Lip Man 1

This came in my e-mail box a few days ago. I have no idea about the parameters involved but thought it was interesting: "Every July, about 70 of MLB's best players make the All-Star team -- and history says most of them get worse right after. We pulled MLB's official stats across the last 10 All-Star Games (2015-2025, excluding the canceled 2020 game) and found a strikingly consistent pattern: 69% of All-Star hitters saw their OPS drop in the second half, and 69% of All-Star pitchers saw their ERA rise. It held in all 10 seasons studied. A few numbers that might be useful for your coverage: Average OPS drop: .876 to .816 (-60) The fade was steepest in 2016 (.891 to .789, a 102-point fall) and gentlest in 2023 (.856 to .821), but every single season bent the same way. Average ERA drop: 2.49 to 3.31 (+0.82) The fade was steepest in 2023 (2.88 to 4.03, a 1.15 era gain) and the smallest drop was in 2019 (2.88 to 3.31, a 0.43 gain). Full breakdown with year-by-year tables and methodology: https://www.rotowire.com/baseball/article/the-all-star-slump-do-mlb-all-stars-decline-after-the-break-121567 Jared Kimble RotoWire PR/Communications Jared.Kimble@GDCGroup.com

Sox Machine on the deal: White Sox trade Jacob Gonzalez to Pittsburgh to boost dra...Please bow your heads for a moment of silence to commemorate the 14-minute period where the White Sox officially had more bats than spots. After Jacob Gonzalez was optioned to Charlotte to clear a spo

ELEVEN! factoids today: July 11, 1927 – In a 7-6 win at Comiskey Park over the Red Sox, the White Sox tied a MLB record with eight sacrifice hits. Sacrifice flies came from Bill Barrett and Harry McCurdy, as well as August “Bibb” Falk twice. Sacrifice bunts were successful from Roger Peckinpaugh and Willie Kamm. Aaron Ward contributed both a sacrifice fly and sacrifice bunt. The game was won on a walk-off steal of second base! With two outs in the ninth Barrett singled and stole second base; on the steal, Boston catcher Fred Hofmann threw wildly to second, and then when center fielder Ira Flagstead’s return throw was also wild Barrett came all the way home with the winning run. July 11, 1950 - The All-Star Game returned to Comiskey Park for the second time and saw the National League win 4-3 in 14 innings on a home run by the Cardinals Al “Red” Schoendienst. The Sox representative on that day was pitcher Ray Scarborough who was acquired in late May from Washington. He’d wind up winning 10 games that year for the Sox but his ERA was over five! This was the game where the Red Sox Ted Williams broke his elbow hitting the unpadded outfield wall. July 11, 1963 - Gary Peters began the hottest streak of his career with a 6-3 win vs. Detroit. When it was over at the end of August, Peters had gone 11-0 with 10 complete games and three shutouts. Peters allowed just 14 earned runs over the 12 games, for a 1.15 ERA. He averaged three-and-a-half days rest during the stretch, with his 11-inning win on August 11 coming on just TWO days’ rest. He finished the season with 19 wins and be named co-Rookie of the Year which he shared with teammate Pete Ward. July 11, 1985 - The Sox blew a game and lost to the Orioles in Baltimore 7-6. The loss would have long term consequences for the franchise because it eventually led to the firing of G.M. Roland Hemond. With two outs and the Sox leading 6-3, Bob James, the team closer, hurt his right knee. In came journeyman relief pitcher Mike Stanton who was picked up out of the minors a few weeks before. Stanton didn’t get a man out and gave up a three run, game winning home run to Fred Lynn. Up in the broadcast booth, Sox TV announcers Don Drysdale and Ken “Hawk” Harrelson were openly questioning the organization if the best they could do was Stanton. It planted the seed in the mind of ownership that a change was needed. That change turned out to be Harrelson... named the new de facto G.M. that off season. The rest as they say is history as Harrelson lasted only one year in charge. Hemond meanwhile would go on to become the G.M. of the Orioles and win another Executive of the Year Award. July 11, 1990 - During a series with the Brewers, the Sox had a promotion that actually worked. It was called “Turn Back the Clock" day. The promotion recreated the scene as it would have been during the 1917 season. Sox players wore replicas of those uniforms, the scoreboard was turned off and operated by hand, vendors and stadium personnel were dressed in period clothes and photographers were allowed on the field. The promotion was copied by teams in all sports and an offshoot promotion came to pass in future years, it was called "Turn Ahead the Clock" with players wearing futuristically styled uniforms. July 11-12, 1994 - At the All-Star Game in Pittsburgh, Sox slugger Frank Thomas slammed some of the longest home runs ever seen, reaching the upper, upper deck at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium during the home run hitting contest. As far as the actual game itself the next day, Sox hurler Jason Bere got tagged with the loss, as Moises Alou reached him for an RBI double to win the game in 10 innings 8-7. Pitcher Wilson Alvarez of the Sox was also on the A.L. squad along with Thomas (1B). July 11, 2000 - Sox starting pitcher James Baldwin won the All-Star game for the American League in Atlanta. Baldwin threw the third inning in the A.L.’s 6-3 win. Joining him on the squad from the Sox were Ray Durham (2B) and Magglio Ordonez (OF). July 11, 2006 - Coming off a season where the White Sox won their first World Series championship in 88 years, seven players and manager Ozzie Guillen made the trip to Pittsburgh for the All-Star Game. The seven players were tied for the second most in team history equaling the number of Sox representatives in 1960. The seven players were; Mark Buehrle (P), Jose Contreras (P), Jermaine Dye (OF), Bobby Jenks (P), Paul Konerko (1B), Jim Thome (INF/PH) and A.J. Pierzynski (C). None of the Sox players though were in the starting lineup. The A.L. won the game in dramatic fashion 3-2. July 11, 2010 - The Sox closed out the first half of the season crushing the Royals 15-5 at U.S. Cellular Field. The win capped an incredible 30 game stretch heading into the All-Star break that saw the club go 25-5 and vault into first place in the division. The 25-5 sprint tied the Sox with the legendary 1975 Cincinnati Reds and the 1990 New York Mets for the best stretch of wins in baseball history heading into the second half. Included in the run were winning streaks of 11 and eight games. They also won their first game back after the All-Star break. They’d finish the season 88-74, second place in the division. July 11, 2021 – When the White Sox beat the Orioles 7-5 in 10 innings at Camden Yards it ran their record to 54-35, the best record in the league as Major League Baseball hit the All-Star break. The Sox wound up winning the game thanks to Adam Engel’s three-run home run. But it also marked the first time in franchise history the Sox swept a season series from a club of at least seven games. Earlier in the year the Sox swept Baltimore at Guaranteed Rate Field four straight before doing it again in three games in Baltimore. July 11, 2025 – Mark Buehrle pitched for the White Sox for 12 seasons and was a model of consistency. Every full season you could count on him for at least 200 innings pitched, at least 30 games started and at least 10 wins. World Series champion, three times an All-Star, a winning pitcher in the All-Star Game and one of the few pitchers to start a World Series game and save a World Series game. He also was one of only four pitchers in baseball history to have thrown a no-hitter and thrown a perfect game. He already had his number #56 retired by the team in 2017 but the ultimate honor came on this night when he had a statue unveiled at Rate Field during the 20th Anniversary celebration for the 2005 club that won the World Series. For his White Sox career Buehrle, a 38th round draft pick, won 161 games, started 365, threw 2,476 innings, had 1,396 strikeouts, had 231 quality starts and appeared in 390 games. All rank in the top-10 in franchise history.

Nice to break out of the slump. Now score a few runs Saturday, have a feeling they are going to need it.

Absolutely. Don't get this at all. Gonzales can play and the Sox could have used him in the infield. Guess it all depends on what the comp pick brings.

If they return, no guarantees.

Wish they would have kept Gonzales who can play the infield and dropped Acuna.

I think the color analyst is former pitcher Dallas Braden (but I'm not sure of that)

😄😄😄😄😄 With labor uncertainty (owners have already proposed contract limits in negotiations) I suspect JR won't be taking any kind of risks like that especially after seeing how things turned out with the "Bust Brothers" Moncada, Robert and Jimenez.

Looks like they aren't selling at least not yet: https://www.mlb.com/news/tommy-nance-traded-to-twins-from-blue-jays

Five factoids today: July 10, 1916 - The White Sox swept Boston at Fenway Park in a doubleheader, 4-0 and 3-0, with Claude “Lefty” Williams and Ewell “Reb” Russell earning the shutouts. Russell’s effort was a one-hitter with the only Boston safety coming on a single in the sixth inning by Clarence “Tilly” Walker. The Boston sweep came at the start of what would become a 15-day, 18-game road trip odyssey, with the White Sox playing in seven straight doubleheaders starting on this day, through July 20 — seven doubleheaders in 11 days! The White Sox had a series in Boston in mid-May completely washed out by rain, so the July doubleheaders all wedged May and July games together. Then, traveling to Philadelphia for the next leg of the trip, the White Sox were deluged by rain to force additional doubling-up of games. The Sox then traveled to Washington where they played six games and ended the trip in Detroit with a two-game set. The White Sox only split one of the seven doubleheaders, otherwise sweeping three and getting swept in three. After this leadoff sweep in Boston, the White Sox dropped four straight, then took five straight, and finished the doubleheader marathon by losing three straight. They then swept the Tigers twice in solo games on consecutive days. In late August 1938 the Sox also had to play six double headers in six consecutive days! July 10, 1956 - For the third and final time Billy Pierce was pegged to start for the American League in the All-Star Game. This year with the game in Washington D.C., Billy was tagged with the loss, despite only allowing one run in three innings of work. The N.L. would go on to win 7-3. Pierce would represent the Sox in seven All-Star affairs. Joining him on the team that year were Nellie Fox (2B), Sherm Lollar (C) and Jim Wilson (P). Pierce also was the starting pitcher for the American League in the 1953 game in Cincinnati and the 1955 game at Milwaukee. In four appearances Pierce threw almost 11 innings with 12 strikeouts. July 10-11, 1995 - At the All-Star Game in Texas, first baseman Frank Thomas turned a special double play. Thomas won the home run hitting contest the day before the actual game, and then became the first Sox player to ever homer in the game itself, when he connected off the Reds John Smiley in the fourth inning with a man on base. The N.L. would win the game 3-2. Thomas was the only member of the Sox on the team. July 10, 2001 - Magglio Ordonez (OF) homered off the Cubs John Lieber at the All-Star Game in Seattle. He became the second Sox player to ever homer in the annual classic. It was a solo shot to center field. The A.L. would win the game 4-1. Ordonez was the only Sox player on the team. July 10, 2024 – Nobody ever doubted his talent, after all Michael Kopech could throw a baseball over 100 miles an hour. But the issue was his consistency and mental approach to the game which resulted in a very mediocre career. But on this afternoon in the first game of a double header against the Twins, he was perfect throwing an “Immaculate Inning.” That’s the term for when a pitcher throws only nine pitches, all strikes and records three outs. In the ninth inning of the Sox 3-1-win Kopech blew pitches past Minnesota’s Brooks Lee, Matt Wallner and Max Kepler. Those hitters were just able to foul some off but never had any good swings. The only other Sox pitcher to record an “Immaculate Inning” was Hollis “Sloppy” Thurston against the Philadelphia A’s on August 22, 1923. It came in the 12th inning of a game he’d lose 3-2.

https://www.mlb.com/news/starting-pitcher-trade-rumors-2026-trade-deadline

Great question and you can make the case for both results. Sox in many ways are ahead of where they were expected to be (as shown by the lack of getting pitching this past off season) so do they try to take advantage of a weak division and go for it? Knowing that it could impact how things progress in the future and potential blowback from the fan base if they don't? How much if any does the upcoming labor situation factor in? The probable lockout, potential loss of revenue which is always important to JR. Do they stay the course playing the long game? Lots of moving parts in the decision they make. And with so many teams still in the race, they may not be able to meet the price for getting say pitching help. It figures to be a sellers market.

On paper the Sox have the pitching advantage tonight. Not so much the rest of the weekend in my opinion. They need to take this one and start the weekend off on a good foot.

Random musings: #1 Totally agree with it. #2 Just last year we thought catching was going to be a strength, turns out it hasn't worked out that way. I know some don't care for Lee but he's got to be better than Romo and maybe deserves a shot. #3 Wouldn't count on Pereira, he hasn't even started baseball activities. That concussion must be really bad. Hays is a wild card, guy can't stay healthy so who knows even if he does return, how long he'll be able to play. #4 I get they hype with McDougal but the guy is coming off an arm issue. Everyone seems to be assuming he'll be fine. I'm not. Need to see the rest and rehab actually worked. #5 The rotation absolutely needs help. Two starters with Schultz possibly being sent back down.

Braves club is miles better than the Sox and they have a recent track record of very good success to make one think they'll be fine the rest of the way. Unfortunately you can't say the same about the Sox. Not a valid comparison in my opinion. Let's see how they play against Sacramento. Win the series, take some positive momentum into the break and get some much needed rest.

At this point I'd be surprised if Boston is selling. The 10 days after the break should determine it once and for all. If they stay hot their fan base will demand that they add and not subtract.

I don't think it would be a failure either (in fact I don't think they will claim a spot) but a missed opportunity none the less.

Again a lot of truth in your comments. The next 10 days or so after the break could determine if the Sox will be actively looking to bring folks in at the deadline or stand pat and hope for the best. With so many teams still "in it" it may not be wise in the long run for the Sox to trade away assets and have to pay a very high price. We'll see.

Even before that Bob Elson would interview guys on the pregame show and they'd get a Zenith transistor radio.

Bottom out and fall apart in the last 80 games, which could happen for a young team especially if they get more injuries. Not saying it will happen but it could although I don't think it likely but we'll see. They have been on a downward trajectory the past 22 games.

A lot of truth in what you are saying but also asking Sox fans for patience is a hard sell. The record since 2007 speaks for itself.

Your point is?

Look I'm happy they aren't an embarrassment (although we still have a half season to go remember) and I never predicted they'd lose 100 I said it was possible (and bet you 30 dollars on it) but now that they are being competitive in a mediocre division let's remember, they have an opportunity and aren't taking advantage of it. Put it this way, will you be happy if at the end of the year they win 70 games but weren't able to finish things and put themselves in post season play? That's the dilemma for the fan base. They weren't supposed to be in this position in the first place, but here we are... now they need to take advantage of it. That's what is frustrating.