They say that in performance reviews, you should lead with a positive before diving into the negatives, and then finish on an encouraging note. That said, we'll start with my top five games of the 2007 season.
I still don't know if I'll have anything upbeat to close it out. It may look more like the one in the
Kids in the Hall's "Mad with Power" sketch:
"OK, let's review your first week as second assistant manager. Ooh, you came in on time every day -- that's good! That's really good! But you killed Perkins, and that's bad."
And away we go...
No. 5: Sept. 16 -- White Sox 9, Angels 7Not only did Jim Thome hit his 500th homer, and not only did it win the game, but it capped off a comeback from a 7-1 deficit. Josh Fields and Danny Richar set up the moment with a three-run homer and a two-run homer, respectively. It also featured two scoreless innings from Mike MacDougal, of all people.
It would've ranked higher had the Sox not been 22 games under .500 at the time. Or had Thome hit more than 15 percent of his career home runs for the White Sox.
No. 4: July 28 -- White Sox 2, Blue Jays 0
This game lacks the pyrotechnics of the others on this list, but it embodies what I like about baseball -- the comical wrinkles and evening of luck over a 162-game season. The context makes this one special.
On
May 31, Mark Buehrle pitched brilliantly, pitching a complete game two-hitter against the Blue Jays. The problem was that both hits left the yard, and Roy Halladay blanked the Sox offense. Buehrle lost 2-0, and missed out on a chance to pick up his 100th victory.
Two months later, Buehrle and Halladay locked horns again, and this time, Halladay went the distance with nothing to show for it. He made one bad pitch -- a low-and-inside fastball to Jerry Owens, who jerked it just over the wall and inside the right-field foul pole for his first and only career homer. Buehrle, meanwhile, pitched eight strong innings for win No. 105.
No. 3: Aug. 8 -- White Sox 6, Indians 4 (13 innings)Uribe makes up for a two-error night with some walk-off ¡profundo! action, but only because Pierzynski bailed him out in the 12th.
With two outs and a runner on second, Uribe dropped a pop-up that would've ended the inning, and gave the Indians a 4-3 lead instead. Pierzynski got the run back immediately, homering to lead off the bottom of the inning, and then Uribe ended it by sending an Aaron Fultz fastball into the first row of bleachers in left-center.
It gave the Sox a rare win in a game started by C.C. Sabathia. It also improved their record to 53-60, which, as it turned out, was the high point of the season. The Sox lost nine of the next 10, and 19 of the next 23.
No. 2: Sept. 7 -- White Sox 11, Twins 10 (13 innings)The Sox and Twins were tied at 4 entering the ninth inning. They were tied at 10 at the end of it.
The top of the ninth featured some classic 2007 White Sox baseball -- Mike Myers, MacDougal and Boone Logan failed to retire six of the seven guys they faced in the inning, and the one out came from a sacrifice bunt. Alex Cintron extended the inning with an error. Logan gave up a three-run shot to Rondell White, who retired after the season for good reason.
But the Sox came back. Singles by Richar, Cintron and Luis Terrero to start the inning, followed by a two-run double by Fields. Thome made it a one-run game with a three-run homer, with no outs left.
Joe Nathan came in and walked Paul Konerko. Podsednik pinch-ran and stole second. A.J. Pierzynski struck out, but Pods would score on a Darin Erstad double over Torii Hunter's head, by far the brightest moment of Erstad's year and White Sox career (he says, fingers crossed).
Pierzynski ended up redeeming himself by driving in the winning run, which only got through the left side of the infield because Jason Bartlett didn't get the neighborhood call on what should've been a 4-6 fielder's choice the batter prior. Had the ump ruled differently, Bartlett would've been at normal depth instead of shaded towards second for the double play. Funny game.
No. 1: April 18 -- White Sox 6, Rangers 0
Buehrle records the first White Sox hitter since 1990, and only needed the minimum 27 batters to do it. A walk to Sammy Sosa was the only blemish, and Buehrle erased him with a pickoff.
He needed the best of the Sox's defense to do it, including a big diving stop by Joe Crede, who threw to first just in time to nail a diving Jerry Hairston. Crede won't want to remember his 2007, but at least he was able to serve a purpose.
Honorable mentions: