To the Victors...

A champion's celebration Chicago style. It's great to see how much an event like this, winning a World Series or any championship for that matter, means to it's fan's and the city itself.

The euphoria is overwhelming, all the years of pent-up frustration are finally released. The White Sox adopted song, Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" conicidentally was the song I personally identified with when the NY Football Giants were slowly building towards they're Super Bowl in 1986. The classics never go out of style.

"Chicago, second city no more," said Paul Konerko, during the players introductions. Good to see Paulie is taking the time to read my blog (see a couple of posts down).

Konerko brought team owner Jerry Reinsdorf to tears when he presented him the ball he caught for the last out of the fourth game of the series to complete a four-game sweep of the Houston Astros." Getting this ball from Paul Konerko is the most emotional moment of my life," Reinsdorf told the crowd.

Reinsdorf also has gone on record locally as saying he would have given up the six Bulls championship rings for One World Series ring. Well, he's got one now, but this illustrates the enormous power baseball has once it gets in your blood.

Konerko talked about the team's lack of respect nationally throughout the year and added. Maybe we'll have to do this one more time next year." Reinsdorf should have put down the ball and pulled out a contract right then and there. Hopefully, the team will be able to defend the title with the major components in place.

Wait 'til next year has a whole new meaning for Sox fans now.

Sox Win...Sox Win

Maybe not as romantic a sound as some aroundhere would like, but the Chicago's little-brother team now has something big-brother who lives a bit further North can only dream about.

The White Sox just buzz-sawed through the Astro's lineup again with it's own offense providing just enough runs to keep it interesting. Well, maybe not so interesting if you believe the TV ratings numbers. But honestly, if you were tuning in to Desperately Slutty HoesBags at the expense of the World Series, you're not really a baseball fan.

Poor Brad Lidge was called upon again to take a bullet for the Astros and he did, this time dying a death of a thousand slices. Really, only a slap, a bunt and a bleeder but hey, they all count.

Pitching and Defense, the White Sox led with it and ended in style with it. SS Juan Uribe's two defensive gems to end the game were truly remarkable. The Jeter-esque dive in the stands would have been great as a walk-off P6, but you can't be too picky here.

With any luck, Sox fans will be able to enjoy the moment before the Paulie Sweepstakes lead the hot-stove chatter around here. After all, the next championship might not come around for another 88 years or so. Who knows?

Congrats to the White Sox. 2005 World Champions. I don't care what Bobby Valentine says.

Chicago not Second City in this Series

It seems like the White Sox are the team of destiny in this Series after all. Everything's going right, although the umpires bad calls do seem to be balancing out, the Astros are just not cashing in on thier opportunities, unless the umps rule the ball over the fence in error. If it makes any sense, I would say this is the most evenly matched 3-0 series, I think I've ever seen. Think about it, this could be 2-1 Astros, 2-1 White Sox, maybe not 3-0 Astros but there really doesn't seem to be much separating these two teams. White Sox are getting more timely hitting and better bullpen help lately.

Some questions:

Is it just me or do we now need to look closely at American League domination in both the World Series and the now-meaningful All-Star game? I think the DH may have at least some role in this and now is the time for MLB to address the issue. Either both leagues play with the DH, or both leagues play without it. You know, level playing field and all.

But does the presence of the DH in the AL lead to the leagues better hitters being drawn to the AL over th NL? Does having to pitch to a more stout lineup throughout the year lead the AL pitchers to become more prepared to pitch later in the year? When was the last time a pitcher went from the NL to the AL and dominated?

And speaking of level playing fields, is it just me or does it seem as if the $85-90 million dollar and under payrolls all reside in the NL? While the $100 million dollar plus payrolls are all in the American League. Again, level the playing field.

The Mets, Philies, Dodgers, Braves and Giants who probably could spend some bucks, do not. The Diamondbacks reached thier credit card limit, so they're spent out. The Rockies don't seem willing to join the fray. In the AL, the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels and Orioles all spend like they have the keys to the printing press at the U.S. Treasury. Both factors are leading to a World Series where the NL is on the brink of being swept for the second year in a row. That can't be good for the ratings. And the All-Star games result is getting to be fairly predictable lately.

There just seems to be a de-facto salary cap in the National League lately. Or maybe my conspiratorial juices are flowing again. Next, I'll be speculating about the recent trend of Bud's cronies (Red Sox, Marlins, White Sox) winning the World Series the last coule of years and the link to MLB taking over control of the umpires from the two individual leagues. If the Brewers win next year, I'll know I'm on to something. But that's for another rant.

White Sox take 2-0 lead to Houston

No sooner did expert commentator Tim McCarver tell us (with conviction) that the bad taste of the Albert Pujols walk-off blast was no longer in Brad Lidge's mouth, Scott (No Homers during the Regular Season) Podsednik's blast send thes White Sox to Houston 2-0 and the Astros reeling.

Lidge is going to need some awfully strong mouthwash to rinse the bad taste of these bombs from his mouth. And Joe Buck was correct, Astros manager Phil Garner could and should have given Lidge an oppotunity to get back on the mound prior to the Series.

What may keep this Series close and interesting is now Oziie Guillen may have a similar problem with his closer, rookie Bobby Jenks. Jenks spit out the lead that led to Podsedniks heroics.

And where has Dustin Hermanson gone? How far off the bullpen depth chart has this guy plummeted and why? Perhaps his back is in worse condition then anyone is letting on. He doesn't even warm up anymore. He may be on a milk carton before he appears in another game.

Houson's woes are complicated further by the Rocket Man's fizzling performance. He is doubtful in my mind to make another appearance in this Series. If he doesn't feel he can go 100%, he'll protect his legacy before he'll go out on his sword. JMO.

White Sox hold serve and really only have to go to Houston and win one of the three down there. If they come back to Chicago up 3-2, they will be tough to beat. They have been tough on the road all year, so it's not inconceivable they could close it out, but it would be more fun to pop the corks in Chi-town.

Big Boo-Nah to ESPN by the way, who opened the Saturday night Sports Center with College footbal highlights, since it was a Saturday night. A mid-season college weekend versus the World Series? Give me a break. These guys seem more idiotic and full of themselves every day. Oops, visual of Sean Salisbury. Very Bad. Whose running that ship over there now anyway, the Skipper and his little buddy? They must be mad at MLB for not having the Series on ESPN, still a very childish display of network temperment. If you're going to trumpet yourselves as a leader in sports, act like one.

Anyway, off to Houston for the Series....Go, go, go , go White Sox.

Uh...Houston..never mind...proceed to Series

Roy Oswalt shows that momentum is only as strong as your next day's starting pitcher by totally shutting down the suddenly(??) slow, old looking bats of the Cardinals.

Good for baseball. Two new faces in the World Series. A matchup where you could make a fairly reasonable case for either team sweeping or for the Series to go the full seven games. And that's based mainly on how the two teams played at various stretches in the season. Both teams showed long stretches of both dominance and relative mediocrity. I'm not sure when we've had a World Series matchup quite like that in the past.

Chicago is giddy with it's first appearance in the World Series in a long time. Houston now must be equally as excited at it's debut in the Fall Classic. Of course, you never forget your first. Both pitching staffs can throw guys who have shutout capabilities and both have strong, well balanced bullpens. Offenses have struggled at times, White Sox may have an edge here, being more balanced as well as stronger with the gloves.

My guess: White Sox in six or less.

Uh...Houston we have a problem!!

With one tremendous swing by Albert Pujols against Brad "Lights Out" Lidge, the Astros may very well have put themselves in a must-win Game 6 situation. Pujols titanic homerun was so strong, that it has taken momentum away from the already partying Astros and given it back to the Cardinals.

Don't underestimate the scrappy two out at-bat by David Eckstein (my second favorite player in the league) as well as Jim Edmonds walk that set the stage for the game winner.

I have to admit, I too was guilty of loooking ahed to a White Sox-Astros matchup. What a bunch of great pitching matchups that Series would feature. The over-under might be set at four runs for most of the games.

Of course, this is playing into the White Sox hands once again. They should be hoping for a Game Seven in this Series. However, I think Game Six will have all the significance of a Game Seven in this case.

Obviously, if the Astros win, it's over. But by the same token, I believe if the Cardinals can keep Big Mo' on their side and win Game Six, it's over, they'll win Game Seven also.

Was Monday Night Football on last night? I think they used to rule the airwaves on Monday Night back in the day, but I couldn't find them last night.

Congratulations to the Chicago White Sox and Fans

for shaking off all the bad calls (I know they all seemed to go the Sox way) and absolutely crushing the Angels. The Sox pitching staff turned in one of the most dominating performances, in a playoff setting, this side of the '69 and '73 Mets.

Only 2/3 of an inning of relief. Incredible. The Sox I feel bad for are Dustin Hermanson, whose aching back seems to have made him a forgotten man, and maybe Frank Thomas.

Pitching coach Don Cooper mentioned four or five different relievers for praise, without mentioning the guy who probably got his bad back from carrying the bullpen through the White Sox early season domination.

Now Bobby Jenks is the fair-haired boy (closer). I guess that's how it goes, you always lose your job to injury. At least, that's what Wally Pipp told me.

It's amazing that we again see a team, without it's superstar, marquee player, playing better, more team-oriented ball in that players absence. And to think, Kenny Williams was receiving trade deadline pressure to add Ken Griffey, Jr. When will we ever learn?

So far today, Chicago fans haven't seemed to digest the good news completely. It's almost as if they think there's going to be some post-series review of the umpires calls (which there should be, behind the scenes) and upon such further review, they'll be called back to spot of Pierzynski's Bluff. Or, that it was all some sort of J.R. Ewing, "Dallas"-style dream that they'll wake up from.

Pinch yourselves and get ready for Houston, I believe. Two new teams, a poster series for competetive balance. Who needs a salary-cap anyway?

Hopefully, the Cardinals-Astros series goes seven games so the pattern of the prior two series repeats in the Sox favor. The umpire calls were a bonus, but the main reason they were able to flatten both the Angles and the Red Sox, rest and aligning their starters for the next opponent. The Angels looked spent (old) after being extended in the Yankee series.

But to the victor, goes the spoils. That early season 15-game lead allowed the Sox to position themselves for this type of run and they are doing it.

The only bad news for me is that if the White Sox get their World Championship after the Red Sox got theirs last year, the longest record of futility will belong to my Giants and the Cubs. Maybe those two will battle it out next year. I guess now I'm dreaming. Anyway.....

Go, go, go go White Sox........see you in the Series.

Congratulations to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Fans

and what a great month it's been. You're getting a new owner, to replace Vince "Do You Know Who I am?" Naimoli, a new GM to replace Chuck "I'm on the Tenth Year of a Five Year Plan" LaMar and best of all free-parking for all home games.

Welcome to the Major Leagues.

Of course, you lose Lou Pinella. Bad move by new management, but I'm sure they want their own man in there, one they can control. Plus, there may be an opening in the Bronx shortly with an owner who can certainly make Lou an offer he can't refuse.

And how bad of a boss do you have to be when the new boss will pay an extra $4-6 million just to get rid of you a year sooner? Talk about not letting the door hit you on the backside on the way out. Bye-bye Vinny you won't be missed. And try not to get pulled over in the Tampa Bay area anymore. You may have the cash, but you don't have the cache.

With any luck, the D-Rays hire a young, exciting manager who is capable of molding a young, exciting and talented roster. My money is on Girardi, if he doesn't get another (better) offer.

By the way Bud, a move to the National League would certainly be in order. Aside from a built in rivalry with the cross-state Marlins and more games with the nearby Braves, the Rays would add more games with the Mets, Cardinals and Phillies, all of whom train or trained in the area or have strong local ties via spring training.

Plus it gets them away from the large payroll Yankees, Red Sox and Orioles. It would enhance overall competetive balance in Major League baseball. Although judging by this years entry of the 8-8 Padres into the playoffs, it seems as if MLB is doing a good job of following the NFL model of allowing any team with a pulse into the playoffs.

An Umpires Biggest Nightmare

helped the White Sox last night. The home plate umpire made a call that had a direct impact on the outcome of the game. The fact that it was a horrible call in more ways than one compounds the nightmare because it hurts the entire profession of umpires.

But then again, the unprecedented post-game press conference of the Blue Wall didn't help either. These guys seemed like a bunch of sanctimonious, braying jack-asses. "We have technology that you mere mortals can't even conceive of. We saw the ball bounce into his glove without kicking up a visible trail of dirt. So there, take our call and like it." Thanks guys for bringing a hint of professionalism to the profession.

I think we would have more readily accepted, "Look folks, it's a bang-bang call that I have to rely on my sense of hearing to make properly, since I certainly can't see the ball what with a 200 pound catcher screening the view you have on TV. And with 40,000 some odd people screaming I had to rely on two players sending body language clues, who for all I know may both be actively attempting to deceive me into making a bad call. And both of whom, I might like to remind you, squat directly in front of me and protect me from errant fastballs. Talk about a dilemma. Then when I ask my other five crew mates for help, all I get is the universal signal for "Don't ask me pal, I didn't see anything". How would you like o make a call under those job conditions? I'd have given anything to have been able to call do-over or flip a coin or whatever." That would have been more believable that the pablum these clowns were dishing out and expecting us to swallow.

It just reminds you of the phrase, "Better to be thought a fool and remain silent than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt."

Anyway, I digress, Pierzysnki swung and missed at strike three and the umpire signals strike three and, for good measure, signals the batter out. At this point, any subsequent action should be moot. But no, Josh Paul, the Angels catcher, instinctively rolls the ball out to the mound, "knowing" that he caught the ball. He has nothing to gain and everything to lose, as events turned out, by doing this. But those darn instincts and reflexes are hard to suppress on the one in a million chance the unforeseen happens.

Now Pierzinski, with nothing to lose and everything to gain by taking off and running, does so. I can't fault A.J. for doing this on the one in a million chance the ump screws up, bails him out of a bad at bat and for whatever reason, rewards him for taking a shot at fooling the umpire.

After the game, the umpire says the mechanics he used in this situation were the same he had used all game, but those situations as ESPN showed, did not include a dropped third strike or a subsequent reversal of the "batter out" signal. We would have to see his prior "mechanics" on a dropped third strike to know if he was consistent in this regard.

Plus, he says "My interpretation of my mechanics were....blah,blah,blah". Who Talks Like That!!!! That's his mouthpiece pulling the strings while the dummy talks.

Also, the ump stated that he was watching Josh Paul for a clue as to what had happened on the call, since he could not see the ball hit the ground, likely couldn't hear it (both indications or clues that a dropped third strike didn't occur). That's fine, but the clue that Paul provided clearly by his body language and actions was, "I caught the ball, inning over". Like I said, he has not much to gain by doing this in error when all he has to do is tag AJ.

AJ's first move, or body language clue, was to head for the dugout, in itself a move that would indicate he knew he was out. But, on second thought, and maybe after seeing Paul roll the ball out, AJ decides to take his (long) shot, recalling a similar play that went against him when he was with the Giants.

He cashed in for his team by extending the inning for Joe Crede to finish by knocking in the game winner shortly thereafter. Mike Scioscia, correctly and with great class, summarized the game afterwards by saying the call did not cost his team the game. The Angels did not play well enough throughout the game to win, Scioscia said.

Yeah, Mike, but that call didn't help matters. And so the umpires greatest nightmare may now cause some sleepless nights in La-La land. But, somewhere Don Denkinger is sleeping with a smile on his face.

Coach Slavik @ Kaneland High School

Coach Slavik doing what he does best and enjoys the most. Coaching Baseball.

So this is what a baseball blog should look like?

Since the Braves-Astros series is simply unwatchable and the Cardinals have completed their bye-week, er, series against the Padres, it is slowly starting to dawn on me that my beloved National League is simply boring and un-watchable nowadays. I'm not sure when it changed, but in recent years it seems I'd rather watch the Yankees or the Red Sox or, this years version of the White Sox.

The only AL team I could not see myself getting behind in the World Series is the Angels. I still have not forgiven them for beating the Giants a few years back. For now, it's go White Sox. I Like Guillen's style, thier pitching is sound and they seem to be handling the playoff pressure well. Plus, they will sprinkle some sound NL style fundamentals in with biog-bop capabilities of a traditional AL team.