Controlled Chaos

QUOTE(Heads22 @ Jun 30, 2006 -> 01:41 PM) Who is? Marshall? No I think he meant Anderson...cause we all know how lame it is to just miss a home run.

I hear the "lets go white sox chant" over the radio

s*** a strike out here would be no good...Come on Juan!!

QUOTE(southsideirish71 @ Jun 30, 2006 -> 01:32 PM) Load them up for Crede, he doesnt know what to do with bases loaded. THAT ^^^

what happened to pablo?

QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Jun 30, 2006 -> 12:20 PM) Nice, I'll get to watch. me too!! Anyone know if section 224 is a decent area in the urinebowl?

QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Jun 30, 2006 -> 12:12 PM) Line ups? Is Jimmy playing 1st? I think he's getting the start tomorrow.

Big Jon has been a bit shaky against the cubs, 2-4 with a 5.18 ERA, but it's time to reverse the trend and pitch a gem. Jacque has some pretty good numbers against Garland so watch out for him. Other than that, lets get the O rolling early and show the loveable loser fans what a 3 game winning streak by a Chicago team looks like.

And Count off the hook for the loss

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Jun 29, 2006 -> 02:06 PM) Yup, but we wont. We still got 2 more at bats.

QUOTE(Finkelstein @ Jun 29, 2006 -> 10:57 AM) pods cintron pk dye crede widger uribe anderson contreras Widger catching Count....that's new.

I was goin for the thread sweep. I hope you have the same luck as me Capn12!! Count vs Duke...

QUOTE(Felix @ Jun 28, 2006 -> 10:31 PM) Not to correct you or anything, but Barrett didn't even see the plate slap (from his own statements), and reacted only to Pierzynski walking towards him to get his helmet. But yea... Right, Barrett has said he never saw that. The whole dam plate slap discussion was just a way for people to try and blame AJ for something that he was at absolutely no fault for. Oh he slapped the plate....big f***in deal...this is baseball, it's an emotional game and that was a big play. The players don't go celebrate in a backroom, they stand right there at home plate and slap hands with a guy that just hit a home run.

QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Jun 28, 2006 -> 03:57 PM) Or they're just outnumbered by the sheer number of Red Sox and Yankee fans throughout the country. Or most of them don't have jobs where they are in front of a computer all day.

From preps to the big leagues By Jon Greenberg / MLBPLAYERS.com Brian Anderson stood in the outfield and laughed. Anderson, a member of the Class of 2000 at Canyon del Oro High School in Tucson, Ariz., was in his customary spot at U.S. Cellular Field, as Cardinals first baseman Chris Duncan (Canyon del Oro Class of 1999) jogged to first, the recipient of a baseball in the back side. Anderson had been hit in the back with the bases loaded the previous inning by Sidney Ponson (who also hit Pablo Ozuna). After plunking Duncan in apparent retaliation, White Sox pitcher David Riske was promptly ejected. "I was laughing in [the] outfield when he got hit, because ... what are the chances that him and I get hit?" Anderson said a day later. "I told him to wear it, deal with it. We were just laughing about it afterward." For a brief moment in time, all was sore, but good, for the longtime friends. Anderson, who has struggled in his first full year in the Majors, missed the next game as he started a five-game suspension for fighting with the Cubs last month. Duncan, just trying to break into the big leagues after a long tenure in the Minors, returned to Triple-A Memphis a day later when Albert Pujols came off the disabled list. Anderson and Duncan are among four former Canyon del Oro players who have played in the Majors this year. It might not be long before more make a home there. Anderson's best friend from high school, Ian Kinsler (Class of 2000), regularly starts at second for the Texas Rangers. Scott Hairston (Class of 1999) appeared in one game this year for the Arizona Diamondbacks before going on the DL. Duncan's older brother Shelley (Class of 1998) is a rising power hitter in the Minors and was just promoted to the Yankees' Triple-A team. Ryan Schroyer (Class of 2000) is a pitcher with Boston's Triple-A team. "I truly believe that if you put our high school team back together, we could have easily competed and beat a lot of Division I baseball teams, no doubt," said Anderson, who played briefly with Shelley Duncan at the University of Arizona. For all its talent, Canyon del Oro "only" won state titles in 1997 and 2000 during the group's high school career. It lost in the 5A state quarterfinals in 1999 when Chris Duncan, Hairston, Kinsler and Anderson all started in the field. "Hell must've frozen over," Anderson said. "I don't know how we lost. My sophomore and junior year teams were our two best teams and we lost both those years." Kinsler has had the smoothest transition to the Majors so far. He broke camp with the Rangers and was hitting .476 before dislocating his left thumb on April 11. He came back in late May and is hitting .287 with five homers and 21 RBIs. Hairston, part of a baseball legacy family, is on the 15-day DL (June 20, left biceps strain) before he likely heads back to the Minors. He is the most seasoned of the group, having played in 116 Major League games since 2004. Even though they don't talk regularly, the CDO alums see each other regularly after the season. "We're all a close-knit group and we get together in the offseason," Chris Duncan said. "It was a special time in Tucson when all those guys were coming out. It was great baseball." The Duncan brothers are the sons of Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan, but they haven't gotten anything easy because of it. Chris has been in the Minors since getting drafted out of high school. He made his Major League debut last year. Shelley, a second round pick by the Yankees in 2001, finally got called up to Triple-A after again dominating the Eastern League in power numbers. He hit 34 homers last season. Chris, 25, was drafted between the first and second rounds by the Cardinals in 1999 as a supplemental pick. At 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, the left-handed hitter broke out in his first Triple-A season in 2005, hitting 21 home runs and 73 RBIs. He made a nine-game debut last September and has been called up twice this season. "He's worked hard," Dave Duncan said. "He wasn't a natural. He's had to work hard at the game and he's known he's needed to work hard and he's done it. Hopefully it's paying off for him." He made a brief appearance in May and then came back up to the Cardinals when Pujols went on the disabled list on June 4. His bat helped the team stay afloat during Pujols' absence. Duncan hit .275 (11-for-40) with three homers and nine RBIs during his callups. "I have no idea what their plans are for me," Duncan said a day before he was designated. "I have the opportunity to contribute, and whatever they want to do is fine with me." While Duncan has played well in his brief Major League stint this season, Anderson has had a tough time, at least at the plate. The 24-year-old Anderson landed the job in center after Spring Training, but has been platooning with Rob Mackowiak before his suspension began. While Mackowiak is limited defensively, Anderson's struggles at the plate have forced Chicago to play Mackowiak more. At one point it seemed certain Anderson would go down to Triple-A, but his defensive ability has been impressive enough to keep him in Chicago. "It was difficult from an egotistical level for me," Anderson said of his slumps. "But I was the one not performing, so it was no one's fault. ... I figured I had to help the team somehow, because I wasn't doing it with the stick. So I had to help them obviously the best I could." Chris Duncan said he talks to Anderson more than any other of his CDO peers, aside from his brother. He and his father both raved about Anderson's ability as a prep star, and neither thinks Anderson will struggle for long. "They rushed him up pretty quick," Duncan said. "He's still young. He's going to be a great player, he just needs time and they're keeping him there and give him a chance to come out of his slump, so I'm sure he's going to be fine." Duncan said it was "uncomfortable" at times when he joined the organization his father works for, but now he doesn't even think about it. "Definitely most of the eyes were on him," Anderson said. "If he does perform, well then it's because he's Dave Duncan's son. If he doesn't, it's 'Does he deserve to be here?' But that guy's definitely earned it, 100 percent."

QUOTE(brijames @ Jun 28, 2006 -> 02:36 PM) A big thanks to the Astros for looking like a little league team again today. Will anyone beat these fing Tigers? And now they get 3 with the Pirates. We will. We play em 13 more times beginning July 18th!!

that looks kinda uncomfortable

I saw Ashlee on TV the other day. She looks like a different person.

Come on Freddy stick the dagger in early and get your 10th win of the season. Maholm had a rough outing with KC last Thursday, so I'm guessing he's gonna be considering a new career after this one. Once again keep the sox killer in check. Randa is hitting .344 with 5 doubles against Freddy. Take it to em Boys!!

Extra scrutiny may keep Ozzie from being Ozzie June 27, 2006 BY CAROL SLEZAK SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Midway through last baseball season, a veteran baseball writer asked me if I was offended by Ozzie Guillen's swearing. I confessed that the thought never had occurred to me, in part because -- gee, I hope my mom isn't reading this -- Guillen and I share a fondness for cuss words. During the playoffs, a national sportswriter asked me if I ever had observed Guillen acting inappropriately toward female reporters. I confessed that I hadn't -- what, had I missed some good gossip? -- and added that I believed Guillen treated everyone the same. In each instance, I could have elaborated. I could have added that Guillen is one of the most entertaining personalities I've ever covered. I could have said he is smart and honest and frequently offers insightful comments about both his team and the sport. I could have said he is the best thing to happen to the White Sox and major-league baseball in a long time. Even after the events of the last week, I still believe all those things I didn't say. Yes, Guillen made a big mistake. Words do matter, and the f-word belongs on the same list as the n-word. But Guillen apologized for using the slur, and I believe his apology was sincere. While I am sure he initially offended many people, both gay and straight, I am unaware of any anti-Sox or anti-baseball backlash as a result of his remark. People do make mistakes. They are allowed to learn from them. They are allowed to apologize. We are allowed to forgive them. It's time for everyone to relax and move on, and that includes the Sox. But judging from the comments general manager Ken Williams made Sunday, the organization is not ready to do either. 'Longevity' in question "What I get concerned with more than anything is that my friend, my brother, is going down a road that does not necessarily lend itself to longevity,'' Williams said. "We've all seen how the movie ends when things are flamed to the degree they are beginning to flame [to] when he says things that are controversial.'' Although Williams also said nothing was "imminent,'' I got an uneasy feeling when I read his words. Now that he has publicly warned Guillen that further slip-ups will not be tolerated, Williams will be forced to follow through on his threat if Guillen slips up. Hopefully, that won't happen again. But whenever he speaks, we will be listening. "We are trying to get him to understand that if he puts himself in that position, it will be, to me, one of the most unfortunate sports happenings in a long time,'' Williams said. "We need people like Ozzie Guillen out there to give a little bit of color and a little bit of flavor to the game.'' Yet much of Guillen's charisma -- the color and flavor Williams referred to -- lies in his spontaneity. Take that away from him, and you might as well make Harold Baines the manager. Don't get me wrong. I believe Guillen knows the difference between right and wrong, in both Spanish and English. (And I trust he will pay attention when he attends his commissioner-ordered sensitivity training.) But I also believe the rest of us, particularly many of us in the media, are prone to getting carried away. Just look at how some commentators have tried to link Guillen's handling of the team's recent beanball wars -- neither of which was started by the Sox -- to his gay slur. There is no connection, but that hasn't stopped us from piling on. We're good at that. A hard line to draw Now I find myself wondering who will be the final arbiter when it comes to judging whether Guillen's future comments are controversial. Exactly which words will be on the forbidden list? Is Williams making the list, or can we all have input? I vote for including the c-word, as in chick. I don't recall having heard Guillen use it, but plenty of others seem to think it's an acceptable term. (And I suppose it is, to barnyard fowl.) I'm also wondering exactly which groups will be on the protected list. I expect gays and racial minorities will be included, as they should be. But figuring out the subsets might get tricky. For instance, what constitutes a racial minority in baseball these days? Caucasians, perhaps? Chubby players? (Does that mean Guillen must never again comment on Caucasian closer Bobby Jenks' girth?) Finally, I wonder if the context of the offending word or phrase will be taken into account. Because Guillen can be pretty funny. His pregame Q&A sessions with reporters can resemble a comedy routine, and comedians get away with insulting all kinds of people. I wonder if Guillen will be afforded that luxury now. (Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg recently ran a week's worth of blond jokes in his column. If Guillen were to tell a blond joke, would he lose his job?) I don't believe that Williams, who incidentally happens to share Guillen's temper and feistiness, intended to make things worse for his manager, but that's what he has done. Guillen now will face even more intense scrutiny, and I'm not confident he can escape unscathed. I'm not sure any of us could.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 27, 2006 -> 10:52 AM) Do you actually think that what appeared in the NYT and giving away launch codes are in the same universe? I don't think he ever compared the two. He just lead off his article with some hyperbole. You looked at that and since you're so "grounded" chose not to continue reading. If you stop reading everytime someone exaggerates the first line of their article, then you probably aren't finishing too many articles.

Looks fine to me, guess you're confused.

Lets do it boys!! Anderson returns with his stellar defense and we catch the Pirates on an 11 game losing streak. This is their World Series and I'm sure they are looking to these three games for inspiration. Let's inspire them to crawl in a hole and hide for the rest of they year. Snell has never faced the Sox so lets give him a BIG welcome. Mark needs to take care of our old nemesis known as the sox killer. Randa is batting .357 against him with 3 doubles, 2 dongs and 9 steaks. Shut him down MB and lets keep the domination over the NL Central rolling along.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jun 27, 2006 -> 10:01 AM) That was good, but I was expecting something involving the "Pirates"

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 27, 2006 -> 09:52 AM) After reading the above first line, I stopped reading the article. The author managed to effectively filter out anyone grounded in reality right there. Guess I'm not grounded in reality.