No Beaks: The End?

What now?

With the Sox out of the playoffs...  what do we do now?

Go Bears!

With the Badgers down 0-2 in the Big Ten and a match-up with a tough Penn State coming up...  what do we do now?

Go Bulls!  Hell...  I'll even throw in a Go Blackhawks!

But first about those Sox.  Almost immediately after the 8-2 loss to the Rays on Monday, our illustrious GM Kenny Williams made comments that he wants to add speed and situational hitting to the ballclub in '09.  That would've been less of a problem had he not traded away Aaron Rowand for probably the slowest runner and worst situational hitter in baseball history in Jim Thome.

The truth is...  there has been little talk of dropping Thome and that is a problem.  Case in point, look at Monday at the bottom of the 9th, with the Sox down 6, Thome comes to the plate.  The entire Rays defense was playing on the right side of the diamond and the situation points for Thome to get things started.  That may require a slapped single to the left side of the infield and a speedy pinch runner to set up a late rally.  Instead he hits a ground ball to the 2nd base side of the diamond. 

Would it be that hard to slap a ball to the left side?  Is it too hard for him to realize that he may have to change his "style" a little bit to get things going and start some sort of rally?  Obviously not!

Thome is the biggest and most foul cancer that turned the small ball World Series Champion White Sox of '05 into the bloated one dimensional big ball team from '06 to '08.  The time is right now Mr. Williams!  A team of speed and situational hitting doesn't include Thome.

Hallelujah!

Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Hall-e-lu-jaaaaaahhhhhhh!

I never like to get too religious or anything...  but that was one hell of a Rosh Hashana gift!  Go Sox!

My big prediction...  Cubs lose to  LA in 4!

It All Comes Down To This?

What a terrible start to a weekend...  but not a bad ending.  Eh?

First, there is that terrible blown lead in Michigan by my faithful Wisconsin Badgers...  it didn't feel good to watch them lose, but it seems that the further and further away I get from my graduation date, the less Badger losses really affect me.

Then, the Sox lose their fifth straight with the bullpen getting plunked by the Indians in the end of a long week of baseball.

And then...  the sky parted and brought us Sunday!  Oh glorious Sunday!  The Packers get beat by those rough and tough Bucs in Tampa!  The White Sox play there way to a victory over Cleveland, making the make up against Detroit a necessary reality!  And finally, the Bears beat Philadelphia, at a game I got to witness first hand thanks to the people at SpeedyWillie.org!  From hangin' at the bus to that end zone stand to end the game, it was a great Bears win....  As for the annoying Philadelphia Eagles fans, that is a story for a later date?  Or right now...

Seated behind the Squad, his cousins and myself, were the biggest group of douche bag Philladelphia fans the world has ever seen.  After living on the East Coast and working at ESPN during my formative post-college days, I found that Philadelphia sports fans are the dumbest and biggest A-holes in the sporting world.  They are worse than Cubs fans, far more annoying than Yankees fans and less informed than any Packers fan I've ever met.  To top this all off...  most don't even come from Philadelphia, but New Jersey.  They are all dirtbags too! (To note:  I made all of these points to the gentlemen seated behind us...  and offered to wrastle them all in the middle of Lake Shore Dr. after the game.  After the goal line stand and the Eagels loss, they all left the game early.  Douchebags.)

And to conclude...  the Sox won last night thanks to soon to be AL Rookie of the Year Alexi "The Cuban Missle" Ramirez's record breaking 4th grand slam of the season!  Thus, the table was set for a one game playoff with those pirhana's without teeth when they leave the Metrodome, Minnesota Twins!  Bring Em' On!

Now you could've gotten all this information from some sports webpage, the news or the paper, but screw that! 

Go Go White Sox!!!!!

Bye for now...

Seriously... The Sox Just Don't Want It

I have been optimistic all season...  and to be honest, how can't you when your team has remained in 1st place for the majority of the baseball season.  But last night, the last little flicker of optimism burnt out.  We're screwed. 

Like years past, while this Twins team is in no way better than the Sox talent wise, they want it more...  at least when they play the Sox.  When they're playing Tampa Bay or Detroit or New York it seems like they don't want it either.  However, what do you expect with two teams that have bullpens who have yet to see a home run they don't like to give up (i.e. Boone Logan and Matt Guerrierlast night)!

Seriously...  if the Sox lose tonight they will slip closer towards not making the playoffs.  But, even if they are swept in this three game series they will end up only a half game back of Minnesota.  Then, imagine this...  they win all three at home while the Twins sweep K.C. at home.  This puts the Sox .5 games back with a make up game to play with Detroit!  If the Sox win that one they will be in a tie with Minnesota which will require some sort of playoff and a further extension of the season.

This is what a crazy person thinks of when they are hooked on a win and the playoffs.  At this point I've dedicated so much time to this team, to see them give up the 1st place division title and the playoffs is enough to make me want to pack up, move to Minnesota and become a Twins fan!

There...  I said it!

I sent a text to the Squad last night which read, "These ass****s f***in suck!"

His responded, "Agreed."

The End...

The Long Haul...

This is the month of September...  there are 23 games left in the 2008 White Sox season.  As of this afternoon, after a 4-2 victory in Cleveland, the Sox own a .5 game lead over the Twins.  They lost last night just like the Sox.  All in all, it seems like nobody seems very in to winning the AL Central and making the post-season.  Maybe all the Sox players just feel like the Cubs should get their shot and that two teams in the playoffs from one city would be "too much."  Or maybe they are just too involved or interested in the CalebHainey story... to worry about the post-season.  They may just have hurt hands or backs, but lets be honest, when you want to win you just play right through it.  But maybe the team has been influenced by the biggest pussy in MLB history   Tightness in my back!  I mean really...  everyone knows how you get tightness in your back!

Anyway...  here is how I see the season ending up!

We take 2 out of three from the Angels, split with Toronto and sweep Detroit going 7-3 on homestand.  Meanwhile, I see the Twins being swept by Toronto and dropping 2 of 3 in Baltimore as well as sweeping Detroit  and taking 2 of 3 from KC at home.  That puts them at 6-4 over the same time period which puts the Sox up 1 by their 7 game road trip to New York and KC.  They will sweep both of these series while Minnesota will take 2 of 3 in Cleveland but get swept by Tampa Bay.  This puts the Sox up 6 games with 6 to play.  The Sox will get swept by Minnesota at the Dome only to take 1of three from the Tribe at home and clinch the AL Central title on the last day of the season... as the Twins sweep KC at home and finish one game back!

Got it?  Good!  Now go watch.

Who is Carlos Quentin?

While the Sox have struggled this May, falling to third place in the AL Central Division, and at times there bats have been simply mute, one star has risen!  Thank God for Carlos Quentin...

Q, as we like to call him, has worked his way to atop the AL homerun lead several times since the beginning of the season.  He's hitting .287 and leading the White Sox with a .399 on base percentage.  And he's knocked in nearly 30 runs!  That mark is good enough to be in a three way tie for fourth in the AL with none other than  David Ortiz and Justin Morneau...  which is pretty good company.

So...  who is Carlos Quentin?  Where did he come from?

Well he has always been a bit of a star, just missing his big break for the first two years as a pro big leaguer.  Injuries cut his season short last year in Arizona, and he only played in 57 games in '07 as a Diamondback.  And this is after a tremendous high school and collegiate career on the West Coast:

2000 San Diego Male Athlete of the Year as a three sport star in high school.

At Stanford he was named All Pac-Ten three years in a row and led the Cardinal to the College World Series three years in a row in '01, '02 and '03.

He ripped up the D' Backs farm system after being drafted 29th overall.  He hit .332 with 91 RBIs his first year in Single A.

He came up to the majors in 2006 and was penciled in to replace Shawn Green in left field.  At the start of the 2007 season he was on the DL with a torn labrum.  He rebounded slowly and was demoted to Triple A by the end of the season.

He was traded to the White Sox in the offseason for Christopher Carter.

One thing they say about Quentin is that he is injury prone.  He has had Tommy John surgery as well as other shoulder problems in the past.  He also gets hit a lot in the batters box.  In 2004, he was hit 43 times in the minors.  This year he has been hit 7 times already!

Don't worry though...  he has been given the No Beaks and Mr. W "He Is a Superstar" status!  I expect big things for him.

Thome sucks

Same shit... different day.  The Sox will suck again this year.  Yeah...  it's going to get worse.  It's not going to by Floyd or Contreras that does them in, nor a weak bullpen.  It isn't going to be the anemic batting of our new spectacular "middle" infield.  It's Jim Thome...  all the cancer's fault.  And here's why?

Everyone looks to him to set the tone, hit the homeruns and win the game.  It happened again last night...  Down 6-1, men on 1st and 2nd, 1 out.  He doesn't go for a single or double or just put the ball in play.  He's trying to hit it out of the park.  He could've walked like Konerko.  It was fairly obvious the Indians weren't going to let him see a fastball. 

Of course everyone will say it's the pitching's fault and say they gave up too many runs because hey...  he hit two homeruns on opening day!  Right?  Yeah, and we lost 10-8!  I would love Thome for once to start a late inning rally.  Not hit a solo shot down by 7.  Or hit a 2-run blast in the 2nd and then go o for the rest of the game.  Kind of like a Manny Ramirez, you remember him, the real reason the Indians made it to that World Series back in the 90's.  Yeah, not Thome!

Sorry kids...  he's just a white Albert Belle.  Always will be and until he's gone it will be no playoffs for the Sox.

And the problem is that you can't get rid of him now.  He is a hall of famer and that is all that needs to be said.  It has made him into some overblown pariah. 

Sorry...  but I've said it here, Jim Thome is a Cancer, a proven loser and he should retire now!

Time to fill your Brackets!

Okay ladies and gentleman!  It's that time of year again, when we all jump in and talk smack about the No Beaks Bracketology!  We've had two previous winners, neither of whom have ever been paid their money.  Let's go for three years in a row!  All you have to do is visit Yahoo Sports under fantasy at this link.  Then, select "join a group".  I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out after that...  the following are the number and password to join!  Invite all your friends.

Group ID# 97367

Password:  gobadgers







Enjoy!!!

Hockey

I would watch more hockey if every game was like this.  There is no sound so just watch it all.

 

Ohio State Sucks

You would think the second time would be a charm...  but for the overrated Buckeyes, that wasn't the case.  After their second straight visit to the NCAA National Championship Game, they lost.  This time to LSU.  However, I find something a bit amiss here...

Why is it that OSU has essentially had to play on the road this year?

I realize that the Bowl Game and location are predetermined way before the teams get there, but LSU playing at the Superdome?  C'mon!

Yet, it was nice to see OSU get pounced again.  I am a Big Ten fan and it would've been nice to see our conference win the title...  but I just can't stand Jim Tressle and that smug look on his face in his pansy sweater and tie. 

So today we here at No Beaks give you a big BUCKEYES!