Tuesday, March 21, 2006 - Posts

Hindenburg eulogized

Luis Vizcaino arrived on the scene a year too late.  

If we knew we’d be getting a reliever who could appear several days a week, throw multiple innings and keep his ERA under 4.00, I’m sure he’d be a sight for sore eyes considering the current state of the Sox bullpen.

Instead, he was the second-weakest link in a talented Sox bullpen (I’ve combined Damaso Marte and Kevin Walker), and a guy we never wanted to see in a game.  If he was on the mound, chances were the Sox were losing.  And if they weren’t losing when he entered, they were in grave danger of trailing by the time he departed.

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Four things we already knew

To preview the upcoming season, Deadspin has started a series called "Four Tiny Tidbits About..." starting with the Chicago White Sox.  Unfortunately, because the series only started on Monday, I really don't know what it's supposed to look like, because the content contradicts the intro blurb. 

Here's the blurb: 

We’re only a couple of weeks from Opening Day, so it’s time to start previewing the season. Inspired by an old feature on The Black Table, we’re going team-by-team and distributing Four Things You Don’t Know about them.

And here's the four things we "don't know":

1) Ozzie Guillen will say anything
2) Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers wrote the fight song.
3) Carl Everett predicted them to finish third
4) Jose Contreras is a Cuban exile

Underwhelming to say the least, dontcha think?  I mean, I bet Item No. 1 is the only thing some people know about the Sox.  Item No. 3 doesn't really matter, and Item No. 4 is four-year-old news.  That leaves No. 2, the one about "Let's Go, Go-Go White Sox" as the only item with value. 

Looking at the Rockies' edition posted today, once again, No. 2 was the only piece of pure novelty.  That a pitcher's father was part of the band that performed "You're the Best" from "The Karate Kid" is the kind of stuff I'd like to see more of from this series.

Taking a few minutes to think about it, here's a short list I came up with that looks like it was written by somebody who followed the Sox at the start of last season.

1) Craig Landis, son of former Sox center fielder Jim Landis, is the agent of Paul Konerko and Jon Garland.
It took me some time to piece that one together.

2) Freddy Garcia is married to Ozzie Guillen's niece.
We all may know this, but I'm sure this is new to most people who don't follow the team.

3) Hawk Harrelson was responsible for firing Tony LaRussa in the 1980s.
Everybody knows Hawk as a broadcaster, but how many know he was also very dislikable as a general manager?

4) Anything about Bobby Jenks' upbringing.
Joe Cowley's piece sums it up.

5) Mark Buehrle proposed to his wife in a duck blind deer stand.
Only in Missouri.

This might be the only case where I'm upset that the Sox finished first, if only because Deadspin asked for email contributions.  I thought of that list in less than three minutes, and I'm sure there are better ideas out there.  Offer 'em up if you have 'em.