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Whitesox article


Cubs Suck23

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Heres a Whitesox article that was in SF newpaper thought I would share it

 

Would the real playoff contenders emerge already?

 

The trade deadline is 14 days away, and too many general managers still don't know whether they'll upgrade or downsize. Blame Bud Selig for pushing baseball toward a level playing field. Blame the Yankees for having an off year and allowing ordinary teams to think they have hope. Blame the Padres for not taking better control of a shabby division.

 

At the All-Star break, 22-of-30 teams were no worse than four games below .500, and three of the remaining eight teams belong to the National League West, where public concessions are rare because the Padres are such a fragile first-place team.

 

From June 1 until the break, the Padres went 15-22 -- and actually gained ground in the NL West. The Diamondbacks were 13-25 over the same stretch. The Dodgers and Giants were 14-23.

 

The wild card taints nearly every team's view of itself, misguided in many cases, and AL teams are equally to blame now that the Yankees are vulnerable, coming out of the break for the first time since 1996 without a hold on first place in the AL East.

 

Only the Cardinals and White Sox know how to distance themselves from the pack, leading the Central divisions by 11 1/2 and nine games, respectively, at the break. Since 1933, the year of the first All-Star Game, 26 teams owned at least a nine-game lead at the break, and only two blew it: the 1978 Red Sox and the 1993 Giants (as much as a team that wins 103 games can blow it).

 

Although one team wasted a six-game lead at the break just two years ago, the Cardinals and White Sox shouldn't worry about missing the playoffs in 2005. That team, after all, was the plunging-to-earth Royals, who led the White Sox by six and the Twins, the eventual division champs, by 7 1/2.

 

"I don't think it's possible," Brewers manager Ned Yost said of any team but the Cardinals claiming the NL Central. "They've got too many good players, and they're got too much depth. They're too good. Their coaching, their manager ... they've just got too many things going for them. I don't see it happening."

 

Twins pitcher Johan Santana said of the White Sox, "The way they've played, they've been unbelievable. No one can compare with them right now. But we're doing fine. It's just that they're the best team in baseball right now."

 

The Cardinals have a lineup fit for the AL, led by Albert Pujols (he might finally snag an MVP with Barry Bonds' absence), and their rotation alone has more wins (50, entering the weekend) than the entire staffs of 24 other clubs. Proving their dominance in the NL Central, they're 28-9 against division foes and are on pace for their second straight 100-win season.

 

The future is equally bright for the White Sox, who are gunning for their first pennant since the "Go-Go Sox" of 1959. They own the majors' best record after winning only 83 games last year, and they offer solid pitching (Jon Garland has 13 wins after opening the season as the No. 5 starter) and startling acquisitions (Dustin Hermanson has 22 saves in 23 chances, and A.J. Pierzynski is suddenly not a bad guy).

 

At least these teams know they'll be buyers leading to the trade deadline, if only to better prepare for the postseason.

 

Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty, who annually makes big-time acquisitions in July, wants another outfield bat and left-handed reliever (Billy Wagner would be perfect, but pricey). White Sox GM Kenny Williams is seeking depth in both the rotation and bullpen and remains interested in Jason Schmidt and A.J. Burnett.

 

The Padres, Blue Jays and Orioles are among several teams eyeing Burnett, signifying a seller's market as trade talk heats up. Although Preston Wilson, Bret Boone, Eric Byrnes and Jay Payton were dealt in recent days, trade flurries aren't expected until teams start losing more games or realize they've got little chance for the playoffs.

 

"There is not as much activity as there has been in the past because there aren't many options,'' Williams told the Chicago Sun-Times. "I guess that's unfortunate for teams trying to take their games to another level, but at the same time, it means your competitors will have a difficult time getting better. It's also a problem that's good for baseball that so many teams are in the playoff chase."

 

The AL dominated interleague play, posting 20 more wins than the NL, and the AL's All-Star victory was its eighth straight, securing home-field advantage for the World Series.

 

Good news for the White Sox.

 

As for the Cardinals, manager Tony La Russa was asked to reflect on last year's World Series (a Boston sweep) and what would have happened had his team owned the home-field advantage.

 

"We would've lost in five," he quipped

Edited by Cubs Suck23
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QUOTE(sircaffey @ Jul 17, 2005 -> 04:50 PM)
No thank you.  I pray that we don't have to face the Cards!

 

You can't back into a world championship. If we win it, will beat whoever steps on the field to play us. If it's the Cardinals, fine. If it's someone else from the NL, then they've probably gotten there by beating the Cards.

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QUOTE(Yoda @ Jul 17, 2005 -> 04:11 PM)
Like many, I wouldn't want to face the Cardinals. When I think of them I think of:

 

Pujols

Edmonds

Rolen

Walker

Eckstein

Sanders

 

... just about the whole f***ing team!

 

 

A Sox Cards series this season would be one for the ages............but there's a lot of games we need to win first so I'd rather not think that far ahead.

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QUOTE(sircaffey @ Jul 17, 2005 -> 03:50 PM)
No thank you.  I pray that we don't have to face the Cards!

 

Who would you want to play? :huh

The Rockies??

 

Any team that makes it to World Series is going to be good.

 

I think they're also hoping they don't have to face us...

Edited by RibbieRubarb
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QUOTE(YASNY @ Jul 17, 2005 -> 10:03 PM)
You can't back into a world championship.  If we win it, will beat whoever steps on the field to play us.  If it's the Cardinals, fine.  If it's someone else from the NL, then they've probably gotten there by beating the Cards.

 

That's fine, but for a team that hasn't won in 88 yrs there'd be no shame in playing the Fathers and hoping that it happens.

 

Btw, I feel no shame in hoping we don't have to face Oakland in the 1st round either.

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QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jul 17, 2005 -> 09:03 PM)
It doesn't matter who it is, if the Sox make it to the Series...

 

that will be one kick ass October...

 

:)

 

/runs and checks on additional bandwidth... :ph34r:

 

We need to have a "crash the server" night, where we pick a road game where we see how many people we can put on this site. We will really see what this server can do.

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QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jul 17, 2005 -> 09:33 PM)
We need to have a "crash the server" night, where we pick a road game where we see how many people we can put on this site.  We will really see what this server can do.

I vote for a night where we play the twinkies in minosota.

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Good article. I read it today at the A's/Rangers game. I was also checking the web on my phone every few minutes until the Sox got the final out. Good game in Oakland. They are on fire. Hope we don't face them in the post season.

 

I will be trying to go to the Giants/Braves game tommorow night. God I love traveling for work!

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