April 20, 200619 yr http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb...jsp?date=042006 Dear White Sox Fans, I want to first take this time to say how happy I am to be back in Chicago and playing in front of all you. While my offseason was a little shorter than normal, for a good reason, I was definitely looking forward to coming back to my "second home" as soon as Spring Training started. The season is underway and we are finally starting to hit our stride. We didn't have the best record in the spring and started off slowly the first week of the season. Now I feel that all aspects of our team are playing well, and hopefully we are on our way to another successful April and beyond. Opening Night was something I was looking forward to for a very long time. Growing up, I always wanted to be a professional baseball player, and if I made the big leagues, that would have been good enough in my eyes. That all changed back in 1993, when I watched the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies. There was a Blue Jays pitcher, Tom Henke, who grew up about 10 miles from where I lived. Seeing him in the World Series made me realize that winning the championship could actually be possible for a kid from a small town in Missouri. After the banners were raised on Opening Night, we had an off day, and the second game of the season seemed like it was never going to come. The World Series ring was something on my mind since my family and I left Chicago after the parade downtown. My friends and family constantly asked me about it during the offseason. What does it look like? When will you get it? Will you wear it? When the Ring Ceremony FINALLY happened, I was not disappointed. Without a doubt, that is the most expensive and elaborate piece of jewelry that I will ever own. The ring is something I am very proud of and will cherish forever. One of the best things about the ring ceremony was seeing El Duque, Willie Harris, Timo Perez and Aaron Rowand in our clubhouse and in the dugout before the game. Even though those guys aren't with the Sox anymore, they still wanted to come back to Chicago and be a part of the memorable day. Personally, it was great to see Aaron, one of my good friends, at U.S. Cellular Field again. Even though we saw each other during the offseason when our families vacationed in Napa Valley together, it was strange to go through the spring without him. Not many people knew, but he had to spend nearly seven hours in a Philadelphia airport because of bad weather to get to Chicago for the ceremony. To me, that was just another example of putting the team first and was a testament to how much we truly cared and liked being around each other. He wanted to be with us one more time, and nothing was going to get in his way...just like those centerfield walls he used to run into all the time. Thank you for your support in 2005 and the unbelievable turnout so far this season at U.S. Cellular Field. If we can have such big crowds here in April with the less than perfect weather, I can't wait to see the ballpark once it warms up. Sincerely, Joe Crede
April 20, 200619 yr WTF???? I havent got my "Greetings from the Sodfather" yet. Priorities White Sox! PRIORITIES!!!!
April 20, 200619 yr Without a doubt, that is the most expensive and elaborate piece of jewelry that I will ever own. Well, I guess that means Jerry's going on the cheap for next year's rings.
April 20, 200619 yr QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Apr 20, 2006 -> 02:58 PM) Crede's incredible contact rate (2K in 48AB) is going to take a hit tomorrow. Yeah, Santana's been unhittable so far.
April 21, 200619 yr QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Apr 20, 2006 -> 06:53 PM) Yeah, Santana's been unhittable so far. Crede's .160/.222/.320 with 8Ks in 25 ABs against Santana. Granted, that's better than he is against Kyle Lohse, but it's a good bet that he's gonna go down swingin at some point tomorrow.
April 21, 200619 yr QUOTE(Whitewashed in '05 @ Apr 20, 2006 -> 06:35 PM) Hopefully he doesn't go in to a damn slump because he can't hit Santana. He faces one of the pitchers he's had big success against on Saturday, so hopefully that wouldn't happen even if he struggled against Santana.
April 21, 200619 yr Crede was 3-9 with a HR, and 5 Ks vs Santana in 2005. He was the Sox best hitter vs Santana last year.
April 21, 200619 yr QUOTE(RME JICO @ Apr 21, 2006 -> 08:13 AM) Crede was 3-9 with a HR, and 5 Ks vs Santana in 2005. He was the Sox best hitter vs Santana last year. I'll take 3 for 9 with a homer in a second, k's be damned.
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