Category / Baseball

by jim

Saviors?

It’s been a busy couple of days in the Chicago baseball universe.  After nearly three months of futility at the hot corner, the White Sox shipped Zach Stewart and Brent Lillibridge to the Red Sox for the services of Kevin Youkilis on Sunday afternoon.  Less than 24 hours later, the Cubs finally decided to call up their latest superstar-of-the-future Anthony Rizzo, now that they have successfully manipulated his free agent status.

Youkilis, whose time in Boston was brought to a premature end thanks to the emergence of Will Middlebrooks, has been fighting injuries and the suggestions that he’s not the player he once was.  Even if that is true, he should be an improvement over the incumbents, who have managed to put together numbers that, to this point, have been surpassed by, among others, the Washington Nationals pitching staff.  Even a broken down Youkilis should be an upgrade as the White Sox try to make a run at the AL Central crown.  Orlando Hudson moves to the bench, but I would be surprised if he finishes the season with the Sox.

Meanwhile, the performance of the Chicago Cubs this season makes the White Sox third basemen look like all-stars.  However, the one person putting up numbers has been buried in Des Moines, with the new leadership of Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer tanking the 2012 season in the hopes of securing the 2019 season.  At the end of the day, it may end up having been the correct decision, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it now for the people who have plunked down their hard earned money to watch (or not, if the empty seats and StubHub listings are to be believed) the mess that is the 2012 Cubs, who may end up with the worst record in franchise history.  Now the pressure is on Rizzo to save the season and prove that he was worth the wait.

by admin

#376 – Mike Bertotti

Name: Mike Bertotti

Rank: 376

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1995-1997

Mike Bertotti made his major league debut on July 29, 1995 for the White Sox, picking up the victory against the Orioles.    Less than 2 years later, he ended his career facing one batter in another White Sox victory, this time against the A’s.  In between, he managed 26 other mostly mediocre appearances  during parts of 3 disappointing seasons for the South Siders.

Bertotti’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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by admin

#377 – Jeff Bajenaru

Name: Jeff Bajenaru

Rank: 377

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2004-2005

Jeff Bajenaru appeared in a grand total of 13 games for the White Sox (out of his 14 career appearances), but was lucky enough to make 4 of them in 2005, thus earning himself a World Series ring.  The best thing he ever did for the Sox just may have been following the 2005 season, when he was moved to Arizona for utility infielder Alex Cintron.

Bajenaru’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: Continue reading →

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#378 – Wilson Betemit

Name: Wilson Betemit

Rank: 378

Position: 3B

Year With White Sox: 2009

Wilson Betemit was acquired by the White Sox as part of the deal that sent Nick Swisher out of town.  His time on the South Side did not last long, as he garnered a whole 50 ABs before being DFA’d on June 4th to make room on the roster for rookie Gordon Beckham.  He spent the remainder of the year at AAA Charlotte before being granted free agency at the end of the season.

Of course, since then, he has saved his best for games against the White Sox, becoming a perpetual thorn in their side over the past 3 seasons.

Betemit’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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by admin

#379 – Steve Fireovid

Name: Steve Fireovid

Rank: 379

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 1985

Steve Fireovid was one of the last cuts of spring training in 1985, with a curveball pitching coach Dave Duncan described as “unhittable”.  When he was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo in early July, that curveball was nowhere to be found, and Firevoid managed to appear in only 4 games with the big-league club before being returned to Buffalo to make room on the roster for Joel Skinner.  He was eventually released following the season.

Fireovid’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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#380 – Wil Cordero

Name: Wil Cordero

Rank: 380

Position: 1B

Year With White Sox: 1998

Cordero was certainly one of the more despicable human beings to ever wear the White Sox uniform.  On November 4, 1997, he plead guilty to domestic abuse charges following two arrests the previous season while a member of the Red Sox.  The following March, he signed with the White Sox.  He received the lions share of his playing time at first base, with Frank Thomas becoming the DH on a more permanent basis.  While his deal included an option for 1999 as well, he was granted free agency following his one year on the south side.

Cordero’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were: Continue reading →

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#381 – Ryan Bukvich

Name: Ryan Bukvich

Rank: 381

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2007

The Naperville native appeared in a career high 45 games for the 2007 White Sox, coming up from Triple A as reinforcements after the original slate of arms Kenny Williams put together in the bullpen imploded.

Following a mediocre season, he was granted free agency, and he managed 4 more major league appearances before his career came to an end.

Bukvich’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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#382 – Jamie Burke

Name: Jamie Burke

Rank: 382

Position: C

Years With White Sox: 2002-2005

Jamie Burke appeared in only 64 games with the White Sox spread over three seasons, including just one during the 2005 season, but an argument can be made that he played a large role in bringing a World Series title to the south side.

Burke was acquired as a free agent following the 2002 season, and he was brought up for a brief cup of coffee in 2003, hitting .375 in only 6 games.

In 2004, Burke spent more time with the big league club, appearing in 57 games and hitting a respectable .333 in 133 at bats.  His defining moment, however, came behind the plate.  In September, the White Sox and the Twins were locked in a tight race for the AL Central crown when the Twins came to town for a three game series.  Late in the game, Burke was bowled over by Torii Hunter, enraging the crowd and giving the Twins a win in game one of the pivotal series.  Later in the series, Carlos Lee had an opportunity to give the Twins some payback going in to second base on a double play attempt.  Rather than go in hard, Lee pulled up, infuriating rookie manager Ozzie Guillen and, rumor has it, leading to the off-season trade that sent Scott Podsednik to the Sox and freed up the money to allow for the signing of AJ Pierzynski.  And that is how Jamie Burke played a pivotal role in the 2005 World Championship.

Burke himself appeared in only 1 game for the eventual world champs and was granted free agency following the season.

Burke’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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by admin

Godspeed, Kerry Wood

On April 12, 1998, Kerry Wood pitched in his first major league game, a 4-1 loss to the Expos.  Yesterday, he pitched in his last, a 3-2 loss to the White Sox.  Along the way, he, and Cub fans, experienced plenty of highs (the 20 strikeout game, 3 division championships, 1 wild card birth, the 2003 NLDS victory over the Braves) and lows (injuries, the 2003 NLCS collapse against the Marlins, injuries, 9 straight playoff losses, injuries).

Word started to leak out early Friday morning that Wood was planning on calling it quits, following an errant tweet from his wife.  Things had not been going well for him this season, and his aching arm did not seem to be up to the challenge of bouncing back day after day in the bullpen.  Because of the meltdown in his last appearance, where he was booed off the field and tossed his glove into the crowd in anger, Wood wanted to pitch one last time.  He got his chance in the 8th, with the Cubs down by one and Dayan Viciedo at the plate.

Like the Wood of old, he struck out Viciedo and, like that, it was over.  Acting manager Jamie Quirk came to the mound and Wood left the field to a standing ovation, right into the arms of his son.  After the game, he officially announced what everyone already knew, that he was walking away from the game, and team, that he loved.

I first saw Wood pitch in person on May 2, 2000 against the Astros, his first game back after elbow reconstruction surgery wiped out his 1999 season.  Besides winning the game, Wood also thrilled the crowd with a home run off of Jose Lima.  I saw him pitch 57 more times over the years, first as the ace of the Cubs staff, then as their closer, as an Indian and Yankee, and, finally, back home as a set up man, expected more to sell tickets and put butts in the seats than to get batters out.

Highlights include the showdown he won against the Yankees and fellow Texan Roger Clemens as the Rocket tried for win number 300, a few epic meltdowns in crosstown games against the White Sox, the home run and ultimate failure in game 7 of the NLCS against the Marlins, and, sadly, the injuries that robbed him of much of the promise he showed as a fresh faced 20 year old back in 1998.

Wood’s numbers in games I attended were:

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