The Rocket Returns, But Will It Help?

Well, after six months of posturing, Roger Clemens has finally done what everybody knew he would do:


He's signed a one-year, $22 million contract with the Houston Astros. The contract is pro-rated so in reality he will probably only make $12 million. (Ha! I said, "only make.") Clemens won't be with the team until mid to late June.

I don't think Clemens was ever seriously courting offers from the Yankees, Red Sox or even the Rangers. All he was trying to do was get the Astros to offer him more money. He's made it pretty clear over the last two years that he wanted to be near his home and family; New York and Boston are close to neither and the Rangers play in the American League, which was something that Clemens wanted to avoid - he wouldn't be able to post a sub 2.00 ERA in the AL like he could do in the NL. Besides, Roger wants a chance to get to the World Series, and it is a lot easier road in the National League right now than in the American League.

So what took so long?

Clemens was eligible to be signed on May 1st and he had all offseason to negotiate with teams. Why, after five months, did he need a sixth?

My favorite rumor, along the lines of the chatter surrounding Michael Jordan's first "retirement" (that it was really a suspension for gambling), was that Clemens had been given a 50 game suspension for steroid abuse. I have at times suspected this and when you see that the Astros have played 53 games this season, it's almost believable.

But I don't think it's true. Roger Clemens is 43 years old. He was lights out during the regular season for the Astros in 2005, but faded in September - and his season abruptly ended two innings into Game One of the World Series.

So it's more likely Roger waited this long because he wants to be fresh for a postseason run in Houston.

The question is, can he get there?

The third place Astros entered the day at 27-26, 6.5 games behind division-leading St. Louis. It's a marked improvement over last year's NL pennant-winning season when in the first two months they were 15-30.

And adding Clemens to a rotation that already includes Roy Oswalt and Andy Pettite puts the team back on the boards as an instant contender.

But it's clear with a team ERA of 4.64 and opponents batting .275 (they're ranked 13th in the 16 team National League in both categories), they need him. The Astros offense is also struggling with only a .256 batting average, though they do average 4.6 runs per game.

Clemens will help in both areas. First, he'll be replacing either Taylor Bucholz or Fernando Nieve in the rotation while the team waits for Brandon Backe(sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow) to get off of the 15 day DL. And he'll also relieve pressure on the offense by not forcing them to outscore opponents as much.

Bottom line, it's going to be a long road to the postseason. Realistically I don't see the Cardinals fading much thanks to their pitching (the Cardinals sport a NL best 3.80 ERA) and some guy named Pujols on pace for over 200 RBIs.

So a wild card berth seems to be the more likely route for Houston but a lot of teams stand in their way - most notably the Phillies, Braves, Reds, and the entire National League West (the Astros would be in 5th place in the West right now).

Which means the Astros are going to have to get really hot during the summer months.

And that could be tough.

Unlike previous seasons, Houston no longer seems to have a lights out bullpen. Brad Lidge is carrying a 5.26 ERA and has been hit around pretty well at times, despite his 14 saves. He has a WHIP (Walks+Hits/Innings Pitched) of 1.64, a high number for a closer. In the starting rotation Roy Oswalt has been solid (5-3 3.11ERA) but Andy Pettite is struggling(4-6 5.65ERA). Even if Clemens performs, both of them will have to pick it up over the summer for the Astros to have a realistic shot at it. Also, someone besides Lance Berkman(.292 14HR 44RBI) and Morgan Ensberg(.267 17HR 36RBI) will have to help pick up the offensive slack. Jason Lane has 9HR, but is only batting .195, and Preston Wilson(.265 5HR 26RBI) hasn't contributed much either.

All this means that, while Roger Clemens will help the Astros, he's not going to be able to do it on his own. He is not a savior, and the Astros have to avoid falling into the trap of thinking that he is.

So can the Astros get back to the postseason this year?

Yes.

Will they?

At this point I have to say no but it's written in pencil.

Extreme Makeover-Chicago Cubs Edition

There are a lot of Cubs fans calling for the head of manager Dusty Baker right now, and for the most part their bloodlust is justified.

Baker was supposed to be the savior, and in 2003 he was only six outs away from being just that.

My, how things have changed.

After a 9-3 loss to the Florida Marlins Wednesday afternoon the Cubs have reached rock bottom. It wouldn't be that big of a deal had it not been the third game in a row the Marlins took from them to complete a three game sweep.

They were outscored in the series 23-8.

And keep in mind, the Cubs didn't have to face Dontrelle Willis either.

There are about 14 players in the Major Leagues right now who make more in one season than the combined payroll of the Florida Marlins.

So, the Cubs find themselves 18-28 and 12.5 games behind the St Louis Cardinals in the National League Central.

The last three weeks have been an absolute nightmare for the Cubbies. In May the team is 5-18, and they have been outscored 68-121. Obviously, the loss of Derrek Lee has not been an easy one to overcome but baseball is a game played by teams of 25 players. Not one.

That's where the blame comes in. If Dusty Baker was worth the money he's being paid, he could help the team get over the loss of their All Star first baseman. Instead it seems Baker has resigned himself to the idea that this team cannot win without Lee. When you look at him in the dugout during a game he shows absolutely no fire.

In contrast Joe Giradi, the Marlins' manager and former Cub, actually grabbed one of his players by the collar and screamed at him in the dugout during his teams' sweep of the Cubs.

At what point does Dusty realize that just sitting back and crossing your fingers isn't going to work? When does he hold the team meeting where he flips over some Gatorade coolers and kicks some bats around the clubhouse?

Late in 2004 Ozzie Guillen tore into his White Sox team for their lack of fire at the end of the season. In 2005 they led from wire to wire all the way to a World Series championship. Earlier this season new Tigers manager, Jim Leyland, ripped his team both publicly and privately after a home loss. Ever since the Tigers have been the best team in baseball and now post a 31-14 record.

But Dusty just sits there, chewing his toothpick.

Now I don't think it's fair to just pile on Dusty. Announcer Thom Brennaman brought up a very good point during the White Sox/Cubs game on Saturday.

This season the Cubs are without Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, and Derrek Lee. As a result they're struggling. Well, imagine if the St. Louis Cardinals lost Chris Carpenter, Mark Mulder, and Albert Pujols (not that I think Prior and Wood really compare to Carpenter and Mulder right now and DLee is no Pujols either but nobody is, so that's no slight to DLee). Where would they be? I can tell you where they wouldn't be: first place.

The difference is Tony LaRussa wouldn't just sit there and say "Aw shucks." He'd probably let the team know that missing those three players was no excuse for playing horrible baseball.

And that's what the Cubs do. Not only do they get beat by their opponents but anytime they have a chance to win they beat themselves, whether not executing a bunt or getting doubled off second base every third time you reach it. (Hello, Jacque Jones!)

So, yes, I think Dusty Baker needs to be fired. But he's not the only one. I think that the entire Cubs organization needs a complete overhaul.

I'd start with firing General Manager Jim Hendry. Hendry made some great moves for the Cubs in the 2003 pennant run. Robbing the Pirates of Randall Simon, Kenny Lofton, and Aramis Ramirez almost got this team to a World Series.

Since then, though, Hendry has done nothing. It's as if he's still in shock over what happened. His mantra is "We have all the parts we need, we just need to stay healthy." So instead of developing a Plan B in case Mark Prior and Kerry Wood can't stay off the DL, he's decided to just stand pat year after year. As a result, Prior and Wood spend more time on the DL than on the mound, year after year. Then Cub fans are heard to utter that familiar "Wait til next year," refrain.

Let's look at some of the things Hendry has done:

• He got Derrek Lee-His greatest move as a General Manager, hands down, bar none. Derrek Lee is a franchise player, and potential Hall of Famer. If it wasn't for Albert Pujols, he'd be your starting first baseman in the All Star Game for the next 10 years.
• The Nomar Trade-At the time this seemed like a high risk/high reward trade. If Nomar could stay healthy (there's that phrase again) he could have been a great asset to the team. Instead, he struggled through an injury-riddled 18 months on the North Side. He was let go in the offseason (correctly) and is now hitting .370 for the Dodgers. That hurts, but I can't blame Hendry for the move.
• Dontrelle Willis-Yes, he was a Cub at one point. He was traded to the Marlins along with a few others in exchange for Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca. (*Thanks to Silvio for coming through on that one. I forgot who the Cubs got for him. Can you blame me, though?) Clement worked out for a few seasons while Alfonseca blew as many saves as he could. We all know what Dontrelle has done. Wouldn't Dontrelle look good in pinstripes right about now?
• Refusal to sign any Free Agent pitchers-With the exception of Greg Maddux, year in and year out Hendry has opted to rely on the fragile arms of Prior and Wood. He has been burned by it every year. This offseason he could have added an arm like Kevin Millwood or a Kenny Rogers. Instead he chose to rely on Glendon Rusch, Rich Hill, Jerome Williams and Angel Guzman.
• Trading for Juan Pierre-Let's see. 2005 was Juan Pierre's worst season ever in the Major Leagues. He hit only .276 (career low) with an on base percentage of .326. He did have 57 stolen bases, though. This year Pierre is batting .230 with a .269 on base percentage and 14 stolen bases. Meanwhile, Luis Castillo was also available and he could have filled the leadoff spot just as easily. Instead, he's in Minnesota....hitting .340. One of the players the Cubs traded for Pierre, pitcher Ricky Nolasco, beat them on Monday. He also hit a home run. On the season Nolasco is 3-1 with a 2.89ERA.
• Signing Jacque Jones to a 3 year deal-Like Pierre, Jones was coming off his worst season in 2005. I could understand a 1 year deal for Jones, but why a multi year deal? Now he's basically impossible to trade. Last year Jones hit .249. You know how many guys wish they could sign a 3 year $27 million deal for hitting .249!? So far this season Jones has been hot and cold. He's hitting a solid .278 with 7 home runs and 19 RBI. There would be a lot of teams interested in a guy like that come July 31st. Well if they wouldn't have to pay him $9 million a year for 2 more years they would be anyway.

Just recently Hendry was asked what the team's biggest problem was. His reply? "Offense." He's half right. It's true that the Cubs have a National League worst batting average of .244. Of course, the team ERA of 4.92 (15th of 16 in the NL) probably doesn't help much either.

So what are Hendry's plans regarding pitching help? You guessed it! Kerry Wood, Mark Prior and Wade Miller. Kerry Wood has made 2 starts and now the team is not so sure when he'll be able to make his 3rd start thanks to shoulder discomfort. Gee, Kerry Wood's shoulder hurts. Whooda thunk it? Mark Prior continues to throw in some rookie league games, but word is, his velocity leaves a lot to be desired right now.

It doesn't stop at Hendry, though. It keeps going up the ladder to corporate shill of a Team President Andy MacPhail. MacPhail has proved year in and year out that he is more interested in the bottom line than putting a winning product on the field.

In other words he's absolutely perfect in the eyes of the Tribune Company.

What would be best for the Cubs would be for the Tribune to sell the team. That's not going to happen anytime soon though.

So what else is there?

Blow it up.

Fire Baker, fire Hendry fire MacPhail. Try to trade Jacque Jones and Juan Pierre (I hear the Yankees need outfield help, and they aren't shy when it comes to spending money) for prospects. Do the same with Greg Maddux and Todd Walker. If you can't get rid of Kerry Wood - and face it, you can't - let him go in the offseason and rid yourself of the problems that go along with him. Throw Aramis Ramirez's name out there and see what you can get. I wouldn't look to deal him, but if a good enough offer comes along it would have to be considered.

I would probably give Mark Prior a little longer due to the high reward potential. Start with Carlos Zambrano and Derrek Lee as your foundation and build a team around them. Yes, there will be a few lean years to deal with, but how is it any different from what's going on now? Instead of 18-28, it's 15-31?

Most people probably won't believe this, but I'm personally bothered by the Cubs struggling. A few years ago it looked like there might be a dynasty starting. With a rotation that consisted of Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Carlos Zambrano, Matt Clement and Greg Maddux, a World Series title didn't really seem that far fetched.

Imagine if the Cubs were playing as well as the White Sox are right now. This city would be absolutely hysterical with the possibility of a Cubs/White Sox World Series. That's what I want for this city. I want it to be the baseball capital of America.

I mean, look at the intensity displayed from last weekend's inter-city showdown. That was between a first place team and a fifth place team. If the Cubs were in first at the time, there may have been shots fired during the scrum.

The baseball season is a long one, and there are lulls. It's during those lulls that the Cubs fan-Sox fan dynamic works best. With both sides ripping on each other just to kill time. I loved partaking in such banter with Cubs fans.

These days, not so much. Cubs fans are depressed, and generally when you tell them that the Cubs suck, they just nod their head and say "Ya, we do."

What fun is that? It's May 25th and just yesterday Vic told me that his baseball season is over. He's ready to start prepping for our Fantasy Football draft in August. He also told me he's afraid his wife is going to leave him if she finds out that he just doesn't care about the Cubs anymore.

Not only are the Cubs losing games, but now they threaten families.

What are they going to do to fix it?

They will probably resign Baker, Wood, and Prior through 2011 and give Andy MacPhail a raise.

Oh, and, of course, they'll raise ticket prices another 20% next season to pay for those new contracts, and then they'll scalp those same tickets to their fans at a 50% mark up.

Cub fans will keep supporting them too. It's in their blood. I mean seriously, sometimes it just reminds me of that girl who's in an abusive relationship. Her boyfriend/husband beats her all the time, but she never leaves cuz she thinks she can change him.

I got news for you, Cubs fans. You can't. You can only blow the whole thing up and start over.

Random Thoughts

• The White Sox swept the A's!!! This is like only a step or two down on the ladder of Greatest Sox Accomplishments of My Lifetime. The A's kill us. It was the first time we swept them in any series since 1997, and first time in a series here since 1987.
• The Bulls ended up getting the #2 pick in this year's NBA draft and I'm thrilled. For the first time in a while I get the feeling that no matter what we do with this pick we are going to improve. Whether we trade it or end up with a Tyrus Thomas, LaMarcus Aldridge or a Brandon Roy, I think we'll be better. Realistically the Bulls are only one veteran big man from being one of the top 3 teams in the Eastern Conference.
• It never ends for AJ Pierzynski. A new Sports Illustrated poll of MLB players reveals that he is the player that the most of his peers would like to see get beaned. He got 18% of the vote. Barry Bonds finished second with 14%. Apparently, he also got 42% of the vote from AL Central players. The best part? Around 7 White Sox players have already come forward and told AJ they voted for him. Whether you're an athlete, musician or what have you this is a good thing. If people either love you or hate you with no in between, even though they don't know you, you know you're doing something right.
• I hope the rest of the Mavs/Suns series is as good as Game 1. (With the way the NBA officials call the last 4 minutes of games right now, I suspect they will. Seriously, just watch. Any team that is down around 8-15 points with 4 minutes left will get EVERY SINGLE CALL until it's down to a one or two possession game. What, you thought that the playoffs had been this exciting by accident?) In what will probably hurt the Suns more than the Mavs though, both teams are dealing with injuries.
• Speaking of the Mavs/Suns, I smell a fight a brewing. There were altercations between Jerry Stackhouse and Raja Bell and Steve Nash. A flagrant foul delivered by Tim Thomas to Jerry Stackhouse. Another flagrant foul that wasn't called (part of that thing I was talking about in the final 4 minutes a few sentences ago) by Erick Dampier on Boris Diaw. All of this and it's only the first game. I think both of these teams are doing everything in their power to shed themselves of the soft label, and that includes fighting.
• I can't tell you how pissed I was when TNT ruined the pairing of Steve Kerr (my favorite NBA color guy, and arguably the best out there right now) and Marv Albert by throwing Doug Collins in there.
• I'm not surprised by how much more I like watching Dwayne Wade when he's tearing the Pistons a new one, and not the Bulls. Funny how that works. Shaq can still kiss my ass, though.

Inside The Numbers-A.J. Pierzynski

There is a lot of talk floating around Chicago and baseball in general about one Anthony John Pierzynski. It seems that wherever AJ goes, controversy is sure to follow.

Fact is, AJ has been the same player since he came to the Major Leagues in 1998 as a Minnesota Twin. Opposing teams have never liked him but his persona wasn't really known to the media until last October, when AJ stole first base against the Angels' Kelvim Escobar in Game 2 of the ALCS. Since then, all eyes have been on him.

When AJ was a Minnesota Twin and getting into annual battles with the Chicago White Sox, I hated him too. It seemed as if he always knew how to drive another nail into the White Sox coffin during big games between the two teams (and there were plenty.) Ever since he's come to Chicago though, that's changed.

When he's on your team, AJ is just one of those guys you love because he comes to the park everyday and plays his butt off for you. He does everything in his power to help the team win. He's not a fast player yet he always seems able to get from first to third on a single to the outfield. He has a knack for getting his pitchers to keep their heads in the game, and help them get out of tough jams.

And it's all those things he does that drives the opposing teams and their fans nuts.

My sister was in Florida last weekend and missed the entire Cubs/White Sox series. She is a Cubs fan and on Monday night, before she watched the fight between AJ and Cub catcher Michael Barrett, she asked me about AJ.

"I've been reading and hearing that this guy is just a punk, that he does this kind of stuff all the time."

I told her this was the first time I've ever seen AJ get into a fight with a player, while it was the third or fourth time I'd seen Barrett do it. "Then why," she asked, "does he have such a reputation?" I explained it to her the best I could.

Remember the 1993 movie The Sandlot? It was about a nerdy kid who moves to a new neighborhood and becomes friends with a group of kids who play baseball at the local sandlot all the time.

There was a character in that movie (played by Patrick Renna), the catcher, Hamilton "Ham" Porter.

That's who AJ is. When he's behind the plate he does everything in his power to disrupt a hitter's rhythm and focus. He talks smack constantly, distracting a hitter's attention from where it needs to be. The hitter loses focus on the pitcher and what his job is in that current at bat.

Still, words aren't enough to prove anything. Looking inside the numbers will better portray the value of having an AJ Pierzynski on your team.

As of today, AJ leads all American League catchers (minimum 100 At Bats) with a .343 batting average. He's 5th in hits (47), 2nd in doubles (10) and 4th in slugging (.460).

Of all Major League catchers with at least 5 years of service, only 3 have a better career batting average than AJ:

1. Mike Piazza-.310
2. Ivan Rodriquez-.304
3. Jason Kendall-.301
4. AJ Pierzynski-.290

AJ has never been a real power threat reaching career highs in home runs (18) and RBI (77) in 2005 with the Chicago White Sox.

Hitting catchers are generally just a bonus, though. A catcher's real value is in his fielding ability and how he handles a pitching staff.

AJ has a career .995 fielding percentage. His Major League record 158 consecutive errorless games streak ended just last Saturday when he made a bad throw to first on a Ronny Cedeno bunt. Keep in mind he has to catch for Freddy Garcia and Jose Contreras, two pitchers who always sit at the top of the "Wild Pitch" category. His throwing arm isn't rated as high as most catchers but again, remember who he's catching: Freddy Garcia and Jose Contreras have been easy to run on their entire careers thanks to long strides and motions. Of course, that doesn't matter when it goes against AJ as a stolen base.

As far as how he handles pitchers though, look at this. There are three pitchers still on the Twins who were in the rotation when AJ left Minnesota: Johan Santana, Brad Radke, and Kyle Lohse. When it comes to Cy Young winner Johan Santana it doesn't matter who's catching, but what about the other two?

Brad Radke Win-Loss Record

• 2003 (With AJ.) 14-10
• 2004 (W/O AJ) 11-8
• 2005 9-12
• 2006 4-5

Kyle Lohse Win Loss Record

• 2003 14-11
• 2004 9-13
• 2005 9-13
• 2006 2-4 (Now out of rotation)

Both pitchers' numbers have gone downhill since Pierzynski was let go for Joe Mauer in 2004.

What about his current team? AJ didn't join the Sox until 2005. Let's look at each pitcher's win/loss record since 2003:

Mark Buehrle

• 2003 14-14
• 2004 16-10
• 2005 16-8
• 2006 5-2

Jon Garland

• 2003 12-13
• 2004 12-11
• 2005 18-10
• 2006 3-2

Freddy Garcia

• 2003 12-14
• 2004 13-9
• 2005 15-7
• 2006 7-1

Jose Contreras

• 2003 7-2
• 2004 13-9
• 2005 15-7
• 2006 5-0

Remember that Contreras had a 5.48 ERA in 2004 and only posted a winning record that year thanks to the offensive output of the Yankees.

Speaking of which, Mark Buehrle (3.12), Jon Garland (3.50), and Jose Contreras (3.61) all posted career low ERA's in 2005 with AJ behind the plate. Freddy Garcia (3.87) had his best ERA since 2001 with Pierzynski last season.

Another telling stat: in his five full seasons of Major League service, Pierzynski has been on three division winners, Minnesota in 2002/2003 and Chicago and 2005.

AJ is a winner, pure and simple. The "clubhouse cancer" label wasn't put on him until 2004 in San Francisco by Brett Tomko. One teammate had a problem with him and suddenly he was branded as a liability to a team. But consider that in San Francisco, AJ's personality had to mesh with Barry Bonds who is legion for creating a contentious clubhouse environment.

If you look outside of Brett Tomko's one comment, and inside the numbers it becomes pretty clear that AJ is exactly the kind of teammate a baseball player could hope for. He dishes it but he can take it. Word is, nobody takes more abuse and ribbing from teammates in the White Sox clubhouse than AJ but he laughs it all off and gives some of it back.

Then he gets out on the field and does everything he can to beat you. That's why you hate him and why the Sox and their fans love him.

Hometown Heroes

Monday night at US Cellular Field marked the return of the greatest hitter in Chicago White Sox history. For the first time since being let go after last season's World Series Championship, Frank Thomas came back to the South Side with an unfamiliar green and gold jersey but a very familiar swing.

I was pretty confident that Sox fans would give Frank the standing ovation he deserved for a couple reasons:

1. We're not idiots. We know what Frank meant to this team for 16 years. He had a bad image in this city thanks to the media, not the fans. The media didn't like Frank Thomas but the fans always did.
2. Ozzie told us to. And when Ozzie tells Sox fans to do something, they generally do it. At this point, he is a God to them, so much so that when Guillen was ejected in the 2nd inning the crowd chanted, "Ozzie!! Ozzie!!" as he argued with Doug Eddings. Oh, and yes, Doug Eddings is the same umpire from the infamous AJ stealing first base play. (Judging from the first 7 innings of play, I don't think Eddings forgot either.)

Any doubt about the reception Thomas would receive was due to a possible residual effect from Jim Thome's return to Cleveland a few weeks ago. Thome was booed heavily by the same fans who had supported him for so many years, for what reason no one's entirely sure - Thome never blasted Cleveland management or the city when he left and if it's due to him playing for the White Sox now, it's not like he chose Chicago. He was traded there.

Instead, it appeared Cleveland fans developed selective amnesia about Thome, who left after 2003 when the Phillies offered him a $90 million deal and the Indians responded with a significantly smaller offer. Apparently, Indian fans blame Thome for their managements' refusal to spend money on him. I guess they also forget that at one time they had Manny Ramirez, Albert Belle, Roberto Alomar and Bartolo Colon. All left for larger contracts when Cleveland lowballed them.

But unlike Thome, Frank didn't leave Chicago of his own volition.

"I thought I would retire here," said Thomas.

Ken Williams and the Sox had other plans. They felt the team would be better off taking a chance on Jim Thome, and looking at the numbers so far, they were right. (Thomas came into the game batting .178 with 7 HR and 20RBI. Thome was at .295 with 17HR and 41RBI.)

Monday night, however, Thomas would outshine Thome.

Before the game the White Sox played a video tribute to Frank, who appeared visibly touched as he watched from the Oakland dugout.

Then in the top of the 2nd, as he stepped into the on deck circle, the crowd got to its feet. Frank walked to home plate greeted by a standing ovation and Gene Honda on the PA system doing his classic,

"Now batting, number thirty-five, Fraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaank Thomas!"

Frank tipped his helmet to the crowd and looked around before stepping into the batter's box.

Apparently Jon Garland was happy to see Frank return too. He quickly got behind Frank 3-1 and then put a juicy fastball over the inner half of the plate which Frank quickly swatted into the right field bullpen.

Then, like Frank always does, he just put his head down and ran to first base. It's a home run trot that these days is abnormal. No preening. No admiring. Just hit it, put your head down and run. Not even in this big game for Thomas did he try to show up Ken Williams or the team that let him go. It's something a lot of players need to take notice of.

The crowd stood and cheered the entire time, until Frank returned to the Oakland dugout. I don't think I need to mention how rare it is for an opposing player to receive a standing ovation for hitting a home run.

Frank's home run was followed by a Bobby Crosby solo shot to give Oakland a 2-0 lead.

In Frank's second at bat he laced a shot down the third base line that ordinarily would have been a double, but due to Frank's lingering foot problems he was held to a long single.

When Frank came up to the plate for the third time, behind a 3-0 Oakland lead, the tone of the crowd finally changed.

They were booing him now, like they should.

Frank's response was a second home run, this one a blast into the left field seats. Once again Frank just put his head down and trotted to first base.

4-0 Oakland.

On the other side of the ball the White Sox were being absolutely stymied by A's lefthander Barry Zito. Zito kept the Sox hitters off balance by mixing up his 88MPH fastball with a 72MPH changeup. He would then drop the hammer on them with his large looping Noon-to-Six curveball that Doug Eddings was only too happy to call for strikes.

Eddings apparently now has a grudge against the White Sox after what AJ Pierzynski did in Game 2 of the ALCS. Zito had a very large strike zone to work with, while White Sox starter Jon Garland had hardly anything. Time after time Zito would put fastballs below the knees, and an inch or 2 off the plate and get strikes called. Garland would put them belt high on the black, and get a ball.

It's that strike zone that got Ozzie Guillen ejected in the 2nd inning.

Luckily for the White Sox, Zito was walking a lot of hitters. Though the Sox weren't able to get those guys home, the high pitch count eventually got Zito out of the game. When the A's went to their bullpen the Sox bats came alive.

Trailing 4-1 in the 8th inning, former Oakland Athletic Jermaine Dye sent a belt-high fastball flying over the right field fence to make it 4-2.

Later in the same inning AJ Pierzynski pinch hit for Chris Widger and just missed a home run, flying out to the wall for the second out. AJ was followed by Juan Uribe who laced a double into the right-center field gap for a 2 out double.

A's manager then went to his closer and 2005 Rookie of the Year, Huston Street. The White Sox countered by sending Rob Mackowiak to the plate for the struggling(but promising boxer) Brian Anderson.

Mackowiak, like Frank Thomas, is making his own homecoming this year. The south side native(Oak Lawn) came to his beloved White Sox in a trade with the Pirates this offseason.

Mackowiak turned on the first pitch he saw and smoked it. The ball was hit just high enough to get over the right field fence into the Bullpen Sports Bar to tie the game at 4-4.

Then with the game still tied in the bottom of the tenth inning the White Sox had their chance to finish the comeback. With runners on first and third and two outs Pablo Ozuna came to the plate.

In the top of the 10th Ozuna nearly cost the Sox the game when he lost a flyball in the lights. The Athletics had runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out before Sox closer Bobby Jenks got Frank Thomas to foul out, and struck out Bobby Crosby on three pitches.

Ozuna laid down a bunt to the first base side on the first pitch and sprinted to first. Nick Swisher tried to make the play in time, but he had no chance.

"It was the perfect bunt. I mean...it was perfect,"said Swisher after the game.

With that AJ Pierzynski crossed homeplate for the winning run in what was a crazy night at US Cellular Field.

I got exactly what I wanted from this game. It was perfect. Frank went 3-5 with 2 home runs, but we got him out when we had to, and we came back and won the game.

After the game Frank admitted it was kind of bittersweet.

"It was a great homecoming, I can't lie about that, but it was weird. I've been looking for this for a long time, to show everybody I'm not dead. It's been a rough six months for me. Everybody thought I was done. I've had a slow start, and I hope I can get it going sooner than later.''

"I keep telling you guys, this place made me who I am. I know how dedicated I was to this organization. It just felt weird being on another team. In my heart, in my soul, I thought I was going to retire here. But I'm not done.''

Things aren't going well for Frank in Oakland right now. Fans there have quickly begun to turn on him due to his low batting average. Teammate Eric Chavez has even begun fantasizing publicly about the possibility of Barry Bonds crossing the Bay and DH'ing for the Athletics next season.

It's nice the for one night at least, Frank found out that you can go home again, and we were more than happy to see him.

Random Thoughts

• One thought I couldn't help having as I watched the crowd give Frank a standing ovation. See, after this weekend series with the Cubs there's still some residual "Cubs suck!" attitude in me, along with a whole fresh helping of "Sox fans are fairweather fans!" from certain Cub fans. So I had to wonder, would Sammy Sosa get a standing ovation from the fans at Wrigley Field if he returned right now? Hell, they booed him there before he even left. So please, explain to me who the fairweather fans are again?
• With all the excitement of Franks' return, and the late inning heroics of the Sox, it's surprising the highlight of last nights game had nothing to do with either. In the top of the 2nd after Frank's first home run the game was delayed for about 5 minutes. Why? Cuz there was a squirrel in the outfield. Watching members of the ground crew chase it around and even some fans trying to reach over the rail and glove the little guy, was absolutely hilarious. The squirrel eventually reached safe haven behind the tarp on the third base line, before eventually seeking freedom in the stands themselves.
• What an amazing Game 7 between the Mavs and Spurs last night. If you're a Spurs fan you have to be so ticked off right now. After being blown out of the water in the first half, the Mavs shot 70%(70%!!!) and had a 20 point lead early. The Spurs hung around all night though, and then finally capped the comeback off with 30 seconds left. Manu Ginobili hit a three pointer to give the Spurs a 104-101 lead. A quick shot of Mavs' owner Mark Cuban showed him practically on the verge of tears. Then the Spurs foul Dirk as he goes to the basket and makes it. How the hell do you foul him there!?!? Give him the 2 points, you still have a 1 point lead with 21 seconds left!!!! Instead Nowitzki ties the game up at 104, and the Mavericks would finish the defending champs in overtime 119-111.
• In the other Game 7, Phoenix shot lights out from 3 point land and took care of the Clippers in a blowout. The Eastern Conference finals begin tonight in Detroit. For my picks I'm going to go with Pistons over Heat in 6, and Mavs over Suns in 5. That means go to your bookie and put it all on the Heat and Suns. I think I've gotten like 4 series right this year.
• The Detroit Tigers shut out the Kansas City Royals 9-0 last night. That's now 9 shutouts in only 44 games, and 2 in a row. Rookie Justin Verlander pitched the entire game for his first career complete game and shutout. What's even more impressive? Verlander started the first inning throwing 99 MPH, and his last fastball in the 9th inning was also 99 MPH. I have never seen a starting pitcher do that. Not even Randy Johnson.
• The NBA draft lottery is tonight before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Bulls fans are very interested in the outcome as they are guaranteed a top 5 pick, but could end up with #1 overall. Cross your fingers.
• I mentioned Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro being 50/50 yesterday. Well, thankfully, 24 hours later he's said to be doing "very well."
• Saturday the Cubs brawl with the Sox and Sunday they make a late inning comeback to avoid a sweep. Two signs of a team finally uniting and coming together. So what do they do? They go to Miami to play the AAA Florida Marlins, whose two best pitchers they won't have to face, and lose 9-1. Maybe Derrek Lee can play with one arm? I mean Jim Abbott could pitch that way, why can't DLee swing that way?

A Wild Weekend in Baseball

It was a crazy weekend for baseball with the Mets taking 2 of 3 from the Yankees in an exciting series, Barry Bonds finally hitting number 714 and the Detroit Tigers taking first place in the AL Central.

Not surprising was the White Sox dominance over the Cubs Friday and Saturday afternoon. What was surprising, to AJ Pierzynski anyway, was the right hook delivered to his chin by Cubs catcher Michael Barrett.

First, let me just say that when I was watching this game and saw the benches clear and the White Sox and Cubs at home plate brawling, I wasn't sure what to think. My thought process went something like this:

• Surprise - What the hell is going on? How can Barrett take exception to being bowled over without the ball when he was blocking the plate? You don't want to get run over, get off the plate. Is this your first time catching?
• Relief - This fight was cathartic. See, growing up in this town with a lot of Cub fan friends, there have been many an argument between us about these two teams. Sometimes it would get close to coming to blows. Yes, last year we won the World Series, and while that was the ultimate weapon against the Cub fans, I think Saturday completed it. Seeing the two teams fight released a lot of tension in me for some reason that I'm not sure I'll ever understand or be able to explain.
• Worry - Visions of broken hands danced in my head. I kept envisioning Scott Podsednik being trampled underneath the pile as he kept punching Barrett. (By the way, you know Pods just earned a bunch of cred in the clubhouse after that. It hadn't been two seconds since Barrett threw the punch before Scotty had tackled him and gotten him into a headlock.)
• Sheer Joy - After the dust had settled, Tadahito Iguchi delivered the knockout blow when he hit a grand slam off of Rich Hill to make the score 5-0. Not to mention the irony as DJ (Darrin Jackson, White Sox color analyst working for Fox that day) was talking about how the Sox don't swing for the fences in this situation when Iguchi did just that.

There have been a few things since the fight that have bothered me though. Mostly it's the portrayal of AJ in the media.

Hypocrisy, it seems, knows no bounds. It started first with Jay Mariotti's column in Sunday's Chicago Sun-Times. Mariotti took the usual route portraying Pierzynski as an annoying pain in the ass who brings everything upon himself. He talked about how AJ is always doing everything he can to get his face on the television. Yes, this is the same Jay Mariotti who makes sure to appear on ESPN's Around the Horn EVERY SINGLE DAY while the other columnists on the show come and go. He's also the same guy who last fall railed against GM Ken Williams for not getting Ken Griffey Jr. but then, after the Sox won the World Series, heralded Williams as a brilliant general manager. Here's a new drinking game for you college kids. Watch Around The Horn every day and take a shot everytime Mariotti flip-flops on something. You'll be so drunk by the time you're done you could write one of his columns for him.

He also goes on about how Barrett isn't the kind of guy who normally does this stuff. I've also heard this same sentiment echoed on sports radio.

Really? Barrett isn't that kind of guy?

Well then, can somebody please explain to me which Cubs catcher that was a little over a week ago who almost started a brawl with the San Diego Padres' Dave Roberts?

Roberts' crime?

He crossed home plate on a double.

Also, which Cubs catcher was it that nearly charged the mound against the Houston Astros' Roy Oswalt in 2004, and then a few weeks later when facing Oswalt again started screaming obscenities and challenging him BEFORE he even stepped into the batter's box?

Oh, that was Michael Barrett? Are you sure!? He's not that kind of guy!!

Please. AJ gets cast as a bad person cuz he does everything in his power to help his team win, but Barrett's a good guy cuz he can't handle his job.

Now I have nothing against Michael Barrett. I've always felt he was a good baseball player. My problem lies with what the media is saying about this incident. If anything, I respect Michael even more now. He came out after the game and said he overreacted, and what he did was wrong.

It takes a man to do that.

Then there is Cubs pitcher Rich Hill. He called AJ "gutless" for what he did to Barrett. Well Rich, if you hadn't walked the bases loaded, AJ wouldn't have had to make such a "gutless" move. You can go ahead and tell all your new friends down in AAA (The Cubs demoted Hill after the game) about how gutless your performance was.

Also, there was the case of centerfielder Brian Anderson pummeling Cubs utilityman John Mabry. Anderson will probably be getting suspended for a few games after MLB reviews the tape, but I can't blame him for what he did. Yes, Mabry was running into the fray with intentions of being a peacemaker, but I know what Anderson was thinking.

"Ok. I'm replacing a fan favorite in this town (Aaron Rowand) and I'm batting .170. I better find somebody and just start beating the hell out of him."

And he did. Mabry had to go to the hospital after the game for X-rays.

The last and, for the Cubs fans, maybe the most important thing I took from this fight was the vast difference in the attitudes of the two managers involved. During the game between innings FOX analysts Thom Brennaman and Darrin Jackson interviewed each manager in the dugout. When Brennaman asked Dusty Baker for his take on the fight, he sold out his own guy.

"I thought it was a good clean play by Pierzynski, and Michael overreacted. Maybe he's frustrated."

Immediately I thought that Ozzie would NEVER do that. He may agree completely with what Baker said, but in Baker's shoes he would have defended Barretts actions publicly, and addressed his real opinion to Barrett privately.

Baker is supposed to be a player's manager, yet he wouldn't back up his player. Also, I can't find the quote but Baker also said something about Rich Hill after the game too. It was to the effect of Hill should just keep his mouth shut.

Fights like these are supposed to help unite a ball club, and when given a chance to do just that it seems Baker decided to seperate himself even further from the team. Maybe he has Arizona on his mind already.

All in all it was a very exciting series this weekend. The Sox took 2 out of 3 after gift-wrapping a victory for the Cubs on Sunday. There was a lot of talk during the week on both sides that this rivalry doesn't mean that much to the players.

I don't think anybody is going to be able to make those claims again when the teams meet again next month at Wrigley Field. I know my opinion on it has changed.

***************

Lost in the shuffle this weekend of haymakers and tackles was the fact the White Sox fell out of first place in the AL Central Division. That position now belongs to the Detroit Tigers.

At the beginning of the season I made it a point to watch as many Cleveland Indians games as I could to keep an eye on the competition. Well, in the last few weeks Indians' games have been replaced by Tigers' games.

The same Tigers who own MLB's best record at 29-14. The most startling aspect of this team is exactly how much they remind me of the 2005 White Sox. Every game I see it's somebody different getting the big hit, while their pitching completely shuts the opposition down.

At the beginning of the season the White Sox swept a 3 game series from the Tigers in Comerica Park, but I assure you that the Tigers team I've seen the last few weeks is not that team I saw in early April.

Saturday was a great example of how this Tigers team has changed under Jim Leyland. With a 5-1 lead in the 6th inning, starter Mike Maroth gave up a solo shot to the Reds' Adam Dunn, followed by a single from Javier Valentin. Leyland then went to the fireballing youngster Joel Zumaya, he of the 97-100MPH fastball, and knee-buckling curveball.

Well, Zumaya got into some trouble and soon he was staring at Ken Griffey Jr. with the bases loaded, and a 5-2 lead. Four pitches later Zumaya watched a 99MPH fastball fly off of Griffey's bat and into the right field bleachers to give the Reds a 6-5 lead.

The Tigers I'm accustomed to seeing would have been done right there. But these Tigers weren't. The bullpen held their own from then on and in the bottom of the ninth, with 2 outs and 2 strikes, leadoff man Curtis Granderson sent a line drive to the opposite field down the third base line and just over the fence.

Tie ball game, and the Tigers would go on to win in extra innings.

Sunday afternoon was an absolute pitching gem, something Tiger fans are seeing a lot of this season. Lefty Nate Robertson matched Reds starter Aaron Harang (another surprise this season) 0 for 0, inning after inning.

The Tigers finally pushed one across late, and Robertson and Todd Jones held on for the 1-0 Tiger win, and first place.

The shutout was the eighth of the year for this Tigers team. They've only played 43 games.

There are a lot of questions about whether or not this team can do this for an entire season. The truth is nobody knows, not even the Tigers right now. The offense will hit all year, as they have one of the better lineups in MLB. Whether or not the pitching can hold up is the biggest question.

What I do know is this, these are the same exact questions people asked about the White Sox last season.

These Detroit Tigers are for real. But the true character of this team is about to be tested. Over the next 20 games they have series against the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and, in early June, what is looking to be a huge 3 game series at US Cellular Field against the White Sox.

How the Tigers come out of those 4 series will show whether or not they are just feasting on teams like the Royals and Twins or whether they are serious contenders.

I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of surprised baseball fans out there.

Random Thoughts

• Carlos Zambrano is a lunatic. Does anybody else find it absolutely hysterical that Zambrano would take such umbrage to AJ Pierzynski's trot around the bases after hitting a home run off him? Isn't this the same Carlos Zambrano who pumps his fist, yells, and then points to the sky after every strike out? And isn't this the same Zambrano who even shows up his own teammates from time to time on the field? I'm not sure if his mother didn't love him enough or what but the fact is, if it wasn't for his 98MPH fastball and filthy stuff he would be locked up in a psych ward somewhere.
• LeBron James is a monster. I know the Cavs lost to Detroit yesterday, and yes, King James cried on the bench afterward, but did he not answer all the doubters? Everybody said(me included) he'd never be able to put up the numbers during the playoffs that he did in the regular season. Then he went out and did exactly that, and almost singlehandedly beat the Detroit Pistons. Oh, and he's only 21 years old. I go to sleep at night dreaming of James in a Bulls jersey a few years from now. Apparently there's a clause in his Nike contract that calls for a raise if he plays in either NY, LA or Chicago. NY is a no-go cuz the Knicks will not be able to get rid of all the contracts on their books and in LA, he'd have to share the spotlight with Kobe. That leaves Chicago, and LeBron, we'd love to have you.
• Frank Thomas returns to Chicago tonight with the Oakland A's. I pray that our fans don't act like the morons in Cleveland when Thome returned to Jacob's Field. Yes Frank said some things during the offseason, but it still doesn't change the fact he is the best hitter in franchise history. I don't think there will be too much booing as Thomas has generally always been loved by Sox fans, it's the Chicago media that has a problem with him. The team has planned a pre-game ceremony for Thomas, along with a video to play between the top and bottom of the first inning.
• Two game 7's tonight in the NBA. I'm taking San Antonio and the Clippers. I think the Clippers have outplayed the Suns the entire series and will finish them off tonight. Also, I think Dallas is done cuz generally when teams have a chance to finish a team off at home in Game 6 and blow it they don't recover in Game 7.
• Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro broke his leg (and a lot of spectators' wallets, I'm sure) during the Preakness this weekend. After having surgery on it, they are saying he's 50-50. Make millions of dollars for a man one day, and then a few weeks later they're probably gonna shoot ya. Ain't life a bitch?

The Wizdom of Ozz

When looking back at the American League Championship Series last October, the biggest thing that sticks out was the four consecutive complete games pitched by the White Sox. It was a rare accomplishment by any pitching staff in any time period. Deservedly so, the Sox starters - Mark Buerhle, Jose Contreras, Freddy Garcia, and Jon Garland - got a lot of praise for it.

What most people don't think about is WHY that accomplishment is so rare. The real reason it almost never happens: how many managers would let it happen?

Only one right now.

Ozzie Guillen.

During last night's Sox/Twins game ESPN aired an interview between Joe Morgan and Jim Thome. Morgan asked Thome to describe playing for Ozzie, and why players enjoy it so much.

Thome spoke of Ozzie's attitude, the fact he's just another one of the guys, and that he makes it understood if you don't come to play hard everyday, you won't play at all. He then offered up a line that sums up Guillen: "If you show him respect, he gives you respect."

There are a lot of managers out there who view themselves as the boss and the players merely their employees. Not Guillen. Guillen constantly asks his players what they think during a game. In the end he makes the decision, but he makes sure that everyone is involved. And the team responds to that. It's hard to play 162 games without wanting to take a game off, but it's Ozzie's attitude and approach to his players that makes them come out and play hard every day.

Last night's game was one of the oddest I've seen in some time but in it Ozzie displayed yet again exactly what Thome tried to express.

The White Sox scored 3 runs in the top of the first thanks to a Jermaine Dye home run and led 3-0 when Mark Buerhle took the mound. Buerhle had been struggling in his last three starts with his location, and as a result he's been getting hit around.

That didn't change the first inning Sunday night - the Twins scored seven runs off of him (only 1 earned, thanks to 2 errors) to take a 7-3 lead.

Ozzie just sat in the dugout and watched. How many managers would do that? The Sox were coming off of a 3 game losing streak and, thanks to a Detroit win Sunday afternoon, another loss would put them in danger of dropping from first place.

But still, Ozzie sat.

What Ozzie was concerned about was Buerhle. Of course, Guillen cares about the team and he wants to win but he knows he can't do it without Mark Buerhle or the rest of his players. So he shows them the respect they've earned.

And that meant having Mark Buerhle go back to the mound in the second inning to do his job. Instead of taking his struggling starter out and leaving his confidence shaken, he left him there and made him work his way out of it. (Also, he knows that with the offense the White Sox have a four run deficit after an inning is hardly insurmountable.)

He showed Mark Buerhle respect and in return, Buerhle pitched five more innings without surrendering another run. In fact he returned to classic Buerhle form after hitting rock bottom in the first.

The White Sox offense then came to the rescue thanks to two more home runs from Jim Thome, and AJ Peirzynski, a 2 run triple by Scott Podsednik, and a sacrifice fly from Paul Konerko in a 5 run 4th inning. The score was now 9-7 White Sox.

In the sixth inning Ozzie did it again. Nick Punto and Shannon Stewart started the Twins 6th inning off by getting on base. After falling behind 7-3, and coming back to take a lead, the Twins now had two on with nobody out. At this point in any other game with any other manager, there would have been a pitching change.

There wasn't even anybody warming up in the White Sox bullpen.

Instead on the very next pitch Luis Castillo bunted a ball into the air that was caught by Paul Konerko who quickly turned it into a 3-4-6 triple play. Inning over. Now, I'm not saying that Ozzie induced a triple play - but he let Buerhle get out of it.

That's why the White Sox pitchers were so clutch in the postseason last year. Remember in the Division series against Boston when Orlando Hernandez came out of the bullpen with the bases loaded and no outs? Then he proceeded to get two popups and a strikeout, inning over? Well that's because Ozzie makes his pitchers get themselves out of their own jams during the regular season. As a result when they get in trouble in pressure situations it's not that big of a deal, cuz they've been there before, and they've done that.

The White Sox would go on to win the game, and give Mark Buerhle his 4th win of the season. The last time a pitcher gave up 7 runs in the first inning and won the game? Jack Powell of the St. Louis Cardinals......on September 29th, 1900. (Against the Cubs too. They couldn't score then either. More on that later.) It's been 105 years since it's been done. Why?

Cuz what manager would let a pitcher do that?

One.

Ozzie Guillen.

Another little thing I noticed from this series between the Sox and Twins. Back in November I wrote that I thought the Cubs should go after Luis Castillo from the Marlins, instead of Juan Pierre. (It's in there.) I don't want to toot my own horn, or say I told you so ... okay I'm saying it:

How have the two former Marlins fared so far this season?

Juan Pierre-.225 0HR 2RBI 20Runs 12SB

Luis Castillo-.345 2HR 20RBI 21Runs 4SB

Oh, and Castillo is also a Gold Glove 2nd baseman.

I only mention this because the Cubs are struggling mightily to score runs. In 14 games this month the Cubs have scored 30 runs; they are 2-12 and have been shut out 4 times (four times!).

If you take out the 8 runs they scored in a victory against San Francisco last week they've scored 22 runs in 13 games.

Luis Castillo could have helped. Todd Walker could be playing first base full time right now for the Cubs, and Castillo could be getting on base and scoring for the team.

The reason I bring this up is that a month and a half into the season I want to look at the three biggest surprises, and disappointments of the 2006 season so far.

Can you guess which list I have the Cubs on?

THREE BIGGEST SURPRISES

• Detroit Tigers(24-13)-The Tigers are playing great baseball and they're doing it very quietly. The have a MLB leading 3.25 ERA, and are hitting .275 as a team with 51 home runs. Their pitching staff has been led by youngsters Jeremy Bonderman, Mike Maroth, Justin Verlander, and Nate Roberston. Put in a fire-balling reliever in Joel Zumaya, and Fernando Rodney and you get one heck of a bullpen too. Detroit's offense has proven to be very potent thanks to a healthy Magglio Ordonez, Ivan Rodriguez, and the surprising power of Chris Shelton. The majority of the country knows nothing about this team though since they are never on ESPN or Fox. If they keep playing like this though, that will soon change. The popular choice for why the Tigers are playing the way they are is because of manager Jim Leyland. Those folks are right too. This team is not going to fade, and they will make sure the White Sox are going to have to earn a second consecutive division championship.
• Cincinnati Reds(23-15)- The Reds have slowed up a little bit over the last 10 games, but they still sit in 2nd place in the National League Central. The reason they've been winning has been the longball and surprisingly solid pitching (4.31 team ERA). Personally, I haven't seen much of the Reds this year - well, I did see them demolish the Cubs but the Reds always seem to do that. Based on what I've seen, I don't think the Reds are going to play this well all season. I just don't trust their pitching enough, especially in their ball park and in their division.
• Colorado Rockies (21-17)-Until the current 5 game winning streak of the San Diego Padres, the Rockies had held first place in the National League West. As a team they are hitting .270, but more impressively have a 4.27 team ERA. That's pitching at Coors Field too. This biggest difference I've noticed with this Rockies team compared to previous versions is their road record. The Rockies are 12-9 on the road while only 9-8 at home. Historically they've been a above-average team at home, and horrible on the road. In a weak division, there is no reason to think that the Rockies can't stay at or near the top all season.

THREE BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS

• Chicago Cubs (15-22)-As I wrote earlier the Cubs are having tremendous struggles at home plate this season. They are hitting .243 as a team and have scored only 139 runs this year. The only team worse than that is the Kansas City Royals. Without Derrek Lee due back til mid summer, it doesn't look as though things will get much better either. Kerry Wood is supposed to return this Thursday, but how long until he gets hurt again? The team's ERA is 4.83, and they could really use some solid starts from Carlos Zambrano and Greg Maddux right now just to try and stay afloat. Also one has to believe it's only a matter of time before Dusty Baker is fired. Then again, who knows what to expect from this team's management right now. Their GM, Jim Hendry, has now gone two seasons in a row without answering concerns in the starting rotation, and he got rewarded with a contract extension. Maybe if they lose 100 games this year, they'll give Baker a lifetime deal.
• Los Angeles Angels (16-22)-My preseason pick to win the AL West the Angels are struggling. They have a decent team ERA of 4.47, but without injured Bartolo Colon eating up innings, it's wearing on the arms of the bullpen. The big problem has been at the dish where the team is hitting only .247. I have a feeling this team will get things turned around eventually. They just have too much talent in that lineup with Vladimir Guerrero and Garret Anderson.
• Cleveland Indians(17-21)-The Indians have been the biggest surprise to me, period. This is the team I had pegged as the second best team in the American League. Their offense has been as good as advertised (.298 with a MLB leading 225 runs) but the pitching has been a letdown. Injuries to CC Sabathia, Matt Miller, and Rafael Betancourt have helped lead to a gaudy 5.29 team ERA. That was my big concern with this team in the offseason though. I figured the loss of Kevin Millwood, along with Bobby Howry couldn't help, but I didn't think it would hurt this bad. As to whether they can turn it around, I don't know. It all depends on the pitching, cuz this team is going to hit, and they're going to score. There have been a lot of 8-7 games so far, and there probably will be for the rest of the season. The Indians just need to hope they're the team scoring 8 more times than not.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

• First Jerry Azumah gets robbed of his football career thanks to a hip injury, but now he's getting robbed of his money too.
• The Clippers tied up their series with the Suns at 2, and I stand by my statement they'll win this series in 6.
• The Nets have let me down big time against the Heat. They made the Heat look horrible in a Game one win in Miami, and then they proceed to get beat 3 in a row including both games in New Jersey. This one doesn't get past tomorrow night. It'll be a Pistons/Heat Eastern Conference Finals.
• Cleveland fans, don't get too excited about Game 3. The Pistons will still win this thing in 5. Even Rasheed Wallace thinks so.
• The best series has been the Spurs and Mavs as expected. At this point though I have to say I think Mavs in 6. They'll win game 4, lose game 5, and then take game 6.
• A third member of the Duke Lacrosse team has been indicted.

No Way, Not Jose!

During their 2005 World Series Championship season, the Chicago White Sox were led by their starting pitching. The rotation managed to stay healthy throughout (with the exception with a stint on the DL for Orlando Hernandez), a very rare feat in the Major Leagues these days.

Sox fans need not look past their neighbors to the North to realize what a blessing having a young and healthy rotation is.

Well, on Monday night the first dark cloud seen in 18 months hovered over US Cellular Field. Jose Contreras is likely headed to the disabled list. Contreras (5-0 1.41ERA) has won his last 13 regular season decisions and was just named the AL Pitcher of the Month in April, a repeat of his accomplishment in September 2005.

Sunday, in a bullpen side-throwing session, Contreras felt pain in his hip. MRIs were taken.

As of now (2PM Central time), the White Sox have not made an announcement on whether Contreras will be placed on the DL but what we do know is that the Sox have called up knuckleballer Charlie Haeger from AAA Charlotte for a start Wednesday at US Cellular against the Angels.

Haeger has been brilliant for the Knights, going 3-0 with a 0.68ERA in 40 innings, striking out 31 batters without yielding a single home run. If Haeger does make the start Wednesday he will, at 22, be the youngest knuckleballer to debut in the Majors in quite some time. That's younger than both Phil Kniekro and Charlie Hough were when they made their MLB debuts. (Interestingly enough it was one time White Sox Charlie Hough the team brought in during spring training to work with Haeger on his knuckleball.)

If Contreras has to miss a few starts it's likely the young knuckleballer will only be needed for one of them: the Sox still have Brandon McCarthy in the bullpen. The only reason he's not starting on Wednesday is that he's not prepared to throw for five innings just yet; he needs a few more days to get his arm ready. But as usual the White Sox are ready for something like this, thanks to the foresight of GM Ken Williams.

With a starting rotation so deep and talented - Mark Buehrle, Freddy Garcia, Jon Garland, and Javier Vazquez - the team is prepared to survive the loss of their "ace" for 15 days. I put ace in quotes cuz it really is hard to pinpoint a single standout on this stellar White Sox staff. After all, their number five starter, Javier Vazquez (another BRILLIANT move by Ken Williams, getting Vazquez for Orlando Hernandez in the offseason), is sporting a 4-1 record with a 2.88 ERA with 33 strikeouts and only 8 walks in 40.2 innings. Those are "ace" numbers for any other team in the Majors. But for the White Sox he's just another one of the guys.

So really, all I'm saying is that I'm not worried... much. Yeah, the White Sox can easily survive a few weeks without Contreras but it's never a worry-free event when a pitcher goes on the DL. Durability was the key to Sox success last season. All five starters threw over 200 innings last season, a rare feat for one pitcher these days, let alone an entire staff.

Living in Chicago though I've seen this too many times with guys like Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. Now I'm not saying I think that Contreras is facing the same fate as those two, but now the possibility is out there.

Another worry is the fact that unlike last season, the White Sox don't have a large cushion to work with. The Detroit Tigers are off to a 20-11 start, sit a game and a half behind the White Sox in the AL Central and don't appear to be dropping off anytime soon.

In the Sox favor: they've won 8 of their last 10 and start a three game series tonight at the Cell against the Angels, a team that they've beaten 7 straight times(4 during the ALCS, and a 3 game sweep in Anaheim 2 weekends ago).

So the best way to quell the fear of losing Contreras would be to keep winning.

I have a feeling that's just what they'll do too.

Random Thoughts

• Tampa Bay Devil Ray prospect Delmon Young has finally learned his fate. He is to be suspended for 50 games for an incident in which he threw his bat at an umpire and struck him. (Video of incident through the link.) Personally I feel he should be suspended for the season. Throwing bats at people isn't exactly a safe practice, and frankly I think Delmon could use a wake up call. This isn't the first incident involving Young, and one gets the feeling that he suffers from the Marcus Vick syndrome. (Delmon's older brother Dmitri plays for Detroit) Somebody thinks they're untouchable cuz they have talent and a professional sibling.
• I never did a second round preview for the NBA playoffs (Or a first round for that matter) and even though all series have been started I'm still gonna give my predictions. Spurs in seven, Clippers in six, Pistons in five, Nets in six.
• The Nets beat up on the slower, older Heat in Game One, but a Game 2 victory will be a lot tougher without Richard Jefferson.
• Now that the Bulls have been eliminated I have adopted the Clippers as the team I'm rooting for from here on out. It's pretty bittersweet watching them though. I mean watching Elton Brand brings back powerful memories of the night at work in which I was informed the Bulls traded him to the Clippers for 2 high schoolers essentially. I was pissed then, and I'm still not happy about it now. It's hard to watch Tyson Chandler (Eddy Curry is now in New York) look completely lost on the court and then see what Brand did last night in Game 1 at Pheonix. Brand's stat line? 40 points on 18-22 shooting, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 blocks. That's Tysons monthly stat line.
• The Cubs lost again last night. That's 7 in a row, and now even Greg Maddux is getting roughed up. The loss of Derrek Lee has absolutely stifled the Cubs offense. They've been losing games 1-0, and 2-1. They have gone from 14-10 a few games out of first to 14-17 and fifth place in the NL Central. How Dusty Baker handles this rut will go a long way in determining his future in Chicago. The Cubs are now off to San Francisco where they will try to keep Barry Bonds from catching Aaron.
• Speaking of Bonds, I'm sick of hearing people complain about the big deal made of him catching Aaron. Whether you want it to be or not, it IS a big deal. Steroids or no steroids, the fact that somebody is about to pass Babe Ruth isn't something you can just look past, no matter how much you hate Barry. I'm not saying you have to be happy about it, but to say it's not that big of a deal is ludicrous.
• Speaking of ludicrous, I have no problem with Steve Nash winning the NBA MVP. He's not the guy I would have picked, but I can't argue with it. What I can argue is that at least 20 voters for the award did not include Kobe Bryant on their ballot. Those who don't know, voters vote on their top 5. That means there are 20 voters who don't think Kobe is in the top 5 in the NBA. Somebody needs to find out who these guys are and take away their votes, cuz that's just stupid. Same as Bonds, even if you hate Kobe you can't deny his talent.

Inside The Numbers-Jim Thome vs Kansas City Royals

While watching Sunday afternoon's game between the White Sox and Royals, I noticed something I had to look into.

The Royals' lineup could be one of the worst this season. They were without Reggie Sanders and Mike Sweeney due to injuries, and had a lot of guys just up from the minors. Here was their lineup:

1. Esteban German-3B
2. Mark Grudzielanek-2B
3. Tony Graffanino-1B
4. Emil Brown-RF
5. Angel Berroa-SS
6. Aaron Guiel-LF
7. John Buck-C
8. Justin Huber-DH
9. Kerry Robinson-CF

Not exactly the scariest in the world, is it?

Then I noticed that the entire Royal lineup had three home runs COMBINED. Three!

So the thought hit me: I wonder how the Royals combined lineup stacks up against Jim Thome?

Well let's look:

Royals Lineup (454 at bats) .248 3HR 39RBI 47R 30BB

Jim Thome (101 at bats) .307 13HR 32RBI 32R 28BB

Jim has out hit and out homered the Royals, while he's slightly behind in RBIs, runs and walks.

But what if Jim had 454 at bats like the Royals' lineup?

Jim Thome (454 at bats) .307 58HR 144RBI 144R 126BB

I guess those comparisons go a long way in explaining why the Royals have a major league worst record of 7-22.

The the oddities don't stop there, though. Of the Royals' seven wins, 43% of them have come against the team with the best record in the majors, the Chicago White Sox (22-9). The Royals are 3-6 against the Sox so far this season. So 33% of the Sox' losses are to KC.

You gotta love baseball.

I Do! I Do Love This Game!

I have to admit that I am absolutely loving the NBA playoffs this year. It's not just because the Bulls are in it either.

Though it certainly helps.

There have been some absolutely fantastic series so far, and we could possible be facing three Game 7's this weekend.

As far as the Bulls go, it was a nice run, but unfortunately Shaq decided to shut people up last night. It was still a great season, despite being eliminated. I guessed that the Heat would win in 6, and regretfully I was correct.

A few good things that came out of the Bulls playoff series was now the rest of the country has seen what we can do. We are no longer going to be viewed as the doormats of the league like we have been since Jerry Krause blew up the dynasty.

Andres Nocioni was easily the best Bull in this series, and quite possibly the best player in this series. Though realistically I think you have to give it to Dwyane Wade. (BTW it is true that Wade has been nominated for Best Actor in next year's Academy Awards.) Also Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon may start getting some respect from NBA officials now.

That right there was another reason I felt the Bulls had to make the playoffs again, instead of tanking for another lottery pick. The Bulls on the season never got to the free throw line. By getting to the playoffs though they start earning respect from NBA officials. I mean has there ever been a more shocking moment in NBA history than when Shaquille O'Neal got called for 2 offensive fouls on LUKE SCHENCHER(Who!? Exactly.) in a 5 minute span?

No.

Shaq was in shock. In fact I think the shock he felt from that incident is what caused him to have such a poor Games 3-5. It wasn't until last night that he got over it.

There have also been a number of other great things so far in the first round. The best thing so far though has been the Suns/Lakers series.

This series has easily been the classic. Two MVP candidates, buzzer beaters, overtimes, shoving matches, clotheslines, even a guy named Smush. Game 4 featured 2 buzzer beaters by my MVP, Kobe Bryant, and last night Game 6 had another by the Suns Tim Thomas in overtime. I mean after Kobe's shot in Game 4 that gave the Lakers a 3-1 lead in the series, who didn't think this series was over? The Suns have no depth, and no inside game, and they sure as hell have no defense. Now 5 days later things have completely turned around and the series is tied 3-3 going back to Pheonix for Game 7.

This series has done something else that completely shocked the hell out of me. Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade have switched places as far as how I see them. Before this first round I hated Kobe, and loved Wade. Now after watching Wade posture and fake injuries through 6 games and Kobe transform into MJ I like Kobe and hate Wade.

Seriously the way Kobe has just become the ultimate teammate in this series has been absolutely stupefying. He's making Kwame Brown look like an NBA player and even some guy named Vujacic. Because of this Lamar Odom finally is playing like someone with the talent of Lamar Odom.

Kobe truly reminds me of MJ right now. Though Kobe appears to know how to take a left hook better.

In Game 6 he managed to score over 50 points, garnering some "Here comes the real Kobe." sentiment, but he still kept his team involved. It's just that with the Suns absolutely killing it from the 3 point arc, Kobe had to take over in the second half to keep the Lakers in it.

He did too. The only thing he did wrong was miss the game winner at the end of regulation. Whereas Steve Nash has also been incredible for the Suns in this series, I still feel Kobe should have been MVP even if the Suns win. (Which they will now.) If for nothing else than the fact that Kobe plays defense, and Nash just doesn't.

To me a guy who can play both offense and defense is more valuable than a guy who plays just offense. Especially when the guy who does both averages over 30 points a game, and routinely sticks the other teams best scorer.

The other fun series to watch so far has been the battle between Lebron and Gilbert. The Cavs lead the series 3-2 going into tonight's Game 6, and both James and Arenas have been huge for their teams.

Of course if either one of these teams was capable of playing defense it could be a classic series. I mean NOBODY on either of these teams plays defense.

NOBODY.

One need not look at the last play of game 5. With the game on the line, and possibly the series, the Wizards let the Cavs get the ball into Lebron uncontested. As if that wasn't enough Antawn Jamison then happily gave James the baseline.

Now I ask you this, pretend your an NBA defender. Your team has a 1 point lead with a few seconds left. You're guarding Lebron James. He's already got 43 points (I think. Something like that anyway) at this juncture, and you know he's getting the ball.

You think maybe you might not only try to stop him from getting it, but also try to stop the shot if he does?

Antawn Jamison wouldn't.

What this series has done though is shown us that Lebron can turn it on when it really matters. Not many people put up a triple-double in their first career playoff game. Also it's giving Gilbert Arenas some face time as he is still relatively unknown outside the DC area. Game 6 of this series is tonight, and if you're at a bar that's showing it and you like offense, check it out. You won't leave unhappy.

The scariest aspect of all so far though is the fact that an NBA Finals featuring the Clippers is not out of the question.

Let that sink in a lil bit.

Seriously the Clippers are playing great basketball right now thanks to 36 year old Sam Cassell, Cuttino Mobley, Elton Brand, and Corey Maggette. Looking at this team and they are built for the playoffs. They can score, rebound, and play good defense. I have no doubt that they will beat whoever comes out of the Suns/Lakers series. They would then likely go on to face the Spurs or Mavericks.

The Spurs are winning their series with Sacramento, but they've hardly looked as dominant as we've come to expect with the Spurs. Ginobli has been inconsistent, and at times they have been outplayed by the Kings. The Mavs had an easy time of it with the Grizzlies in the first round, so we really don't know what to expect of them yet.

A Spurs/Mavs series should be pretty good though. I'm still gonna root for the Clippers though for the rest of the playoffs. Lots of local connections there. Elton Brand is a former #1 pick of the Bulls, Corey Maggette grew up about 2 miles away from me, and Shaun Livingston is from Peoria.

Plus they're just really fun to watch.

The playoffs so far though have revitalized my enjoyment of NBA basketball. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the rest turns out. Bulls or no Bulls.

Random Thoughts

• Jose Contreras won his 13th straight start yesterday, despite not being at his best. Those are Jose's words, not mine, and keep in mind "not at my best" means 7.1IP 3H 3BB and 1 run. He has not lost a game since August 21, 2005, and is hands down the best pitcher in Major League Baseball. The White Sox are also the first team in the league to 20 wins, and it doesn't appear that they're going to slow down anytime soon.
• I nearly choked on my beer this weekend when I got to the first bar of the 14 hour bar crawl I was on and saw that the Texans DIDN'T draft Reggie Bush.
• Also as far as the Bears draft goes, well, I'm not happy. Though unlike the rest of this city, I'm not unhappy with it either. Jerry Angelo has a pretty good track record when it comes to drafting, ESPECIALLY on defense, so I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. Still wouldn't have minded a Tight End though.
• Speaking of the Bears, congrats to free safety Chris Harris for getting kicked out of the United Center during Game 6 of the Bulls/Heat for yelling at Alonzo Mourning. You did more than Mike Sweetney or Tyson Chandler did in the game.
• I do believe Jason Kendall charging the mound against John Lackey the other day is the first time I've seen a guy charge the mound WITHOUT getting drilled.