Welcome to the South Side, Omar!

Even though you'll have to change your number from 13 to something else, let's give a big ol' South Side welcome to Omar Vizquel.

Omar Vizquel, yeeeeeesssssss!!!

Omar Vizquel to the South Side?

According to this article on ESPNChicago.com, the Sox are in negotiations with Vizquel's agent to bring the 42-year-old shortstop to the South Side. Their plans are to use him as a backup infielder to Alexei Ramirez.

When I first heard about this rumored deal, I was against it. I was thinking "how could they spend money on this guy to just ride the bench when they could have used the same money to acquire a DH?" However, the more I look at this possible deal, the more I like it. Vizquel will probably sign a one year deal with the Sox at a bargain-basement price (my guess is anywhere between $1-$3 million dollars), and he will be a great mentor to Alexei at short. Plus, the language barrier that might have been a problem between Alexei and Beckham in the middle infield will likely be alleviated with Vizquel's presence. Even though Ozzie Guillen was a pretty solid infielder himself, he has many other things he needs to focus on as a manager, and he can't give 100 percent of his attention to the infield. Vizquel's presence, however, can make him a de facto player/coach, and that would help Ozzie out tremendously.

Vizquel could also serve as a late-inning defensive replacement at short, which would strengthen the team's defense in the infield even more. It would also give the team a bit of insurance if something were to happen to Alexei or Beckham. It would also give the Sox a nice little bit of history, as well. The Sox have a proud tradition of fielding outstanding Venezuelan shortstops (Chico Carrasquel, Luis Aparicio, Ozzie Guillen), and acquiring Vizquel would just be another addition to that legacy. I know that should not be the reason why you sign somebody, but it's still cool to think about, isn't it?

To sum things up, if Vizquel can be had for the right price (i.e. cheap), then I like this move. My hope is that this won't hamper their chances of going after a DH this offseason, though. If that is the case, then I won't like this move. Besides, the last thing I want to hear is Kenny Williams crying poor, saying that he "doesn't have the money in the budget to go after anybody else."

Tim Lincecum, your National League Cy Young Award winner (again)!

I don't have much to say today, so I would like to send my congrats to San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum for winning his second consecutive Cy Young Award today. He narrowly beat out Cardinals pitcher Chris Carpenter in voting, 100 to 94. Surprisingly enough, Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright actually received more first place votes (12) than Lincecum (11). The difference maker, however, was the fact that Lincecum received more second-place votes (15) than Wainwright (5). It was because of this that Wainwright actually finished third in voting behind Carpenter and Lincecum.

Well, enough of confusing you with the convoluted voting system for writers. Just enjoy it for what it is. A young pitcher moving into the upper echelon of MLB. Congrats once again to Lincecum! Somehow, I get the feeling that this won't be the last time he wins one.

Rumor has it that....

The White Sox, Padres and Angels are discussing a three-way trade that would send Paul Konerko to Los Angeles, Adrian Gonzalez to Chicago and prospects to San Diego. A very interesting proposition, in my honest opinion. We would be getting a very great left-handed hitter who clubbed 40 home runs last year while playing in a pitcher's ballpark, not to mention a guy who can add some more balance to the lineup. With Thome's departure, there was a clear void in the lineup as far as left-handed power goes. If the Sox were somehow able to acquire Gonzalez, that void would be gone.

However, there is the issue of Konerko's no-trade clause, which is present only because of his 10-5 rights (10-5 rights means that if a player has been in the majors for at least 10 seasons, with the last five being on the same team, they have the power to veto any trade). According to the linked article, Konerko lives in Arizona during the offseason, and as you already know, Southern California is pretty close to Arizona. Nonetheless, I do not know how I feel about Konerko being traded. Yes, he is an "old" 33, but he is still very productive at the plate, and on the field as well. He hit .277 this year (his highest average since 2006), with 28 home runs and 88 RBIs, which is a pretty solid year at the plate. He was also one of my favorite players growing up, and I still have my Paul Konerko autograph on the bill of my Sox hat proudly sitting atop my trophy shelf. He is one of the greatest players in Sox history; he is second in team history in home runs, and he and Frank Thomas are the only two players in Sox history to post back-to-back 40 homer seasons. Sox fans will not forget how clutch he was during the 2005 postseason, when he hit possibly the biggest home run in team history in Game 2 (a 7th inning grand slam off of Chad Qualls). The day "Paulie" plays his final game in a Sox uniform will definitely be a sad one for me and many Sox fans.

But...if they do acquire Gonzalez, I would still be estatic. I would love to see him paired with Carlos Quentin in the lineup next year, and I would love to see him do work on American League pitching. He is similar to Konerko in a lot of ways. He carries himself with a quiet dignity that is similar to "Paulie;" he has unheralded power, just like him and he can field his position very well, just like him, too. The most awesome aspect about this trade idea is that he's 27 years old, which means he is just about to enter his prime. Now that I think about it, if this trade were to go through, I would be sad that Konerko left, but, at the same time, it would be like he never left at all once Gonzalez suits up at first. Like the old saying goes: "sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same." Kenny, if you were able to get this deal done, go for it!

Zack Greinke is your 2009 American League Cy Young Award Winner

I am happy to see that the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) got this one right for once. Zack Greinke was by far and away the best pitcher in the American League this year, and in MLB in my honest opinion. Don't let the fact that he was on a 97-loss team fool you; Greinke was rock solid despite his team's performance. Even though his 16-8 record seems pedestrian, his other numbers were not; they were phenomenal. He finished with a 2.16 ERA, which was tops in baseball, and he accomplished that in the AL, no less. His WHIP was a sick 1.07. He also recorded 252 strikeouts to just 55 walks, and he only surrendered 11 home runs in 229.1 innings. He was damn near unanimously selected, as he received 25 of the 28 first place votes from the writers.

He also became just the third Royals pitcher to ever receive the honor, joining Bret Saberhagen (1985 and 1989) and David Cone (1994). You probably won't see me hand out too many compliments to players on rival AL Central teams, but in this instance, the accolades are well-deserved. Congrats to Greinke, and it should be a blast watching him pitch next year (except for against the Sox).

The 2009 American League and National League Rookies of the Year are....

Andrew Bailey of the Oakland Athletics and Chris Coghlan of the Florida Marlins(fooled you with the picture, huh?). Bailey had a great year for the A's, going 26 for 30 in saves with a 1.84 ERA. He also recorded an impressive 0.88 WHIP as well. However, I am a little disappointed that Beckham did not win it. He finished fifth! Jeff Niemann (Tampa Bay), Rick Porcello (Detroit) and Elvis Andrus (Texas) all finished ahead of Beckham. With the exception of Rick Porcello, how could you say that any of those guys had a better year than Beckham? He hit 14 home runs and drove in 63 over the course of just 103 games, to go along with 28 doubles. You also have to take into account that Beckham learned a new position (third base) to go along with all of the numbers. He fielded the new position admirably, and he should be a mainstay in the Sox infield for years to come.

Even though he could not win the Rookie of the Year award given out by the writers, he still was able to take home the Sporting News' Rookie of the Year award (voted on by the players and some coaches/managers) as well as the Players' Choice Rookie of the Year award (also voted on by the players). And hey, Beckham should not feel too bad that he didn't get the writers' award. Not all Rookie of the Year award winners go on to have great careers. Besides, for every Albert Pujols who wins the award (like he did in 2001), you have a plethora of no-name players who took home the hardware (like Angel Berroa, Ben Grieve, Pat Listach, Joe Charboneau, Bob Hamelin, etc.). None of those guys I listed became anything special. Beckham not winning the American League Rookie of the Year will not define him. Instead, I'm looking at this as the start of a truly special career for "Bacon."

Big Jim heading back to the South Side?

I would like to offer my most sincere apologies to not being here with you yesterday (that's what good ol' editing homework will do to you). According to this article on the Chicago Tribune website today, Jim Thome is apparentlty still receptive to the idea of returning to the Sox in 2010. The Dodgers are not making any plans to re-sign him because he does not fit within their future. With such a young core on that team, it only makes sense. Why would you want another old, slow dinosaur on your team who cannot play first base anymore when you have James Loney, who is young and more than capable of playing first? Plus, Loney is only 25 years old, and he still has the potential to improve offensively.

So what does that make of the White Sox's plans, then? In what direction is Kenny Williams trying to go with the team? I am not trying to be snide, because Kenny has done a fantastic job with assembling the team in his tenure on the South Side. He has proven me wrong more often than not. One example this was back in 2004. Williams, trying to assemble more team speed, traded Carlos Lee to the Milwaukee Brewers for Scott Podsednik and reliever Luis Vizcaino. At the time, I thought it was the worst trade ever. "How in the hell can you trade a guy who hit 31 homers last year for a little flea who didn't even hit .300 last year, and some weak-ass reliever?" I was certain that the Sox (who finished 2004 at 83-79) were destined to have their worst season since the '90s ended. Well, I was wrong; they ended up winning the World Series that year. Williams not only proved me wrong, but a lot of baseball prognosticators wrong as well.

However, if Williams brought Thome back, it makes you wonder why they even bothered getting rid of him in the first place. They traded Thome on the final day of August to the Los Angeles Dodgers for some 26 year-old, Single-A infielder named Justin Fuller. The Sox also were kind enough to pay for the rest of Thome's contract as well. To sum it up in a more succinct fashion: they gave him away. If you just "give" someone away like that, does that basically mean you have absolutely no use for him anymore, whatsoever? It just seems puzzling to me that Williams is even entertaining this idea.

Despite the fact that I am questioning this, Jim Thome is still one of my all-time favorite players, and I cannot wait for the day he gets inducted to the Hall of Fame. He's a class act, he plays the game the right way, and he appears to not have a single conceited bone in his body. However, when Williams parted ways with Thome, that basically sent a signal to fans that he is ready to move in a different direction with the team. What that direction may be, I am not sure of. Nonetheless, it does not involve Thome. So why are you considering bringing him back?

Also, if you bring Big Jim back, you are only going to get one year out of him, at best. He will be 40 years old next year. Even though he still possesses prodigious power, his bat speed has slowed down considerably, he cannot hit lefties well and he cannot play any other position other than DH. Even though the Sox have stated that they will not have any significant jump in payroll next year (as evidenced in their lack of interest in many players, including Aroldis Chapman), would it really kill them to put their hat in the ring for Matt Holliday or Jason Bay?

All in all, if the Sox do bring back Thome at a reasonable price, I would still welcome him with open arms, as a fan. He will always be one of my favorite players, and I hope he can somehow get his 600th career home run next year, win the World Series, and ride off into the sunset as a champion with the Sox. But if you are looking to be competitive in 2010 and beyond, is bringing back a 39 year-old Thome for one last hurrah the right answer?

Reaction to Bob Costas' interview with Bud Selig

In case you do not have MLB Network, Bob Costas sat down on Studio 42 last night with the commish himself, Bud Selig, to talk about the issues of the game. Some of the things they touched on included the steroid issue, instant replay and perhaps baseball's biggest wart, the salary discrepancies between the large and small market teams.

Selig delicately tip-toed around those touchy subjects, such as how revenue sharing money is being used by teams. However, I have to give kudos to Costas for not throwing Selig softball questions. You would think that a part-time employee of the MLB Network would have a conflict of interest bringing up controversial subject matter related to baseball, but Costas still brought the heat. That in turn, made for a very entertaining interview.

When asked about whether or not baseball needs a salary cap, Selig responded by saying that 23 of the 30 teams have made the postseason this decade. He also mentioned how that statistic is indicative of more parity in baseball than there was just 10 years ago, and that this was all achieved through revenue sharing. Surprisingly enough, sportswriters Tom Verducci and Ken Rosenthal each agreed with Selig during the studio discussion after the interview. Would you like to know something else? I agree with them, too.

I know, it is a popular stance to take right now regarding the economics of baseball. Screaming for a salary cap is in vogue right now, much like screaming for a playoff system in college football. However, who is really affected by the spending habits of the Yankees and Red Sox? I find three teams that you could possibly make an argument for: the Baltimore Orioles, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays. Hell, I'm even being generous with Toronto, considering that they are in arguably the fifth largest market in MLB and that they are owned by the Canadian media conglomerate, Rogers Communications. They could easily have their payroll on Boston's level if they really wanted to. They just choose to play it cheap, just like most of the other teams that cry poor in baseball. Tampa Bay, despite being in the smallest market in the AL East, has found a way to achieve success through player development and scouting. Baltimore? Well, let's just say that some of their fans are more fed up with their incompetent owner, rather than New York and Boston's spending habits.

However, I don't feel any remorse for teams like Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Cincinnati. I have no pity on them because, last time I checked, they don't play in the AL East. The Pirates and Reds play in the NL Central, which has been largely dominated by the Cubs, Cardinals and Astros in this decade. While the three have been known to have some big payrolls in the past, they are nowhere near the level of New York and Boston. You have to make the postseason first before you reach the World Series, and let's face it, those three teams are nowhere near being invincible. The same argument applies with Kansas City. With the exception of 2006, the AL Central has not been all that competitive. You do not need to look any further than this past season to see that. The Twins won the division with just 87 wins, and it took a play-in game just for them to reach win number 87! Plus, the Royals have not been to the playoffs in 24 years. That's right, 24 years. You have people who are out of college that weren't even born when the Royals last saw the postseason. When you go that long without making the playoffs, you had better look at yourself in the mirror first before you start pointing fingers at baseball's economic system. So, could somebody please tell me how the Royals are at a competitive disadvantage, when there has been more parity in that division than in any other division this decade? They aren't! When you have a terrible front office, the bad product shows itself on the field.

Also, it is one thing to have a stretch of losing seasons, or years in which you miss the playoffs. It happens to nearly every team. However, how can you feel sorry for the Pirates, who have 17 losing seasons in a row? Come on. You almost have to try to be that bad. Heck, in 2006, the Cardinals won the division with just 83 wins. You mean to tell me that the Pirates are at a competitive disadvantage when you can win less than 90 games to win the division more often than not? Sorry, I'm not buying that argument, either.

Why can't the Pirates and Royals be more like the Detroit Tigers? The Tigers had the third highest payroll in the AL this past season, and the fifth highest in baseball. In 2008, they had the second highest payroll in the AL, and the third highest in baseball. This is also coming from a city that's been hit harder by the current economy than any other city in America. How is it that they can still spend money to be competitive, and the Pirates and Royals can't? It is simple; they have an owner that is willing to see his team succeed at any cost, and he is willing to put forth the money to see it happen. Guess what happened? They averaged over 31,000 per game in 2009, and they drew over 3,000,000 fans in 2008. Of course, team revenue isn't solely tied to attendance, but when you're packing them in every night like Detroit, a high attendance is like the cherry and whipped cream on top of a milk shake.

Baseball's economic system is an easy scapegoat for people when they want to put down the Yankees for winning it all. I don't like the Yankees, and I would love to see baseball make their revenue sharing system hit the Yankees' wallets a little harder. However, suggesting that a salary cap should be instituted is just an egregious justification as to why your favorite team has not been competitive. Cheap owners want fans to believe that, so they can go laughing all the way to the bank with their increased profit margins. Besides, small payroll teams like Minnesota and Florida are making teams like Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Baltimore look more and more worse with each passing year. If the Twins and Marlins can be competitive, why can't any other team with a small payroll do the same?

Congratuations to Mark Buehrle!

Mark Buehrle was named as the 2009 Gold Glove recipient for pitchers today. He took the place of Mike Mussina, who won it last year after announcing his retirement. This was Buehrle's first career gold glove, and he joins former Sox pitcher Jim Kaat as the only pitchers in Sox history to achieve the feat (Kaat won it in two consecutive years from 1974-75). He is also the first Sox player of any position to win the Gold Glove since Robin Ventura took home the hardware as a third baseman in 1998.

So, let's see what Buehrle has accomplished so far in his career:

Starting in a World Series game: check.
Getting a save in a World Series game: check.
Winning a World Series ring: check.
Throwing a no-hitter: check.
Throwing a perfect game: check.
Winning a gold glove: check.

Buehrle, all you need is a Cy Young for next year and you are set! Congratulations to Buehrle once again, and go Sox!

MLB.com's 2009 "This Year in Baseball Awards"

It is that time of year again, when MLB.com rolls out another edition of the "This Year in Baseball awards." The awards may not be as prestigious as the awards handed out by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, but they are pretty cool nonetheless. That's because we, the fans, get to vote for them! While there are some years when I will turn a blind eye to these, this year is different. There are a slew of White Sox candidates for these awards, and they are all worthy of having a vote this year. Without further adieu, here are your eligible White Sox candidates:

Rookie of the Year: Gordon Beckham

Even though "Bacon" did not get called up to the bigs until June, he certainly made the most out of his opportunity once he arrived. Playing at a new position (third base), Beckham handled himself admirably at the hot corner, while hitting .270, with 14 home runs and 63 RBIs in just 103 games. His "weclome to the big leagues" moment had to be on June 27, when he singled in the bottom of the ninth inning off of Cubs reliever Jose Ascanio to win the game for the White Sox 8-7.

Setup Man of the Year: Matt Thornton

Thornton proved himself to be a solid setup man to Bobby Jenks (and, at times, proved to be a solid closer, too). He finished fifth in the AL with 24 holds, while recording 87 strikeouts to just 20 walks in 72.1 innings pitched. He also finished the season with a 2.74 ERA. Not too shabby, I'd say.

Performance of the Year: Mark Buehrle's perfect game against Tampa Bay on July 23.

This has to be the only no-brainer on this year's list of candidates. Even if you are not a Sox fan, you would be a fool to vote against a perfect game. Only 18 perfect games have ever been thrown in baseball history, so it's not like you get the opportunity to vote for one every year. Sorry Paulie, even though your three home run performance on July 7 against the Indians is on MLB.com's list of candidates, it does not even come close to Buehrle's performance.

Play of the Year: Dewayne Wise saves Buehrle's perfect game on July 23.

With one out in the top of the ninth inning, and with Buehrle having already retired the first 25 men he faced, Gabe Kapler socked a 2-2 pitch to the deep left-center field wall. It seemed for certain that the perfect game, no-hitter and shutout would all be gone with one swing of the bat. However, Dewayne Wise made one of the most remarkable situational catches in baseball history. By leaping high over the wall to bring the ball back in play, juggling it, and keeping it within his possession after falling to the ground, he preserved Mark Buehrle's bid for perfection.

There you have it. Four candidates, all of whom are worthy of selection. You can vote as many times as you want, but just make sure you do it before voting ends on December 11. Thanks, and as always, go Sox!

Beckham playing at second base....good or bad?

If you did not happen to read my blog post from yesterday, shame on you. I'm only kidding, but within my post yesterday, I mentioned how Gordon Beckham will be moving from third base to second base, now that Mark Teahen is on the Sox. The rookie of the year candidate will be making his second position shift in as many years, and it still will not result with him playing at his natural position of shortstop. With an infield featuring Konerko at first, Beckham at second, Alexei at short and Teahen at third, it begs the question: will the infield defense be any better next year?

Konerko has always been pretty solid defensively at first. Alexei has had his struggles defensively at short, but he could always improve next year. I still do not know a lot about Teahen defensively, so I will not comment on him until I watch him play a few games at third next year. However, with Beckham moving to second, you have to wonder how good he will be defensively there.

It is worth noting that Beckham nearly won the starting job at second base during spring training last year, a job that ended up going to the recently departed Chris Getz. Beckham also played second in the Arizona Fall League back in 2008, and he played at second while he was in Double-A Birmingham last year, too. The experience he has there will definitely work to his advantage. Nonetheless, since he will be at a new position next year, that means he will definitely have his share of errors there. Pairing him up with Alexei Ramirez at short could be dicey, since Ramirez, as mentioned earlier, has had his share of adventures at short last season. However, I am confident that Beckham and Ramirez will work hard together during spring training next year to become solid defensively together.

Since Beckham is a natural shortstop, the transition to second should not be a difficult one for him, but there will still be a learning curve that he will have to hurdle once again. Hopefully, he can hurdle the learning curve rather quickly, because there have been Sox players in the past that have taken their defensive woes to the plate with them (namely Juan Uribe). The last thing the Sox need is for Beckham's offensive production to go down on account of his poor defense.

Oh there's a change in the weather, change in the sea, from now on there'll be a change in me...

I sincerely apologize for my absence yesterday. I was very busy, and I unfortunately did not have the time to update my blog. I should not be surprised though; the one day that I am unable to write for this blog, the White Sox have possibly their busiest day (or days) of the offseason.

First things first, the White Sox have traded second baseman Chris Getz and third baseman Josh Fields to the Kansas City Royals for Mark Teahen. The Royals, just to sweeten the deal, have also sent $1 million to the Sox to help balance the salary discrepancies. I actually like this deal; the Sox were finally able to get rid of Josh Fields, and they acquired a player who can provide some decent offense to an already strong lineup. However, the only thing that I will certainly miss is the speed of Chris Getz. He went 25-27 in steals last year, and it will hurt not having his speed at the top of the lineup next year. Nonetheless, his offensive production was pedestrian at best. Getz only hit .261 last season, with two home runs and 31 RBIs. His OBP was also a pretty sub-par .324. You would like for a guy with his kind of speed to be able to get on base more, but since it was his first full big league season this past year, I will cut him some slack. He can always improve.

Teahen will definitely provide more power for the White Sox, as he hit .271 last year, with 12 home runs and 50 RBIs. His OBP was only one point better than Getz's last year (at .325), but the increased offensive contribution definitely makes up for the lack of OBP. I also like how versatile Teahen is as well. The Sox say that he will play at third next year (they will move Gordon Beckham to second base), but he is also capable of playing the outfield, first base and second base as well. That certainly gives them more flexibility if someone were to go down with an injury. All in all, this was a great trade for the White Sox, even if they do lose some team speed in the process.

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The arrival of Teahen also comes with another farewell to a great Sox player. The team has announced that they have bought out the contract of right fielder Jermaine Dye for $950,000. This is a sad day for many Sox fans because of all of the contributions that Dye has made to the South Side. He was the 2005 World Series MVP, he nearly won the AL MVP in 2006 when he hit 44 home runs, and he was very instrumental in helping the Sox get back to the playoffs in 2008. The season that he put together this year was not bad either, as he hit .250, with 27 home runs and 81 RBIs. However, the team buying out his contract is a pretty clear sign to me that the team is ready to go in a new direction.

I was fine and dandy about the prospects of a Quentin-Rios-Podsednik outfield until I heard that the Sox will not be bringing back Scott Podsednik. Instead, they have signed outfielder Mark Kotsay to a one-year, $1.5 million deal. I am truly hoping that the Sox either have one more trade up their sleeve, or that they are active in the free agent market this winter, because I do not want to see Mark Kotsay as a starting outfielder. Period. Kotsay hit .278 with four homers and 23 RBIs in 67 games last year, but I think his best work is as a platoon player, and not as an everyday player. He fields his position well in the outfield (realistically, he can play all three outfield positions), but I do not think he will provide enough offense for the Sox if he started everyday. Plus, there has to be a reason as to why he has not played in at least 130 games since 2005. His days as a regular starter are behind him. Hopefully the Sox and Kotsay can make me eat my words if this is the direction they choose to go in.

Ugh. Start spreading the news....

The New York Yankees have won their 27th World Championship. Just in case you were keeping track, that is 17 more than the next closest team (the St. Louis Cardinals have 10 titles). Even though I would much rather see the Yankees win it all as opposed to Boston or Minnesota, I think I'm still going to take a day off to stew over this. I have homework I need to finish, anyway. I'll come back tomorrow with something more thoughtful to say. Congratulations to the Yankees, and may my beloved White Sox destroy you and your overpaid team next year.

Eight Years Ago Today....

The Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the New York Yankees in Game Seven, 3-2, to win what was arguably the best World Series ever played. The Series that year had all the elements to create an absolute classic. There was the Yankees, seeking their fourth consecutive World Title, and they had extra incentive behind them because of what happened to New York in the 9/11 tragedy. They wanted to help the city heal. There was also the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team that was not even in existence the last time the Yankees failed to win the World Series. They were loaded with aging, yet experienced veterans that knew their window of opportunity of getting a championship was rapidly closing. That was the incentive that was driving them. Combine those two elements, and you are ready for an absolute thriller.

The Diamondbacks took Games One and Two of the World Series at home in rather convincing fashion, winning the first game 9-1 and shutting out the Yankees in Game Two, 4-0. When the Series scene shifted to New York for Game Three, that's when all of the fun began.

Roger Clemens out-dueled Diamondbacks starter Brian Anderson in Game Three 2-1, to notch the Yankees' first victory. However, the Series was just heating up. In Game Four, the Yankees entered the bottom of the ninth inning trailing by a 3-1 score. This was thanks in large part to the efforts of Arizona starter Curt Schilling, who over-matched the Yankees' hitters over the course of seven innings pitched. Byung-Hyun Kim came on in relief of Curt Schilling after that, struck out the side in the eighth, and by the bottom of the ninth, was looking to put Arizona up 3-1 in the World Series.

Kim induced a ground-out from Derek Jeter to lead off the inning before surrendering a single to Paul O'Neill. Unfazed, he struck out Bernie Williams swinging for the second out. Arizona seemed to have the game in the bag until Tino Martinez stepped up to the plate. On the very first pitch Martinez saw, he walloped a two-run homer to tie the game, and saved the team from certain doom. Yankee Stadium was in a frenzy.

Kim would get out of the inning without any more damage, but his night was not over. He came back into the game in the bottom of the tenth, got the first two outs in easy fashion, before surrendering a game-winning home run to Derek Jeter. The clock was just past midnight on November 1, and the moniker of "Mr. November" was quickly placed on Derek Jeter.

The next night, the Diamondbacks were in the same position as the night before. One man on with two out, and Byung-Hyun Kim was back in the game to try to close it out. One more out, and Arizona would go back home up 3-2. The score was 2-0 and Scott Brosius was the hitter. On the second pitch he saw, he drilled it into the left field stands to tie the game. Two consecutive nights and two consecutive times the Yankees were down to their final out, and they managed to tie the game both times.

However, the Yankees were not finished. In the bottom of the twelfth inning, and with Albie Lopez on the mound for Arizona, the Yankees would pull out another extra-inning victory. Alfonso Soriano's game-winning single put the Yankees up 3-2 in the Series. The momentum seemed to be in their favor.

To quote Lee Corso from "College Gameday" on ESPN, "not so fast, my friend." The Diamondbacks exacted their revenge on the Yankees for the debacle in New York by slamming them 15-2 in Game Six, which is, to date, the worst loss ever suffered by the Yankees in a World Series game. That would set the stage for Game Seven, slated to be an epic showdown between Roger Clemens and Curt Schilling.

The two were coming through clutch for their respective teams. The Yankees and the Diamondbacks were only able to muster one run each against each other until the top of the eighth. Alfonso Soriano lit up Schilling for a home run to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead. It was shortly afterwards that Diamondbacks' manager Bob Brenly would bring in Randy Johnson in relief. Johnson won Game Two of the Series, and the night before in Game Six. He ended up slamming the door on the Yankees' bats in 1.1 innings of relief. However, the Diamondbacks still trailed the Yankees 2-1 entering the bottom of the ninth inning, and they would have to face baseball's best closer in Mariano Rivera. He had only blown one postseason save up until that point, when he surrendered a game-tying home run to Sandy Alomar of the Indians in the 1997 ALDS. He was as close to being invincible as any closer could get at that time.

Arizona, was not impressed though, as Mark Grace led off the inning with a single to center. Damian Miller came up next for Arizona, and he would reach base by a rare throwing error by Rivera. Two on, nobody out. Jay Bell would come up next, and he laid down a sacrifice bunt, to which Rivera would get the force out at third. Men on first and second, one out. A simple double play could clinch the Yankees' fourth consecutive World Title at this point.

Tony Womack stepped up to the plate for Arizona, and worked the count to 2-2. Many left-handed batters against Rivera (such as Womack) will usually end up striking out against him by this point, because of his vicious cutter. The pitch starts off appearing to go right over the middle of the plate before breaking in violently on the inner-half of the plate. This time though, the cutter went flat; Womack slashed a double down the right field line, and Midre Cummings (who pinch-ran for Damian Miller) scored. Jay Bell advanced to third. Tie game.

The ice that usually runs through Rivera's veins had to be melting by this point, as he drilled the next batter, Craig Counsell with a pitch. That brought up Luis Gonzalez, Arizona's best hitter. He hit 57 home runs during the regular season, which was good enough for third in the National League (trailing Sammy Sosa's 64 and Barry Bonds' record-setting 73). However, it was not a home run, but a bloop single that Gonzalez hit over the head of Derek Jeter that won the World Series for the Diamondbacks. In just their fourth season of existence, the Arizona Diamondbacks took down the three-time-defending-World-Champion New York Yankees.

Flash-forward to this year's World Series. We are witnessing a Game Six for the first time in six years (when the Marlins defeated the Yankees to clinch the World Title), and we have the potential, should the Phillies win, to witness another Game Seven. This year's Series, which was bordering on anticlimactic, is now bordering on becoming a true classic. Could we be in line for another fantastic finish, like 2001? We will just have to wait and see. Besides, the excitement of a great World Series lies within the suspense that unfolds during the course of one.

Chase Utley, mercy!

Chase Utley continued his single-man wrecking crew operation yesterday, when he went deep twice against the Yankees in Game Five. The two homers he hit last night gives him five overall in this World Series, which set a new National League record and tied Reggie Jackson's overall mark set in 1977. The more impressive thing is that Utley did his damage through the first five games, while it took Jackson six (aided by his remarkable three-home-run performance in Game Six).

The question of "who you would start a team with if you had to pick one player" was brought up immediately after Utley's second homer by Joe Buck and Tim McCarver on Fox. Buck and McCarver were both in agreement in saying that Utley is definitely worthy of being in the discussion of who you would start a team with. For once, I happen to agree with Buck and McCarver. Of course, there are better and more valuable players in baseball (Albert Pujols, Joe Mauer and Hanley Ramirez to name a few), but how many of them are second basemen?

It is rare for a second baseman to possess game-changing abilities like Utley. He has solid defense at second, he can hit for average and he can hit for power. How often do you see that? How often is it that a second baseman can be one of the best players in baseball? Not often. The only people that come to my mind are Ryne Sandberg and Joe Morgan, both of which are in the Hall of Fame. Sandberg possesses much of the same qualities that Utley has, while Morgan was your prototypical five-tool player (one who can hit for average, hit for power, steal bases, throw well and field well). While Utley does not possess all five tools, he makes up for the lack of base-stealing ability by hitting for more power.

Also, if you were to compile a list of the best second basemen in baseball, Utley is by far and away at the top of the list. Ian Kinsler for the Texas Rangers comes in at a solid number two, while Dustin Pedroia comes in at number three for me. Granted, Pedroia is the only one of those three to win a MVP, but he won it at the expense of Carlos Quentin, who went down with a broken wrist last year. Quentin was basically the leading candidate to win the AL MVP, and once he went down, the voters had to pick somebody. Kinsler has unfortunately been in relative anonymity in Texas, and I suspect that if he were in the same position as Utley, a lot more people would talk about him. However, the fact that Utley is a left-handed power-hitting second baseman is even more rare, and that puts him ahead of Kinsler in my opinion.

Chase Utley is like the four-leaf clover of second basemen; scouts struggle to find a second baseman that possesses his qualities, however, they are almost impossible to find. Nonetheless, when one is found, it will almost certainly bring good luck to the team that discovers him. Utley has been bringing a lot of good luck to the Phillies in this Series, and the team will certainly hope that more good fortune will come their way during Game Six tomorrow.

Brad Lidge= Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? Also, a baseball history lesson

Could somebody please tell me what on earth happened to Brad Lidge? He was 48 for 48 in saves last year, including the postseason, in which the Phils won the World Series. Now he is just a shell of his former self, someone who struggles mightily closing out games. Are we waiting for the real Brad Lidge to show up, or is this just who he is?

Over the course of his career, when Lidge is on, he is on. The two best seasons of his career were 2008 (mentioned above) and 2005, a year in which he went 42 for 46 in saves. It is no surprise that in those two seasons, the Astros and the Phillies each won the NL Pennant, with Philly taking home the commissioner's trophy. However, when Lidge is not on, he can be brutal. He had probably the worst season of his career this year, when he went 31 for 42 in saves. In case you are keeping score at home, that is 11 blown saves. Ouch. I did not even mention the fact that Lidge also had a 7.21 ERA, either. Having an ERA that bloated is bad enough for a starting pitcher, let alone a closer. It is a testament to how much talent the Phillies have that they are even in the World Series, because that kind of performance from a closer would have killed any other team. Lidge also had a dismal campaign in 2006, when he went 32 for 38 in saves, with a 5.28 ERA. Since Houston was not quite as talented as this current Phillies team, they missed the postseason. Lidge's performance had to be one of the contributing factors to Houston failing to defend their National League crown.

I do not want to pile on Lidge too much; he seems to be an upstanding guy, and one who can candidly talk about his failures when they occur. You can tell that Lidge is someone who will not let adversity get the best of him, no matter how bad things get. He perseveres, and that is one trait that I like about him. The Phillies however, need for the 2008 Lidge to show up instead of the 2009 Lidge. The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde act needs to stop. Otherwise, Mr. Hyde will get the best of Dr. Jekyll once again.


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The Phillies are now down three games to one in the World Series. Only five teams have come back to win it all after trailing by this much: the 1925 Pirates, 1958 Yankees, 1968 Tigers, 1979 Pirates and the 1985 Royals. If Philly does come back to win it all, they will have to attempt to become the first team since the 1979 Pirates to take Game Seven on the road. That will be no easy feat, because the road team has lost the last eight Game Sevens played (1982 Brewers, 1985 Cardinals, 1986 Red Sox, 1987 Cardinals, 1991 Braves, 1997 Indians, 2001 Yankees and 2002 Giants).

However, Philly fans should not fear this deficit, and they should look to the five teams who have managed to pull it off for inspiration. Kansas City in 1985 was just three outs away from elimination in Game Six when, by good fortune, they received a generous call from umpire Don Denkinger at first base. The call would unravel the Cardinals as first baseman Jack Clark would miss an easy pop-up in foul territory to help extend the inning. Moments later, Dane Iorg would connect for the game winning base hit off of Cardinals closer Todd Worrell to force a Game 7. The Royals would slam the shaken Cardinals in Game Seven, 11-0, to take home their first ever championship.

In 1979, the Pirates were just six outs away from evening the up the Series at two games apiece against the Baltimore Orioles. The Bucs had a 6-3 lead, and they were turning the game over to their bullpen, which happened to be one of the best in baseball. They were also playing in front of a raucous crowd at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, who were anxious to see their Bucs get back into the Series. Their joy would soon be extinguished by the red-hot bats of the Orioles, as they would score six times in the top of the eighth inning to take a 9-6 lead. The Orioles hung on to win the game, and would take a 3-1 Series lead. Howard Cosell, who was one of the commentators for ABC during the World Series, described the Pirates and their crowd as being "shell-shocked." The Series seemed to be over for certain.

Game Five would feature 23 game winner (and eventual Cy Young winner) Mike Flanagan for Baltimore against Jim Rooker, who went 4-7 with a 4.60 ERA in '79. Advantage Orioles, right? Wrong. Rooker pitched the game of his life, and the Pirates, still determined as ever, defeated the O's 7-1 to send the Series back to Baltimore.

In Game Six, the Pirates would have to face future Hall of Famer Jim Palmer. Undeterred and undaunted, the Pirates beat him 4-0 to force Game Seven. Scott McGregor was the Orioles' last hope in Game Seven, but he could not hold on to a slim 1-0 lead, as Willie Stargell lit him up for a two run homer in the top of the sixth inning to give the Pirates the lead for good. "The Family" stuck together, and they would finish on top of the baseball world in 1979.

The 1968 Tigers had to come back from a 3-1 deficit, knowing all along that they would have to defeat Bob Gibson in Game Seven in order to win it all. Gibson had struck out a World Series-record 17 Tigers in Game One. Undeterred, the Tigers would go on to take down Gibson in Game Seven to win it all.

I could go on and on about the 1958 Yankees and the 1925 Pirates, but you get my point. Even though the Phillies are down three games to one against a very tough Yankees team, the lead is not insurmountable. The odds may be stacked against their favor, but so were the odds against the other five teams who trailed 3-1 in the Series. If the Phillies want to win back-to-back titles and mark their place in baseball lore, now is their chance to do it in grand fashion.

Keep up the good work, Ozzie!

If you were watching the World Series during last night's one hour and twenty minute rain delay, you got a big dose of Ozzie Guillen and his thoughts on the World Series so far. Even though the Series is not over yet, I have to commend Ozzie on the great job he has done on Fox's panel. He has given thoughtful analysis on players from both teams, and has provided outstanding insight into the world of managing during the World Series as well. Also, he has managed to make it to Game 4 without letting a cuss word slip, so I have to give him props for that as well.

There was one moment that I particularly enjoyed during last night's rain delay. It was when Chris Rose, Eric Karros, Mark Grace and Ozzie were all talking about how the World Series gives players the opportunity to live out part of their childhood dreams, or something of that nature. While they were talking, the camera proceeded to show pictures of Mark Grace and Eric Karros when they were twelve years old. When they were doing this, I was licking my chops in anticipation of the moment when they would show a little Ozzie on there, so I, along with the rest of the nation, could kindheartedly ridicule Ozzie on his youthful appearance. Once it got to the moment when you thought they would show Ozzie's picture, they did not show it. Ozzie, keeping the humor at an all-time high on there, would say that his family did not have a camera when he was that young, and that they did not even have uniforms for him when he was that young. If those words came out of the mouth of anybody else, it would have been depressing. However, since it came out of Ozzie's mouth, it was comedic gold.

Things became more hilarious after this. After explaining why there was not any pictures of him as a child featured on there, Ozzie would end up ridiculing Chris Rose. Ozzie set the whole stage up by telling Rose, "Chris, buddy, I have something for you to see." The cameras then revealed the picture of a dorky-looking, 12 year old Chris Rose in all of its awkward glory. Guillen, Karros and Grace would all end up taking their shots at Rose because of this.

Ozzie's decision to appear on Fox's pre-game and post-game panel has been a great one so far, and the viewers at home are benefitting from this. ¡Viva Ozzie Guillen y viva su leyenda!

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In other affairs, the Yankees won 8-5 last night to take a 2-1 Series lead. The Phillies would now have to send the Series back to New York for them to have a chance of winning it all. They are also going to need the bats of Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez to wake up if they want to have a chance of winning it all, too. The two have combined to hit 5-25 in the Series ("good" for a .200 batting average), with no home runs and three RBIs. The pitcher that they will have to face will be no walk in the park, either, as CC Sabathia is slated to toe the rubber for the Yanks in Game 4. The Phillies will counter by sending Joe Blanton out to the hill. Both pitchers are making their second career World Series start. The Phillies better hope that Ibanez and Howard can wake up, and that Blanton can come through big with a good start, or else this series will be over faster than they can realize.