As we wait to see whether any additional trades are made before Saturday afternoon's deadline, check out my colleague Jim Owczarski's blog. Jim has made a list of Sox GM Kenny Williams' best moves over the years.

Meanwhile, the White Sox get a 6-1 win over Oakland Friday night behind fill-in starter Lucas Harrell. The 24-year-old right-hander has been in the Sox minor-league system for six years. He went through a shoulder surgery in 2007. It's been a long road for him. He got sent back down to Charlotte after the game to make room on the roster for Edwin Jackson, but it has to be quite rewarding for him to win a game in the bigs after all this time.

Harrell is the first Sox pitcher to start and win his big-league debut since Kip Wells, who defeated the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 2, 1999.

The White Sox acquired 26-year-old right-hander Edwin Jackson from the Arizona Diamondbacks Thursday in exchange for pitchers Dan Hudson and David Holmberg.

I have no idea yet whether Jackson will actually throw a pitch for the Sox, as there are rumors that GM Kenny Williams will flip Jackson to another team in exchange for a left-handed hitter.

Jackson, an All-Star last season with Detroit, pitched a no-hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays on June 25. However, that has been about his only season highlight. He's been generally bad with Arizona, compiling a 6-10 record with a 5.16 ERA.

Reaction to this move has been generally negative by Sox fans. I'm in wait-and-see mode. As I said, I'm not sure yet whether the Sox intend to hold on to this pitcher. However, I will say this is a typical Kenny Williams "low buy." Throughout his tenure, Williams has picked up several pitchers when their value was at its lowest.

Jose Contreras, Matt Thornton, Javier Vazquez, Mike MacDougal, Gavin Floyd and Jake Peavy all come to mind. The Sox have had great success in turning around a couple of these pitchers (see Contreras) and little or no success with others (see MacDougal).

I like Dan Hudson. I think he will be a good middle-of-the-rotation starter for the Diamondbacks in the future. But I don't think the Sox got any worse by making this trade. Being a rookie, Hudson is going to have his ups and downs. Jackson, of course, is an enigma. The Sox would have inconsistency out of that spot in the rotation regardless of whether they were trotting out Hudson or Jackson every fifth day.

Maybe they see something in Jackson and feel they can get him turned around. Or maybe this acquisition is just part of a bigger trading strategy. We'll know one way or the other by 3 p.m. Saturday.

Another handful of baseball trades went down Thursday. Minnesota acquired closer Matt Capps from the Washington Nationals in exchange for minor-leaguers Wilson Ramos and Joe Testa.

Ramos, 22, is a highly-regarded catching prospect, but he didn't figure to be in the Twins' future with Joe Mauer entrenched behind the plate. Still, Minnesota paid a pretty high price for an average relief pitcher. I guess that shows the Twins aren't real comfortable with Jon Rauch closing games in a tight pennant race.

Capps is having a career year. He was selected to the National League All-Star team, and he picked up his 26th save earlier Thursday when the Nationals beat the Atlanta Braves 5-3.

It will be interesting to see how Capps responds to a new league and pennant race pressure. He has spent his entire career with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Nationals. Needless to say, big games in August and September will be a new experience for him.

As a Sox fan, this move doesn't alarm me. If the Twins had picked up a solid starter, I'd be more concerned. I still see Minnesota's rotation as its biggest weakness. Carl Pavano has been lights out over his last 10 starts, and Francisco Liriano has been pretty good. However, Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey and Nick Blackburn have ranged from inconsistent to downright brutal.

During my recent visit to Minneapolis, local columnists were calling for Slowey and/or Blackburn to be sent to the minors. That seemed rather extreme to me, but it goes to show how much those two pitchers have struggled this season. Blackburn was recently removed from the rotation and replaced with Brian "Cy" Duensing.

Oswalt to Phillies

The last available big-name starter is off the board now after Houston traded Roy Oswalt to Philadelphia Thursday for left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ and two prospects.

The Phillies are making a charge right now. They've won eight straight games to pull within 2 1/2 games of first-place Atlanta in the NL East. Oswalt is 6-12 on the year, but he's without a doubt the best 6-12 pitcher around. His ERA is a solid 3.42, and he's been a victim of the putrid offensive output in Houston all year. The Astros have a league-worst .240 team batting average.

The prognosis is much better in Philadelphia, with Oswalt joining ace Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels at the top of the rotation.

The best available starter on the trade market now is probably the Cubs' Ted Lilly, or perhaps Toronto's Shaun Marcum. There are no more aces out there, but there are a handful of middle-of-the-rotation pitchers on the trading block that could be useful for contending teams.

Sox home winning streak reaches 11

Ramon Castro went deep twice and Paul Konerko homered for the fourth straight game to lead the White Sox to a 9-5 win over Seattle Thursday night. With the win, the Sox are now 18-1 in their last 19 home games. They have won 11 straight games at U.S. Cellular Field.

The last time the Sox had a home winning streak like this? Believe it or not, the 1989 White Sox went a perfect 11-0 at home in July. That Sox team was 69-92 overall, but they had one month where they were unbeatable at old Comiskey Park.

White Sox relief pitcher Sergio Santos is featured on the cover of this week's issue of USA Today Sports Weekly.

The article is about position players converting to pitching, which Santos has done this season. Typically, it takes multiple seasons for a player to make the change successfully. Santos is an outlier in the sense that he had only 29 minor-league innings before making the Sox 25-man roster out of spring training this season.

The right-hander has 35 strikeouts in a 32 1/3 innings this year, to go along with a 1.67 ERA.

"You look at this guy, and if you didn't know that this guy hasn't been a pitcher his whole life, you would think that he had been," Kansas City manager Ned Yost said in the article. "That's how good he looks."

Tony Pena Jr. is another well-known player currently trying to make the conversion. Pena Jr. made it to the big leagues previously as a shortstop. He hit .267 with 47 RBIs for Kansas City in 2007. After that, injuries set him back and his career batting average fell to .228 by the end of last season.

The 29-year-old is now trying to work his way back to the majors as a pitcher in the San Francisco Giants farm system.

Several prominent MLB relievers began their careers as position players. The list includes the all-time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman, who was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds as a shortstop and batted .212 in Class A ball his first season. He made the conversion to pitching in 1991 and the rest is history.

Minnesota Twins closer Joe Nathan was drafted as a shortstop by San Francisco. After committing 26 errors in 54 games in 1995, he went back to college to finish his degree. He returned to the Giants organization in 1997 to try his hand at pitching. That has worked out pretty well for him.

Cubs closer Carlos Marmol was a catcher and an outfielder when he first broke into pro ball. Rockies reliever Rafael Betancourt and Tampa Bay closer Rafael Soriano are additional examples of former position players who are now successful pitchers.

Veteran Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee exercised his no-trade rights this week, telling the club he would prefer to remain in Chicago for the rest of the season.

The Cubs reportedly had a deal in place to send Lee to the Los Angeles Angels, who have been looking for a first baseman ever since Kendry Morales went down with a broken leg in late May.

Lee, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, is suffering through one of the worst years of his career. The lifetime .282 hitter is batting just .248 with 11 home runs. His woes are high on the list of reasons the Cubs are mired in fourth place.

It's always interesting to me when scenarios like this unfold. There's always that small segment of meathead fans who snarl at a player who chooses to exercise his 10-and-5 rights and veto a trade. I'm sure there will be some who accuse Derrek Lee of "not wanting to win" by nixing this trade.

However, here's the thing: The Angels don't look like legitimate contenders this year. Those guys are 8 1/2 games out of first. The Cubs are 9 1/2 out in their division. Lee hasn't commented about this whole scenario yet, but maybe he is looking at this situation and saying to himself that the grass really isn't greener on the other side.

If the Angels were a little closer to first place, maybe Lee would be more willing to bite the bullet, uproot his family and go play in Anaheim for the last two months of the year. But if there's no real opportunity to win there, what's the point? AT BEST, the Angels are the seventh best team in the American League this year. Adding Lee wouldn't put them over the top.

Only a handful of players get 10-and-5 rights, and those who have those rights have earned them. If Lee and his family are comfortable in Chicago, I don't blame him for deciding to stay.

Jenks looks sharp, earns save

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen put Bobby Jenks back on the mound in a closing situation Wednesday night. The portly right-hander had blown his two previous save opportunities on the last road trip, but he had no problems mowing down the Seattle Mariners to secure a 6-5 Sox win.

Jenks struck out the side in working a 1-2-3 inning. Franklin Gutierrez, Russell Branyan and Justin Smoak all went down swinging. The radar gun had Jenks clocked consistently at 98 miles per hour. He fanned Smoak with a sharp-breaking slider to end the game.

As I've stated previously, the Sox are a better team when Jenks is healthy and effective in the closer's role. If he can bottle up the stuff he was featuring Wednesday night, the Sox will be in good shape in the bullpen.

People might say, "It's only the Mariners." Well, Jenks was lit up by this same woeful Seattle team last Wednesday. A save is a save, no matter the competition.

A couple of trades to report

The struggling Detroit Tigers acquired third baseman Jhonny Peralta from the Cleveland Indians Wednesday in exchange for a minor-league pitcher.

The Tigers, who have fallen five games off the pace in the American League Central, have been beset by injuries recently. Magglio Ordonez (broken ankle), Carlos Guillen (strained calf) and Brandon Inge (broken hand) are all on the disabled list.

Peralta, who is hitting .246 with seven homers this year, takes Inge's spot at third base. He's not as good defensively as Inge. Offensively, the two players are essentially a wash.

Former White Sox outfielder Scott Podsednik was also on the move today. The Royals sent the former World Series hero to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two minor-leaguers.

It must be a tough week for Royals fans. Kansas City has gotten clobbered by New York and Minnesota in recent games. Outfielder David DeJesus was injured and lost for the season. Infielder Alberto Callaspo and Podsednik have now been traded.

Looks like the Royals might be headed for another last-place finish this year.

The White Sox have made plans to retire the No. 35 of Frank Thomas. The team also announced that the former slugger will rejoin the organization in an ambassador's role.

Thomas will be honored before the Sox play the New York Yankees at U.S. Cellular Field on Aug. 29. I will most certainly be in attendance that day. I don't think there's much question Thomas is the greatest player in the long history of the White Sox.

No. 35 will be the 10th number retired by the Sox. The others are No. 2 (Nellie Fox), No. 3 (Harold Baines), No. 4 (Luke Appling), No. 9 (Minnie Minoso), No. 11 (Luis Aparicio), No. 16 (Ted Lyons), No. 19 (Billy Pierce), No. 42 (Jackie Robinson) and No. 72 (Carlton Fisk).

Latest on Dunn rumors

Just in case you aren't sick of the Adam Dunn-to-the-Sox talk, here is latest rumor, as reported by ESPNChicago.com: The Washington Nationals want pitcher Dan Hudson, plus one of the Sox other three top prospects: catcher Tyler Flowers, outfielder Jordan Danks or third baseman Brent Morel.

It's a tough call for Kenny Williams. If he trades Hudson, the Sox are stuck with Carlos Torres as their fifth starter. Unless, of course, there's a secondary deal brewing for a veteran stopgap to plug the back of the rotation.

I think Williams feels the Sox need more offense in order to win the division, and I agree with him. If you can add a player like Dunn without subtracting a player who has made significant contributions to this year's team, I think you pull the trigger. Next year isn't promised to anyone. The Sox are in position to win now, and they should go for it.

Previously, the Nationals were asking the Sox to include second baseman Gordon Beckham in a trade for Dunn. Williams was right to turn that one down. Beckham is not only the second baseman of the future, he's the second baseman of the present as well.

I would not give up any current everyday players for a rent-a-player such as Dunn, but I'm not concerned about giving up prospects. As we've seen over the past four or five years, most White Sox prospects haven't amounted to much at the big-league level anyway.

Tampa Bay's Matt Garza became the fifth pitcher in the major leagues to toss a no-hitter this year, as he faced the minimum 27 batters in a 5-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers Monday night.

Garza allowed only a second-inning walk to Brennan Bosch, who was erased on a double-play grounder by Ryan Raburn.

This has been quite a year for no-hitters. We've seen perfect games from Dallas Braden and Roy Halladay, along with regular old no-hitters from Garza, Ubaldo Jimenez and Edwin Jackson.

Braden and Jackson tossed their gems against the Rays, so you have to believe Tampa Bay is relieved to be on the winning side of one of these for a change.

The last time there were as many as five no-hitters in a season was 1991. In that year, these seven no-hitters were thrown, including two involving the White Sox:

1) Nolan Ryan, Texas, def. Toronto 3-0 on May 1
2) Tommy Greene, Philadelphia, def. Montreal 2-0 on May 23
3) Bob Milacki, Mike Flanagan, Mark Williamson and Gregg Olson, Baltimore, combined to beat Oakland 2-0 on July 13
4) Dennis Martinez, Montreal, tossed a perfect game to beat the Dodgers 2-0 on July 28
5) Wilson Alvarez, White Sox, def. Baltimore 7-0 on Aug. 11
6) Bret Saberhagen, Kansas City, def. White Sox 7-0 on Aug. 26
7) Kent Mercker, Mark Wohlers and Alejandro Pena, Atlanta, combined to beat San Diego 1-0 on Sept. 11.

The record for no-hitters in a season is seven, set in 1990 and matched the following year. With still two months of baseball to play this season, that record looks to be in jeopardy.

Danks pitching like an ace for Sox

Is there any doubt John Danks has been the best pitcher for the White Sox this season? Not in my mind.

The left-hander kept rolling Monday night, outdueling Seattle ace Felix Hernandez to pick up a 6-1 victory at U.S. Cellular Field. Danks (11-7) is 4-0 with a 2.05 ERA over his last four starts. He's only given up seven runs over that span, and six of those seven came in one bad inning.

For the season, Danks has given up three runs or less in 16 of his 20 starts. That's very good for a guy who pitches in the American League.

Even though it's July, I'm still keeping up on the goings-on surrounding the University of Illinois basketball program. We have a whole football season to go through first, but most Illini fans and alums would just assume forget about that and fast forward directly to hoops season.

With basketball on the brain, it's worth noting that Illinois senior-to-be Mike Davis had some interesting comments in a recent interview with Champaign News-Gazette writer Paul Klee.

Comment No. 1

"I'm not setting any (personal goals). Next year is not even about me anymore. The previous years I wanted to get stats and stuff like that. Next year is all about wins. It's about getting a championship. Next year is not about stats. It's about getting a ring. If that means getting my mid-range jump shot going, getting rebounds, whatever, it's about getting wins."

Comment No. 2:

"Maybe in previous years guys were thinking about themselves. Not 100 percent, but kind of. But this year everybody's about the team. Everybody's bought in. We've got to win. We really don't have anything to show for our time being here. We have a first-round exit (in 2009). We don't want that to be our legacy here.

"We want to go out with a bang. We want to get to a Sweet 16, an Elite Eight. You watch open gym. You see the talent we have. There's no reason we shouldn't."

Comment No. 3:

"I'll go out on a limb and say we should be in the Elite Eight, at least, with all the talent we have. It just depends if we're on the same page."

---
Here's to hoping that the "senior lightbulb" has come on for Davis and his three classmates, Demetri McCamey, Mike Tisdale and Bill Cole. These guys shouldn't have any trouble making the NCAA tournament this year. Not only that, they should win at least two games in the tournament. As Davis said, they have the talent. At least two of these four seniors -- maybe even three of the four -- possess enough talent to play for money in the future, either in the NBA or in Europe.

These guys had the talent to win last year, too. They just didn't do it because they didn't respect the game. They didn't respect their opponents. They didn't accept coaching. They didn't play for each other. It's time for that to change. This year will be their last kick at the can.

Mike Davis, we're going to hold you to these statements. I'm glad you said what you said. Come November, it's time to back it up. No excuses this year.

I'm not necessarily a fan of Jason Whitlock. Sometimes I agree with him. Sometimes I think he is full of crap. But this offering he wrote on the state of the newspaper industry is an interesting read for all of us in this line of work.

A few points that come out of this column that are worth mentioning:

1. First and foremost, APSE contests are, in fact, a joke. I can say that I have NEVER entered an APSE contest in my 12-year career in sports journalism. Winning awards is not why I got into this field. Next time I write a story or a headline designed to win an award it will be a first.

Journalism is not about us as newspaper people. It is about our readers and the communities we serve. If we are writing stories to try to win contests and feed our own egos, shame on us.

2. Whitlock is RIGHT ON when he says the economy is not the reason we are failing. A bad economy doesn't help, of course, but newspapers are failing because they are stuck in their old ways. As an industry, we lack the courage to try different business models. Most papers are just hanging on for dear life.

Everything that we do, we give away for free. Why buy a newspaper these days? You can get all the content for nothing on the Web. What other industry do you know that gives away its product for free? That has to change if we're going to survive over the long haul.

3. Whitlock says newspaper leadership is "unwilling to dismantle systems put in place to reward butt-kissing climbers." That's probably true everywhere, but dissent isn't prevalent in the modern newsroom. That's unfortunate, indeed, because as journalists we are trained to question everything.

But we've got bills to pay, and everyone is fearful of the next round of layoffs. So, we go along to get along. I don't have all the answers on how to turn things around in this industry. I'm not that smart. No one is. However, I do have some ideas that I think are good. My colleagues have ideas, too. It's just that no one has asked us, and we dare not pitch anything to management, for fear that we'll be seen as troublemakers and cast aside in the next round of job cuts.

This sentence by Whitlock hit me like a ton of bricks. It is so true:

"The newspaper industry is being driven by fear. The market place of ideas has disappeared. There are no jobs. People have mortgages to pay and kids in need of daycare or college. Everyone just tries to avoid conflict and avoid the next round of layoffs.

"Fear and ass-kissing won't save newspapers."

That's something for all of us to think about, whether you are a high-ranking newspaper executive or a beginning reporter.

Security in Baltimore isn't very tight. Took the cops awhile to get around to arresting this dude. Really, it was the umpire who put an end to the shenanigans....

Over the first 90 games of the 2010 baseball season, White Sox closer Bobby Jenks was responsible for exactly one loss.
That came on Mother's Day against the Toronto Blue Jays.

But over the last four days, Jenks has been responsible for two Sox losses. The latest of which came Wednesday night when the big right-hander gave up two runs on three hits in the bottom of the 11th inning to turn a 1-0 Sox lead into a 2-1 victory for the Seattle Mariners.

If you've followed the Sox over the last four or five years, you know that Jenks has a stretch like this in July EVERY SINGLE FREAKIN' SEASON.

For those scoring at home, after last night's loss Jenks is now 1-6 with a 6.36 ERA lifetime in the month of July. There are basically four things you can count on in life: death, taxes, corruption in Illinois politics and Bobby Jenks having his worst stretch of the season right after the All-Star break. July is far away Jenks' worst month. No other month even comes close.

It's a touchy situation for Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. Over the long haul, the team needs Jenks to be healthy and effective in the closer's role. But in the short run, you can't continue to punish the other 24 guys on the team by putting Jenks out there to fail in the last inning. When the Sox lost to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, every man on the team did his job except for Jenks. Same deal last night. These losses are not fair to all the other guys who have been playing and pitching so well lately.

What say you, Oz?

''I got three guys there that can (close games),'' Guillen said. ''I've got (Matt) Thornton, I've got (J.J.) Putz throwing the ball good. Even (Sergio) Santos is throwing the ball good. Hopefully, we'll put Bobby back in those situations when we see him throwing the ball the way we know he can throw it.''

So, Guillen is going with closer-by-committee in the short run, and it is the right move. Putz is unscored upon in his last 25 outings. He hasn't given up a run since May 7. He has 105 career saves, including a 40-save season in 2007 and a 36-save season in 2006 with Seattle. The man knows how to close. That doesn't mean Putz won't blow one sometime in the next week, but he has a track record that allows you to feel comfortable handing him the ball in tight situations.

The same is true of Thornton, who is a perfect 5 for 5 this season when used in ninth inning save situations. Guillen has good options, and he should use them until Jenks gets himself together.

What does Jenks need to do? For starters, he needs to rediscover his breaking ball. There's been a lot of hand-wringing over the years about Jenks' velocity, but that's never been his issue. He struggles when he can't throw his breaking ball for strikes.

Jenks was overpowering in June. He racked up 10 saves, struck out 14 in 12 innings and finished the month with a 0.75 ERA. Why? Because he was putting hitters away with his curve ball. Right now, he can't do that and he's getting killed. Seattle's Franklin Gutierrez delivered the game-winning hit Wednesday on a 2-2 curve ball that Jenks left up. Bad pitch, plain and simple.

It's time for Jenks to have a bullpen session with pitching coach Don Cooper and find the release point again on that breaking pitch. When he does that, he'll be the Sox closer once again.

You had to figure the Cubs were going to drive poor Lou Piniella into the old folks' home sooner rather than later. Trying to manage that bad baseball team up on the North Side would be hard on any man, let alone a 67-year-old who looks like he should be sitting in his rocking chair on the front porch eating his tapioca pudding.

With Piniella being in the last year of his four-year contract with the Cubs, I expected he would walk away at the end of the season. In fact, that's exactly what Piniella is going to do. He announced his intention to retire Tuesday afternoon.

"I couldn't be more appreciative of the Cubs organization for providing me the opportunity to manage this ballclub," Piniella said. "I've had four wonderful years here that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. I've grown to love the city and the fans but at my age it will be time to enter a new phase in my life.

"It will enable me to spend more valuable time with my family - my wife, my kids and my grandchildren. God has blessed me to have been able to work this many years in the game that I love."

I think this is a reasonable decision by Piniella. It's the best thing for him and the best thing for the Cubs as well. I've said all year that the folks calling for Piniella's head are wasting their time. If you've looked at the Cubs' record (42-52) and roster lately, you know that team sucks. Coming into the year, I figured the Cubs would be a fourth-place team. That's exactly what they are. The Cubs don't have the horses to win, and that's not Piniella's fault. You could fire him and bring in somebody else, and that team would still be struggling.

That said, Piniella is the wrong manager for the Cubs moving forward. They've got a lot of veterans that need to be traded or released. They've got a lot of bad contracts they need to get out from under. They are looking at a potentially lengthy rebuilding process. They need a younger manager for a roster that figures to get younger over the next couple years. They need some new energy.

In addition to a new manager, I think the Cubs need change in the front office as well. We'll see if owner Tom Ricketts has the guts to can the overrated Jim Hendry. It's time for the Cubs to bring in a new GM and let him hire his own guy to manage the club. A change in direction is sorely needed in that organization.

I doubt that will happen, though. Ricketts will probably retain Hendry, and the Cubs will simply promote Ryne Sandberg, who is currently managing at Class AAA Iowa. I think Sandberg could potentially be a good manager, but if he's got Hendry as his GM, he's screwed.

Other potential managerial candidates include bench coach Alan Trammell, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Joe Torre, New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi and broadcaster Bob Brenly.

Girardi is probably the guy they should go after, but what motivation would he have to leave New York? He's already won one World Series with the Yankees, and he has a great chance for another this season. If Girardi were to come back to the Cubs organization, he'd basically be starting from scratch. And if Hendry is still around, Girardi would probably inherit the same crappy, limited roster Piniella is dealing with now. If I were Girardi, I would stay in New York. There's an opportunity to win there every single year. Can't say the same for the Cubs.

There's a reason we can't say that for the Cubs, and that reason is Hendry has saddled the organization with a lot of bad money. Piniella's decision to move on is good news for all involved, but the winds of change can't stop there. The entire Cubs organization needs an enema, from the front office on down.

UPDATE: OK, Ricketts says Hendry's job is safe beyond this season. LOL. That is all.

I'm back from my week-long vacation and back from my weekend in the "Land of 10,000 Infield Hits," also known as Minnesota.

Naturally, no trip to Minneapolis is complete without a visit to the scene of many crimes, the Dump Dome. Look carefully at the street sign in the photo at left. Can't see it? Maybe this will help:

Yes, indeed. It does say "Chicago Av" under that Minnesota Vikings sign. The Metrodome, a building with a rich history of frustration for Chicago teams, is located at the corner of 6th and Chicago in downtown Minneapolis. We laughed out loud at the irony. As soon as I saw that, I told ChiSoxGirl we needed to get a picture of that sign for this blog.

Naturally, none of us could resist having our pictures taken at the Metrodome. There was nobody around except for some workmen painting various things that hideous Viking purple color, so we figured what the heck?

This is me standing in front of the railings by the ticket office at the Dump. ChiSoxGirl took this picture while standing on Chicago Av.

I thought it was quite fitting that I was wearing my White Sox 2008 AL Central Division champions T-Shirt. I wanted to show the Metrodome that all the infield hits it gave the Twins during that '08 season weren't enough to rob the Sox of the division championship that was rightfully theirs that year. (Take that, Dump Dome!)

Speaking with Minnesota fans -- both through the years and on this trip to Minneapolis -- I think even they would admit that the dome was a terrible place for baseball. Most of them are glad the dome has been relegated to a football-only facility.

Rightfully so.

Target Field is a nice place to watch a ballgame. I was impressed, and Twins fans should be glad they can watch baseball at place like this now instead of that artificial, plastic rathole they had been going to previously.

One thing I really liked is how you can see the Minneapolis skyline beyond right field while you're watching the game. I always thought the people who designed U.S. Cellular Field made a mistake by not building the park at such an angle that you could see the great Chicago skyline from the seats. Instead, you can see the Dan Ryan Expressway and the train tracks and such, which is unfortunate.

The people who built Target Field got it right.

Another thing that stands out about Minneapolis is the fact that Joe Mauer is a really big freakin' deal there. I've seen Twins fans at U.S. Cellular Field wearing the player T-Shirts with the No. 7 and "Baby Jesus" on the back before, and I thought they were nuts.

Now, I get it. Mauer really is a cult-like figure up there. There are these weird colored Joe Mauer statues on literally every block in downtown Minneapolis. Later, we found out that there are 50 such Mauer statues located throughout the city. This is the 50th anniversary of the Twins, and there is one Mauer statue for each season in the team's history.

We were talking Saturday night trying to figure if any Chicago athlete has ever been as popular here as Mauer is in Minnesota. The only possible comparison would be Michael Jordan. Back when the Bulls were kicking ass in the 1990s, seemingly every fourth or fifth person you saw on the street was wearing a pair of Air Jordans.

Well, that's how it is with Mauer in Minnesota. Every fourth or fifth person you see on the street is wearing a Mauer jersey or a No. 7 player T-Shirt. There are plenty of Justin Morneau shirts around, too, but Mauer is far and away the most popular figure up there. He's basically Minnesota's Jordan, without the six championships.

Getting back to the statues, I did find it amusing that Carlos Gomez appeared on the crotch of his particular Mauer statue. As we all know, Sox announcer Hawk Harrelson had an insufferable man-crush on Gomez when the below-average outfielder was with the Twins. Hawk would probably be just furious to see Gomez pictured so disrespectfully on Mauer's crotch.

At any rate, Minneapolis was nice. It is a clean city. One member of our group described it as being a "mini-Chicago." It is definitely smaller. There isn't quite as much to do there as there is here, but it is not boring by any stretch either. We had plenty to do for the three days we were there and not much down time at all.

The service was iffy in two of the three sports bars we went to, but aside from that, the people were friendly. It was a pleasant change from our experience in Milwaukee last summer. The Brewers fans are a bunch of asses. They have an inferiority complex about Chicago and Chicago fans, and they went out of their way to exchange insults with Sox fans. When I was at Miller Park last year, you got the feeling a riot could break out at any moment.

The opposite was true in Minnesota. There were a lot of Sox fans in Minneapolis over the weekend, but Minnesota residents didn't seem to be bothered by that at all. Judging by the amount of White Sox gear in the storefronts at the Mall of America, they were just hoping we'd spend as much money as possible to contribute to their local economy.

There were no personal insults or taunts coming from either side, just a few good-natured jabs here or there, which is how it is supposed to be. As we were walking to Target Field on Friday, a Minneapolis police officer told us the game was at the Metrodome and that we were walking the wrong way. We just laughed and told him we weren't falling for that one.

After the game, we were accosted by a group of Twins fans who said they wanted to have their picture taken with some White Sox fans. We found that a little strange, but we cooperated gladly. I doubt that would ever happen in Milwaukee or Detroit.

There was an unbelievable thunderstorm in the city after Saturday's game. We got caught in it and got drenched, but one of the locals offered us a ride back to our hotel. We gladly accepted, and that saved us having to run three blocks back through a driving downpour. Would something like that have happened in Milwaukee? Hell no!

I'd like to go back to Minnesota some time, but it probably won't be for a few years once the "new stadium mania" subsides. It's really hard to get tickets there at a reasonable price, so much so that we opted to watch Saturday's game at a bar. A couple members of our party decided to pay inflated rates on StubHub. I took a pass.

If any Sox fans are looking to go on a road trip with the team sometime soon, I'd recommend Minnesota. The only downside is the ticket cost. If you can afford that, Minneapolis is a nice place to visit for a weekend.

(Photos all by ChiSoxGirl)

Time for me to take a little break. I've got nine days off coming to me. I'll try to check in occasionally to make sure people's comments get approved. Blogging will resume on Monday, July 19.

Everybody knew the last-place Seattle Mariners were going to move ace left-hander Cliff Lee before the July 31 trading deadline. The only question was where?

We got our answer Friday afternoon. The Texas Rangers acquired Lee and reliever Mark Lowe for first baseman Justin Smoak and three minor-leaguers. The Mariners are also tossing in $2.5 million of the remaining $4 million owed to Lee this season.

With right-hander Jake Peavy done for the year, I'm sure there will be some White Sox fans who are disappointed that GM Kenny Williams didn't jump into the Lee sweepstakes. My reaction is the exact opposite -- I think this trade is a huge break for the Sox.

First off, the Sox have a crummy minor-league system and the notion they could acquire a pitcher such as Lee was a pipedream anyway.

Secondly, the Sox just completed their season series with Texas last weekend. That means they will not be facing Cliff Lee at all this year unless they should happen to play the Rangers in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins still have seven games remaining with Texas. The Detroit Tigers have five. It's almost a given the Sox two rivals in the AL Central race will run into Lee at some point.

Third, the Sox have seven games coming up later this month with the Mariners -- three in Seattle from July 19-21 and four at U.S. Cellular Field from July 26-29. I refuse to take any team lightly, but it goes without saying those seven games just got more winnable for the Sox knowing that Cliff Lee won't be on the mound for Seattle in any of them.

Fourth, both Detroit and Minnesota are in the market for a starting pitcher. Neither one of them got Cliff Lee, who is the best left-hander in the league in my estimation.

If anything, today's trade helps the Sox chances.

When we left off Tuesday, I was hopeful Jake Peavy's injury wasn't quite as bad as it looked. Well, it was pretty bad. A torn lat? That's not too common for pitchers, and it seems rather unlikely that Sox fans will see Peavy on a mound again any time before spring training 2011.

Injuries happen to every team, and there is no use whining about them. The question becomes, what do the Sox do now at the trading deadline? Previously, it was pretty obvious the biggest hole on the roster was DH. Now, you've got a hole in the starting rotation. Which is the bigger need? Pitching or hitting?

I'm sticking with my story: The offense is a bigger need. As we mentioned previously this week, the Sox were six-deep in starting pitching anyway. Dan Hudson is MLB-ready. If the Sox were to lose another starter to injury, that would be a problem. But I think they are still OK right now, especially with four veteran starters all throwing the ball well at the moment.

John Danks (pictured) had no-hit stuff Thursday against the Los Angeles Angels. He fired a two-hit shutout in the Sox 1-0 victory. Gavin Floyd, Mark Buehrle and Freddy Garcia have all been pitching well also, which is how you put together a 22-5 streak over a month's time.

The biggest problem for Sox GM Kenny Williams is the fact that Hudson was going to be the trade bait to get that big bat. Now, the Sox can't trade Hudson because they need him to pitch every fifth day.

It's no secret the Sox farm system is thin. Is there anything else down there that teams would want that could get the Sox some offensive help? I'm not sure.

As a matter of fact, it might be for the best if the Sox just stick Dayan Viciedo in the lineup daily and just hope he can a provide a boost.

White Sox starting Jake Peavy left Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Angels in the second inning with a strained right lat.

I would speculate that Peavy is headed to the DL. Still, if it's a strained right lat, that's a relief for White Sox fans. When Peavy left the mound, it looked like a possible shoulder or elbow injury. Now, a strained lat is no picnic, especially for a pitcher who throws across his body the way Peavy does. But at least it doesn't require reconstructive surgery or anything like that.

The Sox do have a major-league ready starting pitcher in Charlotte in the likely event Peavy misses time. Dan Hudson is 11-4 with a 3.47 ERA at Triple-A this season. He pitched in six games with the Sox last year, including two starts, and went 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA.

Hudson pitched for Charlotte on Monday night, which means he could easily take Peavy's next scheduled turn in the rotation on Sunday against the Kansas City Royals. If that is what takes place, Hudson's mound opponent will be one of the best in the league, reigning Cy Young award winner Zack Greinke.

I imagine we'll hear more information on Peavy's status tomorrow.

ESPN is reporting LeBron James will announce which NBA team he will sign with during a one-hour special on the network Thursday night.

I can assure you I won't be watching. I'd rather watch the grass outside my apartment grow.

Our work is about done here for Friday night at The Beacon-News. The Sox game is only in the fourth inning after a lengthy rain delay, so I think I'm going to go home and watch the rest of it. I'll be taking a 3-day weekend for the holiday. Blogging will resume Tuesday, but I'll try to log on here at some point this weekend to approve any comments that people send through.

Happy 4th of July to all.

I hate watching bad baseball under normal circumstances. But every now and then, you see a team that crosses over into "fun bad" territory. By "fun bad" I mean they are just so bad you can't take your eyes off them. The entertainment value is just too good.

I think the Cubs finally had that crossover moment Friday at Wrigley Field. Cincinnati scored nine runs in the top of the seventh inning on its way to a 12-0 victory. But it wasn't just that the Reds scored nine in an inning -- that stuff happens every now and then -- it was how they scored that was so damn funny.

Here's the play-by-play for that inning, Cubbie miscues in bold:

Top 7th: Cincinnati
- J. Gomes walked
- J. Bruce walked, J. Gomes to second
- R. Hernandez safe at first on second baseman M. Fontenot's fielding error, J. Gomes to third, J. Bruce to second
- D. Stubbs struck out swinging
- B. Arroyo walked, J. Gomes scored, J. Bruce to third, R. Hernandez to second
- B. Schlitter relieved R. Dempster
- B. Phillips walked, J. Bruce scored, R. Hernandez to third, B. Arroyo to second
- O. Cabrera popped out to shallow left
- R. Hernandez scored, B. Arroyo to third, B. Phillips to second on passed ball
- J. Votto intentionally walked
- S. Rolen singled to shallow center, B. Arroyo scored, B. Phillips to third, J. Votto to second
- J. Gomes doubled to deep center, J. Votto and S. Rolen scored
- J. Bruce walked
- B. Howry relieved B. Schlitter
- R. Hernandez doubled to deep left, J. Gomes and J. Bruce scored
- D. Stubbs flied out to right

9 runs, 3 hits, 1 errors

9 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 6 walks and a passed ball. Two runs scored on bases-loaded walks, another run scored on a passed ball. Cincinnati had three runs home before it got its first base hit of the inning.

It's been a long time since I've seen a team have a defensive inning this bad. It was such a train wreck, I couldn't stop watching.

Now, we have word the Blackhawks have made an addition to their team. John Scott -- a 6-foot-8, 27-year-old defenseman -- has agreed to a two-year deal worth $500,000 per season.

Scott played in 51 games with the Minnesota Wild last year. He had one goal and one assist, but it doesn't seem like scoring is the reason he's playing pro hockey. Here's Scott in action:

I'm not a big fan of guys who are good for nothing except fighting. Goons are basically useless in the modern NHL. The Blackhawks just won a Stanley Cup without a single goon on their roster. Scott is more than likely a waste of $500,000, but there's a certain part of the Blackhawk fan base that is going to love this guy. I wouldn't be surprised to see a few Scott sweaters being worn around the United Center this year.

OK, I was wrong yesterday. The Blackhawks did indeed make one more cost-cutting trade today, sending Andrew Ladd to the Atlanta Thrashers for defenseman Ivan Vishnevskiy and a second-round pick.

In addition, Adam Burish (pictured) agreed to a two-year contract with the Dallas Stars. Burish, who was limited to 13 games this past season due to a serious knee injury, was an unrestricted free agent. Burish's departure is not a surprise. I don't believe the Hawks offered him a contract.

As I've mentioned in previous blogs, I am a big fan of Ladd's and would have liked to have seen the Hawks keep him. But the team has to take care of goaltender Antti Niemi and defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson first. Simply put, a goaltender and a top four defenseman are more valuable than a third-line winger. If one of those three had to go, then it was going to be Ladd.

I do have to give Hawks GM Stan Bowman credit. He's getting players and picks in return for all of the players he is moving. He's not just dumping guys for future considerations. It's clear that Bowman has been working the phones and building a market for these guys. The general consensus is Bowman has gotten decent return with each of these trades.

In the case of the Ladd deal, Chicago hockey fans may already be familiar with Vishnevskiy. The 22-year-old played in 28 games with the Chicago Wolves last season. He had two goals and 10 assists and played extensively on the power play. He's a skilled offensive defenseman, albeit a bit undersized. I think he needs another year in the minors, but he might fit in as a puck-moving defenseman in the NHL in the future.

One other point to make about all these transactions: It sucks to see guys who helped bring Chicago a Stanley Cup leave town, but it's important to focus on the players who are still here, not those who have left. Remember, the Hawks still have their goaltender. They still have their top four defensemen. They still have five of their top six forwards from last year. And they still have one of the best checking-line centers in the league. This is still a damn good team, even with all these trades.

Do not despair. Another winning season of hockey awaits Chicago in October.