Attendance Issues? Why Do You Care?

It's no secret the Sox are having some problems getting people out to the ballpark.  Despite the first place standing and a team that's playing solid, if not considered good, baseball.

What bothers me is that people can't get enough of talking about it.  Whether it's on the radio, in the papers, in your office, or on the street, you are likely to hear people talk about the Sox poor attendance.

If you are in the White Sox front office this is concern number one.  Because it pays their bills.

But if you are a fan, why do you care?  The Sox have proven over the past 15+ years that when they have a team that has a chance to win, they will make the necessary moves to try and make it happen.  Paying the players has never come down to how many butts are in the seats.

Don't believe me?  Take a look at attendance number since 2000.  

The Sox have spanned from 1.67 million to 2.96 million over this time.  The big jump was obliviously during, and after the World Series season in 2005.

After the series, the Sox went out and signed Jim Thome.  But wouldn't you think that after the '06 season they would make a big move because they had a lot more butts in the chairs?  Nope.  The Sox barely made a move that off season  How bout in 2010.  Attendance was down about a 100,000 and the Sox go out and make a huge move to get Adam Dunn.

I've tried to find a correlation between big free agent signing and attendance, and I can't do it.

So that brings me back to my point.  If it doesn't affect the players on the field, why do you care that people aren't in the seats?

It can actually be a more enjoyable experience when the house is not packed to the brim.  You can buy a ticket on the day of the game, usually for a reasonable price ($5 tickets all week).  You can find a parking space, and be able to get out of it relatively easily when the game is over.  The lines at the concession stands are not outrageous... not to mention the bathrooms.  And the concourse is generally a bit more open and easier to navigate.

Stop complaining.  It's not all bad.  Don't be embarrassed that people are not in the seats.  Attendance numbers do not win baseball games.  Just keep cheering on the ball club and hoping they win.  If you can get out to a game, great, if not, that's okay.  Represent the Sox in your own way, and don't let anybody tell you that you are not a fan because you don't go to games.

Hawk Shouldn't Apologize

Tonight Ken "Hawk" Harrelson is expected to make some sort of apology in regards to his blowup Thursday afternoon after Mark Wegner threw Jose Quintana out of the game.

I'll get to the apology and how ridiculous I feel this is, but I'll start by talking solely about Hawk and his "homer" style.

Like him or not Hawk Harrelson is a character.  And part of the character are his catch phrases, his stories, and his unbelievably over the top love for the team he broadcasts.

That's what Hawk is, that's what Hawk has been, that's what Hawk will always be.  

Personally, I'm not the biggest fan in the world of Hawk Harrelson, however, I do feel that it would be a shame if Hawk were to "tone it down" or even worse, no longer be the Sox play by play guy.

Hawk bothers me because of repetitiveness and lack of attention to the game at times.  Whether it's "quickly 0-2" every single time the count goes there, or "in my 7 decades of baseball", or even "don't stop now boys" Hawk has made habits of using certain sayings.  

I love catch phrases.  He Gone, Put it on the Board, Stretch, I use these in everyday situations.  But it's the "non catch phrases" as I'll call them that get to me.  We don't care about Carl Yastrzemski or Sandy Koufax.  We don't care that how the game was different (and often positioned as better) 50 years ago.  The count is quickly 0-2 but not quickly 2-0, or 1-1.  

That's what bothers me about Hawk.  But all in all, I do like that he's the voice of the Sox.  I believe the catch phrases give Sox fans a personality.  It bands Sox fans together, and you hear these phrases all the time at the ballpark.

But it's not only at the Cell.  You hear someone say "stretch" to someone reaching for a box of cereal in the grocery store, you are likely to say "get on back there" and instantly have a connection to a stranger that wouldn't have happened.  That's because of Hawk.

Hawk gives Sox fans a common vernacular.  It allows the 16 year old male fan to talk baseball with the 55 woman who's liked the Sox as long as she's lived.  These terms and this insane homerism become ingrained in Sox fans, and the passion pours from the TV speakers into our brains.  Hawk Harrelson's voice, is your voice as a Sox fan.

So when Hawk goes off on Mark Wegner, he's saying exactly what you are thinking.  I know when I saw the ejection I instantly jumped off my not-so-comfy couch and yelled "hey, that's not right."  Hawk may have said a little more than that, but I bet I would have to if someone was in my apartment here to listen (other than Wiglaf, but he doesn't talk back).

Hawk is not the standard broadcaster.  He's not doing national games, and therefore he's not supposed to be unbiased.  Hawk is Hawk because of stuff like this.  Hawk is famous for saying crazily homer stuff.  And not once has Hawk broken an FCC rule when he does it.  You can tell he's mad, but it's PG.  

So to make him apologize for this is outrageous.  Did he blast Mark Wegner a little too much?  For you and I, maybe, but deep down in Hawk's mind, no I don't think he thinks he did.  

The man is opinionated, and to make him apologize for his opinions, when you hired him to spew them during your teams broadcasts, is wrong.  And simply put, he shouldn't do it.  But he has to. 

So when you hear the apology tonight, just know, this wasn't his choice no matter how sincere he may sound.

Hold on to Big Mo

In the 2nd inning of this afternoon's game the Sox loaded the bases with no outs.  The top of the order was coming up, and they went down 1-2-3 without moving a single base runner.

The following inning, Luke Scott nailed a pitch to the opposite field and tied the game at 1.

This was a possible turning point not only in today's game, but as part of this current hot streak, and potentially the entire season.

In year's past, the Sox would crumble under these failures.  We've seen it so many times, that I actually took to Twitter and said, this could be the end of this magical little win streak.

Luckily these Sox weren't having any of it.  The very next inning they struck for 2 huge runs that took the momentum that they had and squeezed it even tighter.

Then the Quintana ejection fiasco.  Another situation that could have gotten out of hand that the Sox just rolled over like a measly speed bump.

I wasn't buying into the whole "this team has a different feel" thing.  But I think now I have no choice.  Not only are they playing excellent baseball, but they are also NOT doing what they have been known for doing over the past few seasons.

Call me crazy, call me a homer, but I'm starting to really believe in this ball club.

On Fire Doesn't Say Enough About Dayan Viciedo

Most of us have been caught up on Paul Konerko and his quest for .400.  Or A.J. and his ridiculous .447 average with runners in scoring position.  Or even the mammoth Donkey Punch that won Monday afternoon's game.

But what many people have been missing is just how well Dayan has been playing.

The Tank is now hitting .280 with 11 HR's and 27 RBI.  But that doesn't tell half the story.  Viciedo has bene on an unbelievable tear as of late.  Let's just take the last 15 games.

In these games Dayan has 25 hits adding up to a .424 average, 8 of his 11 HR's, 22 RBI, and an OPS of 1.281.

Viciedo is the White Sox 7 hole hitter.  An OPS over 1.00 is good for anybody at any spot in the order.  But for a guy who has been, and will likely to continue to hit towards the bottom to be at 1.281 for a stretch of half a month is amazing.

In only 5 of these 15 Viciedo did not drive in a run. He drove in multiple runs in 6 of the 15.  Before this stetch, Dayan was hitting .196 on the year and his OPS was a poor .530.  Now, .280 and .804.

But my favorite part of what Viciedo has been doing is how he's been spraying the baseball around the yard. At US Cellular field Viciedo has 25 hits.  8 have gone to left, 12 to center, and 5 to right.  If you cut the field directly in half, he has 15 hits to the pull side and 10 to the opposite field.  It's incredibly difficult to pitch to a guy who's hot, but when he's hot an spraying the ball all over the field, it's nearly impossible.

Not surprisingly the Sox are 12-3 in these 15 games.  Sure there have been other factors such as the afore mentioned Paulie, A.J. and Dunn, but no one has done more than Viciedo to turn this thing around for the South Siders.

Konerko for Cameron

Paul Konerko is playing out of his mind right now.  And with are coming some numbers that are beginning to make people want to rank him among the legends of White Sox history.

So that got me to thinking, how did we get to this point.

In 1998 the White Sox and Reds made a 1 for 1 trade.  Sox center fielder and up and coming star Mike Cameron was traded for young 1B Paul Konerko.

As I posted on my Twitter earlier, check out this newspaper article about the trade that brought Konerko here.

What strikes me in this article is the last sentence.  "The reds had projected Konerko as their power hitter of the future... but he struggled both at the plate and in the field."

Or how about this comment from the Sun Times on the trade.  "While it might seem to be a swap of disappointments, the Sox obtained protection for at least two positions."

You can take the time to compare what Paul has done compared to Cameron.

But as Paul continues to become a White Sox legend himself, just take the time to remember how he got here.  And with that, look across the city, and wonder what might be for the Cubs future if they decide to move Mike Cameron-esque Starlin Castro.

It was tough to see a five tool guy like Cameron go, but sometimes the return works out just fine.

Can This Continue?

The Sox are on a tear right now.  There's no if's and's or but's about it.  5 in a row and 9 of the their last 10.

But it's come in a bit of an unfamiliar way.  The Sox have scored 9 runs in each of their last 4 games for the first time since 1936.  They've actually allowed 24 runs in the past 5 games good for almost 5 a game. Usually that doesn't cut it.  But the Sox have score 52 runs in those same 5 games.

So the question I pose is, can this continue.  The simple answer is, yes why not.  Here's why.

The Sox are hitting .255 as a team.  That puts them at 6th best in the AL.  Nothing spectacular.  How bout pitching?  Well, they are posting a 3.93 ERA on the year.  7th in the AL.

But let's break it down a little more.  The reason I see the Sox being able to continue this better play is because for every positive, there are near equal opposites.  Paul Konerko is hitting .399.  Sure, that's well above what we can expect.  But on the same token, Alexei is hitting .219.

How bout Pierzynski.  He's sitting over .300 at .312.  Very good for him.  Beckham is hitting .224.

Let's move to pitching.  Peavy has been dominant.  6-1 with a 3.07 ERA.  Well, Gavin is at 4-5 with a 5.02.  Sale, good.  Danks, bad.

Is it fair to say Alexei is as far down as Paul is up? Gordon is down as A.J. is up? Peavy and Floyd? Sale and Danks?  I'd say yes.  Absolutely.

And then there's the Rios', Dunn's, Viciedo's of the world.  Let's take a look at what they're doing compared to career numbers.  Rios is a career .275 hitter.  He's hitting .281.  Dunn's career numbers average out to .245, 38 HR's and 96 RBI.  He's currently hitting .244, and is on pace to hit 51 HR's and drive in 120.  Not too far off.

Dayan is a little different because he's a relative unknown.  But look at his hit chart.  There are blue dots (or hits) all over the field.  When guys spray the baseball, it's very difficult for pitchers to adjust to them.

So in short, the Sox are playing great ball right now.  No they will not be able to keep scoring 9 runs a game.  And no they are not going to win 9 out of 10 too often.  But they are 36-22 through 48 games.  That puts them on pace for 88 wins.  But if we go off expected win loss, which takes into account you run differential, the Sox would be 27-21.  That'd be good enough for 92 wins.

And that would be playing just like they have thus far for the rest of the year.  Call me crazy, but I'm actually starting to buy in.

Doubleheader Facts

The Sox and Indians will face off twice today as part of a day night doubleheader.

In the past 9 seasons the Sox have participated in 19 doubleheaders.

They are 20-20 in those 40 games.

4 times the Sox were victorious on both ends of the double dip, most recently last September when they swept the Twinks.

But the Twinks are also the team who handed the Sox one of the worst doubleheader sweeps in MLB history back in 2007.  20-14 in game one, and 12-0 in game two.  If the Sox score 14 runs in the two games today, they'll almost definitely fare better than that.

The Sox have been very good in doubleheaders recently posting a 7-3 record in the past two years.  They haven't been swept since 2008, and have swept two teams themselves in the past two years.

In 2012 there have been 3 doubleheaders already played and there are 4 others (including today's Sox one) currently scheduled.  Only 1 of the 3 that has been played was swept, that was San Fran over  the New York Mets.

Records indicate that doubleheaders are swept by one team or the other just over 26% of the time.

Below is a list of how the Sox fared in reach of their 20 doubleheaders since 2003.

2011 - Swept MIN, Split with CLE (3-1)
2010 - Split with DET, Split with KC, Swept BOS (4-2)
2009 - Split with SEA, Split with DET, Swept by DET, Split with CLE (3-5)
2008 - Split with BAL, Swept by TOR, Swept DET (3-3)
2007 - Split with NYY, Swept by MIN, Swept DET, Swept by BOS (3-5)
2006 - None
2005 - Split with TEX (1-1)
2004 - Split with TOR, Split with BAL (2-2)
2003 - Split with CLE (1-1)

Chris Sale the New What?

By now I'm sure you've heard that Chris Sale has been lifted from the rotation and dropped at the back of the bullpen to become the new Sox closer.

The reasoning, or at least what we we were told, is because Sale has experienced some tenderness in his elbow.

An injury.  Remember when Quentin got hurt, did we move him to shortstop afterwards?  How bout Derrick Rose, is he the new power forward?  Cutler to play DB?  No no no.  You do not change a guy's position to account for an injury.

Now we've all heard of guys getting old and no longer being able to play the field.  Instead of them hitting 4 times and playing the field, instead they just hit 4 times.  That makes sense.

But moving a starter to a closer?  100 pitches in 1 day, rest for 4, then do it again.  Or, 20-30 pitches 3 out of 5 games or so, and warm up every once in a while and not get in the game.

Sure you are saving about 20 or so pitches a week, but what about stress?  Every pitch a closer throws is a high stress pitch.  Think the guy with tenderness can handle that every other day? 

Chris Sale should be out for the rest of the year.  He should be shut down, and should be spending the next 10 months strengthening his arm.  This guy has top notch quality stuff.  He could be an ace.  And now we are going to stick him at the back end of the bullpen and hope he has the right mentality to get the job done. 

Oh yeah, and all of this was done without consulting Chris, and against his will.  Nice.  Good way to treat the best prospect you have for your future. 

Phil Humber

I don't even know what to say about that.  A Perfect Game.  Wow.  Take a look at this awesome behind the scenes video including the last out and what was to follow.



Just unbelievable.  I thought it was improbable for Buehrle to do it, but this just blows my mind.  I can't even put words on it.  Just amazing.

Let's just hope we can go on and keep playing good ball from here on forward.

Too Good to be This Bad

The Sox starting pitchers have now put together 7 quality starts in the first 10 games.  And yet the starters now have just 4 wins.

The Sox have scored the 2nd fewest runs in the American League with the embarrassing 38 runs in 10 games.  3.8 runs per game.  Simply not enough.

And why?  Well, you have 3 starters hitting under .180.  2 hitting under .120.  Two guys under .120.  Are you serious?

How can you consistently run out a lineup that involves players like this in it?  Lillibridge has started just once.  Escobar just twice.  Why?  Why have there been 34 AB's from Morel and 29 from Beckham.  While Lilli and Escobar have a combined 12 AB's.

You cannot keep losing games with hitters under .150 in the lineup.  ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY COME UP WITH 2 OUTS AND THE BASES LOADED IN THE DAMN NINTH INNING!!!

I understand that Beckham was the 5th overall pick a few years ago, and I get that Morel is the guy that we decided about a year and a half ago that we would go with.  But how much do you need to see?

We watched an entire season of Adam Dunn struggling and kept saying, it'll come around.  We know it will.  But it doesn't.  Hitting is way to hard to just figure out.

It doesn't take much more to be winning these games.  Opening Day, Sox lose by 1.  Beckham and Morel 1 for 8.  Game against Detroit, Sox lose by 3 but were in the game most of the afternoon. Morel 0 for 4.  Yesterday Sox lose by 6, but were winning all game and 1 more run would have been enough. Morel and Beckham 0 for 7.  Today, Sox lose by 1.  Morel and Beckham 1 for 8.

In those close losses, those two guys are 2 for 20.  .100 batting average.  Sound familiar?

Winnable games that we are throwing away.  It doesn't need to be like this.  This team has the pitching to contend.  Throwing away AB's because of continued play by people that cannot hit.  It much stop.  Wins are turning to losses, and that's something this team just cannot afford.  8-2 is what it could be.  Realistically, it really should be 7-3.  5-5 is the reality.  Not good enough.

Holy Pitching

The White Sox are now 5-2, in first place, and on a four game winning streak against AL Central foes.  And there's one huge reason for it... pitching.

Sox starters are now 4-2 with each starter having one win.  Peavy has two great starts, Sale has one, Gavin has a great one and an ok one, and Danks has been good twice.

Sox starters have now thrown 42.2 innings, and allowed just 17 runs, good for a 3.59 ERA.  And that is with seven games in the books, five of which against the two best offenses in baseball.

Each starter has made it in to the 6th inning with each start, and not one time has a starter allowed more than 4 runs.

On to the bullpen.  Sox relievers have allowed just 4 runs on 18.1 innings.  An ERA of 1.96, the best in baseball.

3 for 3 in save chances already from Santiago, 5 holds from Crain, Thornton and Reed, and 15 strikeouts, 14 hits, and just 4 walks in those 18.1 innings.

Not once has the Sox pen blown the lead.  Sure they've needed some stellar defense at times behind them, but that's an extraordinary way to start off a year.

The Sox staff has single handedly gotten this season off to a promising start.  From the starters to the relievers, there no reason to think this can't continue either.  Keep pitching like this, and we could be in for a much more exciting year than once expected.

That Was Good Baseball

The White Sox just came off one of their better performances in recent history.  With the 5-2 win against the Tigers on home Opening Day, the Sox showed it all.  Pitching, defense, clutch hitting, agressive base running, this game had it all.

Let's start with what I thought was the most impressive part of the afternoon, and that's Jake Peavy.  Peavy went 6.2 innings and was dominant almost the entire day.  He let one pitch get away from him and it was the one Delmon Young took out down the left field line.  Other than that, Jake struck out 8 and kept the very good Tigers lineup off balance throughout his time on the bump.  Peavy has now held down the Rangers and the Tigers in his 2 starts.  He has a 1-0 record to show for it, and it really looks like we've got the dominant Jake Peavy here in Chicago for the first time ever.

On to the bullpen.  Reed did his job. 2 outs, 1 broken bat double, and got the big out when he really needed it (thanks to Viciedo's awesome play.)  Thornton was good.  His one hit allowed was also a broken bat.  And the double play ball he induced was excellent as well.  Santiago let one man on but came back and struck out 2 and nailed it down for his 3rd save.

Defense.  Wow.  From the 2 Peavy plays to the Viciedo play to the insane double play by Alexei and Beckham.  What a great thing to see.  That's how you win games.  Either of the Cuban Defense plays don't happen, the Sox probably lose today.  This team may not have the best offense, but if they can take away runs on the defensive side, that can contribute just as much.

Base running.  Konerko scores from 1st on a triple?  Konerko, from first?  Joe McEwing has really proved that he is willing to push the envelope.  Every chance he's had, McEwing has sent the runner, and it's working.  It's a fine line, but McEwing is walking it to a tee.  Then there's the De Aza base running.  On the nightmare in left field by Delmon Young, De Aza hustled out of the box and got himself into third.  He ended up scoring.  His energy has been critical for this team and is really looking like it's contagious.

And lastly, the big hitting.  You have to love Viciedo breaking the 0-0 game with the bomb, but I'm more talking about the RBI's later in the game.  Konerko's RBI single was clutch, yet typical Paulie.  The triple by AJ was very big.  And even Morel was able to come through with a big RBI hit.

I know it's just one game, but this was everything to could ask for in a baseball game from the Sox.  If they can play ball anything close to this for the rest of the year, this team will vastly overachieve.  Certainly creates some excitement where there really wasn't any a week ago. 

De Aza-mazing

When it became clear that Alejandro De Aza was going to be the starting center fielder and leadoff man for the Sox, concerned would be putting it lightly for I felt.

De Aza's career numbers are fine.  .280 batting average, .333 on base, fair amount of steals per games played.  But the fear came from the unknown.  De Aza's 152 AB's last year were the most of his career.  He had 144 back in 2007 with the Marlins, but between then he had 0 in '08, 20 in '09, and 30 in '10.

But through the first 5 games, he's been awesome.  2 HR's, 3 RBI, he's stolen a base, played solid D, and most importantly to me, he's started off 4 of the first 5 games with a hit.

The Sox have been so used to Juan Pierre atop the lineup.  He was fine when he was on, but he was terrible when he wasn't.  His base stealing was his best skill, but that faded as he aged.

De Aza is doing everything he needs to do at the top of this lineup.  He's getting on base, he's seeing a lot of pitches, and he's come up with a couple big HR's.

I wasn't expecting much out of the Sox this year, and to be honest I still don't, but if De Aza can keep playing the way he has been, the ceiling is a lot higher.

Chris Sale is the Best Starter We Have

I know, it was one game, against the Indians, in April.  But Chris Sale is the best thing the Sox have in the starting staff.  I like Danks, I like Gavin, I like healthy Peavy, but none of these guys currently have what Sale does.

Sale was great out of the pen last year, but he's built to be a starter.  He mixed his pitches, he over powered guys when he had to, he really just completely dominated the Indians tonight.

And he's been doing it.  Take a look at what he did all Spring.  He pretty much dominated all month long, and it has now officially extended into this year.

Sale saved 12 games and held 18 more last year.  Doing this with a sub 2.5 ERA and a WHIP that hovered around the 1.00 (finished at 1.10) mark all year.

But this year, he looks to be back where he belongs.  He threw 6.2 innings, struck out 5, and threw 100 pitches.  The last being the most impressive to me.  First career start after half a season coming out of the pen, and he's able to go for 100 pitches.  And, he got better as the game went on.  Before hitting the Korean (sorry for calling him Japanese earlier) Choo in the hand, he had retired 10 in a row.

Sale didn't have a tough inning.  Not even one.  4 hitters in the 1st, 5 in the 2nd, 3 in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th.  5 in the 6th (allowed 1 run), and just the 2 he faced in the 7th.

Fantastic start tonight, and a very promising future.  I heard him referred to a number of times as a "possible ace."  I'm not going to crown him that yet, but he's well on his way.  (And I will probably put that crown on in about a 2 or 3 more starts.)

Sox Catch a Break With Fister

The Tigers just came off a sweep of the Boston Red Sox.  Not only was it a sweep, but they kind of whipped the other Sox all kinds of ways in that series.

But they did lose one key piece to the puzzle when 2nd day starter Doug Fister went out due to a problem with his side.  He's now on the 15 day DL.

This affects the Sox in White because Fister was scheduled to pitch at the Cell in the home opener in Chicago.  Instead it's TBD.  They replaced Fister on the roster with Brayan Villarreal, but it's still yet to be seen if he'll get the ball Friday.

So, the Sox not only miss Verlander, but they also now get a fill-in.  Who knows, maybe we can steal a few games from them, sure looks like it might be possible.

The Man Behind the Curtain: Hector Santiago

Well, we found out who our mystery closer is, and it's none other than Hector Santiago.

Hector Santiago is a 24 year old left hander from Newark, New Jersey out of Okaloosa-Walton College in Niceville, FL.  The Sox acquired Santiago through the 2006 MLB draft in the 30th round, the 913th overall pick.  Santiago threw 5 and a third innings for the Sox last year allowing just 1 hit and no runs.

Santiago throws in the mid-90s with his out pitch being the screwball.  For left-handers, screwballs diver down and away to right handed hitters.  This can be a very dangerous pitch because it imitates a righty-righty matchup, and because it is so uncommonly thrown by Major League pitchers.

But my favorite thing about Santiago is the way Robin handled the announcement of him as the closer.  Yeah all the drama that led to who would warm up was a lot of fun, but that's not what I'm talking about.  I'm talking about taking the pressure off the player and putting it on the manager.

In a very cunning move, and especially cunning for a guy who has never managed a team before, Ventura let all the media pundits pick on him.  He was fielding the questions about the closer role.  Not the 24 year old that is now thrust into one of the hardest roles in professional sports.

But all that is over.  Now we know who it is.  Now we know who to go to when we have questions about the closer.  And now, it's our turns as fans to sit back and watch our own little mystery unfold.  And that's if this guy is up to the task?  He played the part perfectly yesterday, let's just hope it continues in the next 160.

Adam, Alex, and Bacon

The Sox are a similar team in 2012 as they were in 2011.  As far as personelle the changes are pretty minimal.  Aside from Buehrle, the 25 man roster is really close to what it was last year.

That would lead most to believe that this team will be close to the 79 win team of last year.  If they are going to be any better it's going to have to come from three people.  Rios, Dunn, and Beckham.

These three hit .227, .159, and .230 respectively.  All three were severely under what their career numbers are, and all three could very well rebound this year.

Dunn already has gotten off to a good start with his 1 for 3 day with a walk and a home run.  Beckham tallied a hit and Rios got on base and scored on a HBP.

So already, all three are faring a little better.  If we can get regular years out of each one of them, this team could easily be 5-10 wins better.  10 wins better puts us at 89, which would be right in the thick of things in September.

Have to like the way all three got out of the box today.  We'll be tracking each of them as the season goes on, and try to see which games their improvements will win that would have been losses a year ago.

Opening Day Remarks

Game 1 is in the books.  Sox lose but it wasn't a complete disaster.

Danks was good.  I'd almost be willing to say very good.  If it weren't for Kinsler he would have been unreal.  2 runs created single handedly by Ian and the other run should have never been out there had Morel not botched that double play.  Danks mixed it up, struck some guys out, got the big out when he needed it, and really never faced a tough inning.  Hard to take a loss when you pitch pretty well, but that's Opening Day sometimes.

Adam Dunn goes yard in the first game.  His 8th career Opening Day homer tying him for the most in MLB history.  Pretty impressive.  But what I liked was the day as a whole he had.  Walked in the first, struck out on 6 pitches, homered, and lined out hard to first.  Sure it's 1 for 3 with a K, but the HR and the would be double are some very positive signs.

The goat of the game is definitely Brent Morel.  Morel struck out, and badly, all 4 AB's.  He looked completely lost the entire afternoon and seemed like he had no idea what he was doing up there.  Then to botch the DP ball which led to the winning run and the error in the 8th.  All in all pretty horrendous day for him.

The worst part of the day for me was the strikeouts.  Way, way, way too many.  The Rangers set an Opening Day record striking out 13 Sox hitters.  Morel's 4 led the team, but De Aza and Alexei also struck out multiple times.  A portion of that has to be credited to the mammoth strike zone for Ron Winters, but no matter what the size of the zone, you have to get some contact.  Especially on Opening Day when errors are a little more common.

Bullpen was good.  Thornton and Addison.  Hits for 7 different players.  Only the 1 error.  Not good, because we lost, but all in all not to bad.

Can't be too disappointed with a loss against arguably the best team in the AL.  But, we really do need to get out of here with at least one win.  Then we can go take care of some business in Cleveland.  I'd really just like to see 3-3 by the time we return home in a week.

What are the Chances?

The Sox are 1.5 run underdogs in this Opening Day match up with the defending AL Champ Texas Rangers.  The Sox come in as the biggest dog on the day sitting at +175 on the moneyline.

So, the experts don't really like the Sox chances today.  But what do we here in the horribly biased world of TCB?

Well, I like the chances more than Vegas, but I'm still not be any means expecting a W this afternoon.  Opening Day's are almost always toss ups.  When you take a look at the history of playoff teams in their Opening games, there's not really a significant trend one way or the other.  So +175 seems a bit steep to me.

I like John Danks a lot in this game.  Danks has a 3.81 ERA in the past 5 seasons against the Rangers which is fantastic when you look at how powerful the Ranger lineup has bene recently.  Danks is tough to face on an Opening Day because of his style.  Left hander that mixes it up, has the ability to strike you out, these kinds of guys usually do pretty well early.

As far as the hitters go, the Sox have had some success against Colby Lewis in the past.  It's a guy most of the lineup has seen before, which is usually a huge plus for the Sox.  Dunn is the current MLB leader in Opening Day HR's with 7, and Rios and Konerko both have solid Opening Day numbers as well.

Last year the Sox killed the ball in their first game against Fausto Carmona and the Indians.  Offensively this looks like a much better matchup than one year ago.

The Sox are 2-2 historically against the Rangers on Opening Day with the last time being a loss in 2000.

The Sox would definitely surprise some people with a win today, but that's not to say it's a longshot.

Let's Play Some Baseball!!!

Beware of the Hangover

Last year's postseason ended with the Cardinals knocking off the Rangers in a 7 game series to win the World Series.

Losing your league's biggest game, or biggest series in this case, can have many different effects on teams as they open the following year.

Some teams come out angry about the previous year and drop that emotion into the first game or series. Sometimes it means they play real well. Sometimes it means they play poorly.

Other teams come into the following season in a bit of a daze I'll call it. You've had a short offseason, you've been to the top, came up just short, and now have to do all the work just to get back to have that shot again. Teams that experience this usually fail miserably out of the gates.

The Miami Heat were the losers (love saying that) of the NBA Finals last year. They came out and absolutely blasted the Mavs in their first game.

The Pittsburgh Steelers who lost to the Packers in the prior Super Bowl, came out completely flat and got waxed by the Ravens 45-7.

Then there are these very Rangers. They came off their loss to the Giants in the World Series 2 years ago and swept the Red Sox.

One year before, the Phillies won 2 out of 3 (including Opening Day) against the Nats.

The last team to lose an Opening Day after losing the World Series is the Tampa Bay Rays. They did go on to win 2 of 3 over the Red Sox though.

The last team to lose a series coming off the World Series loss hangover is just one year earlier than that when the Rockies lost to the Cardinals.

Last team to get swept? That'd be the 1996 Cleveland Indians. They lost their first 2 games to the Yankees, then lost a 3rd to the Blue Jays before winning their first. They ended up doing alright winning 99 games that year.

Take that all in, and then make your predictions for the Sox Rangers series kicking off Friday. As if it didn't look bad enough already.