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This is an archive collection of entries from  my main personal blog, My Mundane Mid-Life.

This collection of entries is from the Category "White Sox".

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Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Twitter entry
Why do they sign has beens? The White Sox agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent RHP Bartolo Colon.

posted at 08:19 PM | Link | Twitter Tweet | Care to comment? | § |

Monday, September 29, 2008

White Sox 8 - Tigers 2
posted at 10:30 PM | Link | White Sox | Care to comment? | § |

Sunday, September 28, 2008

White Sox 5 - Indians 1
posted at 04:10 PM | Link | White Sox | Care to comment? | § |

Saturday, September 27, 2008

White Sox 6 - Indians 12
posted at 10:00 PM | Link | White Sox | Care to comment? | § |

Saturday, September 06, 2008

White Sox 7 - Angels 6
posted at 11:25 PM | Link | White Sox | Care to comment? | § |

Saturday, August 23, 2008

White Sox 3 - Rays 5
posted at 08:05 PM | Link | White Sox | Care to comment? | § |

Monday, February 11, 2008

STH secret presale...

w00T! Single game tickets went on sale this morning for the White Sox for Season Ticket Holders (not he general public. I love having the opportunity to get at tickets ahead of everyone else) . We grabbed-up tickets to opening day (since our package doesn't include it) and grabbed tickets for Elvis night in August.

I'm feeling better - it's feeling more like spring again... except for that snow and below zero temperatures...

posted at 11:04 AM | Link | White Sox | Care to comment? | § |

Sunday, September 30, 2007

White Sox 3 - Tigers 13

Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

read more of this entry »


posted at 04:57 PM | Link | White Sox | Care to comment? | § |

Saturday, September 29, 2007

White Sox 3 - Tigers 2

Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

read more of this entry »


posted at 01:57 PM | Link | White Sox | Care to comment? | § |

Thursday, August 02, 2007

A city full of ties

My world is crumbling in front of me...

My team, the Chicago White Sox are tied for last place in the AL Central Division (13 games out with the Kansas City Royals).

And... there's that "other" team... the Chicago Cubs are tied for first in the NL Central Division with the Milwaukee Brewers (6 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals).

I feel ill.

And, with the Cubs up for sale, I have to admit that there's a noble campaign going on: a group of Chicagoans working to facilitate a fan-owned buyout of the Chicago Cubs and restore the voice of the fans within baseball - 4FansSake.com

posted at 08:19 AM | Link | Baseball | Care to comment? | § |

Sunday, July 29, 2007

White Sox 1 - Blue Jays 4

Chicago White Sox Toronto Blue Jays

read more of this entry »


posted at 04:43 PM | Link | White Sox | Care to comment? | § |

Saturday, July 28, 2007

White Sox 2 - Blue Jays 0

Chicago White Sox Toronto Blue Jays

read more of this entry »


posted at 09:34 PM | Link | White Sox | Care to comment? | § |

Sunday, July 08, 2007

White Sox 6 - Twins 3

Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins

read more of this entry »


posted at 06:05 PM | Link | White Sox | Care to comment? | § |

Saturday, July 07, 2007

White Sox 3 - Twins 1

Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins

read more of this entry »


posted at 08:05 PM | Link | White Sox | Care to comment? | § |

Sunday, April 29, 2007

White Sox 2 - Angels 5

Chicago White Sox Anaheim Angels

read more of this entry »


posted at 04:57 PM | Link | White Sox | Care to comment? | § |

Saturday, April 28, 2007

White Sox 0 - Angels 3

Chicago White Sox Anaheim Angels

read more of this entry »


posted at 10:52 PM | Link | White Sox | Care to comment? | § |

Thursday, October 26, 2006

One year ago today...

What happened a year ago tonight?

The Chicago White Sox won the World Series.

It's now time to crown a new champion... and we become.. nothing. Losers. Not even in the playoffs when we should have been.

I'm rooting for St. Louis.. I don't want want the Detroit Tigers to win... that way, in my twisted head, the White Sox will still be the last American League winner of the World Series...

Twisted...

posted at 06:42 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Thursday, October 12, 2006

White Sox + 7-Eleven = 7:11

Oh, crap... more ways to get corporate sponsorship (and revenue) at a ball game: White Sox enter partnership with 7-Eleven. Now, guess what times Night Games will start at U.S. Cellular Field during the week during 2007?

Yep. 7:11 pm. For the next three years.

Now... how about even more expensive seats at the park? They're MOVING the Press Box behind Home Plate. The old Press Box on the mezzanine level of the ball park is being converted into a new club lounge featuring 220 premium seats, with a lounge and restaurant-type food service. The new seating area will retain the movable windows of the press box. The seats will cost $250 each and will be available only in a full season-ticket plan, and went on sale Monday. The press gets to move to the 400 Level of the stadium along the first-base side.

The team's only other off-season renovation will be the continued replacement of blue seats to green seats throughout the park. About damn time! We'll finally get our new seats... and rumor has it that they will actually be pitched/turned/twisted to face more toward the plate.

posted at 01:18 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Adding Insult to Injury

Less than 24 hours after being eliminated from play-off contention, guess what I got in a DHL Express packet today?

Yep.

My playoff tickets.

Bastards.

posted at 08:28 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Monday, September 25, 2006

Officially Over

The White Sox played Cleveland tonight - Lost 14-1.

The team was officially eliminated from the playoffs.

I knew it was coming... it doesn't diminish the hurt that I feel about a team that played so far under their potential.

No ALDS. No ALCS. No World Series.

Crap... I enjoyed them so much last year.. I got used to them.

As far as I am concerned, he season is over. They are dead to me now.

posted at 10:28 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Sunday, September 24, 2006

White Sox 12 - Mariners 7

Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners

read more of this entry »


posted at 04:15 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Saturday, September 23, 2006

White Sox 11 - Mariners 7

Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners

read more of this entry »


posted at 05:13 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Sunday, September 10, 2006

White Sox 2 - Indians 5
posted at 04:13 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Saturday, September 09, 2006

White Sox 10 - Indians 8
posted at 11:08 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Sunday, August 27, 2006

White Sox 6 - Twins 1

Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins

read more of this entry »


posted at 04:30 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Saturday, August 26, 2006

White Sox 7 - Twins 8 - 11 Innings

Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins

read more of this entry »


posted at 11:48 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

How dare you

So, after a WONDERFUL weekend of sweeping the Detroit Tigers, and LOSING to the Kansas City Royals (UPDATE: We lost EVEN WORSE tonight!). what come in the mail today?

THE INVOICE FOR POSTSEASON TICKETS.

Damn you!

Have our seat assignments.. still downstairs but out toward the right field foul pole. Included - parking for all ticketed events, seats to all 3 (possible) American League Division Series, Home Game 2 of the American League Championship Series and Home Game 2 of the World Series.

Excited? Well... yes... if the team would just PLAY a little better..

posted at 05:13 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Sunday, August 13, 2006

White Sox 7 - Tigers 3

Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

read more of this entry »


posted at 05:59 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Saturday, August 12, 2006

White Sox 4 - Tigers 3

Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

read more of this entry »


posted at 04:57 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Friday, August 11, 2006

White Sox 5 - Tigers 0

Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

read more of this entry »


posted at 11:52 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Not a winner

0 – 7 – 2 – 8 – 3 – 1
0 – 1 – 5 – 6 – 2 – 3
0 – 2 – 0 – 8 – 6 – 7

Chicago White Sox Charities 2005 World Series Ring Raffle. 3 fans get a REAL World Series Ring... with their name on it.

Nuts. Didn't win.

posted at 07:14 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Grinder Bash

The White Sox threw a party for season ticket holders today (actually, on Thursday and Friday, too). They used to do this almost every year. They suspended this or a few years, because the park had renovations being done, almost year long. Now, that the season ticket base has grown so dramatically, the team decided to throw another party.

I LOVE these things. There's something special about being in the park - when the team isn't there playing ball. I took my buddy Barry to share this unusual event.

read more of this entry »


posted at 07:03 PM | Link | Mundane | § |

Sunday, July 23, 2006

White Sox 5 - Rangers 0

Chicago White Sox Texas Rangers

read more of this entry »


posted at 04:25 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Saturday, July 22, 2006

White Sox 3 - Rangers 1

Chicago White Sox Texas Rangers

read more of this entry »


posted at 10:32 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Sunday, July 09, 2006

White Sox 6 - Red Sox 5 - 19 INNINGS

Chicago White Sox Boston Red Sox

read more of this entry »


posted at 09:34 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Saturday, July 08, 2006

White Sox 6 - Red Sox 9

Chicago White Sox Boston Red Sox

read more of this entry »


posted at 04:32 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Sunday, June 25, 2006

White Sox 10 - Astros 9 - 13 Innings

Chicago White Sox Houston Astros

read more of this entry »


posted at 10:58 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Saturday, June 24, 2006

White Sox 6 - Astros 5 - 10 Innings

Chicago White Sox Houston Astros

read more of this entry »


posted at 04:51 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Annual Yard Sale

Get up early (for a Saturday) and hit the road for the South Side...

It's that time again... time for the White Sox Annual Yard Sale at the park (U.S. Cellular Field).

The line was long when we got there, but it was awfully spread out, with lots of people bringing chairs to sit in while they wait.

The best thing about the event is that all the proceeds go to White Sox Charities.

With that in mind, we went looking for clothing.. we had bought jackets here in the past (yes, authentic, player-worn jackets), and they didn't have ANY this year! They really brought out the odd stuff... banners used around the city for "Rally Monday", the rally downtown before the World Series, empty bottles of Champagne from each of the locker room celebrations during the playoffs ($60-$100), full sheet World Series Tickets (un-printed with seat info). I wanted some bunting that was displayed at the park (MLB authenticated), but that was $50 each and the bunting was small.

They had the regular selection of things - used hats, bats, helmets, an AWFUL lot of catcher's gear this year compared to last, lots of equipment bags, helmet bags... and of course what everybody goes after - jerseys. The real deal.

We weren't even close to being the first one's in line, and back in January, at Sox Fest, they always set up a "Garage Sale" room that people must have rifled through, because the jersey selection - though large - didn't have a lot of jerseys by the somewhat major players, let alone the major players. If you wanted a jersey of a pitcher that was barely in the majors for a few weeks, there were a ton of them (including ones for the World Series complete with World Series patch on the sleeve). There were prior years players that they haven't got rid of yet. Lot's of BP windshirts and "tops" (wouldn't call them jerseys).

The surprising pieces to me were at the extreme left of the left rack in the row of racks.

Here were the jerseys of Major players now gone. Jerseys you would have NEVER seen in any rack in any year. These were put aside as special and if you were lucky, you could ask to get one. The one that caught my eye? FRANK THOMAS. NEVER would have been in the rack. Now that he's gone, he's there. Now granted, it was REALLY expensive (I think $1,000), but it was still in the rack. I knew that I had hit the right part in the rack... they guys that are gone... tons of Carl Everett jerseys... Shingo Takatsu... guys who were good and made a difference. But the one guy I thought that made a difference and we hated to see him go, was the one I was after. I snatched it up and walked away from the racks quickly. The Jersey? Aaron Rowand.

That's all we bought this year... nothing else caught our eye... the great thing is that THIS year at checkout, you got a form to fill out stating that the items you bought were to benefit a charity, thus ding..ding..ding..ding..ding Tax Writeoff.

I just love going to the park for special events, like this one, when there isn't a game. It's just feels special. There was another event going on that you had to pay to participate - playing catch in the outfield. It's reall typical for Dads to bring their youngsters, with their mitt and balls, and you're allowed onto the field for an hour to play catch. the day before Father's Day. How cool is that?

posted at 01:16 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Sunday, June 11, 2006

White Sox 8 - Indians 10

Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians

read more of this entry »


posted at 10:51 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Saturday, June 10, 2006

White Sox 4 - Indians 3 - 11 Innings

Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians

read more of this entry »


posted at 04:47 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Sunday, June 04, 2006

White Sox 2 - Rangers 10

Chicago White Sox Texas Rangers

read more of this entry »


posted at 09:13 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Sunday, May 21, 2006

White Sox 4 - Cubs 7

Chicago White Sox Chicago Cubs

read more of this entry »


posted at 04:24 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Saturday, May 20, 2006

White Sox 7 - Cubs 0

Chicago White Sox Chicago Cubs

read more of this entry »


posted at 03:53 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Sunday, May 07, 2006

White Sox 3 - Royals 2

Chicago White Sox Kansas City Royals

read more of this entry »


posted at 04:51 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Saturday, May 06, 2006

White Sox 9 - Royals 2

Chicago White Sox Kansas City Royals

read more of this entry »


posted at 10:49 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Sunday, April 23, 2006

White Sox 7 - Twins 3

Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins

read more of this entry »


posted at 09:39 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Saturday, April 22, 2006

White Sox 9 - Twins 2

Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins

read more of this entry »


posted at 11:34 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Thursday, April 20, 2006

White Sox Ticket Sales

Had to write something here for the White Sox fans out there...

... as of yesterday, the Sox have now passed last year's season total for tickets sold.

April 19. Not bad for advance sales. Hopefully we can live up to expectations...

posted at 12:40 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Sunday, April 16, 2006

White Sox 6 - Blue Jays 4

Chicago White Sox Toronto Blue Jays

read more of this entry »


posted at 04:46 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Saturday, April 15, 2006

White Sox 4 - Blue Jays 2

Chicago White Sox Toronto Blue Jays

read more of this entry »


posted at 04:43 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

White Sox 2 - Indians 8

Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians

read more of this entry »


posted at 10:53 PM | Link | White Sox | § |

Monday, April 03, 2006

Still in Fist Place

I woke up and felt the need to see if the White Sox were still playing.

Sure enough, they were.

They got themselves into a 3-3 tie in the top of the 4th when the rains came. No, DELUGE.

Total Rain Delay time: 2 hours 57 minutes.

Sox won 10-4 around 1:10 in the morning.

posted at 01:19 AM | Link | White Sox | § |

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Game On!

YEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!

Sitting at my desk and listening to baseball on the radio!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, it's preseaon.

OK, it's a different station covering the games.

OK, it's a different broadcast team covering the games.

But, it's baseball!!!!

posted at 02:04 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Monday, February 27, 2006

The Idiot

I've never been a fan of Frank Thomas.

Now, he may be destined for the Hall of Fame. He really did contribute for years for the Chicago White Sox. He was a big deal.

Was.

He also could have had this city wrapped around his little finger. If he would just shut-up, or say a few things a certain way. Maybe even actually do a few charity things. No. He squandered what he had. He got hurt. He stopped producing meaningful numbers. He wasn't a go-to guy, he was a goat.

His time had come a long time ago, passed, and yet he lingered a bit too long. When the team finally gets together and wins the World Series for the first time in 88 years, his 35 games/109 At-Bats/.219 average barely contributes.

And now he's in Oakland.

Chicago White Sox general manager Kenny Williams called former slugger Frank Thomas" an idiot'' over the weekend, because Frank continues to whine about the way he was treated. A selfish man, who refused to play first base, who hadn't played a full season since 2003, didn't like the way he was treated.

Yeah, we treated him well. Too well. He should have been gone years ago under that "diminished skills'' clause of his contract.

Idiot. Shut-up and play for your new team. You're showing your whining to your new team now, and I hope they're listening. No "I" in "team", my friend.

posted at 01:40 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Friday, February 17, 2006

Less tickets on sale today

The White Sox put up tickets for sale to the general public today. They also said that - for the first time on franchise history - they have sold 2 Million Tickets before Opening Day.

We already have sell outs:

All games available except Sunday, April 2 vs. Cleveland Tuesday, April 4 vs. Cleveland Saturday, May 6 vs. Kansas City Friday, May 19 vs. Cubs Saturday, May 20 vs. Cubs Sunday, May 21 vs. Cubs Friday, July 7 vs. Boston Saturday, July 8 vs. Boston Sunday, July 9 vs. Boston Thursday, August 10 vs. New York, which are sold out.

posted at 09:24 AM | Link | White Sox § |

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

WE DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE A SEASON TICKET HOLDER...

I'm full of all kinds of emotions right now, the major ones are anger and hurt.

For the first time since becoming a Split Season Ticket Holder for the White Sox since January of 1996, Carol and I will be missing Opening Day.

Why?

read more of this entry »


posted at 11:25 AM | Link | White Sox § |

Friday, January 27, 2006

Fest-less

Just got off the phone with our pal Janie. None of us is going to SoxFest, which starts in under an hour. Of all years to not pay attention to when tickets were on sale, the year in which the World Series should not be one of them. It would have been a great night... or weekend, but I screwed-up. We screwed-up. Nuts.

Came home to find the invoice to sign-up for the Stadium Club for the year. For a split-season ticket package it went up over $100 to $550. It's worth it for the beginning of the season when it's cold & rainy. It's worth it for those 90 degree summer days. And boy is it worth it in post-season. We split it with Janie & Gary and it works out. Pretty upset the price went up, though...

posted at 04:11 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Thursday, January 26, 2006

Changes at TPFKAC™

Hearing rumors about some of the changes going on at Comiskey... "The Joan"... "The Cell"... US Cellular Field... whatever. (Still pissed-off about the name of the place and it's been three years).

Went looking through WhiteSoxInteractive and found some disturbing stories.

I've been waiting years to change the color of the seating from that pool blue to green, the way ballparks should look. I got all excited when they made the announcement that it was going to happen. So it started last year, and it was supposed to progress through last season. Never did. This off-season, they've gone through, starting upstairs, and ripped out all the seats and replaced them (as of this writing, they're not complete - the last two sections are to done - somehow they received the wrong seats). The started working downstairs - but only up to the dugouts. that's right, my section WON'T be getting new seats this season for the second year in a row. there's no explanation why. Here's where the rumor and speculation come in: in the majority of "modern" ballparks, the seats in these areas are specially built so they are canted toward the infield, sort of like setting the seats at a 12 degree angle while keeping the whole row straight. Now, if that's what they're doing, then I'll shutup and relish in the canted seat next year. If that's not what happening, and they're just stalling again, then I'm going to be pissed, because who sits in these seats? The Partial Season Ticket Holders, who are slowly starting to feel screwed by the team (the possible inability to get Opening Night tickets was the beginning of the mistreatment).

On a different subject, what may be the most disturbing news for me.

Nancy Faust will not be playing organ at all of the games in 2006. In fact, she's only playing day games. Nancy says it's her idea. Perhaps it's the beginning of a retirement after what will be 37 years of playing the organ.

I know that people want to hear something more modern, like the clips that are played for the home players when they come up to bat. (Nancy plays pieces for the visiting teams batters).

It's baseball. You've got to have organ music.

You gotta have Nancy.

posted at 11:17 AM | Link | White Sox § |

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

20,000 and climbing

The White Sox announced that Season Ticket sales have passed 20,000, the highest in franchise history. This is allowing General Manager Ken Williams to raise the payroll to $95 million, certainly something that can't hurt the team. The downside? Because of the way MLB handles postseason tickets, anybody buying a full Season Ticket after January 15 (or Partial after January 9) will NOT get any options to buy Postseason tickets. A waiting list has been created for people that want to get the postseason options. WAITING LIST. The Sox have a WAITING LIST for Season Tickets (soft of). I NEVER thought this would happen in this town. There's also a RUMOR floating around (it's just a rumor) that - because of the number of Season Tickets being sold - the popular Dog Day promotion may be canceled because there will be too many Season Ticket Holders that will need to be displaced when the bleachers are vacated to make room for the dogs and their owners. Another rumor going around - due to the new City of Chicago Smoking Ordinance, U.S. Cellular Field will now be smoke-free. (As a non-smoker, all I can say is "YES!")

posted at 11:22 AM | Link | White Sox | 1 comment § |

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

How much change is good change?

Here's were it's all going to start for the 2006 White Sox - the first player movements.

read more of this entry »


posted at 09:10 AM | Link | White Sox § |

Friday, October 28, 2005

Wearing the Championship

People swarming over Championship apparel
Carol left me in charge of getting our World Series championship apparel, so I went over to Dick's Sporting Goods after work. Last time I was there they didn't have anything with any playoff logo on it. Guess that all changes when a team becomes World Champions - they carved-out a really good sized area in front of the store and loaded it with merchandise. Apparently this is going on all over town - sporting goods storing opening hours earlier than normal and the merchandise is just being scooped-up.

posted at 04:06 PM | Link | White Sox § |
Streaming Video is a good thing

Local TV stations in Chicago started their coverage of the White Sox celebration (a celebratory motorcade from the park though the neighborhoods to the Board of Exchange, followed by a "Ticker Tape Parade" down La Salle street (like they still use ticker tape... I heard they're using shredded-up Chicago Sun-Times newspapers... in my opinion a good use of the Sun-Times, but that's gotta look crappy) and a rally in the midle of La Salle and Wacker, right at the river.

Anyway, some of the local stations (Channels 2, 5, 7, and 9) are streaming their coverage over the web so I'll be able to watch from my desk!

Update: Sign in the crowd downtown: JOE CREDE I WANT TO GO TO THIRD BASE WITH YOU

posted at 11:03 AM | Link | White Sox | 1 comment § |

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Water Canons

I guess the White Sox just landed at Midway and the cool thing was that their plane (looked like an American Airlines 757) was welcomed with a traditional Fire Department Water Canon salute (it's where the fire department water canon trucks will setup opposite each other off of a taxiway and shoot a curtain of water into the air over the taxiway that the plane taxi's underneath). It's cool to watch because that's something that only done on very special occasions and I've never seen it done at a Chicago airport.

posted at 03:31 PM | Link | White Sox | 1 comment § |

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS
WORLD SERIES BLOG

CHICAGO WHITE SOX - 2005- WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS


Not much to say here... I'm kinda overwhelmed and overcome with emotions, I guess.

To follow one team all your life and finally see them win the championship.

Priceless.

read more of this entry »


posted at 11:05 AM | Link | White Sox § |
That's 3

Damn it. Fell asleep in the friggin' chair watching the game. Woke up when the local Fox news was on after the game. Checked TiVo, but it stopped after Uribe's at bat in the 14th, right after Blum's homerun. (have been TiVo-ing all of the games and copying them off to DVD... just for "posterity")

14 innings (The only other World Series game that lasted 14 innings was on Oct. 9, 1916, when the Boston Red Sox beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 2) Five hours and 41 minutes. (longest (time) in World Series history). 482 pitches. 17 pitchers (the previous high of was 13 for a World Series game). Most walks in a World Series game - 21. Most walks by one team was a record, too, for the Sox - 12. Most players used in a World Series game - 43. The 30 men left on base, 15 by each team, were the most in a World Series game. Most combined Double Plays - 6. Scott Podsednik became the first player to have eight official at-bats in a Series game. First World Series game played in the state of Texas.

I knew it was going to be a rough game. If the Sox didn't win, I wasn't too concerned thinking that the Astros and fans would be pretty pumped. They were but everyone sure fell silent ion the 5th when we scored 5 runs to take the lead after being down 4-0 (especially off their "superstar" pitcher Roy Oswalt, who everybody was raving about, to the point of giving him a win for the game handily without him even throwing a pitch - like he was predestined and nobody could touch him).

Hope I can stay up and watch the game tonight!

read more of this entry »


posted at 01:47 AM | Link | White Sox § |

Saturday, October 22, 2005

World Series Shopping

We're having company over tonight - a perfect time to get out of the house to let Carol clean it without ME being around.

Besides, I've got places I need to go and see.

After all, the World Series is in town for the first time in 47 years.

read more of this entry »


posted at 02:43 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Friday, October 21, 2005

If the sky's gonna fall, at least let's make the place look good...

The Picasso statue in Daley Plaza is wearing a Sox hat.

The two lions in front of the Art Institute are being fitted for hats and will be wearing them shortly.

(I don't know this statue) the hoofs of a downtown sculpture titled "The Bowman and The Spearman" are to outfitted with white socks in time for tomorrow night's Game One against the Houston Astros.

The mayor's office is distributing 20,000 Ozzie Guillen masks. (That's supposed to make the place look better?)

posted at 02:07 PM | Link | White Sox § |
Today has become "The Sky Is Falling" day

Today, the White Sox and the media are laying it on thick. The World Series is coming to town, but if you don't have a ticket, don't bother getting anywhere close.

The first game starts tomorrow night. The police & FBI are blocking of the streets for a block around the park. Nobody without a ticket gets inside the area. On top of that, there will be random car searches. I remember 2 years ago the searches they were doing around the park prior to the All-Star Game. The real unnerving part? They had guys with Geiger counters checking for radiation coming from the cars... makes you wonder if they heard"chatter" about a "threat". And, jeez, the World Series is a pretty big public event... Great...

read more of this entry »


posted at 11:39 AM | Link | White Sox § |

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Houston, eh?

So we finally find out what opponent we have for the World Series:

Chicago White Sox vs Houston Astros

It's going to be a long, well fought series.

posted at 10:50 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Tickets? HA!

World Series tickets went on sale at noon today.

Gone in 18 minutes.

Thank God we have ours already. There weren't a lot of tickets available anyway - I've heard 2,00-4,000.

Still don't know who we're playing.

Update: Well, it's Houston.

Update: Here's the word on tickets from the Inside The White Sox blog, written by Scott Reifert, their Vice President of Communications:

I've gotten quite a few questions about how the tickets are distributed. The White Sox get our allotment for STH, etc. Then MLB takes a big chunk for the following: MLB sponsors, licensees, broadcasting partners, the media, all other 28 teams, every MLB player, umpire, etc.

What's left goes on sale to the public, which was just over 10,000 tickets available to the general public for the four games. If you figure there were 140,000 people trying to get 2,500 opportunities (since each could buy four tickets), you can determine how tough the odds are and how many fans were disappointed.

Update: This should put us in our place. 10,000 tickets in 18 minutes? How about Tickets for Wrestlemania 22, to be held in Chicago on April 2nd of next year at the Allstate Arena, were put on sale last week -- and sold out in less than two minutes. And that was 15,000 tickets.

posted at 06:15 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Sunday, October 16, 2005

OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD

CHICAGO WHITE SOX - AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS - 2005


MLB ALCS BLOG

I didn't think we'd win 4 straight and actually go to the World Series! 4 straight games of complete game pitching?

This is unheard of.

Paul Konerko gets the ALCS MVP trophy.

No World Series appearance since 1959. 46 years. 16,825 days between qualifications.

No World Series win since 1917. 88 years. (let's not get ahead of ourselves)

I wish I could explain to you the feeling of following a team all your life and the team finally makes it to the championship. It's unbelievable.

Yes, there's tears. Tears of joy. I can't explain it. Relief. Pride. Excitement.

(Boxscore)

posted at 10:41 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Friday, October 07, 2005

Sweep? Sweep? SWEEP!
MLB ALDS BLOG

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posted at 07:33 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Sunday, October 02, 2005

OK, now that the season's over...

For the first time in a while (actually, only 5 years but it's long enough) it's time to get ready for post-season baseball.

But it took until today to figure out what was going on. We swept the Cleveland Indians (which I was surprised/shocked about).

We end the season TIED for the best record in all of baseball (best in the AL at least - we tied with the ST. Louis Cardinals) - 99-63. I think that's an OK comeback from our little "slide". (The Cardinals had the best record in baseball at 100-62. We came pretty damn close after losing our best record to them in August)

So, here's how the AL plays out for the ALDS First Round:

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posted at 03:42 PM | Link | White Sox | 2 comments § |

Thursday, September 29, 2005

As John Rooney would say... "Another White Sox Winner!"

Chicago White Sox

MAGIC NUMBER 1 but it doesn't matter...

CHICAGO WHITE SOX - AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL DIVISION CHAMPIONS - 2005


Chicago White Sox 2005 American League Central Division Champions
Chicago's victory reduced its magic number to one, clinching a tie for the American League Central title. But even if the Indians were to sweep the three-game set at Jacobs Field this weekend, thus clinching a playoff berth, the White Sox would win the tiebreaker for the AL Central crown with an 11-8 edge in head-to-head play.

The reason the White Sox and Indians wouldn't play a one-game playoff is because, with the Red Sox and Yankees playing each other this weekend, one team would be guaranteed to finish out of the playoffs if the Indians swept the White Sox. And in instances in which two teams from the same division are guaranteed to make the playoffs, MLB does not use a one-game playoff, instead relying on head-to-head records to break the tie.

Alight, this is pretty damn exciting. I feel great. MY team is number one, and the Chicago National League Baseball Club is nowhere to be seen this year. We've taken all the crap you North Siders have dished out, and this particular year you've got nothing. Your team didn't even get to .500. So shut the hell up this year - next year, we're on again. This year - SHUT UP.

However, I will graciously extend my arm to help out anybody willing to jump on the bandwagon to see how far we can ride it this year.

I realize I live in Chicago. I realize we don't have the greatest history when it comes to championships with any professional team in the city. We may get no further than this round. This is OK. Like I said, come 2006 it's "Game On" all over again.

Here's two seemingly opposite stats that bring the whole year in focus as a great start and a sickening slide at the end: Only the 10th team in history to be in first place every day of the season, and the only team in history to have a 15-game lead drop below three games, And we still won it with 3 games to spare.

It sure is nice feeling being on top. Again.

I'm just excited that we get to raise a flag on Opening Day next year. I just wonder what it will say?

(White Sox 4 - Tigers 2 - Boxscore)

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posted at 02:26 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Magic Number 2 1 2

Oh, crap... I don't know how my body is going to survive the stress.

One more game against Detroit.

3 final games against our nemesis Cleveland.

Magic Number is reduced with each White Sox win or Cleveland loss.

Magic Number to clinch the division.

Update: Magic numbers are so confusing... If we want to limp-in, the Magic Number is 1.

BUT - If we win tomorrow, and Cleveland wins the rest of 3-game series against them, WE TIE for the AL Central. But then, the White Sox would win the tiebreaker for the American League Central by an 11-8 record in head-to-head competition.

Oh, and let's muddy the water with a coin-toss: If we limp-in with a Wild Card spot, The Sox won a coin toss to host a possible one-game Wild Card playoff contest against either the Yankees or Red Sox on Monday (because the Yankees or the Red Sox are guaranteed 2 losses this weekend - they 're playing a 3-game series against each other)

posted at 09:07 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Sunday, September 25, 2005

White Sox 4 - Twins 1

Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins

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Saturday, September 24, 2005

White Sox 8 - Twins 1

Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins

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posted at 10:42 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Friday, September 23, 2005

Great. Taunt me.

My 2005 Post Season Tickets - of course, with the important stuff blocked-out!
So, guess what came in the mail yesterday.

My playoff and World Series tickets.

I think that stabbing pain I had yesterday (which hasn't gone away, it's just "significantly muted") was to show me what a Cub Fan feels like.

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posted at 08:49 AM | Link | White Sox § |

Sunday, September 11, 2005

White Sox 1 - Angels 6

Chicago White Sox Anaheim Angels

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Saturday, September 10, 2005

White Sox 5 - Angels 10

Chicago White Sox Anaheim Angels

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Sunday, September 04, 2005

White Sox 2 - Tigers 0

Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

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Saturday, September 03, 2005

White Sox 6 - Tigers 2

Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

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Sunday, August 21, 2005

White Sox 6 - Yankees 2

Chicago White Sox New York Yankees

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Saturday, August 20, 2005

White Sox 0 - Yankees 5

Chicago White Sox New York Yankees

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posted at 04:42 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Invoice - $995

I came home from work today and there it was in my mailbox.

An invoice.

For Post Season tickets.

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posted at 04:37 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Stupid Yankee Fan

A fan sits suspended in the netting behind the plate as he reportedly fell into the netting from the upper deck in the 8th inning as the Chicago White Sox played the NY Yankees at Yankee Stadium. (Newsday photo/ Paul J. Bereswill)
Carol and I were watching the Sox game tonight when something really bizarre happened.

It was the bottom of the eighth - the Sox were winning against the Yankees in New York.

All of a sudden, you hear the fans get riled-up. The TV crew takes to a shot of - some fan that fell out of the upper deck and is now laying in the net attached to the backstop! Holy crap!

Update: There are reports that the kid jumped. 18-year-old Scott Harper of Armonk, N.Y. told three friends he was sitting with that he was going to test whether the net would hold his weight -- and then he jumped, police said.

Harper was arrested and police expect to charge him with reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.

Idiot.

I do like these comments, though:

"I've never seen anything like that before," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "I think that's New York, you know, anything can happen."

"That was the only exciting thing that happened today," Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said.

posted at 08:55 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Sunday, August 07, 2005

White Sox 3 - Mariners 1

Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners

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Saturday, August 06, 2005

White Sox 4 - Mariners 2

Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners

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Friday, August 05, 2005

White Sox 2 - Mariners 4

Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners

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Sunday, July 24, 2005

White Sox 6 - Red Sox 4

Chicago White Sox Boston Red Sox

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Saturday, July 23, 2005

White Sox 0 - Red Sox 3

Chicago White Sox Boston Red Sox

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posted at 10:42 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Monday, July 18, 2005

Magic Number

61

I don't get it. The Chicago Tribune is posting the Magic Number for the Chicago White Sox. It's just days after the All-Star Game. This is Chicago. Nobody goes out on a limb like this when it comes to sports teams in town.

But here we are - the Sox still have the best record in all of baseball, again the first team to 60 wins. As of this morning, they're 12 games ahead of the 2nd place team (Twins). I'm not expecting to retain the "best record in baseball" title much longer - the St. Louis Cardinals are just 2 games behind in the win column and they have been stronger than the Sox.

And now the media have started noticing the local team that's actually in First Place and I'm getting that "jinxed" feeling, when you don't say certain things even when they're right in front of you, so you don't jinx the situation and have it change.

And there it is - Magic Number 61 - the number of White Sox wins and 2nd place team losses needed to win the division.

It's only July and they're calculating and publishing a Magic Number.

Scary.

posted at 05:22 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Sunday, July 10, 2005

White Sox 8 - Athletics 9 (11 innings)

Chicago White Sox Oakland Athletics

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posted at 10:39 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Saturday, July 09, 2005

White Sox 1 - Athletics 10

Chicago White Sox Oakland Athletics

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posted at 10:06 PM | Link | White Sox | 2 comments § |

Sunday, June 26, 2005

White Sox 0 - Cubs 2

Chicago White Sox Chicago Cubs

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Saturday, June 25, 2005

White Sox 2 - Cubs 6

Chicago White Sox Chicago Cubs

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posted at 07:12 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Friday, June 24, 2005

Hedging

Let me go on the record here, before anything gets started this weekend.

It has nothing to do with NextFest at Navy Pier, or the wonderful gastronomical Taste Of Chicago that kicks off today.

No, it has to do with baseball, interleague play, and the damn Cubs-Sox series.

I hate this event. Just hate it. I just can't stand the people that show up at the park, get plastered, and start shouting asinine comments at people and just looking for a damn fight. It's both sides of the aisle, both sides are guilty. I just hate the environment. Makes it quite difficult to try and enjoy the game.

We're in the middle of a pretty damn intense heat wave. Temps today are supposed to be around 96, with a Heat Index of 105.

Things happen in an environment like that.

Now, that being said, I don't have a good feeling about the outcome of these games either.

The Sox start the series 9 1/2 games in First Place in the AL Central, with a record of 49-22, the best in all of baseball.

Means nothing in this series. It's all about the outcome of these three games. And even though we lead the series 2-1 so far, I'm not sure we''ll come out winning this series. There's something in the back of my head that feels we can't do it right now. We've won the last 7 games - can we continue it? It seems like a longshot to come out on top for the weekend.

I don't know, it's just a feeling.

That's it. Go about your business.

UPDATE: Score of today's game: Sox 12 - Cubs 2

posted at 08:52 AM | Link | White Sox § |

Sunday, June 19, 2005

White Sox 4 - Dodgers 3

Chicago White Sox Los Angeles Dodgers

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posted at 11:34 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Saturday, June 18, 2005

White Sox 5 - Dodgers 3

Chicago White Sox Los Angeles Dodgers

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posted at 10:16 PM | Link | White Sox | 1 comment § |

Sunday, June 05, 2005

White Sox 4 - Indians 6 (12 innings)

Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians

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posted at 06:25 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Monday, May 30, 2005

White Sox 5 - Angels 4

Chicago White Sox Anaheim Angels

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Sunday, May 15, 2005

White Sox 2 - Orioles 6

Chicago White Sox Baltimore Orioles

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Saturday, May 14, 2005

White Sox 6 - Orioles 9

Chicago White Sox Baltimore Orioles

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posted at 10:17 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Saturday, May 07, 2005

Sox Yard Sale

The annual Yard Sale in the Patio Area at U.S. Cellular Field Going through a rack of player jerseys
Time for my annual commute to the White Sox Yard Sale (formerly Garage Sale) at U.S. Cellular Field. Again, this year it was held in the Patio area while Family Day was held out on the field itself, where the outfield was covered with families running around playing catch. How cool it is to watch these families - dads and sons and daughters just playing catch in the outfield of a major league ballpark. It really is special. Sort of a weird passing of the torch, inspiring the young ones to get involved in baseball.

Anyway, there weren't many racks of game-worn jerseys this year - I think there was only 3 or 4. The "deals" in jerseys would be the most recently traded or released players - this year, that would be Carlos Lee and Jose Valentin - both players had at least half a dozen jerseys on the rack that went quickly. This year, I picked up a jacket for Carol (a gray "Away-Style" version) and one for me (the standard black "Home-Style" version). at $75 each, they were a steal. I can't find any ID in Carol's jacket, but I found a "46" in mine - I guess that would be Neal Cotts.

Good turnout. I don't know why people buy player's hats. Just don't want to wear something that sweaty. And bats? Most of them were cracked, but some were still in good shape. Had some catchers gear, too. Actually the best deal is the Media Guides from all of the MLB teams for 25 cents each.

Odd things? Bricks from old Comiskey, Parking Lot signs, and very worn On-Deck circles (pads).

posted at 11:13 AM | Link | White Sox § |

Sunday, May 01, 2005

White Sox 8 - Tigers 0

Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

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posted at 05:35 PM | Link | White Sox | 1 comment § |

Saturday, April 30, 2005

White Sox 4 - Tigers 3

Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

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posted at 10:33 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

That's more like I'm used to...

A strong start, a blown lead, 2 hit batsmen, a battle back, let them in a bit, somebody that played shortstop who never played there in their career, and a loss, with 14 hits 3 errors.

Yeah, that's more like it...

posted at 06:55 AM | Link | White Sox § |

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

First time in how long?

The White Sox are scaring me. Still on the best start ever - 16-4, 8 straight wins, they're 10-2 on the road, and they're on the West Coast which - historically - has killed us (Oakland won seven of nine against the White Sox last season). And last night was against Barry Zito and we still get a win. Not only that, our catcher (Chris Widger) - who played last season with the Camden Riversharks in the independent Atlantic League before he showed-up at spring training as a non-roster invitee - gets his first homerun in the majors since April 9, 2000!!! (A.J. Pierzynski was able to get the ball from the fan to give to Widger.)

posted at 07:06 AM | Link | White Sox § |

Sunday, April 24, 2005

Best start ever?

This is getting pretty dam scary... The White Sox improved to 14-4, the best 18-game start to a season in their 104-year franchise history. Almost all of these games are against AL Central rivals.

I'm just happy having them win each series they're in.

posted at 08:03 AM | Link | White Sox § |

Sunday, April 17, 2005

White Sox 4 - Mariners 5

Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners

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Saturday, April 16, 2005

White Sox 2 - Mariners 1

Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners

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posted at 05:53 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Monday, April 04, 2005

OPENING DAY - White Sox 1 - Indians 0

Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians
YES!!!! It's Opening Day!!!! All is right with the world!!!

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posted at 09:08 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Monday, March 14, 2005

Getting closer...

Watched baseball over the weekend. Watched baseball. Comcast is broadcasting 20 pre-season games! No one's done that around here before... and it just gets you cranked-up for next month when the season actually starts... Oh, and the Sox beat the Cubs this afternoon, and things feel better than I thought...

posted at 04:51 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

11 days until Spring...

... and not only that, my life had started again during my "blogging hiatus". Yes, baseball spring training had started last week. I have a small radio that I take to the hockey and baseball games that I keep in my backpack, so I'm lucky to hear a game being broadcast over ESPN 1000 (even though the interference from all of the damn electronics around here - depending on where you sit/stand - isn't all that bad). What's even better, though I haven't seen one yet, is that Comcast Sports is actually broadcasting 20 pre-season games. I can't wait to sit down and watch.

And you know what came in the mail yesterday? Yes! Our Season Tickets. We were shocked to find out that our seats moved! Our ticket rep moved us up 2 rows from 16 to 14, and we're still in seats 1 & 2. Up side: closer to the field. Down side: we've moved away from Victor! Damn!

We got our Stadium Club passes a week ago - we are splitting the cost this year with our pals Janie & Gary. We'll finally have a place to go (again) when the weather turns crappy at the beginning of the season.

It's too bad that I'm not feeling all that good about the team this year, and so far this spring isn't helping matters.

posted at 12:18 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Green

The new seats being installed at U.S. Cellular Field
I've got an early Christmas present! It's something I've wanted for years. I thought I would never get it, because it costs an awful lot of money and the person in charge doesn't like to spend the money.

I've always wanted a green Comiskey Park. Since it opened in 1991, I've HATED those damn blue seats. It's just another thing that made the place... uninviting for baseball. Now, slowly, over the past couple of years I've seen it - the slow change. When the scoreboard was rebuilt, the facing was changed from blue to green. Some signage around the park changed from blue to green. The padding on the walls around the field changed from blue to green.

And now, they've started replacing over 40,000 seats! YESSSS!!!!! No more swimming pool blue - we'll be sitting on forest green seats, like a real ball park of old.

Unfortunately, they're being phased-in, with the lower deck (where we sit) being last.

But at least it's being done!

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posted at 09:45 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Sunday, October 03, 2004

Season Over

Well, the baseball season is officially over for me. I mention this every year because this is the official time when I slip into a funk until pitchers and catchers report to camp next year. My team - the Chicago White Sox - finished 83-79, 2nd in their division 9 games behind the Twins and out of the Wild Card race by 15 games. To be blunt, they had been out for at least a month and realistically even longer than that. We had the first half of the season and just crumbled in the second half. Everyone did - offense, pitching, even defense. But still, it was a good year.

Baseball is life and mine is in suspension until next year.

*sigh*

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posted at 03:44 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Sunday, September 26, 2004

White Sox 5 - Royals 1 - Final Home Game

Chicago White Sox Kansas City Royals

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Saturday, September 25, 2004

White Sox 5 - Royals 1

Chicago White Sox Kansas City Royals

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Sunday, September 19, 2004

White Sox 6 - Tigers 1

Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

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Saturday, September 18, 2004

White Sox 9 - Tigers 8 - 12 innings

Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

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Sunday, September 05, 2004

White Sox 6 - Mariners 2

Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners

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Saturday, September 04, 2004

White Sox 8 - Mariners 7

Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners

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posted at 10:07 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Friday, September 03, 2004

Japanese advertising

Shingo Takatsu pitches to Ichiro Suzuki in the 9th
I'm watching the white Sox-Seattle game on Fox Sports Net from U.S. Cellular Field and I just noticed that the rolling advertizing sign behind the plate has Japanese advertising in it!

I'd like to think it's because of Shingo Takatsu, but I'm sure it's because of Ichiro Suzuki. Or perhaps, both.

I've NEVER seen that before in the park.

On a side note, I read today that there a rumor that the Cubs will apply to the Historical Commission to be able to put a rolling advertizing sign on the brick behind the plate at Wrigley Field. Ha! Join the ranks of ugly advertising inside the park, dear Cub fans...

posted at 09:46 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Monday, August 30, 2004

How'd he do that?

I didn't watch the ballgame this afternoon. The Sox were playing Philadelphia in a makeup game. I'm just having trouble getting behind the team right now, as everything and everybody has been sliding downhill. One of these guys is Joe Borchard. We've been hearing about this guy for years and years that he's the future for the outfield - in 2001 he was named by Baseball America as the No. 1 Prospect in the White Sox organization, No. 2 Outfielder in the minor leagues. He played 16 games in 2002 and 16 in 2003, and 34 this year. His batting average was .222 in 2002, .184 in 2003 and is .163 for this year (.139 over the last 10 games). In 30 games in the outfield this year, he's made 2 errors and has a fielding percentage of .957 (worse than Jose Valentin, another one of our defensive geniuses). It's easy to see why I'm questioning why the hell we have somebody like this in the lineup.

In the 2nd in today's game, with a man on base and one out, he does something that has been pissing me off just like so many others on this team - he swings on the first pitch.

This time, though, he hits a HUGE 504 foot homerun to right-center that easily cleared the bleachers and landed halfway up the concourse. It's the longest ever at U.S. Cellular Field. Ever. (Before that was 495' from Frank Thomas July 23, 2003 against Minnesota off of Johan Santana. Barry Bonds had one at 475' on June 10, 2003 off of Jon Garland)

Oh, what did he do the other 3 at-bats? Struck out each time.

posted at 05:01 PM | Link | White Sox § |

Thursday, August 26, 2004

White Sox Scout Seats?

Artist rendering of the new Scout Seating area at U.S. Cellular Field
I just got an email from my White Sox ticket rep.

They're building a new seating area behind the plate with all kinds of new amenities.

If you want the front row, the cost of the seat is $200. Otherwise, it's $170.

After a season like this one where I felt the team just folded and collapsed, I guess all I can say is "Good luck to you selling those seats!"

What do you get for that price?

  • Premium reserved parking outside of Gate 3
  • Premium buffet in the 5,000+ square foot private restaurant/lounge with all beverages included
    Private access to seat location
  • Wait service at the seats for food and beverages
  • Comfortable, wide seats
  • Self-service island featuring popcorn, ice cream, peanuts, soda, water, etc.
  • One of the best seats in the house, some of which are closer to home plate than the pitcher!

  • read more of this entry »


    posted at 05:02 PM | Link | White Sox | 1 comment § |

    Sunday, August 22, 2004

    White Sox 5 - Red Sox 6

    Chicago White Sox Boston Red Sox

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    Saturday, August 21, 2004

    White Sox 7 - Red Sox 10

    Chicago White Sox Boston Red Sox

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    Friday, August 20, 2004

    White Sox 1 - Red Sox 10 - ELVIS NIGHT!

    Chicago White Sox Boston Red Sox

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    posted at 11:23 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, August 08, 2004

    White Sox 3 - Indians 2

    Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians

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    Saturday, August 07, 2004

    White Sox 5 - Indians 6

    Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians

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    posted at 10:03 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, July 31, 2004

    Baseball despair

    One week ago, I was at a ballgame for my favorite team - The Chicago White Sox. Everything was right with the world.

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    posted at 09:59 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, July 25, 2004

    White Sox 2 - Tigers 9

    Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

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    Saturday, July 24, 2004

    White Sox 7 - Tigers 6

    Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

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    Sunday, July 11, 2004

    White Sox 4 - Mariners 3

    Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners

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    Saturday, July 10, 2004

    White Sox 3 - Mariners 2

    Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners

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    posted at 10:27 PM | Link | White Sox | 1 comment § |

    Sunday, June 27, 2004

    White Sox 9 - Cubs 4

    Chicago White Sox Chicago Cubs

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    Saturday, June 26, 2004

    White Sox 6 - Cubs 3

    Chicago White Sox Chicago Cubs

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    posted at 06:16 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, June 19, 2004

    Sox Yard Sale

    Working one of the racks of game-worn jerseys at the White Sox Yard Sale Just a VW on the Dan Ryan
    Went to the White Sox Yard Sale at the park. Normally it's usually around the 2nd week of March, but because of the extensive construction around the park, they postponed it until today. And instead of being a Garage Sale, it was billed as a Yard Sale held in the Patio area. It seemed like the number of jerseys available has finally gone down after a couple of years, so it was getting hard to find a "good" one, though they were there for a price. The regular jerseys were about $150, but the "good" ones are at least $350. It didn't matter - I didn't have any "good" money with me, even to purchase a cheapo jersey. I was there to pick up any All-Star Game tchochkies that was still still left over. i was able to get an All-Star Media Guide which I wanted - for 25 cents. Spent a few more bucks on some All-Star Bobble Heads (miniatures of the ones that were deployed around Chicago to celebrate the All-Star game last year).

    The odd items this year? Parking lot and stadium signage, seat parts, players luggage (huge, hard-sided Samsonite), bricks (from where?), and scoreboard modulator pieces (no idea which scoreboard).

    While this was going on, there was Family Day in the Park in the outfield, where families can go (for a price - $20/adult $10/child) to play catch in the outfield for an hour. We've done this every year as part of season ticketholder parties, but it's never been done with the public. The place was packed. But there was something I had never seen before - it wasn't fathers bringing their young kids to play catch. The people that stood out were the 20- and 30-somethings that brought their fathers to play catch. An early Father's Day present that could really be something precious to have.

    posted at 11:35 AM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, June 13, 2004

    White Sox 10 - Braves 3

    Chicago White Sox Atlanta Braves

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    posted at 05:23 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, June 12, 2004

    White Sox 10 - Braves 8

    Chicago White Sox Atlanta Braves

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    posted at 10:11 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Wednesday, June 02, 2004

    New FUNdamentals at USCF

    The proposed new FUNdamentals area on the left field concourse at U.S. Cellular Field
    I was going to comment on this last week, but never got around to it...

    The White Sox have this great area for kids called FUNdamentals, with batting cages, pitching cages and base running areas, all staffed by White Sox instructors. A lot of people may not even know it exists - it's by gate 3, so if you don't go in that gate, you may never see it.

    The Sox announced that as part of the proposed rehabs of TPFKAC™ (U.S. Cellular Field) for next year, they are going to rebuild FUNdamentals and put it over the left field concourse.

    It looks like a great location (it also looks like you just might be able to watch the game from up there) and will definitely give the area more exposure and better access.

    posted at 10:48 AM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, May 30, 2004

    White Sox 11 - Angels 2

    Chicago White Sox Anaheim Angels

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 09:21 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, May 29, 2004

    White Sox 1 - Angels 5

    Chicago White Sox Anaheim Angels
    DOG DAY!

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 09:28 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, May 16, 2004

    White Sox 11 - Twins 0

    Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 06:06 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, May 15, 2004

    White Sox 1 - Twins 4

    Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 10:02 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Thursday, May 13, 2004

    White Sox 0 - Orioles 1 - Game 1 - White Sox 6 - Orioles 5 - Game 2

    Chicago White Sox Baltimore Orioles
    Oh crap... do we feel STUPID...

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 10:58 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, May 02, 2004

    White Sox 3 - Blue Jays 2

    Chicago White Sox Toronto Blue Jays

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 08:29 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, May 01, 2004

    White Sox 4 - Blue Jays 3 (Game 1) - White Sox 6 - Blue Jays 10 (Game 2)

    Chicago White Sox Toronto Blue Jays

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    posted at 10:42 PM | Link | White Sox § |
    Doubleheader???

    Chicago White Sox Toronto Blue Jays
    Oh, great. The Sox got rained-out last night. Since Toronto is in the East, we only play them once a year, so they have to make-up yesterday's game today.

    So like I said earlier in the week, the weather is going to suck. Let's see... what is it outside now? 46 degrees. Wind is about 10mph. Wind chill = 41. Oh, and that infamous cooler near the lake. It was going to be crappy sitting out in this to watch a night game, what the hell is this going to be like for two freakin' games???

    We may have to discuss this...

    posted at 10:05 AM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, April 25, 2004

    White Sox 6 - Devil Rays 5

    Chicago White Sox Tampa Bay Devil Rays

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    posted at 05:54 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, April 24, 2004

    White Sox 1 - Devil Rays 4

    Chicago White Sox Tampa Bay Devil Rays

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 04:47 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Tuesday, April 13, 2004

    Home Opener - White Sox 12 - Royals 5

    Chicago White Sox Kansas City Royals

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    posted at 08:42 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, April 10, 2004

    Two in a row...

    Two in a row...
    Sorry... not much going on in my life, so watching baseball is key.

    Two wins in a row against the Yankees.

    I like it.

    Sorry, Erin.

    posted at 02:58 PM | Link | White Sox | 1 comment § |

    Friday, April 09, 2004

    That's better...

    This one felt good...
    So the Sox and Cubs start the day even - both with 1-2 records and in 4th place in each of our divisions (OK, tied for 3rd actually). I feel good about that. <snicker>

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 06:20 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Monday, April 05, 2004

    Oh, so this is how it's going to be...

    What a way to start the season...
    How the hell can this happen?

    The White Sox are in Kansas City and lead them 7-3 going into the bottom of the 9th.

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 04:55 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Thursday, March 25, 2004

    Ducats

    Our White Sox Season Ticket stuff
    Well, after a very long day at work and a long drive home, I find that we've received one of my most favorite packages of the year...

    Our White Sox Season Tickets! Same old box, no new information, same seats, nothing I'm really looking forward to this season... just another season of baseball and hope...

    posted at 07:05 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Wednesday, March 24, 2004

    The Cell's not done

    Saw on the Channel 7 News tonight that it looks like the upper deck renovations at The Cell seem to be way behind schedule for the home opener on April 13th. Take a peek at the story.

    posted at 04:53 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, March 14, 2004

    You can put it on your TV.... YES!!!!

    You can put it on your TV.... YES!!!! The White Sox on WGN
    Yes! Chicago White Sox Spring Training on WGN!!!

    Yes!!! My life's clock is ticking!!!! Yes!!!

    (I'm ignoring the fact the the Sox were on yesterday, because they played the Cubs in Mesa, so the telecast was a Cubs telecast and I hate Chip Carey so much, that it was impossible to watch...)

    posted at 02:09 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Monday, February 16, 2004

    The "new lid" at "The Cell"

    The new upper-deck roof is being added at U.S. Cellular Field
    Since I was on the South Side today, I swung by Comiskey (sorry, I will probably always call it Comiskey) to see how the upper deck rennovations were going. The place is a ness. 35th Street is down to two lanes to accomodate the cranes. It's not done and they still have a ways to go. I'm not sure if I like it, but at least it's something to try to fix the park.

    posted at 06:06 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Monday, November 03, 2003

    Familiar face

    Chicago White Sox
    Well, the Sox made a decision - one that a few people find surprising - former shortstop Ozzie Guillen was named Manager of the White Sox. A few things I remember about watching him play - he has heart, intensity, he never wanted to walk (I always saw him go after pitches - and make contact - that were all over the place), and had this odd little "goofball" side of him, always working hard but having fun in the process. The downside? No management experience - though he was Third Base Coach for the Champion Florida Marlins this year. I hope this works out...

    posted at 06:19 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Tuesday, October 14, 2003

    The Cell gets a trim

    Chicago Tribune photo - October 14, 2003
    Carol left part of the Metro section of the Chicago Tribune on my Aeron chair by the computer this morning. There it was - a picture of seats being ripped out of the upper deck at "The Cell" a.k.a. U.S. Cellular Field, "The Joan", and my TPFKAC™. It said that they were pulling the seats "in preparation for decreasing the upper deck's size for the '04 White Sox season." Well, it's a start - I'd rather see them just take the whole frickin' upper deck off (which, structurally, looks like they could do it) and just rebuild the thing with a better pitch and maybe a new "roof". The only issue may be trying to cover the concession areas below the seating.

    Hell, I was just happy to see something that said "White Sox" in the paper after all this damn Cub Fever crap gong on in town...

    Bitter? Hell, yes...

    posted at 10:20 AM | Link | White Sox § |

    Monday, September 29, 2003

    Jerry's gone

    Chicago White Sox
    Not surprised. Not surprised at all.

    White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams relieved manager Jerry Manuel of his duties today.

    My life clock has stopped. My baseball season has come to an end. My team is now without a manager and who knows who will still be part of the team when they report to Spring Training in less than 5 months.

    *sigh*

    posted at 02:10 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, September 21, 2003

    White Sox 4 - Royals 10

    Chicago White Sox Kansas City Royals

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    posted at 05:24 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, September 20, 2003

    White Sox 1 - Royals 7

    Chicago White Sox Kansas City Royals

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    posted at 09:42 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Thursday, September 11, 2003

    White Sox 2 - Twins 5

    Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins
    There is ONE thing in my life that makes me feel American - Baseball. If you know me, you know that baseball is truly intertwined in my life, and there's nothing more American - to me - than baseball. So, I drove to Riverside, picked up Janie & Gary and we went to a ball game.

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 04:51 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Wednesday, September 10, 2003

    Magic Number: 17

    Chicago White Sox
    OK, folks, look... you have no idea how exciting this is to Chicago baseball fans... New York - you've had your subway series. Big friggin' deal. It's not like the Yankees or Mets have been out of contention for decades, so screw you right now...

    The last time the White Sox and the Cubs have both been in First Place in September was...

    1906

    That's when the Sox beat the Cubs in the World Series. The third World Series.

    The last time the Cubs won the World series was 1908. Since then, both clubs have finished behind the league winners by under 10 games together only twice.

    Since 1940, both teams had winning records at the end of the season only five times.

    This is a big deal!

    So, here it is September 10.
    White Sox Magic Number: 17
    Cubs Magic Number: 19 (or, as the t-shirts say around "The Cell" - 911)

    posted at 08:43 AM | Link | White Sox § |

    Tuesday, September 09, 2003

    Magic Number: 19

    Chicago White Sox
    I was reading the sports section of USA Today and saw something that I had forgotten about:

    Magic Number: 19

    Wow. It's actually there in print. Normally, the Magic Number is something we always chased, but there it was.

    It's September.

    We're in First Place.

    And we have a Magic Number...

    posted at 09:10 AM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, September 07, 2003

    White Sox 7 - Indians 3

    Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians

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    posted at 10:29 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, September 06, 2003

    White Sox 8 - Indians 5

    Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 04:44 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Monday, September 01, 2003

    September Baseball

    It's September. It's Chicago. Historically, this has been a bad month for baseball for us. The Cubs, even if they've shown hope and promise earlier in the season have usually faded by now, or are in the process of fading. The White Sox, if they haven't been contending in the first half of the season, are nowhere to be found, usually prompting fire sales or "white flag" trades.

    Welcome to 2003.

    As I write this, The Cubs are in third, 1½ games behind division-leading St. Louis and Houston. However, they're at home with only a .500 record at home, and are in the middle of a 5-game series playing St. Louis, so there could be some movement this week. In contention? Possibly.

    The White Sox, having the day off, are now in first by 2 games, ahead of both Minnesota & Kansas City. The Sox have 25 games in 27 days coming up, playing 7 against Kansas City and 7 against the Twins, not to mention 5 against the Red Sox and 3 against the Yankees. Hopefully their 43-23 home record will help. In contention? Possibly.

    This is rare, folks. If neither team makes it into the post-season, fans will be pissed but they'll eventually chalk it up to the state of baseball in Chicago.

    If one of the teams make it, there will be some very ungracious slamming of the other team, their management, and their fans.

    If both teams make it, all hell will break loose in this city and God help us all.

    I'm giddy....

    posted at 08:25 PM | Link | Baseball § |

    Sunday, August 24, 2003

    White Sox 0 - Rangers 5

    Chicago White Sox Texas Rangers

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    posted at 04:04 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, August 23, 2003

    White Sox 13 - Rangers 2

    Chicago White Sox Texas Rangers

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    posted at 09:40 PM | Link | White Sox § |
    Playoff Invoice

    Guess what I got in the mail today from the Chicago White Sox?

    An invoice.

    For playoff tickets!

    Holy crap, I sort of didn't expect it. Since we're only Weekend Season Ticketholders, we don't get a full set of tickets. We get 3 AL Division Series games, 1 AL Championship Series game and 1 World Series game. World Series game! Oh, and parking, too.

    I'm giddy. Now, I'm a realist. I'm not expecting to actually get to the World Series. But... how cool is this!!!!

    Now all we have to do is scrounge around for the money.

    PLAYOFF TICKETS!!! I must remember to not count my chickens...

    posted at 03:08 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Friday, August 22, 2003

    White Sox 7 - Rangers 1

    Chicago White Sox Texas Rangers

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    posted at 11:45 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, August 10, 2003

    White Sox 5 - Athletics 1

    Chicago White Sox Oakland Athletics

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    posted at 04:54 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, August 09, 2003

    White Sox 2 - Athletics 7

    Chicago White Sox Oakland Athletics

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 10:04 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, July 27, 2003

    White Sox 9 - Devil Rays 1

    Chicago White Sox Tampa Bay Devil Rays

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 09:51 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, July 26, 2003

    White Sox 6 - Devil Rays 10

    Chicago White Sox Tampa Bay Devil Rays

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 10:36 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Tuesday, July 22, 2003

    White Sox 5 - Indians 2

    Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 05:47 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, July 20, 2003

    White Sox 10 - Tigers 1

    Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 10:28 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, July 19, 2003

    White Sox 6 - Tigers 2

    Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 09:51 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Tuesday, July 01, 2003

    Fine tuning the team

    Chicago White Sox
    After watching the Sox game tonight, I'm starting to see a glimmer of hope with the team. Now, GM Kenny Williams has had a busy day making some trades that could make things interesting...

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 10:58 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, June 29, 2003

    White Sox 2 - Cubs 5

    Chicago White Sox Chicago Cubs

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    posted at 04:07 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, June 15, 2003

    White Sox 0 - Padres 1

    Chicago White Sox San Diego Padres

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 10:07 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, June 14, 2003

    White Sox 6 - Padres 5

    Chicago White Sox San Diego Padres

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    posted at 10:31 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Wednesday, May 28, 2003

    One down, one to go

    William Ligue Jr. pleaded guilty to aggravated battery against Kansas City Royals coach Tom Gamboa last September 19th at Comiskey Park (yes, back before "The Joan", at TPFKAC™). Now, lets see what happens to Ump Jumper Eric Dybas.

    posted at 04:52 PM | Link | Baseball § |

    Sunday, May 25, 2003

    White Sox 8 - Tigers 5 - 12 innings

    Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

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    posted at 04:07 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, May 24, 2003

    White Sox 0 - Tigers 1

    Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 09:55 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Monday, May 19, 2003

    White Sox 2 - Blue Jays 12

    Chicago White Sox Toronto Blue Jays

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 10:59 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, May 03, 2003

    White Sox 2 - Mariners 12

    Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners

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    posted at 09:21 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Wednesday, April 30, 2003

    Fog Delay

    Screen Capture of the White Sox game - shot from the Center Field camera in the fog Oakland Athletics first base coach Brad Fischer (35) watches the game against the Chicago White Sox during the third inning on Wednesday, April 30, 2003, in Chicago. The game was delayed 14 minutes due to heavy fog after the third inning. (Brian Kersey/AP) Oakland Athletics manager Ken Macha, from left, Chicaho White Sox's manager Jerry Manuel and crew chief Rick Reed discuss delaying the game after the third inning on Wednesday, April 30, 2003, in Chicago. The game was delayed 14 minutes due to heavy fog. (Brian Kersey/AP) U.S. Cellular Field is partially obscurred during a 14-minute fog delay during the Oakland Athletics Chicago White Sox game on Wednesday, April 30, 2003, in Chicago. (Brian Kersey/AP)
    I'm trying to watch the White Sox game on Fox Sports Chicago right now. The operative word here is trying. There's some hellacious fog rolling in, and the crew is having to use different camera angles so that you can actually see the ball. Before they started the top of the 4th, the umpires called a delay due to the fog. It's bad.
    Update: Oakland 4 White Sox 1 - Temperatures fell from 68 at the first pitch to 50 by the end of the third, 14-minute delay following the end of the third inning and Jerry Manuel asked the umpire crew for a delay (that was granted - after all, Magglio Ordonez lost Eric Byrnes' fly ball for a go-ahead triple) which lasted 31 minutes.

    posted at 07:51 PM | Link | Baseball § |

    Sunday, April 27, 2003

    White Sox 3 - Twins 1

    Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins

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    posted at 04:29 PM | Link | White Sox | 1 comment § |

    Saturday, April 26, 2003

    White Sox 7 - Twins 4

    Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 09:59 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Tuesday, April 22, 2003

    Field of Morons

    Brothers Al (right) and Tom Skutnik, both of Chicago, hold a pair of boxer shorts they say were torn by security guards who ushered Al off the field Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Field. Both Al and Tom ran onto the field and were arrested and charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing. (Tribune photo by David Klobucar) Copyright © 2003, ChicagoSports.com Chicagoan Al Skutnik talks about his reasons for running onto U.S. Cellular Field Tuesday night. (Tribune photo by David Klobucar) Copyright © 2003, ChicagoSports.com
    Carol told me about this article in last week's Trib that I didn't see, so I had to find it and read it online.

    Oh, this so pisses me off...

    The Skutnik brothers said they did it because they love the game, and only meant to excite the crowd when they partially disrobed, leapt from the stands and raced across the playing field Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Field.
    Whaaaat??????? Excite the crowd??? It's illegal, you friggin' moron!
    "You go to a game to have a good time. You just want to pump up the crowd," he said.

    "I love the game. I just wanted to be close to the baseball players," said Tom Skutnik, 20. "The game was awesome. We ran out on to the field, it felt good with everybody rooting us on."

    Of course, during the interview, they're wearing Cubs jerseys and hats... and the Ump Jumper (Eric J. Dybas, 24, of Bolingbrook) is a Cub fan, too...
    A close friend and roommate, Tony Consalvo, 21, said he was surprised by the accusations leveled against Dybas, who he said is an avid Cubs fan. Consalvo said Dybas isn't usually the type to cause trouble, especially on Tuesday's night's scale.

    "Every once in a while, when he gets a few beers in him, he acts a little bit nutty," Consalvo said. "He's a cool guy. He has a lot of talk in him but he usually doesn't do anything about it."

    A little bit nutty... well, at least these idiots are banned from the park now...

    posted at 10:01 AM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, April 20, 2003

    White Sox 4 - Indians 7

    Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 04:15 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, April 19, 2003

    White Sox 12 - Indians 3

    Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 05:02 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Wednesday, April 16, 2003

    Ump Jumper Top 10

    Late Show with David Letterman
    Dave just isn't letting it go... again... just like last time. Tonight's Top 10 List:

    Top Ten Excuses From The Guy Who Attacked The Umpire

    10. "I thought it was 'Attack A Defenseless Umpire Night'"
    9. "Let's see you drink 15 beers and not do something stupid"
    8. "Look at all the endorsements the shirtless father and son lunatics got"
    7. "I wanted to impress Royals shortstop Angel Berroa"
    6. "Umpire? I thought he was a vampire"
    5. "It was Royals-White Sox game -- somebody's gotta make it exciting"
    4. "You never heard of a little thing called 'spring fever'?"
    3. "Pete Rose bet me I wouldn't do it"
    2. "You're just not yourself when you've got shingles"
    1. "From my angle, he looked exactly like Uday Hussein"

    posted at 11:07 PM | Link | TV § |

    Tuesday, April 15, 2003

    No!!!! Not Again!!!

    Security arrives as an unidentified fan attacked first base umpire Laz Diaz as the eighth inning ended. (Tribune photo by Charles Cherney) Copyright © 2003, The Chicago Tribune Security takes away the unidentified fan that attacked first base umpire Laz Diaz. (Tribune photo by Charles Cherney) Copyright © 2003, The Chicago Tribune Security officials are surrounded by Kansas City players as a fan is removed from the field after attacking first base umpire Laz Diaz. (AP photo) Copyright © 2003, The Associated Press The White Sox fan who attacked the umpire is taken away by Chicago police. (Tribune photo by Charles Cherney) Copyright © 2003, The Chicago Tribune The man who attacked first base umpire Laz Diaz sits handcuffed in a Chicago police car. (Tribune photo by Charles Cherney) Copyright © 2003, The Chicago Tribune

    Nooooo!!!!!! Kansas City comes to town to play the White Sox... and another fan jumps out of the stands, this time he attacked first base umpire Laz Diaz. Shades of the Tom Gamboa attack by the shirtless father and son team last September. Know what's the pisser??? This was the fourth time during the game when fans ran out onto the field!!! We are soooo screwed. I wouldn't be surprised if Major League Baseball made a formal complaint, or at least a request, to get the whole security "thing" under control before the All-Star Game rolls into town. This just so pisses me off. These weren't baseball fans. these weren't Sox fans. these were assholes that decided to go to a baseball game and just screw around. Well, buddy, I hope your ass gets thrown in jail for a while. Stay the hell out of my park!

    Note: I blame the White Sox for this. Look, I know these kind of "fans" exist at Wrigley, but you don't see this happen nearly as often. Why? The design of the park. The walls are brick, usually a good height, and depending where you are located, your seats may be a bit above the ground, all making it difficult to get onto the field. A few years ago, in their zeal to squeeze more revenue from the fans that actually show up at TPFKAC™, the White Sox added rows of seats down each line. By doing that, they brought the level of the seats down to field level, and put up a rail that - if you stand right next to it - hits you below the knee. That's right - to get onto the field, all you have to do is step over a rail that is only as high as your knee. WTF???? Who the hell's idea was that? Well, guess what? There's more fan incursions now than there used to be - gee, I wonder why??? So, White Sox, what are you going to do about this??? I am sooo pissed...

    posted at 10:00 PM | Link | Baseball § |
    TPFKAC™

    Look, I'm going on record here... I can't get myself to call that place US Cellular Field yet. It's still Comiskey to me, so cut me some slack until I "transition". Maybe I should be calling it "The Park Formerly Known As Comiskey™" or TPFKAC™.

    posted at 12:43 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Wednesday, April 09, 2003

    All-Star Game Tickets

    MLB 74th All-Star Game
    I got home from work to find... an invoice from the Chicago White Sox. there it was - my invoice for All-Star Week tickets. Yes, the whole week: Radio Shack All-Star Sunday (All-Star Futures Game and Legends and Celebrity Softball Game), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day (All-Star Batting Practice and Century 21 Homerun Derby), and, of course, the 74th MLB All-Star Game, parking for each day, and tickets for the John Hancock All-Star FanFest at McCormick Place.

    Because we've only got weekend season tickets, we won't be in our normal seats (since there's three season ticket packages occupying the same seats), so we will be out in Section 105 - Right Field. Downside: not out normal box seats, a bit further away from the action. Upside: WAY COOL LOCATION for the Homerun Derby!!!!

    I've got to get this invoice back to them with some money...

    posted at 06:19 PM | Link | Baseball § |

    Sunday, April 06, 2003

    White Sox 10 - Tigers 2

    Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 04:20 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, April 05, 2003

    White Sox 7 - Tigers 0

    Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers
    OK, so would you trade your 37 degrees and cloudy with light rain for 32 degrees and partly sunny?

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 04:20 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Friday, April 04, 2003

    White Sox 5 - Tigers 2

    Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers
    OK, this was NOT fun. The traffic was much lighter than I had expected, so we got to the park 1 hour before the 3:05 game time. It's cold, windy, raining.

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 11:58 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, March 22, 2003

    White Sox Open House

    Well, here it is spring, and it's only fitting that Carol & I head down to Comiskey park for a Season Ticket Holder Open House for the team to show-off what they're doing inside the park for renovations.

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 01:52 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Monday, March 10, 2003

    Tickets!

    2003 Season Tickets Package
    I got home from work to find a package from 333 W. 35th Street. YES!!! Our White Sox Season Tickets came! Let's see what's new... there's 4 Sunday games with TBA times - meaning we'll have to see if there's interest at the end of the year to be on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. Dog Day is Saturday April 19, Paul Konerko Bobble Head Dolls on Friday July 18, a new night - Rat Pack Night Friday July 25, White Sox Comic Books Sunday August 10, and Elvis Night Friday August 22. We also got tickets to a party in two weeks to see some of the renovations at the park. The season is getting closer!!!!

    posted at 06:06 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, March 08, 2003

    White Sox Garage Sale

    Took a drive down to Comiskey Park today to go to the White Sox annual Garage Sale, just to see if there was anything interesting, not to mention to see if there was anything interesting around the park.

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 02:11 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Friday, February 28, 2003

    The sound of the crowd after ash strikes horsehide...

    I've had an extremely stressfull and crappy day at work... until now. I've brought my little Sony Walkman and I'm listening to Spring Training Baseball - Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks. Ah, baseball...
    Update: Ah, the first loss of the year. Sox lose 14-5 (Boxscore)

    posted at 02:42 PM | Link | Baseball § |

    Saturday, February 01, 2003

    Front Page!

    Chicago Tribune - February 1, 2003 - Front Page
    There it was - right there. The Chicago Tribune. Not even the Sports section. FRONT PAGE. Above the fold. Comiskey Park benched by Sox By Jim Kirk, Tribune staff reporter. Tribune staff reporters Teddy Greenstein and Gary Washburn contributed to this story. My quote, right there on the front page!

    "I don't like naming rights," said Northwest Side native Michael Lans, 46. "I don't like the idea. It will always be Comiskey to me. But the revenue is good. It would be nice to see some tweaks."
    Almost word for word. I mean, Teddy started with me and he was scribbling with his own shorthand on his memo pad, but basically, though I said more, that was what I said last night at SoxFest. I've never seen myself quoted on a front page before. It's a really weird feeling.

    posted at 07:39 AM | Link | Mundane § |

    Friday, January 31, 2003

    SoxFest 2003

    Carol got off work early, came and picked me up so I could leave early and on an ugly, wet Friday we drove downtown to the Hyatt Regency Chicago to attend SoxFest 2003.

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 11:50 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, January 25, 2003

    Comiskey Park Update

    Last month, when we were on our meat run to Michigan, we were on the Dan Ryan and passed Comiskey Park. That was the first time I noticed it - there was something different about the park. The Upper deck looked the same, so there was no structural change there, but something else was going on. So, since I had nothing else to do today, I drove down to Comiskey to check it out.

    read more of this entry »


    posted at 03:38 PM | Link | White Sox | 1 comment § |

    Saturday, December 07, 2002

    The Big Hurt

    Chicago White Sox
    So, Frank Thomas returns to the White Sox after he can't find a team to take him. No big surprise. I have mixed feelings about this guy. Yes, he's a great power hitter - but he hasn't been that way recently. There was a time where he led the league in walks because he was so feared. Not any more. He's too moody. He's had some injuries over the last few years, leading to some pretty bad stats. An, even though I'm a White Sox fan and follow the American League, he's now just a Designated Hitter and, well, that's just not right. (Even though, in the past, if he played First Base, his stats went up, though he always denied it.) So, the Sox have actually torn-up his contract and reworked it for a couple of years with both sides getting to exercise "mutual options" for renewal. So, Frank, if you're back, you better start doing something and become the leader of that team - something you have never done in the past 13 years on this team.

    posted at 09:30 AM | Link | White Sox | 1 comment § |

    Thursday, September 26, 2002

    Last Home Game

    Chicago White Sox Boston Red Sox The upper deck seats are covered with a blue tarp New paint test samples on the face of the upper deck, the back of the club level, and around the lower suites. Scaffolding to strip and paint the roof in the upper deck White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams being interviewed The guy running the radar gun for the NESN broadcast. Nice ear lobes. An 89 mph fastball from Danny Wright Danny Wright pitches to Lou Merloni Frank Thomas gets buckled on a pitch from Josh Hancock Magglio Ordonez hits a 2-run homerun off of Josh Hancock Magglio Ordonex trots home for his home run Nomar! Just get in the batter's box! The White Sox win 3-2 Goodbye, Comiskey Park... until next year... <*sniff*>
    I couldn't help it - I had to go to the White Sox game this afternoon. It was the last game of the season at home, and I felt compelled to go. Got a single ticket in the 11th row behind the plate. When I walked into the park (which was pretty empty at the time), you could tell the work on the upper deck was on it's way - all of the seats on the third base side had been covered in a blue tarp, and some scaffolding had been erected - looks like they're going to strip and paint the roof. Whoopee - new paint (too bad they don't have the money to fix the upper deck, like change the pitch, change the seating...). And speaking of new paint, the paint samples I saw Sunday night aren't the same paint samples that are there today - maybe they've gone from four colors to two in their selection process. I get some sausages (Polish with grilled onions and a Brat with kraut, which later I found out was an Italian Sausage instead) and go to my seat. Just before the game starts, this guy sits down in front of me with a bunch of equipment, and some other people are running an extension cord and some coax cable to his seat. He's working for NESN (the sports network that covers the Boston games) as a radar gun guy. this guy is definitely not a baseball fan, as he really acted like he wanted to be somewhere else all game. He must have got no more that 80% of the pitches on the gun, as he was fidgeting and bored and not paying attention. Oh, and it looked like he had pennies in his earlobes. Anyway, the game was great. Danny Wright held Boston to two hits in seven innings. Magglio Ordonez got a homerun off of first-time starter Josh Hancock. Keith Foulke got his career 100th save. Sox win 3-2. When Frank Thomas came up to bat in the eighth, the fans gave him a standing ovation - it could be his last at bat as a White Sox (because of the "Diminished Skills" clause of his contract (officially referred to as "revised payment rights") may be activated in the off-season). Then, the game was over, the season was over. I walked around the park almost by myself - there was only 12,304 in attendance and there were less people there now than when I was there last month for what could have been the last game before the strike. It was sad. I was sad to leave the place and I can't tell you why. I didn't want to leave. I just wanted to find a seat and just sit there - by myself. Me and the park. Me and Roger Bossard's turf. Me and the crappy blue seats. I felt safe. I felt comfortable. I couldn't stay - I had to go. And as I'm walking down the ramps, my eyes start to water behind my RayBans. Goodbye Comiskey. See you next year.

    posted at 05:56 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Wednesday, September 25, 2002

    Shirtless Top 10

    Late Show with David Letterman
    Dave just isn't letting it go.... tonight's Top 10 List:

    Top Ten Shirtless Father And Son Explanations

    10. He was obstructing our view
    9. Autographed Tom Gamboa baseball would be worth more if he were dead
    8. We're sorry, you'll have to talk to our shirtless lawyer
    7. You try staying in your seat during a White Sox-Royals game
    6. Dr. Phil says fathers and sons form stronger bonds when they commit senseless acts of violence
    5. When two shirtless idiots can't attack anyone they want, the terrorists have won
    4. People do crazy things after nine beers
    3. For generations our family has proudly beaten first-base coach Tom Gamboa
    2. Getting in shape for hockey dad season
    1. Couple Mets players gave us some crazy weed, man

    posted at 11:05 PM | Link | TV § |

    Sunday, September 22, 2002

    Birthday cake and ESPN Sunday Night Baseball

    Diane getting ready to blow out her candles Carol driving on the Dan Ryan to Comiskey Park
    Went to my parents house for lunch. My sister Diane was over with Melinda so we could celebrate her birthday (remember, she was out of town on her birthday, though Carol and I already got her a present). Carol is driving this weekend since my car has that damn space-saver spare on it. I'll be getting new tires (yep, a full set) later this week. I think she's upset that she's driving, even though I've been driving to my parents and the ballpark all summer. She's pretty tired and stressed out right now. I didn't see too much of Dad. He didn't talk much, seemed tired and not as energetic as he has been. Hopefully, that was just today. His hospice nurse quit, and he has a new one - hopefully he wasn't the cause!

    Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins Tonight's Promotion: Fan Appreciation Night and Fireworks sponsored by LaSalle Bank John Miller of ESPN talking to the Twins during batting practice One of ESPN's remote cameras, on the rail of the White Sox dugout Tonight's lineups on the scoreboard Four different paint test samples on the face of the upper deck. The original unpainted concrete can be seen below.
    Hardly anybody in the parking lot when we pulled into Comiskey Park tonight, our last game of the season. The game time was moved to 7:05 just a few weeks ago, so ESPN can broadcast the game. They really bring out the equipment for the broadcast - they added 3 cameras around the plate, all remote control (one on the backstop, one at each dugout), one in straight away center, above the batter's eye for that special Strike Zone analysis shot. Plus three cameras in the regular center field position, a roving camera on the outfield concourse... Parabolic Mics everywhere in the outfield and camera wells - on guy in the camera well next to the White Sox dugout got hit with a ball - it went through the parabolic mic dish! I was looking around the park and noticed that they started test painting the concrete on the upper deck. There's four different colors, all gray. That's part of the off-season rehab. Nothing major - there's not enough money to really fix the upper deck. Did you know it would cost $4 million to replace the blue seats with green ones? It was Fan Appreciation Night - the team gave out gifts to some of the fans. We weren't one of them. The Sox SWEEP the Twins 8-2. It doesn't mean anything, as the Twins already clinched the division, but it was a show of PRIDE. Mark Buehrle got his 19th win (19-11), Frank Thomas, D'Angelo Jimenez, and Magglio Ordonez each had a home run. Afterwards, fireworks and saying goodbye to all of our Season Ticket buddies hoping to see them sitting somewhere around us next year. It was our last season ticket game this year, but I think I'll go to the Thursday afternoon game against the Red Sox, since that is the last home game. I just can't seem to let go of baseball this year...

    posted at 11:25 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, September 21, 2002

    White Sox 14 - Twins 4

    Chicago White Sox Minnesota Twins The ramp to the upper deck is closed It's weird seeing the empty upper deck Replacement turf from the Rolling Stones Concert Either MLB people (or construction people) checking out the park from the upper deck When you see people dressed alike from across the park, don't you want to know who they are? Keith Folke pitching in relief Our Season Ticket Buddy Karen came over to say goodbye for the season
    Our final weekend of baseball at Comiskey Park. Extra security at the entrance and the checks were a bit more thorough (because of the Thursday Night Idiots). The upper deck is officially closed in preparation of some minor (unfortunately) remodeling for the All Star Season next year. There are people from Major League Baseball that have been touring the park as an advance team for the All Star Game (July 2003). The field is in pretty good shape, considering that the Rolling Stones played here a week ago yesterday. Roger Bossard, the groundskeeper, only had to replace 700 yards of turf - he was prepared to replace 2,000 yards. Even though the Twins clinched the division this week, the Sox weren't going to let them go quietly. The Sox won yesterday 10-2. Today, the Sox won 14-4. Jon Rauch (the tallest player in Major League Baseball at 6' 11") got the win. Magglio Ordonez had two home runs, Jose Valentin and Carlos Lee each had a home run. Great game - the boys played well, even though the Twins tried to come back. Keith Foulke finally got his ERA under 3.00 (2.99). Looks like he's coming back.

    posted at 06:57 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Thursday, September 19, 2002

    Shirtless thugs

    AP PHOTO: Kansas City first-base coach Tom Gamboa (right) tries to defend himself. AP PHOTO: One of the two men who attacked Kansas City Royals' coach Tom Gamboa Thursday at Comiskey Park directs a fist Gamboa's way. Gamboa, whose hand is visible at lower right, prepares to fend his attacker off. AP PHOTO: Players and coaches from the Kansas City Royals rush onto the field to aid first base coach Tom Gamboa. AP PHOTO: Security removes one of the men from the field. AP PHOTO: Tom Gamboa is led into the clubhouse by a trainer after two men jumped from the stands and attacked the Royals coach.
    OH, CRAP... I'm upset and angry... During the top of the 9th at the White Sox - Royals game tonight a father and son charge the field and attack Royals First Base coach Tom Gamboa. They were sitting in the first row - there's no way security could have stopped them. What kind of family life do they have when a father and son attack a baseball player? I wish the media would stop calling these guys "fans". They were spectators - baseball fans would never do something this ugly. Great. Another black eye for Chicago, Chicago baseball, and the White Sox. Bastards. Hope they both get jail time.

    posted at 10:05 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, September 08, 2002

    White Sox 7 - Indians 6

    Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians Today's Promotion - Night Lights from ComEd Gary watching me take a picture of the empty stands Attendance worse than yesterday - 15,067 Willie Harris playing shifted in short right for Jim Thome Aaron Rowand laying down a bunt Something's up - GM Kenny Williams in owner Jerry Reinsdorf's suite
    Back at Comiskey. The Indians haven't had a 4-game sweep of the Sox since 1948. Great. It could happen today. The weather is hotter and hazier than yesterday. The park is emptier than yesterday - 15,067 paid. The game starts similarly - The Sox lead 2-0, only to go down 4-2, and the next thing you know, we're losing 6-3. Bottom of the 9th, 2 on, 2 out - who comes to the plate? Frank Thomas. This guy has done nothing this year. A DH with a .245 average. I can't remember the last time he's done anything in a clutch situation - strikeouts, ground outs, pop outs. What does he do? 3-run home run to tie it! Magglio Ordonez gets on base, and then Joe Crede - with two strikes against him - singles home Mags. Sox win 7-6! No sweep! And they gain a game on Minnesota

    After the game, the Sox released Royce Clayton. So that's why Kenny Williams was hanging around in Jerry Reinsdorf's suite...

    posted at 09:45 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, September 07, 2002

    White Sox 2 - Indians 4 (Oh, and Gracie, Greeks and B&B)

    Gracie looks a bit confused Gracie is ready to go
    Time to pack-up Gracie. She looked a bit confused this morning, almost like she knew something was up but couldn't figure out what it is. But, then again, I think that Gracie's just not wired right. We got her packed up in the car and she just wouldn't settle down. She also didn't seem to recognize the neighborhood around my parents house. Odd. We got there and as soon as we walk into their house, she went nuts. Chelsea and her started wrestling as soon as they saw each other, like they missed it other. We couldn't stay long, since it's a baseball day and Fox has the coverage, so it's an early start.

    Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians Today's Promotion - White Sox Baseball Hats by PrimeCo Season Ticket Holder Gift - Nellie Fox Bobble Head Doll Just because we've won doesn't mean we don't still buy Sox Split tickets from our guy - Joseph Poor attendance - 16,622 Stadium Organist Nancy Faust had to leave the door open because of the heat The Little Pink Guy from PrimeCo

    At Comiskey, it's time to play the Cleveland Indians again. Seems like we just saw them, but that was back at the beginning of July. I mentioned back then how I didn't like their fans, but they didn't show up to cheer their team. This time, nobody showed up to cheer either team. The place was empty - 16,622 paid. It was hot and humid. We had to drink lots of fluids to stay on top of things. The shade didn't get to us until 2 o'clock, which is at least earlier than in June/July when it's 3 o'clock. Anyway, Carlos Lee had a home run, but that was it for the team - Sox lose 4-2. Sad. Jon Garland didn't look too good, not like the complete game shutout I saw him pitch a few weeks ago.

    The new "bowl" rises out of Soldier Field It's just not right seeing the steel rising above Soldier Field
    After the game, we went up Lake Shore Drive to Wrigleyville. I'm not getting used to seeing the construction at Soldier Field. It just doesn't look right. The seating "bowl" is huge. It looks pretty damn awkward, sort of out of place. Anyway, we went to pickup our buddy Barry. We met Buffy up in Evanston to go to the Evanston Century 12 to see My Big Fat Greek Wedding. What an absolute fun flick! A Must see! The other cool thing is that it was only made for about $5 Million, and it was the 2nd highest grossing film this weekend! I didn't know it was filmed in Chicago.

    Outside the Davis Street Fishmarket Inside the Davis Street Fishmarket
    After the movie, we went to the Davis Street Fishmarket. OK, this was a delight (I'm starting to sound like James Lipton...). I really loved this place. Loved the service, loved the food. Our girls got roses on the way in (have no idea why). Need to go back again. Highly recommended. Between the movie and dinner, it was a great evening. When we got home and picked-up the mail, we noticed we got out check from White Sox Charities! Thank ou again, Elvis! Except for the Sox losing, it really was a great day.

    posted at 09:39 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, August 31, 2002

    Season Ticket Party

    Lots of dads and kids playing catch in the outfield That turf is AMAZING... Throwing in the White Sox bullpen Relief Pitcher Kelly Wunsch's name on the bullpen fence Visitor's locker room at Comiskey Scouting on Sox pitcher Jim Parque
    After tense moments of not speaking for what seems like hours, Carol and I drove to Riverside to pick up Janie & Gary and go to the annual White Sox Season Ticket Holder party. Nothing new, same old stuff. The only plus is being able to walk on the field. Roger Bossard has taken such good care of that grass - I heard recently that no weeds can grow in there because the turf is so think that a weed can't root. It's wonderful. Drove right back home afterward (quietly) and just sacked out for a while.

    Oh, an interesting thing in the visitor's clubhouse: In the coaches' room, there's a whiteboard that had scouting information about Monday night's game (Toronto against the Sox). Jim Parque pitched that game (only lasting 2-2/3 innings and losing 8-4). The comments on the board were accurate and brutal. The synopsis to the Toronto team: "Soft tossing LHP, below avg. stuff! Picks alot. Make him elevate, get good pitches to hit, stay focused up middle other way." Another comment on his 2-seam fastball: "81 - 83 (mph) B.P. (batting practice) Type". Ouch.

    posted at 04:49 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Wednesday, August 28, 2002

    White Sox 8 - Blue Jays 0

    Chicago White Sox Toronto Blue Jays Not much of a crowd - 12,972 Joe Crede warming up on deck A whole group of scouts watching the players A scout using a radar gun on John Garland's pitches Magglio Ordonez's 2nd home run of the game Jon Garland pitched a complete game shutout Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe... I think... Sox win 8-0 The concourse empties out after the game - sort of The empty park. Was this the last game?
    What an absolutely gorgeous day for a baseball game. I am so happy that I decided to go. Of course, I look like a lobster right now. At least the sunburn isn't hurting - yet. Not much of a crowd - 12,972. Saw something I have never seen before, but it's probably because I don't normally sit behind the plate - there was a bunch of scouts with radar guns watching Jon Garland and the Toronto relief pitcher Brian Bowles. I know that one of them had a Cubs logo on his polo shirt. Carlos Lee had a home run, and Magglio Ordonez had two home runs. I think I saw former Negro League's pitcher/catcher Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe sitting at the top of my section. I saw him throw out the first pitch on his 100th birthday last month, and I've seen him on TV, sitting in the same location. Anyway, Sox win 8-0. Jon Garland pitched a complete game shutout.

    After the game, people didn't leave. They just slowly left, lingering in the seats, lingering on the concourse. These were the people that just didn't belive that this could possibly be the last game of the year if the players strike on Friday. The customer service reps weren't chasing anybody out either. It's as if they understood as well. I just hung out for a while and watch them shut things down. Then I slowly walked down the ramps to my car. I hope the idiots that are negotiating understand what a strike will do to the game. I'm worried.

    And like I've said before, it's screwing up my clock.

    posted at 05:04 PM | Link | White Sox § |
    Blog to go

    Well, I'm at Comiskey, posting via WAP from my phone. I was able to get a seat behind the plate. Looks like a small crowd, but it's still a half an hour before game time. Will this be the last home game?

    posted at 12:29 PM | Link | Blogging § |

    Sunday, August 25, 2002

    White Sox 8 - Devil Rays 3

    Chicago White Sox Tampa Bay Devil Rays The lines for autographs are long Infielder Joe Crede and Coach Gary Pettis Outfielder Aaron Rowand, Infielder Willie Harris and Pitcher Damaso Marte Coach Gary Ward, Catcher Mark Johnson, and Pitcher Rocky Biddle Infielder Jose Valentin and Outfielder Carlos Lee Willy Wonka The whole team huddles around Tony Graffanino after his injury Another disgruntled fan
    Back at Comiskey for what may be our last game of the season (if there's a strike Friday). (Three days watching Tampa Bay was too much, so we gave away our tickets for yesterday). It was one of the Willy Wonka Kid's day promotions. One of the big things is that the entire team is available for half an hour before the game for autographs. Two or three players station themselves at the bottom of a section and people just line-up and get stuff autographed. The team does this about once a month. Oh, and kids 13 and under pay $1 to get in (day of game only) and they can run the bases (weather permitting) after the game. It's a good promotion, and does bring out the families. The game started out shaky. Tony Graffanino went down in the outfield after backup up a play. He heard something "pop", and the game ground to a halt. he was able to walk off the field after a while, but he was put on the DL. Ouch. Sox win 8-3. I know know how lucky I was on Friday to win the Sox Split Charity Raffle. Friday's pot (that I won) was $3,585, yesterday's was $2,146, today's was $1,643.

    posted at 09:37 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Friday, August 23, 2002

    Thank you. Thank you very much...

    Chicago White Sox Tampa Bay Devil Rays Elvis entertainment at Gate 5 Watching an Elvis entertain outside the park Elvis entertainment at Gate 4 Part of the crowd outside Gate 4 Elvis entertainment at Gate 3 The "Shrine" this year wasn't very impressive - probably due to security this year The E-Team flys-in the American Flag during the National Anthem Rob, Peggy and Madison Janie seems to be getting a bit bored during the game HEY! I WON THE SOX SPLIT CHARITY RAFFLE! The Steppin' Out Dads start the after-game festivities Shawn Klush performing after the game Fireworks sponsored by Miller Lite... not enough wind... That's me and Kathy at my surprise 30th birthday party back in January 1987

    THANK YOU ELVIS!!!!!

    We were back at Comiskey Park tonight for what is always the strangest promotion night of the year- Elvis Night. Tons of Elvis impersonators - both professional and wanna be. There were three stages outside the park with impersonators performing. At least 5% of the people appear to be wearing Elvis-style sunglasses - with fake sideburns. Before the game, The E-Team - The Elvises of the Sky flew in the American Flag. (I was bummed - the weather was pretty weird and they couldn't jump after the game. They wear electric lighted jumpsuits, just like the Flying Elvises in the movie Honeymoon in Vegas.) The National Anthem was sung by impersonator Rick Saucedo. The only reason that I bring that up is a bit convoluted and "off topic" - over 20 years ago, we went to see a magician (who was a relation to our friend Teri) who was opening for Rick Saucedo. Teri brought her friend Kathy, and we went with my long-time friend Rick. They sort of "hooked-up" that night, got married, had 4 kids, and are still together. And to top it off, Kathy stumbled onto my website this past week (Hi, Kathy!). I'm going to have to find an old picture of us to put with this entry...

    Anyway, during the game, there's Elvis trivia on the scoreboard. Some people perform in between some of the innings from on top of the dugouts.

    The last time I saw my friend Peggy was two years ago, At Comiskey, on Elvis Night. Tonight, she was back with her husband Rob and daughter Maddie. It was absolutely great seeing them again. I knew they were at the game and went to visit them out in the bleachers. We sat around and talked and ate for an inning or so. Then they came over and visited us (our seats were along the third base side, pretty far down the line).

    The weather is oppressive - it's not hot, it's in the low 70's, but the humidity is 94% and there's barely a wind. If feels stifling.

    After the game, the Steppin' Out Dads do a little routine, then Shawn Klush ( a good impersonator) does a concert behind home plate. The E-Team was supposed to do their jump but FAA regs wouldn't let them. The night end with fireworks sponsored by Miller Lite.

    Now, let's flash back a few innings... the White Sox have a charity raffle called Sox Split during the weekend games. Basically, you buy a ticket. The winner gets half the pot with the other half going to White Sox Charities. We actually won $804 back on June 28, 1998. Carol and I are both gamblers, so we always buy Split tickets when we go to the game. You never know.

    Guess what? Yep, WE WON AGAIN. WE WON $3,585 !!!!! Thank you White Sox! Thank you Elvis!

    Oh, the game? Sox lost 8-2. Against Tampa Bay. Against Tanyon Sturtze, who was 2-13 before the game and wound up pitching a complete game! We suck. One cool thing - Joe Crede hit the 1,000 home run by a White Sox player in new Comiskey Park (Frank Thomas was the first against Baltimore on April 22, 1991).

    posted at 11:27 PM | Link | White Sox | 2 comments § |

    Sunday, August 11, 2002

    White Sox 6 - Mariners 5

    Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners Today's promotion: Minnie Minoso Bobblehead Dolls The newly unveiled logo for the 2003 All Star Game at Comiskey next July 15 All Star Game merchanise on display at the Hall Of Fame Gift Shop The shower is getting a workout... and coverage WARNING! Cover your ears if you see this man!
    Back at Comiskey - game time temperature was 90°. It felt hotter yesterday, but in either case, too damn hot to sit out in the sun. But, nonetheless, that's where we were for the second day in the row. The game was better than yesterday, though. Joe Crede got his first Major League home run. Former Sox James Baldwin, facing his former team for the first time, only lasted 2 2/3 innings. Sox win 6-5.

    posted at 10:16 AM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, August 10, 2002

    White Sox 3 - Mariners 7

    Chicago White Sox Seattle Mariners Today's promotion: Travel mugs from SBC Disclaimer on the side of today's promo mugs A young Ichiro fan A dad pointing out Ichiro in right field to his son Ichiro in right field Part of the Japanese press contigent More Ichiro fans taking a smoking break
    Back at Comiskey again. I hate Fox games - they start earlier and the breaks in between innings for commercials just makes for a long day. The Ichiro bandwagon rolled into town, and the place with crowded, mostly with his fans, not only Japanese-American but Japanese-Japanese! He has a very large and loyal following, and it's very interesting to watch. I've bitched and moaned about other team's fans coming to the park and being arrogant. these fans are nothing like that. Polite but boisterous. You can't help but be respectful of that. It's always something to see. Last year was the first time we witnessed this - and it was just so interesting. It was amazing how many people had come to the park with bento boxes and coolers, eating sushi (which is just something you don't see around Comiskey). It was a night game last year and there were many more Japanese-lettered signed than this year.

    Anyway, the game was great... for 6 innings. Jon Garland was fine, with a 3-0 lead in the seventh and then he was left in just a little too long. We wound up losing 7-3. Frank Thomas, as usual, did nothing for us, going 0-4. He can't do anything in a clutch. I'm not happy with him.

    Pepper bothering Gary (that's Carol way on the right)
    After the game, we went over to Janie & Gary's for the annual "Chicken Burn" - the title refers to what Gary does to the food on the grill. It's usually the group of people that sit around us at the game, but due to conflicts, it was just the four of us. Gary didn't burn the chicken, and it was a very nice night, just sitting around and talking.

    posted at 10:16 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Wednesday, July 31, 2002

    One less pitcher

    Chicago White Sox
    The Fire Sale continues... though I didn't see this one coming. The Chicago White Sox have acquired minor league pitchers Frankie Francisco and Byeong Hak An from Boston in exchange for right-hander Bob Howry and cash considerations. They're sending both new guys to Class A Winston-Salem. OK, I don't like this move, but boy we're sure stockpiling pitchers throughout the farm system. Thank God the trade deadline has passed (4pm ET today for players to be traded without going through the waiver process).

    posted at 06:48 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Monday, July 29, 2002

    One less catcher

    Chicago White Sox
    Can you say "Fire Sale!!!"??? Thursday, the White Sox traded away Ray Durham to Oakland. Yesterday, they traded away Kenny Lofton to the Giants. Today, the Sox are in Cooperstown to play in the Hall of Fame exhibition game against the Rockies. So, while they were there, they traded Sandy Alomar Jr. to the Rockies for minor league pitcher Enemencio Pacheco. Let's see... three veterans for: RHP Jon Adkins Class Triple-A Sacramento, LHP Ryan Meaux Class A Hagerstown, RHP Felix Diaz Class AA Shreveport, RHP Enemencio Pacheco Class A Salem. We get 2 Class A's, a Class AA, and a Class AAA. Jeez. I heard that Joe Crede is getting called-up, which may mean that they may be trying to move Jose Valentin or Royce Clayton. Great. Josh Paul gets called-up to take Sandy's place.

    posted at 03:38 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, July 28, 2002

    White Sox 4 - Royals 2

    Chicago White Sox Kansas City Royals Today's promotion: Carton Fisk bobblehead dolls sponsored by Dominick's and Pepsi Something Sox fans don't see - long lines two hours before the game Janie poses with her Pudge bobblehead Keeping cool in the Stadium Club
    It was going to be a hot one today, and it's back to Comiskey. I mean hot, like reports of a heat index around 105. We have to get to Comiskey early today, because of the giveaway - Carlton Fisk Bobblehead Dolls. Bobbleheads always draw fans to the park and sure enough today was no exception. Two hours before the game the parking lots are almost full and there are lines all around the outside of the park. We had called Janie and had her meet us outside the Stadium Club entrance - we were not going to kill ourselves sitting outside, so it was definitely a day to stay cool in the Club. The disadvantage of being there is that it's hard to keep track of the game - it's noisy, smokey and you just feel "disconnected". After the game, I looked up at the scoreboard and saw a graphic that I don't ever remember seeing - animation of a broom sweeping. Yes, the Sox had swept the series against the Royals 4-2. Nothing really special happened during the game. Sometime after the game, the Sox traded Kenny Lofton to the Giants for minor league pitchers Felix Diaz and Ryan Meaux. So, the fire sale continues...

    posted at 09:42 PM | Link | White Sox | 2 comments § |

    Saturday, July 27, 2002

    White Sox 9 - Royals 1

    Chicago White Sox Kansas City Royals The happy couple George and Becky The bridal party taking pictures at the top of the section Congratulations on the scoreboard A hot night at the ballpark Tonight's promotion: Fireworks sponsored by Miller Lite
    Driving to Comiskey today was rough - there was a ton of traffic because of Venetian Night at the lakefront. It was a hot night - game time temperature was 90°, but the official box score said 84°. After the bottom of the first inning, we're sitting in our seats and we head this hearing and applause coming from the top of the next section over. We turn around to see... a bride and groom walking down the aisle! Their whole bridal party was there, parents, everybody. The bride still had her bouquet, but even though the groom was in his tux, it was topped-off with a Sox baseball cap. Then, in true baseball fan form, the groom sat down next to someone in the next section so that he could fill out his scorecard for the plays he missed in the first inning!!! The game wound-up being a blowout - the Sox won 9-1 over the Royals. Magglio Ordonez had 2 homeruns, Tony Graffanino and Aaron Rowand each had a homerun, and Carlos Lee had 2 doubles. It was our first time seeing Willie Harris. He didn't do much tonight (1 for 4 and an error). But ever since he joined the team, they're doing well (they won 10-2 last night). Coincidence?

    posted at 11:41 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Thursday, July 25, 2002

    One less second baseman

    Ray Durham on Fuji Film Photo Day - May 26, 2002
    Nooooooooo!!!!! The White Sox traded Ray Durham to Oakland (along with cash!) for minor league pitcher Jon Adkins. They called-up Willie Harris to replace Ray-Ray. Damn. Sounds like GM Kenny Williams is starting to throw in the towel. Ray had the second-longest tenure with the Sox.

    posted at 08:44 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, July 14, 2002

    ROAD TRIP!

    Janie, Jeff, and Gary on our flight to Detroit Ah... the way I like my flights - Empty! A Southwest jet trying to cut in front of us Look! Midway! (MDW) Look! Detroit! (DTW)
    Carol and I get up early, drive to Riverside to pickup Janie & Gary, and then it's off to Midway Airport, where we meet Jeff and we're on our way to Detroit. I've never flown on Southwest before, and getting an "A" boarding pass, I'm told, is good, but it doesn't matter - plane is empty. The flight is really short - just barely enough time for the complimentary juice & coffee service. The Detroit airport (DTW) is... well, let's just say, now that Midway has started it's remodeling, this airport is the pits. We get on the Hertz shuttle to get our Crown Vic and drive into the city.

    A main entrance at Comerica Park Gary, Janie and Jeff outside Comerica Park Unusual gargoyles on the outside of the ballpark The back of the scoreboard at Comerica Park
    Finding Comerica Park was actually a bit difficult - you can't see it from a distance. Heck, you can't see it a block or two away. It's tucked into a small area downtown. We got to the park pretty early - somehow we lost sight of the fact that the game started at 2:05 (we thought 1:05). So, we slowly walked around the outside of the park to see what it looked like.

    The exclusive Tiger Den seating area above the Infield Box seats The view from the left centerfield seats at Comerica Park The exclusive Tiger Club in right field The scoreboard at Comerica Park - currently the largest one in the majors One of the tigers on top of the Comerica Park scoreboard Sculptures on the concourse along the left centerfield wall Tigers "Walk of Fame" along the concourse at Comerica Park Big Cat Court, a food court at Comerica Park The Big Cat Court food court from above The tigers on the carousel at the Big Cat Court View of the field at Comerica Park from the upper deck The Brushfire Grill picnic area and 50-foot ferris wheel
    We went in as soon as the gates opened, and proceeded to walk around the park. The food selection was a bit pitiful. It wasn't until later did I find the better food at "Big Cat Court", and that made things better, but within the normal stands it was a bit plain & boring (though I had a Kielbasa that was very tasty).

    Carol cooling-off in Tigers Den seats behind our "real" seats Our group at the park - Gary, his sister Marty & husband Harry, and Janie & Jeff
    Our seats were 28 rows behind the plate - great view, but in the sun all through the game. This caused a major problem for Carol, who got what seems to be minor heatstroke even before the game started. She had to sit in a different area in the shade and we had to help her out with wet towels, lots of water, and some ice cream to help her cool down. She was better by about the 4th inning, but we kept in the shade for the whole game.

    View from behind our seats at Comerica Park Carlos Lee swinging away
    The game itself was OK. It looked like the Sox were going to lose again, but Carlos Lee had two homeruns, and then Jose Valentin hit a triple in the eighth that scored two and then scored himself when the throw to third went wild (sort of an in-the-park homerun, but not really). Sox win 6-4.

    Pegasus and the Greektown Casino
    After the game, we walked (!) over to Greektown to have dinner at Pegasus. Well, I wasn't hungry after being out there all day, so Jeff and I took a walk through the Greektown Casino while the others ate dinner. It was weird being in Detroit and being in a land-based casino. It was a nice place, two floors - larger than I thought it would be. Sunday afternoon, almost every single table game we saw were $10 tables. I think we saw one $15 table.

    Janie going down I-94 to the airport Waiting for a gate at Midway
    Back to the restaurant, the group finished up, and then it was off to the airport. This time we all got "B" boarding passes - not a good omen. Sure enough, the flight home was packed. We got in 10 minutes early, and had to wait 20 minutes for a gate. Then we drove Jeff home, drove Janie & Gary home, and finally drove home ourselves. A very long day. Would we do it again? You bet!

    posted at 10:06 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, July 07, 2002

    White Sox 3 - Indians 9

    Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe is wheeled-out by Harold Baines to throw out the first pitch on his 100th birthday!
    Back at Comiskey, and there's something cool before the game. Former Negro League's pitcher/catcher Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe, who was in a wheelchair, was brought out onto the field by Harold Baines. "Double-Duty" stood up, out of his wheelchair, and threw out the first pitch! Today was his 100th Birthday! He threw the pitch to one of the guys he used to manage - Buck O'Neill - who's 90 years old! How cool is that? It turns out, he always goes to Sox games. I need to see if I can find him the next time I'm at Comiskey. I saw a clip about him on TV when I got home - he's still very sharp. I think that it's great to have somebody from that era still around.

    Oh, the game? Ew. Sox lost 9-3. Todd Ritchie, who is now 5-11 with a 5.82 ERA in 19 games and 108.1 IP, gave up a grand slam among his 6 earned runs. Yeah, that trade for Ritchie is working real well. Let's see - we got Ritchie for Kip Wells - 9-6 3.41 ERA in 18 games and 108.1 IP, Sean Lowe - 2-2 5.54 ERA in 31 games and 52.0 IP, and Josh Fogg - 9-6 3.56 ERA in 17 games and 103.2 IP. I don't know, but to me it looks like we got the wrong end of that deal for this season.

    posted at 05:01 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, July 06, 2002

    White Sox 7 - Indians 3

    Chicago White Sox Cleveland Indians Today's promotion: Dog Tags from Mountain Dew Mmmmm... Hot Dogs, Polish, and onions... mmmmm... Bull riding in center field for White Sox Extreme Day Snap! Crackle! Pop! - Part of Kellogg's Kids Week Getting a beer from "The Mole 2: The Next Betrayal" player Lisa
    What a gorgeous day! It never did rain. There were some clouds for a while, but it turned into something pretty nice. Back at Comiskey for a series against the Cleveland Indians. This used to be the one series we used to loathe to go to. When Jacobs Field opened in Cleveland, the games were always sold out. The Sox took out ads in the Cleveland papers to invite people who couldn't get tickets at "The Jake" to come to Comiskey. Well, it filled the place, but God it was awful to sit there with all these Cleveland fans, who just about out-numbered the Sox fans. those days are gone - The Jake is no longer sold out, Cleveland is not in the pennant race and is trading top players, and now Comiskey is not filled with their fans. What a nice day! Game time temperature - 81 degrees. Interesting confluence of promotions today - Kellogg's Kids Week and Extreme Day sponsored by Mountain Dew with rock climbing walls, mechanical bulls, bikes, skateboards... The game was good, too, a nice close give-and-take game (the kind I like). Sox won 7-3.

    Merle's Smokehouse in Evanston
    After the game, we drove up Lake Shore Drive to Barry & Buffy's (another glorious ride up the drive on a gorgeous day). We decided to do a movie and dinner, so we drove back up to Evanston, to the Evanston Century 12 to see The Bourne Identity. Wow. good flick. Great car chase... in a Cooper Mini!!! (I'd love to get one of those cars). After the movie, we walked over to Merle's Smokehouse for some barbecue. Hey, I was surprised - this was good food and we had great service as well. You know, even though I feel like I'm living in my car the last few days, I really enjoyed today.

    posted at 10:32 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, June 30, 2002

    White Sox 2 - Cubs 9

    Chicago White Sox Chicago Cubs Souvenir stands in the parking lot White Sox Manager Jerry Manuel during batting practice Who's on First, What's on Second, I Don't Know is on Third...
    Back at Comiskey. Hot. No, HOT! Game time temperature - 91°. Heat index 103°. Oh, this is bad. On top of that, we've got too many Sox fans getting cocky and bringing brooms into the park, hoping for a sweep in the series. And now there's way too many Cubs fans here today, and they're the mean, venomous ones that I always hate coming into my ballpark. Sure enough, Sox lose 9-2 (but, I have to hand it to Matt Clement - he pitched a great game). Sure enough, security is very active today and there are fights in the stands at the top of our section. Time to leave early to go to my parents for dinner. Too hot, too ugly.

    posted at 08:43 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, June 29, 2002

    White Sox 5 - Cubs 4

    Chicago White Sox Chicago Cubs A rarity - Sold Out at Comiskey Sammy Sosa getting stretched A popular t-shirt at the park Sox players' wives at the raffle table The shower in left field was getting a workout
    Back to Comiskey Park for a weekend series that I always dread - Interleague play against the Chicago Cubs. The game was sold out months ago. It's gong to be hot. It's not going to be fun. I mean, let's face it, both Chicago baseball teams suck right now. Game time is 12:15 for Fox. The parking lot opened 4 hours before game time to accommodate all those tailgaters that can't tailgate at Wrigley since there are no parking lots up there (all the lots that exist are "private"). Gate opened 2 hours before, and that's when we got there. We were successful in avoiding traffic and crowds, but we get inside the park... and there's no batting practice. Great. Nice PR move. get everybody there early and bore them to death. Great. The park fills just before first pitch. It's hot, but fortunately cooler near the lake - 86° at game time (it's going to be hotter tomorrow). The sun is a scorcher. The bottle water vendors are plunging their hands into the ice water that they're carrying and shaking their hands over the crowd to help lure them to buy more water. It's like they're baptizing the fans. Somehow, during the course of the game, there's a healthy give-and-take on the field and even in the stands. The Cubs fans that are here are good, and the Sox fans are on their good behavior around us. It turns out being a great day. It turns out to be the second-highest attendance ever at New Comiskey - 45,942 (yesterday, the first game in the series, was the highest ever - 46,027). Sox Win 5-4. A good day.

    Barry loading up the pork chops Talking baseball over the fence with Kenny Debbie, Buffy, and Carol
    After the game, it's off to Barry & Buffy's to have a nice barbecue with Debbie. We leave the park, head east to Lake Shore Drive and head north. What a gorgeous day at the lake. People - believe me when I say this - driving north on Lake Shore Drive today reminds me of how beautiful this town is and why I live here. The new "bowl" is starting to take shape above the south rim of Soldier Field. Buckingham fountain looks great, Grant Park is full of people thanks to Taste of Chicago. Tons of people jogging on the bicycle path or riding their bikes... WAIT!!! HEY!!!... THAT WAS DICK BUTKUS THAT JUST DROVE BY ON HIS BICYCLE!!! OK, This is a great Chicago day! Had a nice dinner with B&B and Debbie - Barry grilled-up some pork chops on the grill. It was a very long day, but it felt like a good day.

    posted at 11:28 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, June 08, 2002

    White Sox 1 - Expos 2

    Chicago White Sox Montreal Expos Jeff and Janie, freshly back from her African Safari Hmmm... seems like it's not dark enough for fireworks... Tonight's Promotion: Fireworks sponsored by E & M Finer Foods
    Back to Comiskey Park. Tonight, Barry is with me - Carol was at my cousin Jane's surprise Bridal Shower this afternoon at Cog Hill. First thing we did was to go upstairs to the Stadium Club to watch the Belmont Stakes. It was 70-1 long shot Sarava the winner (a record $142.50 for a $2 bet) - War Emblem didn't get the Triple Crown, finishing 8th (but was in first for a while, after stumbling out of the gate).

    Anyway, it's Interleague time again, or as Carol calls it - cross-pollination. The first inning starts good - 3 up/3 down. Then we're up. Kenny Lofton triples to right (Vladimir Guerrero dove to his left and didn't come up with the ball, and Kenny just kept chugging). Ray Durham sacrificed to deep right and scores Lofton. OK, Good start. Frank Thomas strikes out - nothing new. Magglio Ordonez singles to right, Jose Valentin singles to right, Carlos Lee walks. BASES LOADED, Jeff Liefer steps to the plate. What the hell is he doing in the game? Where's Paul Konerko? Must be a lefty-righty thing. Sure enough - strike out. That summarizes what the Sox have been doing for the last month. It looked like we would get to Tomo Ohka, but it never happened. Jon Garland looked pretty good - retiring the first 12 batters. Expos tied it in the 5th. Both teams struggle the rest of the game, trying to do anything. Keith Foulke come in to pitch the 9th. First pitch to Vladimir Guerrero - home run. Thank you, Keith Foulke. He's caused more pain than good for the Sox lately. Bottom of the 9th, Frank Thomas flies out then Magglio Ordonez walks on 4 pitches. OK, we have a baserunner. On the first pitch, Jose Valentin hits into a double play. It's over. Ordonez, again, made no attempt to break it up, like I said during the Yankee game.

    WE SUCK.

    posted at 10:32 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Monday, May 27, 2002

    White Sox 6 - Yankees 10

    Chicago White Sox New York Yankees Tonight's Promotion: Mousepads from Patria Partners A pre-game tribute to Robin Ventura on the JumboTron Part of ground's crew pause to watch the tribute to Robin Ventura The sun lights up the top of the scoreboard before sunset Is the upper deck too steep? Try walking up 30 rows to your seat! Tonight's winner - Green Frog (sure wasn't the Sox...)
    Went to Comiskey today. We suck. The Yankees beat us 10-6 (hey... this is sounding familiar...) OK, let's talk about the positive side of the night - there was a tribute to former White Sox third baseman Robin Ventura (it was his first trip back to Comiskey since 1998 - he's been in the National League playing for the Mets, and this year he plays for the Yankees). Everyone gave him a standing "o" and he came out to acknowledge the crowd. It was great. Oh, and Frank Thomas celebrated his 34th Birthday.

    OK, let's talk about the bad side of the evening. We get there an hour & a half before the game - normally enough time. Tonight, the parking lots are full. Tonight's attendance - 43,781. We're not used to people actually being at the park! And the inflation in the attendance was all due to Yankee fans. Not just Yankee fans, those goddam sombitch arrogant friggin' big-mouthed Yankee fans. I hated every single one of those bastards. It's one thing to root for your team, it's another thing to antagonize the people around you, the friggin' bastards. Another way to tell that the increase in attendance wasn't due to White Sox fans? They were doin' the friggin' wave in the upper deck!!! You don't go to a damn baseball game in Chicago (even on the North Side) and do the friggin' wave!!!!!!!! Fights? Oh, sure. I saw a lot of people getting hauled out of the park - something we don't normally see. Screw you, you damn Yankee fans. Get the hell out our ballpark... Oh, and Carol almost attacked some blonde bimbo that was sitting behind us, but that's another story. She did lose it, though. I was a bit concerned. Anyway, Danny Wright gave up 6 runs on 5 hits in the first inning on 39 pitches. That was the game - if it wasn't for the first inning, the outcome would have been different. Jose Valentin twisted his ankle on a grounds crew hose when going after a foul ball. He's day-to-day now. The guy that's bothering me right now is Magglio Ordonez. He's not base running well - he seems to be giving up on double-play balls, making no attempt to get to first (in case someone bobbles the ball, which happened tonight) or at least attempt to take out the shortstop/second baseman. I don't know, it just doesn't feel right. Anyway, we were glad to get the hell out of Comiskey tonight.

    posted at 11:06 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, May 26, 2002

    White Sox 2 - Tigers 9

    Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers
    Went to Comiskey today. We suck. The Tigers beat us 9-2. Here's a stat for you - the Sox haven't won a day game in the month of May. Weird, huh? OK, starter Todd Ritchie got hit in the face in the first inning and I think it effected him. Of course, they left him in for 3 1/3 and he gave up 6 runs. The damage was done. In the seventh, Kelly Wunsch got hit on his throwing hand by a batted ball, and tried to throw to Ray Durham for a double play - and all he could do is sort of roll the ball to him.

    Today's Promotion: Fuji Film Photo Day Field "credential" for Photo Day (and a free Calling Card) 400 feet to straight away center... People lining up on the warning track, waiting for the players
    Best part of the day was before the game. It was the annual Fuji Film Photo Day, where the first 2,500 fans (I was one of 'em) were allowed on the field to take pictures of the players. Always a cool time getting up close and personal. Even better: Blue skies, sunny, temperature in the 70's - FINALLY!!!

    posted at 11:03 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, May 18, 2002

    White Sox 10 - Angels 4

    Chicago White Sox Anaheim Angels Anaheim Angels taking Batting Practice Our Season Ticket Holder buddy Victor warming up in the Stadium Club Field of Dreams characters emerge from the smoke... Today's Promotion: Field of Dreams Fireworks sponsored by ComEd
    So it's, what, May 18? It's 48° at game time tonight. Mother Nature is screwing us yet again. Carol and I go to the park and head directly for the Stadium Club and get seats on the rail (not on the glass, but great seats anyway). This is why we spend the money for the Stadium Club - for shelter from cold, rain, and excessive heat. Around the 5th inning I take a trip downstairs and get our buddy Victor (otherwise known as The Diz on WGCI 107.5 FM) (who sits next to us) and Jeff & his date (who sit next to Victor) and rescue them from the cold with the warmth of the Stadium Club. As far as the game, well, Frank Thomas had two home runs, Paul Konerko and Jose Valentin each had a home run as the Sox win 10-4 over the Angels. Pitching was scary again. Gary Glover got the win. Kelly Wunsch made his first appearance after missing almost a year with arm surgery. He faced 3 batters and only threw 9 pitches with one walk and one hit. Rocky Biddle, Damaso Marte, Antonio Osuna and finally Bob Howry all pitched. Sounds and feels a bit excessive.

    posted at 10:29 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Friday, May 17, 2002

    Wolves 2 - Aeros 1

    2002 AHL Calder Cup Chicago Wolves Houston Aeros Enemy fans all around the rink... Another night of 5,000 pairs of ThunderStix...
    I really don't know how Pasi Nurminen keeps doing it! The Wolves won 2-1 of the Houston Aeros and now lead the series 3-1. Officiating - crap, as usual for the AHL. Very uneven all season. Tonight, just 1:34 into the first period, Dan Snyder got mauled at center ice behind the play. Referee didn't see it. So Danny goes back, puts his stick between the aggressors' legs, and yanks straight up. Guy hits the ice. Referee didn't see it, but a linesman does. Danny gets a Five Minute Spearing penalty along with a game misconduct, because they think it was with intent to injure. Great, there goes one of out leading scorers, whose scored game winning goals in 4 playoff games. Somehow, we still survive. Pasi stopped 34 shots, and the one he didn't was a weird wrap-around where Pasi was down on the ice on the other side. Just looked weird. Finally had 7,035 people instead of the usual 2,000.

    posted at 10:46 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, May 05, 2002

    White Sox 2 - Athletics 3

    Chicago White Sox Oakland Athletics Today's Promotion - Wilson Fielding Gloves from Pepsi & Navy Pier for the first 10,000 kids 13 and under Frank Thomas at the plate... no, really... the black dot over there... Frank Thomas Home Run Fireworks
    I hate getting to the park real early only to find out there's no batting practice. Nuts. Well, Oakland is a good team and hoping for a sweep was just a bit too optimistic. Frank Thomas had a home run, but Danny Wright just couldn't be as solid as we needed today. Sox lost 3-2. Cold day at the park - 48° at game time. The sun almost made the cold bearable but once it left (right at 2:20) forget it. It was bad.

    posted at 10:09 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, May 04, 2002

    White Sox 10 - Athletics 2

    Chicago White Sox Oakland Athletics Saturday In The Park... Another White Sox winner... Today's Promotion - Fireworks Sponsored by Miller Lite
    OK, back home. The Sox won 10-2. Jose Valentin had 5 RBI, and Ray Durham had a home run and Carlos Lee had a spectacular catch in the 6th that saved a home run. We needed this - Oakland has had our number for a long time. The whooped us bad in Oakland last week with a sweep and a total of 32-5. Ouch. We won against them yesterday and we won today. Only 20% of the Sox's games have been decided by two runs or less - everything else seems a blowout, either good or bad.

    The weather wasn't too bad for our first night game of the season. It was pleasant, though not warm. It was also the first fireworks night. At least the presentation was new, so we have hope for a better series of fireworks this season.

    posted at 11:12 PM | Link | White Sox § |
    Blogging from my seat...

    Well, here I am at Comiskey Park, actually sitting in my seat, using my cell phone to post this via WAP. Too cool, but really too time consuming keying-in text using the keypad. The Sox are playing Oakland. It's a pitching duel - sort of. Oakland scored in the first... Oh crap! Jose Valentin just hit a triple with the bases loaded! I think I had better stop playing with the phone and watch the game - we're winning 4-1!

    posted at 07:21 PM | Link | Blogging § |

    Sunday, April 21, 2002

    White Sox 11 - Tigers 8

    Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers Today's Promotion - White Sox Calendars Seating area next to the Stadium Club bar Sitting at the window at the Stadium Club A cold, windy, rainy Comiskey Park from the warm, dry Stadium Club
    Such a cold, windy, rainy day... let's go to a baseball game! 43°. Thank God we made reservations for a window seat up in the Stadium Club bar at Comiskey. It felt good knowing that we could go to the park and not worry about how to dress for the weather. We got there early and got a good seat. Had a great lunch (the food is always good - the facility is handled by Levy Restaurants).

    The game was "iffy" again. Oh, sure, we scored 8 runs in the first inning (Jose Valentin had a home run, and Tigers starter Jose Lima only lasted 2/3 of an inning), but that doesn't mean anything anymore when you have a questionable starting pitcher. Today it was Jon Rauch (who is now officially the tallest player to ever play in the majors at 6' 11"). Well, those 8 runs weren't very secure as Rauch gave up 8 runs in 4 innings. I still don't know how a pitcher can feel the ball and control it in weather situations like this. Finally, in the 7th, Ray Durham came up to pinch hit with the bases loaded (he was out of the lineup with a chest cold - yesterday he had an ingrown toenail dug out. Ew.) and hit a single (which was misplayed by Tigers LF Bobby Higginson) that scored 3 runs and gave us the game. Whew. Watching the game from behind the glass sure made the game more enjoyable.

    Went to my parents' house for dinner. I jealous again - my sister is going to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival next weekend. She always goes to great destinations for these great little getaways.

    Watched the Wolves on cable TV and they won against Grand Rapids and advance to the Calder Cup Western Conference Semifinals! We never thought they would go further in the playoffs! They now play the Syracuse Crunch (the number 1 seed) in a best-of-7, but we don't know when.

    posted at 09:18 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, April 20, 2002

    White Sox 12 - Tigers 5

    Chicago White Sox Detroit Tigers Today's Promotion - White Sox Calendars Carol finds a St. Bernard waiting outside the park A little agressive Min Pin waiting outside the park The parade of dogs before the game The same St. Bernard in the pre-game parade The loneliest stand in the park - Dippin' Dots & Lemon Chill's The sign outside the dog area on the outfield concourse A skateboarding dog (yes, I saw him do it) Two great Great Pyrenees A very cold pug looking for warmth A bored Bernese Mountain Dog Ahhh... warmth... watching the game from te Stadium Club
    Another weekend at Comiskey Park. Today, other than the game against the Tigers, was Dog Day. People (with advance paperwork) can bring their dogs to the park for the day. There's a pre-game parade, the dogs and owners all sit together in their own section of the bleachers, and the outfield concourse is loaded with tables from local humane and pet organizations. It really is a fun time. For the last few years, it was held in August. There have been days where the temperatures were pretty high, and the dogs didn't fare very well being out in all that concrete in this heat. The Sox decided to change the date this year to April to help with the comfort level.

    April is not the correct month to do this.

    The day was miserable. Gametime temperature - 45°. Wind - 20 mph. Windchill in the 20's. This is not baseball weather. We got there early to look at the dogs as they entered the park at Gate 1. We went inside and it was pretty empty. The pre-game parade was one of the longer ones that I can remember. I also used to remember a costume judging aspect to all this - they must have stop doing that since we didn't hear anything about the winners.

    The game started out a little rough. Jon Garland didn't have the command of his pitches. But then again, how can a pitcher really feel the ball when you're pitching with windchills in the 20's? Again, the Sox offense was unbelievable. Jose Valentin, Frank Thomas, and Magglio Ordonez had home runs and Paul Konerko hit a Grand Slam.

    By the end of the 6th inning we had enough of the weather and went upstairs to the Stadium Club to watch the rest of the game and get a quick bite. We made reservations for seats on the glass for tomorrow - the weather is actually supposed to be worse.

    The Sox won 12-5. They now have the highest team slugging percentage in all of baseball at .509 and highest team batting average at .316. Pitching, well... 5th in the AL 18th in baseball with a 4.39 ERA., third in the AL in Fielding Percentage but 14th in all of baseball. It's obvious we're all offense. We need the pitching to come around, but that's something we saw during spring training. All I want right now is to either stay tight to the division leader or get on top and get some room between us and the rest of the division.

    posted at 05:08 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Sunday, April 14, 2002

    White Sox 9 - Orioles 4

    Chicago White Sox Baltimore Orioles Today's promotion - Magglio Ordoñez Bobblehead Doll Sign outside the entrance to the main level concourse The new look of the main concourse New permanent souvenir stands on the main concourse Ahhhh... back at the ballpark...
    Back at Comiskey to see the Sox run out of power and pitching. The Sox lost to Baltimore 9-4. Danny Wright gave up 5 runs and got the loss. He was wild, throwing stuff all over the place. Lorenzo Barcelo came on in relief and gave up 4 more runs. Saw Mike Porzio for the first time and pitched two good innings. Damaso Marte came out to pitched the 9th and also looked good (but it got his high-flying ERA down to 11.57). Kenny Lofton was 3-for-5 and is now batting .400. Paul Konerko was 3-for-4 and is getting his average up a bit to .298. More people at the game - 23,951, probably because of Magglio Ordonez Bobblehead Doll Day. (ESPN Boxscore here)

    posted at 09:24 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Saturday, April 13, 2002

    Hey! It's Lisa!

    The Mole 2: The Next Betrayal Hey! It's Lisa From The Mole 2: The Next Betrayal! Hey! It's Lisa From The Mole 2: The Next Betrayal!
    Well, as you know I've spent a few days at Comiskey Park cheering on the White Sox this weekend. Well, Carol and I were sitting in our seats before the game today and who comes walking up the aisle selling Pepsi? Yep! It was Lisa, our favorite Assistant U.S. Attorney/Hot-Dog Vendor from The Mole 2: The Next Betrayal on ABC! We talked briefly. She was genuinely warm and seemed to be a little excited that she was actually identified. She said that she had received an EMail last week saying that the Mole will start up again around the first week of June, though she didn't have the exact date. So, she obviously got her Comiskey Park job back, and she said that the paperwork had not gone through, so she was able to return to her other job as well. She also said that there's a good little twist around week 6 of the show. Can't wait to see it - We enjoyed this show so much in its first run, that I wanted to Audition for Mole 2 (but couldn't because of other commitments). I would love to do be on this show.

    posted at 10:37 PM | Link | The Mole § |
    White Sox 4 - Orioles 3

    Chicago White Sox Baltimore Orioles Today's promotion - magnetic schedules View from our Weekend Season Ticket seats New signage for section numbers The new concourse lighting on the new brick facade MLB Opening Day 2002 logo behind the plate The new backstop netting behind home plate The new Batter's Eye in front of the scoreboardate Bushes and ivy on the new Batter's Eye The plaza on top of the Batter's Eye
    Ahhhh... back at Comiskey, but now we're back in our "normal" Season Ticket seats. It's great seeing everybody around you again. There are people that we consider friends that sit around us amd it's interesting seeing them come back and see if their seats have changed.

    Couldn't tell how the game was going to turn out. Todd Ritchie started, but was pretty shaky. Antonio Osuna came out in relief and pitched a great inning, and wound up getting the win when Paul Konerko got out of his 0-16 slump and hit a single in the eighth to score Ray Durham for the go-ahead run. Jose Valentin had his second home run in two days. And Keith Foulke finally looked like the Keith Foulke of old and got his fourth save. The attendance was back to what we have seen around here - 19,201. At least it was another "quick" game at 2:36. (ESPN Boxscore here)

    After the game, we went to Barry & Buffy's, where Barry barbecued some ribs and fried up some shrimp. You can't beat barbecue. Another great evening with friends - too bad Buff has had a cold for almost a week and is miserable, though she's finally getting better.

    posted at 10:18 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Friday, April 12, 2002

    White Sox 5 - Orioles 2 - Home Opener

    Chicago White Sox Baltimore Orioles A sample of the new signage around the main concourse The South Side Hitmen Grille Ozzie & Harold's All-Star Stand The new brats stand next to our season ticket section The Grounds Keeper coffee shop (actually, a Dunkin Donuts) Side view of the new Batter's Eye in center field The new plaza behind the new Batter's Eye in center field TV Cameras on top of the new Batter's Eye in center field TV Camera view from the new Batter's Eye in center field View through the nylon screen on top of the new Batter's Eye in center field Opening Day player introductions Balloons released after the National Anthem
    Another long day, but baseball started at Comiskey and I felt that "clock" that moves move life start ticking again. We were pretty excited to see what the new renovations looked like at the Park. There was four things that were done over the winter - the first we wouldn't be able to see, and that was the enclosure and rehab of the Club level concourse and concessions. Another renovation was minor, but was put to the test during the game - a new backstop. This one is a much finer mesh and it's just a vertical screen - there is no longer a net to cover the people behind the plate. If there's a foul ball behind the plate, people now must pay attention because the net won't save them!

    The other two renovations were hard to miss. The old black aluminum "Batter's Eye" in center field was torn apart and rebuilt to include plantings (bushes and IVY). On top is a large plaza area that had a series of picnic tables. To block any distraction of the fans from the batters, is a large green nylon "screen" that lined the plaza area. It's difficult to see people moving behind the screen, so the batters shouldn't be distracted. The problem is that the screen is pretty hard to see through. You can sort of see the field, but it's almost impossible to see the ball.

    The biggest renovation and the one that we were really excited about was the main concourse. Everything was redone in brick and aluminum, with new lighting, signage and new designs for all the concession stands - it totally changed the feel of the park when you were walking around. It was amazing. It's gorgeous, and it's in the right "direction" to change the over all look of the park. And then I heard on the radio the one thing that I've wanted for years that I think will be the biggest change to the look of the park: in the future, the seats and padding on the walls will be changed from blue to dark green! YES!!! You'll see more pictures of the rennovations in the next couple of games. For some reason, they've named most of the concession stands after former White Sox players

    So, what about the game?, Oh yeah, the Sox won 5-2 over the Orioles. Mark Buehrle pitched 7 innings of 2-hit ball (he's now 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA). Home runs by Jose Valentin, Sandy Alomar Jr., and Ray Durham. Kenny Lofton was 3-for-3 with a walk. Keith Foulke got another save, but he's still looking shaky - he gave up 2 hits in the 9th, and his ERA is still high at 6.35, which isn't good for a closer. There were a lot of questionable calls from the entire umpiring crew, that almost made it feel like there was a conspiracy against us. Weird. And, in typical White Sox fan fashion - not a sell out, but 41,128 were there. The game lasted only 2:24, which was great. (ESPN Boxscore here)

    After the game, we drove out to Riverside to have dinner with our Season Ticket buddies Janie & Gary (who we were sitting with during the game). First we made our flight reservations - we're going to Detroit to see the Sox play the Tigers at Comerica Park on July 14th. Should be fun, and I really enjoy seeing new ballparks. We went out to dinner at a restaurant called the Choo Choo Cafe in Riverside. Now, when I heard the name of this place, I had this thought of old women serving coffee in gingham dresses and aprons to patrons sitting at red & white checkerboarded oil clothed tables. Not so. This is a bit "upscale" and the food was great. Carol & Gary and lamb shanks, Janine had some encrusted chicken thing, & I had a New York Strip that was one of the better pieces of meat that I've had in a while.

    Long day but a good day.

    posted at 09:12 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Thursday, March 28, 2002

    Preseason

    Watching the White Sox - Cubs preseason game on Fox Sportsnet Chicago (The Sox are winning 16-3 after 5 innings). There's a black cat running on the field. Of course, Chip Caray has to say that he feels good about it since it's on the Sox side of the field. I HATE Chip Caray. HATE him. (Update: Sox won 22-7)

    posted at 03:56 PM | Link | Mundane § |

    Tuesday, March 05, 2002

    Radiation Therapy Chauffeur™ duty

    The last two days have been interesting driving on the tollway & expressway - there have been a lot of trucks that have been sitting outside collecting snow over the weekend. Now, as they barrel down the road at a high rate of speed, the compacted snow is shooting off the tops of the trucks in sheets, causing havoc for anyone following behind. You don't want to be behind these things. I saw another truck that didn't have compacted snow, just light snow on top. It left a blizzard behind it - you couldn't see the traffic in the middle of this snow-cloud.

    On the way to pick-up my parents, I saw a huge fire over in Harwood Heights. I think I heard later on the radio that it was some kind of auto body place. It was kind of startling to see - being on the Kennedy expressway, you're sort of in a wide ditch - below ground level, so you don't see what's going on in the neighborhoods around you. Then, when I got off at Nagle, you could see the black smoke in the sky, not very far ahead. It must not have been burning very long.

    Ah... baseball on the radio... Sox playing the Cubs... gotta love it... and the Sox won 20-6! And it was a split squad game for the Sox! Update: Of course, bragging too soon, the Sox split-squad lose against Arizona 16-5 tonight...

    Hey, did you know that an ostrich's eye is heavier than it's brain? See, the daytime version of the Weakest Link is educational!

    Got an invoice from the Chicago Wolves for Calder Cup playoff tickets. Like they're gonna win the cup this year... We reluctantly spend money that we don't have and send in our ticket request (including a 25% deposit for next season's tickets).

    posted at 03:16 PM | Link | Family § |

    Saturday, February 23, 2002

    Conference and Learning Center at Comiskey Park

    Carol going into Gate 3 at Comiskey Park Main entrance at Gate 3 to the Conference and Learning Center at Comiskey Park Welcome sign for the Open House Main Auditorium at the Conference and Learning Center at Comiskey Park The main tunnel under the stands at Comiskey Park Players have locker rooms, Umpires have dressing rooms... Row of lockers in White Sox clubhouse Ray Durham's locker Odd picture taped-up in Ray Durham's locker Rules for everything - MLB Uniform Policy hanging in White Sox Clubhouse Sign on door for access to White Sox dugout MLB rules for dugout access A view of the stands from field level at Comiskey Park The playing field at Comiskey Park Construction of the new Batter's Eye in center field at Comiskey Park
    Carol and I drove to Comiskey Park this morning to go to a White Sox Season Ticket Holder Open House. It was really to show off two things - the new "Conference and Learning Center at Comiskey Park" and one of the new amenities under construction at the park. The new center is actually inside Gate 3 at the park. They did a really nice job of it. There's a couple of different sized conference rooms and a 135 seat auditorium. The whole place can be leased for business meetings and is also going to be used for a joint partnership with the Chicago Public Schools' After School Matters program. Really nice. There's some unmarked double doors that open into the main access tunnel beneath the stands. The Conference Centers doors were right across the tunnel from the Visitor Clubhouse entrance. They had setup a series of picnic tables and had free hotdogs and soda. They also had some souvenir stands setup for some last minute purchases (we passed - nothing seemed to interest us). The White Sox Clubhouse was open, and they had access to the field. When we went outside, we were able to see one of the new upgrades to the park - the entire "batter's eye" section in the center field stands was ripped-out and was being rebuilt. It's now going to have plants and a green background (Green? Green? This is great! It's part of my campaign to get Comiskey to get rid of everything blue in the place and replace it with green! The place would look a lot more like a ballpark than a swimming pool!) On top, they'll have a see-though screen around a new "plaza" area. We couldn't see the other things going on - renovation of the main concouse, renovation of the Club Level concourse (but the seats were removed from club level - I thought I had heard that they were going to be upholstered). The last thing was replacing the backstop with a vertical screen. They didn't even start that. I love going to Comiskey for these things and see everything behind the scenes. I love being on the field (Roger Bossard the head greenskeeper is a god) and it's great seeing the field green in the middle of February.

    posted at 01:17 PM | Link | White Sox § |

    Friday, February 01, 2002

    SoxFest 2002

    GM Kenny Williams, Radio guy Ed Farmer & Manager Jerry Manuel Jeff listening to his answers with Doreen and Janie Jeff's questions signed by Kenny Williams Fox Sports Net Chicago broadcasting from SoxFest Pitching Clinic with Jon Garland and Jim Parque A group of fans at SoxFest Pitching Clinic Autograph session with Paul Konerko and Joe Crede Hyatt Regency Chicago atrium
    Well, we left home almost two hours before SoxFest was supposed to begin. We barely got there in time, due to the traffic. We were meeting our friends and season ticket holders Jeff & Doreen, and Janie & Gary at 5pm, when the doors opened. Well, when we got there, we had to go to a different floor because the line was so long. We knew that there was a security bag check before ewe went in, but had no idea what we were in for. We met everyone else while we were standing in line. The line started to move around 5:40pm! We went straight to the first (and only) scheduled seminar - a discussion session with General Manager Kenny Williams and Manager Jerry Manual, hosted by radio broadcaster Ed Farmer. The first thing we hear is something that literally just happened probably minutes before - we get Kenny Lofton as our new Center Fielder!!! Got him as a free agent with a one year deal. This is big deal!

    Well, Jeff gets in line to ask a question of Kenny Williams, the General Manager. It's long, involved, loaded with pointed questions. Kenny rolls his eyes and asks Jeff for his cheat-sheet that has the questions on them, so he can answer the whole thing. It was priceless. Kenny signed the questions for Jeff and gave them back. The audience seemed to like it. The thing about SoxFest is that you see management types like this and they don't dodge questions - they answer honestly - how many major league teams of any sport do that???

    We went downstairs to the main floor. Jeff & Doreen get into line to get an autograph from Paul Konerko (her favorite), so Carol & I with Janie & Gary go over to the Fox Sports Net stage where they broadcast live from 7-8 tonight. They were interviewing players throughout the show. Pretty cool.

    We walked through the exhibitors, picking a few trinkets along the way (hats, pins, signed baseballs, etc).

    There was always a White Sox Training Academy clinic going on - we watched a bit of the pitching clinic with pitchers Jim Parque and Jon Garland.

    We finally pick up Jeff & Doreen toward the end of the night from their autograph session, take a last walk through the exhibitors and then go to the Hotel lobby (Hyatt Regency Chicago) to hit their coffee shop for dinner. Dinner took almost two fricken hours!!!! Severely understaffed! Kelly Wunsch came in and sat down in a corner by himself for dinner. It was amazing how many people went over to bother him!!! Anyway, it was a great time at SoxFest. It hard to believe that the first pre-season game is 4 weeks from today!

    posted at 11:04 PM | Link | White Sox § |

     

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