000-04:002005-10-12T12:48:13.260-04:00

Ozzie Guillen did everything he needed to do to sweep the Red Sox. Whether it was right or not, it worked. Yesterday's game was disappointing for the reason that we ran ourselves out of some potential rallies. The Angels got to Contreras early and that's where the mistakes began.Mistake number one came in the fifth inning. Scott Podsednik drew a one out walk and he got gunned down by Molina.

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1129027050066589062005-10-11T06:34:00.000-04:002005-10-11T06:37:30.073-04:00

The LA Angels of Anaheim took care of the Yankees. Now they have to swing back to the midwest where they'll face a rested and ready Chicago White Sox. Jose Contreras takes the mound against Paul Byrd, and we could play three games before the Angels can even bring in their ace, Bartolo Colon. And that's only if he's ready to play, because he left in the first inning last night.In short, things

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1128738191947350452005-10-07T22:17:00.000-04:002005-10-07T22:23:11.956-04:00

What a game. Paul Konerko hit a two run homer in the sixth inning to break a 2-2 tie. In the Red Sox half of the sixth, Manny Ramirez hit a solo homer, and Damasco Marte proceeded to load up the bases. Orlando Hernandez came in and got two pop ups and then got Johnny Damon to strikeout to end the inning. Damon bailed us out because the pitch was in the dirt. He tried to check up, but just

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1128594995530538072005-10-06T06:29:00.000-04:002005-10-06T06:36:35.540-04:00

What a game. The Red Sox jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead and things looked to be done. The White Sox put two runs on the board in fifth and had Joe Crede on first with one out. Juan Uribe hit into what should have been an inning ending double was misplayed by Tony Graffanino. Two things about David Wells are, he's a very good pitcher and he's a pitcher who's very good about getting rattled.

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1128478418637024632005-10-04T22:08:00.000-04:002005-10-04T22:13:38.646-04:00

What a game. The White Sox put five runs on the board in the first inning and they never looked back. It was 6-0 before the Red Sox finally got on the board with two runs in the fourth. The White Sox answered immediately with two in the bottom half of the inning, and eventually put 14 runs up.In all, the White Sox hit five homers. A.J. Pierzynski blasted two homers and went three for three.

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1128305998132063452005-10-02T22:13:00.000-04:002005-10-02T22:19:58.176-04:00

In a way, we brought this upon ourselves. The White Sox square off against the Red Sox in Chicago on Tuesday at 4 pm. We went 1-2 at Fenway this year, but it's not a fun place to play, so in my mind, keeping home field advantage in our lap is a neccesity.I didn't expect us to sweep the Indians with nothing to play for, but I guess it goes to show you how well you can do if you're loose and the

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1128043840224774862005-09-29T21:21:00.000-04:002005-09-29T21:32:43.936-04:00

I don't completely understand it, but despite the fact that the Indians could tie us if we get swept this weekend, the newswires are saying we get in as the division champion. It's our first playoff appearance since 2000, but the kicker is, we haven't won a playoff series since the last time we won the World Series. For you history buffs out, that was 88 years ago. It'll be interesting to see if

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1128010841786864762005-09-29T12:18:00.000-04:002005-09-29T12:20:41.793-04:00

The White Sox magic number is now two, and a win this afternoon against the Tigers means we're guaranteed a tie for both the AL Central and the Wild Card. It'd be nice if the White Sox took care of business and either the Indians or Red Sox lost tonight. Thankfully it looks like the Indians finally ran out of gas.

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1127697860313910102005-09-25T21:16:00.000-04:002005-09-25T21:27:12.046-04:00

This would qualify as a good weekend. Three straight wins and all with the pitching staff giving up a single run. This is what got us off to the great start that we've been riding the last couple of months, so I'm all for going back to it.The Indians, on the other hand, finally lost a game as the Royals came back to beat them this afternoon. Our magic number is now five. If things work out right,

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1127386544990793222005-09-22T06:50:00.000-04:002005-09-22T06:55:45.006-04:00

The White Sox couldn't build on their big win Tuesday and our offense showed our true colors. Four hits and no runs. And what was once a 15 game lead is now 2 1/2 games.On deck is a four game series with the Twins. The Indians, on the other hand, get the streaking Kansas City Royals. The way the Twins and the Tigers have been playing, the AL Central has to be back to being the worst in the

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1127304737362952222005-09-21T08:03:00.000-04:002005-09-21T08:14:43.980-04:00

What a game. With me working out of town, I didn't get to watch it, but I wore out my refresh button as I kept going back to the box score on Yahoo. After Monday's loss, this game was nothing short of huge.The Indians jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second, but the White Sox answered with two in the third on a Joe Crede two run homer. Travis Hafner gave the Indians the lead again in the fourth,

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1127091537401828762005-09-18T20:48:00.000-04:002005-09-18T21:02:12.323-04:00

Not a bad weekend. We took two of three against a still solid Twins team. Unfortunately, the Indians continue to tear things up. This week will be round one as the Tribe comes to Chicago for a three game series. It's sad at this point, but I'd even take a series loss as long as it's not a sweep. That would leave us with a 2 1/2 game lead (three in the loss column) with a week and a half to go. A

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1126832099152727462005-09-15T20:42:00.000-04:002005-09-15T20:54:59.160-04:00

If your a glass half full kind of person, the White Sox at least made a moderate move in the right direction this week. With one loss by Cleveland and one win for the Sox this week, the White Sox magic number is now 13. If you're a half glass empty kind of person, then you look at the fact that we lost two out of three to the worst team in baseball.Things started out well enough on Monday.

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1126477841697442602005-09-11T18:23:00.000-04:002005-09-11T18:32:00.880-04:00

I really hate when this happens. The White Sox had a nice, comfortable, double digit lead over the Indians. Then the Angels rolled into town and swept us. If the Indians win tonight, they'll be only five and a half games back of us (five in the loss column) with plenty of time to play. When I wrote last, the White Sox' magic number was fifteen. Guess what, it's still at fifteen.Friday was the

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1126276962426965962005-09-09T10:39:00.000-04:002005-09-09T10:42:42.436-04:00

I was pleased when I went to the standings and found a nice little number next to the White Sox name. That number is 15, and it's our magic number. We took two of three against the Kansas City and things are looking up.The question now is, who will we play in the first round. It looked like it might be the Yankees, but now they're behind Cleveland, which means if the playoffs started today

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1125969483847223482005-09-05T21:13:00.000-04:002005-09-05T21:19:12.726-04:00

The Tigers rolled into town this holiday weekend. I've been a little worried the last couple of weeks as the Indians slowly inched their way up the standings. But a nice four game sweep against Detroit did the trick, and now it's just a matter of time before the White Sox clinch the division.In the four games, the White Sox gave up only six runs. We even topped the Red Sox at Fenway today to

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1125535063994284872005-08-31T20:20:00.000-04:002005-08-31T20:41:53.576-04:00

This White Sox fan is glad that August is over and done with. Let's put it in the books, close the book and then forget about it. The White Sox were 12-16 in the month, by far their worst this year. What's odd is, their numbers before and after the All Star Break aren't all that different. On the hitting side, they were .262/.324/.420 in the first half and so far this year, they're .259/.313/.425

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1125279099469335852005-08-28T21:13:00.000-04:002005-08-28T21:34:44.193-04:00

It's been the story this season. Their pitching is stellar, and they score just enough to walk away with a win. The scary thing is, we've outplayed our Pythagorean Win/Loss by six games. The Indians have underplayed their's by two. Those eight games make up our current lead in the AL Central. While we're not quite the hitless wonders of 1917, we're definitely a touch below average.What does it

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1125075085649245172005-08-26T12:49:00.000-04:002005-08-26T12:51:25.656-04:00

Despite the way the White Sox' series with the Twins started, it really didn't turn out that bad. Mired in their worst slump all season, the Sox bounced back from the disappointing loss on Tuesday and won the final two games of the series.Tuesday, sigh. Freddy Garcia pitched the game of his life. One hit, two walks and three strikeouts in the complete game. Unfortunately, that one hit was a

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1124675621491630202005-08-21T21:44:00.000-04:002005-08-21T21:55:45.373-04:00

One good inning. That's all the White Sox could manage this weekend. Fortunately, that one good inning resulted in six runs that ultimately snapped the Sox seven game losing streak. I really didn't want to see the White Sox play a meaningful series in September, but when you're a White Sox fan, you're used to being disappointed. While I'd say an eight and a half game lead is "pretty safe" at this

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1124381629652921022005-08-18T12:11:00.000-04:002005-08-18T12:13:49.663-04:00

When you're a White Sox fan, you expect the worse. A week ago, I thought that there was no way they could blow this lead. While I still feel the White Sox are a lock to make the playoffs, I'm getting a bad feeling. I've had it before, and you Sox fans know what I'm talking about.The White Sox were swept in their three game series with the Twins. Normally this series would have meant something

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1124071686913980972005-08-14T22:06:00.000-04:002005-08-14T22:08:06.916-04:00

I'll have to check but this might be the first time the White Sox were swept. I just rolled back into town, so I'll check back in tomorrow with a full report. Needless to say, it wasn't a good showing against the World Champs. Even worse, we had a nice three run lead only to see today's game postponed because of rain.

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1123714690718218652005-08-10T18:48:00.000-04:002005-08-10T19:04:50.873-04:00

Three more one run games, and we walked away with two of them. And in hostile territory no less. As the season wraps up, this is looking more and more like White Sox fan's dream season.The first game was the rough one and the first of three where we scored a pair of runs. Mike Mussina outdueled Orlando Hernandez and while the White Sox outhit the Yankees 9-4, we lost the game 3-2 mostly because

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1123527252678639282005-08-08T14:50:00.000-04:002005-08-08T14:54:12.686-04:00

A pretty good weekend for the Sox. First we'll take a look at the weekend series, then we'll contemplate the Sox playoff picture.Things got off on a down note Friday when the Mariners rolled into town and shut down the Sox. Joel Pineiro and four Mariner relieverz held the home team to two runs on eight hits. All six runs in the game were scored in different innings. Aaron Rowand and A.J.

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1123207836478893342005-08-04T22:01:00.000-04:002005-08-04T22:10:36.483-04:00

I have a feeling things are going to be boring for White Sox fans the next couple of months. I'm sure there will be some excitement as they chase 100 wins, but they have a fairly safe 13 1/2 game lead over the Indians. The Twins are an after thought, and with Torii Hunter on the DL, I think it's safe to say they don't pose much of a threat. The White Sox were also the first team to reach 70

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1122862863727286522005-07-31T22:08:00.000-04:002005-07-31T22:21:03.736-04:00

I know the game's not quite over, but it's 9-1 in the fifth. And it's not a sweep, because they play another game tomorrow. One of only four game being played on Monday.Orlando Hernandez got things started on Friday. He pitched six innings and held Baltimore to two runs. The pen did their job as well. Three different reliever combined to shut out the Birds in the final three innings of the

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1122516724102679262005-07-27T21:57:00.000-04:002005-07-27T22:12:04.110-04:00

Things started well in this series. On Monday, the White Sox put 14 runs on the board and they beat the Kansas City Royals for the tenth straight time this year. Kansas City got quite a few hits (16) but they only put six runs on the board, which wasn't nearly enough. The White Sox, in the meantime, put up 22 hits in the rout.Six different White Sox had three hits, and a grand total of eight

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1122313815048201162005-07-25T13:37:00.000-04:002005-07-25T13:50:15.056-04:00

Anytime the World Champs roll into town, it's a big series. When it looks like they could be a potential playoff opponent in October, it's an even bigger deal. The White Sox didn't far too bad as they walked away with a 2-2 split.I think Luis Vizcaino has some sort of dirt on Ozzie Guillen. Not that he'd care too much, and I know there's always a need for a long relief/mop up guy, but it seems

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1121906713240008872005-07-20T20:37:00.000-04:002005-07-20T20:45:13.253-04:00

You can't win them all. And to paint this is in a favorable light, we were somewhat lucky to walk away with one win. On Monday, the Sox were down 4-1, but they opened the game up with three homers in the seventh inning. Joe Crede had the big blast as his three run homer put the Sox in the lead for good. Paul Konerko and Juan Uribe also homered in the seventh while Frank Thomas got in on the

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1121735716078582882005-07-18T21:10:00.000-04:002005-07-18T21:15:16.086-04:00

If there's any question that this White Sox team is a "dream team," then this last series with Indians should be what sets even the most paranoid Sox fan at ease. You couldn't have written it any better if it were script. After the second halves that the Sox have had the last couple of years, a four game sweep against one of the hottest teams is pretty welcome.Now we just have to take care of

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1121560196394379932005-07-16T20:16:00.000-04:002005-07-16T20:46:59.143-04:00

No complaints about how the White Sox have played so far in the second half. Three games, three wins. And all against a team most people would make a quick run at things, the Cleveland Indians. They won their 60th game today.On Thursday, Frank Thomas started and ended things with an RBI double in the first inning. Nobody for either team would cross the plate the rest of the game because we had a

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1121389081452874112005-07-14T20:55:00.000-04:002005-07-14T20:58:01.456-04:00

If you're a White Sox fan, the All Star Break is something you're not too anxious to get too. For the last three years, the White Sox have led the division at the break, and the last two years they've lost that lead and didn't make the playoffs. While they'd have to go into a major tail spin to blow this one, you just never know. And they're going up against one of the hottest teams in baseball

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1121050028883689012005-07-10T22:38:00.000-04:002005-07-10T22:47:08.890-04:00

Well, there's a first time for everything. Oakland seems to be one of the major thorns in our side as they swept the Sox this weekend. We're now 2-7 against them on the season, which is by far the worst record of any team the Sox have faced. It's the first time we've been swept in a three game series this season.I don't know what was tougher to take because we had a little of everything. In

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1120731998883163962005-07-07T06:20:00.000-04:002005-07-07T06:42:49.020-04:00

While the first and second games were somewhat close (10-8 and 6-4), the White Sox handled the Devil Rays pretty easily. In total, they outscored them 23-14.Jermaine Dye was the hero of the first game. His grand slam in the first inning set the tone, and while the Devil Rays made it close, the Sox never gave up the lead. In total, he had six RBIs and the homerun was his eighteenth of the season.

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1120529418861894502005-07-04T22:04:00.000-04:002005-07-04T22:10:18.866-04:00

Well, you know these things happen when the Sox head out west. While I was back home for the weekend, the Sox dropped two of the three against the now streaking Athletics. They did manage to win Saturday to avoid the sweep. The good news is, they're beating the Devil Rays tonight. I really wish the Sox game was on WGN (I'm still in MI) because the Braves/Cubs game is on three different

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1120269189009124412005-07-01T21:52:00.000-04:002005-07-01T21:53:09.013-04:00

I hope everyone has a nice holiday weekend and that the Sox have a successful West Coast trip this weekend.

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1120181444506553532005-06-30T21:26:00.000-04:002005-06-30T21:30:44.513-04:00

To date, the White Sox have played 26 series. Of those series, they've won 19, split two and lost five. Of the 19 series they've won, they've swept their opponents nine times. I didn't check the other teams, but I have to assume those nine sweeps leads the league.Freddy Garcia was awesome once again. He threw his first complete game of the season and gave up only one unearned run on five hits

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1120127621217449372005-06-30T06:29:00.000-04:002005-06-30T06:33:41.223-04:00

It took them fourteen innings, but the White Sox pulled out yet another one run game. The White Sox pen pitched the Sox out of a man on third and nobody out jam, and in the eighth inning, Politte pitched himself out of a bases loaded and nobody out jam to eventually send the game into extra frames.Then in the thirteenth, the Big Hurt himself hit a solo homer to win the game. Brandon McCarthy

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1119836711107243112005-06-26T21:44:00.000-04:002005-06-26T22:09:44.786-04:00

Record - 89-65, Finished Third Place in the American LeaguePythagorean Record - 92-62Starters (Note - I couldn't find a set lineup, so I'm listing the players who got the most time at their respective positions)Hitters (BA/OBP/SLG)C - Billy Sullivan (.229/.255/.307)1b - Jiggs Donahue (.248/.298/.319)2b - Gus Dundon (.228/.292/.268)3b - Lee Tannehill(.229/.260/.303)SS - George Davis (.252/.311/

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1119834162879727522005-06-26T20:53:00.000-04:002005-06-26T21:02:42.896-04:00

Well, you can't win them all. On Saturday, Jose Contreras gave up a first inning grand slam to Aramis Ramirez that ended up being the difference in the game. Today it was Mark Prior coming back off the DL and throwing six innings of one hit ball to outduel Jon Garland. To make matters worse, the Twins finally won and they're now 9 1/2 games back. Nothing to worry about, but the Tigers have

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1119663007148188712005-06-24T21:25:00.000-04:002005-06-24T21:30:07.153-04:00

Freddy Garcia threw a nice game, but it wasn't even needed as the Sox put twelve runs up on the board. Frank Thomas, Joe Crede and A.J. Pierzynski all homered. Scott Podsednik stole his 38th base of the season and despite having thirteen hits and six walks, the White Sox left only six men on base.Garcia threw seven innings and gave up only three hits and a run. He struck out eight before

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1119576841707590392005-06-23T21:29:00.000-04:002005-06-23T21:34:01.713-04:00

The White Sox won number 49 yesterday afternoon, and are in the midst of another nice winning streak. They've won seven straight and they host the Cubs in their annual L-train series.This time it what was Mark Buehrle throwing the gem. He improved to 9-1 by throwing eight strong innings. He gave up one unearned run on only five hits, and he struck out six. And it was a typical Buehrle quick

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1119456843447787212005-06-22T12:13:00.000-04:002005-06-22T12:14:03.450-04:00

Remember when a lot people in the 60s felt the Kansas City Royals we're basically a AAA affiliate of the Yankees?? Well, they're playing like a AAA team this season, and the White Sox rolled over them again. Jon Garland threw another nice game as he went 8 1/3 innings, giving up only one run on four hits. Damasco Marte came in to get the last two Royals out.Two of the five White Sox runs were

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1119350972833050582005-06-21T06:44:00.000-04:002005-06-21T06:49:32.836-04:00

The White Sox saw a 5-1 lead evaporate pretty quickly and they even had to comeback from one run down to win this one. The two teams combined for 19 runs and 27 hits, but the Sox came out on top with some strong relief pitching.Brandon McCarthy's second debut wasn't all that great. He got pulled in the fifth after getting two outs, and he gave up six runs on seven hits and four walks. Most

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1119317151390636722005-06-20T21:21:00.000-04:002005-06-20T21:25:51.393-04:00

Another game, another close victory. The White Sox trailed in this one 3-0 until they put two runs on the board in the eighth. Willie Harris drove in a run on a single and moved to second on Repko's error. He then scored on a Paul Konerko ground out to shave the lead to a single run.Then in the bottom of the eighth, Aaron Rowand drove in two White Sox with a single. Dustin Hermanson allowed a

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1119301491060532202005-06-20T17:03:00.000-04:002005-06-20T17:06:41.906-04:00

With El Duque, Orlando Hernandez, heading back to the DL, Brandon McCarthy gets the nod once again as he starts for the Sox tonight. And it was nice to see Will Carroll agree with me that McCarthy might not deserve what he's had to deal with.Unfortunately, McCarthy has struggled since getting sent back down to AAA. He's now 3-7, but he's still striking out batters like it's nobody's business.

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1119229888335808482005-06-19T21:05:00.000-04:002005-06-19T21:11:28.340-04:00

It's another special treat for me. As I sit in my hotel room in BFE Nebraska, I get to check out my White Sox as they're the ESPN game of the week. As it stands, it's the fourth inning, and the Sox are down 1-0.What a game yesterday though. Four ninth inning runs to walk off with win (literally) and a pair of Twins losses this weekend and the White Sox can extend their lead to 7 1/2 games with

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1118975971590014082005-06-16T22:33:00.000-04:002005-06-16T22:39:31.603-04:00

It wasn't pretty, but Jon Garland improved to 11-2. He gave up three homers and was credited with six earned runs through six innings of work, but a ten run White Sox sixth inning turned a poor start into a win.And what an inning that was. Paul Konerko, Juan Uribe and Frank Thomas all homered to account for six of the ten runs. Joe Crede had two doubles and two runs and both Konerko and Uribe

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1118756705681509382005-06-14T09:39:00.000-04:002005-06-14T09:52:56.040-04:00

It didn't take too long for this one to be over, and this is one of the major faults of this team. Not that many teams come back from a 7-0 deficit, but the Sox just don't have the guns to put that many runs on the board to provide for the "big comeback."Fortunately, Guillen got six innings from Contreras as he calmed down after the second inning. His final line was eight hits, nine runs, and

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1118628285924931772005-06-12T21:59:00.000-04:002005-06-12T22:04:45.926-04:00

The White Sox never led in this game until the tenth inning. They trailed five to four until Juan Uribe drew a bases loaded walk to tie the game in the eighth. Then in the tenth Aaron Rowand hit a huge three run shot to win it for the Sox.Freddy Garica was roughed up, but survived long enough to hand it over to the pen. The relivers had as much to do with winning this game as Rowand did, as

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1118588558991450592005-06-12T10:54:00.000-04:002005-06-12T11:02:39.003-04:00

It's nice when you can call a four game winning streak a mini-streak. The White Sox dropped a tough one as they scored one run in the first inning, with nothing afterwards. The Padres didn't put runs up on the board until the ninth, unfortunately they were two very big runs.A great start by Mark Buerhle was completely wasted. He pitched 7 2/3 shutout innings, and he struck out six Padres.

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1118372600793373522005-06-09T22:59:00.000-04:002005-06-09T23:03:20.796-04:00

Fifteen runs and twenty hits. Oddly enough, the Sox were down for three innings in this one, but they scored ten runs in the final two frames to finish the beat down.Four different White Sox had three hits, and Joe Crede and Frank Thomas hit homers. Thomas was used as a pinch hitter in two of the games during the series, and he'll have to sit on the bench a while longer as the Sox travel to San

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1118227161373134582005-06-08T06:34:00.000-04:002005-06-08T06:39:21.376-04:00

Monday, the Sox hit the lights out. Last night they needed a top notch performance from Jose Contreras and the pen as they topped the Rockies 2-1. Contreras went six innings, and gave up only one run on five hits. He struck out six and walked two.Even more impressive was reliever Neal Cotts. He pitched two perfect innings, and sturck out four of the six batters he faced. Dustin Hermanson

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1118139379090511642005-06-07T06:13:00.000-04:002005-06-07T06:16:19.093-04:00

It's nice winning the games that you're supposed to. Despite the Rockies coming off of a series sweep over the equally inept Reds, the White Sox jumped all over them for nine runs and fifteen hits. Freddy Garcia threw a gem by going eight, striking out ten, and only giving up two hits.Paul Konerko hit his fifteenth homer of the season. The Twins had the day off, so the Sox now have a four game

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1118075257911749202005-06-06T12:17:00.000-04:002005-06-06T12:27:39.020-04:00

Well, the White Sox had several chances to complete their sweep of the Indians, but they fell short as they finally lost the game in the twelth inning. Dustin Hermanson walked away with his first loss of the season and to make matters worse, neither of the two runs he was given credit for were earned. A pretty good start by Mark Buehrle went to waste. I'm still not sure what Guillen's love

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1117887985508851702005-06-04T08:19:00.000-04:002005-06-04T08:26:25.516-04:00

El Duque didn't have his best stuff, but once again it was good enough to win. The White Sox won another close game. All is good.Hernandez pitched six innings. And while he gave up only six hits, he did give up four runs in the third inning. The big shot was a three run homer by Coco Crisp. The Sox scored four runs in the first on four different one run singles. Carl Everett gave the Sox

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1117679043360733572005-06-01T22:16:00.000-04:002005-06-01T22:24:05.590-04:00

As we speak, Frank Thomas is coming in to pinch hit with the bases loaded and down by four runs. Give me a minute, and we'll either have a story book ending or just a plain old loss.Two-one count........Three-one count......To be continued. K-Rod walked him to put the winning run at the plate. To make the stat line even more interesting, he's being replaced by a pinch runner. So he'll drive

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1117623527579125462005-06-01T06:52:00.000-04:002005-06-01T06:58:47.583-04:00

Every once in a while, a team has a season where everything goes right. As a teenager, I lived in northern Michigan, and I liken this to how the 1984 Tigers played. You can say the same about any other surprise team, but it seemed like no matter what they did, they still came out ahead in the win column.The White Sox won yet another one run game yesterday, improving their mark to 17-7 on the

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1117546590841889022005-05-31T09:33:00.000-04:002005-05-31T09:36:30.843-04:00

I'll post more on this later, but two goods and two bads happened today. The first good is Frank Thomas came back. The first bad is he left in the seventh with what's hopefully a minor hip injury.The second good is the Sox won again, breaking their three game skid. And one of the results of the Sox playing so well is the double edged sword. As a fan, I'm really happy the Sox are playing as

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1117416639916265872005-05-29T21:26:00.000-04:002005-05-29T21:30:39.920-04:00

One of the best hitters ever to lace up a pair of shoes for the White Sox will be returning to the lineup soon. Thomas is supposed to be activated from the DL effective tomorrow. Unfortunately Ozzie Guillen doesn't read this blog and Brandon McCarthy was sent back down to the minors.Frank Thomas has a career .996 OPS. That's good for tenth all time, and he's fourth among active players.

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1117414323802106172005-05-29T20:46:00.000-04:002005-05-29T20:52:03.806-04:00

The White Sox seven gave road swing turned into a six game road swing, and they ended up losing four of six. Today shouldn't have came as a complete surprise, because the Garland train couldn't last forever, and he got shelled for the first time this year.He gave the Sox six innings, but he left with seven earned runs. He added nearly a 0.50 point to his ERA in the process. Almost all of the

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1117248977815315292005-05-27T22:52:00.000-04:002005-05-27T22:56:17.816-04:00

You know he'd eventually take his lumps. Brandon McCarthy had a game I'm sure he wished that he could forget. All those homeruns down at AAA explains a little bit of what happened here as McCarthy threw five innings and gave up four homeruns. He gave up two other hits, walked three, and he struck out four.Paul Konerko hit his thirteenth homer of the season. To make matters worse, the Twins

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1117209726306440662005-05-27T11:50:00.000-04:002005-05-27T12:02:06.323-04:00

Maybe I cursed by saying I'd be happy with a split. Once again, the Sox bats failed them as a very strong outing by Jose Contreras went to waste. He gave up only four hits through nine innings while striking out nine. Unfortunately he gave up a two run homer to rookie Dallas McPhereson that ended up making the difference.The White Sox only managed six hits of their own, with Scott Podsednik

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1117112186999642432005-05-26T08:49:00.000-04:002005-05-26T08:56:27.013-04:00

The White Sox won again. I said I'd be happy with a split against Anaheim, and Freddy Garcia pitched the Sox to at least that last night. Paul Konerko and Chris Widger accounted for five of the Sox seven hits, and drove in all four runs on homers. Konerko's three run shot put the Sox up for good, while Widgers solo homer gave them a little extra insurance. So much for small ball.Freddy Garcia

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1117070062110099612005-05-25T21:10:00.000-04:002005-05-25T21:14:22.116-04:00

Mark Buehrle pitched the equivalent of a complete game last night, giving up only four hits in nine innings. The Sox did their best to blow the strong outing, but a Carl Everett solo shot in the first was good enough to put this one into extra frames. Then in the eleventh, Iguchi doubled to drive in the winning run.Equally impressive was Damasco Marte. He threw two perfect innings to improve

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11096975.post-1116931665496190382005-05-24T06:43:00.000-04:002005-05-24T06:47:45.506-04:00

Hopefully it was just jet lag. Jon Garland lost his first game of the season, but he hardly pitched bad. He did give up eleven hits, but only three of them crossed the plate. It was the offense that failed them in this one.The White Sox scattered five hits off of rookie starter Edwin Santana. Konerko and Iguchi both had two hits. Luis Vizcaino was ineffective again as he gave up a run. It

Jay Maxwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01007170149100760228noreply@blogger.com0