CSF

No harm, no foul. But I gotta respond. First of all, I am older than ESPN....by a few years. Secondly, I loved ESPN for what it always was: "The Worldwide Leader in Sports". Unfortunately, like I said, that's what they were. The great sports broadcasters and journalists they had have been replaced with a 24 hr sports edition of Entertainment Tonight. It's no longer about the essence of the sport, as it is now for the hot fad or the "it" team of the moment. Do I want exclusive coverage of the White Sox by ESPN? Not even. But I did enjoy at one time how ESPN was actually intuned with making sure every team got coverage, no matter how good or bad. That's what always separated them from all the major networks that did smaller segments on sports. But as a fan, I don't want to have to turn on ESPN and see the usual suspects on the air again and again. Yes, I know how good the Yankees are, or how fierce the Yankees-BoSox rivalry is, and if this is finally the year the Cubs win it all? I'm sorry, but I'm tired of the same subjects being force-fed down my throat night in/night out. Does that mean shift over to the plight of the Expos, the state of the Marlins stadium issue, or how injuries have affected the White Sox? Not likely, but how about combining the issues instead of going over the same ones over and over again. I used to love MTV too, when they actually played music and cared about the type of music coming out. They too, are a former shell of themselves. The way that channel is now, you may as well take the M out of the name, because they no longer feel obligated to fulfill that portion of their name. Maybe it's a sign of change, and I just refuse to acknowledge it, but watching these 2 channels go from variety to the popular "in" event is enough for me to tune them both out, which I've done. Thank you, and sorry about the long-winded rant.

Didn't get a chance to see the entire game (working), but even though the Sox fell to the Halos, to see them go down 5-2 in the 7th inning, but to see this team come back against one of the best setup men in baseball is a nice thing to see. This time last year, once the Sox got behind late in the game, whether home or away, they seemed to pack it in. This year, they look like they're trying to stay in the game, and it's guys like Konerko, Rowand, Uribe, & Timo leading the way. Hopefully, the bullpen has gone through all the growing pains and emerges as a stronger unit for 2005. I have a little bit more optimism for 2005.

AND THAT'S A WHITE SOX WINNER!!!! NICE CG BY MB!

I really dislike Harold Reynolds (and all things ESPN for that fact), but he was partially right about one thing: The Twins won't go far in the postseason and all because of 3 little initials: NYY. Even though they beat around the Yanks a couple of weeks ago in the dome, the Yankees become an entirely different team in the playoffs. I can't see that changing anytime soon.... of course, I also had the Sox winning the AL Central too, so what do I know.

Timo Perez has been great, kinda picking up where Tony G left off last year. He's the perfect definition of grinder and should be back next year. BTW, Willie may have a weak arm, but his range is excellent.

*Heeling*

Even though he has been the suck this year, I still think Crede may get it together. If he shortens that swing, he'll be alright.

It worked for Buerhle. Maybe Munoz and Diaz follow suit.

Just like I've said about Garland, you need to be able to pitch over mistakes. Contreras didn't do that yesterday. The dropped ball by Valdez did hurt, but what hurt even more was throwing a 3-2 splitter to Blalock, who held off and took a base on balls. Jose fell apart after that. Hawk did seem highly pissed due to that play......... though he did perk up when ARNIE MUNOZ! took the hill.

Diaz still looked better in his 1 1/3 innings than Garland did in his 1/3 inning, though that heater to strike out Soriano was nice. Wish he challenged hitters more like that instead of serving up beachballs over the heart of the plate.

I thought Bajenaru looked solid out there tonight. Diaz & Munoz too.

I agree. Danny Wright was the best pitcher not named Buerhle on that 2002 team. Now that the Sox know that he needed TJS, maybe he can comeback and regain that form. BTW, I definitely think Munoz can still get it together. That hook he has is awesome. Grilli battled yesterday, and as long as he doesn't go through the Garland syndrome (The Big Inning), he might make a serviceable 5th starter. Though I would prefer him more in the Sean Lowe, long reliever/spot starter type of role. Diaz had a nice performance on Sunday, but I agree with Ozzie's decision to put him in the 'pen. The more he works, the more comfortable he'll get. Then in Spring Training, give him a shot at the rotation again.

Steff should be on Cloud 9.

Between your sig and BlackSox8's avatar, I've been cracking up at both animations.

No, I heard this comment on Friday, the day before the homer.

I thought I heard on the Score yesterday that Ozzie had made a comment that Willie was unproffesional. Hope it turns out to be nothing serious. Willie should be the starting 2nd basemen for this club next year.....full time. Congrats on going yard Big Willie Style.

Congrats, Baj!

From the Chicago Sun-Times Cubs vs. broadcasters? Say it ain't so, just focus on winning September 3, 2004 BY CAROL SLEZAK STAFF REPORTER How bad has the feud between the Cubs and their TV broadcast team become? So bad I'm half expecting the Cubs to blame Steve Stone and Chip Caray for Hurricane Frances. Why not? Everything else seems to be their fault. I admit to finding this little feud amusing. For instance, I chuckled when I heard about Todd Walker saying how ''pro-team'' announcers do things such as give players nicknames, and then how Caray and Stone later came up with ''Louisiana Lumberjack'' when Walker -- a Louisiana native -- came to the plate. The Cubs should be focused on one thing: winning games. Instead, led by Moises Alou, with the apparent consent of Dusty Baker, they continue to gripe about their broadcasters. They think Stone and Caray, particularly Stone, are too critical of the home team and sometimes too generous in their praise of the opponent (the latter bone of contention coming from Kent Mercker). Why are the Cubbies such big crybabies? People are starting to question their mental fortitude. Are they tough enough to win the wild card? When will they learn that Stone and Caray are not their enemies? ''You're taking about two veterans,'' White Sox broadcaster Ken Harrelson said. ''I love Moises Alou ... I thought it was out of character for him to do that. I think, in retrospect, when all this settles down, if he looks back on it, you'll find out that he might even apologize to these guys. But to sit there and hinge on what announcers are saying during a pennant chase. ... First of all, you ought to have your [rear end] on the bench rooting your teammates home, not sitting in a clubhouse somewhere watching on TV when they're out there busting their [rear ends] trying to win a game. That's bull[bleep]. If [Mercker] would have had his [rear end] in the right place, he'd have never heard [stone praising Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt's performance].'' We are not privy to Baker's private talks with his team. But publicly, he has taken his players' side in this battle. ''I don't think I have a team that's going to complain unjustifiably,'' Baker said Aug. 29. ''At times it appears [stone and Caray] are more focused on what we haven't done than what we're doing.'' The next day Baker suggested people turn the volume off on their TV. During a subsequent broadcast, Stone and Caray referred obliquely to Baker's comment. ''Steve and Chip were talking about turning the volume off, having some fun with it,'' said John McDonough, the Cubs' senior vice president for marketing and broadcasting, who doesn't seem overly concerned about the situation. Having never witnessed a sideshow quite like this one, I asked McDonough on Thursday if he has. He recalled that Harry Caray had a few celebrated feuds with players in his pre-Cubs days. But with the Cubs, Harry was too popular and too identified with the Cubs brand for players to complain about him, no matter what he said. Apparently Stone and Chip Caray haven't reached Harry Caray status in players' eyes. Or perhaps this particular Cubs team is simply overly sensitive. ''I think it's strictly interpretation by the players,'' McDonough said. ''It's not my place to say the players are being hypersensitive. I'm not in their shoes. I would never criticize the players. But I can tell you our fan base has great admiration for Steve. He's a brilliant analyst. He's insightful, he's articulate, and at times he seems clairvoyant. He's extremely highly regarded by our fans.'' Reached Thursday in Chicago, Stone preferred not to discuss the subject. ''Truly, Chip and I are just two lovable fuzzballs,'' he said, adding, ''When you go through hard times, it's most important to have the backing of top management. I know Chip and I have the backing.'' Only two players, Thurman Munson and Kent Hrbek, ever have complained to Harrelson about something he said during his broadcast career, which began in 1975. ''First of all, as an announcer, we have a job to do,'' Harrelson said. ''And to tell you the truth, I really don't care what the players think. I would hope that they have enough respect for me to know I have enough respect for the game that they're playing. And I understand how hard the game is because I played it. But I can't worry about what they say. ... All Sox fans know that D.J. [Darrin Jackson] and I, we don't gild a lily, but again we don't harp on something. We give the fans credit for knowing what the hell is going on because they're watching the same thing we are.'' Alou's base-running mistakes. Oswalt pitching credibly on a hot, humid day. Slumping bats. Pitchers losing control. Cubs fans have seen it all. They know what the heck is going on. What do the players expect Stone and Caray to do, lie? ''If [stone and Caray] had been saying exactly the same thing and the Cubs were in first place, nothing would have been said,'' Harrelson said. Former Sox star Bill Melton understands why players might take umbrage at a broadcaster's comments. He played for the Sox during Harry Caray's days on the South Side and believes Caray treated him very unfairly. Theirs was a celebrated feud. For Melton, the last straw came when his young kids were booed at Comiskey Park during a father-son game after Caray had been ripping him on the air for months. Afterward, Melton asked the Sox to trade him. ''I don't think that's what is happening with [the Cubs],'' said Melton, a pregame and postgame analyst for the Sox. ''But I can see why players might lash out, I really can. Whether it's the pressure or what, I'm not surprised by it.'' The Cubs know pressure. They've felt it all season; that much is certain. But have they learned to deal with it? That's still uncertain. ''Expectations were ratcheted so high,'' McDonough said. ''This is the first time in recent history that the Cubs were picked to win the World Series. Along the way, things have a tendency to get blown out of proportion. But hopefully, all these things are behind us and everyone is occupied with what's happening on the field. We would love to see a wonderful synchronicity with everybody.'' Letters to our sports columnists appear Sunday. Send e-mail to [email protected]. Include your full name, hometown and a daytime phone number.

And best of all, this win was completely manufactured! Not a single homer between the 2 squads. Gload/Burke=quality grinders. Nice.

Now that is sickening.

Who's Jose Valentine?

Hawk just said Politte is out after he had an emergency appendectomy. Get well soon, Cliff.

Just heard it on the broadcast. Hope he's alright.

Add me to that list. Farnsworth has closer material. Maybe a change of scenery is just what he needs. Exactly 8.1 miles south.

A 500 ft shot? Damn, no need for "stretch". Hawk could've just said "FORE!"