Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2009.
The White Sox enter this offseason at once pleased with the way 2008 ended and also wondering what might have been. And sure, you can say that for any team that makes the playoffs and falls short of the ulimate prize, but it's particularly so for the Pale Hose, who lost their best hitter by a country mile, Carlos Quentin, for the season in early September.
Would things have gone differently had Quentin been in Chicago's lineup for the ALDS? We'll never know. What we do know is that the South Siders aren't about to rest on their laurels after winning the AL Central.
No one will ever accuse general manager Kenny Williams of being timid or cautious as he attempts to reshape his roster -- that's why many consider him one of the better executives in the game -- and he's already begun to do just that this winter.
The Chicago White Sox have a bit of a post game tradition. No matter the case, when a player is doing an interview on the sidelines after a victory, Toby Hall is going to get him with a shaving cream pie to the face. Toby's gotten them all this season, even team captain Paul Konerko (which Paulie didn't appreciate too much judging by the look on his face afterward).
Still, when you do something over and over again, eventually your teammates are going to figure it out. Sure, it took nearly five months to do so, but Jermaine Dye knew what was coming as he talked to a local reporter after Chicago's 13-5 win over Seattle on Monday night. So when Toby tried to sabotage JD's interview, Dye was ready for it and blocked the attack. Unfortunately, he may have hurt Hall in the process.
Backup catcher Toby Hall said his right shoulder was fine after teammate Jermaine Dye blocked his attempt at placing a shaving cream pie in his face during a post-game interview following the Sox's 13-5 win over Seattle.
Hall had his right shoulder wrapped in ice but assured reporters he didn't not re-injure his shoulder, which he separated in spring training of 2007.
This is the first celebration related injury the White Sox have suffered since Juan Uribe had to miss a few games after receiving an super-atomic wedgie (waistband over head) from Jose Contreras back in 2006.
It's not exactly a secret that baseball players, and athletes in general, are a superstitious bunch. A player can eat a bucket of fried chicken before a game and then go 3-for-4 with a home run and 4 runs driven in that night, and you know what he'll be eating the next day. That very same bucket of chicken, from the same restaurant, and he'll probably eat each piece in precisely the same order.
After all, it wasn't those hours in the film room or the batting cage that helped the player break out of his slump, it was that delicious KFC. It's ridiculous when you look at it objectively, but at the same time, it makes a lot of sense. Success in sports for an athlete is largely dependent on that athlete's mental makeup. If they're feeling down on themselves, it's going to show in their performance and vice versa. So if something as stupid and trivial as a bucket of chicken can help boost a player's confidence enough to keep playing well, then by all means, keep doing it.
Swisher was batting .201 after the Sox lost their third straight at Tampa Bay on June 1. After going 11-for-26 on the homestand, Swisher has upped his average to .228.
"I couldn't be happier,'' Swisher said. "You have to take the good times with the bad.''
Swisher also credited Toby Hall for his recent tear. He's been wearing the backup catcher's pants.
"They're coming with me to Detroit,'' Swisher said.
Oh, and facial hair! Yeah, facial hair is totally key, which is why Swisher and Co. have been rocking that hot mess of blond stubble throughout the season. If you want to be a "Grinder", and play "Ozzieball"/"Smallball"/"Smartball", you have to have silly facial hair. Fortunately, Swisher, John Danks and Toby Hall are going to put all that looking stupid to a cause other than looking stupid by dyeing their hair pink in honor of breast cancer research (and Mother's Day). They'll also be making a donation to Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation on behalf of the White Sox.
This is excellent news. Excellent news for cancer research, excellent news for Moms everywhere, and excellent news for those of us who just couldn't get enough of Scott Spezio's fuscia style. Whatever happened to Scott Spiezio, anyway?
''It's kind of saying, 'You can't do your job,''' Buehrle said. ''I don't see where he has to be in there just because it's a big rivalry. ... Whether it's against the Cubs or anyone else, he needs a day off.''
Pierzynski and Buehrle cleared things up before Monday night's 8-5 Sox victory over Oakland, but team captain Paul Konerko just wishes everybody would stay off of the radio and play baseball.
''They can do what they want to do,'' Konerko said. ''It's up to them. Personally, I stay away from that as much as I can because it's kind of a lose-lose for a player. There's not much to gain. But I can't tell teammates to do it or not to do it.''
Konerko has a very good point, but I can assure you that nobody will ever keep A.J. off of the radio. Pierzynski likes to talk, and radio stations love to have him talk because of what he might say. Not to mention that people who listen to sports radio want to hear from the players.
Maybe it's just time for Ozzie Guillen to do something really crazy to keep everybody distracted from what the rest of the team is doing? I mean, that radio tirade was kind of fun, but I want something big to happen. Maybe Ozzie can go on the radio and challenge Lou Piniella to a UFC style fight when the Cubs come to U.S. Cellular next month.
The Fanhouse's look at the day's most intriguing matchups
Chicago Cubs (18-21) vs. Chicago White Sox (20-17)-2:20PM Est.
Ah, there's nothing like Cubs/White Sox in Chicago. As if the two sets of fans didn't hate each other enough as it is, now they finally get to see whose team is really the best. Unfortunately for Cubs fans, Derrek Lee won't be in the lineup today. That could be a good thing though, because all Derrek Lee would do was give the Cubs a bigger lead to blow in the ninth inning. Also, if there's going to be a Barrett/Pierzynski 2, it will have to wait until Saturday because Toby Hall makes his White Sox debut today.
New York Mets (26-14) vs. New York Yankees (18-21)-7:10PM Est.
It's not often that the Yankees are the team that is coming into this series as the New York team with something to prove. Everybody knows the Mets are good right now, and a bad series for the Yankees could be the start of big changes in the Bronx. Andy Pettite will be taking the mound for God and the Yankees, as he faces off against Oliver Perez. Perez was fantastic in his last start, so I'm pretty sure that means he'll give up at least 35 runs tonight. Los Angeles Angels (24-18) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (25-16)-10:05PM Est.
I know a certain Fanhouse blogger that thinks this series is a World Series preview. (Hint:It's me!) The Angels would like to prove that they're the best team in LA, and the Dodgers would like to remind them they're not even in LA. Brad Penny will be leaving Eliza Dushku's side long enough tonight to try and improve on his 5-0 record and 1.39 ERA. He'll be facing the struggling Ervin Santana, who's 2-5 with a 5.51 ERA, and looks like he could use an Eliza Dushku of his own. Maybe she has friends?
In our latest chapter of The Amazing Adventures of Toby Hall and The Labrum of Doom we find out that the White Sox' backup catcher may not have to miss the season after all.
The Sox are planning on trying to rehab Halls shoulder without surgery to see if he can recover from the torn labrum in time to return in May. As the Sox point out, there is only about a 50/50 chance Hall will return this season.
''If he has surgery right now, he's going to miss the whole year,'' Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. ''There's a 50-50 chance to recover from rehab. That's why they're going to try to rehab him through April, then at the end of April, we're going to make the decision to have the surgery or not. Why not take the 50-50 chance and see what happens?''
There was also a bit of a surprise when it came to announcing Hall's replacement. Most folks (re:me) thought that Wiki Gonzalez would take the place, but instead the Sox have decided to go with the youngster Gustavo Molina. No, he's not related to The Holy Trinity of the Catching Molina Brothers.
The Sox really like what they see in Molina's ability to throw out baserunners, and the way they handle baserunners. Ozzie Guillen did have a talk with Molina to tell him he needs to be more aggressive.
''I like people who are more aggressive,'' Guillen said.
So much for the optimism Ozzie Guillen showed yesterday concerning Toby Hall's shoulder injury. Yes, Ozzie and Toby were correct when they said they didn't think the dislocation was too bad, but what they didn't count on was the torn labrum the MRI showed today.
What that means is that Hall is most likely done for the season.
"I'm just really frustrated right now," said Hall, minutes after finding out the news produced by the MRI. "I was going to help this team this year. It's one of those things where you really can't put it into words. I knew it hurt, but I've never been hurt, so I had no idea to what extent."
So now the question is: Who will replace Hall? According to a source within the White Sox organization, it will not be Sandy Alomar Jr.(Thank God!), or Chris Widger, two former Sox backups. There's already been talk that Javy Lopez may be getting a phone call in the near future, but Ken Williams says the team is more likely to stay within the organization. Whether that means veteran Wiki Gonzalez or prospect Gustavo Molina, we'll have to wait and see.
The White Sox signed Toby Hall for a few reasons this offseason. First and foremost was to have a catcher they felt could handle a larger role so that they could rest A.J. Pierzynski. Second, there are tons of stud lefties in the AL Central, and A.J. needs a break against them too.
So that's why Toby Hall dislocating his shoulder during the 9th inning of a blowout spring training game on Sunday while playing first base has White Sox fans panicking.
Question of the Day: What former White Sox catcher's cell phone is probably "blowin' up" right now? If you answered Sandy Alomar Jr., you're either (a) a sadist who loves .217 batting averages, (b) Ozzie Guillen's anger management therapist, (c) the artificial intelligence that tabulates Kenny Williams' cell-phone bill, or (d) a White Sox fan for the last six seasons. Luckily there are no reported sightings of Crusty in the skies over Tucson.
Please, Ken Williams, I'm begging you. No Sandy Alomar Jr. I'll catch for you if I have to. Between my job here at the Fanhouse and other time spent being awesome, I'm sure I can fit in a game a week if needed. Just don't bring in Sandy Alomar!!
Of course, this all could be a mute point depending on the severity of Hall's injury. Results of an MRI won't be known until sometime today, and they could show that Hall will be fine in time for Monday's opener against the Indians. Also, Ozzie Guillen went on to say that if Hall can't play, Wiki Gonzalez will most likely take his place until he returns.
Which is fine. As long as it isn't Sandy Alomar Jr.
Toby Hall wants to win, but first and foremost he wants to respect the game ... even if that means covering up for a cheater. You may recall that Hall was behind the plate for the Devil Rays that fateful afternoon in 2003 when Sammy Sosa's corked bat exploded all over Wrigley Field. (If you actually did recall that, I hope all this useless baseball trivia isn't taking the place of something important like, say, your wedding anniversary or your child's blood type). Hall recalls what went through his mind with the Chicago Sun-Times:
The handle of the bat was near Hall, and he instantly saw the illegal substance. His mind raced as he tried to digest what was going on. One of the greatest home-run hitters of his time was being exposed as a fraud.
So what did Hall do? He picked up the piece closest to him and tried getting rid of it as quickly as possible by throwing it to a batboy. He tried to protect the game.
''The bat just shattered everywhere,'' Hall recalled. ''I remember [then-Cubs catcher] Paul Bako was the first person that said the next day that I picked the bat up and threw it to the batboy, like it had SARS on it. If it was any other person, I think I would have been like, 'Look at that.' You don't know what goes through your mind at that time, but being younger and knowing, 'Wow, it's Sammy Sosa,' I was like, 'What just happened?'
''You try and get rid of it. Not so much to protect him, but the game doesn't need a black eye. ..."
Two thoughts: 1) Heh, SARS. Forgot about that. Wasn't that supposed to kill everyone by now? 2) Just how far does this "code" of protecting the game go? If Sosa had, say, stepped up to the plate with a syringe sticking out of his right buttock, would Hall have pulled it out before the umpire could see? If a fake prescription for HGH fell out of Sosa's pocket while taking some cuts in the batter's circle, would Hall have crumpled it up?
I mean, the game doesn't need a black eye, right? May as well dust all of this under the rug. I don't know about you, but I think George Mitchell might want to bring a crossword puzzle if he ever plans on sitting down to talk with Hall.
Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2009.
The Chicago White Sox have a bit of a post game tradition. No matter the case, when a player is doing an interview on the sidelines after a victory, 
It's not exactly a secret that baseball players, and athletes in general, are a superstitious bunch. A player can eat a bucket of fried chicken before a game and then go 3-for-4 with a home run and 4 runs driven in that night, and you know what he'll be eating the next day. That very same bucket of chicken, from the same restaurant, and he'll probably eat each piece in precisely the same order.
The White Sox, and 
It seems like everyday there's a new controversy surrounding the White Sox and an appearance on a radio show. Last Friday it was 
In our latest chapter of The Amazing Adventures of Toby Hall and The Labrum of Doom we find out that the White Sox' backup catcher may not have to miss the season after all.
