Rex Hudler

Shoe, I agree that Baj may make it with another club. Timing will be everything for him. That may mean making it with someone else.

Problem is that is not what Backman wants, and his contract with the Sox is up this year. If the Barons win the SL title again this year, then he should be Minor League Manager of the Year and will likely get lots of interest from other clubs for coaching and/or managing positions. A lot of things can happen, but I would not be shocked at all to see Wally gone to another org. after this year.

Time will prove Manuel correct Jerry Manuel didn't cost the White Sox the season by starting rookie Neal Cotts instead of Mark Buehrle in Thursday's 7-5 loss in New York. He made a very good decision that won't cost his team a thing and could help it in October. Of course, that's not the way it will be viewed if the Sox suddenly lose the confidence that rode shotgun with them on the bus to Yankee Stadium. The Sox had won eight of nine, including back-to-back thrashings of the Yankees, and many players wanted to see Opening Day starter Buehrle try to finish off the sweep. There's no guarantee he would have done that, of course. But the wolves were howling when Cotts allowed a 2-0 lead to turn into a 5-2 deficit before Manuel had to go get him. There was only one out in the first inning. Buehrle had wanted to test himself against the Yankees. Manuel decided to hold him back for Friday night's game in Detroit. Embattled for most of the season, the manager will appear foolish if Buehrle falters and the Tigers win. If the Sox miss the playoffs by one or two games, you can bet lots of fans are going to blame this bit of planning by Manuel. But the reality is that it's consistent with Manuel's long-haul mentality, which appears to be paying dividends. I wrote in April, May and July that the White Sox needed to strongly consider a managerial change—that the Manuel era had reached a point of steadily diminishing returns. But that 26-14 record in the second half suggests that crow will be served for me and several others in the Chicago media at some point in late September. This is a playoff team. It looks like one because it is one, and that's all there is to it. This latest harangue about Buehrle should die as quickly as it arrived. Here's why Manuel's critics, who included broadcasters Ken Harrelson and Ed Farmer, missed the mark with the indignation they vented after Cotts was knocked out of the game: Regardless if he started Thursday or Friday, Buehrle will make six more starts this season. That is, unless the Central race hangs in the balance on the last weekend of the season in Kansas City. Esteban Loaiza, Bartolo Colon and Buehrle are lined up to work the final weekend on three days' rest, with Buehrle getting Game No. 162, if that's the case. If the Sox don't have to sweat a playoff spot, then Manuel can groom his horses for the first round of the playoffs. Because of a goofy day off on Labor Day, Buehrle's next start was going to be next Wednesday against Boston, whether he started Thursday or Friday. The impact of this decision on his schedule for the rest of the season is a moot point. Remember 2000? You better believe Manuel does. The White Sox won 95 games and an unexpected Central title, but the second-half push and grind took a huge toll on the pitching staff. The starters were in such sad shape physically entering the playoffs that Manuel sent reporters searching through Bibles with his reference to "a Gideon's army." Guys like Mike Sirotka, Jim Parque, James Baldwin, Bill Simas, Kelly Wunsch and Bob Howry pushed themselves beyond the limit to secure that playoff spot. The result was a run of pitching injuries that crippled the division champs in 2001. In Buehrle, Loaiza and Colon, Manuel has the cards to play Chicago's first winning hand in October since 1917. The key is not to weaken your hand before you have to show it. Buehrle had made five consecutive starts working on the standard four days rest. He needed a little break, whether it came now or next week. Don't forget that the goal for this Sox team, with the luxury of competing in the watered-down Central, is to win in October, not merely get there. All these victories will count the same when they're totaled on Sept. 28. If Buehrle beats the Tigers on Friday night, it'll count exactly the same as a victory over New York would have. There was a better chance that he could have pitched well and still have the White Sox lose against the Yankees' Mike Mussina than there will be Friday against Detroit's Nate Robertson, who will be making his fourth career start. As for Cotts, sure he would have had a better shot against Detroit than the Yankees. But here's some relief for those bemoaning his inconsistent performance: The White Sox are in position to win a division title despite a 3-10 record and 6.77 earned run average from their fifth starters, who have worked 24 games. Here's another comforting thought: They won't need one again until Sept. 9.

Note to self: Never date a female from Illinois State

Hell, if they aren't going to start Cotts again, send him back to Birmingham for the playoffs! I think he will start again, however.

Coop??

Kanny even wins......... If only they would have let Molina pitch! LAKE COUNTY 3 AT KANNAPOLIS 7 YTD YTD LAKE COUNTY AB R H BI AVG KANNAPOLIS AB R H BI AVG R.Rojas CF 4 0 0 1 .227 A.Gonzalez 3B 0 0 0 0 .233 C.De la cruz SS 4 1 3 1 .263 A.Gonzalez SS 4 0 1 1 .233 B.Francisco LF 4 0 1 0 .271 D.Barnett CAT 4 1 1 0 .242 B.Peavey DH 3 0 1 0 .277 D.Ciraco RF 0 0 0 0 .230 E.Johnson RF 4 0 0 0 .225 T.Brice DH 4 2 2 2 .282 M.Aubrey 1B 2 0 0 1 .336 M.Christense 1B 1 0 0 0 .241 J.Herrera CAT 4 0 0 0 .254 M.Christense 3B 3 1 1 1 .241 B.Kent 3B 4 1 1 0 .218 J.Terrell 1B 2 1 1 0 .262 B.Pinckney 2B 2 1 2 0 .667 J.Terrell RF 2 0 2 1 .262 F.Carmona PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Reyes 1B 0 0 0 0 .258 C.De La Cruz PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Cook LF 1 0 1 0 .151 D.Cook CF 3 0 0 0 .151 G.Molina CAT 1 0 0 0 .231 G.Molina 1B 0 0 0 0 .231 G.Molina 2B 1 0 1 0 .231 G.Molina 3B 0 0 0 0 .231 G.Molina SS 1 0 0 0 .231 G.Molina LF 0 0 0 0 .231 G.Molina CF 1 1 0 1 .231 G.Molina RF 0 0 0 0 .231 E.Young LF 2 0 1 0 .240 E.Young RF 1 0 0 0 .240 L.Luna 1B 1 0 0 0 .120 L.Luna 2B 3 1 0 0 .120 T.Tisch PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 B.LaMura PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 31 3 8 3 TOTALS 35 7 11 6 LAKE COUNTY 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0- 3 8 2 KANNAPOLIS 2 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 X- 7 11 1 E--E.Johnson, B.Pinckney, L.Luna. DP--LAKE COUNTY 0, KANNAPOLIS 0. LOB--LAKE COUNTY 7, KANNAPOLIS 5. 2B--B.Kent (10), D.Barnett (5), M.Christense (15), G.Molina (15). HR--T.Brice (1). HBP--B.Pinckney. SF--R.Rojas, M.Aubrey. SH--E.Young. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA LAKE COUNTY F.Carmona (L,17-4) 5.2 9 7 5 0 2 1 2.06 C.De La Cruz 2.1 2 0 0 0 2 0 3.67 KANNAPOLIS T.Tisch (W,1-0) 6.1 5 2 2 2 5 0 1.93 B.LaMura 2.2 3 1 1 1 2 0 3.63 HB--T.Tisch. WP--F.Carmona. BALKS--T.Tisch. PB--J.Herrera. SO-- R.Rojas, B.Peavey 2, E.Johnson 3, J.Herrera, A.Gonzalez, D.Barnett, J.Terrell, D.Cook. BB--B.Peavey, M.Aubrey, B.Pinckney. T--2:19. A--1129

Winston is on a roll entering the playoffs..... KINSTON 3 AT WINSTON-SALEM 4 YTD YTD KINSTON AB R H BI AVG WINSTON-SALEM AB R H BI AVG I.Ochoa SS 4 0 0 0 .260 R.Yan 2B 4 0 0 0 .266 R.Choy Foo 3B 5 0 2 0 .260 M.Spidale CF 4 0 1 0 .258 W.Taveras CF 3 0 1 0 .286 M.Morse SS 4 1 1 0 .248 J.Cooper LF 3 0 0 0 .314 B.Becker 1B 3 2 2 1 .265 M.Knox 1B 5 1 1 1 .251 E.Storey DH 3 1 1 0 .267 T.Dyson DH 1 2 1 1 .500 N.Martel RF 3 0 1 3 .277 D.Wallace CAT 3 0 1 0 .227 D.Holt LF 2 0 0 0 .257 M.Quintana RF 4 0 1 0 .280 J.Lackaff 3B 3 0 0 0 .268 E.Torres 2B 4 0 0 1 .249 W.Rosa CAT 3 0 0 0 .219 O.Alvarez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 R.Purvis PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 C.Cooper PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 D.Ulacia PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 M.Hernandez PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Castro PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 J.Fields PIT 0 0 0 0 .000 TOTALS 32 3 7 3 TOTALS 29 4 6 4 KINSTON 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0- 3 7 0 WINSTON-SALEM 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 X- 4 6 0 DP--KINSTON 1, WINSTON-SALEM 1. LOB--KINSTON 11, WINSTON-SALEM 4. 2B--M.Spidale (21), B.Becker (24), E.Storey (25). 3B--N.Martel (4). HR--M.Knox (4), T.Dyson (1), B.Becker (19). SB--I.Ochoa (27), D.Holt (7). HBP--D.Wallace. YTD IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA KINSTON O.Alvarez (L,1-1) 6.0 5 4 4 2 5 1 2.78 C.Cooper 1.1 1 0 0 1 1 0 3.72 M.Hernandez 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.56 WINSTON-SALEM R.Purvis 4.0 5 3 3 4 3 2 2.20 D.Ulacia (W,2-1) 2.2 1 0 0 2 2 0 0.47 J.Castro 1.1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.05 J.Fields (S,19) 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3.18 HB--D.Ulacia. PB--D.Wallace, W.Rosa. SO--R.Choy Foo, W.Taveras, M.Quintana 2, E.Torres, R.Yan 2, M.Spidale 3, W.Rosa. BB--I.Ochoa, W.Taveras 2, J.Cooper 2, T.Dyson 3, B.Becker, E.Storey, D.Holt. T--2:56. A--1961

Barons win again...... Reed with a pinch hit RBI single in the 10th inning.... Great start for Pacheco.... Hope he can do the same against the same team next Wednesday... BIRMINGHAM (3) AT HUNTSVILLE (2) BIRMINGHAM AB R H BI HUNTSVILLE AB R H BI C Durham CF 6 1 0 0 A Machado 2B 4 0 0 0 J Piniella LF 5 0 1 1 D Krynzel CF 1 0 0 0 G Alvarez 1B 5 0 2 0 D Clark RF 3 0 0 0 D Sandoval PR 0 0 0 0 J HARDY SS 3 1 0 0 C Maldonado C 4 0 1 0 C Hart DH 5 1 2 2 J Hamilton 1B 5 0 1 0 B Gemoll 1B 1 0 0 0 S Morales DH 4 0 1 0 N Varner CF 5 0 0 0 S Bikowski PH 1 0 0 0 B Nelson LF 4 0 0 0 G Reyes SS 5 2 4 0 K Johnson C 3 0 0 0 T Nicholson 2B 4 0 2 1 C Barnwell 3B 4 0 1 0 J Shaffer 3B 3 0 1 0 J Reed PH 1 0 1 1 TOTALS 43 3 14 3 TOTALS 33 2 3 2 BIRMINGHAM 000 011 000 1-- 3 HUNTSVILLE 000 000 020 0-- 2 E--G Reyes, D Clark, B Nelson. DP--HUNTSVILLE 1. LOB--BIRMINGHAM 13, HUNTSVILLE 10. 2B--T Nicholson. HR--C Hart 1 (13) (off J Stumm). SB--J HARDY 1 (6). CS--C Barnwell. IP H R ER BB SO HR BIRMINGHAM E Pacheco 5 1 0 0 3 4 0 J Stumm 2 2-3 2 2 2 3 2 1 B Murray 2-3 0 0 0 1 0 0 K McWhirter (W,3-7) 1 2-3 0 0 0 2 0 0 HUNTSVILLE J Housman 6 10 2 1 1 5 0 K Ray 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 J Hundley 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 R Miller (L,1-8) 1 2 1 1 1 1 0 SO--BIR: J Piniella 2, J Shaffer 2, G Alvarez 2, J Hamilton, C Durham. HUN: K Johnson 3, J HARDY 2, B Gemoll. BB--BIR: T Nicholson, J Shaffer, C Maldonado. HUN: B Gemoll 4, J HARDY 2, D Clark, A

Charlotte wins, but stays 3 games back with four to play..... Will likely need a sweep against Durham this weekend.... Great start for Diaz.. NORFOLK (1) AT CHARLOTTE (6) NORFOLK AB R H BI CHARLOTTE AB R H BI E Snead CF 3 0 0 0 A Miles 2B 4 0 0 0 D Garcia 2B 4 0 0 0 J Burke C 4 0 0 0 T Shinjo LF 4 1 1 0 R Gload 1B 4 0 1 0 R Johnson 3B 4 0 0 0 J Borchard CF 4 1 1 0 C Brazell 1B 4 0 0 1 M Rivera DH 4 2 2 2 K Kelly RF 3 0 0 0 A Rios RF 4 2 2 0 M Glavine DH 2 0 0 0 R Hankins 3B 4 0 2 1 J Velandia SS 3 0 1 0 N Murphy LF 2 1 2 3 J Depastino C 3 0 0 0 J Nunez SS 3 0 0 0 TOTALS 30 1 2 1 TOTALS 33 6 10 6 NORFOLK 000 000 100 -- 1 CHARLOTTE 000 204 00x -- 6 E--J Nunez. LOB--NORFOLK 4, CHARLOTTE 4. 2B--R Gload, R Hankins, J Velandia, T Shinjo. HR--M Rivera 1 (10) (off J Roach), N Murphy 1 (7) (off P Zamora). IP H R ER BB SO HR NORFOLK J Roach (L,5-11) 5 9 5 5 1 4 1 P Zamora 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 B Bevis 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 CHARLOTTE F Diaz (W,5-7) 7 2 1 1 1 4 0 J Paniagua 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 J Adkins 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 SO--NOR: J Depastino 2, D Garcia 2, M Glavine, T Shinjo. CHA: J Borchard 3, J Nunez 2, J Burke, R Hankins. BB--NOR: E Snead, M Glavine. CHA: N Murphy. T--2:26. A--4,241.

Doubtful..... Wally might come for a weekend or so and dress during BP, etc., but I don't see him having any kind of role. I don't see any reason why JM would want his potential successor sitting in the dugout with him. That is why I don't think he received any real consideration for the 3B coaches job this year.

I'm gonna say yes on this one. Baj has a real good arm and has bounced back strong from an injury. He has been money this year, with the exception of the time right after Royce Ring got traded when the roles of the bullpen changed. That said, I do think he is a fringe type guy. A setup/middle relief type guy. Whether he makes it or not, will depend on timing and his ability to continue to pitch well. He is the kind of guy that an off year in AAA can make him a forgotten man. He is not a shoe-in by any means, but in the right situation with the right timing, Baj could be a useful MLB reliever.

Reed will not be called up. Not exactly sure who they will be, but think relief pitchers and catcher(s).

He was on the DL at the time, Jim.

Did I miss something??

Good catch, MSF.

One question though...how is he eligible since he's received money as a professional athlete. It it simply because he earned it playing another sport? Yup, see Chris Wienke and others who went back and played NCAA football, after playing in the minors. Ya, I remembered him when I was typing it. I also remember this kid at Colorado who was a professional snowboarder and they said he'd have to quit during his time at the Unviversity if he wanted to play football. I thought it was a bunch of crap, since he wasn't making money on the collegiate sport he was playing. For pete sakes it was a job that the kid had. Ya, he was an athlete, but he wasn't making the money as a football player. The Colorado situation was that the guy was making endorsement money while playing football. The NCAA has a rule against having a job during the season of the sport you are playing. It was designed so that boosters could not give guys jobs they didn't need to show up for and pay them for it. I don't know all the details, but the NCAA hasn't been too willing to make any exceptions.

That is obvious. No need for a reference to a stat that bears no real meaning. His last two starts were solid. If he matches either one, the Sox have a great shot of winning tomorrow.

Why even finish that statement?? You know baseball well enough to know that an ERA doesn't mean s*** after a 13 IP or so, so why do it?

Hit like we have been and it doesn't matter either way. I agree Bmr (did i just type that?), it doesn't matter. How many total wins you have at the end of the season is what matters. Yes, you like your chances better with MB on the mound, but they play the games for a reason. You never know what will happen. I say we enjoy the ride we are on right now and don't worry about the small s***.

Barons.com - Main Page Barons.com - Game Summary: Barons Clinch Title

What makes no sense is all of this see-saw s*** about who is starting. If they don't have a damned clue, then they should have just listed TBA. I say hell with this yo-yo crap!

No one seems to know for sure......... Cooper did say on the Sox site that Cotts would likely go if the Sox won the first two games against the Yanks. The bottom line is that the Sox should do what Manuel and Cooper feel is in the best interest of the Sox in the long term, not what Mark wants or not whether they fear Neal is ready or not. They need to be thinking in terms of the season, not this series. I am not going to profess I know which option is best, but that is the way it should be handled. The long term interests of the team must come first. We'll soon see which option they think is best.

It is now official after a small scare in the 9th... the first three batters reached in the bottom of the 9th on two singles and a walk, but Bajenaru struck out two and popped up JJ Hardy for the win.... BARONS WIN 6-2!

:fyou whatever