White Sox Today

I don’t know what it is about Scott Merkin, but I just hate the guy.  I could barely get through his last mailbag piece.  Today’s article on the beginnings of training camp, although it is empty of any real content, is a case in point.  “Truth be told,” says Merkin, “it will be almost impossible to duplicate the magical season that encompassed 2005. The team stayed relatively injury-free, and the somewhat significant maladies were quickly compensated for by equally talented replacements.” Equally talented replacements?  I’m sure that he’s thinking about Jumbo Jenks’s subbing for Hermanson.  But, what about Everett for Thomas?  Or Anderson and Ozuna for Podsednik?  Or Geoff Blum for anyone? It seems to me that even when he’s trying to be even-handed he’s just foolishly cheerleaderish.  I know that trying to wear the two hats of reporter and employee of the team that you are covering is hard, but many of the other mlb.com sites do not have this same level of fawning in their reporting. 

Jim Thome is in camp, having received special permission to start workouts early. “You have to understand your body,” said Thome. I’ve never had an injury like the one I had and also understand that. You have to pace yourself and do what you’re told in a lot of ways.” Primarily a designated hitter this year, Thome is expected to play first base twice a week during the season. 

Pitching coach Don Cooper on his staff: ‘We’ve got the belt. Looking into their eyes, I think we’re going to be real son-of-a-####### and not let anyone take it from us. Complacency is not in our dictionary.’’ It’s true.  The official dictionary of the White Sox? The Gamers Dictionary to Intense, Aggressive Words and Never-Say-Die Cliches. On his team’s tremendously healthy 2005: “You can’t take that for granted. How many teams can say that they went through the season with a starting staff that stayed relatively healthy?’’ The Daily Southtown has a nearly identical article. I’m not one who complains about the cyber nanny, but I do think that it’s funny that two Chicago newspapers can send the phrase son-of-a-##### into millions of homes but we can’t use it here.  Ah, the perils of technology.

Oh, Ozzie, you so crazy!  More from the Ozzard of Whizz’s forthcoming Sports Illustrated interview, courtesy of the Sun-Times.  On managers: Nobody’s a good baseball manager. They talk about Jim Leyland: ‘Oh, my God, Jim Leyland...’ Jim Leyland quit! Sparky Anderson? Sparky Anderson was horse[bleep] for 10 years with Detroit.” Heh, heh. To quote Homer J. Simpson: It’s funny because it’s true.  Mmmmm . . . Torey Lovullo.  On his intelligence: “You put me in Harvard at the podium to talk to people graduating, I know what I have to say, and I know how to say it. But you put Bill Gates in the middle of Caracas, Venezuela? He will [bleep] his pants. He will die.’’ On Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan President: ” On Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez: “I’m more Venezuelan than Chavez is because I represent Venezuela. He’s our leader, but you ask people who they’d rather have [running] the country? They’re going to vote for me.’’ Damn, I love Ozzie.  You just can’t get enough of this stuff.  Wouldn’t you love to see a joint interview with Ozzie and Charles Barkley?  That would be awesome. 

Ozzie on keeping the intensity from 2005: “We have a better team on paper this year than the team I had at this same time last year. But just because we have a better team doesn’t mean we are going to go and beat everybody.’’ You know, I really think that Ozzie gets it. 

Jack Keefe is on his way to “Twos On” for spring training but is having some troubles getting there.

Now, let’s see if the White Sox held back any Opening Day tickets for the general public.  If not, I’m gonna have to look to the scalpers in order to make my 16th consecutive White Sox Opening Day.