The Chicago White Sox won a big game 5-3, against the Texas Rangers.  Alexei Remirez hit a big two run blast in the 6th inning for the winning Sox.  The Sox climbed back in the race on a sorching hot streak.  They cooled off a bit on this road trip, dropping two out of three to KC, and then righting themselves with a big win tonight.  This coupled with losses by the Twins and Detroit give Chicago a fighting chance to do some damage right before the All-Star break. 

Right now, they would have to be one of the surprise teams in the AL.  Not because of where they are, but where they've been.  The Sox were in the outer reaches of the Twilight Zone before Interleague Play began.  And, then the ChiSox went on a winning streak that catapulted them back to Earth.   Things might not be so great between the manager and Ken Williams the Gen. Mgr, but winning is a healing elixir.  The team knows it can compete and is finding more confidence as the wins mount.  There is talent in the pitching staff.  Now, if some hitters can pick it up, this team should be flirting with first place soon.   Maybe then Ozzie can get some credit.  But really, it is the players who are performing well.

Continue reading "Sox In Race To Win It"

All one can say is the Chicago White Sox has turned around their season.  They are winning games.  They are now in second place with a win and a Twins loss last Wedneday night.  The bad news and the Sox have to get ready for this, is Jake Peavy, a former CY Young winner, was placed on the DL and is likely out of the season.  If he is out, the Sox have chance now to make the adjustments.  The can bring in Daniel Hudson who has been pitchning well in the Whits Sox famr system. Or they can try to trade for a pitcher.  All I can say is, a trade is going to cost you.  You have to give up to get.

The Sox don't have much depth to part ways with Andruw Jones.  You can't let Paul Konerko get away because he is the Captain of the team and having a very good year, and still could wind up on the team, if someone gets hurt and can't play.  But they are getting the job done.  Winning a series vs the Angels is a step in the right direction.  They are putting pressure of teams in front of them, and passed one of them.  The Sox are back in the race.

Continue reading "Sox Make Five Errors En Route to 4th In Row."

The White Sox starting pitching is good.  Jake Peavy goes out the other night with a torn muscle in his upper back that could sideline him for the rest of the season.  Ok, up steps Jonathan Danks, who when he is good, he is really good.

Today he was great, striking out 7, no walks, and gave up only two hits going the distance for a complete game shutout.

That how pitchers did it in the old days.  When Billy Pierce, the great lefty for the ChiSox would hurl his gems.  Danks has the stuff.  And, he helped hot Chicago win their 5th game in a row, to solidfy their 2nd place position in the AL Central.

They are neck and neck with Detroit which holds a slim .5 game lead.  The Sox recent winning streak got them back in the watercooler conversation.  Now, you can talk about them quite seriously.  Sure, they will miss Peavy, but this team is on a roll, and has 4 solid starters.   The team may be in the market for another starting pitcher.  The team is at the high-water mark for the season at 8 games over.600 so we are not talking chopped liver here.  The squad is capable of going 15 games over .500.  They need to hit the ball.  You can't rely on Alex Rios or Paul Konerko to win you games.  You need to come up with somebody else.  How about Gordon Beckham?  If he could get untracked, they would be in the race.  The Sox need quality starts but now needs quality hits.  Someone has to drive in runs with runner in scoring position. 

Continue reading "Danks Hurls a CG Two Hitter in 1-0 Win"

It's come down to this.  A coming out party for the 3 star players of the Heat:  LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade, was wierd.  It was over-the-top and unfortunate.  If this is an example of giving the players their due props, then the Heat are already in trouble.  They haven't won anything.  You'd think they won the NBA title.  Heck, they haven't even played together, won a game together, fought together or sweat together.

I'll say this, when it came down the crunch time against the Celtics, where was Lebron?  He all but disappeared in game 5.  Looked dreadful, out of sync, like he woke up on the wrong side of the bed. 

This whole deal with the Heat is all hype and flash.  It's alot of smoke and flash.  The Heat will be interesting to watch.  Everyone will expect them to win every game they play.  After about 10 games, playing for them won't be fun anymore.  The Heat could collapse under the weight of the over-sized egos on the team.  They may have to turn to Pat Riley to coach these guys, but he can;'t make them play together.  Not too many teams will be able to test them, but they will be tested, and then we will see how good they are.  One coach will find a way to neutralize LeBron, and the other parts won't work as well.  A coach has to understand physics and the laws of human nature and there aren't too many coaches that come to mind.  Phil Jackson can find a way to beat the Heat.  He has Kobe and Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom.  The Lakers and the Heat will be something to see.

Continue reading "Miami Heat Could Be A Bust"

The Chicago White Sox beat KC in a 15-5 rout, hitting 5 homers in the game, including Carlos Quintin's grand-slam for good measure.  It was his second HR of the day, when four Sox players hit home runs in a 7 run spurt.

The Sox rapped out 18 hits, many of them long balls, as they drive to the top, made contact, just before the All-Star Break.

Things are looking good for the Sox.  The only bum news is that pitcher Jake Peavy is lost for the season.  Other Sox pitchers have performed great during a month of games that saw Chicago rise from baseball purgatory to the top of the heap.  Eqrlier this month, the Sox ended an 11 game winning streak, now they are an 8 game win streak.  Pitchers have been doing their job and today, the hitters finally did theirs.  Quintin is red-hot and has greatly improved his power numbers in a series of multi-homer games.  Andruw Jones hit his 400th home run, a real milestone. 

Continue reading "Sox Climb To The Top, Win 8th In Row"

The All-Star Break is a chance for players to get away from the game and live normally for 3 days...and then go back to work.  Sometimes the break gives new life to a player, often that is not the case.  However, this season the ChiSox have emerged from the depths of a season-long fog to reach the sunlight and show that they have as much talent as the other AL Central contenders, the Twins and Tigers. 

Actually, the Sox can play better.  If Carlos Quintin keeps up his pace, or backs off just a bit, and Gordon Beckham, continues to make contact, the Sox are going to be competitive.  The pitching for the Sox has been sterling.  Each starter is capable of going out and getting into the 8th inning.  And, the Sox can close the door in the 9th. 

Continue reading "Rest Up ChiSox, It Won't Be Easy To Win Title"

The Chicago White Sox were close to winning a game up in Minnesota, where gettings wins is as rare as finding gold coins in the street.  They led 6-3 going into the 9th inning and closer Bobby Jenks and Sergio Santos played "Who wants it more?"  The Sox seemed to say "We don't want to salvage a split" and slip away with a 2 1/2 game lead over the Twins, their nemesis in recent seasons. 

The Sox played Santa Claus on this mid-summer day and before you knew it,  the Twins had erupted for 4 quick runs and the game was over.  All you need to know is that Jenks let this one get away.  He walked guys and the Twins' Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer came up with key hits.  Dalmon Young's single drove home the winning runs.  Rios was charged with an error on the throw from the outfield. The Twins had 4 hits in the blink of an eye and the Sox were up to their old tricks.

Continue reading "Sox Have To Shake Off Tough Loss"

Chicago White Sox pitcher John Danks pitched two hit ball for over 7 innings and Alex Rios continued his hot hitting as the Sox blanked the Mariners, 4-0 Tuesday nite.  With the win, The Sox pick up a game on both Detroit and Minnesota, who both lost earlier in the day.  The Sox lead increased to 3 1/2 games over both teams, their largest lead of the season.

The Sox rebounded for their tough loss to Minnesota the other night with a 6-1 win in Seattle.  The followed that game with Danks' strong outing.  He is becoming the ace of the staff with a diminishing ERA and mounting wins in recent starts.

Rios had two hits to reach .310 for the season.  Paul Knoerko added two hits also.  Chicago is looking pretty good on this west coast road trip that next moves to Oakland.  The White Sox play in Seattle on Wednesday.  The team is getting strong pitching and timely hitting.  That was was propelled them back into the race and now the team has leapfrogged the Tigers and Twins into the Divison lead. 

Continue reading "Danks' Gem Paces Sox to 4-0 Win"

The Chicago Bears are about to come out of hibernation and start pre-season practice.  In recent years, the opening of camp has almost as much anticipation as the first game of the year.  This year, the expectations may be heightened more when Mike Martz, the offensive "gurui" takes over the Bears play book.  He will be in charge in getting the most out of Jay Cutler, the QB who wilted for much of the season, then showed how good he was in the Bears' last two games.

Cutler not only has to cut down on a league high 26 intercpetions, but he has to get used to new formations, and a whole new apprach to the game.  It will be learning on the fly, but can he learn his lessons well?  If he does, the Bears may have  a decent to good year.  If he doesn't, then the Bears wion't make the playoffs and exit head coach Lovie Smith. 

Continue reading "Bears Ready to Rumble?"

Alex Rodriguez of the NY Yankees is a great home run hitter. Period.  Ok, he used performance enhancing drugs when he played for Texas 8 or 9 years ago.  Well, a lot of time has passed since then, and A-Rod is still hitting Homers.  He will hit his 600th possibly today at home.  If not today, maybe tomorrow.  But he will hit it.  And,  some years down the line, he will be on the verge of hitting his 700th.  If he is clean, he is randomly tested by MLB, he should be given a pass. 

People should know that this is one great slugger.  He has predetermined ability to hit the ball out of the park. He hits big homers in big spots for the Yanks.  You need a slam, call A-Rod, you need to tie the game in the late innings, bring up A-Rod.  The fans, have finally embraced him. 

Continue reading "A-Rod On The Verge for 600th HR"

The Chicago White Sox hit last night and Gavin Floyd went 7 strong innings to get the win, as the rolled to an 11-0 rout of Seattle on Tuesday night.  The Sox are hot at home and have won nine in a row.  The White Sox, who turned around its season winning 26 of 31 games after June 8th, are playing solid baseball at the end of July.

Paul Konerko, Alexei Ramirez, and Andruw Jones, went deep for the ChiSox. Jones' 3 run blast put Chicago ahead 11-0 in the 5th and the game was all but over.  Ramirez collected 3 hits and has been torrid of late.  He ihas been contributing much at the plate in recent weeks.  Konerko hit a home run in his second straight game.  He has 23 for the season.

Floyd, like the rest of Chicago's starting pitching, had a dominant night.  He's been effective and efficient and the offense clicked into high gear.  The Sox scored 4 runs in the bottom of the first to set the tone for the night.  The Sox have a slim lead over the Twins, but look like they are in the hunt for the rest of the season. 

Continue reading "ChiSox Play Longball in 11-0 Rout of Mariners"

You know, baseball is a funny game.  The Chicago White Sox have rescued their own season by winning games, and are a season high 14 games over .500 at 58-44.  Now, the front office wants to get into the act.

The White Sox added pitcher Edwin Jackson from the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Earlier this year, Jackson through a no-hitter.  He might be the first pitcher ever traded who has pitched a no-hitter for a club.  Jackson can pitch and give you innings.  The Sox gave up young promising pitcher Daniel Hudson and a minor leaguer prospect.   Jackson is to replace injured Jake Peavy in the starting rotation. 

Now, one hears of the last minute efforts to acquire Manny Ramirez, who is on the DL, from the Dodgers.  Ramirez, one of the feared hitters in the game would be an addition to any team.  But the White Sox don't need him now.  They are hitting just fine.  Last night they pounded out 13 hits in a win over Oakland.  Guys are warming up.  Alexei Ramirez, no relation to Manny, is one of the hottest hitters in the AL.  He has risen his BA from .235 to .290 in a little over a month.  and Gordon Beckham is coming out of his season long slump.  He is regularly getting 2 hits a night.  And driving in runs. 

Continue reading "Sox Obtain Jackson in Trade; Stymied in Getting Manny"