The season is winding down, but the Sox are still in first

September 9th, 2012 Bill Mahoney Posted in News, Opinions

I think the Sox owe the Angels a huge “Thank you.” With the Halos sweeping the Tigers, the Sox remain 2 games ahead of their closes chasers in the Central Division, even though they lost 2 of three to the Royals.

First off, A.J. Pierzynski is taking PED’s about as much as I’m 9-feet tall. It’s a real crappy world when someone can start a rumor, and it takes off like it’s the truth. Pierzynski has 25 home runs, and I went back and looked at all of them…well..almost of them, and none of them were ones where I thought it shouldn’t have gone out, or had that little extra carry. No, I am not a PED genius, but A.J. hasn’t always been the most beloved player in the bigs, so it’s hard for me to fathom that he would want to bring more headaches (media) into his life by taking MLB’s banned substance.

I think what we might be seeing is a guy in the last year of his contract, knowing that he has one last payday before joining the MLB Network or Fox or ESPN.

What sucks is next year when myself, or one of my colleague’s, goes to interview the guy, we’ll get crap for what someone else wrote. I can only hope that one day the, “this rumor is true world”, will go fade away. Sadly, I think it’s only going to get worse.

Saw Jesse Crain at the gym the other day. No, actually I didn’t, but the guy lifting weights looked like a spot on duplicate of the Sox reliever.

I need to know where all the Sox fans are? You team is 2 games ahead in the Central race, and the stadium was half empty. I know it’s not the high ticket prices since the Sox offer great deal for families and individuals. An average of 24-thousand or the 3 games against the Royals is horrible. It’s funny that all fans want their favorite teams to spend money on a winner before they show up. The Sox have put a winning team on the field, and still people don’t show. No doubt, if the Sox win the division most will say they were there for each and every game.

Few notes from the weekend. Dayan Viciedo hit a home run for the first time since August 16th.

The Sox used 19 pitchers this weekend. I like the way Robin Ventura manages. Hey if you got the weapons, why not use em.

Addison Reed is one weapon in need of some grease. In his last 6 outings, the Sox closer has an ERA of 13.50. It’s a long season, and slumps are inevitable, but I was on pins and needles the last couple days he pitched.

Sox went 6-30 with RISP this weekend. I wonder if Rey Olmedo will get talked to for not running out a ball on Sunday they would have given the Sox 2 on with noone out, instead of 1 on, and 1 out. Striking out in the bottom of the 10th with the tying and winning run on base happens, but usually not in games where said player makes a big mistake earlier.

I thought Adam Dunn would win the home run title going away, while putting a little money on my pocket. With Dunn being unable to swing a bat, things aren’t looking promising that he’ll be back anytime soon. All that means is he’ll probably play Monday.

One guy who looks to be coming back is Gavin Floyd. His throwing sessions went well, so I think he’ll be back sometime this week.

I know Buck Showalter is the leading candidate, but shouldn’t Ventura get a little love for the Manager of the Year?

I like the Royals in the 70′s..I hate them now.

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Sox take 2 of 3 from the Twins–blame it on Rio(s)

September 5th, 2012 Bill Mahoney Posted in Main, Opinions

First off–where are all the the Sox fans? There are less than 30 games left in the season, and the Cell is half empty. FYI: The Sox are in 1st place and have a good shot at winning the Central Division. The Cubs are 30.5 games out, and have no shot. EMBARRASSING!

Pitching and good defense win games. The Sox received enough of those two in taking 2 of three from the Twins.

Can you all remember in the spring when, I don’t remember the publication, ranked the Sox farm system dead last in the majors. They pretty much said the Sox system sucked. 6 months later and those suckee prospects are helping the team at every turn.

Hector Santiago came up huge on Monday. After starting the season as the closer, he was moved to middle relief, then to Charlotte, where he helped the Knights earn a spot in the playoffs.

Now he’s back to help the Sox to the post-season. If Monday is a precursor of things to come, he’ll do just fine. Holding the Twins to 3 hits and 1 earned run over 5 innings is nice work. Not happy with the 3 walks, but I’m just nitpicking.

I’m sure the Twins were unsure what to do with his screwball. Being the only lefty in the bigs to use that pitch regularly, the Twins had no chance.

The Sox employed Nate Jones and Addison Reed as well on Monday. Those are 2 more guys from the Sox system that is the worst in baseball (tongue in cheek).

Offensively, the Sox were led by another product of their down-trodded farm system, Gordon Beckham, who went 2-4, including a 2-run shot.

One more thing about the Sox system. The Winston-Salem Dash, the Sox advanced Single-A team, is also headed to the playoffs.

Maybe I’m wrong, but it looks like Jose Quintana has hit the wall. Quintana has gotten worse in each of past 4 starts.

8/19 vs KC: 7.0 9 2 2
8/25 VS SE: 5.2 5 3 3
8/30 vs BA: 3.2 7 5 5
9/4 vs MIN: 1.1 5 7 7

Including his minor league innings, Quintana is over 160 ip, which is a career high, by far. It might be time to skip his next start. I know it’s tough with Gavin Floyd out, but he may need a break. The Sos have Quintana scheduled to start next week against the Tigers–so much for my idea.

Hey, Jake Peavy won his 10th game of the year. He should have about 16 or 17 wins, but at least he made it to double digits.

Peavy is gonna get a lot on money this offseason when he is a free agent. No, I don’t think he’ll be getting it from the Sox.

The Sox are still holding onto 1st, but offensively they are in a funk. Well, most everybody not named Alex Rios. Rios cranked out a grand slam and a 2-run shot in the finale, finishing with 6 RBI. All told, Rios went 4-9 with a pair of jacks and 7 RBI in the 3 games.

Also in the 3 games, Beckham went 4-9 while Dwayne Wise went 5-12 with a stolen base and 2 RBI. Wise also pitched an inning in Tuesday night’s blowout loss. The man can do no wrong.

Defensively, these 2 are part of the group that is 2nd in the A.L. with just 63 errors.

Beckham, Rios, Pierzynski Viciedo, Ramirez, Sale and Peavy are near the top of the A.L. in fielding %.

Everything isn’t perfect though. You have to hope that Adam Dunn’s oblique isn’t bothering him, but he hasn’t gone yard in 10 games. The big man has just 13 RBI since the All-Star break, and just one in his last 10 games.

Same thing for Paul Konerko. The Captain has just 7 RBI since the ASB, and only 2 in his past 11 games. Plus, he has not gone yard in his last 14 games.

I wouldn’t call Kevin Youkilis a power hitter, but he has suffered a power outage lately, as well. Youk is homer-less in his last 9 games, with just 3 RBI in his last 12.

Noticing a trend.

I would go over A.J. Pierzynski’s offensive woes, but the man never takes a day off, and handles a pitching staff consisting mostly of kids.

I won’t say anything about Dayan Viciedo either. I think if at the beginning of the year we were told that The Tank would be hitting .259 with 19 home runs and 59 RBI going into the last month of the year, we would have all taken that with a smile on our face.

The Sox now have to turn their attention to the Royals, who are a pain in the ass every time these 2 meet. Sox need, or make that have, to take 2 of three from the 74 loss Royals.

It’ll also be nice if the Tigers lose tonight so the Sox will go into the 3 game Royal series with a 2 game lead.

After tonight’s finale against the Indians, the Tigers get three at the surging (or desperate) Angels.

Than it’s mano y mano

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Sox are purr-fectly overwhelmed after visiting the Tiger den

September 5th, 2012 Bill Mahoney Posted in Game Stories, Opinions

Last season the Tigers put a hurtin’ on the Sox, winning their last 7 games–all but one coming in September. I know this is a different year, but right now the story reads the same. The Sox went into Detroit in the first week of September and got swept, giving the Tigers 7 straight wins over the South Siders (2 sweeps + one win). This is exactly what happened last season, except that all those wins closed out the series between these two. The Sox still have 4 home games left with the Motown mashers. I hope when they play those games starting Monday the 10th they have come up with some different answers, ’cause we already know the question. “What team beats the pants off the Sox?”


The Tigers didn’t have a lot of problems with Jake Peavy, Francisco Liriano or Chris Sale. The Sox starters cumulative ERA against the Tigers over this past weekend was 7.31. The runs didn’t chap my hide as much as the combined 15 walks issued by the trio. No, not all of them scored, but they kept innings alive, which led to more pitches, leading to longer innings.

Liriano alone walked 7 guys in just 4 innings. Unacceptable! When Liriano is good he is unhittable, but when he is off, like he was on Saturday, he is no better then mediocre.

Detroit just gets up for the Sox. Even guys like Brennan Boesch play out of character. Boesch normally doesn’t play against lefties, but he did against Liriano and Sale, and each time had a key hit. A triple off Liriano and a home run off Sale.

Being that’s it’s been a couple days since they played, and I am late in writing I’m not dissect everything that went wrong, but I know the Sox will put the last week behind them. A 1-6 trip through Baltimore and Detroit isn’t what the doctor ordered, but the Sox are still in first place so all is well.

Sox need–have–to take 2 of three from the Twins, because their next opponent is the Royals, and we all know they don’t play well against them.

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The Birds peck away at the Sox, take 3 of 4

August 30th, 2012 Bill Mahoney Posted in Main, Opinions

If you were in Vegas and had the choice to put money on which Sox starter would get a win over the Orioles, would any of you have put cash on Dylan Axelrod?

What’s the word? I guess surprising would be the one I am looking for, that Axelrod would be the guy to stifle the surprising Orioles. His great pitching in game 3 was the one Sox highlight since Monday.

Maybe I shouldn’t use the word surprising so much. Axelrod, yes, but the Orioles, no. Buck Showalter has never won the big prize, but he has been a key part of two different World Champion teams–in the sense that they won the year after he left. I’m talking about the Yankees and D’Backs circa 1996 and 2001.

He is performing his same magic on the birds.

The first thing that came to my mind when Chris Sale and Jose Quintana were hit hard was the innings are catching up to the guys. That may be too linear, and too easy of an excuse, but two of the top Sox starters didn’t look good.

Sale outing was his shortest of the year. I guess that’s to be expected since Lew Ford was in the Orioles lineup. Ford, who last played in the majors in 2007 with the Twins, can still hit lefties.

Ford came into the series with no home runs, but left with 2. Not only did he get Sale, but he got Francisco Liriano, too. Quintana found a way to get the guy out. This time of the year it’s not always the name players who get the big hits, it’s the no-name guys who do a lot of the damage.

Matter of fact, Sale looked a lot like the bad Liriano in his start. Averaging 19 pitches an inning, 76 im total in his 4 innings is not what we have come to expect from the Sox Cy Young candidate.

Quintana was even worse in his start in the finale, throwing 76 pitches in less than 4 innings, while allowing 5 runs. I think it was just an off start for the 2 guys.

Sale could have been looking forward a bit, knowing he squares off against Justin Verlander on Sunday.

I’m trying to avoid the offense, as it wasn’t very good for the most part. Alexei Ramirez and Gordon Beckham were two guys who did play well. Ramirez went 6-13, while the best 9th hitter in baseball went 5-15.


Baseball is a game of ebbs and flows, and right now some of the bigger Sox stars are ebbing–is that right?. A.J. Pierzynski is 0 for his last 17. He only hit one ball out of the infield during the 4 games, plus he got tagged out on a close play at home in the finale.

Paul Konerko only had 2 hits, while Adam Dunn picked up 3.

Loved the Sox get up before the series. Dressing as hipsters was awesome, and is needed from time to time in a very stressful season. No, I don’t think it had any effect on this weeks performance.

Rosters expend in a couple days, so Axelrod sent back down to Charlotte isn’t a huge deal. Well, maybe it is as the Knight’s are in the playoffs, and having a guy like him in the rotation can only help them as they vie for a title.

Congratulations to Tyler Flowers, who is a new father.

Welcome Jose Lopez, whose star has dimmed since his salad days in Seattle. He picked up a couple hits in his Sox debut on Thursday.

So the Sox dropped 3 of 4 to the Orioles. No one will remember a thing if they get 2 of 3 from the Tigers. I hope they can do it, but Fister, Scherzer and Verlander are 3 tough cookies.

Sox go into the 3 games with either a 2, or 3 game lead.

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Thank’s to Flowers Sox come up smelling like a rose

August 26th, 2012 Bill Mahoney Posted in Main, News, Opinions

The sign of a good team--at least to me–is one that not only gets up for high end opponents, but also finds the motivation to crush struggling one’s too.

I think most would have understood if the Sox played down to the Mariners over the weekend. Coming after the Sox sweep of the Yankees, and sandwiched between pivotal games in Baltimore and Detroit, the M’s were in a prime position to surprise the South Siders.

There were no surprises in store, as the Sox whipped the M’s in all three games. What’d ya think of that first game? I took my eye of the game in the 9th, thinking it was over, walked back in the room minutes later to catch the end of the Mariners six run explosion. I did hang around to watch the Sox win it in the bottom of the inning.

Nice outfield defense by Seattle gave the Sox a come from behind victory What a game! I know there was something historical about it, but to me, it was just a great win.

I guess Tyler Flowers may have a future in the league–haha. Flowers may never match the durability of A.J. Pierzynski, but the man can play. Defensively, he has a cannon behind the plate, and when he hits the ball it travels a long way. That moon shot he hit in the finale was jaw dropping.

Coming after another rain delay, Flowers just smoked a Kevin Millwood offering over the center field wall. His game winner on Sunday followed his go ahead blast on Saturday. Pierzynski is still the king of catchers, but Flowers isn’t a bad fall back.

Don’t see Robin Ventura get riled up like he did in the 2nd game. Every game you can see Ventura’s confidence growing. Yeah, he got ejected–as did Pierzynski–but it did seem to inspire the team.


I wonder when Ventura is away from the park if he ever thinks, “Man, this managing stuff isn’t that tough”.

I get so caught up in Kevin Youkilis’ offense that I forget how good he is defensively. Youk almost never takes a bad angle on a ball, and makes spectacular plays, along with the routine.

I read where most are saying the Sox won’t pick up his 13-million option for next year, but I, for one, think they will. He has brought a swagger to the team that it lacked early in the season. It also doesn’t hurt his cause that Brent Morel is hitting in the low .200′s with Charlotte.

Adam Dunn came in as 30/1 shot to lead the MLB in home runs. With his pair on Friday, he now has 38, giving a 4 more than his closest challenger in the A.L. & N.L. I am guessing he will finish with 45, and over 100 knocked in. I am sure most will talk about his low batting average, and high strikeout totals.


Feel bad for Gavin Floyd. I know a lot of you hate him as a pitcher, but lately he hasn’t pitched badly. Him leaving on Sunday with elbow soreness isn’t good. The Sox do have depth on their team and farm system, but the last thing you want is an untested rookie in the rotation at the start of September.

I am a Sox and Angels fan, so I was pissed that the Halos couldn’t at least take 2 of 3 in Detroit. They led in the final 2 games, but bullpen problems did them in for the umpteenth time. No matter how mad you might get at the Sox relievers, thank the heavens that you don’t have the Angels pen (pig).

The Sox still maintain a 2.5 game lead over the Tigers, but this week’s 7 game series, that ends with 3 in Motown, will go a long way in deciding who will represent the Central Division in the post-season.

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Sox Sale-ing right along, take a broom to the Yankees

August 22nd, 2012 Bill Mahoney Posted in Game Stories, Main, Opinions

Early August 1991, the Sox swept the Yankees in a 3-game set in Chicago. No one knew that it would take more than 21 years to do it again.

In August 1991, Robin Ventura was a star 3rd baseman. Playing to his left was another pretty good player in short stop Ozzie Guillen. Who knew more than 2 decades later that one would follow the other as manager of the Sox.

In another twist of irony, the manager of the 1991 Sox was Jeff Torborg. The conditioning coach of this year’s Sox is Dale Torborg, Jeff’s son.

I love it when history comes full circle.

Ok, I get it, Gordon Beckham is a fine #9 hitter. Three days after saying that the team should move Beckham out of the nine hole, the 2nd baseman went off.

Over the 3 games Beckham went 5-9 with a home run and a pair of RBI. If it wasn’t for a nice grab by Nick Swisher, he might have picked up another RBI. His defense is unquestioned. I thought he was playing right because that’s where he was when he fielded a ball in the finale. His amazing play cost Derek Jeter a hit. Beckham should be a finalist for a gold glove, as he is truly amazing.

Chris Sale better get some Cy Young votes. Sale not only won his 15th game of the year, but he also struck out 13, giving him 29 in 3 games. Sale’s ERA in August is 2.79. I thought he might slow down as the season gets deeper, but he looks to be getting stronger.

For 2 of the 3 games, the starters carried the load for the Sox. Sale and Francisco Liriano’s combined ERA in 2 games was an outstanding 1.81. The Yankees had few, if any answers for the lefties.


The same con’t be said for Gavin Floyd, who struggled to find his control, walking 4 in less than 3 innings. Robin Ventura knew he didn’t have his good stuff, and didn’t hesitate pulling Floyd after he walked Raul Ibanez in the 3rd. He had already allowed 5 hits and 3 runs.

The last time these 2 met, Yankee Dwayne Wise burned the Sox at every turn.

This time the tables were turned, as Sox Wise now burned his ex-mates. 7-14 with a long ball, plus some great defense for the guy, who is filling in for the injured Alejandro De Aza.

It’s been a long 6 games for Kevin Youkilis, who has been plunked in 3 of the past 6 contests.

Nice to see him take out his frustration on the Yankees, who couldn’t have been happy to have face the former Red Sox 3rd baseman again. Youkilis only had 2 hits in the 3 games, not counting the one’s that bounced off his body, but one of them was a clutch grand slam in game two.

I know teams like the Yankees bring out the best in other teams, and the same can said for the Sox. Paul Konerko also had a home run in the 3 games to go along with his 4 hits.

Alex Rios also appears to be coming out of his slump. His 20th round tripper of the year gave the Sox the win in the Finale. Rios is only 4 away from tying his career high. What a come back season for Rios.

I know, Adam Dunn doesn’t reach base as much as you all would like, but you can’t question his defense at 1st. He showed some impressive range lately. Dunn is now 2 home runs in front of Josh Hamilton in the A.L. home run race.

Dayan Viciedo’s 11-game hit streak is now kaput. Let’s hope he doesn’t go the other way now.

Here’s what the Sox coaches told me this past spring, or maybe it was 2 springs ago, I can’t remember. Anyhow, they said that a team will win 60, and lose 60, but it’s the last 42 that separates the contenders from the pretenders. The Sox have played 123 games, giving them 39 left to play. The sweep of the Yankees gave them a 3-0 record to start the final 42. You get that, right?

My concern now is the Sox will look past the Seattle Mariners. With games against the Orioles and Tigers to follow, it’s an easy thing to do.

Sox still own a 2 game lead over the Tigers in the Central.

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Sox strike gold in Ventura

August 21st, 2012 Bill Mahoney Posted in Features, Main, Opinions, Video

Having spent the past 9 springs with the Sox, even I was skeptical after Robin Ventura was hired to manage the team. Ventura was a great player, but he had never managed, or coached, even on the little league level, so it was hard to gauge how he would do taking over a team that underperformed in 2011.

In February, once everyone saw what he was about, opinions changed, with most starting to realize that the Sox may be on to something. No, Ventura wasn’t as quotable as Ozzie Guillen, but his relaxed demeanor was exactly what this South Siders needed.

Flash forward 6 months, and all doubts are gone. Now everyone knows that Ventura has just as strong a grasp of the game from the bench, as he did from the field when he played.

MLB Network and Alanna Rizzo put together a nice piece on Ventura, who explains what he told GM Ken Williams when first approached about the job. It also goes in-depth on his job to date, with some nice quotes from A.J. Pierzynski. This is a must watch for Ventura and Chicago White Sox fans.

Liked it, huh?

I know the season still has about 6 weeks left, but how confident was I that the Sox would do well under Ventura? I put money on them to win the division in February. I don’t bet much..ever! However, as of August 22nd, things are looking good.

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Peavy shows the Union League Boys & Girls Club what a perfect day looks like

August 21st, 2012 Bill Mahoney Posted in Main, News

Having spent the last 3 springs around Jake Peavy, I have watched him brighten the days of our military men and women as part of the Wounded Warrior program. That is during the spring through when things are a little less stressful.

Peavy still does all he can during the regular season, but the stakes are raised April through September.

On that note, Peavy took some time from his busy schedule to help out a group of boys and girls from the Union League Boys & Girls Club of Chicago today. Trading strikeouts for school supplies, Peavy accompained the boys and girls as they went on a back-to-school shopping spree at the Staples on West Jackson near Union Station.

Just looking at the pictures only gives you a glimpse at what Peavy did with these kids. Yes, he signs autographs and takes pictures, but more importantly he engages each and every child.

He listened to all their stories, while telling a few himself. And as a firm believer in education, Peavy chatted up the kids on the benefits of school, and to stay motivated even through the tough times.

Staples also did their part, donating hundreds of bags full of school supplies to the Union League Boys & Girls Club in addition to making donation to the Jake Peavy Foundation.

http://www.jakepeavy44.com/

A great day all around for Peavy and the kids.

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