whitesoxfan101

QUOTE (SoxFan562004 @ Jun 29, 2008 -> 09:44 PM) I'm pretty sure the Cubs last 12 games were against AL teams over .500, 6 at home 6 on the road and they went 4-8 (Swept by the Rays, Swept the Sox, lost 2 out of 3 to the O's and swept by the Sox) Yeah, the NL is just awful. Even the team with the best record in the NL (the Cubs), who avoided the Yankees and Red Sox, were mediocre in interleague. Might be an AL sweep in the World Series for the 4th time in 5 years come October, with the only exception being the most bizarre team I've ever seen, the 2006 Cardinals. And that's not even getting into the All Star game domination by the AL.

Screw those freaking losers. Nice to get them back. Let's make it an epically great home stand now this week. That's all I got, except it was nice to see BA contribute and Mark is on fire. Also, what a terrible move by Trammel to not bring in Cotts to face Thome in the 8th. Glad he did it though. Keep it up, fellas.

QUOTE (WhiteSoxfan1986 @ Jun 29, 2008 -> 10:38 PM) I can't really blame him. QFT. I could only blame him if he wasn't.

Thank God our division is done playing the NL now. What a freaking joke that league is, AAA quality teams all over the place. We just need to win tonight and be glad interleague is over, because we have a solid record and have still lost a decent amount of ground.

Torres should have had 2, that ball that hit the post was just terrible luck. The interesting thing about that game though was, for all the offensive skill Spain has, they won today with defense. Germany had very few chances, and when they did get some (ticky tack IMO) free kicks, they never really came close to scoring. Spain was the only team to win every game, and they were the best team in this from start to finish and deserved the trophy. Finally eliminated all of those demons for good.

QUOTE (SoxFan101 @ Jun 29, 2008 -> 01:50 PM) Didnt Harry Carey actually start with the Cardinals? Regardless it is funny that the 3rd team that started doing it is the one who treasures it the most. He started with the Cardinals, and was with the A's as well I think, but all of the 7th inning stretch stuff originated with the Sox when he snuck a mic into the booth so the crowd could hear him singing the 7th inning stretch at Old Comiskey. They loved it, and Harry was a man of the people, add in Nancy Faust on the organ, and of course the rest is history.

The best part of that is the comment that the Sox have no traditions, which is cute. First of all, the W flag and "Go Cubs Go" are very recent "traditions" which were just made up by Cubs Marketing within the last decade for the sake of making money (W flag merchandise) and getting attention. To call either of those traditions is really dumb. But getting back to us, we (well, Nancy Faust) started the "na na na na, hey, goodbye" song being played at sporting events. You now hear that song being played/sung at games all over the world. Second of all, we also invented the concept of fireworks at the game/after home runs, another thing you see at stadiums all over the place. Oh, and hey, what about the singing the 7th inning stretch thing? They do know Harry Carey started that at Comiskey Park and not Wrigley Field, right? That's right, the tradition that defines their ballpark as much as the ivy, drunks, and losing, was originated by the terrible White Sox. But I guess other than three very significant traditions that you see being copied all over the place, we have none of our own. Right.

So, for some reason, I was looking at Mark's baseball cube page just now, and I noticed something strange. Mark only pitched two minor league seasons, and really not even two full seasons. He pitched in 20 games (14 starts) in 1999 for class A Burlington, then 16 games (all starts) for Birmingham in 2000 before being called up to the Sox for good. His minor league numbers were pretty impressive, I will say that. I guess the point is this, I am asking anybody who remembers Mark coming through the minors what happened? How was this guy only a 38th round pick? And moreso, how could a 38th round pick make it to the majors so fast after only 36 minor league games and 30 starts, nowhere near two full seasons? I know we had a ton of injuries in 2000 which probably played a part, but he seemed like he was put on the fast track from day 1. I remember his first home start too (I was there actually, it was only his 3rd game or something), but I guess I never thought of all this then.

It's technically not a no hitter since the Angels only pitched 8 innings (I think that's a recent rule change actually), but still amazing stuff.

QUOTE (Felix @ Jun 28, 2008 -> 01:49 AM) Again, correct me if I'm misinterpreting this, but it looks like two different thoughts here. Either he'll be the best rookie point guard you've you've ever seen (your first post) or he'll start off slow, leading me to believe that you don't think he'd be the best rookie point guard you've ever seen due to age (your second post). Also, if he'll have comparable apg and rpg to CP, but less ppg than him, wouldn't that make CP a better rookie and therefore a better PG directly out of college? He's the best point guard I have ever seen enter the NBA. I did not mean he will start off the fastest though, that is often determined by the system you are in, your teammates, and your coach. It'd be foolish of me to just say he'll come in and put up great numbers from night one. What I meant moreso is he is the most talented PG I have ever seen enter the NBA, and once he gets his feet wet, I expect him in the all star game every year. I'd say by his third year in the league, he should be the best point guard in the league, especially since his shot should continue to improve. I definitely never said he'll be the best rookie PG I've ever seen, that'd be silly. Even Kobe Bryant only averaged 7.6 points a game as a rookie, it's just hard to project what guys will be great from night one. But it's not hard to project who will be great in general, and Rose will be.

QUOTE (Benchwarmerjim @ Jun 28, 2008 -> 01:25 AM) Just think how good thier pitching would be if they did not trade away Jair Jurrjens. 3.20 ERA in 90 innings pitched. 7 wins. That was a REALLY bad trade by Detroit, which will only get worse as time goes on. And I really hope I am right about your Twins. I don't know how you guys do it every year, this would be a miracle if you make the playoffs this year unlike any other you've pulled though.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Jun 28, 2008 -> 01:20 AM) The best cheaters never get caught. And they're damn good at what they do. Cheating has always been part of baseball. Well that's for sure. I just don't think you could be using an elaborate system with the scoreboard (ESPECIALLY at Wrigley, it's not even electrical) and not get caught with all the technology today. There is cheating going on in baseball though, I'm not naive enough to not realize that.

QUOTE (Felix @ Jun 27, 2008 -> 10:03 PM) Reading this, am I right in assuming that you then believe Rose will have a better season next year than Chris Paul (or Deron Williams) did during their rookie years? Deron Williams, maybe, but I see no way of Rose matches Paul's 16.1 ppg, 7.8 apg, and 5.1 rpg during his rookie season. Maybe somewhere inbetween what D-Will did (10.8 ppg, 4.5 apg, 2.4 rpg) and Paul, but certainly not better than Paul's first year. Rose will not score 16 a game, but the assist and rebound numbers will be similar to Paul's. The fact Rose only had one year of college experience means he will start a bit slower too IMO.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jun 28, 2008 -> 12:46 AM) I actually think cheating makes a hell of a lot of sense, personally. And I bet most teams do it. I find it impossible to believe you could cheat in today's day of cameras all over the place and get away with it. Even the '51 Giants eventually got caught, so teams now sure as hell would.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 27, 2008 -> 09:01 PM) Anyone hear Steve Stone say that Ron Santo was complaining how the Cubs have more injuries than anyone? Stone quickly responded to Santo that the Cards have 11 pitchers on the DL, and Santo got annoyed with Stone and "walked" away. Santo is a perfect representative of your average Cubs fan. Stupid, uninformed, and delusional. Also, it's amazing how all the idiots that said the NL is the better league this year have quited down since interleague started. Outside of the top 3 NL Central teams, that league is awful. This might be the worst the NL has ever been actually. I can't explain why the AL is just always better than the NL these days, but I think the DH is a factor. Either that, or the AL just has way more good (and young) pitching.

I am much more worried about the Tigers than the Twins right now. Minny usually kills NL teams like no other, they'll come back to earth when they start playing AL teams again. As pessimistic as I am about the Sox, we are better than Minnesota. The Tigers getting back to about .500 now could be a big problem though, I am surprised their pitching is doing enough to let them slowly creep back up.

Richar and Bourgeois finally waking up. Despite the loss tonight, I still like Carlos Torres more and more as time passes, but that Barons lineup without Cook is just brutal. Also, it's good to see Shirek and Hunt doing well at Kanny.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jun 27, 2008 -> 08:35 PM) Lets be honest people, what do you have to gain getting belligerent and physical with another fan just cause he likes the other team? I dont understand it at all. Everything is more fun when you dont take it to that level. There are families around you, act like adults and good fans. Agreed on this, I am embarassed the rare times I see dumb Sox fans at The Cell. Just leave the people alone that like the other team, and if they do something bad, tell an usher. As for the Cubs home/road splits, it's just been a weird year. Almost everybody is good at home and bad on the road for some reason, I don't buy they are cheating. They are just built perfect for Wrigley, as are we for The Cell.

Yeah I remembered the Captain Morgan one from the Pittsburgh series, but that is a definite classic. However, the cardboard cutout thing was ridiculous. I don't know how Swish comes up with this s*** but it is hysterical.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jun 27, 2008 -> 07:12 PM) Will someone please explain to me why Russell Westbrook has more value than Chalmers. Both are very long, fantastic defenders, and turn the ball over too much. However, Chalmers is a significantly better shooter than he is. I swear, if it wasn't for a few highlight dunks, Westbrook would be a no-namer. Agreed, Westbrook at #4 was just an incredibly stupid pick. He's not big enough (or a good enough shooter) to play 2, and I still don't think he can play point at the NBA level. Just strange to see people fall in love with him so much.

QUOTE (knightni @ Jun 27, 2008 -> 06:53 PM) Hawk is in the early stages of Harry Caray-ism. He was in the early stages of it 5 years ago. He's in the middle stages now. Come 2013, he's going to be mis pronouncing all kinds of names.

Derrick Rose is the most talented and gifted all around PG I have ever seen come out of college. I can't compare him to anybody, because I've never seen a 19 year old (or even a 21/22 year old) point guard as good as him as they entered the NBA. I'm sure Jason Kidd was close, but to be fair I don't really remember him at Cal.

Going into this series we were set up to do very well, and today only makes it better. Now, make sure you AT LEAST get 2 out of 3, but a sweep is possible. Just have to play our game the next two days. Good to see Carlos Quentin is officially out of his slump. He's not hitting for as much power, but he's been piling up the hits lately and was great today. And damn, Dye and OC are just on fire.

Terrible offensive execution, but Danks grinded it out and Don Cooper is awesome. A series win on the road is a nice step for us right now.

I wanted the Bulls to take Walker instead of Weems, but ah well, Weems is ok for a 2nd rounder. The important part tonight is Derrick Rose, so it's a good night.