Author: Teddy Ballgame

NICK SWISHER TRADE: A WHITE SOX FAN PERSPECTIVE

The big acquisition before the 2008 season for the White Sox was Nick Swisher, now one year later Swisher was dealt to the Yankees. As a White Sox fan, how do I feel about all this?

I was excited when the Sox landed Buckeye Nick. He seemed to be just what the doctor ordered, a switch-hitter, with a good eye, good power, and a batting average that would go up coming to hitter friendly US Cellular Field. The plan was for Swisher to play LF with speedy Jerry Owens patrolling centerfield. An injury to Owens changed those plans, moving Nick to CF, opening a LF opportunity for Carlos Quentin. Quentin tore it up! Ozzie Guillen tried high onbase Swisher as the club’s leadoff batter. So he was trying two things he’d never done before, a leadoff hitting centerfielder. Things didn’t workout too well on either front. Pitchers threw strikes to Swisher, putting him in a hole, and while he did an adequate in the field, alot of balls fell in.

After Swisher was moved out of the leadoff spot in favor of Orlando Cabrera, he seemed to find his bat. But then late in the year Nick succumbed once again to his early season bat woes, often times taking pitches right down the pipe, while swinging at pitches in the dirt, arguing with umpires about called strikes. Late in the year he was benched in favor of Dewayne Wise & Brian Anderson, so I guess the writing was on the wall.

It’s kind of weird Swisher & Cabrera were brought in last year to wipe out the losing of 2007. Things worked out well with the team winning the AL Central Division, losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Rays of Tampa. Now both are gone.

So how does it all shake out? Last year we dealt corner outfielder Ryan Sweeney (batted .286 in 115 games for Oakland), lefthanded starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez (1-4, 7.68 ERA, in 34 innings for the A’s), and Fautino De Los Santos (2-2, 5.87 ERA, 23 IP, for Stockton high A). The numbers don’t tell the whole story as Gonzalez was the key to the deal and should be a successful starting pitcher for years to come.

Now let’s look at this year’s trade sending Swisher out of town. Relief pitcher Kanekoa Texeira (0.93 ERA, 38″ IP, high A & 2.01 ERA, 22′ IP, AA) was also traded to New York. The White Sox received switch hitting infielder Wilson Betemit (.260 lifetime average, 42 homers in 1098 at bats), starting pitcher Jeff Marquez (43-40, 3.60 ERA, 560″ IP, minor league totals), & recently converted reliever Jhonny Nunez (1.50 ERA, 27′ IP, AA).

The Swisher trades comes down to this, Sweeney, Gonzalez, De Los Santos, & Texeira for Betemit, Marquez & Nunez. Wilson Betemit should see some action for the White Sox at thirdbase for the White Sox in 2009, with possibly Dayan Viciedo waiting in the wings, then Betemit would become a quality bat off the bench and utility infielder.

There’s a little bit more to Nick Swisher in Chicago. I manage the Chicago Champions of the Illowa APBA League a diceball APBA League, where I traded outfielder Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Rising Bammbeanos for Swisher, after Nick was traded to the Southside. Bammbeanos skipper John Brandeberry has been a Dodgers fan since the Brooklyn days of yesteryear (more on this trade from an APBA standpoint can be found on APBABLOG.COM). Also if anybody’s interested in a pre-worn Nick Swisher White Sox teeshirt, lemme know.

Preacher Roe dead at 93

Former Brooklyn Dodgers lefthander Preacher Roe has passed on at the ripe old age of 93. Roe, who long ago settled in West Plains, Mo., near his childhood home of Viola, Ark., had undergone colon surgery recently and never fully recovered. Elwin Charles Roe was a five time All Star and a central character on Brooklyn’s storied “Boys of Summer” teams.

Roe prided himself with keeping hitters off balance with his slider and his “Beech-Nut slider”. Players regularly chewed Beech-Nut gum at the time, he’d use juice from the gum on the ball, causing it to dip dramatically. After Preacher retired he admitted throwing a spitter, without regret, and wanted to pitch made legal. His best year was in 1951, at the age of 36, when he went 22-3 for the Dodgers.

Brooklyn Ralph Branca said he was called Preacher because “he could talk your ear off.” In an interview with an eighth-grader in West Plains, Roe expressed his pride in having had Robinson as a teammate. “I just felt if Jackie hit a home run while I was pitching, it counted just as much for me as if Pee Wee Reese hit it or some of the other guys that were white. … I’d say, ‘You never have seen a good ballplayer until you’ve seen him.’ He was that good.”

RIP, Herb Score

Herb Score has died at the age of 75. The promising lefthander of the Cleveland Indians seemed destined for the Hall of Fame. He was the American League 1955 Rookie of the Year with a record of 16-10, a 2.85 ERA, and was the strikeout leader with 245. His 263 K’s in 1956 again were tops in the league as he upped his record to 20-9. But then a line drive off the bat of Gil McDougald drilled Score in the face on May 7, 1957. Blood was streaming from Herb’s nose, right eye, and mouth, but he never lost consciousness. Still he spent three weeks in the hospital and missed the rest of the 57 season with fuzzy vision. Although his vision returned he won only 17 games over the next five seasons before retiring.

“He would have been probably one of the greatest, if not the greatest, left-handed pitchers who ever lived,” Feller said Tuesday on the Indians’ Web site. Feller, near the end of his career when Score arrived, likened him to Sandy Koufax, the Dodgers Hall of Famer. “Herb Score had just as good a curveball as Koufax and a better fastball.”

He was an Indians broadcaster, mostly on the radio, from 1964 to 1997. Score was seriously injured in an automobile accident in 1998 and had been incapacitated by a stroke since 2002.

GORDON BECKHAM REDHOT IN THE DESERT

I’m back in Chicago, but Joe (who went with me to the all the games in Arizona) was in the Phoenix house last night. Joe had gotten a free ticket to see the Saguaros battle the Desert Dogs in Phoenix. He gave me a report on the game, including a couple of members of the White Sox. One up, Gordon Beckham, who seems to be finding a home at secondbase, while batting .396. He was three for four last night, including his 5th double of the Fall. Beckham could be the starting secondbaseman for the White Sox in 2009, with Alexei Ramirez moving to SS, and fellow countryman Dayan Viciedo over at 3B. One down, Aaron Poreda, of the University of San Francisco, didn’t make out too well, three earned runs, walking three & surrendering a solo bomb off the bat of Mike McKenry (his 9th) in 2/3 innings of work. The 6’6″ lefthander now has a 7.71 ERA.

Joe picked up a free ticket for Saturday, look forward to his next report.

Buck O’Neil & Black Baseball in Chicago

Last night while watching the Blackhawks win big over Calgary, I was flipping the channel to my TV, and what should I see, but baseball! Needless to say, I stopped flipping, and my eyes became transfixed on the images on the screen. Channel 20 in Chicago was airing the premiere of Buck O’Neil & Black Baseball in Chicago, an encore showing will air November 13th at 7:30 PM, again on channel 20.

The late, great, Buck O’Neil talked about his days in the Negro Leagues and becoming the first African American baseball coach in the major leagues with the Chicago Cubs. O’Neil said, he never really resented not being allowed to play in the big leagues, because the best ballplayers of the day were in the Negro Leagues. Bob Kendrick, the Director of the Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City, stated how upset he was when Buck didn’t make it into the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown before his death. Seventeen former Negro Leaguers were inducted in the last induction before O’Neil’s death. Buck didn’t feel sorry for himself at not getting in, but rather was thrilled 17 others had made it, according to Kendrick.

The documentary brings the past to life. It talked about the Double Duty Classic, which features the best young high school African American ballplayers competing in this East/West Classic, named after Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe. It also shows the statue of Buck O’Neil that resides in the HOF, and there’s a lifetime achievement award named after O’Neil. Buck was the first winner of this award. Back in the day, the East/West Classic was the Negro Leagues All Star Game, was played at Comiskey Park in Chicago, would draw 50,000 fans, and featured the best African American ballplayers playing all out.

The show talks about how O’Neil managed Ernie Banks for the Kansas City Monarchs and then coached Banks with the Cubs. Buck also talked Billy Williams out of quitting after experiencing racism in Texas before coming up to the Cubs. Jermaine Dye, of the Chicago White Sox, came up with the Kansas City Royals, commented how fortunate he was to have met Buck O’Neil, while coming up to the big leagues.

There is also mention of the Chicago Baseball Museum, a work in progress, that can be checked out at www.chicagobaseballmuseum.org Also, if you can, checkout Buck O’Neil & Black Baseball in Chicago when its encore performance airs on Thursday the 13th on channel 20.

Little Havana Coming to the Southside

There is a little more excitement about the Chicago White Sox possibly signing 19 year old thirdbaseman Dayan Viciedo out of Cuba than there was in signing Alexei Ramirez one year ago. There is some tremendous upside for this kid! He’s got 30-35 home run potential, which is just what the doctor ordered with Joe Crede out the door. The White Sox are said to have the inside track according to an article in the Chicago Sun Times written by Joe Cowley. The Southsiders already have fellow countrymen Jose Contreras and Alexei Ramirez, not to mention Minnie Minoso, the Cuban Comet. From what I’ve heard Ramirez is instrumental in recruiting Viciedes to the Pale Hose. Let’s go White Sox!!!

11/6/08 (night) Phoenix @ Mesa

Without a day/night AFL doubleheader and it not being Monday, it was time to get the best pizza in the world at Pizzeria Bianco in downtown Phoenix. If you haven’t noticed from past postings, I love food! Joe & I arrived at Pizzeria Bianco, forty minutes before they opened 4:20 PM, and there were 43 people waiting to be seated. How do I know there were exactly 43 people waiting? Because we were the last two people seated in the initial seating, otherwise there would have been a two hour wait, which would’ve been bad as the night game started 1/2 hour away in Mesa at 7:05. The crust is light & airy, the ingredients are so fresh, and the pizza is even better than I had remembered. I had a pistachios pizza and Joe had a pizza with cheese, red sauce, & fresh basil leaves. We shared both and there wasn’t a crumb left after we were finished eating. I had to tell the owner, Chris (who makes all the pizzas), that no matter how good I remember his pizza being, it always exceeds my wildest expectations. Also we had Dave, my favorite server in the world, he always remembers us, and thanks us for coming in. Everyone is so excited with anticipation from first timers to repeaters, talked with the people sitting next (Jeanne & Rick) to us at the ballpark, they agree, it’s the BEST! My favorite place to eat, period. If you’re in Phoenix, this place is located in the Heritage Center off of 7th & Washington, and is a must!

After the game we zoomed over to Mesa, with some on-the-fly directions from DonS’ little brother Kevin (cellphones are wonderful), we walked into the ballpark as the National Anthem was being played. Tommy Hanson of the Braves was on the mound for the Solar Sox, while Chaz Roe of the Colorado Rockies was on the hill for the Desert Dogs. This was the meeting between the two guys charting the game one day earlier. But before settling in behind home plate, I needed to stop by to say hi to my friend Marteese Robinson. I’ve met the nicest people!

Tommy Hanson lived up to advance billing, striking out 11 guys in five innings, walking one, allowing two hits, and one run (on a Sean Doolittle OAK home run). This 6’6″ righty out of Riverside CC & Tulsa, OK has really impressed, despite being a 22nd round draft choice by the Atlanta Braves. Hanson has worked 18 2/3 innings, striking out 30, while allowing only one run, with an unreal 0.48 ERA, and a 3-0 record. Chaz Roe matched Hanson, by tossing four shutout innings, before being lifted. This was Roe’s best performance of his AFL, it lowered his ERA to a lofty 9.33. Chaz struckout seven and allowed only one hit.

Eric Young, Jr. got a pair of singles, but it was a rough night for him as he was picked off by the catcher & nailed when he rounded first base a little too far. Sean Doolittle touched Hanson for his first run allowed of the AFL and then sparkled when he shifted to first base. Twins (Phoenix) SS Steve Tolleson got a big two run triple after striking out his first three times up and then scored, accounting for three Desert Dog runs in the 8th.

Tigers slugger Jeff Larish, a local kid, slammed a big fly for Mesa and Matt Young of the Braves was 2 for 2 with two walks, & a stolen base. Logan Morrison was two for three with a walk, raising his batting average to .457.

Went back to the Quality Inn on Scottsdale Road in Tempe, AZ. I didn’t realize I’d stayed at this place for spring training, I don’t think I’ll be back. But I will be back to watch more AFL action next year, the best secret in town, but before that comes spring training, whether it’s in Florida or Arizona, it’s always a treat!

11/05/08 (night) Saguaros @ Scorpions

Jimmy Rollins & Eric Wedge joined previous AFL HOF inductees Garret Anderson, Dusty Baker, Jermaine Dye, Terry Francona, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Giambi, Shawn Green, Roy Halladay, Todd Helton, Torii Hunter, Derek Jeter, Derrek Lee, Grady Little, Ken Macha, Jerry Manuel, Tony Pena, Troy Percival, Mike Piazza, Albert Pujols, Mike Scioscia, and Alfonso Soriano. Better than that though, was the fact Rollins was on hand for the ceremony. I’m sure he had no idea when he accepted the invitation to be on hand, it’d be less than one month after the Phillies won the World Series. How many players would have stuck to their commitment and showed up at a minor league ballpark in the middle of the desert? Carlos Ruiz, the Phillies catcher, was in the stands to see his teammate recognized. Roland Hemond presented Jimmy with the award. It was also the day the NL announced their 2008 Gold Glove Award winners, Rollins was the SS for the 2nd straight year. He gave a little pep talk to the two teams playing that night, saying, always give your best, you never know who’s watching. Larry Bowa named Rollins starting shortstop for Philadelphia based on his 2002 AFL performance.

The 6’3″ lefthanded hitting catcher out of the White Sox system, Cole Armstrong hit a two run big fly to right for the Saguaros. The person making out the lineup sheets misspelled Gordon Beckham’s name as Beekham. The PA announcer followed suit, of course several of Gordon’s teammates started chirping, “Go get em Beekham!” Beckham singled & doubled in four at bats. He also went up the ladder to snag a line drive from his secondbase spot. The PA announcer also called Jordan Danks, John, to which Jordan banged his bat on the plate (brother John is a pitcher for the White Sox). There were other players besides members of the White Sox out there for Peoria, but none that distinguished themselves in this game.

SF SS Kevin Frandsen & LAA LF Chris Pettit each had two hits for Scottsdale. While Mark Ori, from the Astros, hit a home run, deep in the night, to right. Ori, out of Chicago, just looks like a ballplayer. Tampa native Sergio Perez even his record at one, working five innings, allowing three hits, one run, walking two, while striking out three, to pick up the victory for the Scorpions.

It was nice once again to visit with the Scorps manager Shane Turner’s wife, Beth. Beth ate some Italian food at a place within walking distance of the park and showed up after the Rollins hoopla. She is such a nice lady, it’s a shame she was heading back to the Reading area in the morning. She was telling of a recent class reunion where several baseball players showed up, it seems though several Reading classmates hooked ballplayers, calling it the Reading Web.

11/05/08 (day) MESA @ PHOENIX

I took a taxi from my hotel to the ballpark in Phoenix and go there before the gates officially opened to the public. But being the unofficial kind of guy I am, I walked through an open gate, picked up a program, and was the first fan in the stands. Later I went back, bought a ticket, re-entered, and paid for the program.

It was great being in an empty ballpark, with the Mesa Solar Sox taking BP on the field. A young firstbaseman/outfielder with the Florida Marlins, Logan Morrison, caught my eye. This big lefthanded batter, who was a 22nd round draft choice, was really ripping them! The balls were exploding off his bat, some of them staying in the ballpark. Ray Burris was serving up BP, maybe that’s why this kid was on fire. I kid Ray Burris. I felt inspired to call The Baseball Zealot himself, to share this wonderful moment with him.

A few minutes later I ran into one of my favorite people in the baseball world, Marteese Robinson. Marteese played college ball with John Valentin, Mo Vaughn, & Craig Biggio, and Robinson was the best hitter in the lineup. Marteese is now a scout for the Washington Nationals, he was with the Cardinals the last time I saw him, but that was before Walt Jocketty was shown the door. Robinson is always in a good mood, with time to talk, even on no sleep, having arrived in the desert, with no sleep, from DC, late the night before. The sunglasses hid eyes that were woken up by his ringing cell, way too early, as friends wanted to discuss the election results. Marteese, like me, supported Obama, and was excited about the future of our country. He said several people, from outside the USA, had called to let him know how pleased they were that Barrack had won.

I told Marteese, I liked Morrison’s bat, but Robinson said, that might be as good as he gets. Still, besides a quick bat, I saw a young man, who listened to his hitting coach after his BP session. I’m eager to see this kid’s ceiling! Logan was leading the AFL in batting average, with power. In his second at bat in the game, he bombed a three run shot, high & deep over the rightfield wall. He got three hits on the day.

Other Solar Sox players who impressed were Detroit Tigers 5’9″ 155 pound, secondbaseman Will Rhymes. Lefty batting Rhymes, Mesa’s leadoff man, was smoking line drives all over the place, must’ve served up 12 foul ball souvenirs on the day. He got three base knocks on the day and started a nifty glove-to-glove 4-6-3 doubleplay on a sharp grounder up the middle. Then there was the big Chicago Cubs righthander Jesse Estrada. The 6’8″ 280 pound El Paso native threw five innings, spreading out five hits, walking one, while striking out three.

Eric Young, Jr. impressed again as the leadoff hitter for the Desert Dogs. The little 5’9″ Colorado Rockies outfielder walked, stole a base (without even a throw), and lined an RBI single. Toronto Blue Jays catching prospect J.P. Arencibia impressed behind the dish.

Two bigtime pitching prospects, Tommy Hanson & Chaz Roe were charting this game for their respective teams. What a show they’d put on, but that’s a story for another day.

REAL INDIANS IMPRESS SCOUTS IN TEMPE

Pitchers Singh & Patel, one’s a lefty, one’s a righty, don’t ask me which one is which, got their chance yesterday to throw in front of major league scouts at Dr. Kowcher’s.  Even though I’m staying in Tempe, I couldn’t make it over to see the historic event, mainly because I couldn’t get the necessary information in time, due to the internet being unavailable at my hotel.

I did talk with a fellow White Sox fan, whom I’d befriended at last night’s game in Mesa.  He told me, Tom House was on hand, explaining how he’d been working with the two hurlers, perfecting their techniques.  The first time one of the youngsters faced live batters against a local college, he plunked the first two batters he faced, a case of the jitters.

I wonder how other phenoms from the USA would make out in similar circumstances, in a foreign country, playing an unfamiliar game, and with their entire futures riding on their tryout.  Here’s what happened yesterday, the tall lefty threw 87 mph, and showed some promise.  While the stockier righthander hit 91 mph, but looked to have a much lower ceiling.  Both guys were all over the place with their control.

It’ll be interesting what happens in the lives and baseball careers of these two young men from India.  I wish them well!  Baseball truly is an international game, despite what the Olympics might think.