1. In the course of scoring five runs, which counts as an offensive explosion in these moribund days, the Sox scored four of these runs off the long-ball. Additionally, only one of the three home runs hit were by a guy we can realistically expect to make a shot at 30 on the year (Konerko). So a team, that is not supposed to try to rely on home runs, and really isn't built to at all, scored its most runs in four games with two home runs from non-home run hitting players. The American coal industry has more long-term sustainability than this.
2. The throw from Juan Pierre to cutoff man Mark Teahen on the climactic final play was a one-hopper....a soft one. This is a throw that gets dramatically less impressive upon replay. Teahen is waiting on this throw the way someone waits on a blimp to arrive...if that blimp was the Hindenberg. While Hardy was out by a country mile, its only because every manager in the league know Juan's throws are so weak they'd probably roll to a stop before reaching the plate that Hardy was being sent home on a single in the first place.
3. Hawk is getting too excited during Sox wins. I think he's getting such a bad vibe from this team that every positive occurrence for the Pale Hose is a major event for him. A coronary event. His skin is reaching a shade of pink normally reserved for erect dog penises*. I worry for the man.
4. Bobby Jenks got two outs seemingly easily and then fell completely apart, only because we won everyone is going to try to pretend this didn't happen. There was a point in the inning where Bobby was hitting 96 mph with his fastball and Steve Stone commented that this was the hardest Jenks had thrown in a long time. Stone, as he usually is, was completely right. Granted the World Series was 5 years ago and all caps is a trite way to express anger and shock but WASN'T JENKS THE GUY WE GAVE THE FRIGGIN CLOSER ROLE TO BECAUSE HE COULD THROW 100?!??!?!?!?!??!?!? Year after year Jenks' velocity has tempered a bit. Initially this was ok because he was only dropping to 98-99 and had developed a reliable hook, where he was initially someone who could only overpower people**. But for it to be a resurgence for Jenks to hit 96 shows how far he's fallen. Worse yet, Jenks was an effective closer for a few years after '05 because he had learned how to throw his big overhand hook both as a finishing pitch and for a strike. Today, after getting two strikes on Hardy, Jenks needled around the plate four times in a row, never once flashing a curve with any of the bite that he is remembered for. Without it, he failed to put away two straight hitters at the end of the game despite the count being in his favor.
Positives (Didn't think they'd be here, did you?!?!)
1. Mark Buerhle was not dominant, but given that he throws 87 and doesn't have great stuff, he should probably be a really crappy pitcher struggling to stay in AAA. 8 innings and four runs against a fairly scary offense was a real yeoman effort by Burls, and gave the bullpen a rest right before a road series in Toronto where they're bound to be busy.
2. Seeing as we're using the 2005 Time Machine for Freddy Garcia, why not use it for Paul Konerko as well? Paulie has been a powerful force early on this season, and could be a real contender to put up a really nice 30 HR, 100 RBI ride off into the sunset year. Of course, he looked like that early on last year before Will Smith visited the White Sox clubhose dressed as his character from Men In Black and wiped the knowledge of how to hit a breaking ball from everyone's mind.
3. Andruw Jones - Awake! It was good to see Jones get on the board with his first hit in a clutch situation, I would love to see Druw earn himself more playing time because I think he can have the best season of the Kotsay, Pierre, Jones combo in terms of what he's capable of. Speaking of the Jones hit to knock in Quentin; what happened to aggressive managing? We're not going to pinch run for a guy Ozzie said "runs like an old drunk" with the game tied in the 8th? When he's on second? Is Jayson Nix just consistenly stoned during games? What could possibly justify him not being used to pinch-run?
4. J.J. Hardy is lazy, and plays for our chief competitor. I know he was beaten by five seconds on the throw, but why would Hardy not do anything to avoid the tag on a play that decided the game? It's hard to say to a guy that he's gotta try to barrel over A.J. Pierzynski, but no effort? A.J. was standing, why not try to dive down suddenly on a slide, or fake around him, or just knee him in the groin? Something that makes it seem like you give a crap. You know, for the kids.
*Who's taking of advantage of not being on ChicagoNow yet, a site that employs editors? I am! That's who!
**Jenks' most famous World Series moment besides the clinching out where he jumped half an inch off the ground after a ball, was blowing away Jeff Bagwell on three straight heaters that hit 100 to get out of a late-inning jam in Game 1. At the time, Jeff Bagwell was not only at the twilight of his career but had been battling a shoulder injury all season that had made it extremely hard for him to catch up to fastballs, especially high ones. Jenks cranking three triple-digit heaters at this 40-year old man was sort of like watching a turtle be hit by a Mack Truck; yes the truck was clearly dominant in the encounter, but you wouldn't watch it and think, "Man, that friggin' truck can do anything!".
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