Baseball 2005

[Big Al]

  jazzypaul said:

It's kinda funny...the white sox have the best record in baseball right now, and still no one talks about it.

Granted, I know it's only April, but damn, it'd be sweet to see this kind of domination straight through till Octoher.

Go WHITE SOX!!!!!

I’d certainly enjoy a Chicago team in the playoffs, if not the Series! Let’s hope 14-4 ain’t no fluke!

[bluesForBartok]

  Quote

I’d certainly enjoy a Chicago team in the playoffs, if not the Series! Let’s hope 14-4 ain’t no fluke!

agreed. both teams are certainly due

[Dan Gould]

  bluesForBartok said:

  Quote

I’d certainly enjoy a Chicago team in the playoffs, if not the Series! Let’s hope 14-4 ain’t no fluke!

agreed. both teams are certainly due

Yeah, but there's a reason why the White Sox will never be allowed by the Baseball Gods to win a World Series. They're the only ones to throw a World Series, and they are forever cursed because of it.

[Big Al]

Yeah, but weren't the Red Sox "cursed" all those years? (Granted, not by the same thing; but back then, I wonder which was seen as the bigger blasphemy: throwing a series, or trading the Babe? Not as easy to decide seventy-plus years down the road!) Seems to me that curses are meant to be overcome by a new generation of heroes! That's baseball, man!

Edited April 25, 2005 by Big Al

[jazzypaul]

  Dan Gould said:

  bluesForBartok said:

  Quote

I’d certainly enjoy a Chicago team in the playoffs, if not the Series! Let’s hope 14-4 ain’t no fluke!

agreed. both teams are certainly due

Yeah, but there's a reason why the White Sox will never be allowed by the Baseball Gods to win a World Series. They're the only ones to throw a World Series, and they are forever cursed because of it.

Please...if we Chicagoans are cursed by anything, it's by shitty team front offices. And that's exactly what we're dealing with for the entire history of the White Sox. Comiskey was the worst owner in the history of baseball, and while I can't justify them throwing the series, I can't blame the players. Comiskey had each and every one of them by the short and curlies, and considering how hard they were playing, and what a great team they were, they certainly didn't deserve that one at all.

And now, we have Reinsdorf. The asshat that threw away the greatest team in the history of basketball, a guy with a hand in the hat of the blackhawks, who have the worst management in all of professional sports and tries to run the white sox with a $54 million payroll.

I could give a shit about the the 1919 series, we southsiders are the loyalest group of fans on the planet, and we deserve to see our team be something more than second fiddle to a bunch of cocktail weenie eating yuppies across town.

[Johnny E]

  Dan Gould said:

  bluesForBartok said:

  Quote

I’d certainly enjoy a Chicago team in the playoffs, if not the Series! Let’s hope 14-4 ain’t no fluke!

agreed. both teams are certainly due

Yeah, but there's a reason why the White Sox will never be allowed by the Baseball Gods to win a World Series. They're the only ones to throw a World Series, and they are forever cursed because of it.

I'd argue trading Babe Ruth was a more heinous baseball crime than a bunch of poorly paid, poorly treated country boys throwing a world series. Comiskey was to blame for the Black Sox scandal, and the White Sox stadium doesn't even bear his name anymore. Besides, Shoeless Joe paid the ultimate price for the Sox. It's time.

Edited April 25, 2005 by Johnny E

[Dan Gould]

I can't believe we're discussing this.

There's something called kharma, folks, and the Black Sox fucked up their kharma for all eternity.

THE TEAM THREW THE WORLD SERIES

They will never win it again. Count on it.

[Big Al]

Yeah, well, that's what they said for 84 years until last season. Trading the Babe was as big a fuck-up of baseball karma because that owner, like Comiskey, should've known better than to mess with the game like that!

It's always the idiots in management who screw it up for the players!

[Big Al]

  jazzypaul said:

and we deserve to see our team be something more than second fiddle to a bunch of cocktail weenie eating yuppies across town.

You mean the phrase "Cub fan, Bud man" has gone by the wayside?

[Dan Gould]

  Big Al said:

Yeah, well, that's what they said for 84 years until last season. Trading the Babe was as big a fuck-up of baseball karma because that owner, like Comiskey, should've known better than to mess with the game like that!

See, that's where I disagree ... bad trades are part of the game. No one knew Ruth would revolutionize the game the way he did - and there are plenty of other cases of horrible trades.

Don't you think the Cubs might have won a Series or two if they didn't trade Lou Brock?

So, for me, I've never bought into any of the so-called "curses" except one:

If you throw the World Series, you'll never win it again.

THAT, my friends, is cosmic payback!

[Big Al]

  Dan Gould said:

  Big Al said:

Yeah, well, that's what they said for 84 years until last season. Trading the Babe was as big a fuck-up of baseball karma because that owner, like Comiskey, should've known better than to mess with the game like that!

See, that's where I disagree ... bad trades are part of the game. No one knew Ruth would revolutionize the game the way he did - and there are plenty of other cases of horrible trades.

Now don't be bringing back any bad memories of how my devotion to the Rangers has always been rewarded with deals like...... oh, where do I start? Harold Baines, anyone?

Anyway, that's cool, I see your point, but we'll have to agree to disagree. That is, until the White Sox eventually shake their curse!

Or at the very least, the Cubbies shake theirs. Right JP?

[jazzypaul]

blah blah blah, Dan. At least we'd be smart enough to let a goat see the game if it really wanted to. Hell, at least it'd put another fan in the seats. Ha ha ha ha...

[Big Al]

Man, them sout’-siders are MERCILESS!

[jazzypaul]

  Big Al said:

Man, them sout’-siders are MERCILESS!

well....yeah!

[Man with the Golden Arm]

  Dan Gould said:

Then again, I'd rather be a game out of first than in sole possession of last place, and its already official that Wright is headed for the D.L.

Speaking of kharma.... How long will Wells be out w/ this sprained foot!? Damn! at least last nites ERA won't go anywhere.

[Dan Gould]

  Man with the Golden Arm said:

  Dan Gould said:

Then again, I'd rather be a game out of first than in sole possession of last place, and its already official that Wright is headed for the D.L. 

Speaking of kharma.... How long will Wells be out w/ this sprained foot!? Damn! at least last nites ERA won't go anywhere.

I think we'll be OK, especially since Wade Miller has a AAA rehab start Thursday, maybe one more after that and then he will probably join the team. That would put him on target to make his first start by May 7th, so maybe Halama has to start one or two before then.

That's the beauty of stockpiling pitching: If Wells is out for any length of time, Miller steps in, and Arroyo can stay in the rotation. Unlike, say, the Yanks, who have to dip into AAA for a guy who's ERA in Columbus is well over 4. I can't imagine they really hope to have to use this guy for six weeks, but they don't have much choice anyway.

[Dan Gould]

Well, its official

  Quote

BOSTON -- Red Sox left-hander David Wells could be sidelined for more than a month after spraining his right foot, Boston manager Terry Francona said Tuesday.

Obviously bad news, but as I said above, Wade Miller is very close to being ready, so Halama probably won't have to start more than two games before he can return to the bullpen. And this will keep Arroyo in the rotation, and he's done nothing to deserve getting bounced, as he was going to be when Miller is activated.

So:

Schilling

Clement

Miller

Wake

Arroyo

I'll have no trouble sleeping nights.

[Dave James]

What a night. First, A-Rod dials 9 three times and comes within a no runners on base homer of making baseball history, i.e. hitting for the home run cycle, and, in the process, plates 10 runs. As the 'ol Red Head, Red Barber, used to say "Whoa, Doctor!" Then, as if that wasn't enough, the Orioles open up a can of industrial strength whupass and beat the Red Sox like a rented mule. It doesn't get any better than this. You know, I think I'm gonna sleep pretty well tonight myself.

Up over and Harold.

[Dan Gould]

  Dave James said:

What a night. First, A-Rod dials 9 three times and comes within a no runners on base homer of making baseball history, i.e. hitting for the home run cycle, and, in the process, plates 10 runs. As the 'ol Red Head, Red Barber, used to say "Whoa, Doctor!" Then, as if that wasn't enough, the Orioles open up a can of industrial strength whupass and beat the Red Sox like a rented mule. It doesn't get any better than this. You know, I think I'm gonna sleep pretty well tonight myself.

Up over and Harold.

Enjoy your sleep, Harold, cuz when you wake up, Wright will still be on the DL and being replaced by a mediocre AAA pitcher and your team will still be under .500.

[bluesForBartok]

This just in...

Bruised ankle sidelines Schilling

BOSTON -- Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling will be out at least two weeks with a bruised right ankle.

The bruise is on the same ankle Schilling had surgically repaired during the offseason, but Boston general manager Theo Epstein said Wednesday the bruising was higher on the ankle and it was not immediately clear whether the injuries were related.

Schilling, 1-2 with a 7.13 ERA this season, began experiencing pain in the ankle the eighth inning of Saturday's loss at Tampa Bay, Epstein said.

It marks the second time in less than 24 hours that a Red Sox starter has been placed on the 15-day disabled list. Left-hander David Wells was placed on the DL Tuesday with a sprained right foot and is expected to miss at least a month.

[Dan Gould]

OK, now its time to go into full crisis mode.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

geeez, what's w/ all the feet, ankle injuries? some sort of 'grounding' issues need working out. watching these pitchers hobble off of the mound and comparing that to Nomar shredding a groin in that 'agony of defeat' cinematic mode is apples and oranges but results are the same.

tough winter? cold spring?

next thing ya know Damon is out with split ends!

[Dan Gould]

  Man with the Golden Arm said:

geeez, what's w/ all the feet, ankle injuries?  some sort  of 'grounding' issues need working out.  watching these pitchers hobble off of the mound and comparing that to Nomar shredding a groin in that 'agony of defeat' cinematic mode is apples and oranges but results are the same. 

tough winter? cold spring? 

next thing ya know Damon is out with split ends!

No one's saying it yet, but I have to wonder whether there can be any relationship to the completely new field that was installed at Fenway. Its supposed to be state of the art, modern drainage, etc., and the biggest change is, the infield is no longer 'crowned". Til now, if you were sitting in the third base dugout and looked out at the rightfielder, you couldn't see below his shins because of the crowning of the infield.

So, the latest I heard about the field was that it had to 'settle' - so is it a remote possibility that the field has something to do with these injuries?

Edited April 27, 2005 by Dan Gould

[Man with the Golden Arm]

Very good point Dan. True that when they are stepping down, rather being a leap, off the throw they are hitting flat rather than letting the grade ease the follow-through step. Hence Wellss' sprain of the foot. Something down inside caused that rather than him rolling on it like Schilling did last post season. You would think that that would be of utmost consideration and if they are waiting for it to "settle"???.

Just don't let the Post see your hypothesis!

[Dan Gould]

Well, I'm not so sure. Now they're saying that Schilling's injury is in fact related to his ankle surgery. Seems that he felt it on a pitch in his last start, and he thought that he might have broken up some scar tissue. Then they found the bruise on an X-Ray. They even told him that if he continued to pitch, there would be a real possibility of breaking the ankle and ending his season.

What did Bill Simmons say about how long a team gets a "pass" after winning the World Series?