Brian Anderson and Josh Fields, in memoriam

Before we go all Bears all the time here (today is the first day of the rest of our lives), we may as well pay tribute to two fallen White Sox: Brian Anderson and Josh Fields.

Anderson has already been traded, from one racist organization to another. Fields was optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday. He could get traded today (possibly for nothing more than a bag of balls and a slice of Pie), but even if he doesn't, it's unlikely you'll ever see him in a Sox uniform again.

It seems fitting to write this post on the day of the trade deadline. Both Anderson and Fields were first round draft picks, and once considered elite prospects in the organization. There was a time when both probably had immense trade value; now neither has any. Both were, without a doubt, huge busts.

But that doesn't mean they didn't leave an impact. So, without further ado, I present to you the finest moments in the careers of Brian Anderson and Josh Fields.



Thank you for almost quitting

In February of '08, Fields spoke at a Christian athletes luncheon and said he thought about quitting baseball forever because he couldn't handle the White Sox' highly immoral clubhouse.

If it happened now, this would be no big deal because Fields pretty much sucks. But this was after the 2007 season, one that saw Fields crank 23 homers in 100 games. Most people thought he'd be really good, to the point where some (me included) wanted the Sox to trade Crede before 2008 to clear the path for Fields.

So, at the time, the fact that the Sox' best young player considered retiring because Ozzie lives life in the fast lane was sort of a big deal. I wrote a post on it, and it got linked by lots of places, including Deadspin. To this day, I believe it holds to the TUP record for most comments.

Disdain for Beckham

Congrats Josh Fields, you're the only person alive who doesn't love Gordon Beckham!  In fact, he probably hates him. From a post here about two weeks ago:

Fields, who lost his starting job to Beckham, called over several media members, as well as Beckham, to let them know that he and Beckham would be taking the same flight to Atlanta for the All-Star break after the game but with one difference -- Fields was ''in Row 40-something'' and Beckham was flying first class.

Fields then joked that Beckham has taken his job and a better spot on the plane, so Fields has ''locked my wife away just in case ... she's all I got left.''

Beckham only could shake his head and try not to turn red.

Other Fields facts to consider

- Played quarterback at Oklahoma State. Add him to the list of failed football players the White Sox have turned into failed baseball players. Also includes: Jerry Owens, Joe Borchard, and hopefully not Jared Mitchell.

- Gave Podsednik No. 22 back shortly after it was realized that Pods rulez.

- Played first base, caught the final out during Mark Buehrle's perfect game.


Probably a tremendous douche

I'll let this speak for itself. From the Sun-Times in February 2006:

TUCSON, Ariz. -- The "honeys" mean a lot to Brian Anderson. That's why he makes no apologies for making sure his uniform "looks tight" before he takes the field. Or why he didn't hide the fact that the reason he was wearing a baby blue shirt at SoxFest in February was because "the honeys think I'm sensitive."

BA caught it

Let's think about the happier times. Like Anderson's finest moment: his diving catch to end Game 163 against the Twins last season and send the Sox into the playoffs.

So there you have it, the finest moments in the White Sox careers of Josh Fields and Brian Anderson. Good luck on your new teams. We'll miss you (no we won't).