ESPN Chicago Blog

This blog post is going to be a little different.  It will focus on an analysis of ESPN Chicago’s blog on the White Sox.  I chose to focus on this particular blog because ESPN is a well respected sports and news source and is sure to generate a substantial amount of traffic compared to other blog sites.   The overall first impression of ESPN’s blog is appealing.  It is simple but also makes sure to draw attention to the important posts with pictures of players, coaches and announcers.  As far as the content, I was somewhat surprised that majority of the information consists of interviews and quotes from players and coaches.  Although this information is important, blogs should focus more on commentary and opinions as opposed to strictly facts and news.  There are also a great number of posts occurring on the same day.  This can be viewed both as a positive and a negative.  Although the site allows for a vast amount of information to be displayed an caters to many fans interests, sometimes the number of posts can be too much.  This is evident by the low number of comments by users on the posts. 

Most of the comments here have been somewhat negative, but that is not the point intended.  There is a vast amount of important information located on the blog that provides fans and enthusists with sufficient information to stay informed with the Chicago White Sox. Feel free to check out the blog and post your comments or concerns here. 

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/white-sox

Fukudome...

I know this is a little delayed, but with things heating up down in Arizona I thought it would be a good time to discuss one of the newest additions to the White Sox 40 man roster.  Kosuke Fukudome, left-handed outfielder has signed a contract with the White Sox for one-year deal worth $1 million.  To be quite honest, this contract comes as a bit of a surprise.  Fukudome did not prove himself as a valuable asset to Chicago’s crosstown rivals, the Cubs, so many are asking what Kenny Williams believes Fukudome can do for the Sox that he could not do for the Cubs.   Williams has had a history of signing players that are underperforming at the time of their arrival in Chicago, but Fukudome has not been successful for quite some time.  In the past season, he played for two ball clubs, the Cubs and the Indians, and according to baseball-reference.com, his batting average was only .262 for his time spent with both teams.  Although Fukudome will provide Ventura with an extra outfielder and another lefty in the batting order, there is not sufficient evidence that the positives will outweigh the negatives.  Fans can only hope that the time spent down in Arizona gives Fukudome enough experience to increase his numbers so that he can perform at full caliber come April and end up lasting the whole season.  We need him playing like he did on 2008 when he was selected for the National League All Star game.  

Who can replace Buehrle?

A recent article featured on mlb.com, by Scott Merkin discusses what needs to be done in order to fill the hole in the White Sox rotation left by Mark Buehrle’s departure.  In the article titled “Peavy, Danks ready to fill in as White Sox ace” Merkin says that the White Sox have two viable options, Peavy and Danks.  Although I agree both individuals can deliver, I have my doubts.  Since joining the Sox, Peavy has had nothing but problems.  He seems to be on the disabled list more than he is on the active roster.  If Robin Ventura decides to have Peavy take over the number one slot in the pitching rotation, he is taking a large risk.  If Peavy is healthy it could be very beneficial to the White Sox, if he gets hurt and ends up on the disabled list again, the rotation could struggle.  Although Mark Buehrle was not the best pitcher in the league, he was always there and ready to play.  Don’t get me wrong, I do not have a bad word to say about Mark, considering he did pitch a no-hitter and a perfect game as a member of the White Sox.  This is just such a large role for one individual to fill and it should take a lot of time and consideration before someone is thrown into the spot.  Peavy and Danks both deserve the chance to prove themselves as the ace of the rotation, but what happens if they cannot deliver? 

More Money Talk

Sticking on the topic of money, player contracts have recently been the talk around the MLB.  As time goes on, the amount that franchises shell out for individual players grows.  Each year another team seems to crash the record for the longest deal with the most money.  Players such as Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder all have contracts worth well over $200 million dollars.  These are levels of income you and I could only dream of having.  I bring this topic up after recently watching the movie “Moneyball.”  The film, based on true events shows the struggles of A’s GM Billy Beane.  Billy is forced to compete with a payroll significantly lower than most other major league teams.  Teams like the Yankees seem to have a virtually endless bank account and can offer just about anyone a contract for as long as they want and for as much as they desire.

The A’s are not the only team that has been hurt by their inability to afford players.  Since the price of high performing players has skyrocketed in recent years, teams even like the White Sox find themselves struggling to be able to put the right players on the field.  We offer people we know will perform contracts they deserve but often hope that they give us a home team discount.  For instance, Paul Konerko has had the opportunity to leave the Sox and play for a team that offers him more money but in the end he always chooses to stay with the Sox.  As fans we just have to hope that players can forgo the difference between $50 million and $53 million.  

Sky High Prices

As spring training gets closer and closer, baseball fans such as myself are wondering how much money they are going to be spending to watch their team win this year.  As we all know, single game tickets for the White Sox went on sale today and that probably means an increase in face value tickets from last year.  With the Super Bowl yesterday and standing room only tickets going for over $1000 a piece, one cannot help but cringe at the thought of higher ticket prices and most likely higher prices for concessions and souvenirs.  This is all speculation, as White Sox fans we know that if our team is not performing we can buy tickets from vendors online for bargain prices right before the game.  Cubs fans on the other hand still pay top dollar for an underperforming team year after year.  So if the Sox are going to struggle this year, one can only hope they really struggle so going to a game is cheap and hassle free.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love nothing more than going to a sell out and sitting in the parking lot for 20 minuets waiting to get on the Dan Ryan but cheap prices are always nice. 

If major league teams would make the experience of attending a game more economical, teams that normally see very few spectators would see a large increase in there attendance.  Many people will only go to one or two games a year and watch the remaining games on TV to avoid paying $4.50 for a bottle of water.  This is just one fan’s opinion, but dropping prices could help struggling franchises. 

Let's Talk Playoffs

Super Bowl Sunday is one of the best days of the year for sports fans.  The Super Bowl is a highly anticipated day for both fans and players.  With millions of viewers tuning in to observe the most important football game of the year, the stakes are high for all involved.  Although like many others, I am an avid Super Bowl viewer, the World Series always seems to attract more of my attention.  It has been a few years since the Sox were last in the World Series, but as fans we can only hope to see them back there soon. 

With the right mechanics and everyone playing to their fullest potential, the White Sox have a chance at making it into the playoffs this year.  Many of the sportscasters will write the Sox out from the beginning, because as many of them would say, the Sox are in a rebuilding phase of their franchise and focused more on their prospects than the guys on the field.  Although Kenny Williams may be attempting to rebuild the team for the future, there is still a lot of talent and experience on the field that can help generate runs and provide a solid defense, which in turn will give the Sox a chance at a playoff spot.

 Since it appears as if October is an eternity away, us avid sports fans will have to get by for the next couple of weeks with the overplayed highlights of Eli Manning’s win over Tom Brady.

Ozzie to Robin

Since 2004, there has been one individual that has found himself front and center with every issue regarding the White Sox.  That individual is Ozzie Guillen.  Over the past few seasons, Ozzie has played an extremely important role as manager of the White Sox.  Although many of his actions and comments have been viewed as controversial, Ozzie always speaks his mind.  He did not hide how he was feeling about his players, his GM, Kenny Williams, or others.  He was even on the record using when he used a derogatory word to describe a columnist for a prominent Chicago Newspaper.  Ozzie has gone at it with Kenny Williams and prior to Ozzie’s departure from the White Sox; Williams offered to resign to avoid conflicts for owner Jerry Reinsdorf.  Reinsdorf refused, and Ozzie ended up leaving.

Despite many of the controversies Ozzie found himself in, he also brought a lot of good to the team.  He is a “players manager” and always made sure to look out for his guys.  The White Sox seem to be sticking to the same mentality by hiring Robin Ventura.  Both Guillen and Ventura are former White Sox players and prior to joining the White Sox coaching staff, neither have never coached a major league team.  As of right now, the similarities between Guillen and Ventura seem to end there.  Guillen is known for his uncensored mouth and temper.  Ventura on the other hand, we know little about as a manager.  If he is half as passionate about the game as Ozzie is, the Ventura will fit in well.