caulfield12

QUOTE (mumbles3k @ Apr 21, 2012 -> 08:25 PM) Thanks guys. I've edited the first post to include the new entries. Keep 'em coming! I've also added one of my own, THE PRiNCESS BRIDE, which features Sox memorabilia in Fred Savage's room. As far as Sox movies that never got made, the most notable one that I'm aware of is VEECK AS IN WRECK, starring Bill Murray. The film was written by a TV guy named Ted Mann, who worked on DEADWOOD, NYPD BLUE and MILLENNIUM. It was set to be directed by John McNaughton, a really good Chicago director who helmed, amongst other things, HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, NORMAL LIFE, and WILD THINGS. Alas, it was determined that foreign markets don't care about Bill Veeck. And so, it remains unproduced. We had to read that book in my graudate sports administration program's marketing class. Got to meet his son Mike at the Minor League baseball winter meetings in El Paso in the mid 90's, he was running the Ft. Myers Miracle I think but was about to move to the St. Paul Saints of the Northern League.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/cowley/1205...perfection.html The full story actually has some decent quotes I haven't seen anywhere else, yet. No baseball team has been kicked around in the last year for how not to run an organization than the South Siders. So the fact that in the mess of contracts gone bad and “rebuilding’’ by not really “rebuilding,’’ there’s a story like Humber’s. (Mostly by you, Joe!) Humble, hungry and handed a fist full of keeping things in perspective because of the early obstacles thrown in his path. “I worked hard at my craft and I wanted that work to pay off so I would be validated,’’ Humber said. “That was my identity as a baseball player. And I evaluated myself by my stat line. If it wasn’t good, I didn’t feel so good. It took me a long time to figure out that it’s not about me or us. Whatever we’re doing, we should do it to glorify God.’’ Yeah, he played the religion card, but when you throw perfection, it’s allowed. So where do the Sox go from here? Well, in the wake of both the no-hitter and the perfect game Buehrle threw, the team seemed to sink after each. Today’s headlines and excitement doesn’t guarantee anything tomorrow. What the Sox do take from this is a starting staff that has some serious swagger, not only because of what Humber did, but how Peavy and Chris Sale are pitching. Will that lead to another on-field celebration this season? One that’s closer to October? Unlikely. Then again, that’s already one more “dog pile’’ than anyone would have expected.

Everyone benefits if the Cubs stay the course. The Cubs need to evaluate which of these players are going to stick in their current roles for the long haul and you cannot do this at this point in the season. They need to protect their assets - and that includes both veteran players and prospects. You need to know which assets to keep and which can bring you long term value via trade. Benching Marlon Byrd or Geo Soto after 2 weeks of substandard play would be a mistake. How many extra wins will you get from Reed Johnson, or Joe Mather or Tony Campana, or Steve Clevenger? Realistically, over the course of the season, the answer is none -- and you'll probably lose some. Moreover, none of those players are projected to be starters, so why completely destroy the value of two players just to play future backups? It's a plan that is unlikely to help either in the short term or the long term. Yes, I'm as frustrated as all of you are, but we all know what we signed up for. The majority of fans, at least on this site, were in favor of rebuilding. from chicagonow.com Probably the main reason the White Sox weren't going to bench Rios/Dunn and it's now equally applicable to Viciedo/Beckham/Morel.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...,5003038.column The legend of Don Cooper continues to grow around baseball...Phil Rogers article.

QUOTE (Marty34 @ Apr 21, 2012 -> 08:47 PM) Can he stick at 3B? Fielding stats look a little rough, but that doesn't tell the whole story in the low minors of course. from baseballinstinct.com 7. Rangel Ravelo, 3B 04/24/1992 H: 6’2” W: 210 - (Nathaniel’s take) Rangel Ravelo is another product of the White Sox’s strong 2010 draft, as he was their sixth-round selection. Ravelo utilizes a short, compact swing that allowed him to hit for average in both the Rookie-level Appalachian League (.384) and the Low-A South Atlantic League (.317), figures made even more impressive when considering he was just 19 years old. He’s also more polished defensively than most young third basemen, fielding a combined .942 in 2011. He did not hit a homer in 63 games, but his size and the leverage in his swing indicate that more power should come. Ravelo remains under the radar, but he’s a very polished hitter for his age. He shows an impressive knack for contact; the big question is whether he’ll develop close to average power once he settles into pro ball. He’s an intriguing sleeper prospect, which is one thing this system does not lack. Our Instinct: Ravelo may have been over looked if it wasn’t for the fact that scouts flocked to Hialeah High School in Florida to see team-mate and fellow 2010 draft pick Manny Machado, who went #3 over all. I’m curious about the lack of power. His .063 ISoP suggests he’s more of a singles hitter. I’m also curious about him filling out his frame like I keep hearing about. He’s still 6’2″ and has put all of 3 pounds on in the past 18 months. Still, he’s a polished hitter and will find a place to play if he keeps hitting. Here’s the catch though; if the power doesn’t develop he’s a good bet to stay at 3B, which isn’t what you want to hear. If his power does develop, he will most likely have to shift to 1B due to diminished range. So he better hit for a high average or start crankin’ um out of the park.

Phillies about to end their 13 game winning streak in PETCO Park. Cory Luebke has to be an early favorite for NL ROY, or Rookie Pitcher of the Year. That kid can deal. And his stats will always be skewed by playing 1/2 of his games in that mausoleum, same with Clayton Richard when he first went over there and everyone was complaining about how well he was doing. But Luebke's a legitimate top-of-the-line starter. BTW, have NESN, WEEI and the Boston Globe websites been shut down, as well as THE SONS OF SAM HORN?

Dan Johnson homer, Mitchell was 1/3 and exactly at .300 still, Phegley continues to rake, 2/4 with a double and an RBI, at .373 Brady Shoemaker pushing for a promotion, 2/4 with a double and hitting .345 He faced some dude named Sugar Ray Marimon in that game, great nickname. K. Walker 1/3, 2B, RBI K. Smith 1/3, Ravelo 1/4 and just under .400 now

What's Balta's mind on, lol? Humber throws a perfect game and he's thinking about basketball! Well yeah, 79-8=71-91, ON PAPER, without replacing those players But that's different from actually predicting the team to have that record when everything that could go wrong last year pretty much did go wrong and there was a new manager and coaching staff in place, with the exception of Baines and arguably one of the 3 best pitching coaches in the game, if not the best. With Peavy/Dunn/Rios alone performing as well as they are, that mitigates a lot of that loss, not to mention Sale replacing Buehrle. The one deficit is clearly Viciedo versus Quentin's stats in the early season, but Reed/Jones/Santiago have more than adequately replaced Santos from an overall statistical perspective.

Thanks, Jim. Royals about to go to 0-8 at home. Tigers/Rangers game down to the top of the 9th, 3-2 Tiggers. Runners on 1st and 2nd, one out, Valverde struggling to close the deal. Andrus up. Verlander has had horrible luck with games he's held the lead or left with a lead this year. 131 pitches his last start, needed 115 to get through the 6th tonight. N. Feliz pitched a very good game but fell apart in the 4th and gave up the 3 runs (Delmon Young with the key hit to tie, then Santiago blew it open with another to make it 3-1, Rangers just scored in the 8th). Raburn stabs a vicious line drive that was hit right on the button by Andrus that would have scored both runners. Cold/crisp air saves Valverde, but still has to face Josh Hamilton here. Hamilton K's on a 2-2 splitter. Papa Grande also had to get Napoli, the hottest hitter in baseball in that inning to lead off.

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Apr 21, 2012 -> 08:05 PM) Headline writers for the two big papers in the city are failing if Appreciate the Perfect Game isn't adorning the front of the sports section. Or the White Sox PR department/Boyer... They better change some of their television commercials and insert a black and white "1950's/60's style" highlights package of Humber with his 9 K's, dogpile, Gatorade shower, in the clubhouse toasting with his teammates, etc.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Apr 21, 2012 -> 08:56 PM) aaaand of COURSE you're the one to rain on the parade. haha I'll take Humber over Niemann any day of the week. I'll take Humber over Feliz for this year (growing pains). I like Harrison, but I still maintain we have a better all around rotation than Texas You'd take Nova over Humber? Freddy Garcia? I'll take Humber over Zambrano The Nationals are the only one I'll give you. Zambrano's been throwing surprisingly well, he was a hard-luck loser earlier this week against WASH, but his days of hitting 94-97 MPH with the fastball are long gone. Nova probably has more potential, arguably. Harrison has been the best pitcher on that Rangers' staff so far this season. Technically, the back end of their rotation is Darvish/Feliz. Some would consider Lewis their 3rd, many different viewpoints on the Rangers' rotation, plus they have Ogando and Feldman so they really can go 7 deep, too.

You knew the home plate ump didn't want to have another Jim Joyce situation there. I'm guessing he didn't actually go far enough or quite break his wrists, but he was coming so far forward in front of the plate with his body, he probably did bring his bat all the way through the strike zone and even beyond it. Would love to see the side angle. Maybe MLB wants it killed if it's going to be a controversy?

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-06...len-sox-uniform Humber humble about recent success Unlikely Sox starter grateful to be fulfilling potential after many pitfalls June 11, 2011|David Haugh | In the Wake of the News Inside the White Sox spring-training clubhouse in Sarasota, Fla., one day in 1994, 11-year-old Philip Humber struggled with control as much as he ever would on a major league mound. It can be tough for a kid from small-town Texas to keep his emotions in check meeting Sox stars Frank Thomas and Ozzie Guillen. How many children could play it cool with Michael Jordan — a Sox farmhand the spring of '94 — saying hello in front of his locker? "I still have Jordan's autograph,'' a smiling Humber recalled in the Sox dugout. "Seeing Frank and Ozzie, that whole day was a huge experience for me.'' Humber had traveled to Florida as a guest of former Sox minor-league pitcher Robert Ellis, a family friend and mentor from Humber's hometown near Carthage, Texas. Ellis remembers Humber declaring his goal of being a major league player after that visit and laughing at "how crazy,'' the Sox were — especially Guillen. With every game Humber wins in a Sox uniform, the trip 17 years ago takes on added significance in Ellis' memory. "It's funny how it has come full circle,'' said Ellis, 40, a right-hander who made 29 appearances for four teams from 1996-2003 and still regularly counsels Humber. "Philip looked up to Ozzie as a player after that day and now that he is pitching for the guy, it reflects back to when he was 11 years old and thought, man, this guy's awesome. You don't want to let the guy down.'' The surprise of the Sox season so far, Humber hasn't come close to disappointing Guillen or anybody else. Desperately needing consistency in the rotation with Jake Peavy's chronic health concerns, the Sox have gotten their Phil. Nobody expected much last January when the Sox picked up off waivers a once-promising right-hander out of Rice University who was the Mets' third overall pick of the 2004 draft, one spot behind Justin Verlander. But Humber enters Sunday's home start against the A's with a 5-3 record and 2.87 ERA as the unlikeliest of Sox aces because of the way he improved his mechanics and loosened his grip — on himself, not necessarily the baseball. "I've been through everything you can go through in baseball so far,'' said Humber, 28, already traded or released from four teams. "I've had Tommy John surgery, been the hot prospect, been a bust, been given a lot of opportunities and been given up on. You get to the point where you say, you know what, baseball's not my whole life and if I'm going to play it I'm going to play because I enjoy it. That's where I'm at.'' Chicago's South Side is a long way from where Humber grew up in the rural East Texas community of Buncombe, nine miles southwest of Carthage. For the map in Chicago sports fans' heads, that's about an hour south of Big Sandy, the hometown of Bears coach Lovie Smith. But to call Buncombe a dot on the map might be exaggerating. The last census estimated 87 people. That's more like a speck. "I was a country guy and it's still a big part of me,'' Humber said with the slightest hint of a Texas drawl. "It's peaceful and quiet. The people back there don't care what you're doing in Chicago or wherever but they care what kind of person you are. The biggest thing is it keeps you humble.'' When the Twins designated Humber for assignment at the beginning of the 2009 season, the low point of his career, he wasn't worried about staying humble. He worried about staying in baseball. The setback felt more disappointing than having Tommy John surgery in 2005, more bewildering than losing his first career start for the Mets on Sept. 26, 2007, in the midst of one of the sport's biggest collapses ever. The pitcher who was the key prospect in the Mets' trade for Johan Santana was close to becoming nothing more in baseball than the answer to a trivia question. "At that point it wasn't fun for my wife, wasn't fun for me and I had gotten so wrapped up in baseball being my identity,'' Humber said. "For me, just getting back to who I am and my identity comes through Christ. I got my focus back.'' Replacing an average cut fastball with a wicked slider to give him a fourth out pitch also helped. Sox pitching coach Don Cooper made that suggestion two days before Humber gave up one hit in seven innings in a gem against the Yankees. The latest Cooper reclamation project has seen the biggest difference making little mechanical adjustments at the behest of one of the game's best pitching coaches: getting over the ball, staying tall in his delivery and maintaining balance in the stretch. "Philip has good stuff but it's not eye-opening, blow-away stuff,'' Cooper said. "What I always say is in baseball you get your first check for potential and maybe velocity. But every check you get at the major league level has nothing to do with velocity, it has to do with hitting the glove with movement and changing speeds like he is now.'' Told of Cooper's assessment of Humber, Ellis just chuckled over the phone back in Texas. During Ellis' six-year stint in the Sox system, Cooper was his Triple-A pitching coach and espoused the same simple philosophy Ellis later pounded into Humber as a boy. "For what Philip has been through and where he is now, Coop is a big part of that,'' said Ellis, now coaching in Henderson, Texas. "He's learning to pitch. I'm sure there are times he has wanted to show everybody his stuff was still good but it's not about that. I vividly remember Coop telling me, 'You get guys out, that's what's important.' A lot of what I teach is what Coop taught. Phil's beginning to hear it from him now.'' The results make Humber feel like a kid again. Twitter @DavidHaugh

Humber Pie? That's bad. Hmmm....Humber Baby Humm (stupid rah rah thing all Little League coaches say to pitchers, or the pitcher's parents) Hum-VEE? Hubert Humberdink? Nope, that won't do.

T. Thompson with a single and walk, up to .250. 3 doubles, a triple and 2 homers on the season, 9 RBI's.

QUOTE (flavum @ Apr 21, 2012 -> 06:50 PM) So....next Thursday vs Red Sox. What's the attendance going to be? Might not be as high as one would think with many Red Sox fans disgusted with their team at this point, as well as the manager. Brooks is probably already scrambling. What are they going to, turn around in less than one-week and have a Humber Bobblehead, t-shirt, commemorative "no hit" ball or something similar give-away? Don't think they have enough time. But it would be cool if they could pull it off. Next Sunday is BAT DAY I think.

Or Petrino. Or Steve Alford.

Bobby Jenks pitching for Chicago CWS BOS B Jenks relieved O Hernandez. 5 3 T Graffanino grounded out to third. 5 3 J Damon struck out swinging. 5 3 E Renteria grounded out to second. ALDS or ALCS? Well, now you have both. Konerko ended up with the ball all 3 times. http://www.cnnsi.com/baseball/mlb/gameflas...p;sct=hp_t11_a0 27 Up, 27 Down He becomes the latest one-time Mets pitcher who went on to throw a no-hitter elsewhere, a group that includes Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden and David Cone. New York has never had a no-hitter in its 51-year history. The only other team without one is San Diego, which began play in 1969.

Aviles falls down on a routine grounder. Jeter safe on a "hit." Can't give an error if you lose your footing and fall down, forgot about that.

Yankees batted around twice now in the late innings. Russell Martin, .158 heading into that at-bat, adds two more on a double off the CF wall. Unreal. Next batter Nunez gets on and Valentine gets booed yet again when he hooks yet another pitcher out of there. It's strange to be rooting against Boston, but most fans nationally now dislike them even more than the Yankees. Especially now with Valentine. Why is Bobby V. tipping his cap to the fans, lol? What's even more amusing is that Francona has the Sunday Night Game for ESPN!!! Wonder what's going through his thoughts now? He got the loudest ovation yesterday for the 100th anniversary, more than YAZ and Fisk and Rice and Dwight Evans.

Boston fans raining down boos on Valentine and the bullpen.

Saw that and was like WHAT? And we were all ripping FOX for not going away for Humber's performance when it was a 9-0 or 9-1 lead, haha. Imagine the meltdown in Boston when/if they ultimately lose this one. Our old friend V. Padilla, Albers, Morales and Aceves all contributing to the blown save. Padilla gave up five by himself. Tex and Nick Swisher with 6 RBI's each. Wonder when's the last time a team came back from 9-0 down and two guys had six ribbies each? Or even a time when a team had two guys both put up 6?

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Apr 21, 2012 -> 06:04 PM) You know, any single pitcher in any given day can catch lightning in a bottle. Nothing can take this day away from the man... hundreds of thousands of games, and he was perfect for one day against the best in the world. Who cares what anyone thinks of him previous to this day? Give the man his due. That was kind of the point. One of those amazing comeback stories that all Americans love to get behind and root for, like Dennis Quaid playing Jim Morris in THE ROOKIE. http://www.hbo.com/real-sports-with-bryant...lt-mariner.html Just like this story on HBO about the M's Delabar, who threw the 8th and 9th innings. http://recruitingcycle.com/dreams-never-fa...orts-interview/

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?c_id=mlb...opic_id=8879206 Video of the last out and dogpile. Was hoping and praying Peavy, Humber or Sale wouldn't get injured. Those two guys were among the first ones out there, streaking towards the mound.

When the Mets drafted Phil Humber back in 2004, I was thrilled. Even though my baseball knowledge was still in a prehistoric state, I had read enough about Humber to get excited about the prospects of the Mets drafting him. As a member of Rice University's "Big Three" along with Jeff Niemann and Wade Townsend, there was quite a bit of buzz around Humber, and I considered the Mets fortunate to have had the opportunity to draft him. When I arrived at Mets spring training in 2005, I was eager to get the opportunity to meet Humber and get an autograph. Even though the Mets had just drafted Humber, they invited him to spring training and he quickly shined with the Mets. The buzz surrounding Humber was building. People like me were convinced that Humber was going to be the next big thing simply after scouring all the scouting reports and articles about the Mets' first round pick. As soon as Humber finished his workout for the day and signed autographs, a massive amount of people surrounded him, hoping and pleading for an autograph or picture. You would have thought that Humber was Roger Clemens or something. Luckily for me, I was able to walk away from Mets camp that day with a Philip Humber autographed baseball—on the sweet spot. I immediately put the ball into a ball holder, firmly believing that this guy was the future ace of my beloved New York Mets. But before I knew it, Humber was hurt. Just a few months into the 2005 season, Humber was forced to undergo the dreaded Tommy John surgery. Just like that, his season was over and his future was very much in question. And then, something amazing happened. Humber's recovery from Tommy John surgery went more quickly than anticipated and, just one year later, Humber was back in AA. By the end of 2006, Humber made his major league debut with the Mets as a relief pitcher. The buzz was back! Or so I thought. Even though Humber put up good numbers in 2007, he was not the same lights-out kind of pitcher that the Mets had hoped for. It was clear that Humber was not the same pitcher post-surgery as he was prior to it. The Phil Humber ceiling was inevitably lowered. By 2008, Humber was traded by the Mets in the Johan Santana deal. Just like that, the Mets had traded their "future ace," who, just three years earlier, was their top draft pick and one of the best prospects in the Mets' system. Even though Humber's velocity appears to have come back since his surgery, the results simply were not there this spring training. Humber did wind up making the Twins opening day roster, but once the Twins needed to make a roster move, there was no doubt who the Twins were going to designate for assignment: Philip Humber. In just five years, Humber has gone from a third overall pick to a guy struggling for his major league life. While Humber might never have piles of fans yearning for his autograph, I hope that Humber can simply maintain a major league career. from bleacherreport.com back in 2009