Tag / Tigers

by admin

Adios Rios

alex-rios

The Alex Rios era came to an end today as the enigmatic right fielder was shipped to the Texas Rangers for a player to be named later who may or may not be Leury Garcia.  Rios first joined the White Sox in August of 2009 in a waiver claim from the Blue Jays, in a move widely assumed to block the first place Tigers from acquiring him.

Rios spent the final 41 games of the 2009 season with the White Sox, finishing up with a disappointing .199 batting average and only 9 RBI as the team failed to repeat as champions of the AL Central and missed the playoffs.  He rebounded in 2010, hitting .284 and putting together the fourth 20/20 season in White Sox history.

2011, however, was a train wreck, as his average dropped back down to .227 with only 13 home runs and 44 RBIs.  The only person standing between Rios and the title of worst player in baseball for the season was Adam Dunn, who just so happened to be in the same lineup every night.

To his credit, Rios bounced back once again in 2012, hitting over .300 and becoming the first White Sox player to have 2 20/20 seasons.  It looked like 2013 would continue to be good for Rios, but, like the rest of the White Sox offense, he mostly disappeared starting in mid-May, keeping his average above .270 but losing his power and getting pulled out of a game late last month for dogging it.

For the White Sox, this move opens up more salary flexibility for next season and, more immediately, provides a slot for Avisail Garcia, acquired in the Jake Peavy trade, to join the big league club.

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

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Sweet Home Alab… er, Boston

CT sox-tigers05.JPG

Jake Peavy, the hard throwing 32-year old right hander, saw his tenure on the south side come to an end today when he was traded to the Red Sox in a three-way deal that would send Jose Iglesias to the Tigers and Avisail Garcia and three low level prospects to the White Sox.

The White Sox first traded for Jake Peavy on May 21, 2009, but Peavy invoked his no-trade clause to block the deal.  The next day, in a game against his soon-to-be cross town rival Cubs, Peavy injured his ankle running the bases and headed to the disabled list.  When the White Sox came around again at the trade deadline despite the lingering ankle injury, Peavy agreed to the deal and left the Padres to join the White Sox in exchange for Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Adam Russell and Dexter Carter.  Peavy eventually managed to make 3 starts for the White Sox, winning all 3 and giving fans hope for the 2010 season.

After getting off to a rough start in 2010, Peavy got on a roll and strung together five consecutive victories until July 6, when he suffered a detached latissimus dorsi muscle, a rare injury that ended his season.  Peavy worked his way back to the White Sox rotation in 2011, but he needed time to adjust to his reattached muscle and rebuild his strength.

In 2012, Peavy led the surprising White Sox to a summer in first place and was named to the All Star team.  Unfortunately, the team faded down the stretch and finished behind the Tigers for the AL Central crown.  After the season, he avoided free agency by reupping with the White Sox, signing a two year, $29 million dollar extension with a vesting option for 2015.  Unfortunately, the late season collapse that doomed the White Sox in September of 2012 continued into 2013, as the team fell into the cellar and saw an opportunity to improve themselves by moving Peavy.  Only time will tell if the move will work out.

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

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#296 – Andy Gonzalez

andy_gonzalez

Name: Andy Gonzalez

Rank: 296

Position: 3B/OF

Year With White Sox: 2007

Andy Gonzalez joined the White Sox organization as their 5th round draft choice in 2001.  He worked his way up through the system and eventually made his major league debut on April 25, 2007 against the Tigers.  Gonzalez found his way into 67 games over the course of the lost 2007 season, hitting a meager .185.  Following the season, the White Sox declined to tender a contract for 2008 to Gonzalez, making him a free agent.

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

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by admin

Ballpark Tour: Tiger Stadium

Stadium Name: Tiger Stadium

Location: Detroit

Home Team: Tigers

Years in Service: 1912 – 1999

Visits: 1

Tiger Stadium opened as Navin Field on April 20, 1912, the same date as Boston’s Fenway Park.  It would serve as the home of the Tigers until the final game on September 27, 1999, an 8-2 Tiger victory over the Royals.

My one and only trip to Tiger Stadium was during its final season, on August 2, 1999, when rookie Kip Wells made his major league debut for the White Sox, picking up the win in the victory against the Tigers.  The stadium reminded me of the old Comiskey Park, with the dark ramps and tunnels leading out to the glorious green of the field.

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#303 – Dewon Day

Chicago+White+Sox+Photo+Day+DTGVwRS1MaylName: Dewon Day

Rank: 303

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2007

Very little went right for the White Sox in 2007.  The bullpen, which GM Kenny Williams had stacked with power arms, imploded, and when one of those arms was sent down to the minors for more seasoning, young Dewon Day was called up to take his place.

Day was acquired by the White Sox in December of 2005 as a Rule 5 draft pick out of the Blue Jays organization.  He made his major league debut on May 28, 2007 against the Twins, giving up 2 runs in 1 inning of work.  Unfortunately, this was pretty indicative of how his season would go, as he ended up with an 11.25 ERA over 13 games in 2 stints with the big league club.  He made his final appearance on July 23, throwing a scoreless inning in a loss to the Tigers.

Day spent the entire 2008 season in the minor leagues, and, following the season, he was placed on waivers and selected by the Red Sox.

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

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30 For 30 – Visit A Neighbor To Our North Or South

TimHortonsThe fine folks at away.com have come up with a list of 30 Things Every Traveler Must Do Before They’re 30.  Of those 30, I’ve managed to accomplish 12 of them, or roughly 40% of them, some of which was even before I turned 30.  Today we look at #21 on their list, visit a neighbor to our north or south.  My first foray to Canada occurred on August 2, 1999, during a trip to Detroit to see the White Sox take on the Tigers in the final season of Tiger Stadium.  A quick bus trip across the border led to dinner in Canada, at a barbecue place whose name escapes me now.

I took a second trip to Canada in 2010, again as part of a trip to see the White Sox and the Tigers.  This time I was staying in Windsor, with the bus taking me back to Detroit for the game.  To ensure my Canadian experience was complete, I did enjoy a morning breakfast at Tim Horton’s, even taking in a maple donut.   One quirk of both trips north of the border has been the difficult time I’ve had getting back in to the United States.  Apparently the agents working the border there are not used to people crossing back and forth for purposes of baseball.

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#309 – Heath Phillips

R8XeYSVkName: Heath Phillips

Rank: 309

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2007

Heath Phillips was drafted by the White Sox in the 10th round of the 2000 draft, and he finally signed the following May.  It was a long, slow crawl through the organization until Phillips made his big league debut in September of the lost 2007 season, picking up the loss in relief against the Tigers.  Phillips appeared in 5 more games that September, which was the extent of his White Sox and major league career.  He was granted free agency that winter and allegedly ate himself back to the minor leagues.

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

by jim

2013 Predictions

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersContinuing the tradition started two years ago and continued last year, here are my picks for the baseball season that is just getting underway.

American League

East: Rays

Central: Tigers

West: Angels

Wild Cards: Blue Jays, A’s

AL Champion: Angels

Cy Young: David Price

MVP: Mike Trout

National League

East: Braves

Central: Brewers

West: Dodgers

Wild Cards: Giants, Cardinals

NL Champion: Braves

Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw

MVP: Matt Kemp

by jim

All Time Team Records

As we head into the 2013 season, here all the all-time team records in games that I have attended.

All-Time Team Records

Team Won Lost Winning Pctg
California Angels 1 0 1.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 12 2 0.857
Florida Marlins 15 8 0.652
Philadelphia Phillies 10 6 0.625
Toronto Blue Jays 9 6 0.600
Chicago White Sox 209 171 0.550
Colorado Rockies 7 6 0.538
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 14 12 0.538
New York Yankees 9 8 0.529
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by admin

#321 – Terry Leach

terryleach

Name: Terry Leach

Rank: 321

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1992-1993

Terry Leach joined the White Sox at the end of spring training in 1992 after being released by the Expos and became one of the most effective members of the bullpen over the course of the 1992 season.  He posted a 1.95 ERA in 51 games as the White Sox finished 10 games behind the A’s.  The next year, the 39-year old Leach battled elbow issues and was limited to 14 games for the eventual Western Division champions.  He pitched in the final game of his 11 year major league career on June 23 against the Rangers.

The following spring, Leach was released during spring training, and he retired in 1995 after a failed comeback attempt with the Tigers.

Leach’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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