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From the DL, to the “W” column
Chris Sale, returns for the Sox
(Photo by: Creative Commons)
On a much anticipated night, White Sox pitcher Chris Sale had great return. It included a win, in a performance that showed why he is one of the team’s best on the mound.
He was letting them rip all night. On the night, he threw 86 pitches which included 56 strikes. The organization agreed that he would not max out at 100 pitches.
He caught batters looking and swinging ten times for strikeouts. Number 49 looked good in front a warm friendly Chicago crowd. In the videos, you could really hear the fans of U.S. Cellular roaring in excitement as Sale racked up the strikeout one after another.
Sox manager Robin Ventura said this about Sale in the post game, according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com:
Robin Ventura smiles as his ace notches the win. (Photo by Creative Commons)
“He was fantastic tonight…He was probably as sharp as we’ve seen him, but we knew he wasn’t going to go nine innings…
He enjoys pitching and he was excited. He was truly this excited even the other day when he threw his side session and we figured out it was going to be today. He wants to compete and the Yankees come in here and it makes it a little bit better to be at home…
Getting back into it for him, when you’re sitting on the DL and you’re watching guys play, you miss it.“
Sale picked up his 4 consecutive win of the year, keeping his record undefeated through five games he played this year. Ventura still refers to him as their “ace” although he has played a limited amount of games this year.
After his five week absence, Sale showed that he still had the heat. His fastest pitched smoked the radar at 96 miles per hour. One of the biggest highlights of his six innings of play was that he struck out five batters in a row.
This was no easy comeback game. The New York Yankees (25-23) are only two games back from tying the lead in the tough, hard hitting American League East.
Sale allowed only a single hit on his big night. In his post game interview with MLB.com he told reporters:
“I’m happier than anyone else probably in the world right now that I’m pitching again.
I pitch to win, I don’t pitch for no-hitters and perfect games. I wouldn’t have liked it, but I respect it absolutely. When you have something you’re trying to accomplish, you stay the course..”
With the Sox struggling with their pitching woes, Sale might be the antidote that heals that. The Southsiders this year, have been giving up runs early and often, putting more pressure on the offense. With their best slugger on the shelf for now, the return of their ace is probably their best hand in this kind of “poker game” season they have experienced so far.
Sox Cannot Escape The Hold of Inconsistency
Some days Robin Ventura probably feels his club is being double team from all sides. Similar to his brawl he had with Nolan Ryan in the early 1990s. Like a headlock that you just can’t free yourself of. As soon as you think you are going to wiggle loose…it tightens up.
Now instead of fighting with opposing players, Ventura fights against his teams struggles to reach their potential.
Robin Ventura, then White Sox player, takes on Nolan Ryan in a 1993 brawl. (Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons)
Ventura is befuddle on how to get his team to play better and play to win.
Currently the White Sox are sitting in the dumps of he American League Central. But there is some hope, some light of glimmer. Not as bad as it seems, the Sox Siders are only six games down from the division leading Detroit Tigers.
In the fourth spot, not referring to batting clean-up, the Sox have the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins ahead of them by a game or two.
A little winning streak would be exactly what the team needs in order to make the climb upward. Currently the Sox, have dropped two straight and are in need of a turn-around.
Sox struggles with pitching have been long and on going. The South Siders have the worst earn run average of all 30 teams in the league. It’s pretty pathetic and ugly.
When team are almost guaranteed to get nearly five runs off you, that’s not easy to counter when your on offense. With the return of Chris Sale, the Sox may began to go from an ugly frown to a straight face. He is not the “end all, be all” for the club but he is undefeated in fives games played. No other pitcher in the black and white can say the same.
Sale will take on the big responsibility of being the “Ace” of the team. He will be looked upon to lead a bullpen who has consistently given runs early or let runs get away in the late seventh, eighth, and ninth innings. This is no way to win.
It has been a season of meltdowns at the mound for the Sox. However, it’s not all a “house of horrors” they have been able to close out 40 percent of the games, which can account for the teams 25 wins on the year.
Manager Ventura not happy (Photo by Creative Commons)
Fielding has been a sore spot for the team, as it doesn’t help with the pitching woes. Sox’s defense is one that teams are salivating for, when they see them on the schedule. Errors and mis-played balls will make any manager grind his teeth.
It’s a tall task for the long time Sox player, now manager. He has seen worst as he played in the 1990s on some bad teams, but his toughness should rub off on his players and hopefully the win and consistency will follow.
No Way, No Josè
Jose Abreu, awaits his turn at bat.
(Photo by Creative Commons)
Life without Abreu has been no crystal stair. These are some of the words taken from the Langston Hughes famous” Mother to Son” poem, it emphasis the hardships faced in life by a mom trying to do it all. To the the White Sox organization, this is not a poem. This is reality… and reality hurts.
Rookie sensation Jose Abreu has been on the shelf since May 18. Sidelined with a left ankle injury. Tendinitis to be exact. Maybe its because he has been carrying the Sox since the season began and he can’t hold them up anymore?
The slugger currently is second in the league with home runs and in the top ten in run batted in as well as slugging percentage. His big bat is being missed.
The Sox have used both Adam Dunn and aging veteran, Paul Konerko for replacements. They play this duo in the third and fourth spots in the batting line-up, in hopes that it produces runs. So far, its been ok. The South Siders are now in the league’s top five when it come comes to producing runs offensively.
But, you cannot hit good every night. There will be some nights where the ball feels like steel and goes to the dirt, instead of over the fences.
The Sox will be waiting diligently on Abreu’s scheduled return on June 2 in Los Angeles. They began a week long west coast road trip that features the Dodgers, then the Angels. This is will be good test to see how his rehab has been going. In addition, seeing how he matches up against the National League pitching.
Lets hope his game doesn’t have jet lag.
Without the home run giant, the Sox are not putting fear in opposing pitchers eyes. They are not having that heavy bat step into the box and making teams choose the intentional walk scenario. Instead, teams are going right at the Sox without any second thoughts.
With a sub .500 record the Sox are trying to pull their weight in order to stay afloat. The record speaks for itself and you can see that they are in need of him. With one more week without Abreu, the Sox somehow need to pull it together in order to stay in the American League Central race.
There is no need to rush the rookie back before his time. The Sox don’t want Abreu to be the Derrick Rose of baseball. So the team collectively needs to improve their record with out him to better than .500 through eight games. If they can get thorough this last stint with five wins in the last week, then it will be a successful run.
Sox, just hold tight. Abreu will be back soon.
DOUBLE PLAY (Mailbag Responses)
I have encountered several questions from some of my recent posts. I will answer them here:
Konerko, The New Old Hero
Paul Konerko at-bat vs Tigers
(Creative Commons)
The White Sox are trying to stop the bleeding of a season where they have one problem after another. Its an up and down type of year. You never know that you are going to get out of them. They change from on week to another.
Well one thing is for sure Paul Konerko will be relied upon, again. He will step in to replace the rookie slugger Jose Abreu whom is being placed on the 15-day DL.
Paulie is used to be the teams go to slugger before. He has been there when Frank Thomas left and before the arrival of Adam Dunn or even Jim Thome.
Konerko said this an interview with the White Sox:
“I don’t know how else to say it. Whatever they ask me to do, I’ll do. I’ll do my best at it, and that’s it. It’s pretty simple. Whatever they need, I’ll do. If it’s play, play. If not, I’ll be ready to pinch-hit.”
As you can tell, he is ready to step up. Coming into today, he has 435 career homer runs and for the season he has 48 at bats. Although he has only played in half the games this year the, veteran infielder and designated hitter will be up for the challenge.
Konerko is entering his 16th and last season in the majors. I believe that his careers will not end on bad note. That he will used this opportunity to strike and make his presence felt.
He won’t be looked at as the old man, that the team is carrying around just because. He will be a major part and contributor to their success throughout the duration of his role increase.
According to manager Robin Ventura in a interview on the the White Sox website, he said that sometimes players get thrown into different situations like Konerko. Konerko with his up-beat, next man up mentality will handle his new role well.
Paul Konerko Big Hit
Wouldn’t it be grand to see him hit a walk off home run at U.S. Cellular while he is Abreu’s stand-in? You never know what may happen.
He could be the spark the Sox need to re-charge and get back to the top of the division and give the Tigers a scare in the September.
SOX WILL GET TO THE PLAYOFFS
On-field baseball (Creative Commons)
It’s mid-May. The Sox are sitting at 21-24, fourth in the American League Central Division. They are nine games back from the Tigers, who lead the division and two games down from the next two opponents,Twins and Royals. But its not time to call it a season. DON’T HIT THE PANIC BUTTON JUST YET.
There is still more than half a season to go. The Sox will make the playoffs this year. They have what it takes, but consistency will be key.
They have had some consistent players step for them this year. Jose Abreu is the most popular White Sox nationally at the moment because of his amazing slugging percentage (.595), runs batted in (42) and home runs (15). He is among the top in the league in hitting. The White Sox hasn’t seen a player make a impact at such young age in a while.
Abreu has been compared to the Sox Hall of Famer, Frank Thomas. Thomas is one of the best hitters the Sox have seen since the the 1990s. Nationally, he is being compared to Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera. Abreu, only a rookie has a bright future with the Sox if he continues this success.
When the Sox need a big bat, someone that can bring fear to pitchers in the eighth and ninth innings, Abreu will be that guy.
Another batter that can be counted on is Alexei Ramirez. Lexei has been “Mr. Consistent” for the Sox for the past two years. He ledthe team in hits (187) last season. In addition, he has played in 156 games or more per season, since 2010. Currently, he brings a .325 batting average to the plate.
Alexei Ramirez crosses plate (Creative Commons)
He consistently stays healthy and plays extraordinary, not to mention his great fielding ability. Although he did struggle with errors last year with 22, with a month and a half into the season, he currently sits at four. But as far as reliability, this season he held a 17-game hitting streak that was helpful in stretches for the Sox.
White Sox celebrate (Photo via Creative Commons)
In the last two months of the season (August-September), Lexei will be needed when there are jams that the Sox will have to swing their way out of them. Its not always the power hitters, but the strategic and good hitters that can put the ball in play and get runners a chance to make big plays.
Lastly, the Sox biggest Achilles’ heel has have been pitching of the last few seasons. But for them to get back to the 2005 form they have a long way to go. Making the post season, is a better realistic goal.
With ace-Chris Sale injured this does not help the pitching, but there is still hope. They have to close out games and not let games slip like they did versus the Cubs at U.S. Celllular. In the final game of the series, the Sox gave up a 6-run inning in the middle of the game. That blew it out the water.
Making it to the playoffs will be a stretch, but a stretch that can be made.
The Crosstown Cup Can and Will Be Better…
Crosstown Classic sign. Now called the Crosstown Cup
(Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons)
When you think Chicago, you think baseball teams. When you think of these teams, you think rivals and lots of [expletive] talking. So why isn”t it getting the press and fans that it deserves?
When the Chicago White Sox face their north side counterpart, Chicago Cubs, the city should be filled with Cubbie Blue and Black Sox’s attire.
The Crosstown Cup deserves more attention from fans and media. This is what Chicago needs. It will make Chicago baseball more lively. Right now it’s just a thing to do in the summer to past the time until the sun goes down.
As a a fellow Chicagoan, we need to show our support regardless of your love for the Sox or Cubs.
According to Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan, he believes that the timing and teams played a big part in the fans not caring about the series.
In his article he said that the Crosstown Cup was not the only cup being focused on, when the series kicked off Monday May 5. Sullivan had a point. The Chicago Blackhawks, defending NHL champs, were back in the playoffs and the city was focusing their attention more on their run for the Stanley Cup.
It’s understandable that Chicago is not a baseball town, like St. Louis.
Due to baseball long season and several sessions of inter league play, why not schedule the games after the NHL playoffs are over??? If the last day is June 19th according to ESPN.com, then for fans’ sake, schedule the games after.
NHL Schedule
@ChuckGarfien it’s bs. Especially when I work 5 am to 3 pm. Can’t drive from South Bend to Chicago and back on week night! — Brad Ronan (@bradleyronan) May 4, 2014
Sports journalist Chuck Garfien agreed with Sox announcer Hawk Harrellson.
Hawk Harrelson on Sox/Cubs playing Mon-Thurs: “Whoever makes these schedules out has no clue about the game of baseball. No clue.” — Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) May 4, 2014
Like the saying goes, timing is everything, that may be the truth for this occasion. Many Chicagoans are curious to see how the Blackhawks will do. So let them have their full attention on that. Then as soon as the June 20 hits, let the Sox-Cubs games fall on any dates after.
As far as Chicago sports, there is a certain type of sport interest hierarchy. First of all, this town is a Bears‘ town. People in the Windy City love football. Its the number one sport here. Soldier Field is rocking when the NFL is in season. You can see many fans wearing navy blue and orange from the lake all the way out to the far west suburbs of Aurora. Fan interest probably stretches even further than that.
Secondly, it’s a tie up right now between the Blackhawks and the Bulls. The Bulls have a historical past, including the Jordan Dynasty days. Now the Bulls have good players with a lot of heart. They have a lot of potential and every year they make it exciting to see how they will far they can go in the playoffs. In addition, there is the Derrick Rose watch, superstar player who is plagued by bad knee injuries two years straight.
So those teams hold down the second and third spots. Then its baseball. Within the two teams, the Cubs probably are more of the fan favorite than the Sox.
So these two teams who are in the bottom of the sports interests would get more attention if they were scheduled later in the summer. The MLB has several intervals of interleague play, one of them usually comes right in the middle of the summer June/July-ish.
That would be a great time to go to a game in the midst of the summer when the temperatures are guaranteed to be in the 80s as oppose to the suspect May weather that fluctuates in Chicago.
Looking at the attendance numbers from this year, the average turnout for the games held at Wrigley was 33,000. For games at the Cell, crowds were in the low 20,000s.
Another component that would help with attendance, the time of week and day the games are scheduled. It would benefit business and fans to have it on the weekends, specifically late afternoon or evening games. From a fans perspective, nothing is better than games on the weekend and later. That way the demographics of the game, late twenty to forty year-olds can go out in Wrigley or Bridgeport after the game.
Instead of four straight games, how about it is broken into two to three games on two consecutive weekends.
If you want fans to care about the series, then make it worth going to. Give them a reason why they should go. Since it’s lower in the Chicago sports hierarchy, avoid scheduling it while the NHL is in season.
Chicago really needs this rivalry to pick it back up. Not many cities have the chance to have two teams in the same sport. In addition, the fact that they play in two different parts of town that are occupied by residents make it more of exciting. The two areas Bridgeport and Lake View are two different areas. Its like night and day.
Lastly, the teams are accountable as well for this not being bigger. Mainly because winning sells! So Sox and Cubs, lets start winning on a normal basis. No more 99-loss seasons. Lets start consecutively being in their respective division races come late September.
All in all, this series needs to treated as the Chicago’s Summer World Series. Pack the stands!
DEPAUL HOLDS ON… TO BECOME CHAMPS
DEPAUL 2014 BIG EAST CHAMPS
The Blue Demons didn’t win this one with ease, but it’s a win no less. DePaul (#1 seed) defeated St. John’s (#2 seed) in the 2014 Big East Softball Championship by grinding it out on a hot and sunny May afternoon.
DePaul won 3-0, but this was not the normal DePaul team that has been shown all year round. But the Big East Pitcher of the Year, DePaul’s Kirsten Verdun came through when she was called upon.
Verdun totaled seven strikeouts of 92 pitches.
“We knew it was going to be a pitching duel,” said Eugene Lenti, DePaul’s head coach. “She (Verdun) did a fantastic job. Probably one her best games of the year. She had it all working for her, changing speeds, changing quadrants…”
DEPAUL COACH EUGENE LENTI AND KIRSTEN VERDUN AT THE POST GAME NEWS CONFERENCE
In the post game news conference, Lenti referred to Verdun as the dominant force from 43 feet away.
St. John’s was only able to come away with three hits off of Verdun.
DePaul came away with five hits, but it was St. John’s poor execution on the defensive end that helped out the Blue Demons. In the bottom of the third, due to a muffled ball and bad throw from the outfield, senior Megan Coronado and Dylan Christensen, the Big East Rookie of the Year, came around and gave the Blue Demons what they needed to seal the deal.
In the game, DePaul was a little shaky on defense as they had three errors, like dropped balls they should have been easily caught as well as miss throws.
If St. Johns would have capitalized, the game may have ended in a different way.
“I think it was just a matter of picking up my teammates. Errors are very uncharacteristic of us…” said Verdun. She took the leadership roles and brought the team together and kept their spirits up in order to win the biggest game of their lives.
It has been a long time coming for the Blue Demons. They have not won the Big East Championship since 2008 when they beat the University of South Florida 4-1. That was also the last year that Coach Lenti won coach of the year. In addition, DePaul current alum Becca Heteniak won Most Oustanding Player as well.
DePaul made it back to the championship the following year in 2009, but lost to Notre Dame 1-0. This loss would be followed by more heartbreaking losses to come in the future as DePaul would lose in every semifinal round of the Big East Tournament from 2010-2013.
Four years of not making into the big game nor winning it can make a coach question their ability to lead a team. However, Lenti was confident and got his team back in the mix.
Seems as history finds away to repeat itself. Just as DePaul did in 2008, this year they won the Big East Tournament, Big East Pitcher of the Year, and Most Outstanding Player of the tourney.
As it heads to the national tournament, DePaul will have a chance to show how it fares against non-Big East opponents. The Blue Demons non-conference record was 21-8 this year.
The Blue Demons will start back playing immediately as the national tournament gets underway May 16.
Chasing the Trophy: Big East Championship Game…In Progress
DEPAUL TEAMMATE CELEBRATE KIRSTEN VERDUN’S MID-GAME PERFORMANCE.
PHOTO BY LAVAR MERRELL
DEPAUL AT BAT, RUNNERS IN SCORING POSITION
Photo by LaVar Merrell
Here at the BallPark at Rosemont, the Blue Demons, now are up in a slow paced game, where the on field temperature is reaching nearly 83 degrees. DePaul leads 2-0 going into the top of the fourth inning on this hot Saturday.
Up until this point, there have been very little scoring , not many runners in positions to score. The lack of hitting may be to blame or is it the tough defense put on by both teams?
To begin the game, DePaul’s ace and senior star, Kirsten Verdun retired the side in a quick and easy fashion, twice. She gave DePaul the upper hand by making it easy for the defense. But still the bats and runs are coming in at a glacier like pace.
It wasn’t until the third, that the Red Storm finally put a player on base, Lexi Robles, but it came with two outs on the board. This eventually lead to Robles getting caught stealing second as DePaul’s Staci Bonezek gunned her down.
Last inning proved that it doesn’t have to pretty to score, because both DePaul’s Dylan Christensen and Megan Coronado scored on muffled throws and broken plays.
Our player to watch, Mary Connolly, is not the having the primetime performance she normally has. However, she did sacrifice her body by taking a pitch to the hip. As of now, she has no official hits.
DePaul’s two run total through three innings is uncharacteristic of the Blue Demon.. This season, they have been cranking out the RBIs with 262.
For DePaul’s head coach, Eugene Lenti, this is not first time having his team playin in the championship game. The last time the Blue Demon’s softball team advance to the big dance was in 2008. This time around may be sweeter having his daughters playing for him.
DePaul holds the lead and has the championship in reach as they head into the fourth inning.
BIG EAST SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP PRE-GAME
DEPAUL BLUE DEMON SOFTBALL TEAM SPEAKS AT PRESS CONFERENCE, AFTER ADVANCING TO CHAMPIONSHIP. PHOTO COURTESY OF LAVAR MERRELL.
The stage is set. On the line is a trip to the NCAA Softball National Tournament. St. John’s will take on DePaul in the Big East Championship. The Blue Demons come in as the favorite with the No. 1 seed. The Red Storm finished as the runner- up to DePaul in the season. As the game gets underway, none of the records or seeds means anything.
Both teams are lead by tremendous pitching. DePaul’s senior ace Kirsten Verdun was one of the top pitchers in the conference with 246 strikeouts on the season. Verdun also captured All-Big East First Team Honors.
She also contributes on the offensive end as well. Verdun is second on the Blue Demons in home runs with six.
The Red Storm’s sophomore Tori Free has 126 strikeouts this year. Her ERA is mediocre, but she has been the lady on the mound for St. John. Free collected All-Big East second team this year.
The Blue Demons won the season series two games to none, including a 13-0 win that ended in the fifth inning due to the blow out rule.
The Blue Demons will look to follow the same formula that led them to success against St. John’s as well as all season, by leaning on the big bat of junior Mary Connolly. She led the team with 13 home runs and 41 runs batted in. The Winfield, Ill native received the Big East Player of the Year award.
But not so fast, the Red Storm has their own primetime slugger in junior Erin Burner, who almost matched Connolly this year. Burner hit close to .400 with 13 home runs and 40 runs batted in. She also contributed to scoring 39 times on the years as well. The California native was named to the All-Big East First Team.
This game marks the ninth appearance for the Blue Demons in the Big East postseason tournament. The Red Storm are not far behind, making this their eighth appearance.
The game will be played at The BallPark at Rosemont. First pitch of the game is scheduled for 11am CT.
WHITE SOX vs CLEVELAND INDIANS thru Twitter
Hello White Sox fans and other baseball fans. This post is a game story via twitter posts. I posted some of my tweets during the Indians win over the Sox 12-5.
I was able to gather a tweet or two for the pre-game from Chuck Garfien as well as Doug Padilla. These are some of the professional journalist who cover the Sox.
In addition, I was able to embed tweets from the official Sox and Indians homepage. Getting tweets from both teams makes it more neutral and not just Chicago biased or Chicago based.
#WhiteSox bullpen: First 18 games 6.12 ERA Last 11 games: 1.79 ERA
— Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) May 2, 2014
White Sox killer Ryan Raburn has 4 RBIs in 55 at-bats this season. All 4 RBIs came against the White Sox. He’s batting 5th tonight.
— Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) May 2, 2014
Series preview: White Sox at Indians http://t.co/kn3qORzpaq
— Doug Padilla (@ESPNChiSox) May 2, 2014
Tonight I will live-tweet the #Sox and #Indians game. #MLB #LV20
— LaVar Merrell (@LaVarMerrell) May 2, 2014
#whitesox got runners on the corners, with no outs. #Sox put themselves in scoring position. #MLB #LV20
— LaVar Merrell (@LaVarMerrell) May 2, 2014
#Indians are going to work on the #Sox pitching staff. up 3-nothing in the bottom of the first. #MLB #LV20
— LaVar Merrell (@LaVarMerrell) May 2, 2014
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#JohnDanks has allowed 5 runs off of 43 pitches in only one inning. #MLB #LV20
— LaVar Merrell (@LaVarMerrell) May 2, 2014
Indians are up 5-0 in the bottom of the first. Only one out. #MLB #LV20
— LaVar Merrell (@LaVarMerrell) May 2, 2014
Was gone for a few minutes there. Alejandro De Aza with an RBI single to cut the #WhiteSox deficit to 5-1. Two on, one out for Adrian Nieto.
— Dan Hayes (@DanHayesCSN) May 2, 2014
Adrian Nieto with an RBI single, the first run driven in of his career. Runners on corners. #WhiteSox trail 5-2.
— Dan Hayes (@DanHayesCSN) May 2, 2014
Santana adds to Sox’s Danks misery, HR blasts to the left field bleachers. Sox are down 6-3. #MLB #LV20
— LaVar Merrell (@LaVarMerrell) May 3, 2014
Do I even have to tweet what just happened or do you just assume it? Jose Abreu with his 11th homer, a solo shot to cut it to 7-4 #Indians.
— Dan Hayes (@DanHayesCSN) May 3, 2014
#YouCanPutItOnTheBoard! Jose Abreu blasts his 11th home run of the season to cut the deficit to 7-4 in the 5th. #WhiteSox
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 3, 2014
#Smooooooooooth! No. 5 for Brantley on a 2-0 pitch and it’s 8-4 Tribe!
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) May 3, 2014
Strained right hamstring for Eaton. Day to day
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) May 3, 2014
T6: Alexei Ramirez scores on a wild pitch and it’s 8-5 Cleveland.
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) May 3, 2014
#MarioCoin! Swish doubles into the right-field corner, scoring @Themikeaviles from first! 9-5 Tribe!
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) May 3, 2014
Danks on what went wrong: “Hell, I don’t know what I did good.”
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) May 3, 2014
RECAP: Santana, Brantley go deep in #Indians‘ 12-5 win over White Sox: http://t.co/4Urkb6x2x7 pic.twitter.com/AeWRv7PA4k
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) May 3, 2014
Great win tonight by the boys!!! Great way to start off May!!! #letsrolltribe
— Nick Swisher (@NickSwisher) May 3, 2014
RECAP: Jose Abreu goes yard in #WhiteSox loss to #Indians: http://t.co/hjiwiiWeY3 pic.twitter.com/oSyYQ3Y77d
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 3, 2014
Real solid Tribe win tonight! Bats seem to enjoy May a little more! I’m alright with that #warmingupwiththeweather
— Jason Kipnis (@TheJK_Kid) May 3, 2014
Zachary Gropper: Interview
Zachary Gropper, founder and managing editor of Grab Some Bench.
Photo Courtesy of http://gropper.wordpress.com
Zach Gropper is currently a senior at Indiana University, where he studies sports communication with an emphasis on broadcasting. He also is pursuing minors in telecommunications and sports marketing.
Gropper is the founder of Chicago White Sox blog site Grab Some Bench.
Questions & Answers:
1.How do you manage being full time student at Indiana University and the managing editor of a successful sports blog?
It’s tough. But I manage to do it because I love it. It obviously helps that I have three guys writing for me, but it’s still ain’t easy. I would say the biggest thing for me is time management and specifically, planning ahead. Sometimes I plan a week ahead, sometimes just a day or two … but I don’t go into any given day not having though about content.
2. What is that draws you into sports? Why sports broadcast?
I took an ‘Introduction to Broadcasting’ class in high school. In fact it was the first high school class I stepped in to. It stuck. I had big roles with student radio and television from the age of 16 on. I love watching sports and I love being a sports fan, but the world of sports fascinates me. I love studying it. Learning about most any part of the industry is really stimulating for me. To my friends, I’ve always been ‘the sports guy’, if you will … and I’ve always loved being that guy. I also love producing content. Making things that I can call my own is … well it’s pretty much the best.
Well I think I talked a lot about my start in the industry already. Right now I’m grinding through the job search. It’s tough. A lot of it is connections, but a lot is also timing and luck. I know I’ll get something sooner or later. Right now I’m just trying to enjoy my final days at IU while improving myself through my personal sports media work.
7. Tell me about your daily grind to get to where you want to be?
I have to be on top of everything. When one of my friend asks for my opinion on something and wants me to clarify something going on in the sports world and I have nothin’ for ’em, I’m embarrased. They probably don’t care, but I do. I’ve also had to get into more sports. One professor told me how crucial it is to be able to talk about anything and everything. Over the past couple years I’ve really gotten into hockey and soccer … and I’ve loved that process. Again, learning about sports is pretty much my favorite.
The toughest part about sports blogging is that it’s tough to make a name. I’d say I’ve made a solid name for myself already, but it is damn hard to take that next step. Especially when I start working full time, I know it’ll be even tougher. I just don’t want to burn myself out. That’s another tough thing, in the sense of avoiding it. I know a lot of people that were crazy for sports like me at my age and then go on to separate themselves from the industry. It can just overwhelm you, and it’s happened for me for brief periods of time. I’m constantly learning how to avoid that fate.
WINDY CITY SOX-SIDERS 
With Jose Abreu going on the DL does that make the Sox sellers when the Deadline approaches?
(in regards to article: Konerko, The New Old Hero)
They definitely need to upgrade in areas. Their pitching for one is the main point. Their starters are not holding off enough hits which is producing runs. This in essence puts more pressure on their hitters to produce. Its similar to an NFL team that has a decent offense with no substantial pass defense.
They will definitely move players around. The question remains who and what can they get in return that makes the team stronger this year. I don’t see the Sox as a “shut it down mid-season, prep for next year” type of organization.