All Star Grievances: American League Central

Note: Yeah, I probably could have just called this "All Star Grievances: Chicago White Sox Edition."

Grievance: Jermaine Dye not making the team. I swear in recent weeks I've become Jermaine Dye's publicist telling anybody who will listen that he is far and away the most undervalued outfielder in the game today. Still, I thought enough people knew about him to at least get him on to the All Star team. JD is hitting .308 and OPSing (not sure that's a word, but screw it, I'm angry) at .919 with 19 homers and 52 RBI. His only crime is that he plays in the American League where outfielders are raking this season, and that people still think the Yankees are good.

Grievance: Lack of White Sox pitchers and Joe Crede's selection. Now I'm probably going to come off as sounding like a bit of a homer here, but there just aren't enough White Sox on the team this season...

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Nick Swisher Is Thinking Pink

While nobody knows for sure who placed those blow-up dolls in the White Sox locker room, save for the players, and they aren't talking, I'd say the odds that it was Nick Swisher are probably pretty good. Given Nick's personality, it seems like something that would be right up his alley.

I mean, this is the same guy who refers to himself as Dirty Thirty, and has t-shirts and hats adorned with his self-imposed nickname. He also got a few members of the team to dye their facial hair blonde to start the season, and that's the real reason the team started off so well.

Now Nick is taking his insanity and facial hair, and using it to help others.

It was announced today that Chicago White Sox players Nick Swisher, John Danks and Toby Hall will dye their facial hair pink in honor of Mother’s Day and support of Breast Cancer awareness tomorrow (Weds., May 7). Swisher, Danks and Hall also will make a donation to the Lynn Sage Cancer Research Foundation (Chicago) on behalf of all White Sox players.

A group of children from Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation, a national organization whose mission is to eliminate pediatric cancer and to provide hope and support to those who are touched by it, who will be in attendance as part of the Nick Swisher Foundation’s “Swish’s Wishes” program, will assist with the players’ hair coloring.

That's right, those women-hating, sexist pigs in the White Sox clubhouse are dying their beards pink for Mother's Day to help breast cancer research and the kids.

Suck on that, Slezak.

I'm sure their mothers, daughters, wives and sisters are absolutely appalled by such charity.

In Brief: Kenny Williams Won A Trade

Starting today here on Foul Balls, I'll be introducing a new kind of post that you're not used to seeing here. You see, with baseball season starting, a lot more of my time is going to be used for my duties at FanHouse. Which means I have less time to write here. Since writing this blog and having you wonderful people read it is what got me the job at FanHouse, I don't want to rob you dedicated few who need your daily fix. So I'm introducing a new recurring feature here called "In Brief." The premise is simple: I don't have time to write about every story I'd like to here, but I'm a megalomaniac who feels the need to share his opinion on everything because it's the right opinion and I'm awesome. So what I'll be doing is writing quick little one paragraph posts in which I ditch all that writer bullshit, and just get straight to the point. I get to express my opinions, and you don't have to stare at the same post for three hours. Everybody wins!

Oddly enough, the first In Brief will be about a subject I actually planned on writing a whole post about today, but then I discovered that John Renneke at Bugs & Cranks (John does a good job covering the Sox over there, so if you aren't already, I recommend you Sox fans make it another one of your daily stops.) beat me to it.

After Nick Masset's performance on Monday, and the way John Danks pitched yesterday, it's time I gave Kenny Williams some credit. I've spent the last few months ripping Kenny for every move he has or hasn't made. I was somewhat confused when Kenny traded Brandon McCarthy to Texas for Danks and Masset before last season, especially when the Sox had been telling us in 2006 how B-Mac was the next Jack McDowell and heir apparent to the 5th spot in the rotation.

Turns out Kenny just might have known what he's doing. So far this season Danks and Masset have combined for 11IP, 4 hits, no runs, 10 strikeouts, and only 2 walks. McCarthy? He's currently on the 60-day disabled list after missing a lot of time due to injury last season as well.

Javy Vazquez Will Start on Opening Day

In what is a bit of a surprising announcement, especially considering the season doesn't start for another three weeks, Ozzie Guillen came out on Wednesday and announced that Javier Vazquez would be getting the Opening Day start over Mark Buehrle.

"It's a great honor to pitch Opening Day," he said after Guillen revealed the recent plans.

"If they tell me Opening Day, that's a great honor. If they tell me the second game, that's great. Fifth game, that's great too. I just want to pitch."

I have to admit, I'm a little surprised by this. Mark Buehrle hasn't exactly been getting knocked around this spring, and he's always been the guy who starts on Opening Day, with the exception of last season. Jose Contreras got the honor last year, and got destroyed by the Indians.

I can understand why Guillen would give it to Vazquez, though. Javy has pitched very well so far this spring, so he's earned the right, plus it should be a reward for what he did last season. Vazquez was the best starter the White Sox had last season.

What scares me though, is the other bit of information Ozzie dropped about his starting rotation yesterday. Gavin Floyd is moving from the 5th spot to the 3rd spot in the rotation.

Guillen said Floyd's effort has sold him on moving him up from the fifth spot, with left-hander Danks tentatively scheduled to slide to the fifth spot.

"Gavin Floyd has the stuff to be the No. 2 pitcher," Guillen said. "Hopefully not too far away he can be a No. 1. But he has good enough stuff to be one of those guys."

I wonder if Ozzie and I are watching the same Gavin Floyd.

There are other reasons for the move besides Gavin's performance this spring, with the biggest one being Guillen doesn't want Buehrle and John Danks pitching on consecutive days since they're essentially the same guy.

Still, having Floyd as our third starter doesn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence in me about this upcoming season.

Cactus Chronicles 3-4-08

The Cactus Chronicles will be a daily feature at Foul Balls from now until Opening Day 2008.

Royals 7 White Sox 6

The White Sox blew a 6-5 lead in the 9th inning as they lost their third game in a row and are now 3-4 this spring.

The Good

John Danks pitched a lot better in his second start of the spring, going three innings and allowing only two hits and a an unearned run, while not walking anybody. Alexei Ramirez continued to impress at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a bases loaded triple in the 5th inning. Jermaine Dye, Josh Fields, and Brad Eldred drove in the other three Sox runs.

The Bad

Same old story, the bullpen lost this game for the White Sox. Bobby Jenks gave up two runs in the 4th inning, Mike MacDougal gave up 2 more in the 5th, and Boone Logan was responsible for Kansas City's 9th inning runs. Apparently his beard is powerless against the might of the Royals.

The Random

The White Sox had scouts watching Noah Lowry pitch for the Giants on Monday, as he's one of the players they were looking in a possible deal for Joe Crede. Something tells me they're not as interested in Lowry after seeing him walk seven betters in less than two innings of work. Oh, and those seven walks don't include the two wild pitches in the 1st inning, and the pick-off attempt he threw into the seats during the 2nd inning.

Position Battles

Alexei Ramirez played shortstop on Monday, but he's going to start seeing a lot more time at second base in the near future. If he's able to adjust to the position change, I'll be willing to bet the second base job is his to lose. Ozzie can't stop saying good things about him.

Ehren Wasserman was the only White Sox reliever not responsible for one of Kansas City's runs, which will help him try to earn a spot in the bullpen.



Cubs 6 Mariners 5

The Cubs barely escaped blowing a 6-2 lead in the 9th inning, and ended a three-game losing streak to get their second win of the spring.

The Good

K-Fuk struggled at the plate again on Monday, going 0-for-2, but he made a couple very nice plays on defense. Kosuke made a running catch on the warning track in the 2nd inning, and nearly doubled off Seattle's Brad Wilkerson at first base in the process. Then in the third inning, he fired a bullet to third base to hold the runner at second on a fly ball.

Ronny Cedeno had three hits, which can only be good for the Cubs, as it may help them land Brian Roberts. My favorite Cubs player ever, but only for what he did in college, Jeff Samardzija, pitched two hitless innings and picked up the win in the process.

The Bad

Jon Lieber made his first start of the spring, and he gave up two runs in two innings thanks to three hits. Sean Gallagher didn't step up either in the battle for a spot in the rotation, because even though he didn't give up a hit in his two innings of work, he did walk three batters.

Bobby Howry didn't do much for his case as closer either, as he allowed three runs and five hits in a 36-pitch 9th inning.

The Random

In case you didn't know, the Cubs are quite popular in the city of Chicago. They're so popular, in fact, that their televised game against the Angels on Sunday was the most watched program in Chicago at the time.

The 2.0 rating from 2-4:30PM on Comcast Sports Net was a record for a spring training game, and came despite the fact that college basketball, the NBA, and NASCAR were all on at the same time in Chicago. Not to mention crappy reality shows that are strangely addicting.

Position Battles

I already mentioned Lieber and Gallagher's struggles as they fight for a spot in the rotation, which could help keep Jason Marquis in town. Maybe that had something to do with Lou apologizing to Jason after responding to Marquis' comments to "start me or trade me" by saying "let him go."

Mike Vick Gets 23 Months

Yesterday was a pretty good Sunday all things considered. Since there was no Bears game, I could just enjoy watching football without all the hassle of really needing to care. Sure, there's my fantasy football team, but the Swamp Nutz had already wrapped up the division going into the final week of our regular season.

It was a wonderful day.

I wonder how Mike Vick's Sunday was? I hope it was good, because I'm pretty sure his Monday has sucked pretty bad so far.

Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison Monday for his role in a dogfighting conspiracy that involved gambling and killing pit bulls.

The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback could have been sentenced up to five years by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Vick, who turned himself in Nov. 19 in anticipation of his sentence, was wearing a black-and-white striped prison suit.

After Vick apologized to the court and his family, Hudson told him: "You need to apologize to the millions of young people who looked up to you."

"Yes, sir,' Vick answered.

Vick acknowledged he used "poor judgment" and added, "I'm willing to deal with the consequences and accept responsibility for my actions."

That's a long time to spend in prison, for anybody, let alone Mike Vick. It's hard to know if he's going to be able to make a comeback to the NFL after spending two years in jail. As of now, Vick won't be out of prison until October 2009. If he's a good little inmate, he can get out three months earlier in July 2009.

So even if Vick gets out early, he'll still be nearly three years removed from the football field. Most people will have forgotten about Vick by then, so somebody's going to take a chance on him. Whether or not he'll ever even be a shell of what he was before the arrest will remain to be seen, but I don't think he'll ever be a starter in the NFL again.

On the bright side, Vick could have been sentenced up to five years. Still, the 23 month sentence is the longest of the three sentences handed out in this case so far. The two friends who snitched on Vick, Purnell Peace and Quanis Phillips, each received 18 and 21 months respectively. The third co-defendant, Tony Taylor, won't be sentenced until Friday.

What I'm wondering is, who will be the next athlete to go to jail? I mean, the way things are going in the world of sports right now, it's inevitable that it's going to happen again. Just look at all the big stories taking place off the field.

It all started with Pacman Jones, who gave way to the Bengals and Tank Johnson. Then the Vick story broke, and a few weeks ago Sean Taylor was killed by somebody who broke into his house.

It's not just the NFL either. Barry Bonds is probably the favorite to be the next athlete to do some prison time. Those federal indictments are hard to get away from.

The NBA is getting involved as well, as Indiana Pacers guard Jamaal Tinsley was involved in a shooting incident over the weekend as well. It's at least the third time Tinsley has gotten into serious trouble with the law over the last year and a half.

It's a pretty disturbing trend in sports right now. Mike Vick is just the posterboy.

Foul Balls

The Colts and Patriots Have Changed Places - I've noticed something over the last few weeks, and with each passing Sunday I become more convinced that my suspiscions are true. Both the Patriots and Colts had an easy time of it on Sunday, with blowout wins of the Steelers and Patriots.

But have you noticed that the Patriots and Colts have switched places?

Remember a few years ago, back in 2003 and 2004 when the Colts were lighting up the scoreboard every week and had us all wondering if they could go undefeated? Obviously, they never did. No instead they would run into the Patriots in the playoffs, the same Patriots team that had spent the season flying a bit under the radar thanks to injuries.

They were still winning, but they didn't get as much attention as the record breaking Colts.

Then the Colts won the Super Bowl last season, I don't remember who they beat, and the two teams switched roles. Now it's the Patriots who are setting offensive records, and the Colts are a team dealing with injuries, but a team that seems to be finally hitting it's stride late in the season.

At this point you shouldn't be surprised if the Colts go into Foxboro for the AFC Championship game and put an end to the Patriots dreams of an undefeated season. I know I won't be.

Kenny's Not Inspiring Much Confidence In Me - My biggest concern about the White Sox going into the 2008 season is not the offense. I know the team hasn't made too many changes to it's lineup, save for Orlando Cabrera, but I really don't think we're going to have a repeat performance of 2007 at the plate.

There's just too much talent in the lineup.

No, the thing that scares the hell out of me is a starting rotation that not only still includes Jose Contreras, and has lost Jon Garland, but it also features John Danks and Gavin Floyd.

Neither of which make me feel safe. Kenny on the other hand, he's pretty sure these two are future Hall-of-Famers.

"These are guys everyone would want and most people in the industry view ultimately as top-of-the-rotation guys," Williams said last week at the winter meetings in Nashville. "Our pitching is not going to be a problem this year. We'll be just fine in that area."

Obviously, Kenny has been experimenting with drugs lately. I want to know who these people in the industry that think Gavin Floyd will be a top of the rotation guy are. They should immediately be fired, because it's obvious they know nothing about baseball.

I only say it about Floyd because even though I don't have the same expectations Kenny does, John Danks could develop into a solid #3 starter eventually if not this season.

Let's Look At The Bright Side

Yeah, yeah. Bobby Jenks blew a save last night. It sucked, I know. The Sox are now at 3-4 on the season, but I'm actually pretty happy about it.

Have you been paying attention to the starting pitching over the last six days? Ever since the series against Cleveland ended, the Sox starters have been fantastic. Between Javier Vazquez, John Danks, Jose Contreras, and Jon Garland last night, our starters have combined for a 1.40 ERA over their last 25.2 innings of work. They've only allowed 12 hits while striking out 18 batters. Sure the 13 walks aren't pleasing, but they've gotten out of all the jams they've faced.

In other words, the starters are pitching like it's 2005 again.

The fact the Sox have only gone 2-2 in that stretch doesn't bother me because we all know the offense will be there, and that Bobby Jenks isn't going to blow a lot of saves like he did last night.

Mark Buehrle will be taking the mound in a few hours for the Sox as they look to take a series in Oakland for the first time since around 1845. It will be interesting to see how he bounces back from taking that line drive off of his forearm last week.

Speaking of the Sox' struggles in Oakland, I don't really think it's such a big mystery why they struggle there. They don't score a lot of runs in Oakland. The reason for this is because the White Sox offense has been alarmingly dependent on the home run as of late. Last season 46% of the runs the White Sox scored were via the long ball.

That's way too high.

So when they go to Oakland, where it's damn near impossible to hit home runs at night on a consistent basis, they're going to struggle. I mean let's look at the first game of the series. We won, but how did we score our runs? On a Jim Thome and Scott Podsednik homer. Last night the Sox only managed a single run, and at one point couldn't get Alex Cintron home from third after he led off the inning with a triple. (I know it was ruled a three-base error, but there's no way that Mark Ellis should have to take the blame for not catching a ball he had to run 100 feet to get to and catch it over his head.)

The White Sox offense still doesn't seem capable of playing the small ball tactics that Ozzie wants them to get back to. Last season a lot of the blame fell on Scott Podsednik. Well, Pods is batting .421 right now with three stolen bases. He's getting on base. It's the rest of the offense that's not getting him home.

As I said earlier though, I'm not worried about any of this in the slightest. If the Sox can keep pitching like they are the offense will come around and this team will start winning like they're supposed to a lot more consistently.

Let's just hope it starts this afternoon. I'm dying for a 10-1 victory right now.

Will The Fifth Starter Please Stand Up

Before yesterday I really wanted the White Sox to just go ahead and name John Danks their fifth starter. He'd been having a great spring, and quite frankly, Gavin Floyd just scares the crap out of me.

I can't explain it, but when I see him on a mound I break out into a cold sweat and hide under a blanket.

Then Danks had to go and get rocked against the Padres yesterday, while Floyd did a solid job of relieving him. Danks gave up 6 runs on 9 hits in 3 2/3 innings, including two home runs.

''The second inning wasn't bad. I gave up a 900-foot home run [to Adrian Gonzalez]. Other than that, a couple ground-ball singles. You can't do anything about that. I was trying to make them put it on the ground. But the fourth inning was frustrating. I went out there trying to make them put it in play, but you can't leave the ball up like I was throwing it. You let a big-league hitter take a look at a ball mid-thigh high, he's going to do something with it.''

Floyd then came in and pitched well, allowing only one run and three hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Don Cooper re-iterated that this battle will not be settled anytime soon.

''That's what we said all along. Nobody is making any rush judgments -- we don't have to.''

Here's what I've noticed, and it's kind of scary.

When Floyd starts, he does horribly, and then Danks comes in and pitches very well.

When Danks starts, he does horribly, and then Floyd comes in and pitches very well.

In other words, both of the guys battling for the fifth spot seem to work better coming out of the bullpen.

Ozzie seems to think that Sunday's poor performance by Danks was more a product of the environment than an indication of his ability as a starter.

''[Danks] had just had one bad inning. Today, it was exactly an Arizona baseball game. You can't judge people because today the wind was blowing out and the ball was carrying a lot. But the one thing about this kid, I love him because he throws a lot of strikes. He attacks the strike zone. The runs they scored against him doesn't decide it. Today was a tough day to pitch.''

If you're going to judge how Ozzie really feels by what he says, I think it's safe to say that Danks will end up getting the job. About Danks, he says, "I love him because he throws strikes." About Floyd, he says, "If this kid throws the ball over the plate, he can be real effective." IF the kid throws the ball over the plate.

There's still two weeks to go in this battle, but I think Danks is going to take the spot. At least I'm hoping he is.

Maybe the Sox can trade for Wade Miller?