New Era Caps- Product Recommendation

            As a baseball fan of any major league team, it is important to show your support for the team by purchasing athletic apparel with their name or their logo that is prominently displayed.  Many fans choose to buy jerseys, t-shirts or jackets that sport their team’s name.  I believe that the most important item a fan, particularly a Chicago White Sox fan, can purchase is a New Era fitted hat.  Players on the field also wear New Era caps, and although theirs are the traditional color and logo of the team, fans have a wider variety of options to choose from.  Hats are available in different colors and sizes.  There are also a number of team logos available for each team.  In particular, the White Sox have a variety of hats that have team logos and mascots from previous decades.  I have personally bought a black New Era cap with a black White Sox logo from the 1970’s and 80’s.  For only about $30, this hat has served its purpose.  It is a valuable representation of the team I support and a piece of memorabilia I am able to wear not only at baseball games, but almost anywhere I go.  I would highly recommend a New Era baseball cap to fans of any degree.  These hats are also fitted so they fit snug and comfortably.  For more options and pricing, feel free to visit New Era’s website at  http://www.neweracap.com/Locator.aspx or visit www.mlb.com and search for your favorite team’s hat there.  

Moose Continued

This is a follow up post from yesterday’s discussion about Bill “Moose” Skowron’s death. Moose, The All-star first baseman for the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox played an important role in every team he was with.  Perhaps his greatest success on the field occurred when he was with the New York Yankees.  As part of the franchise from 1954-1963, Skowron helped the Yankees reach victory in many games, including his grand slam in the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. In a recent article by Bart Barnes in the Washington Post, Skowron’s career is praised for all the accomplishments he achieved on the baseball diamond.  As a six time all-star, time and time again, Skowron drove in winning runs and knocked the ball out of the park to secure World Series victories for his team.  Skowron was once quoted in Harvey Frommer’s book “A Yankee Century” as saying “I don’t always swing at strikes, I swing at the ball when it looks big.”  Moose was the type of player that everyone wants to be.  Someone who can come up in clutch situations and hit an opposite field home run to tie the game up, or even better, win it.  Although Moose was a solid hitter, he wasn’t always the best in the field.  According to Barnes’ article, “Bill ‘Moose’ Skowron, baseball star of the 1950’s and ‘60’s, dies at 81” Skowron had to take dancing lessons at Arthur Murry Dance studios in Florida in order to get better coordination.  Rest in Peace Moose

Moose

At 81 years of age, Moose Skowron has passed away.  As a former first baseman and  slugger for the south siders, Skowron has played an instrumental part in the organization over the past few years.  In an article featured on the Chicago White Sox website, by Paul Casella, he describes Skowron’s career as one that is greatly rooted in Chicago.  Although Moose spent majority of his career in New York with the Yankees, he is vital to Chicago.  Chicago White Sox owner, Jerry Reinsdorf said “We all have lost a dear, dear friend today. While Moose may have become a star in New York with the Yankees, he was a Chicagoan through and through. I certainly will miss his priceless stories about Casey Stengel, Roger Maris, Hank Bauer and of course, his good friend, Mickey Mantle.”  He then went on to say "A few years ago, we started a tradition of holding monthly lunches here at the ballpark, and the laughter and conversation always centered around Moose. My guess is that right now Mickey, Roger, Hank and Moose are enjoying a good laugh together."  Obviously Moose holds a special place with those in Chicago, and his legacy will live on.   When someone who has spent so much time with an organization passes away, fans are often affected.  I would not be surprised if the White Sox organized a day in the future to honor Moose for his dedication to the White Sox. New York and Chicago surely will miss Moose. 

Number 400

Although the White Sox lost in extra innings to the Oakland Athletics, it certainly is a memorable day for team captain, Paul Konerko.  In the top of the ninth inning, with the White Sox down 2-1, Konerko stepped to the plate.  Sitting at 399 career homeruns, Konerko connected and sent the ball flying over the wall in left field.  He reached 400. Not many can say they have accomplished that in their lifetime, but Paul Konerko now joins that elite group.  Although there are a number of individuals who have gone above and beyond the 400 club, it is still an amazing accomplishment that few can say they are a part of.  Konerko is now one of 48 members in the 400-home run club.  According to espn.com, Konerko is seventh on the home run leader board for active players. Former White Sox players Jim Thome and Andruw Jones are among the few players that sit ahead of Konerko on the active player list.  Not only does has Konerko reached is 400^th homerun, but that same hit was also his 2,000^th career hit with the Chicago White Sox.  Although Konerko’s milestone homerun was able to tie Wednesday’s game in the ninth inning, the White Sox were not able to win the game.  The south siders ended up losing 5-4 in 14 innings to the A’s.  Despite this loss, the White Sox still only sit a half game behind first place.  The Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians are both tied for first place. 

Focus

With three teams sitting atop the American League Central Division, a short time after Detroit sat there alone; the White Sox are more focused than ever on playing the game.  In a recent interview White Sox General manager, Kenny Williams, said, “the only thing we are focusing on is our focus.”  Basically, the White Sox are staying smart and not getting ahead of themselves.  Instead of claiming that they will win the division this year due to excellent pitching starts by a number of players in the rotation, the Sox are just taking things one game at a time.  Things can change at the drop of a hat, and the White Sox could end up in last place.  Although we all hope that never happens, anything is possible.  There are also capable of pulling away from the Indians and Tigers in an effort to be the front-runner in the division.  Williams and Robin Ventura are more focused and concerned with what is going on today and what the current players are doing to win ball games.  Hopefully, the players are also not getting ahead of themselves, as the calendar still reads April.  The season is far from over, and although the south siders are off to a good start, there is nothing to be celebrating about quite yet. Except for Phil Humber’s recent perfect game.  That’s something that can always be celebrated.  Aside from the perfect game, this is a normal season where teams battle for first place and see who can hold the title the longest without going into a slump.  Let’s just hope Detroit and Cleveland are the ones to go into a slump this year. 

AL Central

Well it looks as if the Chicago White Sox are off to a great start for the 2012 season.  Unlike seasons in the past, they only sit one half game behind the Detroit Tigers.  To no one’s surprise, the Kansas City Royals sit in last place in the American League Central Division already six and a half games back.  After completing the sweep of the Seattle Mariners, the White Sox head south along the west coast to Oakland where they will take on the Athletics.  Although the west coast has not always been particularly friendly to the south siders, this road trip looks to be going in favor of the White Sox.  Humber’s perfect game on Saturday has certainly given the White Sox momentum to succeed on this road trip and throughout the season.  We can only hope that the south siders are able to stay near the top of the division because Detroit is also playing great baseball.  They have been atop the division all season and currently sit at 10-6 while the White Sox sit at 9-6.  With games against division rivals coming up in the next few weeks, the White Sox need to stay hot in order to keep on pace for a great season.  The first weekend in May, the south siders travel to Detroit in what is sure to be an important series for both teams.  The Cleveland Indians are also sitting right behind the White Sox in the standings and will give both Detroit and Chicago a run for their money.