Baseball Archive



White Sox Acquire Manny Ramirez: A Roundup

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 31 at 12:53PM

http://www.tremendousupsidepotential.com/img/manny-ramirez-white-sox.jpg

White Sox grab Manny from Dodgers for cash: We've heard rumors for almost a week that LA was hesitant to ship Manny to the South Side without a mid-level prospect coming in return. But with the deadline to trade him closing in, the Dodgers decided that financial relief was enough to rid themselves of a player who turned into a major headache over the last 12 months. As such, the Sox only forked over money - $3.8 million - and nothing else to get Manny for the season's final month. And yes, he probably has to cut his hair. 

Great moments: Since Major League Baseball's YouTube Nazis forbid fun in any form, video of Manny's diving cut-off of a Johnny Damon throw isn't available on the Internet. Surely you remember it though, correct?

manny-ramirez-cutoff-red-sox.jpgForever great.

To me, this is one of the aughts' defining baseball plays, and the exact moment Manny went from oddball slugger to legendary clown. Of course, The Cut-Off hardly exists by itself on Manny's resume of weird -- ManRam has plenty more where that came from. Who could ever forget Ramirez's over-the-shoulder-catch-to-high-five-to-double-play-starting-relay combo during his waning years in Boston?


He also sold a grill on eBay once.

manny-being-manny-grill.JPG
Reminder: George W. Bush was funny. From Wikipedia:

Ramirez missed the White House reception for the Red Sox 2007 World Series championship. President George W. Bush  quipped: "I'm sorry [Ortiz'] running mate, Manny Ramirez, isn't here. I guess his grandmother died again. Just kidding. Tell Manny I didn't mean it."[49]

Let me be the first to say: WHATTTTTTTHAHAHAHA.

My worst-person-ever roommate in college used this excuse countless times when he was late with a paper. Great guy.

Stats: In 232 at-bats with the Dodgers this season, Manny is hitting .311/.405/.510. In 2008, you may remember, he did this upon arriving in LA via Boston: 396/.489/.743 in 53 games. If he's 3 percent as good in Chicago, the White Sox got themselves a hell of a deal.

Haters: The old guard doesn't care for Manny one bit. Jayson Stark and Ken Rosenthal each wrote columns bashing Ramirez this week. Rosenthal said:

Manny's Hall of Fame chances took a dramatic hit when he received a 50-game suspension last season for using performance-enhancing drugs. But even if you remove PEDs from of the equation, he flunks the "character, integrity and sportsmanship" criteria -- badly.

He quit on the Red Sox. He quit on the Dodgers. The Hall includes its share of miscreants, but Manny has routinely engaged in conduct detrimental to his team.

True, these were relatively isolated incidents. Some statistical analysts might look at his career numbers and say, "What more can you want?" My answer: Basic professionalism.

Random: After Manny got busted for taking a women's fertility drug to allegedly cover up steroids use (funny), this was the cover of the New York Post:

Mannyheadline.jpg

Thanks for that, Sox Machine.

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View From The Cell: Sox Ain't Dead Yet

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 25 at 1:15AM

TUP was meant to be dedicated to "Jordan Rides the Bus" today, but a late offer from a friend for "mob seats" at the White Sox game was too good to pass up. Too good because, even if we've only...

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Ozzie Guillen Continues To Defend His Jim Thome Blunder

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 19 at 1:30PM

Since we've last checked in on our White Sox, things have gone from bad to remote-through-the-TV awful. Tuesday's loss on Jim Thome's walk-off homer was the most painful defeat of the season, and blowing a five-run lead in the fifth...

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The White Sox Are Drowning

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 16 at 1:02AM

The last time the White Sox had a day off, they were still in sole possession of the AL Central. 13 days and 14 games later, we're staring straight at the first rough patch this team has hit since the...

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Kid Rock Makes A Dick Butkus T-Shirt Typo At The Cell

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 2 at 1:01AM

Not the alternative title: KID ROCK NEEDS A HISTORY LESSON.An event like "Mullet Night" -- the annual debonair-doused party the White Sox threw Friday at U.S. Cellular Field -- cannot be launched without a spectacular guest firing the ceremonial...

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Bobby Jenks Saves Sox's Win Over Seattle

by Ricky O'Donnell on July 29 at 12:03AM

Bobby Jenks, it would appear, is back. This isn't written in stone, mind you. Just one more blown save, perhaps even just another nail-biter, in the next week or so and Jenks' apparent death-grip on the Sox's closer job...

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The Ballad of Ricky-Bobby: Closers, Posers, And Why Baseball Sucks Sometimes

by Bobby Loesch on July 23 at 12:43PM

Note: Ricky-Bobby is BACK, bitch!Reason 4,493 why I hate baseball: when managers stick to their guns with a closer when it's clear that a) he's struggling, and b) there are much better options. BOBBY: This really isn't as much about...

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Mark Buehrle's Perfect Game -- I Was There, Son -- Was One Year Ago Today

by Ricky O'Donnell on July 23 at 12:20PM

Ah, one year ago today. I was at Mark Buehrle's perfect game, the artist formerly known as BobbyStompy was at Chili's. A memorable day all around, obviously.This YouTube video, taken by my friend Mike, still gives me chills. It...

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Bobby Jenks Blows It Again; Sox Fall In Seattle

by Ricky O'Donnell on July 22 at 1:01AM

"King of the Hill" is a relevant television program, correct?I have not watched a ton of baseball in 2010, but you already knew that. After all, it is summer, and TUP has had something like 130 straight posts on the...

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Things We Have Missed Because of LeBron

by Ricky O'Donnell on July 13 at 12:09AM

Way to Be In First Place, White SoxBy now, you know the narrative: down 9.5 games in their own division on June 8, the Sox entered the All-Star break on Monday as leaders in the AL Central. It really wasn't...

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The White Sox Are Interested In Adam Dunn

by Ricky O'Donnell on June 29 at 12:39PM

"No worries dudes, Kenny will trade for a bat if they need one."  -- TUP after the Sox decided to pass on Jim Thome in the off-season. Well, here the Sox are on June 29, needing a bat: according to...

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Sox-Cubs Begins Again, And Now It's Fun

by Ricky O'Donnell on June 25 at 12:32PM

There was a time when a Sox-Cubs series was one of the biggest moments of the year here at TUP: Stompy and I would each reach down into your inner beings to conjure up as much Wrigley hate as...

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White Sox First Round Pick Chris Sale Could Be Up In the Big Leagues This Season

by Ricky O'Donnell on June 22 at 12:35PM

From Baseball America: When Chris Sale started to slide in the first round of the draft because of signability, it was a surprise that the thrifty White Sox were the team that selected him. Now comes a bigger surprise: the...

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Six Straight Wins Bring the White Sox Back to .500

by Ricky O'Donnell on June 22 at 12:20AM

High fives are for winners. {{This post was really long and nearly complete....and then the system ate it. That happens sometimes. So consider this an abridged version.}} On June 8, the White Sox were nine games below .500 and 9.5...

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Pirates Call Up Top Prospect Pedro Alvarez To Face White Sox Tonight

by Ricky O'Donnell on June 16 at 1:45PM

This is the time of year to call up sick prospects, apparently: the incredible Stephen Strasburg, Buster Posey, Mike Stanton have each made their debuts recently, with varying forms of impact. Tonight, another consensus top 10 prospect gets a...

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For One Night, Chicago Baseball Becomes Relevant

by Ricky O'Donnell on June 14 at 5:06PM

What does it take for TUP to write about baseball at this point? How's this: a Sox-Cubs game at Wrigley with dueling no-hitters through 20 outs, all with the Stanley Cup in the house. Fine baseball, you win. I will...

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The Hawk Harrelson Soundboard Exists

by Ricky O'Donnell on June 8 at 11:46AM

Remember the Gus Johnson Soundboard? I know you do, because it was awesome. Well, if there was ever another man fit for his own Interwebz soundboard, it's Hawk Harrelson, right? I don't even think this is a debate. Now...

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Peace Out, Ken Griffey Jr. Peace Out, Youth.

by Ricky O'Donnell on June 3 at 12:38PM

Ken Griffey Jr. retired yesterday. He released a statement through the Mariners saying he was done, and that was it. Little hype, no victory lap, no anything. And with the NBA Finals starting tonight, the Stanley Cup in full...

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This May Not Be the White Sox's Year

by Ricky O'Donnell on June 2 at 12:08PM

Four examples.Example One: Last night's game.If the Sox are going to make a run in 2010, June has to be the month in which it begins. They only leave Chicago for nine days the entire month. Plus, they ended...

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Former TUP Writer Enthusiastically Fist Pumps on Minor League Dugout For "Jersey Shore Night"

by Ricky O'Donnell on June 1 at 12:10PM

On the far right, of course. Remember Bradwell? He wrote a few things here about a year ago, including that weird post on hats. We also had a big argument once over whether or not he could link to porn....

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Under Pressure From TUP, Simmons Recants on "Go Cubs Go" Opinion

by Ricky O'Donnell on May 27 at 7:24PM

False alarm, dudes: we can still like the Sports Guy.I sent Simmons the previous post on Twitter. BobbyStompy told him, "Been reading since 2003-ish. Today is the first time I've ever hated anything you've ever said. (/White Sox fan)"....

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Fun With White Sox Tweets From Joe Cowley

by Ricky O'Donnell on May 27 at 5:55PM

Jim Thome's on-base percentage: .388Mark Kotsay's on-base percentage: .318Jim Thome's OPS: .881Mark Kotsay's OPS: .733...

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Bobby's Progressive Field Photo Essay

by Bobby Loesch on May 26 at 2:10PM

Took a one-day road trip Tuesday with my buddy Dave (Cubs fan) to the White Sox-Indians game in Cleveland. Along the way, we kinda stopped all over the place. Things began at the College Football Hall of Fame in South...

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Ozzie Guillen LOL's All Over Cleveland's Misfortune

by Ricky O'Donnell on May 26 at 1:39PM

Via Deadspin...Guillen was nice enough to autograph a ball for an Indians fan before last night's game. He also put a personalized message on there. ...

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Sox Own Target Field, Jenks Tells Haters to "Chill Out"

by Ricky O'Donnell on May 12 at 1:55AM

If you think TUP has been ignoring the Sox on purpose this year, well, you're completely right. That's the great thing about running a city sports blog as opposed to a team-specific one: if there's a team that can't seem...

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The Ballad of Ricky-Bobby: Jake Peavy, Seriously?

by Bobby Loesch on April 30 at 12:21PM

BOBBY: What a week. Draft picks, Habs over Caps, Spurs over Mavs (not too crazy), the emotional Bulls playoff exit, back-to-back White Sox walk-offs, and the 'Hawks playing a game so thrilling that I almost couldn't focus on driving...

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Ozzie Guillen 'Bro's Down' With Jeremy Piven

by Ricky O'Donnell on April 27 at 2:13AM

Money, money, 20/20.And you thought the first post of the day would be about the Blackhawks. Ha! Everyone knows I'm unable to write a 'Hawks post without massive block quotes from hockey blogs. Gotta wait 'til those go up...

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The White Sox Are the Unluckiest Team in the Majors

by Ricky O'Donnell on April 19 at 1:46PM

From the always great South Side Sox... A lot of things are going wrong for the Sox right now, but perhaps the most pressing issue is the team's batting average on balls in play (BABIP).  According to Fangraphs, the Sox...

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Jones, Teahen Lead Sox to Victory in Toronto

by Ricky O'Donnell on April 13 at 2:49AM

The 2010 Sox have been playing baseball for all of seven games, and already we have a contender for strangest game of the year. Of course, baseball is a) eternal, and b) nuts, so we'll have plenty of other options...

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White Sox To Unveil New Statue Tonight

by Ricky O'Donnell on April 7 at 3:29PM

H/T: SouthSideSox....

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Ozzie Guillen Alerts Me That Someone I Know Of Is Getting Married

by Ricky O'Donnell on April 6 at 2:08PM

Now this is just pretty much the strangest thing ever. So, I go to Ozzie Guillen's Twitter account last night to see what he had to say about Opening Day. This is what I find.Who's "pat o connor"? Someone I...

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Things to Read: 4/6

by Ricky O'Donnell on April 6 at 12:51PM

Send tips to rickhouse@blogsbyfans.com. Become a fan of TUP on Facebook.Fanhouse: Easy TZ ranks the top 50 NBA free agents.MSF: Jerod waxes on the National Championship.By the Horns: A refection on new Hall of Fame person Scottie Pippen. TTCS: 10...

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Perfect Sox Opener Leads to Thoughts of Grandeur

by Ricky O'Donnell on April 6 at 2:30AM

First thing's first. I mean, oh my god. That was just tremendous. So, could yesterday have gone any better? I vote no. I am just so pumped up for baseball right now. Too bad we have to wait til Thursday...

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White Sox Opening Day Open Thread

by Ricky O'Donnell on April 5 at 11:54AM

Favorite Opening Day? '05, natch.Rowand scores Konerko on a ball that never leaves the infield. Shingo Takatsu frisbees down the save. Ross Gload catches the final out. White Sox 1, Indians 0. World Series, y'all. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!There are times when working...

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The Ballad of Ricky-Bobby: AL Central

by Bobby Loesch on April 3 at 12:10AM

Are the Twins the favorite in the AL Central? BOBBY: We're right at the time of year where we start to see the massive amount of prognosticating from various blogs, writers, and mainstream outlets. I haven't looked at a ton...

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One of These Things is Not Like the Others

by Ricky O'Donnell on April 1 at 9:02AM

Via SSS. Ah, baseball. So glad you're back. ...

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Will Leitch's Cubs Column Is Better Than His White Sox Column

by Ricky O'Donnell on March 22 at 2:52PM

Baseball is still two weeks away? Come on, baseball. I need you in my life. If baseball season really is eternal (it is), why does spring training seem like it lasts longer than a whole 17-week NFL season? I just...

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Twins Give Joe Mauer $184 Million

by Ricky O'Donnell on March 22 at 12:19PM

So the Twins aren't cheap anymore? It's a storyline that has been developing all offseason, but the contract Minnesota just gave to Joe Mauer puts an exclamation point on it. To see "$184 million" and "Twins" in the same sentence...

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Things to Read: 3/17

by Ricky O'Donnell on March 17 at 1:30PM

Send tips to rickhouse@blogsbyfans.com. Become a fan of TUP on Facebook.MOUTHPIECE: The Blackhawks join Jay Leno.SB Nation: Your guide to enjoying the NCAA Tournament if you don't really care.NQTC: The best backcourts in college hoops.Deadspin: Will Leitch previews the White...

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Cubs Fan Tom Morello Scolds Racist Cubs Fans

by Ricky O'Donnell on March 8 at 12:47AM

Baseball has been back for about two and half weeks now, and we've still yet to make fun of the Cubs. This needs to end. Enter my main man Tom Morello - Rage Against the Machine guitar wizard, Chicagoan, and...

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Bloggers Interviewing Bloggers Makes the World Go 'Round

by Ricky O'Donnell on February 25 at 3:04AM

Daniel from C70 At the Bat, BlogsByFans resident St. Louis Cardinals blog, asked me 10 questions about the White Sox. Go over to his site and check out my answers. ...

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Ozzie Guillen's Twitter Account is Real, Adjust Your Life Accordingly

by Ricky O'Donnell on February 24 at 2:41PM

At first, I really didn't think @ozzieguillen was real. The account was verified when I started following it last night, but 20 minutes later it wasn't. Also, this was Ozzie's picture.If you google the name Ozzie Guillen, that's the second...

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The White Sox Are Interested In Johnny Damon

by Ricky O'Donnell on February 11 at 3:43PM

Hey, White Sox! Want people to get over the fact that you passed on bringing back Jim Thome - you know, you're best hitter last season - for a mere $1.5 million, and instead let him sign with your most...

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Are the Twins the Favorites In the AL Central?

by Ricky O'Donnell on February 8 at 1:31PM

For most the winter, the assumption around here was that the White Sox were the preseason favorites in the AL Central. It makes sense: a full-year of Jake Peavy + a full year of Lord Bacon + maybe a full-year...

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PECOTA Has Spoken: 2010 White Sox = 2009 White Sox

by Ricky O'Donnell on January 29 at 2:09PM

I do a PECOTA post every year, and - oh hey! - Baseball Prospectus' Nate Silver-inspired numbers machine has put out a new set of data. This is quite possibly my favorite algorithm.Once again, PECOTA hates on our White Sox....

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Jim Thome Signs With the Twins

by Ricky O'Donnell on January 27 at 3:20PM

We've known this was coming since October, but it still stings to see it happen: Jim Thome signed with the Twins yesterday. He'll make only $1.5 million this season.This is what SouthSideSox wrote on its Facebook fanpage when the news...

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The Cheat: Passing On Thome Is Ozzie's "All The Pieces Are In Place" Moment

by Ricky O'Donnell on January 26 at 2:42AM

Yesterday, the White Sox decided to pass on bringing back Jim Thome. It appeared Kenny Williams was in favor of Thome returning, but the GM gave veto power to his manager, and Ozzie said no dice. Here's how Ozzie explained...

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Cubs Interested In Jermaine Dye

by Ricky O'Donnell on January 18 at 1:55PM

Alternate head: "Bobby Stompy Put On Suicide Watch"From ESPN Chicago....According to major league sources, the Chicago Cubs and Dye have interest in each other and have had preliminary talks. ... Although Dye has been an outfielder throughout his career, he...

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Just A Reminder: Frank Thomas Never Used Steroids, Was Actually Still Quite Good

by Ricky O'Donnell on January 13 at 2:11AM

Nothing makes me change the channel like steroid talk, and, as you can imagine, I've been doing a lot of channel changing the last three days. Steroid talk doesn't get my pageviews. My pageviews are valuable (like yours!) and need...

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A Whole Mess of White Sox Prospect Rankings, Because, Why Not?

by Ricky O'Donnell on January 6 at 3:26PM

It's been all quiet on the White Sox front since the Pierre deal - yeah, still no DH - so now seems like as good a time as any to take a look a look at the farm system. Mad...

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The Ballad of Ricky-Bobby: Is The MLB Too Top Heavy?

by Bobby Loesch on December 18 at 3:42PM

New TUP feature: Ricky O and I chew on a weekly subject...BOBBY: I just read your Cust post where you say the White Sox are "set" if they somehow are able to acquire him... but with the MLB rich getting...

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The White Sox Should Find Another 50 Cents For Jack Cust

by Ricky O'Donnell on December 17 at 1:32PM

"You can't spend a dollar when you only have 50 cents" is becoming Kenny Williams' very own version of "Rex is our quarterback". For the second straight offseason, we've heard Kenny use his favorite phrase when talking about budget constraints...

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Things to Read: 12/15

by Ricky O'Donnell on December 15 at 4:09PM

Send tips to rickhouse@blogsbyfans.com. And don't forget about my Juan Pierre post below.Bring back the 'stache!About Last Night: Patrick Kane celebrated his 21st birthday with Vince Vaughn, Bill Kurtis, Richard Dent, and Ernie Banks. Deadspin: Tiger PED scandal? Pitchfork: The...

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The White Sox Trade For Juan Pierre And I Actually Think I'm OK With It

by Ricky O'Donnell on December 15 at 12:49PM

I was going to start this out with "Juan Pierre would have been better off playing 30 years ago, before Billy Beane wrote Moneyball", but that actually isn't true. In what other era does Pierre get a $44 million contract?...

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Thursday Night Non-Running Diary: Bulls, 'Hawks, ect.

by Ricky O'Donnell on October 30 at 1:30PM

I realize that it has become a TUP staple to write about the Bears every Friday during the NFL season. I'm not doing that today. The reasons for this are twofold.a) That game in Cincinnati was downright depressing. Demoralizing. But...

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Jim Thome wants to return to the White Sox in 2010. Or play for the Twins :(

by Ricky O'Donnell on October 12 at 1:53PM

A friend brought up a good point recently regarding the sendoff of Jim Thome and Jose Contreras from the South Side: Thome drew far more adoration from the fans and media after the trade, but shouldn't it have been the...

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BBA ballot: AL Manager of the Year

by Ricky O'Donnell on October 11 at 9:40PM

When BBF brother from another mother Daniel at C70 At The Bat asked us to join the Baseball Bloggers Alliance a couple months ago to represent the White Sox, we had to accept. As such, we have some baseball awards...

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David Aardsma probably hurt his back reading 'The Machine'

by Ricky O'Donnell on September 24 at 12:03PM

While former terrible White Sox reliever David Aardsma has yet to fulfill his destiny and play for the Pirates, he's still a) the first player listed in any baseball almanac, and b) having a pretty good season with the Mariners....

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Bring back Jenks and JD

by Ricky O'Donnell on September 23 at 12:46PM

I don't think I need to tell you that Jermaine Dye and Bobby Jenks are two of the main culprits in this disaster of a second half for the White Sox. Dye was fantastic in the first half, OPS'ing .942....

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The White Sox are awful, but Daniel Hudson sure looked nice

by Ricky O'Donnell on September 22 at 1:05PM

I'm still too busy clinging to my "baseball is crazzzzy!" stance to write off the 2009 White Sox, but we're getting there. They have 11 games left and are seven back of the Tigers, and 4.5 games behind the Twins...

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Jake Peavy will pitch for the White Sox on Saturday

by Ricky O'Donnell on September 16 at 2:49AM

We interrupt this Bears blog to bring you an important message about your favorite baseball team: Jake Peavy is alive, and he will pitch on Saturday night at U.S. Cellular Field against the Royals. If you have some extra cash...

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Tell The Devil The White Sox Sent Ya, Metrodome

by Bobby Loesch on September 3 at 1:46AM

It was a storyline that was going to write itself. The White Sox were either going to lose their last game at the Metrodome and go out with a whimper or win and "exercise the demon" of the seventh oldest...

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Out with Thome, in with the Dodgers

by Ricky O'Donnell on September 2 at 11:58AM

Jim Thome strikes out too much. He's too slow. He's too old. He hits, like, .240! In conclusion: shoulda kept Rowand.For all those reasons, and plenty more, I love Jim Thome. Always will. Who doesn't love Jim Thome? He's baseball's...

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Jose Contreras, in memoriam

by Friends of the Program on September 1 at 12:58PM

It takes a special occasion to dust off the "Friends of the Program" byline, but I knew it had to be done when I heard about last night's trade of Jose Contreras. This post is brought to you by Keenan...

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Quoth Milton Bradley

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 28 at 2:39AM

''I'm here to play ball. I came here to win a championship. Ain't nothing I'd rather do. If I could do anything, one, I might cure the lupus my aunt has; two, another aunt got both legs cut off because...

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On the White Sox...

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 27 at 1:33PM

I wanted to bash Cowley much, much more, but bit my tongue. Read my strange blend of apathy and pseudo-optimism here.  ...

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Rick Telander has some advice for Tom Ricketts

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 24 at 2:17AM

The headline:From Rick-T to T-Rick... LINDA COHN, LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE.The aforementioned advice is pretty great, too.1. Fix the goddamn toilets. 3. Tell your baseball guys there is only one directive: Get rid of players who don't know how or...

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Contreras pitches, looks like a Cuban

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 20 at 2:42AM

Considering the number of '05 World Series heroes that have made an impact on the Sox this season, maybe this story isn't a surprise.Let's set the scene.In his last six starts, Jose Contreras is 0-4 with a 7.62 ERA. He...

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Alex Rios to the White Sox. Greg Zaun not included.

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 11 at 12:30PM

Head over to the Sun-Times for my Full Court Press post on Rios-to-the-Sox. More later, including the story of the second best heckling job I've ever seen. Yes, Rios is involved.  First to respond to Doyle, who's trying to temper...

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Scotty Pods saves the day

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 5 at 1:56AM

Cue the Joe Cowley recap that only Joe Cowley could write...Showing a newfound flair for the dramatic, Podsednik mounted the white horse and played hero for the third time this season, with the latest chapter of his rebirth written in...

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A few words on the greatness of Gordon Beckham

by Ricky O'Donnell on August 4 at 3:58AM

Yankees SS Derek Jeter ''He's playing well,'' Jeter said. ''I got a chance to talk to him a little bit because he's been on second base the whole series. He can hit, that's the bottom line. You throw him in,...

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PEAVY (question mark, exclamation point)

by Ricky O'Donnell on July 31 at 4:10PM

So that happened out of nowhere.Jake Peavy to the White Sox for pitchers Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Dexter Carter, and Adam RussellKenny Williams! I think I like this trade - you'll have to excuse me, but sometimes it takes more...

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Brian Anderson and Josh Fields, in memoriam

by Ricky O'Donnell on July 31 at 11:37AM

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...

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Mark Buehrle is extra perfect. The Sox D, not so much

by Ricky O'Donnell on July 29 at 11:13AM

A few screen grabs from the Interwebs today:a) Mark Buehrle's box score from yesterday.b) This link/headline in a Fanhouse post. Buehrle unravels!? More like Scott Podsednik couldn't catch an easy fly ball (I'll blame it on that goddamn white roof,...

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Carlos Quentin: too intense for at-bat music

by Ricky O'Donnell on July 28 at 3:48AM

At-bat music has long been a favorite subject of mine. Many moons ago, I lobbied for the White Sox to put down the Nickleback and step up their game. Lately, I've been finding myself debating the same question over and...

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Mark Buehrle, laughing in the face of your silly jinx

by Ricky O'Donnell on July 27 at 2:07AM

The White Sox get a big, fat C- from me this weekend, but in TUP's continuing quest to stay positive, let's look at some good things. Like jinx smack talk!Take it away, Buehrlot.''It's one of those superstitious things that I...

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Mark Buehrle throws a perfect game. I was there.

by Ricky O'Donnell on July 24 at 3:52AM

Also: please read Stompy's take .*A little over two years ago, this happened:Me: "Yo bros, wanna go to the Sox game tonight?"Bros: "I'm tired; it's too cold; I have a lot of homework; it's too expensive." Ect.That was April 18,...

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Thornton saves Sox' win over Rays. This series is nuts.

by Ricky O'Donnell on July 23 at 12:58AM

How much fun was last night's 4-3 White Sox win over the Rayz Rays? So much fun that I just decided I'm going to go to the finale tomorrow. These are the types of things you can do when you...

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What's the deal with Bobby Jenks?

by Ricky O'Donnell on July 22 at 11:26AM

Bobby Jenks has been flirting with disaster lately, and last night it finally caught up with him. Clayton Richard pitched arguably the best outing of his career, allowing only four hits and one run over eight innings (while striking out...

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Chicago MSM kicks 'Halladay to the White Sox' into overdrive

by Ricky O'Donnell on July 20 at 12:28AM

We've FJM'd Rick Morrissey here before, and when the text messages starting rolling in about his mandatory 'trade for Halladay' column, I figured it may have to be done again. I would have called Bradwell into duty for the post,...

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Will Carlos Quentin conquer plantar fasciitis?

by Ricky O'Donnell on July 16 at 12:38AM

Plantar fasciitis is quickly becoming a common enemy in Chicago sports. The foot injury has kept Carlos Quentin out the last month and a half, but now Q! is ready to come back, perhaps as early as tomorrow. But how...

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Several things.

by Ricky O'Donnell on July 14 at 1:48AM

And none of them are important. But can you blame me? As was pointed out to me during last night's Home Run Derby by Gapers Block's Brian Livingston, there are only two days each year that feature zero professional sports...

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Believe in the White Sox

by Ricky O'Donnell on July 13 at 12:00AM

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...

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What really happened to Bartolo Colon

by Ricky O'Donnell on July 9 at 10:58AM

The real story comes from Ozzie, of course.''I think Colon disappeared,'' Guillen said before the game, unable to keep a straight face over the bizarre situation. ''I think immigration is looking for him. I worry about Colon because Colon was...

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The player representing the White Sox in the All-Star Game should be...

by Ricky O'Donnell on June 23 at 3:03AM

Scotty Pods!*SlowBreaker column on the draft, Harold Reynolds, and that 'Moneyball' movie. ...

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The Cubs demolish Scott Linebrink, Part II

by Ricky O'Donnell on June 18 at 5:14PM

I saw the Sox celebrate like this once. WHEN THEY WON THE WORLD SERIES.Will someone please tell Scott Linebrink to stay at home when the Cubs come to The Cell next week? Yeah, none of the Cubs' runs in the...

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Sox + Cubs = fun

by Ricky O'Donnell on June 16 at 2:39AM

BobbyStompy types the words "Jay Cutler" in a Gordon Beckham post. I think that means it's worth your time. Smart people hate the Crosstown Classic. Jim from SoxMachine calls Cubs-Sox "the two worst weekends of the season". Most of the...

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The White Sox draft a football player. They're due, right?

by Ricky O'Donnell on June 10 at 11:33AM

Yesterday, Sports Illustrated ranked how successful each team has been in the MLB draft over the last 10 years. It shouldn't be a huge surprise that the White Sox were placed at No. 29, ahead of only the Astros. Some...

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The White Sox party like it's 2005

by Ricky O'Donnell on June 9 at 12:01AM

These things happened. Yesterday.- Jose Contreras pitched a gem.- Scott Podsednik hit a home run.- Freddy Garcia became one of the guys again.Really, it was quite a day to be a Sox fan. Things got off to a frustrating start...

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A look at the Sox' top prospects

by Ricky O'Donnell on June 5 at 12:17PM

We're already almost a third of the way through the baseball season? I think it snuck up on me because the Sox were so mediocre for most of the first two months. The Bulls and Blackhawks might have had something...

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The time has come: Chicago welcomes Gordon Beckham

by Ricky O'Donnell on June 4 at 4:23AM

Yesterday, I planned on previewing the White Sox' top five prospects, but then, you know, stuff came up, and I never got around to finishing it. Now it all seems useless. The Gordon Beckham Era beings today against the A's,...

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No. 550 brings the White Sox back to .500

by Ricky O'Donnell on June 2 at 1:14AM

I really can't say enough about Jim Thome. His career, his White Sox tenure, the fact that he's probably the nicest professional athlete in the world, the fact that he could be the greatest 16-inch softball player of all-time even...

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Alexei takes a seat

by Ricky O'Donnell on May 7 at 1:48PM

The Sox have sort of fallen out of the public eye a bit recently, and rightfully so. I think the Bulls and 'Hawks have done enough to earn our attention. Maybe it's a good thing we forgot about the Sox:...

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Monday roundup: remembering an undefeated weekend

by Ricky O'Donnell on April 20 at 12:17AM

Bulls!We'll get to Rose in a second, but I don't want his "welcome to superstardom" performance to cover up the fact that the Bulls' Game 1 win over the Celtics was a true team effort. We hear so many debates...

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Go to Top Ten

by Ricky O'Donnell on April 15 at 3:53AM

I tried hard on this one: top ten players in the AL Central. *PODSLet's just get one thing straight, something most of you should already realize: this will not work. Funny, sure. I'd even go so far to call it...

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Oops, There Goes a Billion Kilowatt Dam!

by Bradwell on April 13 at 8:33PM

Harry's World Series CallToday, I am unspeakably grateful for that.  When Philadelphia won the World Series in 1980, Harry Kalas and the Phillies broadcast team were blackballed from calling any of the games due to the national broadcasting contract.  Harry...

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A new fad will sweep Chicago

by Ricky O'Donnell on April 8 at 2:32AM

Your main course: a rather juicy top ten list.And in case you missed it: listen (and drink!) to our podcast (TUP-cast? I think so.). *One Jay Cutler angle that hasn't been hyped up nearly enough yet: Bama Bangs.Get ready Chicago,...

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TUP Podcast 4: we need a name for this

by Ricky O'Donnell on April 7 at 1:27AM

If we exclude the celebrated Hot or Not Era, I think TUP may be at its all-time strongest right now. Bradwell threw up a new post a few minutes ago, and Stompy's Cutler post got some love from the indispensable...

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Out of Context Stats

by Bradwell on April 7 at 1:12AM

Statistics are fun.  They're indicative of value, constantly changing, highly debatable and Joe Morgan hates them.  What's not to like?With 24 of the 30 Major League teams playing their first games, we've got all sorts of goofy one-game stats too...

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AL Central preview, predictions, and random thoughts

by Ricky O'Donnell on April 6 at 12:45AM

In case you missed it yesterday, check out Stompy's latest on Jay Cutler. We know you can't get enough.I guess I can't complain that there's nothing going on in Chicago sports anymore. Baseball season kicks off today, the Bulls are...

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