On-base percentage is very valuable to any winning ballclub, especially those who consistently drive those guys in.  Unfortunately for the White Sox, they have wasted their good on-base percentage by going 5-for-45 with runners in scoring position over the past five games.  As any astute baseball fan knows, there are two parts to effective offenses - getting on base and getting them in.  The White Sox have been decent about getting guys on, but not getting them in.  And while the pitching was the concern coming into this season with Danks and Floyd comprising two-fifths of the starting rotation, it has been the lack of clutch hitting I saw all too often last year that continues to plague this team now.  Another decent pitching performance, this time from Nick Masset, giving up 3 earned on 5 hits was good enough under most circumstances for a win, although he only pitched 4 innings in his spot-start. 

It has gotten to the point now to when I see the White Sox get a guy on base or get a hit, I feel as if that kills the rally.  I expect it to be followed up either by a double play, or a popup and a strikeout to end the inning.  It is amazing to me how many times the Yankees scored on the White Sox with two out, and how virtually impossible that has been for the White Sox.  It is also astonishing to me how guys our pitchers put on base via the walk tend to score, while our guys who draw walks never seem to make it home.  Strange, isn't it?  Strange and incredibly frustrating.

When the White Sox signed Orlando Cabrera (.217) and Nick Swisher (.226), I thought the White Sox had taken steps to get the right kind of players this team needed at the top of the lineup - a good on-base percentage guy in Nick Swisher, and a good contact hitter in Orlando Cabrera.  Swisher has still been doing pretty good getting on, even if he has to take a walk, but Cabrera is not getting it done at the plate.  The middle of the order is not hitting, with the only real production coming from Carlos Quentin, who not everyone thought would even make the team, and Joe Crede has been decent.  That's about it.  Not good enough.  Were it not for Carlos Quentin and Joe Crede, I would be falling asleep watching this offense night after night. 

Balance is key to any offense, and as I said, I feel the Sox did a decent job getting at least two different kinds of hitters in the lineup this year in Swisher and Cabrera.  Still, this appears to be an ill-fated offense that will be 'all-or-nothing' as teams with little speed and not enough contact hitters always will be.  It appears the additions of Cabrera and Swisher are not quite enough to help the offense, but with Quentin doing well, and Crede holding his own, while Pierzynski got off to a good start, it is hard to believe this offense would struggle this mightily scoring runs.  The heart of the order has almost stopped beating.  That is much of the problem.  With a day off, and a major change of scenery to another country, let's hope the Sox can get things going starting Friday in Toronto...

 

 

Bad baserunning, non-clutch hitting, and overall lifeless play characterized the latest loss for the White Sox.  Apparantly, they could not solve the mighty Boof Bonser.  Then again, the White Sox have a very hard time against any soft-tossing breaking ball pitchers. Gavin Floyd pitched well enough to win, even if he was not at his best.  He gave up only 3 earned on 5 hits.  If the White Sox get any kind of offense, they win this ballgame.  Their opportunities were fewer today, with just 5 left on tonight.  The bottom line was, they simply could not touch the struggling Boof Bonser, who apparantly cured his pitching woes tonight.  Hopefully the White Sox can find enough offense to split in this short series tomorrow. 

The White Sox may be in first place right now, but they will not be for long if they continue to leave double digit runners on base, with 14 today.  Of all the missed opportunities today, I think it was the missed squeeze bunt by Brian Anderson that bothered me the most, with a foul tip and Orlando Cabrera caught stealing.  I could hardly believe it.

After all was said and done, fans who sat for hours in the cold rain were turned away without a resolution one way or another, and the game will be picked up in the 12th inning at a later date to be determined.  I've never seen that in my life.  The Baltimore Orioles seem to have Bobby Jenks' number since he blew the save again.  Still, the Orioles' closer blew the save as well. Were it not for Juan Uribe going yard in the bottom half of the 11th, the White Sox would have lost this game, and had only themselves to blame.  Inability to execute the save, the squeeze bunt, and coming through in the clutch didn't cost the Sox today, but it will in the future if this continues.  Swisher also had a hard time getting a bunt down for a sacrifice.  I'm glad to see the White Sox are at least thinking about the fundamentals.  Now, I would like to see them execute the fundamentals with consistency.  Perhaps the team needs to make a trip beyond the left field wall, second level to the Fundamentals deck.  Still, Javier Vazquez was fantastic, but will get a no decision.  He gave up only one earned run on four hits. 

The good news is the White Sox are guaranteed to not be rained out for the next six games since they will be played inside domes.  Hopefully they can rack up some more wins.

Steve Stone made an observation after the game I heartily agreed with.  He said this was the one game where the White Sox put together pretty much every aspect of the game to get a victory today.  Three stolen bases - from Quentin, Cabrera, and Swisher.  A nice bunt from Alexi Ramirez to move a runner over.  Solid starting pitching from Jose Contreras, with just one earned run over six and two-thirds innings.  Excellent bullpen work, surrendering no runs.  Paul Konerko with deuces wild, with 2 RBI, 2 home runs, and 2 walks today.  I have to agree with Steve Stone.  This is the kind of baseball I like to see from my team.  Let's go for the series win tomorrow...

 

 

I had a feeling this might be a challenge for the White Sox today after being rained out last night.  Still, John Danks pitched well enough to win if the offense worked as it should.  It did not today. But just two earned runs in six and a third innings is a very respectable outing for John Danks, and if there is any 'silver lining' in this game today, I would say it has to be John Danks and the way he has stepped up for this pitching staff.  All one can ask of a starter is that they give their team a chance to win.  Danks has done that pretty well this year, but the offense is sluggish and not getting it done.  One run typically is not enough.  It wasn't enough today. 

I have my concerns about an offense that is not hitting consistent doubles.  Home runs are nice, and this team hits plenty of them, but without more doubles and 'gappers,' this offense, without any real speed is going to go through slumps like this.  There was a saying I once read that said, 'speed never slumps.'  That is why an offense without it will slump and struggle as this 'all-or-nothing' offense has so often.  This was what made Scott Podsednik's contribution to the 2005 White Sox so valuable.  On-base percentage is important, but this team often needs four base hits to get one run across.  They got a total of five hits today.  They need that in an inning often to succeed.  It doesn't surprise me this offense has struggled.  Now, they need to fix it.  I'm not sure how they're going to do that...

It only took two days plus a rain delay for the White Sox to finally get a win against the hard-hitting Yankees, defeating them 7-6.  Joe Crede continued his clutch hitting, with a game-winning RBI single against the tough Chamberlain.  I loved the way Crede simply reached out to make contact, dropping a single into left field to score Quentin from second.  Perhaps he took his lessons from Pierzynski, who came about ten feet away from a home run, and Carlos Quentin who came about three feet from a home run, with a double off the wall.  Crede settled for a single, with a short swing, but that was enough to get the job done. 

This game looked for a time like it would go the way the past two games went - with the bullpen unable to contain the Yankee bats and the Sox offense unable to get the key hit when needed.  Instead, Bobby Jenks closed the door in the ninth in a tie ballgame, inducing a double play from the Sox killer Jorge Posada, allowing the Sox offense to get to work at the bottom of the inning.  It was a gutsy move from Ozzie Guillen to go to Jenks in that situation in my opinion, and it paid off. 

Still, there were far too many walks by the Sox pitching once again - six in total, and fifteen over the entire three-game series.  Four walks and five earned runs by Floyd does not qualify as a quality start, and in general, watching White Sox pitching nibble around the strike zone, instead of attacking it was troublesome to me.  I believe a pitching staff is only as good as how they fare against the very best offenses.  I don't believe overall, the White Sox pitching passed the test in this series, although they did enough to win tonight - barely.  I also realize Floyd returned after a long rain delay.  The White Sox pitching staff needs to attack the hitters and own the inside part of the plate.  It seemed all series long, Yankees hitters were looking away and taking the ball either over or off the wall to the opposite field all series long.  That cannot continue when facing offenses like the Tigers who have come to life lately. 

Bobby Jenks shutting down the Yankees with the game on the line in a tie ballgame, and the clutch hitting in the bottom half of the ninth seemed to break a negative chain that had been established in the series until that point. I suppose all is not quite well that ends well, unless you win the World Series ugly.  Still, I'm glad for the victory, and hope this gives a charge in the White Sox to continue on in their series against the Orioles. 

Javier Vazquez was not good tonight, allowing ten hits and six earned runs.  Even with the White Sox trying to climb back into the game, six runs are too many to allow, especially when Mussina was on and the invincible Mariano Rivera awaited in the Yankee pen.  The White Sox have brought themselves back to the pack with an inability to pitch and get the key hits when needed.  It looks like 2007 all over again.  The fight the Sox showed to get back in it was better than laying down, but this team was essentially never in this game tonight...a disturbing fact to note. 

This White Sox team appears overmatched.  Without much speed on this team, they need sustained hits in a given inning - something they cannot do lately.  Either this team needs to hit lots of doubles and home runs, or hope they can string together four singles to get just one run across.  With this team's inability to get multiple hits in a given inning, they cannot score with any consistency, and I can see the hitters pressing, since they themselves know this.  They swing for the fences instead of trying to get base hits and doubles, and they end up flying or poping out since they are pressing.  That was the story all night with the exception of the Quentin and Crede home runs. 

The White Sox have a chance to salvage a game tomorrow, and they will need to do so against the winless Hughes.  Hopefully Gavin Floyd can continue his solid outings, and Hughes can remain winless. 

 

I wondered aloud why Thornton was not brought in in the top of the seventh to face Abreu when I knew in my gut before it even happened Abreu was not going to be put away by the ever-erratic Dotel.  Sure, he struck out Derek Jeter, but facing the power-hitting lefty Abreu was another matter altogether.  I didn't like him being left in to face him, telling my friend, "This is the ballgame right here."  I felt like Steve Stone with his super prediction powers as I heard the crack of the bat and watched the ball sail over the left field wall, while hearing the crowd erupt as if I were sitting in Yankee Stadium.  I wondered how many of the 25,000 in attendance were Yankee fans.  I couldn't believe on a gorgeous night, with no wind, perfect weather, a first place ballclub and the Yankees in town the place was almost half empty.  I couldn't believe it, and when talking with a Yankee fan at one point, was a bit ashamed of the pitiful draw.  As for Thornton, he proceeded to give up a three-run bomb to the left-handed Damon on the top half of the eighth so...I suppose when the bullpen is bad, it's just plain bad - lefty, righty, whatever have you.  Gerardi too had some problems with his pen tonight, but the Sox could not capitalize.  It was a battle of which bullpen was going to be worse. 

The White Sox didn't help themselves offensively in their bottom half of the inning with the only RBI coming from Joe Crede drawing a walk with the bases loaded.  I felt they worked the starter Wang over with deep counts, and had his pitch count up to some 60 pitches in the first two innings.  I liked their approach.  But after the bullpen imploded with the Grand slam to Abreu, I felt the Sox hitters' approach changed.  Carlos Quentin, who is usually fantastic with the bases loaded did exactly what I expected he would do - swung at the first pitch from a new reliever in the dirt and in the left handed batter's box.  He proceeded to strike out, and then Uribe being Uribe, swung at the first pitch he saw to end the threat.  When Ozzie was asked by a reporter in the postgame whether he would have liked Uribe to have taken a pitch or two, Ozzie defended Uribe saying he could change the game with one swing.  Sure he could.  And he did - with one swing he popped out to end the inning. 

I think the Sox have a reasonable chance to take the next two games and win the series, but it's going to take exactly that to get the bad taste of tonight out of my mouth.  This was a bullpen meltdown, and an offense that changed when the pitching changed.  Instead of picking up the pen, they went down with them.  Hopefully that will change tomorrow. 

 

Where's Scotty?

While I thought the sculpture commemorating the White Sox 2005 World Series Championship was beautifully done with stone and images of World Series memories, I noticed a startling omission - no Scott Podsednik's Game 2 World Series walk-off home run, perhaps the most famous home run in the history of the franchise.  Geoff Blum's home run was included, as was Konerko's and Crede's - but not Scottys?  I asked some people about this, and received no answer.  I think it was just an oversight - one I hope might be corrected...perhaps an addition to the already beautiful sculpture could be done.  It was even more beautiful at night, with the light shining on it, bringing out the ghost-like transparent pictures in the marble even more than in the daylight...

 

 

 

 

The Rays insisted on continuing to pitch to Jim Thome after he crushed his second home run in this series.  That was a bad decision for the Rays, but a good decision for the White Sox.  Jim would go 4-for-5 on the day, and just a triple short of the cycle, with 3 RBI.  John Danks was fantastic again, shutting out the Rays, and limiting them to just three hits and no runs.  As I have said before, Danks and Floyd were the 'x-factors' for me going into this season.  And while the season is still very young, I have been very pleasantly surprised with the performance of these young starters, and can only hope it continues for the majority of the year.  If the White Sox can get this kind of pitching throughout the year, they should be in very good shape come September.  There is a very long way to go I know.  I think Sox fans have to be happy with the season so far.  The White Sox will have a day to rest and relish their 3-2 road trip before taking on the Yankees on Tuesday night at home.
 

Regardless of the White Sox' inability to consistently execute rundowns after a successful pickoff move, three hits are not going to get the job done.  The White Sox got beat tonight, even with their defensive rundown blunders.  Three hits and no runs will not win you games, under any circumstances.  Having said that, the Sox had better get their act together defensively because is has not been good for a few days now, and while their defense did not in itself cost them tonight...they simply didn't hit...it certainly will cost them in the future as it did in the last game of their short series in Baltimore.  There really isn't much else to say when a team doesn't hit.  The Sox offense gave Buehrle no chance to win tonight, even though Buehrle clearly was not on his game.  Just a game to forget...

After blowing one last night, the White Sox came back tonight to put a hurting on the Rays fo earn their tenth win on the season behind a fine starting pitching performance by Javier Vazquez and good offense from Thome and Konerko in particular, with back-to-back home runs.  Timely hitting combined with home runs is how the White Sox have been getting it done lately.  The emphasis of on-base-percentage with guys like Nick Swisher at the top has been working out very well so far.  He reached base four out of four times tonight, and while the stolen base total is very low for the White Sox at just 2 on the year, they are still sacrificing and driving runs in to get the job done. 

It is not surprising to me to learn Jerry Owens has been optioned to Triple A Charlotte after being activated from the DL.  His speed is great, but I'm happy the Sox have decided to keep the team as is since they are having success.  Even though Jerry Owens could give the Sox more speed at the top, I have been very pleased with the high on-base-percentage of Nick Swisher even if he doesn't have the speed of Owens.  Obviously, the White Sox feel the same way. 

Every team is going to lose a third of their games and win a third.  It is the 'other' third that decides the ultimate fate of a baseball team.  This is one of those ballgames the Sox gave away.  They had it won going into the ninth inning, but Bobby Jenks couldn't close it out.  Still, I blame the three unearned runs as the ultimate demise of the Sox this evening. Errors that did not appear likely to cost the Sox going into the ninth, were costly after all.  The Orioles didn't beat the White Sox.  The White Sox beat themselves.  These are the losses I find most difficult to swallow.  Against the A's, the Sox lost the first game, but they got beat.  Not so tonight. I don't like losses, but I know there are games every team is going to lose at some point or another.  The games you give away are the ones you can look to at the end of the year if you lose the division by a game or two.  This White Sox defense which has been good so far, failed the Sox tonight.  The relief pitching was not good either.  Bobby Jenks' and AJ's fascination with his curveball, especially when he had gotten beat on it in a previous at bat, is something I don't understand.  Boone Logan could not do anything either, giving up the game-winning hit.  Garbage.

On the positive side, Quentin hit two homers, with one to the opposite field to show he is probably here to stay in the big leagues.  Crede continued his offense with a home run, and Gavin Floyd pitched well enough to win.  The Sox have not played well in Tampa in the recent past, but I hope they can change all that starting tomorrow night.

 

Six strikeouts and no walks for Contreras.  Lights out from the bullpen.  Six saves for Bobby Jenks in as many tries. Fantastic. Besides Crede throwing the ball away, the White Sox defense has been excellent behind their pitchers.  Contreras looked like he was very much in control with his breaking pitches.  I am hoping this is something we will see on a consistent basis because the White Sox will need him to be good if they want to contend in '08.  If the White Sox can get this kind of pitching for most of the year, I believe they can and will win the division.  There is still a very long ways to go, but it is good to see the White Sox already earn their ninth win of the season. 

After last night's loss to the Oakland Athletics, it was good to see the White Sox earn a split with a victory today in the two-game series to close out their first homestand on a positive note before heading to Baltimore.  If this team plays like this all year - never quitting, bouncing back, showing heart, and playing hard, then regardless of where they are in the standings, I will be glad to see some well-played baseball by my favorite team.  Of course, a playoff birth would be nice, and if they continue to pitch as consistently as they have so far, things could look very good for the White Sox come the end of September. 

I'm glad to see John Danks come back very strong after a tough outing last time out.  This is about what I expect from Danks and Floyd - some good games, some not so good.  I have to say I am encouraged by what I have seen from these guys so far overall.  I believe 1-5, all our starters have the potential to keep the White Sox in the ballgame to let the offense get to work.  I like the bullpen, and the rotation has for me, been even better than I expected so far.  I hope the White Sox can keep things rolling on the road...

If only every game could be this easy, right?  The White Sox took the Tigers out of this one early with 5 RBI by Paul Konerko within the first three innings with an RBI single and a grand slam.  As it turned out, Paulie's RBI single is all the White Sox would need, since the Tigers were shut out by Javier Vazquez and the Sox bullpen.  But for good measure, Joe Crede added a grand slam of his own, making decisions as to what to do with Crede in his contract year a little harder, or easier, depending on one's point of view.  I for one would like to see the White Sox try to keep Crede.  He is a home-grown guy, and has come into his own.  He is a World Series hero, and already enshrined in sclupture in front of US Cellular Field, like Paul Konerko of the '05 squad, and brings intangibles as well as fantastic baseball skills to this ballclub.  In my opinion, he is a franchise guy like Paulie, and regardless of his agent situation, this is a guy I think the White Sox should make a priotity to keep.  Of course, it is always easy to spend other people's money. Just my humble opinion.
 

It was suggested by a talk show host on a sports radio show today if every team was the Detroit Tigers for Gavin Floyd, he would likely win the Cy Young Award.  He has been fantastic against the Tigers, but probably no better than he was on this rainy day in Chicago.  What impressed me a lot was the incredible movement on his curveball.  He had a lot of break on it, and it clearly had the Tigers' hitter fooled.  It is a shame Gavin's no-hit bid was ended in the 8th inning, but in the bigger picture, it is Floyd's ability to help the White Sox win that is my biggest concern.  I can only hope he will continue to be effective.  Pitching will be key. 

 

 

The pitching was not great.  Contreras could have done better than his four earned runs over six and a two-thirds innings.  Logan could have been better.  But at the same time, four hits and two runs with a total inability to do anything against the mighty Jason Grilli isn't good enough either.  The pitching, the offense...nothing was working for the White Sox tonight, who in my opinion really miss something with Swisher and Pierzynski out of the lineup. Sure, I realize AJ needs some time off, especially against tough lefties.  I know they were facing the erratic Dontrelle Willis, who seems to have developed 'the thing' in recent times.  I also know Swisher did get in for an at bat as the DH when Thome was tossed.  Still, I cannot wait to see both Pierzynski and Swisher in their normal spots tomorrow.  AJ is our hottest hitter, and we really could have used his offense tonight.  I just chalk this up as a game in which we simply got beat.  We have to go get em' tomorrow.

For a while there, Johns Danks was not pitching great, but he was keeping the Sox in the game at least, with only three runs given up. I remember hoping he could keep the Twins right there and our offense could come back.  Still, while watching Danks labor through the early innings, I had a feeling tonight he was like a weak dam about to break, and I was right, as the flood opened up a 5-run third inning for the Twins.  Masset also had his problems in relief, and was clearly not the same guy he was when he came in for relief of Mark Buehrle on opening day and shut down the Indians.  Tonight, the White Sox just got beat plain and simple.  I would rather have that than a game lost because of lack of hustle, heart, or mental mistakes.  Still, this is just one possible look at what could be a dangerously suspect back-end of the rotation. We shall see how Contreras fares tomorrow. 

I'm hoping Danks and Floyd can at least be serviceable - good enough to keep the Sox in enough ballgames to win, but the loss of a proven veteran guy like Garland shows up on nights like tonight.  I really like Cabrera, but we now have essentially two-fifths of an unproven starting rotation, and a pitcher in Contreras I personally don't know what we're going to get from start to start.  Vazquez is usually good, but can be pretty shaky.  With the exception of Buehrle's opening day showing, I believe he is the only true 'rock' of a starter I as a White Sox fan can count on to go seven strong almost every start to enable the bullpen and Sox offense to do its job.  I think by the end of May, we will truly know what this team is about.  Sure, they have heart, personality, and they don't quit, but no matter how good the clubhouse attitude is, the pitching needs to be there, or this team will not succeed. 

 

I

 

It is interesting how each year brings a new feel and personality to a given ballclub.  These Sox don't appear to be the same as the 2007 edition...thank goodness.  Even as the White Sox fell behind and had a difficult time it seemed putting anything together against Minnesota starter Blackburn, I had a feeling the best was yet to come, and I think the players believed the same.  Ed Farmer often speaks of those runs scored from the seventh inning on that usually make the difference in a ballgame.  This 2008 version of the Chicago White Sox have proven already they cannot be counted out - in a ballgame or a season for that matter.  This team obviously believes in itself and their ability to overcome deficits.  This is a dangerous late-inning team, especially with players like Joe Crede, who did it yet again, with a grand slam in the big 5-run 7th inning.  This has already reminded me a lot of 2005 in terms of energy and excitement.  A fantastic beginning.

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I knew the White Sox were not nearly as bad a ballclub the critics said they were before the season started.  Sure, I knew we had question marks at second base and left field, and was not sure what we would get from our fourth and fifth starters.  Still, I knew the White Sox had a rebuilt bullpen, and I really believed Swisher and Cabrera were not only good baseball additions, but good character guys that would fit the White Sox personality and mode of 'grinder' play.  So far so good.  A 4-2 record, on the road nonetheless, with a sweep of Detroit is quite a statement for this team.  As I've said before, I'm glad the White Sox were counted out.  That is usually when they do their best.  I hope that will be the case again this year.

Carlos Quentin looks like the real deal to me.  This guy can catch it (at least most of the time...I know tonight was an exception), has a cannon for an arm, and can hit.  This guy is my sleeper player of the year so far.  I never expected this from him, but I am pleasantly surprised.  Good to see Buehrle regain his form, as I expected he would, and expect the same from Vazquez tomorrow.  I really believe one way or another, if this team plays to its potential, they will be a force in the American League Central.  I'm very excited for the home opener tomorrow. 

 

 

I was shocked to recall in the White Sox postgame show today the last time the White Sox were above .500 was last April.  Incredible.  I never expected it would be so long for the Sox to be below break-even.  I also never expected the Tigers to go 0-5 to start the season.  It is good to watch this offense come back and score runs, and to see our starters, like Gavin Floyd today, able to keep his team in the game for 6 innings so the bullpen can do its job as Ozzie intended.  Bobby Jenks getting his third save of the season is great to see.  I am believing this White Sox team can at least compete in the American League Central and beyond, and hope for much more to be sure.

When I heard the play called by Ed Farmer on the radio of Carlos Quentin gunning down Renteria off first base all the way from left field, firing a strike to Konerko, I was amazed.  This guy wants to stay on the team and be the White Sox' everyday left fielder I guess.  With that kind of arm and what he has been doing at the plate lately, I think he may be up on the team a while.  Good to see Jermaine Dye continuing his threat at the plate.  I hope to keep seeing more of the same.  Let's go for the sweep tomorrow....

 

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Great to see a win for the White Sox today, behind the fantastic pitching of John Danks - the kind of outing I would have expected from one of our veterans from the two days previous, but...a win is a win.  I only wish Danks himself would have been credited with the win because he was the only Sox starter who had an answer for the Indians' hitters.  It is obvious the White Sox will only be as good as their pitching allows.  That can be said of any team I suppose. 

I'm glad in this one-run game the misjudged fly ball by Jermaine Dye and the miscommunication between him and Nick Swisher did not make the difference.  Whoever is out there in center field, I hope the White Sox outfielders get on the same page that the center fielder is always in command.  The White Sox cannot afford defensive miscues, especially in tight ballgames with a guy throwing the ball as well as Jake Westbrook was today. 

I did not see the game yesterday, but understand it was a poorly played game and the Sox beat themselves.  Games lost like that are hard for me to swallow. I felt the Sox got beat in game one, but played hard and played well.  I can live with that.  Then today, the Sox got the win. So...two decent games out of three aren't bad.  These guys have been playing ball long enough to know what they need to do to win ballgames.  Pierzynski didn't lay down a bad bunt, just to the wrong side of the plate.  Even though the sacrifice to get Konerko to third failed, he got it down, and the ball died on the dirt in front of the plate.  At least the mindset is there, and I believe it is just a matter of time before the Sox begin doing the little things better.  Good to see they are doing some of the 'big' things well, with Crede ragaining his home run stroke on a Jake Westbrook sinker that didn't sink, and Uribe nailing one over the wall.

I'm glad to see Detroit swept by the resurgent Kansas City Royals, but they will be primed and ready when the Sox face them tomorrow in the Motor City.  I look forward to it. 

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