Category: Uncategorized

On a night when the White Sox were Hammered & Nailed in Arlington, the same promotion was taking place on the Northside of Chicago at the Claddagh Ring. But the two nights had totally different meanings! Texas beat up on the Pale Hose 8-0 and to top it off Ranger starter Vicente Padilla nailed A.J. Pierzynski twice in the game, both teams were warned after the 2nd beaning. Ozzie Guillen brought rookie relief pitcher Sean Tracy into the contest with one thing in mind, hit Hank Blalock with a pitch, and thus protect his hitters. Tracey came inside on Blalock before getting him out. A fuming Guillen sprang out of the dugout and removed Tracey from the game. Guillen couldn’t admit he wanted Sean to hit Hank, saying only Tracey wasn’t a mopup man, his mopup man wasn’t ready when Javier Vazquez was pulled, and that’s why he removed Sean after facing just one hitter. It was reported Tracey will be sent down after failing to carry out the skipper’s orders. Almost forgot to explain the Hammered & Nailed promo at the Claddagh Ring. For $12 you get a manicure and a drink, it’s a real crowd pleaser among the ladies, which brings them into the bar, which is a real crowd pleaser for the men.

With Father’s Day just around the corner I thought it was the perfect opportunity to bring out the story that just won’t go away. Dad, take me out to the ballgame took on a whole new meaning on September 19, 2002 when William Ligue Jr and his teenager son came onto White Sox Park in Chicago and attacked KC Royals coach Tom Gamboa. The two claimed there exchanges between themselves and the coach during the game, a claim Gamboa strongly denies. NickyV was sitting right by the father/son duo and says alcohol might have had something to do with it. Read here what ESPN had to say about the incident. Smoking gun had this to say. The above photos show Ligue as he appeared when he attacked Gamboa and then after he lawyered up.

I remember when I was a kid all major league teams would have doubleheaders on Father’s Day with a Father/Son game taking place between games. I wonder whether some of the sons of yesterday are some of the stars of today. Ken Griffey Jr, Barry Bonds, and Bret & Aaron Boone are some famous sons who might have participated.

In fact I remember when Illowa APBA League President Mike Bunch used to bring his infant son Marcus to league functions. Now Marc is in his eighth year as manager of the Moline Upperdeckers. Am I old or what? Just turned 50 in April.

The Chicago Champions took five of the first six games versus the Chicago Highlanders, before settling on a 6-3 series win. The win closed the gap between the two teams to just one game, the Highlanders holding the advantage. In case you’re wondering what I’m talking about, lemme tell you, this is my latest series in the Illowa APBA League. I’ve managed the Chicago Champions for over thirty years and have ten championships to my credit. The IAL is a 8/10 team draft league that was established in 1975. Some of the Champion stars down through the years have been Mike Schmidt, Jim Rice, Gary Carter, Cal Ripken, Joe Carter, Jeff Bagwell, Dave Stieb, & Orel Hershiser. Some of the key members of this year’s team are ARod, Grady Sizemore, Victor Martinez, Jimmy Rollins, Lance Berkman, Carlos Lee, Mark Buehrle, Brett Myers, and Greg Maddux (298 career wins, and counting).

APBA is a dice game with players’ cards based on what they did the previous season. Cleanup man Grady Sizemore hit four homers with nine RBIs in the nine game set. A.J. Burnett pitched two complete game victories, allowing one earned run, 2 hits per game, 2 walks, and punched out 17 batters, beating Roger Clemens (13-1, 298 career wins, and counting) for the first time this year. We’re not even halfway through with the season, check out what’s happening in this league by clicking on the Illowa APBA League, and let the good times roll!

A beautiful day for a ballgame as I boarded the El to see the game between Lane Tech and Clemente. I was rooting for Lane as they are right by my house and my Brother, Dad, & Grandfather all went to school there. Defending champ Lane Tech (23-14) beat Clemente High (24-9), who won it all in 2004, to win the City of Chicago Public League Championship for the 24th time, 6-4 at US Cellular Field. Senior lefty Oscar Sanchez, Public League Player of the Year, took the mound for Clemente opposed by Junior righty Bryan Platt for Lane Tech. LT’s rightfielder Daniel Serrano was the difference in this game. In the bottom of the 4th he threw out a runner at the plate with a perfect throw. In the top of the 5th he ripped a 1-0 pitch to the warning track in rightcenter for a two run triple to put Lane up by one, scoring on a groundout to make it 5-3 Indians. Lane added a 7th inning run on a wild pitch, putting Clemente down three going into the bottom of the 7th. Clemente plated one, with one out, and one on when Serrano was at it again. Danny made a diving catch in right, got up, and doubled the runner off first to end the game. You can read more about the game here.

Victor Martinez had a big day for the Tribe, but in the end it wasn’t enough as the White Sox defeated the Indians 4-3 in 11 innings. Martinez ripped two solo homers, plus singled in a run, to plate all three Cleveland runs. Chicago went back to little ball as they scored a run on a bases loaded by Paulie Konerko DP, Scott Podsednik knocked in Alex Cintron with a pinch single, but the best was yet to come. In the top of the 11th Victor put the Indians up one when he launched a long no doubter over the leftfield wall off Matt Thornton. At that point all the air was let out of the Cell, it was eerily quiet, but it was just the calm before the storm. A.J. Pierzynski singled off Cleveland closer Bob Wickman to open the flood gates, Podsednik bunted A.J. to 2nd, Rob Mackowiak tied the game when he drove home Pie with a single to center (taking 2nd on the throw home), Pablo Ozuna ended the game with a hard single to RF, but the umpire ruled Mackowiak out at the plate. No argument ensued, although replays clearly showed the runner’s foot touching the plate before the tag, as Mackowiak slid to the back side of the dish (Ozuna took 2nd on the throw). Moments later Tadahito Iguchi plated Pablo with the game winner.

Consistent starting pitching and the long ball have been the mark of the White Sox success thus far, but this win was a flashback to last year when Ozzie Ball was all the rage. One thing was the same as it’s always been, Bobby Jenks! Where have all the detractors gone? Early on everybody was saying the Sox were in trouble because Jenks was overweight and his fastball dropped from triple digits into a hittable mid 90s range, and he wasn’t getting his breaking stuff over. Now he’s clocking in at 100, with a nasty curve that drops in at 69. In his last ten times out Bobby has not given up a run in 10 2/3 innings pitched, striking out 15, saving seven, and winning one. The Sox won nine of those ten games and although he didn’t figure directly in this win over the Tribe, Jenks was key, allowing one hit over 1 1/3 innings. Bobby has been LIGHTS OUT coming in to BOOM by P.O.D. blasting over the PA system throughout the ballpark.

This one was extra special as the Baseball Zealot brought his kids up to Chicago. How could the Sox lose with the Baseball Zealot & Teddy Ballgame in the house?!?! Can’t go to Sunday’s White Sox game at the Cell, first June miss, as I’ll be celebrating my Grandmother’s 95th. Happy Birthday Grandma Miller!!!

LET’S GO WHITE SOX!!!

0 for 3 with a punchout looks like the same old, same old when it comes to a game played by White Sox centerfielder Brian Anderson. Some fan even yelled at Anderson to report to Triple A after his strikeout, hope it wasn’t me. But sometimes statistics don’t tell the whole story. The Indians took the lead 4-2 when Travis Hafner took Sox reliever Neal Cotts deep for a three run 6th inning dinger. Jermaine Dye answered the call cutting the lead to one with a two out sixth inning drive of his own. In the top of the 8th with two on Travis Hafner ripped a sure double over the head of Anderson, but Brian raced to the back, catching the ball, before crashing into wall at full speed, amazingly he hung on. The momentum really changed at that point, you could feel it. Jim Thome walked with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Paul Konerko doubled him to 3rd, Jermaine Dye fouled off a bunch of pitches before singling to center, scoring two. BIG BAD Bobby Jenks closed it out in the 9th. Fireworks after the game. Before the game there were about twenty of us in the Patio Area to celebrate RobT’s 50th. It was also KLuke’s 17th birthday. Happy Birthday to all! Keep Brian Anderson in the Bigs!

LET’S GO WHITE SOX!!!

Chris Mihlfield, the mutual trainer in question which led the Deadspin blog to link Albert Pujols to the Grimsley case, has denied emphatically that he was the one listed on the affidavit and also denied that Pujols has ever taken anabolic steroids or human growth hormones.

From the St Louis Post Dispatch:

“I can guarantee you that one, too,” Mihlfeld told The Kansas City Star. “I’ve known Albert since he was 18 years old. Albert won’t even drink his protein shakes anymore during the season because he’s scared they’re contaminated. That’s been part of his training for the last five or six years, and all of a sudden he won’t even do that.

“He’s tired of it. I’m tired of it. I’m tired of people putting this kid down. He’s a great kid. Let him be great. He’s clean.”

Deadspin claimed upfront that they were 80% sure of the Pujols link.

Here is the response from Cardinals Diaspora.

A lot of players seem to be concerned about what Grimsley knows.

“(Taking steroids) is something that’s wrong to do, obviously. But to go and start throwing other guys under the bus is definitely wrong as well,” says Nelson, a teammate of Grimsley on the Yankees in 1999 and 2000.

“Take the blame. You should take the hit and not have to be putting it on anybody else or (saying), ‘Hey I got caught with it. I think I’m going to bring some other guys down with me.’ That’s what’s wrong.”

Frustration or desperation… you make the call.

Albert Pujols’ name has even been brought into the mix. In a overly melodramatic style, Deadspin seems to think they have made a connection with a mutual physical trainer of Grimsley and Pujols if that means anything. Joseph Reaves of the Arizona Republic (via USA Today) corroborates this connection.

I’m not ready to even go there yet,

For more info on Human Growth Hormone (HGH), ESPN has a decent enough explanation. At this point, there is no good way to test for it though it is illegal.

Update: Commenter Dr. David Orman says:

Regarding your comments above, please note that HGH is NOT illegal. In fact, it is one of the major substances that has generated tremendous movement in the new aspect of medicine — Anti-Aging Medicine.

My apologies for the misuse of the word illegal.

Funny how we were just talking about this last night at the game and then Chicago Bob commented about the same thing on yesterday’s piece on my Cell experience, Wally Uribe or Juan Pipp. Jose Contreras was on the hill for the White Sox against Justin Verlander, what a matchup, and I was at my usual post right behind home plate next to where Nancy plays her organ during day games. We had a gang standing around in an area big enough to accomodate four people comfortably, 20 folks might’ve been pushing it. My bro was in from Wisconsin, his friend H*sek & Flip, NickyV, his bros TV & Dino, TV’s son & TV’s friend, their cousin JoeSacko, cousin Cip & his friend, Steve, RobT & his family were all there, a GOOD TIME was had by all! Even the non-Sox fans in attendance had fun. Bought a round of beer (only eight) and my $50 was gone! The Tigers tied up the game in the 7th when Joe Crede made two errors on one play, not fielding the grounder & then throwing it away, with two outs and runners on 1st & 2nd. Bottom of the 7th Alex Cintron lined a single to left scoring Joe Crede with the go ahead run, Crede got a leadoff single and was bunted to 2nd by Rob Mackowiak. Craig Monroe might have thrown Joe out at the plate had Monroe not gotten injured earlier in the game trying to catch Scott Podsenik’s triple earlier in the game, Craig had to be helped off the field, his roids replacement Alexis Gomez bobbled the ball hit to left which allowed Crede to score without a play. BIG BAD Bobby Jenks nails it down for a 4-3 Good Guys win! We all went out to the Claddagh Ring on Foster & Western after the game where they have a deal called Hammered & Nailed, $12 gets you a drink & a manicure, can’t beat that. Can’t beat the White Sox either lately as they’re creeping up like a pair of Fruit O’ the Loom shorts on the Tigers, look out Detroit!

LET’S GO WHITE SOX!!!

Alicia Hollowell shutout Northwestern for the third time this season as Arizona defeated NU 5-0 to win the WCWS two games to none. 4,423 fans were on hand at Don E. Porter Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City to see Arizona win its 7th title. Remarkably Northwestern amassed nine hits, but couldn’t dent home plate against Hollowell, who was tough when she had to be. Their best scoring opportunity came in the 3rd inning when NU loaded the bases with nobody out, Amegin just missed a big two out hit on a fly ball to left. They went down fighting to the end as the Purple Wildcats loaded the bases with two outs in the 7th, to no avail. 10 runners were stranded in the game by NU, 8 times they struck out looking. The Arizona Ace struck out 13 in the game, 64 for the series, eclipsed the series record of 62 set by Debbie Doom of UCLA in 1982.