Chicago White Sox down Cleveland Indians, 6-3

Perez, who joined the team Monday from St. Louis in exchange for Mark DeRosa, took the mound in the ninth with the Indians trailing, 2-0. In rapid fashion, he hit Alexei Ramirez in the head, Jermaine Dye in the hand and walked Jim Thome to load the bases.

Paul Konerko popped out to second, and A.J. Pierzynski sent a grounder between first and second that Ryan Garko stopped with a dive. Garko, from his knees, threw to second to force Thome, but Perez was late getting off the mound, and shortstop Luis Valbuena had to hold the ball at second because first base was uncovered as pinch runner Jayson Nix scored.

Chris Getz followed with a run-scoring double to bring in Dye. Then Perez threw a wild pitch to score Pierzynski and send Getz to third. Finally, Gordon Beckham singled home Getz as Perez was removed.

Sox’s Ozzie Guillen hopes Sammy Sosa comes clean

Wow! Didn’t take OxiClean long, did it?

“If that’s the truth, come out and say it, because that is going to help you,” Guillen said before his Sox’s 6-0 victory over the Cubs on Sunday. “You are not talking about a crime scene. You are not doing something that people should be ashamed of. Some people are very heartbroken ... everyone who is a fan. But you should go out there and admit it if you are guilty. People will forgive you. But when you admit it, [say it] like you mean it.”

The New York Times reported recently that Sosa was one of the 103 MLB players who tested positive for performance-enhancing substances in 2003. The results were supposed to remain anonymous.

“And if it is not the real thing, just say that it is a bunch of bull and move on,” Guillen said. “But I would say that to anyone who got caught with [steroids]. Hey, man, admit it and hopefully people will forgive what you did and you can move on. But the longer you keep [quiet], there are going to be doubts and more doubts and more doubts. Then you are going to be screwed.”

Piniella vents about clubhouse leaks and Sox attendance woes

“Look, things get a little heated in the clubhouse at times,” Piniella said. “I don’t think what happened is right. I mentioned it in a nice way to the (visitors’ clubhouse employees). But, look, it happened. What can you say? A lot of things happen.”

Piniella was told by a Sox official that no one from the clubhouse leaked the “piece of (expletive) comment.” Only Piniella, Bradley and some Sox employees were eyewtinesses to the incident. On Sunday, Piniella said he wasn’t sure where the leak came from.

“I’m not going to accuse anybody, because I just don’t know,” he said. “And if I don’t know, why should I start accusing people? If I knew who it was, I would take care of that. The person who wrote the article, he knows who gave him the information. They should ask him.”

...So the Sox need the Cubs to help them draw fans? White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen was asked why attendance was so low at the Sox-Dodgers series, and said: “Because our fans are not stupid like Cubs fans. They know we’re (expletive).”

Guillen said Cubs fans will go watch any game at Wrigley Field because “Wrigley Field is just a bar.”

Thanks to Nubby.

NBC Sports/Gleeman: Frank Thomas is the most underrated hitter of all time

A 6-foot-5, 250-pound mountain of a man who played tight end at Auburn and was a massive slugger from the moment that he arrived in the majors as a 22-year-old in 1990, the sheer magnitude of Thomas’ physical size and offensive numbers made a fan in me immediately. And now, two decades later, I’m here to tell you that he’s the most underrated hitter in the history of baseball. Seriously.

Because of what has happened to power numbers and power hitters during the past decade or so Thomas is often talked about as just another great slugger from this era, but that misses the boat in a big way. Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball and surely everyone would agree that at 29 years old he’s on track to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but look at his numbers compared to Thomas’ stats at the same age:

               G       PA      AVG      OBP      SLG     OPS+
Pujols      1312     5696     .334     .426     .628     171
Thomas      1076     4789     .330     .452     .600     182

Pujols has hit .334 with a 1.054 OPS, whereas Thomas hit .330 with a 1.052 OPS through the age of 29. Plus, Thomas’ twenties came in a slightly lower-scoring era, which is why his adjusted OPS+ of 182 tops Pujols at 171. Pujols has two MVPs and one batting title while twice leading the league in OPS. Before his 30th birthday Thomas had two MVPs and one batting title while leading the league in OPS four times.

Frank Thomas is ‘close’ to retirement

Ya Ho Wa 35! Sky Saxon and now this!

“That percent right now [that he’ll play again] is probably about five percent, since we’re so deep into the season now,” Thomas said on ESPN 1000. “But I’m still in shape, ready to go, if anything happens.

“But I’m getting close to announcing my retirement because I just turned 41. I just want to make sure that it’s the move I really want to make. I don’t want to be one of those guys that keeps coming back and keeps saying, ‘I’m unretiring, I’m coming back.’ I want to make sure it’s out of my system.”

Thomas, who was interviewed on the “Waddle & Silvy” show, said he believes he can come back and contribute, but he knows there’s a perception among teams because of his age.

“There’s probably 25 percent in me that’s saying I could still get this done, and to be honest, I know I can get it done,” he said. “But at 41 years old, it’s just one of those things now that teams look at me as an old player.”

Chicago writers to discuss steroids, Hall of Fame

Ben Bentley lives!

“We’re going to spend the next decade or so voting for guys who have been implicated or rumored” in steroid scandals, said Paul Sullivan, the Cubs beat writer for the Chicago Tribune and president of Chicago BBWAA chapter.
“We’re debating it in press boxes anyway, so it’s a good idea we all get together and discuss it,” Sullivan said Tuesday. “We’re just going to see what people have to say about it.”

Neither the national BBWAA nor the Hall of Fame had heard about the Chicago chapter’s plan to meet, and any decisions the chapter makes would not be binding. But representatives from the BBWAA and the Hall said they would look at any recommendations.
“We’ve been pleased with (the BBWAA’s) capabilities to interpret the criteria presented and to elect accordingly,” said Brad Horn, Hall spokesman. “They’ve had that privilege for a long time, and they’ve done a very good job.”

...It’s that kind of uncertainty that prompted Sun-Times columnist Rick Telander to ask the Chicago chapter if it could discuss the issue during this weekend’s Cubs-White Sox series at U.S. Cellular Field.

“The guidelines used to be so simple: stats, longevity and star power. It’s all been trumped by performance-enhancing drug use and drug use suspicion,” Telander said Tuesday. “Part of me says it’s not fair we have to make these determinations, but we do.”

The Perpetual Post: Megdal & Pummer: Unlikely Buyers: Reds or White Sox?

The Inside World of the Central…

Megdal:...The leadoff hitter and center fielder, Willy Taveras, couldn’t be sabotaging the Reds more if he had been paid off by gamblers. He’s hitting .224/.274/.278, and doing it out of the leadoff spot! Alex Gonzalez is having a similar season at shortstop, hitting .214/.256/.302.  Fangraphs has both players’ UZR at slightly above average, but not nearly high enough to justify a lineup spot with their putrid production.

Upgrading either or both positions thus would not only help the Reds tremendously, but the production from both players is so poor that a trade-deadline pickup doesn’t need to be a star to dramatically upgrade the positions. Finding a .750 OPS center fielder or shortstop isn’t very difficult, but would represent a 150-200 point pickup for the Reds.

With a young team, the Reds shouldn’t be mortgaging the whole future for 2009. But as good as they already are, they owe it to themselves and their fans to see if they can grab a flag in this mediocre National League that will fly, I am told, forever.

White Sox to unveil tribute to Jerome Holtzman on Friday

Or as poet turned Expo, Petrarchi Cianfrocco, once said about Holtzman and the Save rule..."There is no lighter burden, nor more agreeable, than a Thigpen.”

The Chicago White Sox will pay tribute this week to the late Jerome Holtzman and his career as a sportswriter covering Major League Baseball.

At a private ceremony Friday for his friends and former colleagues, the White Sox will unveil a display case at the entrance of the White Sox front office that will feature photos, headlines and artifacts, including a typewriter from Holtzman’s working days as one of the nation’s most respected sportswriters.

Holtzman wrote for Chicago newspapers for more than 50 years, and is credited with creating baseball’s “save” statistic. He passed away on July 19, 2008.

Chicago Tribune:  Scott Podsednik’s strong play creating log jam in White Sox outfield

CINCINNATI— Scott Podsednik has solved the White Sox’s leadoff problems in 2009.

He’s also creating a dilemma for 2010.

Brian Anderson is inching closer toward securing the full-time center field job. Carlos Quentin is expected to return after the All-Star break and play left field—Podsednik’s current spot. Jermaine Dye can become a free agent after this season, and he’s entrenched in right field.

The situation could be resolved if the Sox slip from playoff contention, although manager Ozzie Guillen said he would endorse an extension for Podsednik if general manager Ken Williams asked him.

“Maybe people will be interested in [Podsednik] if we’re not in the pennant race,” Guillen said. “There are a lot of good things for him right now after being out of baseball earlier in the season.”

Cowley: Thome happy Sox are finished playing by National League rules

And some info on Primer faves...Dewayne Wise and Scott Podsednik.

Dewayne Wise wants more at-bats? Sox manager Ozzie Guillen offered a way for the outfielder to reach that goal.

“ For some reason, I like this guy in the lineup,” Guillen said. “(Saturday,) he stole a base, he can run from first to third, he can do a lot of stuff. But I can’t get swinging at balls bouncing at the plate and (crap) every other pitch. He’s got to give me better at-bats. You want to play more often, get more at-bats? Give me better at-bats.”

...But with Scott Podsednik playing so well - he arguably has been the team MVP since joining the club in early May - Guillen was asked Sunday about the possibility of signing Podsednik to a deal beyond this season.

“Then we have a problem,” Guillen said. “If (general manager) Kenny (Williams) asks me, I would say, ‘Yeah, of course, with the way he’s played.’ But in the meanwhile, if we give Brian (Anderson) the center-field job to see how he will do this year, and then (Carlos) Quentin is coming back, if (Jermaine Dye) is still here, we don’t know what is going to happen, and that’s going to be Kenny’s decision.”

“But the way (Podsednik’s) playing right now, he’s been outstand ing. Maybe people will be interested in him if we’re not in the pennant race. There are a lot of good things for him right now after being out of baseball earlier in the season.”

Jeff Pearlman: The fraud that is Sammy Sosa

Throughout the 1990s and early-to-mid 2000s, baseball boasted no greater fraud than Sammy Sosa *WHO POOPS HIS PANTS.

If you go back in time, nobody was more beloved by fans than Sammy the Cub. The way he sprinted to the outfield; the way he did that kissie thing after home runs; the way he behaved during the ‘98 home run chase, when he was like a big puppy in a 100-foot bowl of sausage links.

All, garbage.

Sosa was a fraud *WHO POOPED HIS PANTS. An enormous fraud *WHO POOPS HIS PANTS. The fans didn’t know it, but we did. We, the media. We, the community allowed to glimpse behind the curtain. With rare exception, Chicago teammates loathed Sosa. He was selfish, arrogant and dismissive. No matter the desires of others, he blasted his Salsa music throughout the tiny Wrigley Field clubhouse at ear-splitting levels. If you didn’t like it, well, to hell with you. He was Sammy Sosa, you were, oh, Todd Walker. Your opinion didn’t count. If people wanted Sammy’s time, it had to be granted. He wasn’t nearly as bad as Barry Bonds, who reigned over the San Francisco clubhouse like a third-world dictator. But he demanded your respect. And if it wasn’t offered—to hell with you.

And yet, Sosa’s abhorrent behavior isn’t why I was happy to read that he was finally implicated to have used performance-enhancers. No, I was happy because Sosa—more than Bonds, Clemens, Giambi, Manny Ramirez—was (I believe) a product of performance enhancers. The aforementioned players were studs before they began using. Certainly, the PHD provided a huge boost. But they had undeniable skills that reached the highest levels. Sosa, however, was merely … OK. He hit 15 home runs in 532 at-bats with the White Sox in 1990, and another 10 with the club in 1991. He was a tall, skinny kid with a pretty swing but only so-so potential. As much as I’m loathe to credit George W. Bush for anything, his trading Sosa from the Rangers (with Wilson Alvarez and Scott Fletcher) to the White Sox for Harold Baines (and Fred Manrique) on July 29, 1989 wasn’t the brain freeze the president long stated it to be. Hell, Baines—even at age 30—was a significantly better talent than Slammin’ Sammy.

* - Me poop dat.

Ozzie: I puke every time I go to Wrigley Field

Just like most other Cub fans…

Guillen annually voices his distaste for the three games played in Wrigley, and he continued his pile-on before the series finale against Milwaukee, when he explained why Cubs fans should respect his opinion.

‘’Oh, I don’t care if they hate me; they don’t feed my kids,’’ Guillen said. ‘’They hate me, that’s cool. People, no matter how famous you are, they hate you or they love you.

‘’I see the other day they asked (Twins third baseman Joe) Crede about the rats (in Wrigley) ... I never put the Cubs fans down, I’ve always admired the Cubs’ front office, I’ve always made my feelings known about Cubs players, about the manager, about Lou (Piniella) now, (general manager) Jim Hendry and the way I respect them, a lot, a lot.

‘’But Wrigley Field? I puke every time I go there. I’m just being honest.

Chicago Tribune: San Francisco Giants need hitter for wild-card push

Keep an eye on the Giants. They’re a long shot to catch the Dodgers in the NL West but could have staying power in the wild-card race, especially if GM Brian Sabean gets them a hitter.  Matt Cain, who lives in the shadow of pitching teammates Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito and Randy Johnson, is having a great season (8-1, 2.55). His 3.61 career ERA suggests he could pitch his way into Cy Young consideration. ... Could Derrek Lee be the hitter the Giants need? Sabean at least ought to kick the tires to see if Jim Hendry would consider approaching Lee about waiving his no-trade clause, as the Cubs have first-base options available to them in Micah Hoffpauir and Jake Fox.

plus, Overmatched? Not Gordon Beckham

Jack McDowell: White Sox Beckham needs to just play

I’ve been watching the handling of Gordon Beckham since his recent call-up while shaking my head.

First off, it seems manager Ozzie Guillen is not a big fan of Beckham’s. Every time the kid’s name has been mentioned throughout the year, Ozzie has never uttered a positive word publicly about him.

His only observation seems to be that everyone else in the baseball world had him overrated and if he is called up, the White Sox will be in trouble. Hate to break the news, but the White Sox ARE in trouble.
I’ll admit that Gordon Beckham hasn’t exactly set the world on fire since being inserted into the lineup, but that’s just the way it goes. I understand that Guillen wants production, and he NEEDS production now. But the fact of the matter is that Beckham should be left in the lineup for an extended period of time so that the comfort level can sink in.

Josh Fields is NOT going to be the difference maker in the Sox lineup. He hasn’t been predicted to be and he has never been that player. Beckham is predicted and eventually will be expected to be more of an impact player. Once he was called up, his butt should have stayed in that lineup until the season was over.

Zanona: The Woes and Pros of Selling Out Chicago Baseball

Wasn’t “A Busload of Iowans” the original title of Helios Creed’s “NUGG: The Transport”?

It starts with beer endorsed bleacher seats and frat boys in the Captain Morgan Club imitating the mascot’s signature leg-up pose. Before you know it, Wrigley Field will be renamed TGI Fridays Field and the Harry Caray statue will be wearing a giant Arby’s hat.

Ok, so maybe I’m exaggerating a little. But creeping commercialism is a slippery slope. It is important to note, however, that there could be a silver lining to this advertising haze, and like everything, has its own set of pros and woes.

Pro- COMFORT. If you’ve ever been to a Sox game it’s hard to deny that watching baseball in U.S. Cellular Field is not only comfortable, but borderline enjoyable. The numerous screens and loudspeakers really enhance the game because it easier for fans to follow what is going on, which can be a particularly daunting task at Wrigley if you’re getting beer sloshed on your lap while squeezed between two loud, drunk strangers in the bleachers.

Advertisers in baseball stadiums seem to have a good way of making sure you’re relaxed and comfortable before they try shoving branded products down your throat. A comfortable baseball stadium is one example.

Woe- OVERCROWDING. The Cubs already get heat for attracting bandwagon fans and having overpriced, unattainable tickets. Just imagine what would happen if Wrigley Field added more advertisements, sponsored fireworks after every home run and 3D holograms of Ernie Banks in the bleachers. Even though some fans threaten to swear-off Wrigley if it sells out, you know they’ll still be there: right in line next to a busload of Iowans, fighting for a place in line at the Bud Light Bleachers section.

Mental Floss: Non-Streaking Fans Who Stormed the Field of Play

What, no Morganna?  Nolan Ryan’s encounter with her, “Hurry, they’re [security] right behind you!” would be the funniest moment in his career if it weren’t for a Chicago resident who charged him with more than kisses on his mind.  Speaking of White Sox…

4. The Ligue Family

Not every pair of field-chargers can be as affable as Gaston and Courtney, though. Take, for instance, William Ligue, Jr., and his 14-year-old son, Michael. During a 2002 White Sox-Royals game at Chicago’s Comiskey Park, the duo stormed the field and viciously beat Royals first base coach Tom Gamboa before being intercepted by security. Despite giving Gamboa such a ferocious throttling that he lost part of his hearing, neither Ligue saw any jail time after being charged with multiple counts of aggravated battery and mob action. Instead they got probation for the attack. Of course, when you’re as classy as the Ligues, you’re going to end up in prison at some point. Ligue received a 57-month sentence in 2006 for breaking into a car.

White Sox sign P Freddy Garcia to minor league deal

Pods is back, Garcia is back...its 2005 all over again! Sure, Dustin Hermanson would listen if the White Sox called.

Garcia has been battling shoulder problems for the past two years. He was released by the New York Mets in April after making two rehabilitation starts in Buffalo.

He had surgery on his throwing shoulder in August 2007 and made only 14 starts the previous two seasons with Philadelphia and Detroit. For his career, he is 118-77 with a 4.07 ERA. He made two All-Star teams.

Chicago Sun-Times: Ozzie Guillen’s out of answers

It’s no longer a matter of the White Sox flailing against pitchers they’ve never seen before.

The Sox are flailing, period. And the manager is at his wits’ end in search of a remedy.

...

‘’We had a great opportunity with the bases loaded, and we do what we do best—strike out,’’ Guillen said.

Guillen’s pique extended to starter Bartolo Colon (3-6), who gave up four home runs to match his career high and again couldn’t get past the fifth inning.

‘’Colon has to throw more than fastballs,’’ Guillen said. ‘’He’s not going to lead the American League with just fastballs. I don’t care how much the ball moves. He has to come up with another pitch—slider, changeup, curve, whatever it is because he’s not going to get anybody out in the American League with just fastballs.’’

CST: Hayes: Ozzie Guillen has the answers

Now what can you tell him
And what can you say that won’t make him defensive

‘’What pisses me off isn’t booing. If you’re booing, that’s great. But don’t call people names,’’ said Guillen, who once stooped to name-calling himself (rhymes with ‘’rag’’) while referring to former Sun-Times sports columnist Jay Mariotti. ‘’If I say the stuff they say to them, I would get in trouble. You can boo because you’re paying for that. But when you curse and say racist stuff, that’s a no-no with me. To me, there’s got to be a mutual respect.’’

...One thing he doesn’t do is make excuses.

‘’I don’t like my players to make excuses,’’ he said. ‘’When we’re horse[expletive], we’re horse[expletive]. We stink. We’re [expletive]. That’s the way I talk. We lose 20 in a row and I’m going to say we’re going to be all right? We’re going to get them tomorrow? I don’t believe in that bull[expletive] that we’re going to get them tomorrow because tomorrow that bull[expletive] is history. When you create in your clubhouse [a] we’ll-get-them-tomorrow [mentality], they start to believe that if we [expletive] it up today, tomorrow will be OK. [Expletive] that. That’s not the way I am.’’

Chicago Tribune: Josh Fields in transitional stage with Chicago White Sox

The promotion of Gordon Beckham yanked away Josh Fields’ hold on the White Sox’s starting third base job.

And with the Sox committed to Alexei Ramirez, 27, at shortstop, Chris Getz, 25, at second and a $2.6 million signing bonus last summer for Beckham, 22, Fields’ long-term future with the club is in doubt.

“That’s undefined right now,” general manager Ken Williams said Thursday morning. “I see it here in Chicago and certainly, this isn’t an indication we’re giving up on Josh, but you guys understand we’re all about winning here.

“If there’s a chink in our armor, we have to fix it. And there’s a little bit of a chink in our armor in that area. And we’re not done. You have to start down a road that we have started.”

Chicago Sun-Times: White Sox newcomer Gordon Beckham joins city’s parade of youth

Despite the hype that has accompanied Beckham since the White Sox made him their first-round draft pick one year ago today, and despite the gaudy statistics he put up while skipping through the minor leagues—never stopping in one place for long, like a flat rock skipping across a pond—he could not provide a breath of fresh air to mask the stench of a White Sox offense blanked for the eighth time this season.

“Welcome, Beckham,” frustrated manager Ozzie Guillen said after Thursday’s 7-0 loss at U.S. Cellular Field. “Under the bus. You’re horse[crap], too.”

...

“He’s a smart kid,” Guillen said. “He’s hungry. He’s cocky. I like that. He’s very cocky. I love it. He’s not cocky to be a hot dog, but he knows what he’s doing. He knows he’s good. That’s going to help him.”

RosenBlog: Sox call up Beckham, but why didn’t they trade for McLouth?

The coronation of Gordon Beckham begins today.

But, er, um, can the kid play center field?

I know Beckham is starting at third and batting eighth in his debut today, but really, can the kid play center?

Because Dewayne Wise can’t. Oh, he can catch the ball just fine, sometimes even spectacularly. But he can’t hit in this league.

...

So, with Wise being a lifetime minor-leaguer and with Brian Anderson sick or exposed at the plate, or both, I don’t care as much about Beckham today as I do this question: How does Kenny Williams miss Nate McLouth?

White Sox Call Up Top Prospect (Gordon) Beckham, DFA Wilson Betemit

Sweeeeeet.

NBC Sports: Sosa will retire, ‘calmly wait for my induction’

Former outfielder Sammy Sosa will soon announce his retirement, and says he’ll be waiting for the call to the Hall of Fame despite rumors of steroid use, ESPN reported on Wednesday.

“Everything I achieved, I did it thanks to my perseverance, which is why I never had any long, difficult moments [as a baseball player]. If you have a bad day in baseball, and start thinking about it, you will have ten more.

“I will calmly wait for my induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Don’t I have the numbers to be inducted?,” Sosa told ESPN.

Ortiz: Oswalt will not accept trade to Chicago White Sox

Of course not. He’d rarely get to pitch against the Reds.

Although the Chicago White Sox have had a special assistant to the general manager at the Astros’ last two series, you can put an end to any speculation about Roy Oswalt accepting a trade to the White Sox.

Because Bill Scherrer, a special assistant to White Sox GM Kenny Williams, has been at the Astros’ last two series, there has been quite a bit of speculation nationally regarding the possibility of Oswalt landing with the White Sox a few weeks after Oswalt’s good friend Jake Peavy refused a trade to the White Sox.

Oswalt isn’t talking publicly about any trade speculation, but the Chronicle has learned that Oswalt would invoke his no-trade clause if the White Sox attempted to acquire him.

Oswalt has a no-trade clause, and if he ever waived it to go play in Chicago it would be with the Cubs and not the White Sox.

Because of the recent turmoil surrounding Cecil Cooper, some national media, without even talking to Oswalt, have insinuated that he wants out of Houston. One report even claimed Oswalt was upset that the Astros didn’t try to acquire Peavy.

Mets trade Ramon Castro to White Sox

Within a week...even Leiber and Stoller will be sick of this trade.

The Mets traded catcher Ramon Castro to the White Sox in exchange for right-handed pitcher Lance Broadway after their 2-1 win over the Marlins on Friday.

The Mets will pay a portion of Castro’s remaining salary.

The trade satisfies the Mets’ dilemma at catcher, where with the impending return of Brian Schneider, the team had three players for two spots. Omir Santos, who started the season in the Minors, had apparently passed Castro on the depth chart—an ascension reaffirmed when Santos drove in both Mets runs, including the game-winner in the 11th, on Friday.

“On a night like tonight when Omir Santos plays the way he did, it makes the decision easier,” said general manager Omar Minaya after the game.

CBSsportsline.com: White Sox’s Ramirez sued for $20M in Dominican

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic—Chicago White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez is being sued for $20 million for allegedly violating a contract he signed with local talent scouts before inking a major league contract.

In documents presented to the prosecutors office in the Peravia judicial district—located 40 miles southeast of the Dominican capital—Ramirez and his agent Jaime Torres are accused of owing Julio Martinez and Ramon Fernandez $450,000 from a signing bonus.

The plaintiffs are also asking for an additional $131,156, which represents 5 percent of Ramirez’s income from two years in the majors, the documents say.

The $20 million claim is for damages and violating the contract.

“A contract exists and they [Ramirez and Torres] have not honored paying 30 percent of the signing bonus, and 5 percent of his income as a professional baseball player,” Manuel Valdez, the lawyer for the plaintiff, told the Associated Press on Thursday.

From The Negro Leagues To The Majors

Today, we spotlight a family whose Negro League and Major League roots are still shining on the today’s baseball diamond. It started with grandfather Sam Hairston, who began his career as a catcher for the Birmingham Black Barons in 1944.

After winning the Negro League American League’s Triple Crown in 1950, Hairston would be come the first African-American player signed by the Chicago White Sox.

His two sons, Johnny and Jerry, would go on to become Major Leaguers. Both would also put time in the Windy City; Johnny briefly with the Cubbies and Jerry with the White Sox.

And now the third generation of Hairstons, both second baseman, continue one of the longest traditions of African American ballplayers. Jerry Jr., began his career with the Baltimore Orioles in 1998.

White Sox 3rd baseman Josh Fields knows job at risk

In them old rotten Fields back home…

It seems that every White Sox infield prospect has been learning to play third base lately, including Jayson Nix and Gordon Beckham. And it hasn’t gone unnoticed by regular third baseman Josh Fields.

The latest threat came Friday when general manager Ken Williams said he was willing to make changes if things didn’t improve.

“You can’t worry about it,” Fields said. “The main thing I can do is go out and keep working like I have been.

...Fields was handed the third base job with the departure of Joe Crede and the season started out fine, with Fields hitting .257 with a home run and two triples in the first month.

But it has been downhill since, with his average at .214 following a 1-for-3 Saturday that left him in an 8-for-57 skid. He has struck out in 31.4 percent of his at-bats.

“At the beginning of the season, I felt almost unstoppable,” said Fields, who hit 23 home runs in 100 games in 2007. “I felt like I had a good shot to get a couple of hits every day.

FOX: Rosenthal - Peavy made wise move to spurn White Sox

Much as I admire Padres general manager Kevin Towers, I’m done feeling sorry for the Padres, who blew two chances to trade Peavy last winter. The Braves clearly offered a better package than the White Sox. The Cubs’ deal might have turned out better, too.

The longer this drags on, the less the Padres will get for Peavy, the 2007 N.L. Cy Young Award winner. Part of Peavy’s appeal that is his $11 million salary this season is a relative bargain. As each day passes, that one-year discount diminishes. His salaries increase to $15 million, $16 million and $17 million the next three seasons.

Peavy might have gone to the Braves, though his desire for a no-trade clause for the duration of his contract would have been a sticking point. He definitely would go to the Cubs and still could go to the Cubs, once their new ownership is approved.

His strong preference is to stay in the N.L. The Padres knew that his strong preference is to stay in the N.L. Why they would even talk to the White Sox without first receiving a firm go-ahead from Peavy is anyone’s guess.

Maybe White Sox general manager Ken Williams was so aggressive, he left the Padres with no choice but to act quickly. And, as Peavy’s agent, Barry Axelrod, told FOXSports.com, the pitcher’s approval or disapproval was “not necessarily black or white.”