Believe in the White Sox

Yesterday's 13-7 beatdown in Minnesota is a tough way for our White Sox to enter the All-Star break. Mark Buehrle, God bless him, occassionally just doesn't have it, and yesterday, well, he just didn't have it. But since we here at TUP are always trying to stay positive, here are a few reasons to be excited for the second half. What I'm basically trying to say here is: hey, this team is sort of okay!

The first one is a biggie.

a) As pointed out to me this weekend by esteemed commenter Mack Condor, the White Sox only have...get a load of this....six more games left at the Metrodome! If that doesn't make you happy as a Sox fan, I don't know what will.


b) This quote yesterday from Steve Stone on Twins infielder - and serial grinder - Nick Punto.

"Punto loves to dive head-first into first base...for what reason, I have no idea. Nick has not figured out you can get there faster running than diving."


c) Becks and Getz

One thing that has killed the Sox in recent years: a lack of guys to help turn over the lineup. The Sox' worst hitters always seem to be worse than their opponents'. Juan Uribe, Darin Erstad, I'm looking at you. But not anymore: Beckham and Getz are starting to form a potent bottom of the order. Beckham, of course, will eventually be something so much more, but the fact that he's improved the Sox so much already by just doing what he's doing (how much better is he than Josh Fields right now?) is perfectly fine for the rookie. And Getz - who had a terrible May - is hitting a cool .316 in July.

Keep in mind these two had only seven combined major league at-bats heading into the season (all by Getz). They were pretty good in the first half, and they should be better in the second.

c) 4.07

The Sox' team ERA, good for second best in the AL. Not bad for a rotation with so many question marks heading into the year.

d) Four

The number of Sox hitters batting over .300. Ok, Scotty Pods dropped down to .299 yesterday, but he's been so great the whole season that I'm including him anyways.

e) 27-19

The Sox record since May 20, the day of the Peavy rejection and 20-1 creaming against Minnesota. Perhaps it wasn't as damaging as we originally thought.

f) Mike finds Colon!

We thought Thursday that Ozzie Guillen had untangled the Bartolo Colon mystery, but I guess not. Turns out esteemed commenter/friend/master tweeter Mike K. did.

Late last week on ESPN AM 1000, the Afternoon Salon held a contest to see which listener would be the first to find Fake Bartolo. They gave out two clues ("Good 'til the last drop", and "Joe, Fairchild"), and Mike showed up at Morgan's in University Village to find out he won. His prize:



Very cool.

*
For more Sox first-half wrap up goodness, check out White Sox Examiner. (Is a C- for Beckham's defense a bit generous? Move that man to second next year, please.)

*
Finally, the triumphant group consensus from this weekend:

Lawn seats at the World Music Theater Tweeter Center First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre equals bleacher seats at Wrigley. It works on so many different levels.