Hope For Next Year and Beyond?

White Sox Win 2-1 in 8 innings.

No Dr. Seuss-inspired poetry tonight, unless you consider the excellent young pitching to be art, but seriously...

Now that's more like it. That's the Brandon McCarthy we all expected to see this season. That's the Charlie Haeger we're hoping to see more of in '07 & '08. The two pitchers combined to throw eight innings of one run, ten strikeout, one walk baseball in Cleveland tonight.

The pitching staff's high expectations flew out the window long ago, and I'm really surprised Ozzie and Coop didn't attempt this move earlier when B-Mac clearly wasn't cutting it in the bullpen and Mark Buehrle clearly wasn't pitching well as a starter. B-Mac's lone mistake was a Andy Marte homer that came when he was obviously tiring, Haeger picking up the slack. If this move is implemented a month ago, we may be talking about a three team race for the AL Central.

But let's look forward. One or possibly two of the current starters could be gone next year via trade (Javy Vazquez, Freddy Garcia) or buy-out (Mark Buehrle), and Brandon McCarthy will have every opportunity to take one of those spots. He'll have the opportunity to stretch out his arm and shoulder muscles in spring training so he can just right in.

Haeger is the mystery. The good: knucklers eat up innings; the bad: knucklers are extremely inconsistent. He'll no doubt be the first option out of AAA next year if he doesn't make the bullpen in an '06 B-Mac like role. But does the organization trust him? Rookie pitchers are not exactly a proven commodity (just ask the Cubs), and Ozzie and KW like vets in the starting rotation. We'll keep you posted.

Awards Time--------------------

Bad Ozzie Move of the Game: Ozzie must not like to be around Pods as much as we hate to see him in LF, cuz he keeps sending him out of the dugout and away from his own personal space.

Good Ozzie Move of the Game: Playing the youngsters.

Plays of the Game: See, Ozzie, if you had only listened to the fans, you would have known that Mack is a better corner OF than CF. He made a spectacular leaping catch up against the wall in RF. Chris Stewart, meet Grady Sizemore, or better yet, waive goodbye to him, two times.

Big Ups of the Game: Ross Gload = Professional Hitter! Jerry Owens (first MLB hits and SB), Charlie Haegar

And My (and I'm assuming DickdaStick's) White Sox Player of the Game is.............



Brandon McCarthy (3)



White Sox Record: 88-71