Ozzie Hates Brian Anderson?

The conventional wisdom on internet message boards is that Ozzie Guillen hates Brian Anderson for an inexplicable reason. Many take Anderson’s recent demotion to AAA to be proof that Guillen is ruining Anderson, and that prospects cannot develop with the Sox while Guillen is managing.

However, Guillen’s words after the demotion undermine this belief. Ozzie said, “We still think he can play every day in the big leagues. If we didn't, we'd just leave him here and let him do what he's doing right now. He'd be a backup player for his life.” This is exactly right. If Anderson were to become established as a backup now, he would likely be stuck with the backup label for the rest of his career. It is very tough for players to get teams to give them a chance to start once that label has been applied to them.

Clearly, Ozzie does not hate Anderson. He has apparently been giving him some tough love to try and help him become a big league player. This is not a bad thing. Anderson is only twenty-five years old and had never struggled as a baseball player until last year. The first time you struggle at something is always a difficult thing to overcome, and the Sox are giving Anderson the tough love he needs to get through this. Hopefully, he will get straightened out in Charlotte and will come back ready in September to prove that he will belong on the 2008 White Sox.

Thome to DL

The Sox lost to the Angels 3-0 tonight, but the most important news was that Jim Thome is going onto the disabled list. The Sox have not announced who will replace him on the roster. Some possibilities include Ryan Sweeney, Josh Fields, and Luis Terrero. The Sox general manager, Kenny Williams, has not announced what he plans to do.

Is it just me, or have Sox fans been a little too hard on Boone Logan. I have been reading various message boards, and there has been a lot of negativity towards him this year. He struggled last year, so some of this is understandable. However, Sox fans need to realize that the kid had never pitched above “A” ball. Circumstances forced the Sox to call him up before he was ready. This does not mean that he necessarily is doomed to fail. He just was not ready last year when the Sox called him up. Anyone who has seen him pitch can see his heavy 92 mph fastball and slider that can left-handed hitters look foolish. He has a chance to be a solid left-handed relief pitcher down the road, and he might turn out to be one right now.

The interesting thing about it is that many of the same fans are more than willing to give Brian Anderson a second chance despite his troubles last year. They would prefer to see Anderson playing over Darin Erstad despite the fact that Erstad is a vastly superior player. Anderson’s forte is supposed to be his defense, but his range factor from last year is lower than any in Erstad’s entire big league career. Anderson clearly struggled at the plate last year, as well, and Erstad is a three-time all-star. I am not writing Anderson off yet, but I find it odd that people want a young player Anderson to play over a veteran like Erstad while writing off a young player with less veteran competition in Logan. It just does not make sense to me.

I guess we will just have to wait and see how this all plays out. As a Sox fan, I hope that all three players eventually play great despite the fact that I have been called a “Brian Anderson hater” on White Sox Interactive. It is possible to root for the player to have a bright future with the White Sox without insisting that the future be right now. Whatever happens in the end, I fully trust Williams and Ozzie Guillen to make the right decisions. They have the hardware to prove that they are the best general manager and manger that the White Sox have had since 1917 at the very least.

Sox in First

This was definitely worth staying up for. The Sox beat the Royals 9-7 on a ninth inning error and a wild pitch. The error scored Paul Konerko to give the Sox the lead, and the wild pitch scored AJ Pierzynski. What a game!

Darrin Erstad swung the bat much better tonight and picked up a pair of doubles. Brian Anderson even chipped in with a double of his own, although he also hit into an inning ending double play in the eighth.

Unfortunately, Jim Thome missed the game due to a rib cage injury, and Jermaine Dye left the game due to an undisclosed injury. Alex Cintron was placed on the DL before the game, and Andy Gonzalez was called up to replace him.

In relief, Matt Thornton and Mike MacDougal looked horrible. Thornton was getting too much of the plate, and MacDougal wasn't getting any of it. Boone Logan was pretty hairy as well, although he did pick up the win while striking out two in two-thirds of an inning of work. Sandwiched between the two strikeouts were a walk and a wild pitch. Bobby Jenks was dominant in picking up the save.

No No!

I don't know what to say. Mark Buerhle threw a no-hitter! Unbelievable! This is like winning the World Series all over again! Wow!

How about Sosa getting picked off? That was pretty great, too.

Wake Up The Bats

Where is the offense? Yesterday, John Danks lost 4-0, and the Sox haven't scored a run for him int two starts. Today, Jose Contreras lost 2-1 despite combining with David Aardsma to allow just one hit to the Indians. Granted, the three errors didn't help much, but where is the offense?

The worst thing about this offense from a fan's perspective is that there is no scapegoat. Nobody with the exception of Juan Uribe is hitting right now. If you blame Darrin Erstad for example, you can't replace him with Brian Anderson because he is 1 for 9 on the season. If you blame AJ Pierzynski, you can't replace him with Gustavo Molina because he is 0 for the season. The rest of the bench isn't hitting either. There is just nowhere to turn. These guys are just going to have to suck it up and start hitting.

Mid-Game Thoughts

Hawk and DJ keep pointing out that it is too cold to field, and that is why the Sox have three errors in four innings today. It must be too cold to hit, also, since each team has just one hit. Why aren't we bunting? If it is too cold to hit and field, why don't we stop trying to hit and try making Cleveland field. It's better than having everybody swing and strike out. We have struck out eight freaking times already and it is only the fourth inning. Lay down a bunt, guys! This is maddening.

Garland Didn't Deserve This

There isn't that cand be said about tonight's contest. Garland and MacDougal looked great, and Jenks was horrible. The ball hitting Podsednik off the head was a fitting way to end the ninth. This game was aweful. I guess they'll just have to bounce back and beat them tomorrow. There isn't much that can be said.

Slaying the Elephant

It's always good to pick up a win in Oakland's house of horrors, and it was doubly special to do so with good pitching from Jose Contreras. Jose bounced back nicely after his opening day debacle. He had good movement on his fastball and good command of his forkball most of the night.

What happened to Scott Podsednik? Pods had a double and a homerun to go along with a stolen base tonight. It isn't often that Pods goes yard, and it was hilarious watching him sprint around the bases. He must not have realized that he hit it out.

Chalk one up for Kenny Williams and Ozzie ball. Darrin Erstad had a sacrifice bunt in the seventh innning which led to a two run White Sox rally. So much for the money ball notion that you don't waste outs.

Tomorrow, Jon Garland goes up against Chad Gaudin. Garland is looking to bounce back from a poor first outing like Contreras did. The Sox always have trouble winning out west, and hopefully, the momentum gained from tonight's game will be what they need to take a 2-0 advantage in the series.

A Well Pitched Split

The starters and the relievers all looked good this weekend. The Sox split with the Twins, and the only runs allowed by White Sox pitching were on a three run homerun by Justin Morneau. Rookie pitcher John Danks allowed the homer, but it wasn't really a bad pitch. Morneau is just a good hitter. Danks looked very good as the fifth starter, and the fourth starter, Javier Vazquez, allowed zero runs on one hit despite not exhibiting very good control on Saturday. If the Sox can continue to get pitching like this, they can win the central. It is a guarantee that they will score runs. Pitching is everything.

A Good Kind of Dirty

A.J. Pierzynski took one for the team today. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, he leaned into a 1-0 pitch from Roberto Hernandez to give the Sox a 4-3 victory. Was it dirty or just heads up gamesmanship? It was probably a little bit of both, but that is the kind of dirty you have to be if you want to be successful in baseball.

Was I the only one who wanted to throw up after watching WGN's seemingly never-ending replays of Mark Buehrle's injury? Buehrle was hit by a line-drive off the bat of Ryan Garko in the second inning, which leaves him day-to-day with a left forearm contusion. WGN was so excited about it that they showed it every couple of minutes for the rest of the game. I'm sorry, but seeing injuries makes me squeemish. My own arm hurt in sympathy pains every time they re-showed it. Ouch!

At least Nick Massett pitched well in relief. He looked very good out their today and had good command of all his pitches. If Buehrle has to miss a start or two, it will be interesting to see how Massett pitches if he gets to replace Buehrle. He was highly thought of when the White Sox traded Brandon McCarthy for him this winter.

Last but not least, it was nice to see the return of offensive execution today. Scott Podsednik led off with a single and stole second base. Then, Darrin Erstad and Paul Konerko hit back-to-back ground balls to score him. Later in the game, Tadahito Iguchi hit a sacrifice fly the bases loaded due to walks and hit batsmen giving the Sox a run without recording a hit in the inning. Finally, in the seventh inning, Podsednik delivered a run scoring two out single to give the Sox a 3-2 lead. Mix in some homeruns and the Sox will have a nicely diversified offensive attack a la 2005.

That Thin Chicago Air

The air must still be too thin for White Sox pitchers. They gave up 8 runs today, which brings their grand total to 20 runs allowed in just 2 games. Starting pitcher Jon Garland was the main cuplrit today, although Matt Thornton and Andrew Sisco helped in relief.

On the plus side, Darrin Erstad has been earning his keep. After homering yesterday, he reached base three times and had a stolen base this afternoon. Pitching wise, Mike MacDougal and David Aardsma both threw the ball exceptionally well today. Jim Thome and Tadahito Iguchi homered for the Sox, and Joe Crede delivered a clutch two out base hit, which gave the Sox a short-lived 7-5 lead.

I should mention one more thing. Larry Vanover needs to be fined for this game! Vanover, the homeplate umpire for today's game, was consistently inconsistent with his tiny strikezone all game long. To his credit, he was equally unfair to both teams' pitchers, but he played a major role in the fifteen runs that were scored. Yes, Larry, it is possible for a breaking ball to be a strike. Get a clue!

Thin Air?

We heard excuses about thin air all spring long when White Sox pitchers would get pounded. What's their excuse after yesterday's debacle?

Jose Contreras gave up seven earned runs in one inning of work. That is seven earned runs with just three outs recorded, and he allowed four hits, including a homerun to Grady Sizemore, before he recorded the first out of the game. Is the Chicago air to thin?
]
I guess the positive is that the game only counts as one loss out of 162 games to be played, but it sure felt like ten losses. This was an absolute beat down, and it was performed by another division rival. At least Erstad and Konerko homered. The bullpen did not look too terrible, but we have got to get see better performances from the starting pitchers than we saw this spring, or this is going to be a very long season.