White Sox Baseball is in the Air!
February 16th, 2010 | by Howard |Ring the bell. Sound the horn. Calling all cars, calling all cars! The week we’ve finally been waiting for is finally upon us. It’s been more than three long, grueling months since the final pitch of the 2009 World Series was thrown, but we’ve made it through. The light at the end of our tunnel is here. Baseball is back. While the White Sox don’t officially report, pitchers and catchers that is, until February 20th, a good chunk of the teams begin reporting first thing tomorrow morning. And with that, there’s plenty more to read about in your morning paper. One of the biggest drags about the offseason is the lack of baseball writing that goes on. Sure, you can scour the internet looking for the die hards, like myself, who continue to report on every little offseason factoid, but there’s nothing like the feeling of cracking open your morning paper and huddling up to see the daily happenings of your beloved Sox. So today, I’m going to take a page from one of our basketball correspondents from Fanball.com, and take a look at some of the headlines that have graced our morning cups of coffee.
Chicago Tribune: Linebrink Set to Fight to Regain Sox’s Confidence in Him
Not a bad little piece to whet the appetitie here. Sure, there are bigger and better fish to fry in the sea of White Sox news, but bullpen concerns are not something to ignore. When the Sox signed Scott Linebrink, they were expecting to get one of the top relievers in the game. Between 2003 and 2005, Linebrink was one of the most reliable arms coming out of the bullpen for the San Diego Padres and while 2006 and 2007 weren’t the best of years for him, we weren’t expecting the problems we incurred in 2008 with the start of a shoulder issue, and 2009 where he posted an 8.49 ERA after the All Star Break. Just atrocious. So bad, that the Sox didn’t hesitate to add to their pen by signing J.J. Putz in the offseason. Hopefully this will just bolster our bullpen and maybe…just maybe….light a fire under Linebrink’s ass to buckle down and get his act together for this year. That is, of course…if he’s healthy.
Chicago Sun Times: What Ozzie Wants: A New Identity for Sox
A little more ground covered here as reporter Joe Cowley takes a look at some of the new arrivals and some incumbents with a couple of question marks; from the enigmatic Alex Rios to the newly acquired Mark Teahen to the questions surrounding the health of Mark Buehrle. It’s just a cursory evaluation with a few questions for you, the fans, to evaluate, but he does make one very important point about the team — “The 2010 model is about pitching and defense, getting on base and creating pressure, scoring runs by any means necessary. There is still power, but it’s more spread out.” Personally, I think it can work. Sure it’s fun to rely on the 3 run home run, a la Earl Weaver, but I like Ozzie’s approach this season. Your still going to get your bombs from Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin, but the fact that we don’t have to rely on it, makes me feel a little better. Not to mention, U.S. Cellular plays liek a banbox at times, so it’s not like our “non-power hitters” aren’t going to get their jacks in there anyway.
Chicago Daily Herald: New Approach for White Sox as Spring Training Draws Near
My favorite of the bunch. Staff writer Scott Gregor takes Joe Cowley’s article a step further by going more in depth with the questions that surround the White Sox this season. The main point, again, is that these are, in fact, your daddy’s White Sox. Gone are the power hitters like Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye, and Frank Thomas, as the Sox usher in a retro era of a more balanced group of ballplayers. Gregor offers up similar questions and thoughts that have crossed all of our minds, and he even throws in a proposed lineup for Opening Day. A few differences from what we discussed in a post back in late January, but it’s good to see that while we all might not be on the same page, we’re atleast all reading the same book.
As the coverage picks up throughout the spring, I’ll be coming back to some of the headlines from all over for my own analysis. We all know there are plenty of questions that need to be answered, and come this Saturday, we’ll be on the road towards the answers. For now, enjoy the prep articles and that morning cup of joe. Get ready Sox fans! Baseball is here!
Tags: Alex Rios, Carlos Quentin, Chicago White Sox, JJ Putz, Mark Buehrle, Mark Teahen, Paul Konerko, Scott Linebrink, White Sox
By striker on Feb 16, 2010
I love the makeup of this team. A lot of fans are concerned about loss of run production with the loss of Thome and Dye, but our run production was horrible last year with them. I’m hoping this new approach will bring more consistency with the lineup. The key I think is the pitching staff. With this starting rotation we are going to have alot of 2-1, 3-2, 4-3 games. I think the lineup is designed to support that. Sacrifices and RBI ground outs count too. Last year I was sick of seeing a runner on 3rd with less than 2 outs and not seeing them score. I’m hoping that won’t be the case this year.
By Howard on Feb 16, 2010
I’m a big fan of the way they put this team together as well, although there are certainly a few questions that require answers sooner rather than later, most notably, Alex Rios, Andruw Jones, and the defense on the left side of our infield.
I’m excited to watch Beckham’s development, a more efficient table setter at the top of the order, and to see if a slimmed down Jenks can keep improving on his K-rate.
I’m banking on a year of good health for Quentin which should easily dismiss past thoughts of Thome and Dye and I want to see Danks take one more step forward in his game.
Like I’ve said before…I think we’ve got the horses. We just need all the parts to come together.