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It took a sweep by the Detroit Tigers to knock the Chicago White Sox out of first place; and that’s exactly what happened. Justin Verlander won the highly anticipated match-up with Chris Sale, and the three game sweep restarts the AL Central race back at zero. Earlier in the season the Sox gave up first place to Detroit, but it was only for a day or two, as Chicago took it right back.
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How well do Chicago sports fans REALLY know their Chicago sports trivia? Comcast SportsNet viewers will soon find out with the network debut of Gas Money premiering this Sunday, August 5 at 7:00 PM.
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For the first time since the last day of the 2010 season, when the White Sox finished the year 88-74, the team is six games over .500 at 28-22. The 7-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays yesterday, coupled with the Cleveland Indians loss, brought them into first place.
For a team that many MLB publications predicted to lose 90 or more games this year, being in first place with June just about here is a very pleasant surprise.
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Today’s White Sox vs. Cubs series began with very little pomp and circumstance. Since 2008, when both teams were in first place upon meeting, the red line rivalry has approached with less excitement and intrigue every season. This year, both teams entered with very low expectations and so far living down to them, as each team is below .500.
The Sox are a slightly better team, as they are still a hot streak away from reaching the stop of their division. And although this series lacks hype it does possess one of the oddest statistical anomalies in MLB. It’s rare to see such a statistical spread among every day Major League regulars, like the one you’ll see between Cubs 1B Bryan LaHair and White Sox 3B Brent Morel. Yet both are relatively obscure.
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The three big albatross contracts on the Chicago White Sox are those belonging to Adam Dunn, Alex Rios and Jake Peavy. They are the three most overpaid underachievers on the Sox; at least in 2011 anyway. They are three players most Sox fans point the finger at for what went wrong last year. I agree on the first two, but think the third biggest problem is Gordon Beckham.
Peavy however, does actually have a winning record during his stay on the south side, believe it or not. And he’s 1-0 with a 3.55 ERA this young season; making a very positive statement with his strong showing versus the Detroit Tigers on opening day.
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For the Chicago White Sox Home Opener, Soxman’s day started at 3:00 a.m. From meeting future Hall of Famer Frank Thomas to visiting various members of Chicago Media to watching the final out of the White Sox defeat of the Detroit Tigers, Soxman shares his experience with the Sportsbank.net including photos from the great day.
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A week into the 2012 season it is apparent that a new era has begun on the south side of Chicago. After several months of anticipation, White Sox fans finally had their chance to witness the team and the many new additions to the ballpark firsthand.
This was our time to see a rebuilding team, to say goodbye to some of our favorite players and to formally embrace a new manager with a completely different style in Robin Ventura. So what were the highlights of opening day? New “must try” additions to U.S. Cellular Field?
Read on to find out!
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In all the years I’ve been a White Sox contributor for the Sportsbank.net there has never been a season where expectations for the team has been lower as the words “new era” and “rebuilding” are frequently associated with the team. As a matter of fact most experts and sports periodicals pick the southsiders to be among the worst teams in the game. So in a year where there is so much negativity in terms of expectations why is the Soxman so motivated to cheer with passion and pride?
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“Moneyball,” one of the most acclaimed movies of 2011 was released on video last month. The Billy Beane biopic and adaptation of Michael Lewis’ best-selling novel was nominated for six Academy awards including best picture, best actor (Brad Pitt) and Jonah Hill (best supporting actor). Because of it’s popularity, more baseball fans are wondering how SABR-friendly their favorite MLB team is.
The Chicago White Sox don’t have a reputation as being the most sabermetric-focused of teams, and the front office is fine with having that rep, according to the member of the Sox front office that we spoke with. Dan Fabian, White Sox Director of Baseball Operations joined us Sox bloggers on conference call, and what he had to say may surprise you.
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The Chicago White Sox Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Brooks Boyer recently shared his opinions on the upcoming 2012 White Sox season, from the perspective of the fan experience. What marketing fireworks might he be creating for the team in 2012?
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When Don Cooper recently met with White Sox season ticket holders, he shared his insights on John Danks, Chris Sale and the White Sox closer’s role in 2012. He even spoke on the secrets of Jake Peavy and his views on how fans could best support the team. What did he have to say? Keep reading to find out.
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As the ultimate reward for their loyalty, today the White Sox gave season ticket holders an unprecedented opportunity to chat with pitcher John Danks, pitching coach Don Cooper and new hitting coach Jeff Manto. The event was facilitated by long-time White Sox and Chicago Blackhawks public address announcer Gene Honda.
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