Tag / White Sox

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All Star Break Standings

With the All Star Game on the agenda for tonight, it’s time to take a look at the team records for the 16 games I’ve been to in the first half.  It’s been a disappointing 3 months for both Chicago teams, although one of them was expecting it.

Team Won Lost Winning Pctg
Tampa Bay Rays 2 0 1
Minnesota Twins 2 0 1
Cleveland Indians 3 0 1
Chicago Cubs 2 0 1
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 1 1 0.5
Chicago White Sox 6 8 0.429
Seattle Mariners 0 2 0
Milwaukee Brewers 0 1 0
Miami Marlins 0 2 0
Kansas City Royals 0 1 0
Houston Astros 0 1 0
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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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The Sell-Off Begins

matt-thorntonThe towel was officially thrown in last night as rookie general manager Rick Hahn began the dismantling of the very disappointing 2013 Chicago White Sox by trading veteran relief pitcher Matt Thornton to the Red Sox in exchange for minor leaguer Brandon Jacobs, a 2009 draft pick described as “toolsy”, but not considered a significant prospect.  Thornton had been the longest tenured member of the White Sox not named Paul Konerko, joining the team during spring training in 2006 in a trade with the Mariners for first round bust Joe Borchard.

Under the tutelage of pitching coach Don Cooper, Thornton found a home in the White Sox bullpen, eventually becoming their all-time leader in pitching appearances with 512.  The high point came in 2010, when Thornton was selected to represent the White Sox at the All-Star game, a rarity for a set-up man.  The only real knocks against Thornton were his inability to close, which he was asked to do occassionally when Bobby Jenks would go down with an injury, and his inability to consistently rely on a pitch other than his fastball, which has been his downfall more recently as his velocity has started to dip with age.

Personally, I have seen 1131 pitchers take the mound in games that I have attended, and Thornton leads them all in appearances, with his closest active competition 46 games behind.  It will be strange to not have him in the White Sox bullpen anymore, but all things must come to an end and, given his salary and the state of this year’s squad, it was time for him to move on.

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

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#297 – Erick Threets

Erick+Threets

Name: Erick Threets

Rank: 297

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 2000

Erick Threets joined the White Sox organization as a minor league free agent following the 2009 season.  After puttingavup  sterling numbers in Triple A, Threets was called up to the big league club when Bobby Jenks was placed on the bereavement/family medical emergency list on June 27th.

Threets continued to impress in the big leagues, not even giving up a single run before a turf toe injury placed him on the disabled list on August 3rd.  He returned three weeks later and, two days later, made an appearance against the Yankees, where he tore his ulnar collateral ligament, ending his season and his White Sox career.

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

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GFY2 – Week 51

Y2Week51Well, this turned out to be the best week in some time, with every day over 5000 steps and all but one over 6000.  Sunday benefited from a trip down to Wrigley Field for exciting Cub baseball.  The work week saw me spend plenty of time gallivanting around the campus trying to find a way to get the tracker to be recognized.  Friday and Saturday were helped along by exciting White Sox baseball.

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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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#298 – David Sanders

DavidSandersWhiteSox

Name: David Sanders

Rank: 298

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 2003, 2005

David Sanders joined the White Sox organization as their 6th round pick in the 1999 draft.  He made his major league debut on April 23, 2003 against the Orioles, mopping up in a blowout loss.  Sanders appeared in 20 games for the south siders that season, putting up a gaudy 6.14 ERA.  He spent all of the 2004 season back in the minor leagues before returning briefly to the major leagues for 2 appearances in 2005.  Sanders did his small part to pushing the White Sox to a World Series victory by giving up 3 runs in 2 innings of work.

Following the 2005 season, and before said World Series championship even took place, he was granted his free agency and his baseball career came to an end.

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

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Ballpark Tour: County Stadium

Stadium Name: County Stadium

Location: Milwaukee

Home Team: Braves, White Sox, Brewers

Years in Service: 1953 – 2000

Visits: 1

Milwaukee County Stadium was built with the intention of drawing a major league baseball team to Milwaukee, and it worked quicker than anybody would have expected, as the Braves announced they would be moving from Boston 3 weeks before the stadium, and the 1953 season, opened.  The Braves would call Milwaukee home for the next 13 seasons before leaving for Atlanta for the 1966 season.

Across the 1968 and 1969 seasons, the struggling Chicago White Sox wound up playing 20 home games at County Stadium in an effort to keep the baseball fandom alive in Milwaukee.  In 1970, local businessman Bud Selig purchased the expansion Seattle Pilots out of bankruptcy court and moved them to Milwaukee and rechristened them the Brewers.  The Brewers would call County Stadium home until 2000, when they would move next door in to the newly built Miller Park.

I made one trip up to County Stadium for a White Sox/Brewers tilt on July 18, 1993.  The White Sox were victorious thank to a 2-run single by Bo Jackson in the 9th inning. I remember sitting out in the bleachers, but, beyond that, have no particular memory of the stadium or what amenities, if any, it offered.

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#299 – Bill Long

billlongName: Bill Long

Rank: 299

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1985, 1987-1990

Bill Long was acquired by the White Sox along with Ozzie Guillen, Tim Lollar, and Luis Salazar from the Padres in exchange for LaMarr Hoyt in December of 1984.  Long made his major league debut that July against the Indians, going 5 innings and getting a no decision in the White Sox loss.  Long finished the year with a disappointing 10.29 ERA in 4 games with the big league club.

That performance helped keep Long at Triple A for the entire 1986 season, but he bounced back in 1987, making 23 starts for a White Sox team that finished in 5th place.  1988 saw Long spend more time in the bullpen, finishing the season with a career high in appearances.  The next year was even better, as Long put up a career best 3.92 ERA in only 30 games.

April of 1990 saw Long appear in 4 games, giving up 5 runs in less than 6 innings before GM Larry Himes decided it was time for Long to move on.  As the month drew to a close, Long was traded across town to the Cubs in exchange for a minor league pitcher.

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