AJ Pierzynski got quite the welcome from the Anaheim crowd every time he came to the plate last night. They let him know they haven't forgotten last October.  To me, that's a compliment. When you go to somebody else's ballpark and they give you that kind of recognition, that's a compliment.

Who else but AJ would have thought to run in that situation? I wouldn't have. I would have gone right back to the dugout. I was talking to AJ about it and I said "you know you're going to get some heckling here."

He laughed and said "why me? Crede was the one who got the big hit in that game." 

Hawk

Posted by at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

*The White Sox have felt right at home at in Anaheim, especially the starting pitchers.  Check out the last 7 meetings where the Sox are 6-1, lead in ERA  2.53 vs. 4.29, 7 quality starts vs. 2 for the Angels, have outhomered Anaheim 8-3, and not surprisingly lead in runs per game 5.0 to 2.6

*With a win tonight or tomorrow, the Sox would snap the Angels MLB-leading streak of home series won at 8.  The Yankees have the second longest streak at 6.

*Jose Contreras has been unhittable since late August.  Since August 21, he is 14-1 including the postseason. His only loss during that time was in Game 1 of the ALCS to the Angels 3-2.

*Scott Podsednik and Tadahito Iguchi set the table for the Sox last night with five hits, a walk, and four RBIs. They have combined for 27 runs, 12 extra-base hits, 18 RBI, and 5 steals in the Sox wins and only 3 runs, 1 extra-base hit, and no RBI or steals in the Sox losses.

Posted by at 5:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

*The White Sox and Angels meet for the first time since the ALCS, when the White Sox won the final four games en route to the World Series.

*Chicago is 11-0 this season when allowing three or fewer runs (3-7 when allowing four or more).

* White Sox pitchers have walked just 47 batters this season, which are the second fewest in the majors (Minnesota-45).

* Chicago pitcher Freddy Garcia is 11-3 all-time vs. the Angels, including 6-1 in Anaheim.

* The Angels’ bullpen has not allowed a run in the past five games (13.0 total innings).

* The Angels’ Garret Anderson is batting .429 (18-42) in his last 11 games, after batting just .220 in his first 11 games this season.

* Angels’ pitcher Jeff Weaver won his first start of the season last Saturday at Oakland. Weaver has a 2.50 ERA in nine career appearances (8 starts) at Angels Stadium. 

Posted by at 9:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The White Sox hoped to have a fearsome 3-4-5 middle of the order this year and so far, Thome, Konerko, and Dye are all that and more. Last night, they combined for three homers, six hits, and seven RBIs.

Thome's roll just happened in the last ten days of spring training when he just found his swing and it hasn't left him since. It's very difficult to swing the bat as consistently as he has since that time without going through a cold spell, but Jimmy is riding the wave and enjoying it.

The heart of our lineup features not only three very good hitters, but they are professional hitters.  They take their jobs very seriously and never give up an at-bat. So far, their performance has been everything you can hope for.

DJ

Posted by at 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

*Jim Thome has now begun his tenure with the White Sox by being involved in at least 1 run in each of his first 20 games - the most my any player since Ron Cey did it in his first 20 games of 1977.

*Over his first four starts, Mark Buehrle has been dominating, holding opponents to an overall batting average of .192, left-handers to BA of .105, #7-9 hitters to .100 BA, with runners in scoring position .091, and leading off an inning .074.

*Check out the White Sox in the 3rd inning - they have outscored the opposition 18-1 in third inning of games this year.

*During their current ten-game streak, Sox pitchers have been phenomenal, going 9-1 with a 1.95 ERA.

Posted by at 8:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

*Javier Vazquez (1-1, 3.86) was nothing short of magnificent his last time out against Kansas City last week.  The Sox hope he can duplicate his effort tonight against Joel Pineiro (2-1, 3.96) and the Mariners in Seattle.

*Safeco Field is a good place for Brian Anderson to rediscover his power stroke.  In addition to last night's game-tying homer, Anderson hit two HRs off the M's Felix Hernandez there last year.

*Vazquez will have his hands full with Seattle sluggers Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson. Beltre is 10/20 lifetime against him with Sexson not far behind at 7/17.

*AJ Pierzynski and Jermaine Dye have both homered twice in their careers off Pineiro.

Posted by at 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

*The White Sox have won 8 straight and 12 of 14 since starting out 1-4.

*Chicago had three 8-game winning streaks in 2005, but were 0-3 in attempts to extend the string to 9. The White Sox haven't won 9 in a row since July 1-9, 1977.

*The Sox took 6 of 9 from the Mariners in 2005.  This is their initial meeting of the season.

*The White Sox have outscored their opponents 43-12 in innings 1-3 this year.  That +31 differential leads the major leagues.

*Jim Thome's streak of scoring a run in each game was stopped yesterday at 17.  Only Travis Hafner (24) has scored more runs this year than Thome (22).

*After starting the season 3-1, the Mariners have dropped 12 of 16.

Posted by at 4:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One topic that has come up a few times this week is the idea of a pitcher tipping his pitches. I know Ozzie mentioned that he thought in his previous start against Toronto, Javier Vazquez may have been tipping his pitches.

I didn't any information on exactly what Javier was doing that may have tipped his pitches, but what typically happens when a pitcher is tipping (doing something that signals what pitch is coming) for example, is that he will go into his glove for the ball in a certain way on a fastball and a different when when throwing a curve.  It's the type of simple little thing that a hitter or coach will notice and latch onto.

Here's what Jose Contreras used to do: he would go into his mitt and when he was throwing his forkball, his glove would shake a bit because he was wrapping his fingers around the baseball. His glove didn't move when he was gripping his fastball.  Everybody knew it and they would sit all over his fastball knowing here it comes.  Jose had to adapt and decided that every time he threw a pitch, no matter what it was, he would wiggle his glove.  Now hitters don't know if it's a forkball or fastball and good luck hitting him.  You can see all the success he's had since he made that change.

In this high tech age, you've got spies and cameras set up just for that with scouts poring over the video to see if they can pick up anything. There are so many eyes on a pitcher now, if there's the slightest variation, someone is going to pick it up.

DJ

Posted by at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Game Notes For Wednesday

* The current 6-game winning streak by the White Sox is the longest active one in the majors:

Chicago White Sox During Current Six Game Win Streak

Runs/Gm                                         5.7 (34/6)

Opp. Runs/Gm                               1.3 (8/3)

Team Avg.                                       .289 (52-180)

Team Avg. w/ RISP                        .326 (15-46)

Team ERA                                      1.26 (7/50.0)

Opp. Avg.                                          151 (26-172)

Opp. Avg. w/ RISP                           045 (1-22)

*The starting pitchers for the White Sox have been even better over the last four games:

W/L                                        4-0

Chicago White Sox Starting Pitchers In Last 4 Games

ERA                                        0.61 (2/29.1)

Opp. Avg.                               131 (13-99)

Opp. Avg. w/ RISP                   .000 (0-11)

BB/K                                      3/22

*

Minnesota has scored first in just four of their games so far this season:

Fewest Games Scoring First à 2006

Kansas City Royals           3

Minnesota Twins               4

Colorado Rockies             5

Pittsburgh Pirates      5

*** The White Sox have scored first in 10 of their games so far this season.

*

Minnesota pitchers have had trouble getting the final out of an inning this season:

Highest Opponent Batting Average With 2 Outs à 2006

Philadelphia Phillies         .332

Tampa Bay Devil Rays      .314

Cincinnati Reds          .295

* The Twins have done a good job of staying out of potential rally-killing double plays:

Fewest Times GIDP w/ RISP, A.L. Teams à 2006

Baltimore Orioles        1

Minnesota Twins         2

Los Angeles Angels  2

Detroit Tigers      3

Tampa Bay Devil Rays 3

* Joe Nathan (10) and Bobby Jenks (9) are both working on decent streaks of appearances without blowing a save:   

Active Streak Of Consecutive Appearances Without Blown Save

(Current A.L. pitchers)                        App.                               

Bob Wickman        Indians                  20

B.J. Ryan                Blue Jays              18

Kyle Farnsworth    Yankees               16

Joe Nathan         Twins                    10

Bobby Jenks    White Sox                 9

* Jim Thome has reached base in 17 straight games, which is tied for the second longest active streak by any American League player:   

Longest Active Streak Reaching Base Via Hit, BB Or HBP

Victor Martinez  Indians                           32

J.D. Drew      Dodgers               26

Ryan Freel      Reds                   24

Jim Thome             White Sox                      17

* Scott Podsednik is hitting .417 during his current six game hitting streak, which has raised his season average from .059 (through games of April 14) to its current .207. Perhaps not coincidentally, the White Sox have won all six of these games:

Posted by at 2:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yesterday's win was more than just another victory. It was also a good sign that two of our keys played well.

Javier Vazquez's outing was significant because just like last year, our pitchers are on a bit of a roll, feeding off each other.  There's a healthy competition there and it was great to see Vazquez come out and keep the roll going yesterday.

Scott Podsednik is also getting back on track and back on base.  Make no mistake about it - his value to this team goes far beyond the numbers.  If we can keep him going, this team is going to be in great shape.

Hawk

Posted by at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was obviously pleased with the team's performance in yesterday's win over the Kansas City Royals.  Getting Javier Vazquez back on track was a big key.

Strong Pitching Leads Sox to Sweep of Royals

Posted by at 8:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Hawk-tionary

With all the e-mails and questions we get, how about a quick refresher course on some of the terms we use on the broadcast each day:

Ball four, base hit: Usually when the bases are empty and a walk will be as good as a base hit.

Can o'corn: An easy fly ball. The outfielder reaches up to make the catch as easy as if he were pulling a can of corn off the shelf.

Catbird seat: When the count favors the hitter, generally 2-0 or 3-1.

Chopper, two-hopper: Routine ground ball in the infield.

Cinch it up and hunker down: A pressure situtation and time for the hitter or pitcher to take stock of himself and make something happen.

Duck snort: A big swing, resulting in a weak hit, usually just over the infield, as is a duck "snorted" the ball out of his beak.

Ducks on the pond: Runners on base.

Gas: A fastball.

Hang wif'em: When a hitter is in a slump and hits a rocket line drive that is caught.  Hang in there, the ball will fall one of these days.

He got a cookie: A hanging curve ball, an easy pitch to hit for a home run.  The hitter usually "devours" it.

Picks To Click: DJ, the crew, and I select/pick a player who we think will have the best game. The numbers after our names indicate how many times each of us has been correct.  The numbers change because we keep a separate tally for WGN/WCIU games and Comcast games.

Right size, wrong shape: A long foul ball, usually with home run distance.

Sit back, relax, and strap it down: Get ready for another exciting night of White Sox baseball!

You can cancel the postgame show: The first hit of the ball game.  The potential no-hitter is over and there will be no need for a show after the game to showcase the pitcher.

Hawk

Posted by at 8:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Game Notes For Wednesday

* Since the beginning of 2004, the White Sox have enjoyed being hosts to a certain American League team from Missouri:

White Sox, Best Home Record by AL Opponent, Since 2004 Vs.     

Kansas City Royals                18-3  .857     

Seattle Mariners                     10-2  .833

Tampa Bay Devil Rays              5-1  .833

Texas Rangers                         4-2  .667

Detroit Tigers                          12-7  .632

* The White Sox are the only team the Royals have defeated thus far in 2006 (victories on April 7 & 8). For Kansas City, long April losing streaks are an all-too-familiar story:

Royals’ April Losing Streaks – 2004-06

2004: Lost 6 straight games April 13-18 (finished month 7-14)

2005: Lost 9 straight games April 20-29 (finished month 6-18)

2006: Lost 9 straight games April 9-18 (current streak)

Overall, the Royals have had a total of nine losing streaks of six or more games since the start of the 2004 season—most for any major league team.

* Reggie Sanders is inching closer to becoming just the fifth player in MLB history with 300 homers and 300 steals over his career.

Players With 300+ HR and 300+ SB, All-time

                                                           HR                         SB

Barry Bonds                                          708                         506

Willie Mays                                           660                         338

Andre Dawson                                       438                         314

Bobby Bonds                                         332                         461

Reggie Sanders                                   295                         298

* Jim Thome has begun his tenure with the White Sox by scoring at least one run in each of his first 14 games.

Most Consecutive Games Scoring a Run to Start a Season, Since 1960

2006  Jim Thome, CWS           14

1994  Frank Thomas, CWS      14

1968  Curt Flood, StL              12

1966  Frank Robinson, Bal       11

* No active player (minimum 50 AB) has a higher career batting average against the Sox than Mark Grudzielanek.

Mark Grudzielanek, Highest Career BA by Opponent (min 50 AB) Vs.

Chicago White Sox                 .387 (24/62)

New York Yankees                 .368

New York Mets                       .332

St. Louis Cardinals                  .330

* Scott Elarton has begun the 2006 season much like he finished off the 2005 season – with very little run support.

Lowest Run Support Average, Since September 22, 2005 (min 4 starts)

Scott Elarton, Cle-KC                             1.00 (3/27.0)

Jeff Weaver, LAD-LAA                            2.16

Jason Schmidt, SF                                2.25

Jamie Moyer, Sea                                  2.41

Brian Moehler,Fla                                   2.41

Over his last seven losses, Elarton has received just five runs of support.

* The White Sox may find themselves with a lead after the first inning today.

Run Differential in 1^st Inning, 2006 Season

Kansas City Royals                -19 (lowest in MLB)  (3/22)

Chicago White Sox                 +12 (highest in MLB) (17/5)

Posted by at 7:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It was good to see the Sox get it going on a lot of different fronts last night.  How about Paul Konerko? One pitch after Joe Mays woke him up with one under the chin, Paulie drilled it out to left.  That was his first home run against  Mays and his fourth in the last four games.

Then you had Jose Contreras dealing.  He was coming from so many different arm angles I thought he might get wild, but he was able to keep his release point consistent.

Finally, we saw Brian Anderson make a great diving catch coming in on the dead run from center field. The most difficult play for a center fielder is coming straight in and having to dive, but he got off to the side just enough to keep his elbow from hitting and shaking the ball out of his mitt. If you're not getting any hits, then take some away.

DJ

Posted by at 3:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

* Kansas City’s only wins this season have come against the White Sox. However, the Royals have just one win in their last 11 trips to Chicago.

* Scott Podsednik had 23 hits and six stolen bases in 17 games against the Royals last season, but has gone just 1-for-9 in two games at Kansas City this year.

* The Royals will be looking for their first road win of the season and have lost seven straight games overall.

* The White Sox have won six of their last seven games.

* Joe Mays went 0-2 with an ERA of 12.46 against the White Sox last season.

* Jim Thome is batting .381 (8-for-21) with three home runs and seven RBIs against Joe Mays in his career.

* In seven career starts against Kansas City, Jose Contreras is 5-0 with a 2.23 ERA.

Posted by at 1:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brian Anderson is going through some bumps right now and that's going to happen in your first year as a regular.   When you go through tough times, it seems like you are 0-2 or 1-2 every time you step in the box.

The best thing to do is to try and clear his mind right now.  There is a tendency sometimes for a young player to let a little panic or chaos at this time to set in. I still think he'll be OK.

Hawk

Posted by at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

There are still plenty of chances to see the World Championship trophy in person and even get a picture with it.  The U.S. Cellular Trophy Tour visits these sites in the coming days:

April 20 - 9900 Joliet Road - Countryside - 4-7pm

April 24 - 102 Danada Square West - Wheaton - 4-7pm

April 25 - 6839 Dempster - Morton Grove - 4-7pm

April 26 - 5712 W. Touhy - Niles - 4-7pm

April 27 - 3030 W. Il Route 60 - Mundelein - 4-7pm

April 28 - 15829 S. LaGrange Rd - Orland Park - 4-7pm

Bring your own camera and batteries.  A $10 donation to White Sox Charities and the United Way is requested for a photo with the trophy.

Posted by at 9:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Jon Garland had a rough outing yesterday, no doubt about it. Unfortunately, everything he is missing with seems to end up over the heart of the plate and our opponents are taking advantage of it. There were no excuses yesterday, the wind wasn't a factor, it was just Jon.  He was missing locations and getting hit, but that's all right.  He still picked up his first victory of the season because he had plenty of run support.  That's how a team is supposed to work.  There are going to be nights for Jon this year where he keeps it to a very low-scoring game and the offense will say to him "thanks for picking us up tonight".  Hopefully they will be able to help each other out successfully all season.

DJ

Posted by at 1:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

* The Jays have played the White Sox tough at U.S. Cellular Field, splitting 26 games with the Sox at The Cell since 1999. Toronto’s success has usually been due to good pitching.

Best ERA at US Cellular Field, Visiting AL Tms – Since 1999

Blue Jays 4.02 (101/226.0)

Athletics 4.06

Yankees 4.44

Twins 4.63

Red Sox 4.65

* At least in the early going, however, this year’s Jays team has been more about hitting than pitching. Toronto’s team batting average of .328 is one of the best through the first nine games in the divisional play era.

Highest BA Through First 9 Games – Since 1969

Cleveland Indians, 1999 .352

Chicago White Sox, 2000 .339 Chicago White Sox, 1981 .334

Colorado Rockies, 1997 .330

Toronto Blue Jays, 2006 .328 (105/320)

* While Bengie Molina is off to a great start, the Jays may be tempted to give veteran Sox-killer Gregg Zaun some at-bats in this series.

Gregg Zaun vs. White Sox – Since 8/23/01

Games 16

Average .472 (25/53)

Home Runs 4

RBI 11

On-Base Pct. .541

Slugging Pct. .755

The last time “Babe” Zaun faced the White Sox on August 4 of last year, Sox pitchers walked him four times in five trips to the plate, helping end a 19-game hitting streak by Zaun vs. the South Siders which was spread out over nearly five calendar years (9/29/2000 through 8/3/2005).

* Although he hasn’t gone deep in a lot of games, Scott Downs has posted some nice numbers in a starting role for the Jays since mid-August of last year.

Scott Downs – Last 11 Starts (Since 8/11/05)

Won-Lost 4-1

ERA 3.57 (25/63.0)

Opp BA .246 (60/244)

SO/BB 50/19

The only negative for Downs is that he hasn’t made it past the sixth inning in any of his last six starts dating back to September 7 of last year.

* Jim Thome is easily off to the best start of his stellar career.

Thome Through Team’s 1st 9 Games – 2006 vs. Rest of Career

2006 Previous Best Average .379 .371 (2004)

Home Runs 6 3 (2000)

RBI 10 9 (2002-03)

On-Base Pct. .561 .511 (1999)

Slugging Pct. 1.103 .606 (1999)

* Thome and the rest of the Sox offense will be even more effective once Scott Podsednik is completely healthy and gets untracked.

Podsednik vs. Rest of White Sox Offense – 2006

Podsednik Rest of Team Batting Avg. .059 .277

On-Base Pct. .135 .368

Runs Scored 3 47

Stolen Bases 0 3

In 2005 including the postseason,, the White Sox were 33-11 (.750) when Podsednik stole a base and 49-16 (.754) when he scored one or more runs.

* Javier Vazquez is one of MLB’s most reliable innings-eaters.

Most Innings Pitched, MLB – Since 2000

Livan Hernandez 1435.1

Randy Johnson 1363.2

Greg Maddux 1350.0

Bartolo Colon 1323.2

Javier Vazquez 1323.0

Posted by at 1:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was good to see Bobby Jenks get his second straight save on Monday. I talked with Art Kusyner and he said the other day in Kansas City, Bobby was topping 100 mph on his fastball. He was around 96 against the Tigers and it just goes to show you that big guys throughout spring training and the early part of the year tend to be a bit more inconsistent. It takes them longer to find that consistency, but as we've seen, when he does he is going to be awfully tough.

Hawk

Posted by at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Don't look now, but Brandon McCarthy has really begun to settle into his bullpen role. I think he is going to turn out to be a huge key for us. He's got the confidence already you need to come into a tight game from the pen. I talked to him the other day and he has no problem getting warmed up down there. People were concerned that coming from a starting background, it might take him too long to get warm in his role as a reliever since he was used to stretching out differently when starting. It's not the case and he's already had several strong outings including Monday's turn in Detroit.

DJ

Posted by at 8:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The White Sox championship ring not only is a sight to see, but it's sleek design actually makes it wearable, unlike some of the other oversized rocks of recent World Series winners. 

Now, the Sox are making it possible for fans to have a chance to own the exact same ring the players and front office.  The team is raffling off three authentic World Series rings, complete with the winners last name personalized with the last name of each winner.

A maximum of 100,000 raffle tickets will be sold with all proceeds going to the Chicago White Sox Charities. Each ticket is $20 and can be purchased at U.S. Cellular Field or online at www.whitesox.com. The raffle begins this Friday, April 14 and closes on July 31. Sox ring numbers: *Mrs. Jerry Reinsdorf designed the rings. She also designed all six Bulls Championship rings. *432 rings and 163 pendants were made for White Sox players, staff, and employees. *There is only one version of the 2005 World Series Championship ring. *Josten's of Princeton, IL produced the rings. *The rings and pendants are made of 14-karat yellow gold with a 14-karat white gold insert and a White Sox logo crest on a black onyx base stone. *Each ring and pendant contains 95 brilliant diamonds of various sizes equalling over two carats.

Posted by at 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Notes for the Sox-Tigers series:

* The White Sox are coming off a 3-1 win in Kansas City yesterday, but have still lost both of their season-opening series, 2 games to 1.

* Chicago took 14 of 19 overall from the Tigers last season, including seven of nine at Comerica Park.

* The Tigers head back to Detroit for their home opener today---the club enters today’s game with a 3-3 record in home openers at Comerica Park.

* Detroit had its attempt at a 6-0 start thwarted in Texas yesterday by the Rangers. The Tigers have now gone 5-1 through their first six games for the 2nd time in three seasons (2004).

* Chris Shelton’s five home runs are the most by any Tiger through the first six games of the season since 1960.

* Detroit has outscored opponents by a 10-1 margin in the first inning this season---it’s tied for the best first inning differential thus far in 2006 (Arizona).

* The Tigers are the only team in baseball without an error this season---Detroit last started the season errorless in its first six games back in 1994. * Jim Thome has 42 career home runs vs. Detroit coming into today’s action---most among all active ballplayers. Thome is the only White Sox player with a home run thus far in 2006.

Posted by at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

* After a horrendous 16-game stretch against the White Sox, the Royals have played respectable baseball against the World Series champs.

Royals vs. White Sox, Last 25 Games

                                                Last 9 Games*              Previous 16 Games

Record                                    6-3                                             1-15

Runs/Gm                                  6.0 (54/9)                                     2.9

ERA                                         4.45 (41/83.0)                           5.58

Relief ERA                               2.52 (10/35.2)                            6.59

Batting Avg                .              289 (94/325)                              .211

Run Diff, Innings 7+                 +14 (19/5)                                 -22                                           

* since July 26, 2005

* Early on this season, Reggie Sanders could become just the fifth player in MLB history with 300 homers and 300 steals over his career.

Players With 300+ HR and 300+ SB, All-time

                                                 HR                  SB

Barry Bonds                              708                   506

Willie Mays                               660                   338

Andre Dawson                           438                   314

Bobby Bonds                             332                   461

>Reggie Sanders                     292                   297

* Over his previous five seasons in the American League, Jim Thome repeatedly found himself on base against the Royals.

Most Times On Base vs. Royals, 1998-2002

Jim Thome                  128

Magglio Ordonez           119

Omar Vizquel                118

Jason Giambi                113

Ray Durham                  107

* If Thome can find a way to put the ball in play early in his at-bat, he may find himself on base again.

Jim Thome, By Strikes in Pitch Count, Career

0 Strikes                                  .431 BA (562/1304), 149 HR

1 Strike                         .379 BA (553/1458), 153 HR

2 Strikes                       .175 BA (554/3169), 130 HR

* Last season, the White Sox held a lead at some point in an MLB-high 61.9 percent of their losses. In each of their last two losses, the Sox allowed their opponents to come back.

Percent of Losses That Were Blown Leads, 2005-06

2005                                                61.9 (highest in MLB) (39/63)

2006                                                66.7 (2/3)

* The White Sox have added a power pitcher to their potent rotation.

Most Strikeouts Since 2000

Randy Johnson                         1682

Pedro Martinez                          1333

Curt Schilling                            1266

Roger Clemens                         1186

Javier Vazquez                         1166

* The Royals made a wide decision to start Denny Bautista against the White Sox.

Denny Bautista, Career

                                    Vs. CWS                                  Vs. Rest of MLB

ERA                               2.84 (6/19.0)                           8.74 (45/46.1)

Opp BA                        .197 (13/66)                      .       338 (67/198)

* The Royals have not had a 30-homer season since 2000. It’s too bad that the guy that hit 33 that season will be playing in right field today for the White Sox.

30+ HR Seasons by Players, Since 2000         

Chicago

Kansas City

Posted by at 6:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's a pleasure watching Jim Thome blend into this White Sox team.  First of all, he instantly brings leadership to the clubhouse with the way he goes about his business, the way he deals with the public, and the way he handles the media. I think he's an ideal personality for this team - even though he's only been here a short period of time they can lean on him as a leader. That doesn't happen very often with new players.  He fits in so well personality-wise that everybody can respect the type of guy he is, not just for that big bat in the lockerrroom, but because he's the kind of guy you can go talk to.  I think our players can learn a whole bunch from Jim, whether it be hitting or just how to approach things off the field.

Posted by at 5:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Get used to the type of intensity we saw in our opening series against Cleveland.  I think you might be looking at the best two teams in the American League this year.  We're both just as good as anybody.  Last year, our club was 14-5 against the Indians and 9-1 at Jacobs Field.  I don't think that's going to happen again, because it's just too good of a ballclub in Cleveland. 

These teams get after it the right way. Take Casey Blake for example, who had a great day in right field yesterday with a bunch of running catches. He got a good jump each time and the only way to get that jump is by being in the ballgame. There's a lot of guys out there who go out to the outfield thinking about what stance they're going to use the next time at the plate or the popup, strikeout, or ground ball they had the last time up.  As we've said so many times before, there are two games in baseball - the offensive one and the defensive one and you have to separate them. You can't let your offensive game dominate your thinking when you've got the leather on.  It's a lesson all ballplayers need to remember.

Hawk

Posted by at 6:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The celebrations these last few days have really been something - very emotional. One thing that really stood out for me was yesterday when Aaron Rowand was introduced.  The crowd's response was so loud for Aaron, in recognition of how he busted his butt here for this organization and became such a well-loved player here.  It was emotional - I was up here in the booth and my eyes were getting a little watery at the thought of this man (I think he was too) who absolutely loved it here and they loved him here.  It's the hardest thing, believe me because it happened to me, when you are on such good terms but have to move on.  It's a sad time, but you remember the good times.

That part of the ceremony really hit me. That's what baseball is all about.  It's about emotion, enjoying the camraderie over the years, and it's been great these three opening games.  I think that is a testament to what goes on in these ceremonies.  They have been great - the players and fans alike have really enjoyed them.

DJ

Posted by at 9:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

* The White Sox are hoping to carry over into 2006 the incredible momentum they finished 2005 with. On their way to winning the World Series, the Sox finished the year with 16 wins in their last 17 games, including postseason. Only the mighty 1970 Orioles have finished a season on such a roll.

Best Record in Last 17 Games - World Series Winners

(record includes postseason games)