Results tagged ‘ Frank Thomas ’

Will Prince’s Move to Tigers be as Good as Advertised?

The Tigers certainly seem in it to win it. Victor Martinez out for the season? No problem, let’s spend $214 million on Prince Fielder to replace him.

With yesterday’s signing, Detroit should unquestionably be the heavy favorites to win the A.L. Central. But we all know that the winners in the offseason aren’t always the winners when all is said and done.

The combination of Fielder and Miguel Cabrera hitting back to back in scary. And add Justin Verlander heading up a solid pitching staff, it’s pretty hard to think the Sox, Indians, Royals or Twins could outlast the rivals from Motown.

That said, stranger things have happened and it would be foolish to just give up and hand over the division title to Detroit. From a White Sox perspective, let’s just hope Adam Dunn, Alex Rios and Gordon Beckham rebound and our newly-formed pitching staff delivers. If they do, the South Siders certainly could be as big a pleasant surprise as we were a disappointing one a year ago.

When I heard the Fielder announcement, all I could think of was that the Sox once had Frank Thomas and Albert Belle hitting back to back–a duo even more formidable than the Fielder/Cabrera duo. And the record shows that it didn’t produce a championship team. In fact, the Sox finished around .500 in both seasons Thomas and Belle played together.

So, keep the faith.

It Doesn’t Matter Who’s Wearing Yankee Pinstripes as Bombers Take Series from White Sox

It doesn’t take a genius to realize that it doesn’t matter who is wearing the Yankee pinstripes, they will find a way to beat us.
Both Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira out of the lineup? Derek Jeter struggling? No problem. Rookie Eduardo Nunez, Brett Gardner and Marcus Thames break our hearts. Andy Pettitte on the DL? No worries, a youngster named Ivan Nova, with help from his bullpen, shuts down the South Siders.
So it was this weekend as the Yanks won two of three at the Cell. The Sox scored nine runs in each of the first two games in a 9-4 victory and 12-9 defeat, respectively, but couldn’t muster much offense off of Nova and his bullpen mates in the finale for the 2-1 loss.
A series victory would have helped matters, but time is now running out on the Sox with 32 games remaining. Next up…a 10 game, 11 day road trip to Cleveland, Boston and Detroit.

The Big Hurt Takes His Rightful Place

White Sox legends Billy Pierce (left) and Carlton Fisk unveil the brand new likeness of Frank Thomas as Hurt’s number was retired in a ceremony at the Cell today (pictured below). Pierce, Fisk and Thomas and their retired numbers will now be side by side by side on the left-centerfield wall.
55845622.jpg
mlblogs_100_icon (2).gif

Frank Thomas Takes Center Stage on Sunday as The Big Hurt’s No. 35 Will Be Retired

frank-thomas-steroids.jpgFrank Thomas, the greatest hitter in White Sox history, will have his familiar No. 35 retired on Sunday as part of Frank Thomas Day at the Cell. In his remarkable 19-year major league career, The Big Hurt compiled a .301 lifetime batting average and produced 521 home runs, 1704 RBI, a .419 on base percentage, 2 MVPs, a batting title and a World Series ring.

There is little doubt that Frank will be honored in Cooperstown, hopefully on the first ballot, and his outspokeness against PEDs will only accelerate his election. So, the Sunday celebration is richly deserved.

While Big Frank had his problems with the organization during his career, that’s all in the past. He is now an official ambassador for the Pale Hose and his likeness will appear on the outfield wall with the other retired numbers. It’s only a matter of time before a statue is erected on the outfield concourse as well.
frank-thomas-smiling.jpg
mlblogs_100_icon (2).gif

Sox Make it Interesting, But Yankee Homers and Walks Just Too Much to Overcome

52963528.jpgIf the White Sox had any chance of beating C.C. Sabathia and the Yankees tonight, John Danks (above) needed to be on his game. Unfortunately for the South Siders he wasn’t, and the Sox found themselves on the losing end of a 12-9 decision. It also dropped them to 4 1/2 games behind the Twins, 1-0 winners over the Mariners this afternoon.
Giving up a trio of two-run home runs in the first three innings, Danks put the Hose in a hole in which they could never escape. Trailing 6-1, the Sox narrowed the margin to a single run on the strength of a Paul Konerko two-run homer in the third inning and a two-run Andruw Jones blast in the fourth, but Danks and Tony Pena opened the flood gates again in the fifth by combining to surrender a fatal four spot. The Yanks, who smashed a total of four homers, padded their lead with two more runs in the final four innings. The Good Guys, resilient to the end, threatened in the ninth and had the tying run at the plate, but it was just too little too late–especially when you’re facing Mariano Rivera.
It’ll be up to Gavin Floyd tomorrow afternoon on Frank Thomas Day to help get the Sox a series win before they head to Cleveland, Boston and Detroit.
Pale Hose Notes of Note: The Sox outhit the Yankees 16-14, but Chicago pitchers walked an unacceptable nine men–which really was responsible for turning the tide…Lucas Harrell, recently recalled from Charlotte, entered the game in the ninth after Carlos Torres loaded the bases with one out. He was impressive, striking out Derek Jeter and getting Nick Swisher to line out to Juan Pierre in left.
mlblogs_100_icon (2).gif

This is Good News: The Greatest Offensive Force in White Sox History Comes Home

frank-thomas-smiling.jpg

From whitesox.com:

Frank Thomas, who will have his No. 35 retired by the White Sox in August, rejoined Chicago as a team ambassador, the club announced in a press release Tuesday.

“Frank Thomas is one of the greatest offensive players in Major League Baseball history and, without question, one of the greatest players in our franchise’s long history,” said White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. “It is with great pleasure that we formally welcome Frank back to the White Sox family.”

On Aug. 29, the two-time American League Most Valuable Player will be honored at U.S. Cellular Field, an event the team will call “Frank Thomas Day,” the White Sox announced in February.

Moving forward as an ambassador, the 42-year-old will be making appearances for the team by joining its speaking bureau, which consists of Carlton Fisk, Minnie Minoso, Ron Kittle, Bill Melton and Bill Skowron.

Thomas will be the 10th player to have his number retired by the White Sox, joining Nellie Fox (2), Harold Baines (3), Luke Appling (4), Minoso (9), Luis Aparicio (11), Ted Lyons (16), Billy Pierce (19), Jackie Robinson (42) and Fisk (72).

Thomas finished his career with the South Siders as the team’s all-time leader in home runs (448) and RBIs (1,465) while ranking third in hits (2,136).


mlblogs_100_icon (2).gif

| back to blog home |
Theme: MLB “modern” | Get a free blog at WordPress.com
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.