The last full weekend in April

Photo stolen from Francis Specker/AP

Sox Update: Pablo Ozuna (#38 in the picture above) shows some spirit on the base paths and caps the Sox 3-game sweep in the Tragic Kingdom of the Los Angeles County Angels Baseball Club of Anaheim, California Angels. Friday was a nice 8-5 win. Dye homers and Iguchi goes 3 for 5. Garcia is just good enough to squeak out his 4th win of the season. Saturday AJ gets plunked in an exciting 2-1 Sox win. Contreras was nearly untouchable again and is now 4-0. Thome homered. Sunday it was Ozuna pinch running around the bases to score the come-from-behind winning run in a 6-5 victory. Crede was 3 for 3, Garland gives up 5 ER in 7 IP.

One injury note - Dye left the game both saturday (blood blister) and sunday (sore calf). Keep an eye on this....

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): the Knights are on a nice little 6-game win streak. Wednesday a 12-5 win over Ottawa. Gonzales goes 4 for 6, Rogo gets 3 hits and drives in 3. Thursday beat Ottawa 4-2. Rivera homers. Sean Tracey is not convincing in the win (5 IP, 5 walks, 3 Ks 2 ER). Friday beat Ottawa again. Hager gets the win, but walked 5. Hummel struck 4 times. Saturday was a 13-10 win against Buffalo. Hummel and Sweeney homer. Sunday the Knight won 14-8 at Buffalo. Fields had 4 hits and 5 RBIs. Randolph did not have a good outing (3 1/3 rd IP, 6 ER, 7 walks).

Birmingham (AA): Wednesday lost 8-3 to Montgomery. It wasn't Liotta's fault ( 6IP, 3 hits, 0 ER)... the relief blew it - West and Pollack combine to give up 8 ER in just 2 IP. Thursday was a 1-0 win over Montgomery as Broadway throws 6 scoreless innings. Friday the Baron defeat Montgomery 7-1. Molina drives in 4 and Lumsden gets the win. Saturday beat Montgomery 9-6. Collaro goes 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs. Sasser homers. Sunday they lost 8-4 to Montgomery. Smith homers.

Winston-Salem (High A): Wednesday rained out. Thursday beat Fredrick 19-2. Kelly gets 4 hits and 4 RBIs. Allen also collected 4 RBIs. Friday was an uneventful 3-2 loss to Wilmington. Saturday lost 4-3 to Wilmington in 12. Egbert struck out 7 in 7 IP. Sunday Whister is at it again, and gives up 6 ER and 5 walks in just 6 IP, leading the Hog to a 9-4 loss.

Kannapolis (Low A): I'm almost afraid to look. Wednesday 4 Intimidator errors help Greenville cruise to a 4-0 win. Thursday just 2 errors in an 8-3 loss. This time it was the pitching - D. Rodriguez gives up 7 ER in 4 IP. Friday 2 errors are responsible for 3 of the 8 runs in a shutout loss to Charleston. Saturday just one error keeps it close, 4-3, but still the same result - an Intimidator loss. N. Rodriguez strikes out 7 in 6 IP. Sunday vs Charleston, game data not available.

Baseball phrase of the day: pace n. The rate of speed at which at pitcher works.

Beer count: Friday -2 beers. Saturday - 2 beers. Sunday - 1 red wine, 1 beer.

I started in on Walden this week. We'll see how long that lasts....

Taken

poked

Its been a long time since I wrote about any encounters with the MILF. The sex has been great, but not as frequesnt as I would like - I prefer twice a day, she seems fine with twice a month. I've become OK with that, as I've learned that if she's not into it, the sex is just not real good. But when she's into it, like she was friday night...

It started with her stripping down and slinking into bed. I lit candels and got out the oils and gave her a long, intense, deep-tissue massage. She was so relaxed, so ready to be taken... all I needed to do was raise her hips up just a few inches and slid in from behind. That's probably one of our favorite positions - her face down on the bed, me on top... it was slow and sensual and very sexy. I was kissing her back, sucking her neck and ear lobes, massaging her shoulders, running my fingers down the length of her spine. Afterwards we collapsed together in a heaping pile of used, warm flesh.

Bittersweet Blues

Cary Hudson

My main man Cary Hudson has a new album out on Black Dog Records called 'Bittersweet Blues'. The former Blue Mountain front man has two other fine solo records under his belt, The Phoenix and Cool Breeze. Plus all those great Blue Mountain songs he did with his ex-wife Laurie Stirrat (twin sister of Wilco bassist John Stirrat).

You can check out some samples of each of the tunes here. I think both 'Passin By' and 'Shoofly Blues' are among his best tunes. And 'Just Stuff' is the most profound song I've yet heard on the whole Hurricane Katrina disaster.

Cary is a joy to see live, so I hope he makes it back up this way soon. Fitzgerald's maybe?

On a milk carton

fix that crack

I apologize, I've been MIA all weekend. Its late and don't feel much like writing. Sanding drywall all day will do that to ya.

I'm still tearing apart the Sunday Trib. Looks like the 'Books' section has a piece on James Farrell and the Sox. I read the great article on Chicago-style 16-inch softball. For anyone else in the rest of the nation who doesn't know what that is, you are missing out. For the past 15 years or so, I've played 12, but the day will come that 16 returns into my life.

Speaking of softball, my season begins next week. Good thing I've been training. Speaking of which, I didn't do much of last week. I managed to lift weights on wednesday and friday and that was it. Back on that horse this week!

Speaking of this week, I have to leave for work VERY early tomorrow to avoid the overcrowding on the trains and in the Loop for the May Day Immigration rally. Officials expect maybe half a million or so to march right past my building. Great. Maybe the rain will reduce those numbers.

I'm in the market for a new mountain bike. My ol' Trek 830 Antelpoe, which I bought just after I got out of college and moved into my first real apratment in Wrigleyville in 1992, has long since had it. I still ride it to and from the train, but it has no brakes, rarely shifts gears and has had the rust so painted over as to be unrecoginzable. Last year, I had my heart set on a North Face Namotu. But Dick's sold out of them. So I looked at Iron Horse, but can't find them anywhere. I've finally settled (I guess), on a Gary Fisher Tarpon. I've always wanted a Fisher, and while this will bust my budget of $200 (the bike will be $300), I think it will be worth it, at least if my usage of the old Trek is any indication - I rode that thing all over the Lakefront in the early 90s (which is fun maybe twice), used it to commute to and from 2 suburban jobs (16 miles a day) back in 1994, a great trip to West Virgina in 1998, and all those memorable years at Waterfall Glen and Palos. So long, old pal... but I'm looking forward to the exciting work of front suspension!

HNT #15

What a good year for the roses.

Off day ramblings

The old University el stop on the Green line (circa 1985), at E. 63rd Street

Playing around the web, I came across this great site about the el. There is a lot of cool info on here about abandon lines and stations, like the old Paulina Connector (coming back this year as a part of the new Pink Line), the old Stock Yards line, and the classic Mannheim/22nd Street Station. I'm not much of a rail buff, but I do dig Chicago's extansive public transportation system.

Picked up my tickets for my first Sox game of the season - next Wednesday night May 3rd vs Seattle. the tickets are for the upper deck, but look for me at the Southside Adventures party in the Bullpen Bar.

Two Days

looooong legs

I always seem to fall behind then have to scramble to update... this blog is more trouble than its worth I tell ya!

Sox Update: monday, the Sox tried hard, as Anderson homered in the 9th, but it wasn't quite enough and the Sox lose in extra innings, 4-3. Had they won, it would've been their longest winning streak since the South Side Hit Men had one that long back in the summer of 1977. Ozuna got in the game at leadoff and went 2 for 4. Tuesday night was a barrage of hits, as the Sox beat the Mariner 13-3. Crede, Konerko, and Dye homer (Dye had 2). Iguchi drove in 4, and sPods had 3 hits and stole his 4th base of the year. Vazquez and Logan combine for the win, striking out just 3 between them.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): monday, lost to the Durham Bulls, of 'Bull Durham' fame, 5-3. Phillips pitched well - 8Ks and just 1 ER in 8 IP. Tuesday the Knight beat Ottawa 4-1. Rogo had 3 hits. Randolph struck out 5 in 4 and 2/3rd IP, but also walked 6.

Birmingham (AA): The Barons announced that the annual Rickwood Classic is June 22nd. Get your tickets now! Monday, despite Smith's 2 homers and 4 RBIs, they still lost to Jville, 9-4. Collaro was 0 for 4. Malone gave up 7 ER in just over 4 IP. It was a different story on tuesday, as the Baron beat Jville 7-2. Molina homered. Collaro was 1 for 3. Rodriguez and Lamura each struck out 5.

Winston-Salem (High A): A big 11-2 win over Fredrick on monday. Cook was 3 for 5 with a homer. Whisler struck out 7 in 5 IP. Tuesday the Hog lost 8-2 in a rain-shortened game. Torres gave up 5 ER in 2 IP.

Kannapolis (Low A): The Intimidators commited no errors in a 7-4 loss to Greenville on monday. Cunningham was 3 for 4 with a homer. Tuesday the Intimidators commited 3 errors, but still won, 10-8. Cunningham again got 3 hits, as did Whealy, and Sanchez. Brooks made it closeearly on, yielding 5 ER and 3 walks in just 2 IP.

Baseball phrease of the day: barrage n. a number of hits in close succession.

Beer count; monday - 2 tall boys, tuesday, just one.

My body was too worn out from the weekend of hard manual labor to workout on monday or tuesday, but I got back into some lifting on wednesday. Damn, and the working out is making me horny - I need some SEX!!!

Weekend Update

talk

I've decided that because I have sooo many pictures saved up in my library, I'm going to try to publish one every day. The picture may not have anything to do with what I'm writing about, but hopefully you'll find it sexy or erotic or whatever, and it will keep ya comin back for more (hey, I'm like a drug dealer, but online, and with sexy PG-rated pictures instead of drugs!). Maybe that makes this blog more like a British 'newspaper' and their 'page 3' girls...

I'm also going to be adding some more links in the right column, so stay tuned.

Sox Update: Sox win saturday and sunday. They've now won 10 in a row and 11 of 12. They're also in first place, ahead of Detroit by a game and a half. Saturday night was a sell-out crowd. Dye goes 3 for 5 with a homer and 4 RBIs. Konerko and AJ also had 3 hits apiece. Thome homered. Garcia must have pitched well enough to win. Boone Logan couldn't find the plate. McCarthy had to come in and save him. Sunday, Crede (3 for 4) and Uribe (3 for 4, 4 RBIs) hit back-to-back homers off Silva, Anderson also homered in a 7-3 win. Contreras had the stuff again. He's now 3-0. sPods is finally starting to hit, but it might be too late....

The swing out to the west coast this week will be nice because it means I will actually get to watch some games, since they don't start til 9 pm central time.

Over on the north side, 40-year old Cub pitcher Greg Maddux is now 4-0, and off to his best start EVER. Huh? According to sunday's Chicago Tribune, it because he actually put in some serious conditioning in the off-season.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): rained out saturday. Sunday, Haeger has the knuckler going on, and the Knight beat Durham 2-1.

Birmingham (AA): saturday, Broadway pitches OK (7 IP, 2ER, 4K) but the offense supplies no run support and the Barons lose to Jville, 2-1. Sunday, Getz homers in a 6-5 losing effort to Jville. In 5 IP, Lumsden gives up 4 ER and 3 walks.

Winston-Salem (High A): Harrell and Hernandez each strike out 5, but the Hog still lose ot Wilmington, 4-2. Saturday, a late rally can't save Egbert (4IP, 3ER), and the Hog lose again, 4-3.

Kannapolis (Low A): Despite 5 (yes, FIVE) Intimidator errors, this one is a close 8-7 loss to Charleston. Allen goes 2 for 4 and homers. Saturday there were no errors commited in a 5-1 loss.

Noble Rot: another '2-buck Chuck' selection... this time the Shriaz. Just as good as most $10 bottles out there...

Beer count - friday, one. Saturday, one. Sunday, 2 glasses of wine. The weekend was just too busy for me to drink.

Last week, I made a serious effort to start working out again. I've been doing seasonal stuff like mountain biking and xcountry skiing for years, but gave up working out (and my hapkido training) about 6 years back. Well, I've made the commitment to get back into shape, as much for softball season as to work on my 37-year old body. I'm still fit and trim, just no muscles anymore and not in good shape. Last week I actually lifted 3 days and ran about a mile twice. I also spent all day saturday and sunday doing a lot of hard manual labor... I notice a difference already.

Fell asleep saturday night watching an 'SNL' repeat. Nothin speacial about Fall Out Boy. Natalie Portman, on the other hand...

Nice one

very nice

Sox update: another very nice pitching performance, this time by Buehrle (8 IP, 1 ER, 6Ks) and the Sox defeat the hated Twins, 7-1. Santana was good, but didn't get any run support. Thome homered (again). Fireworks after the game tonight for all ya hillbilly mutherfuckers...

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): On thursday, the Knight beat Toledo 5-4. Rivera homered. Friday they won again. Lopez was 3 for 3 with a homer. Young also homered. Redding gave up 2 ER in 6 IP, but struck out 6.

Birmingham (AA): Thursday, the Barons lost to Tenn 2-1. Getz was 3 for 4. Collaro was 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts. Friday was a 4-3 loss to Jville. Quinn homered Liotta 3 ER and 5 walks in 5 IP, striking out 3.

Winston-Salem (High A): I don't feel like writing about them, so I won't... let's move on.

Kannapolis (Low A): Thursday guess what happened? The Intimidators commit no errors and beat Charleston 9-3. Hernandez homers and drives in 4. Castillo homered, while going 3 for 5 and driving in 3. The pitching was there again, too, as Brooks, Ricce and Perez combine to strikeout 16. Friday, the Intimidators really let us know who they are; they commit 3 errors and lose to Charleston, 6-3. Welker was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs.

Front page artcile in friday's Wall Street Journal on the 2-year Dan Ryan Expressway construction project. I hope I don't have to drive anytime soon. What can you do? You take the Skyway...

Big ol jet airliner

long time comin

Off day for the Sox... a good day to break out one of the posts I've been savin up for a while.

I missed it entirely, but this past October, one of the great musical sprirts of our time, Paul Pena, passed away. Paul is not a household name, and for most of his career was an obscure musical footnote even for music geeks like myself. He was known - if he's was known at all - for writing a song that became one of the biggest hits of the 1970s - Steve Miller's 'Jet Airliner'. In recent years, he gained some fame as the subject of the Belac brothers award winning documentary Genghis Blues, which follows Pena as he travels to Tuva to compete in a national throat singing contest. It's a challenge not only because Tuva (near Mongolia) is a land that time forgot, but also that Pena is blind (and sick). But the movie is tribute to his strong personality and all things that the human spirit may overcome. I don't think I'm going to listen to any Tuvan throat singing any time soon, but its still a flick worth checking out.

Anyways, the other day, buying birthday gifts for the MILF on amazon, I stumbled across Pena's long lost album "New Train', recorded in 1972, but not released until 2000. The record company executive that kept this gem on the shelf for 28 years deserves to be drawn and quartered. Among the gems on this lost masterpiece are the title cut, the original souful version of 'Jet Airliner' (the one that Miller heard, then recorded and tunred into a million-selling mega-hit), and 'Gonna Move', a staple for a lot of soul bands that, I swear, if you can't get a groove goin to this tune, you have no fucking soul.

Do yourself a favor and buy this record!

HNT #14

HNT #14

Sox Upate: Behind another amazing pitching performance, this time by Vazquez, the Sox beat KC 4-0 and move back into first place in the AL Central. sPods went 2 for 4 and has pushed his average above .200.

Minnesota in town this weekend, which means a free lunch for EasyW, courtsey of the Twins, on friday.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): A 7-run 3rd caps a 12-4 win vs the Medhun. Owens homered and drove in 4. Philips stuck out 5 in 6 IP.

Birmingham (AA): BEat Tenn 4-0. Getz was 3 for 4. Collaro was 0 for 4, but at least he didn't strike out.

Winston-Salem (High A): The Hog lose uneventfully, 2-1.

Kannapolis (Low A): Thankfully, wednesday was an off-day. Hope they took some fielding practice.

Baseball phrase of the day: beachead n. a batter who reaches first base to start an inning.

Old Tyme Movie Review: El Callejon de los Milagros (1995). Spanish with English subtitles. A young Salma Hayak in an interesting drama on the lives of some people in the neighborhood, at a crossroad, lookin fer love.

Noble Rot: picked up a bottle of Charles Shaw (aka 'two-buck Chuck') Savignon blanc at Trader Joe's over the weekend. Very drinkable for the price. Certainly a better value than any Pinot Grigio out there.

Beer count - wednesday - 2. Thursday - 2 glasses of wine with dinner...

I finally got my settlement in the class action lawsuit against Apple re: the iPod battery life. Spent the $50 store credit on some JVC headphones and lil Sony speakers. Cary Hudson never sounded so good!

Just another day

Sox Update: With the 4-1 win over KC, sox have now won 8 of 9. Garland ptiched well and sPods is finally beginning to hit the ball and get on base. Thome scored another run.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): This is a different Knight team than last year; 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th beat the Toldeo Mudhens 4-3. Last year, they would've lost by 10. Field and Matos each get 2 hits. Blakely strikes out 3 times. Velandia and Lopez each homer. Haeger must have had the knuckler working - 8 K in 8 IP, 0 ER.

Birmingham( AA): Similiar to the Knight game, a run in the bottom of the 9th and the Barons beat Tenn 4-3. Quinn goes 3 for 5. Collaro goes 1 for 5 but also struck out twice. Lumsden strikes out 6 in 5 IP, walking 3 and giving up 2 ER.

Winston-Salem (High A): The Hog uneventfully 5-3 to Myrtle Beach.

Kannapolis (Low A): 2 more errors and another loss, 6-4 to Rome. This time only 5 of the 6 opponent runs were earned. Rodriguez struck out 9 in just 5 IP. Roberts was 3 for 5.

Sorry no other updates today - I am just buried in the salt mines.

Near Perfection

near perfect

Sox Update: On a clear and chilly evening, Contreras gives up just one hit over 7 IP, striking out6 , and the Sox hitting comes thru for a 9-0 against KC. Konerko and Crede homer. Iguchi was 3 for 5.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): Impressive 6-4 win over Pawtucket. Owens goes 3 for 4 with 3 RBIs. Montero strikes out 6 in 2 and 2/3rds IP.

Birmingham (AA): Broadway strikes out 5 over 7 IP and leads the Baron to an 8-1 vs Tenn. Quinn homers and drives in 3. Collaro was 1 for 4 with 2 RBIs.

Winston-Salem (High A): lose to Myrtle Beach uneventfully, 3-2.

Kannapolis (Low A): 2 more errors pushes them closer to the all-time record for fielding ineptness in a 3-0, 13 inning loss to Rome. Those errors were the difference, again, as 5 Intimidator pitches combine to give up 0 ER and strike out 11. I count 22 errors in 2006 for the 1-10 Intimidators, now in the cellar of the South Atlantic League's Southern Division. Its going to be a long season for these guys.

Wet...sooo wet

So wet

Sox update: A rain-shortened game doesn't give the pen a chance to blow this win - Sox win 6-4 over the Toronto Blue Jays and move into first place (finally!). sPods came back and went 2 for 3 with a stolen base. Dye homered again (hey, he's streaky), and Thome hit homer #7. Garcia was barely good enough to win this one. Uribe is still out with a minor injury. And Mack got the start in CF in place of the slumping rookie Anderson. Tomorrow is half price 'fight night' at the ol' ballyard vs KC. Some good seats were still available as of friday.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): Redding gets roughed up by Pawtucket, giving up 6 ER in just 5 2/3rds IP, and the Knight go on to lose, 10-3.

Birmingham (AA): the Barons lose ugly, 10-0 to Tennessee. Liotta gives up 4 ER in 3 and 2/3rd IP. Collaro sat out again- hope he's OK.

Winston-Salem (High A): Kinston scores one in the bottom of the 9th to win it, 3-2. Otherwise, uneventful.

Kannapolis (Low A): Despite committing just one error, the Intimidators still find a way to lose to Rome, 8-1.

Found this cool website on small urban living.

More bad news for music lovers. From the Arts section of sunday's Tribune, Chicago area public radio station WBEZ will shed itself of all music programming by 2007. While that does not include the pop critic show Sound Opinions, it does include all the wonderful jazz music, Blues Before Sunrise (which I first listened to in high school, 20 years ago), "Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland" (a sunday morning staple) and Afro-Pop Worldwide. I encourage anyone who has ever donated money to these idoits not to sent them another cent... EVER! Don't bother writing a letter, it won't do any good. At least WDCB is there to pick up the slack.

And on the third day

..EasyW got caught up on the posts on his blog. And once again feared for his soul due to his blasphmey.

Sox Update: Friday was a wild 13-7 loss at the hands of Toronto. Crede was 4 for 4. Konerko and Dye homered. Ozuna was 3 for 5 in leadoff spot, replacing the useless sPods. The sun shone much brighter on the southside on saturday afternoon, and the Sox won 4-3 behind a good outing for Buehrle. Jenks got the save, Konerko homered and drove in all 4 runs. Hey - Dye had a stolen base!

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charoltte (AAA): Friday lost 5-4 to Pawtucket. Fields homered. Philips yielded 4 ER on 10 hits in just 5 IP. Sean Tracey struck out 4 in 2 and 1/3rd IP. Saturday was a 7-4 Knight win on a Fields homer. Lopez also homered and drove in 3.

Birmingham (AA): Friday was a 4-3 loss to Huntsville. Collaro was 1 for 1 with an RBI. Myers was 2 for 4 with a homer. Malone struck out 6 in 6 IP, giving up just one run. Tucker lost it in relief. More of the same saturday - a 6-2 loss. Nanita walked 3 times. Lamura gave up 2 ER in just over an inning on the hill. Collaro was out of line up.

Winston-Salem (High A): Friday won 8-3 vs Kinston. Kelly was 3 for 4 with 2 homers and 3 RBIs. Gomes had 2 hits and drove in 3. Torres struck out 5 in 5 IP. Saturday was an uneventful 5-0 loss for the Hog.

Kannapolis (Low A): Friday was an ugly beating for the Intimidators at the hands of Ashville, 12-1. Only one error... but that error somehow was responsible for 4 runs. I'll spare you the rest of the gory details, but some pitcher named Chris Brennan managed to walk 4 batters and give up 2 ER in just 1/3rd of inning of work. Saturday, the Intimidators were back in form, comitting 3 errors in a 10-6 loss to Rome. The 4 unearned runs being the difference. That said, Blood had two hits, including a homer and drove in 4, Castillo walked 4 times, Welker had 3 hits.

Baseball phrase of the day: taking the holiday weekend off.

Old Tyme Movie Review: Blame It On Rio (1984). A timeless classic. Michelle Johnson is stunning as the teenage daughter of Michael Caine's best friend. She seduces Caine amid the stunning back drop of the most beauitiful city on earth. Includes a young, hot, Demi Moore.

Beer count - friday - 2 (Special Ex). Saturday - 6... but it was over a 6-hour period. Two Pacificos (sans lime), a Bud Light, a Labatt's, a Samuel Adams, and a Special Ex.

Acceptable thursday

Sox Update: The ball was flying all over that park in Detroit on thursday afternoon. Sox win 13-9. Thome homers and drives in 2. Iguchi homers and drives in 3. Dye had 3 RBIs. Cintron had 3 hits.. etc... it just keeps going... Not much you can say about the pitching on a day like today. Sox come home to take on Toronto tonight on the Southside, trailing the first place Indians by just a game.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): Haeger gets the win in Columbus behind an Owens homer. Velandia had 3 hits.

Birmingham (AA): The Barons win 2-0 at Huntsville on a Schnurestein homer. Collaro goes 0 fo4 but at least he didn't strike out.

Winston-Salem (High A): The Hog with a 6-4 win against Myrtle Beach. Homers from DeLos Santos, Gomes and Kelly. Smith had 3 hits.

Kannapolis (Low A): After an errorless game that produced an Intimidator win, on thursday, they committ 4 errors (AGAIN?) and lose to Ashville, 8-5. That's 17 errors in just 7 games - of which 4 are from Rodriguez, 3 from Carter. Too bad as the pitching looked fairly decent, with 15 total strikes outs spread among 4 different pitchers who only gave up 3 ER between them. But when you make 4 fucking errrors, you are going to lose games.

Baseball phrase of the day: big guns n. a team's best batters.

Beer count -2.

HNT #13

HNT #13

Ah, sunshine...

Sox update: Try as he might to give it away, Jenks can't quite blow this one. Contreras pitched well - 8 IP, 1ER, 1 walk and 2 Ks. Nate Robinson also pitched well for the tigers - 7 IP with 6 K and 3 ER... those earned runs were mostly Thome, who saves the day... again... with a homer. Konerko also drove in 2.

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Charlotte (AAA): On tuesday, the Knight lost 6-4 to the Clippers. Redding yields 5 ER in 5 IP. Wednesday, despite a 2-hit, 3-RBI performance from Owens, they lose again, 12-6. This time its Lubisich, who gives up 7 ER in just 3 and 2/3rds IP.

Birmingham (AA): Tuesday beat Huntsville, 8-0. Homers by Amador (remember him?) and Valido (and him?). Collaro goes 1 for 5. Liotta has a strong outing; 6 IP, 4 Ks. Wednesday they win again... Collaro is 1 for 5 with 2 RBIs. Quinn goes 3 for 5 with a homer.. Molina (yes, the catcher) homers as well. All those runs were good news for Lance Broadway, who was not at his best - giving up 4 ER in 5 IP.

Winston-Salem (High A): Tueday, lost uneventfully to Myrtle Beach. Wednesday, the Hogs win 4-0 behind a 3 for 4 performance from Kelly, who had 2 doubles and 3 RBIs.

Kannapolis (Low A): On tueday, guess what? The Intimidators make NO ERRORS and beat Ashville 5-1. Hernandez was 4 for 4. Wednesday they lose 10-3, committing just one error... which had no major impact on the game. The major impact was Kannapolis pitcher Cortes, who gave up 6 ER in just 3 IP. To his credit, he also struck out 5. Santeliz followed for an inning and gave up 4 runs. By the time Chirno got in for 2 innings to strike out 4, the game was long lost... should be a recurring themem this season in the South Altantic League.

Baseball phrase of the day: ash n. the bat. (most bats are made from white ash).

Finished up Blood Horses by John Sullivan. I thought it was a wonderful book. A collection of essays, really. the best of which were about horse racing and his relationship with his father. A very good read, if you get the chance. ANd while I like horse racing, I'm not obsessed with it. I'll save that for a later day in my life.

Had a nice session with the MILF last night. Without going into too much 'high school lokcer room style boasting', it started with a massage, of which she was much in need. You can guess how it ended.

Beer count - 1

Detroit Medley

Sox Update: the Sox win in Detroit behind the bland pitching of Garcia. Will this guy ever have the stuff to win 20 games in a season? Well, he was (barely) good enough today. Sox pitchers hold Chris Shelton to just one hit. Thome, Konerko and Crede homer. McCarthy and Jenks pitch solidly in relief. Despite the losing effort, Tiger pitcher Bonderman strikes out 8.

Off day tomorrow, which is bad news for the strippers across the Canadian border in Windsor. Be on the lookout for bored millionaire professional athletes....

DOWN ON THE FARM:

Even after my big update yesterday, I'm still a day behind on this shit.

Charlotte (AAA): Beat Toledo on sunday, 7-1 on a Rogo homer. Phillips gets the win and strikes out 3 in 5 IP. Monday at Columbus, nothing to report in a 2-1 win.

Birmingham (AA): Sunday, a 3-0 loss to West Tenn. Nothing to report, oh, except that Collaro struck out 3 times (c'mon, Tom!). Malone walks 5 in 5 IP. Monday lost again to West Tenn, 3-2. Collaro was 1 for 4 with no strikeouts. Sasser, however, struck out 3 times.

Winston Salem (High A): Sunday was an off day. Monday, nothing notable in a 5-1 win over Myrtle Beach.

Kannapolis (Low A): Sunday, the Intimidators committ 2 more errors (that's 12 in 4 games for those keeping score at home) and lose again to Rome, 8-2. In just 3 and 2/3rds IP, Rote managed to give up 7 ER on 6 hits, while walking 5. Mercifully, monday is an off day (uh, PRACTICE!!!).

Baseball phrase of the day: dead red n. a fast ball.

AFL: Coming off their impressive 27-point opening game win over Sydney last week, the Essendon Bombers drop to 1-1 on the season with an 18-point loss to the Lions at Brisbane. Monfries had 5 goals, Lloyd, 4. Its a home match this sunday in the dome against the undefeated Western Bulldogs. Good seats still available.

Olde Tyme Movie review: Loverboy (1989) Patrick Dempsey over-acts his way thru this unfunny and dated 'comedy'. The only good part is the name of the pizza joint - 'Senior Pizza'.

Noble rot: a new feature this season at Southside Adventures. I'll peridocially review wine I've tasted without trying to sound too snobbish. First up is a nod to My Girl Friday, and comes from South Eastern Australia - Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2003. It was a medium-bodied, classic-style Cabernet. It's smooth, but didn't do much for me. Not to justify its price, of$10, anyways.

Beer count: Just 1 Special Export... and a glass of wine with dinner, officer.

Week One

The first week of the World Champion Chicago White Sox 2006 campaign is over... and much different from 2005, the Sox find themselves in last place. Despite a good win today in KC, the Royals still managed to win 2 games vs the Southsiders. The Sox won on that strange opener last sunday to Cleveland, then dropped the next 2 games to the Indians.

Here are my observations so far for 2006:
1) Dye gets injuried. No big surprise.
2) Boone Logan, this year's 'spring training feel good phenom' has not been overly impressive in his 2 outings. He'll get more chances...
3) For Matt Thornton, see #2 above. At least he hasn't blown any games yet. Maybe coop can fix this turd.
4) sPods is 1 for 22. His OPB is .087 when, for a lead off hitter, it should be closer to .400. Keep it up, Scott - summer in Charlotte is nice... or maybe you prefer Kansas City?
5) I don't care that Thome has struck out 8 times, cause he's hit 5 homers.
6) Pablo Ozuna is my favorite player, so I was disappointed to see his wind-induced error cost the Sox a game in KC.
7) Harold Baines caoching first base - welcome back #3!

The Sox head to Detroit to take on the red hot - SMOKIN - Tigers. While I've been a big fan of the play of this team since last year, I especially like Curtis Granderson. Though it appears Chris Shelton may be off to the hottest start in baseball history.

Down On The Farm

I'll try to update this everyday. For now.. here is a review of the past week in the Sox minor league system:

Charlotte Knights (AAA - International League) - in 2005 the Knights were among the worst teams in organized baseball. No place to go but up. The 2006 season open for the Knights in Toledo. In that game, Redding got the win, striking out 6 in 7 IP. Fields was 2 for 4. The Mudhens won game 2, but Fields had a double and Lubisich struck out 6 in 5 IP, also giving up 3 ER. The Knights won the rubber game. Rogo was 2 for 4. Haeger gets the win, striking out 6 in 7 IP. Sean Tracy struck out 2, but also walked 2 in his lone inning of work

Birmingham Barons (AA - Southern League): The Barons finished well in 2005. The big news, for me at least, at the beginning of the 2006 season, is that Tom Collaro starts the season on the roster. I've been a huge fan of Collaro since I saw the monster numbers he was posting at Great Falls at the end of 2004. At that time, Sox fans told me he was 1) too old (he just turned 22) and 2) strikes out a lot (true, but getting better). Here is an interview of his I posted from last season. Opening day lost at West Tenn. But guess what? Collaro homers. Valido was 2 for 4. Little lost it by giving up 3 ER in the 8th. Game 2 was a 2-1 loss, though Collaro had a single, the real story was Lance Broadway who struck out 10 in just 6 innings of work. The Barons salavage game 3 thanks to - SURPRISE - Tom Collaro, who homers. Lumsden strikes out 7 in 6 IP.

Winston-Salem Warthogs (High A - Carolina League): Hogs won the opener vs Kinston 4-3. Lucy was 2 for 3 with a homer and 3 RBIs. In 5 IP, Egbert gives up 3 ER, strikes out 3 and walks 3. Kinston won game 2, 9-3. Whisler gives up 5 ER in 5 IP. The Hogs drop game 3 as well, 8-6. Kelly was a bright spot, going 3 for 5. The pitching lines continue to be full of numbers: Torres, 4 IP, 7 hits, 3 ER, 2 walks, 3 K. Hurd, 1/3 rd IP, 4 hits, 3 ER.

Kannapolis Intimidators (Low A - South Atlantic League): This team won their league in 2005. But based on the 06 results, the guys that helped win that title must all have been promoted to Winston-Salem. Opening day was a 6-5 loss at Rome, who scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th to win it.. Castillo was 2 for 4 with 3 RBIs. Hernandez, Sanchez and Orlando also collected 2 hits apiece. Santeliz give up 3 ER in just 1/3rd of an inning pitched. Each team committed 3 errors in a sloppy affair. Rome won again the next day, 5-3. Sanchez homered and drove in 3. A couple of errors doomed the Intimidators. Game 3 was also a Rome win. Roberts was 2 for 4. Oh, the Intimidators had 5 errors. Yes 5.... in one game. So over the 3 game series, the Intimidators are 0-3 and have comitted 10 errors. Maybe some extra fielding practice would be in order....

Falling down on the job

I've done a lousy job of updating this space over the past week. For this and noxious fumes, I blame the new 7 month old English pointer I acquired last week.

I'm working from home today, so rest assured, lots of commentary on the way.

I feel especially bad since The Cheat over at South Side Sox gave me such a nice mention in his listing of Sox blogs.

On a personal note, my Yahoo fantasy team is stacked:

C- V. Martinez and Posada
1B - Pujols, Howard and Thome
2B - Cantu
3B - A. Ramirez and Polanco
SS - Jeter and Rollins
OF - Sizemore, Damon, Jenkins, Crisp, and Holliday
Pitching is L. Hernandez, Millwood, Backe, J. Sosa, Escobar, Hudson, Colon, Capuano, J. Vazquez, and Lowry.

HNT #12

Curves

A day late and a dollar short...

95 diamonds on 14K 

Stupid Blog Stuff

I blame My Girl Friday.

Four jobs I've had:
--producer for radio sports talk show in Chicago (2 years. Ugh.)
--pizza delivery driver
--Starbucks barista
--cube dweller

Four movies I can watch over and over:
--Breaking Away
--Central Station
--Up The Creek
--Roger & Me

Four places I have lived:
--Chicago (4 city neighborhoods and 3 in suburbs)
--Athens Ohio (4 years. Wish it had been 5)
--Cleveland (on and off for a few years in the mid-1990s)
--London (yes, the one in England)

Four television shows I love to watch:
--the BBC News
--Glamore Productions Present Star Performers Showcase with Rocky Espositio
--The Other Winfrey Show with Earl Winfrey
--baseball

Four places I have been on holiday:
--the sahara desert near the Tunisia/Lybia border
--Quepos, Costa Rica
--Kauai, Hawaii
--Southern Crete
(to name a few)

Four of my favourite dishes:
--Chicago-style stuffed pizza
-- pesto gnocchi in Corniglia, Italy
--just plain old pasta
--does beer count?

Four places I would rather be right now:
--sucking down a big ol aquarium of cheap beer at the back table inside The Pub, 39 N. Court St., Athens, OH (no link, of course. Its OU!!)
--Mountain Hostel in Gimmlewald Switzerland
--The Pink Palace in Cofru
--The Playboy Mansion in So Cal

Four pet hates:
--cold ketchup
--cold women
--bad drivers
--blind followers

AL Preview

To compliment my 'Readers Digest'-style NL preview below, I wanted to offer up my thoughts on the AL East and AL West in similiar form. I'll have an expanded look at the AL Central in a few days.

AL EAST:

The Yankees pitching is questionable again this year. But it won't matter - they have a lot (really - A LOT) of hitting. Toronto is much improved and will contend. Boston has big pitching problems, a brand new infield, and Coco Crisp! Its not enough to get into the post season. Baltimore remains in free-fall. Tampa has some good young players but that translates into another last-place finish.

AL WEST:
Toughest division in baseball to pick. The LA Angels have so much talent I wonder how they could lose. they'll be out to avenge their performance in 2005. Oakland is fielding another fine team on a budget, but too many question marks to be a sure thing. The Central Texas Lumber Company - aka "The Rangers" - finally have a pitcher (Millwood) to go with their abundance of hitting. they will be close, at least until mid-season. Seattle has a few players worth watching, but will not contend.

Not Pretty

Photo stolen from Jeff Roberson/AP

The Sox finally began the defense of their first title in 88 years on sunday on the southside. It seems like the past 160 days was just a dream... I, like many, simply didn't want the 2005 season to end.

Amid the scary storms - for a while it looked like we might even get a twister or two - the Sox defeated the Indians 10-4. The game began at 7, and thanks to the rain, didn't finish up until about 1:30 in the morning. The Sox were sparked by a 2-run homer from new guy, and ex-Indian, Jim Thome. Although I didn't write about it here, I did watch a lot of spring training, especially the past few weeks, and saw Thome really get into a groove. Dye was 3 for 3, including an ugly infield hit. Anderson was 2 for 2 with 2 RBIs and a nice double. How sweet is it that McCarthy gets the win in relief?

The championshp banner is up and the ring ceremony is tuesday.

The severe weather we get around this time of the year is always scary. I just get glued to the weather channel, watching line after line of deep red rader imagery pass over us agin and again... I go to my front window to look for a twister, thinking that somehow if I see one, I'll have time to grab all my photo albums and run to the basement.

My internal clock is completely off thanks to the time change. It was nice to see the sun until 7:30, but even when the opposite is true in the fall, I never really feel like I ever get that hour back.

Opening Day 2006

Today, the World Champion Chicago White Sox begin the defense of their title. For possibly the first time in team history, anything less than all the marbles will be a disapointment.

I'll be offereing up my previews of the American League tomorrow. But I've also been taking a look at the National League, and in 500 words or less, here are my thoughts on 2006 might shake out:

NL EAST:
Atlanta remains the team to beat- they've got the pitching and the hitting to go all the way. The NY Mets have a lot of vetern talent and could challenge if everthing goes right for them. Philadelphia has plenty of hitting, but no pitching - they'll fade mid-season. Washington might be OK to watch again this season.

NL CENTRAL:
St. Louis has a well-balanced squad. The Cubs are good, but with a lot of question marks. If the Cards stumble, the Cub have a shot. Milwaukee will surprise and contend all year (if Sheets is healthy). Houston will also compete, due to their 3 great starters, but ultimately just doesn't have the offense.

NL WEST
Someone has to win it, right? LA Dodgers and Arizona are rebuilding. Colorado is a joke. San Diego is just weak. That leaves the SF Giants, who should put it together enough to win the worst division in baseball.