Mr. Palehose's daughter Hijacks His Blog!

Father's Day Comments






Father's Day Comments




Father's Day Comments



Father's Day Comments



Father's Day Comments

Father's Day Glitter Graphics

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.

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.

Hi. Just call me Mr. Pale Hose. I've been wondering when the White Sox would be able to assemble a full contingent of healthy ballplayers to take into battle. Now that Pablo Ozuna broke his leg rounding first base(????) the prospects of that happening this year appear slim. Every team needs one or two players like Pablo if they are going to successfull. There is no disputing the fact that if not for Pablo and Timo Perez the Sox would not have made the playoffs in 2005. Sometimes there is a tendency to think if a little bit of Ozuna is good then alot of Ozuna would be better. Wrong. Jorneyman utility players like Pablo Ozuna need to be kept on the bench until a situation calls for them. Overuse exposes the flaws that limit them to utilityman status. We saw a little too much of Pablo in '06 when Ozzie Guillen became convinced that he could be trusted to play left field in place of the injured Scott Podsednik. Fortunately, fans will usually forgive a player for the foul odor he emits today because we remember how sweet he smelled in the past. You will often hear about a player who hit .230 last year but hopes to regain the form that saw him hit .275 three years ago. Another example would be if an outfielder turns the wrong way on a fly ball and it falls in for a hit. He attempts to pick it up but kicks it. He finally retrieves the ball and heaves it towards the infield but it sails over the cut-off man's head. You turn to me and say"What the heck?" I reply "Yeah but remember that play he made against Cleveland in '05?" Pablo Ozuna's absence is going to be like an open wound that won't heal. Two things are working against Kenny Williams as he searches for a replacement. No team that has a player like that is going to want to trade him until after the All Star game if at all. The Sox have no one in their farm system that would be effective. The Sox have a reputation for developing pitchers and outfielders (curiously there are neither on the current team). They have an abbismal record for turning out infielders and catchers. I have a suggestion for Kenny if he is willing to think outside the box. Give Brian Anderson an infielders glove and start hitting him grounders. He already has some major league experience and in the event of a bench clearing brawl, we've seen what he can bring to the party. Whats that you say? He hasn't proved he can hit major league pitching, he seems to be somewhat of a head case, he's never played the infield before? Yeah but what about those two homers he hit against Seattle in '05? Until then, I am Mr. Pale Hose.

Hi. Just call me Mr. Pale Hose. I'm not a gambling man. I don't play cards. I don't participate in football pools. I am clueless as to what March Madness is all about. If I am ever seen in a casino or a race track it is merely a social visit. But when one of my Cub fan aquaintances starts trash talking my team, I am more than willing to take his money. Of course I always take the White Sox in the cross town series. And I also have a standard bet involving total wins; a dollar a game. In other words if the Sox win 95 games and the Cubbies win 65, that pays me 30 bucks times however many Cub fans I can snare in my net. You see, Cub fans feel Baseball owes them something for being patient for all these years. It is as if the people who run baseball would say," Gee, the Cubs haven't won anything in 100 years. Lets let them go to the World Series." This feeling of pre-ordained destination really started to gain momentum as soon as the Florida Marlins recorded the final out of the 2003 National League Championship Series. 2003 was the year the Cubs were "5 outs away from going to the World series." The logic of that statement escapes me. That is like me saying I would be a millionaire if the bank teller wasn't such a bitch. Be that as it may, Cub fans spent the off season telling anyone who would listen that 2004 "is going to be our year to go to the World Series." Then they would back up their statement by saying they had Prior, Wood and Dusty Baker. As it turned out, 2004 wasn't their year to go to the World Series. They did however manage to win one more game than they won in the magical season of 2003. Why is it that any time the Cubs finish higher than .500, that season goes on to called "magical"? Mention 1969 to any cub fan and he will stop what he is doing, turn to face Clark and Addison, and start mumbling something about "magical season" while dabbing tears from his eye. The 1969 Cubs blew a 10 game lead in August and finished with 92 wins. Thats not magical; thats "choking". I'm pretty sure just about every baseball fan has one of those clinkers in his coal shute. Its not sentimental,it is one of life viscisitudes. You deal with it and you move on. In the winter of '04, Cub fans were convinced that they would be watching the World Series in Chicago. For once they were right, assuming they could get a ticket to U.S. Cellular Field. After the Sox swept the Astros four straight, 4 million revellers crowded into down town Chicago to celebrate with the Victors. Meanwhile 4 million Cub fans stayed indoors with the shades pulled down and made plans for where they would go to watch the Cubs in the 2006 World Series. 2006 was a disaster for the Chicago Cubs. The only thing they didn't suck at was making excuses. This year I have made my regular dollar a game bet, but I have added a side bet as well. My advisary and I each pick three pitchers from our rotation, and the three with the most victories wins 5 bucks. I chose Buehrle Garland and Contreras. He went with Zambrano Lilly and Hill. I'm not a gambling man, but I know a sure thing when I see it! Until then just call me Mr. Pale Hose.

Hi. Just call me Mr. Pale Hose. Thats not my real name, but it will do for the purpose of this Blog. I grew up in the '60's in a suburb approximately 20 miles north of Chicago, Illinois. When I was a little boy my dad, my older brother and every kid I knew was a Cubs fan. One day a new kid moved in to a house a block away from ours. He told me that his family liked the Chicago White Sox. Until that moment I never knew there was a choice. Later I went home and my dad was watching a Cub game on TV. I announced to him that I was a White Sox fan. It is a well known fact that White Sox fans hate everything that has anything to do with the Cubs. On the other hand, especially back before interleague play, Cub fans are pretty much oblivious to the White Sox and their followers. So, after a minute or so of mock indignation, my dad just laughed and went back to watching his game. Being a Sox fan in the late '60's took some doing. For one thing, the team telecasted their games on a UHF station. Since the one TV we owned didn't receive UHF signals, that posed a problem. I soon found out that the games could be heard on WIND 560 AM. So that is how I fell in love with the Chicago White Sox; listening to Bob Elson and Red rush describe every fascet and play that was taking place 25 miles south of me and beyond. The Sox were pretty bad in 1968, 69 and 70. But 1971 ushered in the Roland Hemond/Chuck Tanner era and the Sox have been competitive if not good most of the years since. In 1972 Dick Allen, Bill Melton and Wilbur Wood gave us a taste of what a pennant chase was like. In 1977 the Southside Hittmen caused our pulses to quicken. In 1983 Tony LaRussa's team won the Western Division by 20 games. In 1991 Jeff Torbourg led a bunch of fuzzy cheeked kids like Frank Thomas, Jack McDowell and RobinVentura to 94 wins. In 1993 and 2000 the Sox won there divisions again. Then in 2005, under the watchful eye of one Ozzie Guillen, the Chicago White sox led from wire to wire and then charged through the post season at a 11-1 clip! I may live to be 100 or I could die tomorrow and it won't make a difference because I know I will Rest In Peace having seen the Sox win the World Series. It is an experience that is more intoxicating than drugs and more satisfying than sex. You could eat the most exquisite meal immaginable and it will out of your system in 24 hours. But no one can ever take away the fact that your team was proven to be the best in the world. I know that I was born to be a White Sox fan. That is how I am wired and I couldn't change it even if I wanted to. But I am happy to be a Sox fan and I would be proud of them even if they hadn't won the World Series. I feel that the Sox are headed for more successful seasons and it could even happen this year. Until then just call me Mr. Pale Hose.