Author: Teddy Ballgame

A beautiful day for a ballgame as I boarded the El to see the game between Lane Tech and Clemente. I was rooting for Lane as they are right by my house and my Brother, Dad, & Grandfather all went to school there. Defending champ Lane Tech (23-14) beat Clemente High (24-9), who won it all in 2004, to win the City of Chicago Public League Championship for the 24th time, 6-4 at US Cellular Field. Senior lefty Oscar Sanchez, Public League Player of the Year, took the mound for Clemente opposed by Junior righty Bryan Platt for Lane Tech. LT’s rightfielder Daniel Serrano was the difference in this game. In the bottom of the 4th he threw out a runner at the plate with a perfect throw. In the top of the 5th he ripped a 1-0 pitch to the warning track in rightcenter for a two run triple to put Lane up by one, scoring on a groundout to make it 5-3 Indians. Lane added a 7th inning run on a wild pitch, putting Clemente down three going into the bottom of the 7th. Clemente plated one, with one out, and one on when Serrano was at it again. Danny made a diving catch in right, got up, and doubled the runner off first to end the game. You can read more about the game here.

Victor Martinez had a big day for the Tribe, but in the end it wasn’t enough as the White Sox defeated the Indians 4-3 in 11 innings. Martinez ripped two solo homers, plus singled in a run, to plate all three Cleveland runs. Chicago went back to little ball as they scored a run on a bases loaded by Paulie Konerko DP, Scott Podsednik knocked in Alex Cintron with a pinch single, but the best was yet to come. In the top of the 11th Victor put the Indians up one when he launched a long no doubter over the leftfield wall off Matt Thornton. At that point all the air was let out of the Cell, it was eerily quiet, but it was just the calm before the storm. A.J. Pierzynski singled off Cleveland closer Bob Wickman to open the flood gates, Podsednik bunted A.J. to 2nd, Rob Mackowiak tied the game when he drove home Pie with a single to center (taking 2nd on the throw home), Pablo Ozuna ended the game with a hard single to RF, but the umpire ruled Mackowiak out at the plate. No argument ensued, although replays clearly showed the runner’s foot touching the plate before the tag, as Mackowiak slid to the back side of the dish (Ozuna took 2nd on the throw). Moments later Tadahito Iguchi plated Pablo with the game winner.

Consistent starting pitching and the long ball have been the mark of the White Sox success thus far, but this win was a flashback to last year when Ozzie Ball was all the rage. One thing was the same as it’s always been, Bobby Jenks! Where have all the detractors gone? Early on everybody was saying the Sox were in trouble because Jenks was overweight and his fastball dropped from triple digits into a hittable mid 90s range, and he wasn’t getting his breaking stuff over. Now he’s clocking in at 100, with a nasty curve that drops in at 69. In his last ten times out Bobby has not given up a run in 10 2/3 innings pitched, striking out 15, saving seven, and winning one. The Sox won nine of those ten games and although he didn’t figure directly in this win over the Tribe, Jenks was key, allowing one hit over 1 1/3 innings. Bobby has been LIGHTS OUT coming in to BOOM by P.O.D. blasting over the PA system throughout the ballpark.

This one was extra special as the Baseball Zealot brought his kids up to Chicago. How could the Sox lose with the Baseball Zealot & Teddy Ballgame in the house?!?! Can’t go to Sunday’s White Sox game at the Cell, first June miss, as I’ll be celebrating my Grandmother’s 95th. Happy Birthday Grandma Miller!!!

LET’S GO WHITE SOX!!!

0 for 3 with a punchout looks like the same old, same old when it comes to a game played by White Sox centerfielder Brian Anderson. Some fan even yelled at Anderson to report to Triple A after his strikeout, hope it wasn’t me. But sometimes statistics don’t tell the whole story. The Indians took the lead 4-2 when Travis Hafner took Sox reliever Neal Cotts deep for a three run 6th inning dinger. Jermaine Dye answered the call cutting the lead to one with a two out sixth inning drive of his own. In the top of the 8th with two on Travis Hafner ripped a sure double over the head of Anderson, but Brian raced to the back, catching the ball, before crashing into wall at full speed, amazingly he hung on. The momentum really changed at that point, you could feel it. Jim Thome walked with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Paul Konerko doubled him to 3rd, Jermaine Dye fouled off a bunch of pitches before singling to center, scoring two. BIG BAD Bobby Jenks closed it out in the 9th. Fireworks after the game. Before the game there were about twenty of us in the Patio Area to celebrate RobT’s 50th. It was also KLuke’s 17th birthday. Happy Birthday to all! Keep Brian Anderson in the Bigs!

LET’S GO WHITE SOX!!!

Funny how we were just talking about this last night at the game and then Chicago Bob commented about the same thing on yesterday’s piece on my Cell experience, Wally Uribe or Juan Pipp. Jose Contreras was on the hill for the White Sox against Justin Verlander, what a matchup, and I was at my usual post right behind home plate next to where Nancy plays her organ during day games. We had a gang standing around in an area big enough to accomodate four people comfortably, 20 folks might’ve been pushing it. My bro was in from Wisconsin, his friend H*sek & Flip, NickyV, his bros TV & Dino, TV’s son & TV’s friend, their cousin JoeSacko, cousin Cip & his friend, Steve, RobT & his family were all there, a GOOD TIME was had by all! Even the non-Sox fans in attendance had fun. Bought a round of beer (only eight) and my $50 was gone! The Tigers tied up the game in the 7th when Joe Crede made two errors on one play, not fielding the grounder & then throwing it away, with two outs and runners on 1st & 2nd. Bottom of the 7th Alex Cintron lined a single to left scoring Joe Crede with the go ahead run, Crede got a leadoff single and was bunted to 2nd by Rob Mackowiak. Craig Monroe might have thrown Joe out at the plate had Monroe not gotten injured earlier in the game trying to catch Scott Podsenik’s triple earlier in the game, Craig had to be helped off the field, his roids replacement Alexis Gomez bobbled the ball hit to left which allowed Crede to score without a play. BIG BAD Bobby Jenks nails it down for a 4-3 Good Guys win! We all went out to the Claddagh Ring on Foster & Western after the game where they have a deal called Hammered & Nailed, $12 gets you a drink & a manicure, can’t beat that. Can’t beat the White Sox either lately as they’re creeping up like a pair of Fruit O’ the Loom shorts on the Tigers, look out Detroit!

LET’S GO WHITE SOX!!!

Alicia Hollowell shutout Northwestern for the third time this season as Arizona defeated NU 5-0 to win the WCWS two games to none. 4,423 fans were on hand at Don E. Porter Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City to see Arizona win its 7th title. Remarkably Northwestern amassed nine hits, but couldn’t dent home plate against Hollowell, who was tough when she had to be. Their best scoring opportunity came in the 3rd inning when NU loaded the bases with nobody out, Amegin just missed a big two out hit on a fly ball to left. They went down fighting to the end as the Purple Wildcats loaded the bases with two outs in the 7th, to no avail. 10 runners were stranded in the game by NU, 8 times they struck out looking. The Arizona Ace struck out 13 in the game, 64 for the series, eclipsed the series record of 62 set by Debbie Doom of UCLA in 1982.

Starting White Sox shortstop Juan Uribe’s wife went into labor with the couple’s 4th child. As a result Alex Cintron got a chance to be the hero. And come through he did, with a three run blast in the bottom of the 8th off Fernando Rodney to turn defeat into victory, 4-3 Good Guys over the Tigers. Cintron said he figured Rodney out, “He was throwing fastball, changeup, fastball, changeup, so I sat on a fastball”. Alex, a switch hitter, was batting lefthanded for the first time in the game, he hooked a line drive over the RF fence, it was his first with the Sox. Jenks came on for a 1-2-3 9th inning to save it for Brandon McCarthy, who pitched two scoreless.

After the game Teddy Ballgame & Nicky V took the Red Line El to 95th where Jocko picked them up, enroute to Harvey, to see some girls, pay them some money (a dollar at a time), and give the Devil his due on 6-6-6. We thought about playing six games of APBA Baseball (66 is the best diceroll in APBA), but decided to see the girlies instead. A bad night in Harvey, beats a good night just about anywhere else. Speaking of 6-6-6, did you see where the ANGELS spanked the DEVIL Rays? The scheduler had to have scheduled them to play each other on 6-6-6 on purpose.

I was hoping I’d be able to write how Northwestern had won, and I can write Northwestern had one, but it’s as in had one hit. Arizona pitcher Alicia Holowell retired the first twelve batters before Jamie Dotson picked up a leadoff 5th inning single, it would be their only hit of the game. The Purple Wildcats hit six homers in their first three games of the playoffs.

Cinderella is hoping the stroke of midnight isn’t coming anytime too soon. Fans from eliminated teams have adopted the underdog Wildcats as their new favorite, record crowds are rooting for them. This is the first time NU has made it to the series, while Arizona has won the title six times since 1991. Let’s see if they can do any better with their backs against the wall.