9/11/06: Jose Contreras outdueled John Lackey to give the White Sox a 1-0 lead in this three game series with the Halos. Although the Angels doubled up on the Pale Hose in hits, 8-4, the Good Guys got this one 3-2 as Contreras struck out eight and walked only one over eight innings, allowing only one run. The 5th inning was Lackey’s undoing as the Sox got three of their four hits and all three runs. BIG BAD Bobby Jenks started the 9th and the Angels almost came back from the dead in the 9th, Vlad Guerrero got a leadoff single, Garret Anderson got a single, making it first & third with Juan Rivera at the plate. Earlier in the game Rivera almost broke his wrist, Hideki Matsui style, so when he stepped to the plate I kept the faith. And my faith was rewarded as Juan swung at the first pitch, grounding into a tailor made DP, making the score 3-2. Howie Kendrick was completely overmatched and Bobby Jenks picked up his 40th save.
9/12/06: This was a tough loss. 9/11’s goat Juan Rivera picked a first inning Mark Buehrle pitch off his shoetops and lined it just fair around the leftfield foul pole to give LAA a quick 2-0 lead. The Sox again scored three in the 5th, but that’s all they got. The Angels tied it when a popfly fell in with a man on third and the infield in. Ervin Santana & Buehrle allowed three runs through seven. Mike Scioscia played little ball off Bobby Jenks in the bottom of the 11th, Garret Anderson got a leadoff single, Tommy Murphy running for Anderson was bunted up by pinch hitter Reggie Willits batting for Robb Quinlan, Adam Kennedy batting for Jose Molina was intentionally walked, Howie Kendrick hit into an FC, his speed saved a DP, Chone Figgins lined an RBI single to end it, 4-3 Halos.
9/13/06: I was wondering how my guys would come out after their tough extra inning loss, but Freddy Garcia was in TOTAL control! The Angels got one more hit than a dead man and they got that with two outs in the bottom of the 8th, when Adam Kennedy lined a single to break up a perfecto. The White Sox offense was really rolling as they scored seven in 3 1/3 innings off Joe Saunders, one more in the 9th, and Scioscia didn’t use a reliever that mattered when it was obvious his team didn’t show up. In fact the score would have been the same as a forfeit, 9-0 Good Guys! No homers for the White Sox. It could have been worse, but Tadahito Iguchi pulled up just shy of home plate on a Paul Konerko double and was tagged out easily. The only explanation I could come up with was he thought the ball was caught for out number three, no harm, no foul.
Now the White Sox are Movin on Up, both up the coast and up in the standings. As the ChiSox are matched up with the Oakland A’s in a three game weekend series. The A’s are in 1st place in the AL West, while Chicago is in 3rd in the AL Central. To say this is a big series would be an understatement. Ozzie Guillen & his boys will have to do it against the Big Hurt. Here’s hoping we can help the Angels playoff hopes, wonder if they’ll thank us after we take three from Oakland? Next week, Detroit is at the Cell. It does appear both the Minnesota Twins and the Detroit Tigers are hungrier than the White Sox, but we are the Champions!
LET’S GO WHITE SOX!!!
Teddy, we played like Cass Elliot. Terrible weekend.
Choking it up BIGTIME! Well we didn’t do those LA Angels of Anaheim any favors so we’ll never know if they woulda thanked us. California turned into a nightmare and the Tigers at home hasn’t started off too well either. It doesn’t look good for the Good Guys. The optimism’s gone, but I’m still hopeful. My little dog Chico needed stomach surgery in Waupaca, pancreas & kidney failure, doesn’t look good. My Grandma Mallasch’s health has been failing since breaking her hip. Don’t know who’s doing the worst Chico, Oma, or the White Sox.
I’ve got a picture of me with the WS trophy, which is more than I ever thought I would have in this lifetime. Last year was such a trip, I can’t complain (much); and you say, sometimes we need to remember that its only a game.
Good luck with everything TeddyB.