A Digitized Gift From Dinged Corners

Patricia and Lucy are back from Tucson and they came baring a gift. A photo of Todd Helton playing first base. But wait... who's that fan favorite first base coach? It's none other than White Sox legend, Harold Baines!

That's so awesome! Thank you!

You can read all about their Spring Training adventure here. You can read about my summary of the game here. It seems that Patricia and Lucy aren't the only ones with exhibition tales. Mario and Tatiana have their own adventure here.

I would be jealous of everyone's good time, but in each case the heat was brutal. On second thought, that does sound better than the ice showers that have hit Chicago this week.

I'm glad to hear that everyone had a great time at their respective games, despite the heat. I'm just happy that the season is opening up on next week here in the States. A live baseball game at 5 AM is not my idea of a good time.

3-28-08: Sox 5 - Rangers 4

The White Sox are inching closer to the Midwest. Tonight, they played an exhibition game in Oklahoma City against the Rangers. The offense showed up again. This time, without errors by the defense counterpart. The Sox may actually be ready for the season.

Paul Konerko hit another home run. Toby Hall and Jim Thome both drew two walks. Juan Uribe, Alexei Ramirez and Paul Konerko each got two hits. Even John Danks bounced back nicely. He didn't get the win, but he pitched well in five innings.

The Sox won a challenging game that the Rangers brought. The Rangers put in a different relief pitcher in each inning. Mixing up pitchers sometimes confounds White Sox hitters. Luckily, there were a few innings where that didn't happen.

The good:
Orlando Cabrera managed to get a hit and score a run. Does this mean he's ready?

Paul Konerko's home run.

The bad:
Brian Anderson was 0 for 4 at the plate, but has had a nice spring overall.

John Danks had a shaky first inning, but recovered nicely.

The ugly:
Mike MacDougal faced three batters and gave up three hits. I hope he can bounce back from this bad outing.

Nick Swisher was 0 for 5 tonight.

This was a good confidence booster for the Sox. They play the final spring exhibition game tomorrow in Memphis, Tennessee against the Mets. Jose Contreras against John Maine. I can't believe that the White Sox opening day is already on Monday. I can't wait!

3-27-08: Diamondbacks 8 - Sox 4

Sometimes, no matter what your best intentions are, you still lose. I'm sure that has entered the minds of White Sox players lately. Sure, it's only Spring Training, but didn't Ozzie say that they were playing to win this spring? At least the hitting is starting to come around.

If Nick Masset makes the team, I will be surprised. I know he is out of options, but that should not be a factor in his making the team if there is a better option. There is in Ehren Wassermann. I have a sneaking suspicion that Nick will make the team simply because the Sox do not want to lose him. If he brings performances like today's action, that would be a grave mistake.

The good:
Konerko and Dye both homer.

Scott Linebrink has a perfect inning.

The bad:
4 out of the 8 Sox hits were from minor league players who won't be on the parent club anytime soon. Good for the future, but bad for the present.

Matt Thornton's 2 runs in 1 2/3 innings.

The ugly:
Nick Masset's starting pitching performance that allowed 6 runs.

3 Sox errors.

I'm glad that these are only Spring Training games. The Sox look ugly at times. It's a bit sad when a bunch of A and AA players can do more in a few innings than the regular team did all day. It's also nice to know that Oney Guillen knows how to hit into a double play. At least he's getting the experience of playing with the big boys. From seeing Mercedes one at-bat, I'm confident he will not be seeing a major league game anytime soon unless he fixes that swing.

3-26-08: Brewers 12 - Sox 10

Let the slugging begin! And please help the pitchers.

It seemed more like a game of tee-ball than a game played by major league players. A total of six home runs were launched in this game. Two by the Brewers and four by the Sox. Two of the four homers were hit by Jim Thome. A.J. Pierzynski had one and Alexei Ramirez hit a grand slam.

Despite the Sox pitching staff being lit up, Linebrink and MacDougal were great. Mike MacDougal pitched a hitless inning. If he can translate that to a game that counts, he will go very far.

The Sox may have held on for the win if Octavio Dotel didn't give up four runs. Only two were earned, so he had some help getting those runs across the plate. The bullpen is settling down, but not without a few last gasps of inconsistency.

The good:
Four home runs by the Sox, including a grand slam with two outs by Alexei Ramirez.

Mike MacDougal is getting it done in the bullpen. It's about time and a very welcome sight.

The bad:
Pablo Ozuna's 0 for 5 day.

Gavin Floyd struggled during his five innings, but managed to have a good third inning.

The ugly:
Another winnable, albeit ugly, game blown by the bullpen.

Four errors by the Sox including another one by Toby Hall.

No matter the outcome, this was an ugly game. It's nice to see most of the offense show up. It's not so nice to see most of the pitching implode. What ever Mike MacDougal is doing differently now, he needs to keep doing it. This is the nasty pitcher I remember in a Kansas City uniform.

3-25-08: Sox 5 - Rockies 2

As Spring Training winds down, the Sox seem to be getting closer to really gelling as a team. It also helps to have your ace on the mound in his final spring start. Mark Buehrle was on fire through six innings. He is ready for the season to begin.

I do not envy any player that is playing the regular season right now. That means that they are overseas. This also means that both teams might have off years. It something about flying halfway around the world to play two games on a whirlwind tour that makes players tired. In that respect, I'm glad that the White Sox were out of the playoffs last year. That would be the ONLY reason.

The good:
Mark Buehrle's strong performance over six innings with five strikeouts and one walk.

Juan Uribe was 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored.

The bad:
Orlando Cabrera was 0 for 4.

Another stolen base on Toby Hall. I'm not sure how much was effected by Octavio Dotel's delivery and Willy Taveras' speed.

The ugly:
Octavio Dotel's wild pitch.

Jermaine Dye's three strikeouts.

This is the type of game I love to see. Not only was there a White Sox win, the hitting was timely and spread out. No errors were committed. The pitching was phenomenal. It really was a struggle to find two ugly examples. Give me more games like this one and I'll be very happy!

3-24-08: Sox 1 - Mariners 3

This game was a duel of starting pitchers. Unfortunately, Jose Contreras gave up a few runs and lost the game because of that. His performance was outstanding though. I believe that Jose is ready for the season and that last year's poor performance was a fluke. His personal problems are mostly behind him and he should be ready to concentrate on baseball.

Ichiro was a thorn in the Sox side in the game. He hit a single, a double, stole two bases, walked once and scored once. The bullpen held the Mariners scoreless though. That is a great sign! Once the bell rings next week, there are no do-overs. Everything will count. I think the Sox will be ready.

The good:
Jose Contreras was dominating for the majority of his outing.

Nick Swisher tripled and scored.

The bad:
Toby Hall had a single. His average is now at .077.

The Sox kept giving up doubles to the Mariners.

The ugly:
No Sox player walked today.

Thome and Anderson combined to go 0 for 7 with 4 strikeouts.

The anemic hitting needs to come around. The Sox can't expect to win games when the team only gets 7 hits, 1 run and no walks. Jarrod Washburn threw 7 shutout innings, so the Sox can't be blamed entirely when they run up against a great pitching performance.

3-23-08: Royals 6 - Sox 5

This is the most recent card of Nick Masset that I could find on short notice. I suppose if I really wanted to I could track down the image to his 2007 card with the White Sox. I suppose I could look through my 2007 Upper Deck team set to see if I have that card. I'm missing a few from the second series and I think Nick may be one of those. Truthfully, I'm too lazy to look after a long Easter day. So, you'll get a Rangers card of him.

The Sox started things off right on the first pitch of the ball game. Jerry Owens hit a triple, which makes the outfield situation tougher with each hit that Jerry gets. Brian Anderson has had the edge, but if Jerry Owens emerges victorious, it's because he can leadoff, get on base and run.

The good:
Nick Masset pitched a scoreless inning, further complicating the final bullpen spot decision.

Quentin and Anderson both went yard.

The bad:
John Danks got rocked.

Jermaine Dye's .179 average.

The ugly:
Alexei Ramirez can't hit anything but fastballs.

Another tough game that they could not win.

The Sox seem to be doing just enough not to win. If they have any shot at winning more than 72 games this year, they need to win these games. At least the bullpen kept them in the game. It's nice to see Carlos Quentin finally come around with the bat after a minor setback earlier in the spring.

3-22-08: Sox 8 - Cubs 8

The Sox are showing some signs of life after all. On a back and forth game with the Cubs, they manage a tie. There were very positive results with some batters and others look like they are searching for home plate. Most players are at least getting quality at-bats out of Spring Training, even if the end result isn't pretty.

Six batters went at least .500 at the plate for the day. The rest went .000 for the day. That's not exactly setting the world on fire with that ratio. There needs to be more consistency at the plate. The hits need to be spread out among the players. Three players can get all the hits, but if they are spread out throughout the lineup, the team isn't going to score many runs.

The good:
Uribe, Cabrera, Crede, Quentin, Anderson and Phillips all batted at least .500 for the day.

Octavio Dotel threw a perfect inning that included two strikeouts.

The bad:
Javier Vazquez gave up 4 runs.

Nepotism favors Oney Guillen as a pinch runner. He scored a run, but why is he playing on the team?

The ugly:
Jermaine Dye dropped a ball in the sun in the late innings that caused the game to be tied.

Logan and Omogrosso both blew saves in this game.

This was an all or nothing game. There was no middle ground. This needs to change quick! The season fast approaches and this type of game is not winnable. The Sox had ample opportunities to win this game. They are lucky that they got a tie.

3-21-08: Sox 3 - Giants 4

It was a pretty decent pitching match today. Gavin Floyd against Barry Zito. For those of you who think Zito is overrated, he only allowed 2 hits in 5 2/3 innings and got himself a hit while batting.

Gavin did very well. He allowed two runs in the first inning and nothing else in his 6 innings of work. He even got out of a couple of jams without a scratch. Every performance like that builds confidence for the season.

The Sox only managed 6 hits, so Gavin would be the tough luck pitcher who luckily gets a no decision. The Sox bats needs to show up more often. It doesn't help when half of the hits for the Sox came in the ninth inning.

The good:
Gavin Floyd looks better with each outing. It seems like it was a good decision to throw him in the starting rotation instead of trading more away for veteran starting pitching.

Juan Uribe pinch hits and gets a double.

The bad:
Only six hits in the game. No player had multiple hits.

Gavin Floyd looks good at the plate, but ultimately strikes out. Maybe the switch to the American League was a good thing.

The ugly:
The catcher's position went 0 for 5 between Pierzynski and Hall. Hall's spring average is at .000.

Childers blew the game in the ninth, when the Sox had the game won.

The comeback in the ninth was nice to see. If Jenks had been out there, the game would be in the bag. Josh Fields had a spectacular throw to first base, on a tough play, to get out a speedy Velez. I'm shocked Paul Phillips caught that throw. He can handle first base very well. That was a bullet of a throw.

The bullpen, save for Childers, looked great this game. I hope the good bullpen shows up to most games. Linebrink and Wassermann looked great in their outings.

3-20-08: Sox 2 - Dodgers 8

The White Sox and Dodgers now have one thing in common. Their respective records for the spring are both at 9-13-2. Mark Buehrle showed a comfort usually reserved for the season, but so did the Dodgers starting pitcher Brad Penny. Buehrle only gave up one run in five innings.

There were flashes of brilliance from Paul Konerko, Juan Uribe and Alexei Ramirez at the plate. Boone Logan and Bobby Jenks nailed down the late innings, but by that point it was too late. Mike MacDougal and Octavio Dotel blew the game wide open when the Dodgers used them for batting practice. Octavio Dotel was the bulk of the bullpen's woes.

The good:
Paul Konerko was 2 for 4.

Buehrle only allowed his one solo homer per game average. He was dominant the rest of the rest of his five innings.

The bad:
Orlando Cabrera's throwing error.

Mike MacDougal's 2 earned runs.

The ugly:
Octavio Dotel's five earned runs in 1/3 inning.

Joe Crede continues to struggle at the plate.

There were many good things about this game despite the outcome. Juan Uribe had a stolen base, which is unusual for the husky player. The hitters are starting to get in a groove. Mark Buehrle was outstanding. So were Boone Logan and Bobby Jenks. It seems like another game of all or nothing. There has to be a happy medium found soon.

3-19-08: Rockies 10 - Sox 10

This was a typical Spring Training game. It was back and forth, high scoring and ended in a tie. There were heroes and goats. It was the kind of game that draws you into it, but would make you yell at the players if it were played during the season.

Nick Massett got lit up, but the Sox offense showed up early. Alexei Ramirez hit his first home run to lead things off in the bottom of the first. Jim Thome followed suit with his own solo home run two batters later. Everyone on the Sox gave up hits and/or runs except for Matt Thornton.

The good:
Jim Thome's two home runs and 6 RBI.

Brian Anderson and Alexei Ramirez are on fire!

The bad:
Nick Massett's pitching. 6 runs in 3 innings.

Paul Konerko's 0 for 4 day.

The ugly:
Josh Fields being taken out of the game after getting hit by a pitch in his first at-bat.

Toby Hall's ability to not get the runners out.

If one good thing can be taken from this game, it's the fact that the Sox came on strong in the late innings. That was a key to their 2005 season. They struck early and they struck late. They also had a bullpen that could hold the lead. I'm hoping that this style of play returns this season. Without a bullpen and without baserunners, the Sox tend to go station to station waiting for the big home run which rarely comes.

3-18-08: Padres 5 - Sox 0

It looks like one of the regular lineups was in place for the majority of the game today. The results were less than spectacular. No runs. No errors. 8 hits.

John Danks did not help his cause with 4 earned runs, but the 7 strikouts were impressive. Ehren Wassermann may have pitched himself out of long man contention by giving up the earned run. He didn't do poorly, just not well enough. Tomo Ohka, on the other hand, may have shoehorned his way into the competition with two scoreless innings.

The hits were there, but the Sox couldn't seem to bunch them together. Only four out of the 10 different batters went hitless.

The good:
Joe Crede went 2 for 4 raising his average to .135.

Juan Uribe continues to surprise people this spring.

The bad:
The Sox ground into 5 double plays.

Owens and Thome both struck out twice.

The ugly:
The Sox had 21 opportunities to move the runner along that failed miserably.

The Sox had 5 players in the starting lineup with an average of .238 or worse.

The Sox are giving the fans fits this spring. Either everything goes their way or nothing does. There has to be a middle ground that pops up soon. The good thing is that the hits are coming. The bad thing is they come alone. The Sox definitely needs to work on moving the runner along.

3-17-08: Sox 4 - Brewers 4

The White Sox finally tied a game. Maybe it was because they didn't wear their traditional green uniforms on St. Patrick's Day. The Brewers got to wear their green caps, but the Sox were sans green this year. That was a bit dissapointing. I love the green uniforms on St. Patrick's Day. I always thought it was cool that the Sox would auction off the uniforms for charity afterwards.

Javier Vazquez had another strong outing. Out of the four runs that crossed the plate, only one was earned. The bullpen was outstanding. They kept the Brewers scoreless in relief through the tenth inning.

The good:
Javier Vazquez was decent on the mound and a demon at the plate!

Pablo Ozuna was 2 for 5.

The bad:
Alexei Ramirez was caught stealing. It's bound to happen from time to time.

Brian Anderson's hot hitting spring cooled for this game. He went 0 for 4.

The ugly:
Josh Fields' error led to three runs.

This was definitely a winnable game, but anything can happen in baseball. This is proven game after game. The pitching staff was solid. The hitting was a little sketchy, but still there. I'm still bummed that there wasn't a stitch of green to be found on the Sox. If you haven't guessed, it's my favorite color. I'm always in a good mood when the Sox wear it.

3-16-08: Sox 5 - Diamondbacks 6

I've had enough Diamondbacks and Rockies games against the White Sox to last all season. I'm very happy that they are in the National League and won't be playing the White Sox very much during the season. The Sox play the Rockies in Chicago for one three game series. That's it.

I like both teams, but it seems like the Sox are only playing the Rockies and Diamondbacks lately. Variety is the spice of life, you know. Oh well, it's only Spring Training.

The Sox lost another close game. I'd rather see the Sox lose close game, than get blown out. It shows that they can hang in there the entire game. I don't really know of anyone that likes losing by 12 runs, but I imagine it might be therapeutic in a strange way. Close games get the players ready for the season though.

The good:
A.J. Pierzynski went 3 for 5.

Tomo Ohka had two scoreless innings.

The bad:
Gavin Floyd gave up 5 runs. Although, only 4 were earned.

Jerry Owens may have been 3 for 5 at the plate, but he committed a throwing error.

The ugly:
Joe Crede was 0 for 5.

Andy Sisco gave up the winning run.

Joe Crede needs to find his swing. If his stock continues to plummet, there won't be any trades happening. He's getting better defensively, but his batting average is at .091. Jermaine Dye had a home run. He looks like he's returning to 2005 form. It's nice to see A.J. start to hit. This was a very close game and it could've gone either way. There will be some tough decisions coming up shortly. The bullpen will probably come down to the wire.

3-15-08: Cubs 3 - Sox 5

Today's game went much better than Friday's game. The Sox found their bats and played like a chip was on their shoulders. The Sox always seem to step it up against the Cubs. Maybe it's from being Chicago's "second team" for so long. I'm not sure how true that actually is, but that's the perception anyway.

The Sox hit with authority and pitched well enough to win. It doesn't matter how you do it, as long as you get it done. Nick Massett stepped up his bid for the last reliever spot with a decent performance. The bullpen looked good too. Watching the game on WGN, one thing stuck out in my mind. Kenny Williams should probably stop showing up in the booth. He was a good interview and had some interesting things to say, but the Sox immediately started to lose when he showed up on camera.

The good:
Jim Thome was 2 for 3 with a walk and a home run.

Jason Bourgeois had 3 stolen bases.

The bad:
Nick Massett should learn to either throw on target or stick it in his pocket.

A lot of Sox regulars went 0 for every at-bat.

The ugly:
Paul Konerko's caught stealing.

Nick Massett's wild pitch.

A win against the Cubs is always a mood elevator. The team seemed to have bounced back from the woeful performance on Friday. The regulars seemed to have shown that the lack of hitting was a fluke, while others still need to step up at the plate. A good game overall. The bullpen is starting to lock down and do well.

3-14-08: Athletics 8 - Sox 1

Time to play catch up. I have a little extra time this morning, so I thought I'd knock out a game recap.

There was nothing special about this game. Anything that could go wrong, pretty much did. Jose Cantreras got lit up. I hope this isn't a sign of the season. I like his earlier starts. Let's hope this was a fluke.

Were the Sox that bad today or were the Athletics just that good? Or did the Sox just pick the wrong day to face The Dan Johnson Hitting Machine? The answers are slow to come by.

The good:
Bobby Jenks pitched a scoreless inning.

Jermaine Dye walked twice.

The bad:
The Sox managed only 3 hits.

Josh Fields had a fielding error.

The ugly:
Jose Contreras gave up 5 runs in 4 innings

Matt Thornton gave up two runs.

You know the game is pretty bad when one of the highlights is Jermaine Dye walking twice. The Sox had 5 walks compared to their 3 hits. That's late 90's Expos bad. At least it doesn't count in the standings. The best thing they can get out of this game is the possible correction of mechanics.

3-12-08: Rockies 1 - Sox 4

Unable to find an image of Orlando Cabrera's 2008 Topps Heritage card, I improvised. I borrowed an image from rallymonkey.com. Cabrera went 2 for 4, so I thought it would be appropriate to picture him.

Another day, another game against Colorado. The Sox have been seeing an awful lot of the Rockies the past few weeks. Does this mean they are going steady? I hope not. The Sox already see 18 other teams this season. One more could be awkward.

There were a lot of great performances in this game There were a few mistakes, but ultimately this is the team I like seeing.

The good:
Javier Vazquez pitched a one-hit gem in five innings.

Brian Anderson's throw from left field to nail Torrealba at the plate. Wow.

The bad:
Linebrink's plunking of Willy Taveras.

Brad Eldred's mishandling of a Pablo Ozuna throw. Konerko would've gotten that.

The ugly:
Jack Egbert's ninth inning. It wasn't all his fault, but it was ugly.

It was strangely nice to see Scott Podsednik in another uniform. I hate to say that, but what are you going to do. He was injured too much to be a help. Pierzynski was 0 for 4 at the plate, but called a good game. If this is a preview of what the White Sox are going to be like once the green light turns on, I like it.

White Sox Cut 12 From Spring Roster

Well, the White Sox made the first round of cuts today. They only invited 51 players, so the Sox were able to delay the cutting for awhile. Since you can't leave Spring Training with more than 25 players, there will be cuts.

The White Sox optioned four pitchers to AAA Charlotte. They were right-handers Lance Broadway, Dewon Day, Charlie Haeger and Oneli Perez.

The club also optioned right-hander Lucas Harrell to AA Birmingham and granted Carlos Vasquez's request for his unconditional release.

Reassigned to Minor League camp were infielders Chris Getz, Royce Huffman, Jeff Liefer and Mike Rouse, outfielder Miguel Negron and catcher Ryan Smith.

None of these players were expected to break with the team, so none of these players should be a surprise. Lance Broadway should be a year or two away from a permanent home in the bigs. Charlie Haeger must find the right combination of catcher and defense behind him to be effective using the knuckleball. Oneli Perez needs more seasoning. Dewon Day needs a lot more seasoning.

Chris Getz made an impression. I don't think that the Sox will have any worries if they need to call him up in the future. Most of the rest have performed well enough to keep on the radar, but poor enough to keep them in the minors for awhile. Carlos Vasquez made the right decision in asking for his unconditional release.

3-11-08: Sox 5 - Rangers 7

Jerry Owens and Carlos Quentin played their first games back after sitting out awhile because of injury. They each went 1 for 3 in their returns. This is the type of play I like to see. There doesn't appear to be any cobwebs on either player after sitting out for a period of time.

The Sox almost got a win in this game, but again, the bullpen blew up in the late innings. I feel like a broken record when I type that. The good thing is that most of the relievers that are giving the leads up are not making the team.

I look for the White Sox to tighten up in the last few weeks and be ready for the season to start. If not, it's going to be a long season.

The good:
Brian Anderson's two run blast in the second inning continues his hot hitting this spring.

Josh Fields and Alexei Ramirez both got two hits. It's nice to see Josh finally having a good day at the plate.

The bad:
The shortstop position of Ozuna and later Rouse combined to go 0 for 5.

Miguel Negron was caught stealing.

The ugly:
The bullpen.

This would have been another good game if not for the bullpen. Gavin Floyd did fine after missing his last start. He only gave up 2 runs. The relievers that have a shot at making the club out of Spring Training have done well as of late. Especially Mike MacDougal. He only gave up one hit today and it didn't cross the plate. That's fantastic!

The White Sox were at the Rangers facility in Surprise, Arizona. Since I used my UHF reference already, I'll use what I've always believed to be a Texas reference instead. Enjoy!

3-10-08: Mariners 8 - Sox 9

What can I say? It's nice to see the batters show up with their A game for a change. I know it's only spring, but Opening Day looms closer with each passing game. In usual Spring Training White Sox fashion, it was closer than it should've been. A win is a win though, even in Spring Training.

If the pitching can keep the Sox in ballgames more often and the hitting can be slightly more consistent, there could be a winning combination.

The good:
Thome and Konerko home runs in the first inning. Talk about starting things off right.

The only starters that didn't get a hit were Jermaine Dye and Joe Crede. Not too shabby.

The bad:
Two throwing errors and a catching error.

A wild pitch by Buehrle.

The ugly:
Perez's 1/3 of an inning resulted in 5 runs in the ninth.

Joe Crede's spring batting average is at .091.

The important thing is the win. The other important thing is how you get there. This should have been an easy win for the Sox, but some relievers make an easy win as rare as a Barry Bonds smile. It's just not likely nowadays.