Monday, August 08, 2005

Chicago White Sox Weekly Rewind: Week 18

Record For Week: 4-3. Record For Season: 72-38, First Place, 13 Games, AL Central.

The Good: AJ Pierzynski and Paul Konerko have decided singlehandedly to pick this team up and carry them on their backs into October. Perhaps the best example off team chemistry comes in last Monday's game in Baltimore when Buehrle plunks Surhoff after the Iguchi/Pierzynski plunkings. Ozzie's not afraid to show his displeasure with the umps. Garland rebounds from a bitchslapping on Wednesday with an awesome outing Sunday. Rowand re-earns the "Crash" sobriquet with his wall-banging game-saver. Dustin Hermanson gets the ball 3times in 4 days to close, and does not disappoint.

The Bad: Everett's got a strained groin. Groin injuries can always be nagging, as Crazy Carl found out a couple years ago with Montreal. Podsednik is not setting the table at all. Had we lost 2 out of 3 to Seattle, I'd go on a long-winded rant about why the damned team can't win at home in front of a full park...but mercifully, you're spared.

Ahead: vs New York 8/8-8/10, vs Boston, 8/12-8/14.

Thoughts: At this point, this could prove to be the biggest road trip the Sox take all season. Even if we go 0-6 there's no damage really done in the standings...but the 'hose have got to prove that they can play in front of big hostile crowds if they have any chance of going anywhere in October.