Chicago Sports Fan Blog

Thome’s two homers, four RBI help Sox, Floyd pick up big win vs. Angels

Another victory against an elite American League team was nice, but White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen has set the bar.

A .500 record won’t get it done in the AL Central, and neither will a handful of wins above .500.

“Right now, the way our division plays, you don’t know how many games you have to be over .500, but .500 is not going to win it,” Guillen said Wednesday. “Five games over .500 is not going to win it. You’ve got to be better than that. I truly believe that.”

Click here to read the full article – By JOE COWLEY of The Chicago Sun-Times

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Below are links to memorabilia available for Jim Thome.

The White Sox highlight reel from Tuesday’s 5-4 victory over the Angels before 30,228 at U.S. Cellular Field will start with Scott Podsednik’s third walk-off hit of the 2009 campaign.

And rightfully so. Podsednik’s drive lashed into right-center off of Kevin Jepsen (3-3) scored Jayson Nix, who had doubled with two outs to start the ninth-inning rally, and moved the White Sox (55-52) within one game of first-place Detroit (55-50) in the American League Central.

That tape of Tuesday’s top moments then might move to Gordon Beckham, who launched his sixth home run of the season off of Los Angeles starter John Lackey in the opening inning and singled home Podsednik with the tying run in the seventh.

Click here to read the full article – By Scott Merkin of MLB.com

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The 105th pitch of Mark Buehrle’s day broke in toward Gabe Kapler, who turned on it and connected. Buehrle looked up and knew — his perfect game was in jeopardy.

Just in as a defensive replacement, Chicago White Sox center fielder DeWayne Wise sprinted toward the fence in left-center, a dozen strides. What happened next would be either a moment of baseball magic or the ninth-inning end of Buehrle’s bid for perfection against the Tampa Bay Rays. Wise jumped and extended his right arm above the top of the 8-foot wall. The ball landed in his glove’s webbing but then popped out for a split second as he was caroming off the wall and stumbling on the warning track. Wise grabbed it with his bare left hand, fell to the ground and rolled. He bounced.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Chicago White Sox Sports Memorabilia
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Closer leaves bases loaded; catcher throws out two runners.

For those keeping score of the games within the game during Monday’s 4-3 White Sox victory over the Rays before the fifth 2009 sellout at U.S. Cellular Field, it was Tampa Bay, which emerged with a two-dinger advantage in aggregate home run differential. The truly most important statistics during the White Sox third victory in four home games to start the second half centered on the numbers two and one. Two, as in the runners A.J. Pierzynski threw out, after the White Sox catcher had previously been successful on just 4-of-59 attempts.

Click here to read the full article – By Scott Merkin of MLB.com

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Mark Buehrle doesn’t apologize or try to hide it. He’s a Cardinals fan.

The White Sox lefty, who grew up in the St. Louis suburb of St. Charles, hasn’t been afraid to voice his admiration for his hometown team over the years. Buehrle, making his fourth All-Star appearance but the first in his hometown, was shown on FOX cameras during the 2006 World Series at Busch Stadium wearing a Cardinals hat. He has never pitched in St. Louis or against the Cards, meaning his first outing could come Tuesday night with 43 of his family and friends in attendance.

Click here to read the full article – By B.J. Rains and Scott Merkin of MLB.com

Chicago White Sox Sports Memorabilia
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Ozzie Guillen can’t give a time when it’s going to begin, but the White Sox manager knows it’s in place and soon ready to go. Opposing teams facing the White Sox, beware.

Guillen’s prediction centers on Jim Thome, the Hall of Fame-bound designated hitter, who finished 1-for-4 with a walk and four big RBIs in Saturday’s 8-7 victory over the Twins. After a slow start that had Thome hitting .198 as of May 10, he moves into Sunday’s first-half finale at the Metrodome with a .253 average and 47 RBIs to rank third on the team in that particular category.

Click here to read the full article – By Scott Merkin of MLB.com

Chicago White Sox Sports Memorabilia
and other Chicago White Sox Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Jim Thome.

Jose Contreras means no disrespect to A.J. Pierzynski when he glows about the job that backup catcher Ramon Castro has done behind the plate with him.

Contreras acknowledges that when Pierzynski served as his primary catcher, he did help Contreras win a franchise-record 17 decisions in a row from Aug. 21, 2005-July 4, 2006. The Castro-Contreras combination was at it again on Wednesday night as the White Sox cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Indians at U.S. Cellular Field. Contreras defeated the Indians for the second time in a week, lasting 6 1/3 innings and allowing one run on six hits while striking out a season-high nine batters.

Click here to read the full article – By Jesse Temple of MLB.com

Chicago White Sox Sports Memorabilia
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This is exactly what a team making a push up the division ladder is supposed to do.

Shake off an early deficit against a last-place team, soundly thump said squad into submission and avoid any kind of extended losing streak against divisional opponents. The White Sox succeeded on all three fronts on Tuesday thanks to the effort of starting pitcher Mark Buehrle and the offensive pop of first baseman and team captain Paul Konerko. Konerko set career highs with three home runs and seven RBIs as the White Sox came from behind to defeat the Indians, 10-6, at U.S. Cellular Field.

Click here to read the full article – By Jesse Temple of MLB.com

Chicago White Sox Sports Memorabilia
and other Chicago White Sox Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Paul Konerko.

Mark Buehrle has an incredibly impressive 130-89 career record.

Chicago’s crafty southpaw threw a no-hitter against Texas in 2007, won two postseason contests and even saved a game in the 2005 World Series sweep by the White Sox of Houston. The happily married father of two also is working in the second season of a four-year, $56 million contract.

It would be an understatement to say the humble, easy-going Major Leaguer is living the dream.

Click here to read the full article – By Scott Merkin of MLB.com

Chicago White Sox Sports Memorabilia
and other Chicago White Sox Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Mark Buehrle.

Ozzie Guillen and his team had the right stuff working on Sunday, as the White Sox defeated the Cubs, 6-0, in front of 39,745 — the largest crowd of the season — at U.S. Cellular Field.

The White Sox rattled Cubs starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano with timely hitting and an aggressive attack on the basepaths. On the other side of the mound, the South Siders received a sparkling effort from pitcher John Danks, who beat the North Siders’ ace and shut down their offense for the second time in less than two weeks.

Click here to read the full article – By Jesse Temple of MLB.com

Chicago White Sox Sports Memorabilia
and other Chicago White Sox Gifts and Collectibles
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