elrockinMT

Loaiza is the man!! He won't implode this year. He might explode more on the opposition though. he had better start the all-star game.

Daubach deserves to start the next few games. He is really starting to come on strong with the bat. Where is PK? In the toliet I think?

Two things that I have heard about when you face a knuckleballer. Wait on the pitch and cut down on your swing. That's what I used to do when facing Hoyt Wilhelm... IN MY DREAMS.

Sounds like some more of that unbiased perfect umpiring we have been benefiting from this season.

Loiaza is showing once gain why he is the staff ace. The guy just doesn't give in to anyone. Manny Ramirez GIDP

At least Crede and Olivo came through.

Well Now! Crede and Olivo were listening. Tied 1-1 with Valentin out at the plate. What happened there?

This could very well be how the game goes for the Sox. I mean why do anything different, right? We go up against a guy with an ERA over 5.00 a game and have the AL ERA leader going for us and we go down 1-2-3 every inning and lose 1-0. Let's hope some hitter on the Sox has a clue.

I think that's been the case most of the year. The Sox are getting squeezed by the umpires. Little goes our way on close plays & there have been some obvious and glaring mistakes by the umps.

I think Jose is still very good and gives it his all. If one were to judge Jose by his numbers and say he is declining then how about, Buerhle, Colon, Konerko, Crede, Lee, Rowand, etc, etc. The whole team was in a slump and now are coming out of it. Granted some more than others, but hopefully they will all start smashing and bashing that round ball. We can still win this thing.

I would have to say the Paul Konerko thing is what bothers me the most. Are you sure though it's only been a month without an extra base hit? I can't remember the last homer hit by PK. Maybe rather than DH the guy we should just let Daubach play.

Any Sox fan should put their negative feelings aside during the ame and when Sox players are announced CHEER. I know it's hard to do, but life is too short.

Esteban Loiaza has been mentioned before as a candidate to start the All-Star game. Gammons has been pretty decent in his assessment of the Chisox and has indicated that he thinks they are still in contention for the AL Central. He also mentioned the wild card, but I think we are closer to the Twins then the bottom team in the wild card race. The last couple nights on BBTN when there hasn't been the clown act from Harold Reynolds and Bobby Valentine, it has actually been informative. Anyway, I think EL should be the starter too.

I am like you Joel and don't get to go to Comiskey and see the games. I have seen games on TV (ESPN, WGN and Fox NW). I have seen more than once what appears to be a lackadasical approach on the part of Jimenez when going after the ball. I have seen several errors that just shouldn't have occurred. Base running errors that just shouldn't have occurred. There have been commentators that indicate their impression of his fielding as being half-hearted and former teammates calling him lazy. That's what I have to base my opinion. I will be the first to say that I may be wrong. Possibly his style is laid back, but if so I would like to see some fire once in awhile. However, I don't know anything about his clubhouse demeanor and can't comment on that.

Magglio Ordonez

Jose Valentin

Thanks Rex, I saw that afterwards. I won't worry about the boxes.

Interesting to note that the Great Falls White Sox, an Advanced Rookie League team, playing in a city of 55000 pulled in 4170 fans for their game. Charlotte, our AAA team, only had just over 2500. Baseball is alive and well in small town America.

Sorry I don't have the box but I'll try and get it for those interested. Full house enjoys stellar Sox debut By MIKE TOWNE Tribune Sports Writer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Falls White Sox manager Chris Cron was grinning from ear to ear, and for good reason. "We played an outstanding game. It was a pleasure to watch. It was a blast!" he said. Combining outstanding pitching with errorless defense and balanced hitting, the White Sox whipped the Billings Mustangs 8-1 in their debut Tuesday night, before 4,168 fans at Legion Park. Righthander Brandon McCarthy gave up a first-inning home run to Joey Votto, but quickly settled down and turned in six solid innings. He allowed just three more hits, all singles, and struck out seven while not allowing a walk. Both Jeremy Johnson and Fernando Hernandez pitched well in relief, combining to hold Billings to three hits. Eight of 10 White Sox batters combined for nine hits, third baseman Micah Schnurstein leading the effort with a solo home run and a single in three at-bats. Seven players scored at least one run. "We got all three aspects of the game ... pitching, defense and hitting," Cron said. "Usually when you get just two of the three, you win a lot of games. "McCarthy got us off on the right foot. He had command of the strike zone. He set the tone for the game," he added. "Our defense was outstanding. We made the routine plays." Schnurstein tied the game at 1-1 in the second inning, ripping Camilo Vasquez's first pitch off the scoreboard in left field. Left fielder Chris Kelly put the White Sox ahead to stay in Great Falls' half of the fourth, bringing home center fielder Clinton King with a double that sailed over the head of Billings center fielder Phil Gentry. King had reached on an infield single with one out. After Gentry made a nice running catch, robbing first baseman Brandon Bounds of a base hit, Schnurstein lashed a single to right to score Kelly and extend the White Sox's lead to 3-1. Great Falls sent nine men to the plate in the seventh inning, pushing across five runs on four hits to break the game open. Schnurstein was plunked in the back by a Jeff Groeger pitch with one out, and catcher Charlie Lisk and designated hitter Carlos Lee ripped back-to-back singles to load the bases. Billings third baseman Walt Olmstead then dropped a routine ground ball off the bat of pinch-hitter Ricard Nanita, allowing Schnurstein to score from third and give the White Sox a 4-1 lead. Shortstop Mike Myers followed with a double down the left field line, scoring Lisk, Lee and Nanita. Second baseman Antoin Gray's single plated Myers, completing the scoring. "We knew we would have great pitching and defense," said Schnurstein, a seventh-round pick in the 2002 amateur draft. "It was only a matter of time before we got going with the bats. We have the ability to explode in any inning, like we did tonight in the seventh. "Someone will step up. We can count on each other." Of his second-inning home run, Schnurstein said, "He (Vasquez) left a changeup over the plate. I was just hoping to hit something hard. "It was great. It was the first pitch I saw," he added. "I couldn't have started any better." Schnurstein had nothing but good things to say about McCarthy, who struck out five of the first nine batters he faced. "I played with him last year (at Phoenix in the Arizona League), and that's how I expect him to pitch every start. He's one of the most consistent pitchers I've ever met," he said. With two outs in the second inning, Billings right fielder Manuel Paula singled and stole second base. But McCarthy got Miguel Perez to pop out to Bounds. Gentry singled and was awarded second base on a balk with one out in the third inning. Both Habelito and Votto grounded out, however. Paula got as far as third base in the Mustangs' half of the fifth, on a bunt single, stolen base and a ground-out by Rusty Beale. McCarthy then got Gentry to fly out to King in center. Olmstead tripled off Johnson with one out in the seventh. But he was thrown out trying to score on Paula's grounder to Schnurstein. NOTES: The White Sox and Mustangs meet again tonight, starting at 7. It will be Pizza Hut/Insty Prints night at the park. Fraternal Night is on tap Thursday, when Great Falls begins a three-game homestand against the Missoula Osprey ... Right-hander John Russ, an eighth-round pick in this year's draft, is scheduled to start tonight's game vs. Billings. Corey Wachman is scheduled to start for Billings, with relief help from Orlando Escorcha. Both saw action for the Mustangs last summer, each winning one game.

If the Sox decide to trade Colon it won't happen till the JM, KW & JR feel they are out of it. ESPN Baseball Tonight says that several teams have inquired about Colon, but were told that the Sox feel they are still in the hunt. It will probably be the last week in July if and when any trading happens. There may be a "White Flag" player dump starting July 25th or so, but I hope not. First I want us to be winning, but secondly I wish the team would make a commitment to keeping players like Colon for more than one year. I am not putting much faith in any of these so called inside information givers that say that Colon is a problem, or that Spanish speaking players are causing trouble. Look at what we have heard before: Kenny Williams is gone, Jerry Manuel is gone, Paul Konerko suffers from a degenerative hip condition, etc. Nothing has panned out. I personally think the language issue is just another blown out of proportion issue too.

Baseball Tonight is on ESPN. I am going to see what words of wisdom these has beens have for us.

Colon battled in the 6th. A foul out, lots of pitches to notch two strike outs. I can't see the game live so those three homers? Was he struggling early and putting them down the middle or what? I see he has 9 K's. Let's hope we get to the Red Sox pen again.

Why do these hitters refuse to cover the plate when they have two strikes on them? We have an awful lot of this bat on the shoulder-caught looking stuff.

Don't forget Frank Thomas. I think it was Frank battling Pedro in the 5th that finally did Martinez in. That was a great at bat by Frank.

I don't know if Miles is better than Jimenez or not. Has mIles played yet at the big league level? If he has I misses it. But, DJ has and the criticism continues from San Diego to Chicago. Klesko called him lazy in SD. People here call him lazy. Last night on ESPN they showed his error in the 1st inning and Gammons called it a half-hearted attempt at the ball. Why? I guess it's because he is lazy, lackadaisical in his approach, not motivated, no concentration, not familiar with 2B, I just don't know. But, I do know that he is going to have to show improvement and that's the botom line at the big league level. You get those raps for some reason and when it continues from one team to another you start to wonder if the impressions are true. I would like to see Willie Harris tried at 2B or bring Miles up and let's see if there is an improvement. Maybe the Sox think DJ would be a better SS because if we trade Valentin as lots of people think might happen then either Miles or Harris will be at 2B and SS is open. Bottom line is that Jimenez has to pile up the firewood under himself and light it himself and it's nobody elses job. There is no doubt that defensively and on the bases he just ain't cutting it.