Saturday, June 16, 2007
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Hi. Just call me Mr. Pale Hose. I was scratching my head and trying to remember the last catcher who came up thru the White Sox minor league system and went on to have a sustained major league career. The first name I thought of was Josh Paul. But I'm talking about a career. With Josh it is more like a job. It is nothing personal, but I am of the opinion that the only reason he is in the major leagues is because some teams like to carry three catchers. I followed Josh closely from the time he was drafted out of Bufallo Grove High School until he first stepped on to the hallowed ground that at that time was known as Comiskey Park II. When I first saw him play I thought I was watching the next Carlton Fisk. He had all of the tools, and appeared to be a future star. Then suddenly the rocket ship that was Josh Paul's career stopped going up and started to fall back to Earth. After a while he started to look less like a future star and more like an actor portraying one on TV. Baseball is a funny game. It is a scenario that has been played out over and over ever since Abner Doubleday dropped a flour sack 90 feet from a cow pie. Going back to the mid '80's I remembered Ron Karkovice. He was a guy the Sox drafted out of high school and after a few years in the minors he was ready to come up to the big club. The only problem was the Sox had an everyday catcher named Carlton Fisk. So Karko carried Fisk's glove for a couple of years patiently waiting for his big chance. Then the Sox made a bold move that almost seemed to make sense. Not wanting to impede Karko's progress any longer, they moved Fisk to left field and made Ron Karkovice the starting catcher. This not only humiliated Carlton Fisk, but it also made him angry which just added to the preasure on Karko. After a couple of months the Sox got tired of watching Karkovice hit .190 and Fisk turn routine flyballs into extra base hits, so they put Fisk back behind the plate and Ron went back to being number two. Fisk stubornly hung around a couple years past his expiration date, but the Sox finally convinced him to retire. They annointed Karko the regular catcher and rewarded him with a multiyear, multimillion dollar contract. Unfortunately by now most of the air had leaked out of Karko's balloon, and he didn't quite live up to his billing. It wasn't that he was that bad, but he wasn't that good either. In the end the Sox ate the last year of his contract and asked him not to come around any more. But back in the late '60's it was a different story. Edward Herrmann came up to the Sox for a cup of coffee in 1967 before returning to the minors. In late '68 he was back to stay. Ed Herrmann was the last of the slow footed hard nosed old school cachers. He blocked the plate with the efficiency of a brick wall. He had a rocket for an arm and he wasn't afraid to snap a throw to any base to catch an opponent napping. In those days most catchers were slow runners and Ed was slower than most. There was a story back then that seemed to explain Ed's lack of speed. At one time he had a broken bone in his foot and the doctors replaced it with one from a monkey. Today that seems a little far fetched but if you saw Ed run the bases you were a believer. He was a left handed hitter who hit for average and power and had a knack for coming up with the big play just at the right time. When he hit a grand slam, he didn't hit it when the Sox were up by ten or down by ten. He hit it when the Sox were down by three late in the game and the curtain was starting to come down. Ask Bert Campaneras about trying to score from second when Mr. Herrmann was guarding the dish. There is a great picture somewhere of Campaneras coming in spikes high while Ed blocks the plate and awaits the throw. The next frame shows Hermie bloodied but not bowed holding the ball as the umpire calls Campy out. Ed's service with Sox ended in 1975 over a salary dispute. He had earned $40,000 in '74 and he was asking for a $5000 raise. The Sox felt forty grand fit Herrmann just fine. Neither side would budge and Ed was traded to the Montreal Expos at the end of spring training. When I read about the trade a voice in my head sreamed" NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" I knew then that it would be a long time before another home grown player would strap on the tools of ignorance on the south side of Chicago. It has been over thirty years and we are still waiting for the second coming. I'm quite certain that there isn't anyone in the Sox system who is ready to fill those shoes. Our only hope is that when Kenny Williams starts dismanteling the team next month he can come up with the next Johnny Bench Carlton Fisk or Ed Herrmann. Until then you can call me Mr. Pale Hose.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Hi. Just call me Mr. Pale Hose. Ozzie Guillen said it right. It is like being on an air plane that is crashing and all you can do is put on your seat belt and watch. Every team goes thru a slump at least once a season. You just grit your teeth and hope they come out of it sooner rather than later. And then sometimes the wheels just fall of the wagon and you know the season is lost. So far this year the Sox have had a hitter sprain his ankle swinging the bat, another batter hurt his ribs swinging the bat, and a baserunner break his leg rounding first base. Normally you might see one of these happen once in a while, but when all three happen two months in to the season you know the planets aren't lined up in your favor. In 1997 the White Sox were critisized for pulling the plug on the season and getting rid of their high priced potential free agents. It was the so called "White Flag Trade". That year the Sox were chasing the Cleveland Indians and still had a chance to win the division, but they were playing flat and uninspired. The trade took them out of the race but the Sox got some young players to start rebuilding with. This year's team is loaded with high priced players, some of whom will become free agents at the end of the year. Sometime beteen now and July 30, the Sox will have to back up the truck and start preparing for next year. I would suggest a complete house cleaning. It is time to let Paul Konerko go. He should comand a nice price on the trading block. Tadahito Iguchi will be a free agent. So long Tad. Thanks for the memories. Juan Uribe? He gone! Crede? Trade him while he still has some value. Jim Thome may go down as one of Kenny Williams' biggest flops. We would have been better off with Frank Thomas and Arron Rowand. Some contender will be glad to give up some good young meat for him. Scott Posednik's career is about over so the Sox will probably have to eat his contract. Darren Erstadt was a nice try, but no dice. As far as the pitching staff goes, I would keep Bobby Jenks and John Garland. The rest are all dispensable. So that leaves us with a nucleus of Jermain Dye, A J Perzinski, Garland and Jenks. It will be an uphill battle and may take a few years, but if Kenny is shrewd with his trades and has a few good drafts, the White Sox should be back in contention by 2012. In the mean time, strap it on, cinch it up and hunker down. Its going to be a rough flight. Until then, just call me Mr. Pale Hose.
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