PERFECT GAME FOR MARK BUEHRLE OF THE CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Showing posts with label Chicago White Sox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicago White Sox. Show all posts
Friday, July 24, 2009
Monday, July 28, 2008
Chicago Pro Teams Prediction: Chicago and the playoffs
I'll try this new thing called "Chicago Pro Teams Prediction" because I like offering my predictions and seeing how right or wrong I was. Hopefully I will be right with this on.
I predict.......that at least one Chicago baseball team will be in the playoffs this October.
Really, I think both the Cubs and the White Sox will go to the playoffs, but I am certain that Chicago will be represented in the 2008 MLB Playoffs. As for the World Series, I'm not ready to make any predictions about that yet.
I predict.......that at least one Chicago baseball team will be in the playoffs this October.
Really, I think both the Cubs and the White Sox will go to the playoffs, but I am certain that Chicago will be represented in the 2008 MLB Playoffs. As for the World Series, I'm not ready to make any predictions about that yet.
Did You Know: how the Cubs and White Sox got their names
This is kind of like what ESPN's Sportcenter's "Did You Know". The main differences in mine at times might be longer and it will be about Chicago teams instead of East Coast teams! Sorry, I couldn't resist. By the way, does Sportscenter still do "Did You Know". I can't remember now.
This hopefully will be the first in a series. I hope to do several "Did You Know"s in the future but we'll see I guess.
The first "Did You Know" or "DYK" as I might call is going to be how the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox became the Cubs and Sox. Although it seems that has been their names forever, at one point they both had different names and they eventually got changed to Cubs and Sox. How did that happen? I'm going to tell you. The quotes are from Great Baseball Feats, Facts, & Firsts by David Nemec and Scott Flatow. According to the book, the Cubs were previously called the White Stockings, Colts, Orphans, Broncos, and Cowboys. The White Sox were previously called the Invaders after the American League "invaded" Chicago. The only reason the Cubs were the Colts was because their player-manager Cap Anson was in a play called Runaway Colt. When Anson left, that is when they started being called the Orphans. If they still named teams using that method, the Oakland A's would probably be called the Oakland Poormen because of their very low payroll.
First the Cubs:
"In 1901 Chicago sportwriters George Rice and Fred Hayner began referring to them as the Cubs because their roster was stocked with so many young players after the American League raids had depleted it."
That's kinda odd right? Sportswriters naming teams. Can you see that happening today? Imagine if a Pittsburgh sportswriter wrote, "The Pirates looked like a bunch of turtles out there the way they were reacting to plays." I really doubt the league would officially change the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Pittsburgh Turtles just because some sportswriter called them that.
And now, the White Sox:
The AL Chicago team changed their name to the White Stockings in 1901 "which had been discarded by its National League conterpart (the Cubs) in the late 1880s, but the sobriquet (meaning nickname...why couldn't they write that?) was immediately abbrviated to fit into sports page headlines."
So how about that? The Cubs are the Cubs because MLB really valued the opinions of sportwriters in the early 1900s and the White Sox are the White Sox because White Stockings was too long to fit in sports page headlines.
Interesting....did you know that?
This hopefully will be the first in a series. I hope to do several "Did You Know"s in the future but we'll see I guess.
The first "Did You Know" or "DYK" as I might call is going to be how the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox became the Cubs and Sox. Although it seems that has been their names forever, at one point they both had different names and they eventually got changed to Cubs and Sox. How did that happen? I'm going to tell you. The quotes are from Great Baseball Feats, Facts, & Firsts by David Nemec and Scott Flatow. According to the book, the Cubs were previously called the White Stockings, Colts, Orphans, Broncos, and Cowboys. The White Sox were previously called the Invaders after the American League "invaded" Chicago. The only reason the Cubs were the Colts was because their player-manager Cap Anson was in a play called Runaway Colt. When Anson left, that is when they started being called the Orphans. If they still named teams using that method, the Oakland A's would probably be called the Oakland Poormen because of their very low payroll.
First the Cubs:
"In 1901 Chicago sportwriters George Rice and Fred Hayner began referring to them as the Cubs because their roster was stocked with so many young players after the American League raids had depleted it."
That's kinda odd right? Sportswriters naming teams. Can you see that happening today? Imagine if a Pittsburgh sportswriter wrote, "The Pirates looked like a bunch of turtles out there the way they were reacting to plays." I really doubt the league would officially change the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Pittsburgh Turtles just because some sportswriter called them that.
And now, the White Sox:
The AL Chicago team changed their name to the White Stockings in 1901 "which had been discarded by its National League conterpart (the Cubs) in the late 1880s, but the sobriquet (meaning nickname...why couldn't they write that?) was immediately abbrviated to fit into sports page headlines."
So how about that? The Cubs are the Cubs because MLB really valued the opinions of sportwriters in the early 1900s and the White Sox are the White Sox because White Stockings was too long to fit in sports page headlines.
Interesting....did you know that?
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
MLB Playoffs Predictions!!
Eight teams will be fighting for the trophy you see at the beginning of this post, but which eight teams? It is still early but now that the season is officially half-way over, I will take a guess at the eight playoff teams in October.Well here it goes:
AL CENTRAL: Chicago White Sox
Call me a homer but the Sox have a very good team. They already showed they have the pitching but now they have convinced me that their offense is elite too. If a team has a great combination of offense and pitching, they will be very hard to defeat. The big key is that guys like Jim Thome, Nick Swisher, and Mark Buehrle have put their struggles behind them and are playing great now.
Even Cubs manager Lou Piniella said, "The White Sox should win that division by a half-dozen games or more, to tell you the truth. They have everything you need. Everybody looks at the Cubs … look at the White Sox."
I agree. The Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, and Minnesota Twins are good teams, but I think the Sox are just simply better.
AL EAST: Boston Red Sox
The Tampa Rays have been impressive but the Red Sox are just more experienced. They may be in 2nd place now but by the end of the season, the BoSox should be in 1st place.
AL WEST: Los Angeles Angels
The Angels win the division because they are a good team but also because the rest of the division isn't that good. The Oakland A's are currently 3.5 games out of 1st place as I type this but I think they are overachieving. Then again, the A's always overachieve, but the Angels have great hitting and solid pitching. The Texas Rangers are getting better but I doubt they are still in the race by September. The Seattle Mariners never had a chance and they are now 17.5 games out of 1st place.
AL WILD CARD: Tampa Bay Rays
It has to be the Rays. They would win the division if it weren't for the Red Sox. The Rays should have no problem beating out the New York Yankees, Twins, Tigers, A's, and Rangers.
NL CENTRAL: Chicago Cubs
Can't call me a homer for this one. The Cubs are the best team in the NL and even though the NL Central St. Louis Cardinals have the NL's 2nd best record, the Cubs are still a better team than them. I don't see how the Cubs don't win the division.
NL EAST: Philadelphia Phillies
The Florida Marlins are making the race interesting but right now the Phillies are struggling and the Marlins are overachieving. The Phillies are probably more afraid of the New York Mets who will make it hard for the Phillies but the Mets will fall just short in the end.
NL WEST: Los Angeles Dodgers
The Arizona Diamondbacks are this year's Milwaukee Brewers (started 24-10 in 2007 and missed the playoffs). The Diamondbacks were 28-16 at one point this season and had the NL's best record. Now they are 42-41 and have seen their 6.5 game lead shrink to a 3.5 game lead. They peaked too early. Now instead of getting better, they are getting worse. That should give the Dodgers a chance to claim the division in the final weeks of the season if not earlier.
NL WILD CARD: New York Mets
I'm not very confident the Mets can all of a sudden start winning but I'm not very confident that the Cardinals or Brewers will keep winning either. I think there is still time for the Mets to turn their season around (like the Yankees did in 2007) and there is still time for the Cardinals to start struggling and miss the playoffs (like the Mets did in 2007).
Ok...come back in October and see if I'm right.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Breaking down the Cubs-Sox series
Series Breakdown:
Game 1- Ted Lilly vs. John Danks
Cubs vs. Danks:
John Danks is a good pitcher. Only 3 of his starts haven't been quality starts. He is coming off a start against Colorado in which he allowed 0 ER and 5 hits in 6 innings. He isn't much of a workhorse. He has pitched 7 or more innings in a start only 2 times this season. His worst start was on April 9th against Minnesota when he allowed 7 ER and 3 walks in just 2.1 innings. But other than that start, he has been very good this year. In 11.1 innings against the offensively strong LA Angels, Danks has allowed just 2 ER.
Sox vs. Lilly:
Ted Lilly is the kind of pitcher who the Sox could struggle against. The Sox recently faced lefty Nate Robertson of the Detroit Tigers and he held the Sox to 3 ER in 6.1 innings. However, don't be surprised if the Sox get to Lilly. Lilly has had at least 4 rough starts this season. If Lilly has his stuff today, the Sox offense doesn't have much of a chance. If Lilly starts to struggle, the Sox could put crooked numbers on the scoreboard against him.
Prediction: Sox win a close one....Sox 5 Cubs 3
Game 2- Jose Contreras vs. Jason Marquis
Cubs vs. Contreras:
Jose Contreras has had a great season so far. His numbers don’t lie. His forkball has been a dominating out pitch for him. When Contreras gets ahead in the count, batters have little success against him. However, Contreras hasn’t been impressive in his last 2 starts. On June 10th against Detroit, he allowed more than 2 ER in a start for the first time since May 4th. Not only was it more than 2 ER, he allowed 6 ER and 13 hits. His most recent start was a quality one but he allowed 3 ER which is still more than he usually allows. For the second straight start, his ERA rose. His ERA has gone from 2.76 to 3.24 in 2 starts. He is still a good pitcher but he is starting to show he is capable of having a bad start. Now on a 2 game losing streak after being on a 4 game winning streak, Contrera’s confidence might have taken a shot. This is a good time for the Cubs to be facing Contreras.
Sox vs. Marquis:
In my opinion, it seems like the Sox are a great fastball hitting team but they are bad when they face someone whose plus-plus pitch isn’t a fastball. A guy like Jason Marquis with his sinker and splitter could really baffle the Sox. Marquis has been amazing in his last 2 starts. If Marquis throws strikes and doesn’t get too much of the plate, I really wouldn’t be surprised if the Sox scored only one or less runs off Marquis. The Sox offense can be bad enough that they can make any pitcher look like Cy Young.
Prediction: Cubs even the series….Cubs 5 Sox 2
Game 3- Ryan Dempster vs. Javier Vazquez
Cubs vs. Vazquez:
Some may consider him to be the ace of the staff, but right now Javier Vazquez doesn’t look like that pitcher. In his last 3 starts, he has allowed 4 ER or more in each start. His ERA which at the start of the month was 3.43 is now at 4.13. It has been a June swoon for Vazquez as his 7.27 June ERA might suggest. Like the Contreras breakdown, this is the right time for the Cubs to be facing Vazquez. Another positive for the Cubs is that this game will be a night game. Vazquez has a 4.86 ERA at night and has a .289 BAA (batting average allowed). At many times this year, Vazquez has looked like an All-Star pitcher but right now he looks mediocre.
Sox vs. Dempster:
If the Sox struggle against Marquis, they should consider not even showing up Sunday. Ryan Dempster will give the Sox problems. Dempster is great at getting teams to hit into outs and the Sox will be no exception. Like I said in the Marquis breakdown, Sox seem to struggle against pitchers who don’t rely on their fastball. Dempster’s splitter and slider is very good and I don’t think the Sox will do much against him. Oh and by the way, Dempster is 8-0 at Wrigley and the Cubs are 9-0 when Dempster makes a Wrigley Field start.
Prediction: All signs point towards a Cubs win in the rubber match….Cubs 6 Sox 1
Game 1- Ted Lilly vs. John Danks
Cubs vs. Danks:
John Danks is a good pitcher. Only 3 of his starts haven't been quality starts. He is coming off a start against Colorado in which he allowed 0 ER and 5 hits in 6 innings. He isn't much of a workhorse. He has pitched 7 or more innings in a start only 2 times this season. His worst start was on April 9th against Minnesota when he allowed 7 ER and 3 walks in just 2.1 innings. But other than that start, he has been very good this year. In 11.1 innings against the offensively strong LA Angels, Danks has allowed just 2 ER.
Sox vs. Lilly:
Ted Lilly is the kind of pitcher who the Sox could struggle against. The Sox recently faced lefty Nate Robertson of the Detroit Tigers and he held the Sox to 3 ER in 6.1 innings. However, don't be surprised if the Sox get to Lilly. Lilly has had at least 4 rough starts this season. If Lilly has his stuff today, the Sox offense doesn't have much of a chance. If Lilly starts to struggle, the Sox could put crooked numbers on the scoreboard against him.
Prediction: Sox win a close one....Sox 5 Cubs 3
Game 2- Jose Contreras vs. Jason Marquis
Cubs vs. Contreras:
Jose Contreras has had a great season so far. His numbers don’t lie. His forkball has been a dominating out pitch for him. When Contreras gets ahead in the count, batters have little success against him. However, Contreras hasn’t been impressive in his last 2 starts. On June 10th against Detroit, he allowed more than 2 ER in a start for the first time since May 4th. Not only was it more than 2 ER, he allowed 6 ER and 13 hits. His most recent start was a quality one but he allowed 3 ER which is still more than he usually allows. For the second straight start, his ERA rose. His ERA has gone from 2.76 to 3.24 in 2 starts. He is still a good pitcher but he is starting to show he is capable of having a bad start. Now on a 2 game losing streak after being on a 4 game winning streak, Contrera’s confidence might have taken a shot. This is a good time for the Cubs to be facing Contreras.
Sox vs. Marquis:
In my opinion, it seems like the Sox are a great fastball hitting team but they are bad when they face someone whose plus-plus pitch isn’t a fastball. A guy like Jason Marquis with his sinker and splitter could really baffle the Sox. Marquis has been amazing in his last 2 starts. If Marquis throws strikes and doesn’t get too much of the plate, I really wouldn’t be surprised if the Sox scored only one or less runs off Marquis. The Sox offense can be bad enough that they can make any pitcher look like Cy Young.
Prediction: Cubs even the series….Cubs 5 Sox 2
Game 3- Ryan Dempster vs. Javier Vazquez
Cubs vs. Vazquez:
Some may consider him to be the ace of the staff, but right now Javier Vazquez doesn’t look like that pitcher. In his last 3 starts, he has allowed 4 ER or more in each start. His ERA which at the start of the month was 3.43 is now at 4.13. It has been a June swoon for Vazquez as his 7.27 June ERA might suggest. Like the Contreras breakdown, this is the right time for the Cubs to be facing Vazquez. Another positive for the Cubs is that this game will be a night game. Vazquez has a 4.86 ERA at night and has a .289 BAA (batting average allowed). At many times this year, Vazquez has looked like an All-Star pitcher but right now he looks mediocre.
Sox vs. Dempster:
If the Sox struggle against Marquis, they should consider not even showing up Sunday. Ryan Dempster will give the Sox problems. Dempster is great at getting teams to hit into outs and the Sox will be no exception. Like I said in the Marquis breakdown, Sox seem to struggle against pitchers who don’t rely on their fastball. Dempster’s splitter and slider is very good and I don’t think the Sox will do much against him. Oh and by the way, Dempster is 8-0 at Wrigley and the Cubs are 9-0 when Dempster makes a Wrigley Field start.
Prediction: All signs point towards a Cubs win in the rubber match….Cubs 6 Sox 1
Saturday, April 19, 2008
The White Sox are back!
Right now, the Sox are 10-6 after 16 games and are in 1st place in the AL central. It's early but in 2005 after 16 games, the Sox were 12-4 so the records aren't that much different. As many people know, the Sox went on to win 99 games and the world series that season. The Sox are doing many things right so far. Their offense has been outstanding, their starting pitchers have been solid, and their bullpen is one of the best in the league so far. I know it's only April, but I think this team will be on top of their division at the end of the season. The Sox face the New York Yankees on Monday and that should be one of the first opportunities to see if this team is for real or just taking advantage of a weak schedule.
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