A Bit of Respect!

(July 28)

Short take:  Finished but still lethal

Left for dead after losing 2 of the first 3 games in Cleveland earlier this week, today our Chicago White Sox sent a message to the talking heads, sports media celebrities, and perhaps every other team in American League:  we're good and don't take us for granted.  A hard-fought and satisfying victory, 3-1 at Fenway Park.

Contract extensions were tendered and signed before the game to both Magglio Ordonez and Bob Howry.  After weeks of rumors, many of them emanating from ESPN's head baseball chump Peter Gammons, the Sox looked like a team building for the future rather than simply tearing down the past.  Good thing too because this is the team in Chicago with the young talent to make things exciting, starting with young ace Mark Buehrle.

Buehrle was masterful beyond what his numbers from this game indicated.  Pitching in Fenway Park is a bear for lefties but Buehrle was up for all of it.  Whenever he needed a big pitch be delivered.  He got a strikeout to end the third inning with two runners on base, he got a groundout to end the fifth with a runner on second base, and he got a double-play grounder to end the seventh with two runners on base.  Only one guy in Boston's line up can really hurt you and that's Manny Ramirez.  Buehrle pitched around him satisfied to let Manny take pitches and end up at first base rather than swinging a lethal bat at the plate.  Pretty smart for a young kid!

Meanwhile Magglio Ordonez looked like a whole new hitter.  He narrowly missed getting this 100th career homerun twice and settled instead for three doubles, one of them for an rbi.  Very nice!  

The other big bopper was Carlos Lee.  It was his triple in the seventh inning that scored Aaron Rowand from second base and gave the Sox the lead.

With trouble brewing in the eighth, Jerry Manuel called for Bob Howry from the bullpen.  Taking a page from Buehrle's book he walked his first batter, Ramirez, then got a fielder's choice grounder that was very nearly an inning-ending double-play.  Keith Foulke came in and got the third out with a K.  He pitched a perfect ninth for the save, too.

Back to .500.  Let's get over it tomorrow!