Results tagged ‘ Kenny Williams ’

Thanks Danks

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The angst created by the slow start dissipated a bit last night after the White Sox rose to the occasion with a very satisfying 4-1 win over the red-hot Rays. It was highlighted by another John Danks gem.
After surrendering a first inning homer to Sox nemesis Carl Crawford, Danks was virtually untouchable. In eight innings he gave up two hits, both to Crawford, and struck out nine. He is now 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA. Bobby Jenks came on in the ninth for his third save.
The offense, while still far from where it should be, did just enough powered by Paul Konerko and Andruw Jones homers. I’m still waiting for Gordon Beckham, among others, to break out soon.
Kenny Williams Speaks

The Sox GM spoke to reporters before the game last night and talked about the fans and the poor start of the season:
“If you have a passionate fan base, you have to be prepared for a heightened sense of urgency or worry when things don’t go your way–just as you are the beneficiary of extreme excitement when it does go your way. You got to take the good and bad with it. Right now, everyone is a little upset with the way we’re playing. So are we.”
Memories

It will be an interesting dynamic tonight as Mark Buehrle faces the Rays for the first time since the perfect game.
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With Opening Day a Week Away, Ozzie Says: “I’m Glad With What I Have”

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You wouldn’t know it by the 8-15-4 spring record or the fact the White Sox lost both ends of a split-squad doubleheader yesterday to the Rangers and Royals, but Ozzie Guillen is happy with the team he and GM Kenny Williams have put together.

The truth is that spring training records mean little. Of course any time they’re keeping score you want to win, but getting the regulars ready for the season and the liberal use of secondary players and youngsters to see what they can do is the main purpose. And there is really no proof that a winning record in Arizona or Florida will mean a winning season or vice versa. For the record, the Sox went 14-18 in the spring of 2005.

The Sox brass is reportedly meeting today to make decisions on the 25-man roster. The big issue appears to be whether or not they keep 12 or 13 pitchers or an extra infielder. It seems like Sergio Santos would be the 12th pitcher with Greg Aquino and Dan Hudson vying for the 13th spot. If 13 hurlers go north, it could spell the end of Jayson Nix in a Sox uniform since he’s out of options.

Sox notes of note: Despite yesterday’s two losses, there were some bright spots. In the 10-8 loss to the Royals at Camelback Ranch, Mark Teahen continued his resurgence. He went 2 for 4 with an RBI, lifting his spring average to .277…Scott Linebrink, Matt Thornton and J.J. Putz each pitched a scoreless inning against K.C….The Sox were blanked 5-0 by the Rangers in Surprise, but Paul Konerko‘s two hits brought his spring average to .327 and Gavin Floyd gave up only a pair of runs with six strikeouts in six innings of work…John Danks makes the start tonight at home against the Angels.

Sign of the Times: Twitter the Cause of Sox-Guillen Flap

guillen-large.jpgGLENDALE, AZ — It had to happen sooner or later. In this day and age of tweeting, Facebook and non-stop blogging, you knew something would occur that ultimately reached an inexplicable and outrageous level.
It’s certainly not the first time the downside of Twitter has reared its ugly head in sports, but in the case of the White Sox v. Oney Guillen, the middle son of Ozzie, it’s reached a new plateau.
The facts:
* Oney resigned from the Sox scouting department yesterday after being asked to tone down or stop his controversial tweeting. This came on the heels of the club kiboshing the idea of a Guillen website.
* Ozzie atypically refused to speak to the media after the Sox-Cubs game yesterday, presumably as a result of the Twitter matter. To his credit, the skipper later apologized via Twitter (what else?).
Will the Ozzie-Kenny Williams relationship be permanently affected? Will Ozzie choose family over the Sox? The end-game is anybody’s guess.
Speaking only for this Sox fan, I echo Kenny Williams’ comment a few days ago when he addressed the Sox and social media.
“All I care about is players playing, coaches coaching and managers managing.”
Amen.
Sox notes of note:  A record Cactus League crowd of 13, 413 watched the Cubs defeat the Sox, 8-4, at Camelback Ranch yesterday. The only real Pale Hose positives to report are A.J. Pierzynski‘s three hits, Juan Pierre’s two walks and two runs scored, Mark Kotsay‘s two hits and Matt Thornton‘s one scoreless inning. On the flip side, J.J. Putz and Scott LInebrink were both tagged for homers and the Sox loaded the bases with no outs twice and scored just a single run…This is unfortunately my final day of spring training. Because I’ll be in the air most of the day, I won’t post tomorrow. A spring training review will appear on Monday.

Day 1: Spring Training News & Notes From Glendale

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What I’m reading and hearing…
* Ozzie met the media today on the opening of spring training and announced that Mark Buehrle will be the regular season Opening Day starter. It’ll be his eighth OD start, surpassing Billy Pierce‘s franchise mark of seven.
* KW told the media that he’s shocked that Jermaine Dye hasn’t signed with anyone. 
Join the club, it really is hard to believe.
* Jake Peavy revealed that he wanted the Sox to sign Johnny Damon because he’s a winner.
* Andruw Jones and Bobby Jenks both reported in great shape. It’s also a great sign that Jones is there early. He wants to prove he’s still an everyday player.
* Pitching coach Don Cooper (below with Sox pitching hopeful Sergio Santos, a converted infielder, today at the first spring workout for pitchers and catchers):  ”I’m looking forward to the start of the season more than anything because it’s time for us to get back into the playoffs…I want another championship.”

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Sox Pull Offer to Damon

“It has become clear to us in our recent negotiations that the money that we were offering was not going to be good enough for Johnny at this time.”

                                                                     –Kenny Williams to Bruce Levine of
                                                                       ESPNChicago.com this afternoon

P.S.– Since Damon’s agent Scott Boras is still haggling with the Tigers, I guess “never say never,” but for now the prospect of the Sox getting Damon seems like a longshot.

Sox-wise and Otherwise

My final weekly offseason musings on the White Sox and more. In just two days, four hours and 56 minutes, pitchers and catchers officially report and the 2010 season will be underway.

My Random Thoughts Heading into Spring Training:

*  He’s coming, he’s not coming, he’s coming, he’s not coming, he’s…That’s basically what we’ve been through this week with Johnny Damon. I’m through guessing what will happen. We’ll just have to wait and see and deal with the decision when it comes down. And it very well could be determined before you read this. Who knows?

*  As I look ahead to the 2010 Sox, I can’t help but think that the two keys to whether or not we make the playoffs will be Carlos Quentin and Alex Rios. While the personality of the team will change, putting a priority on pitching, speed, versatility and defense, there still needs to be some significant power now that Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome are no longer on the South Side. Quentin and Rios must rebound from last year whether or not the other factors listed above prove successful.

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 *  Speaking of Jermaine, it’s painful to see he’s still on the outside, looking for a decent
deal. Despite his horrible second half in 2009, you have to think he can help someone. Here’s hoping the news of him signing is imminent. Dye, like the other 2005 guys, holds a special place for us. Even more special for Jermaine, considering he was the World Series MVP.

*  I’m looking forward to seeing Jordan Danks and Jared Mitchell in spring training. It doesn’t seem like either outfielder will make the 25-man roster, but Danks is right on the cusp and actually could make the jump at some point this year. Mitchell is a couple of years away, but inviting him to major league camp is a smart idea–he’ll get a jump start on getting acclimated to major league life.

*  I love this. Jerry Reinsdorf, Kenny Williams and Ozzie Guillen will be featured in The Club, an original reality series on the MLB Network The show will follow the Sox braintrust to provide “unprecedented behind-the-scenes access” to a major league front office. The Club premieres Sunday, July 4 at 8:00pm, ET.

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*  By the way, has Damon signed yet?

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Will A.J. and Hawk be the Keys to Damon Joining the White Sox?

10.7_bdd_JD_get.jpgIt’s been a long time since A.J. Pierzynski and Johnny Damon were teammates at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, FL. Since then each has had an All-Star career capped off by a World Series ring (in Damon’s case, two). They’ve never played together in the major leagues, but that could change very soon with A.J. having a key role in making it happen.

In an effort to convince free agent Damon to sign with the Sox, Pierzynski and broadcaster Hawk Harrelson hit the links on Tuesday with their target presumably to sell him on the fact that joining the Sox would give him the best shot at a third ring. Another intriguing development is that Damon and his wife are looking for a more cosmopolitan city than Detroit, according to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com.

Will the A.J./Hawk sales pitch work? There’s really no telling at this point. It has been reported that the Tigers have made offers of $7 million for one year, $14 million for two and the Sox are not budging from their original one-year $4 million offer. That’s only what’s been reported. We really can’t believe what agent Scott Boras says because leveraging is his middle name. And we know full well that Kenny Williams likes to work under the radar–with great success I might add.

With pitchers and catchers now reporting throughout Arizona and Florida, Damon will likely make a decision in the next few days. The only thing we know for sure is that the Sox are still in the running for what I believe would be a major piece in a championship puzzle.

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