this could lead to all kinds of answers, but I have a pretty good one...
i'm coming back from enthralling Class AA IHSA girls soccer in Napes i stop by the corner gas station for some coffee and i get out of the car and what do i hear?
that song is truly, truly special when you're standing in line for a Cup O' Joe and people are pumping gas and buying Red Bull.
And it's nice to see the Bulls jump on the bandwagon by adding a little Fire and Passion to the mix with Dougy C. I only wish he would rock the perm again....
Speaking of fire ... or matches...or lighters...here's hoping Joakim kept the incense from his hair when he was blazin' down in F-L-A....Noah.bmp
He's not closing games but left-handed pitcher Matt German continues to do well in the Phillies organization. Could he be moving up the organizational ladder soon? Stay tuned.
The former Marmion Academy and Northern Illinois University standout who signed as an undrafted free agent last June, was named to the Florida State League (Class A) All-Star team last week. He's one of three players from the Clearwater Threshers selected. The game is June 14th.
German, who had a 1.54 ERA in his first pro season, has started strong in his second year. He continues to work out of the bullpen and opened with a seven-game scoreless streak, allowing three hits while limiting batters to a .094 ERA in that span with 13 strikeouts.
In 14 appearances with 22 innings pitched he is 0-0 with a 2.45 ERA having allowed 14 hits, walking 11 and striking out 24.
The next rung for German on the Phils' ladder would be the Class AA Reading (Pa.) Phillies.
the guys were pulled off the course again about 12 minutes ago, with the first groups making it through only six holes...
the players must hate this - waiting ... get going .... stop .... wait .... maybe play again....
these guys are creatures of habit, always sticking to routine...and that has all been broken today...
the worst thing about golf (and baseball for that matter) is the potential for a rain delay....which is what we had early at the Bank of America Open at The Glen Club in Glenview...
The 2nd round started an hour and a half late .... and now things are moving along seemingly at a glacial pace. Most of the leaders don't tee off until the afternoon, except for Kris Blanks (currently t2, two shots back of leader Kyle Reifers)....
There is drama today though - there is very little wind right now, setting up another great scoring day. Heading in, the projected cut is currently at 2-under, but who knows what will happen once the next system moves in....especially since the round wont be finished today...they'll go to 2 tees tomorrow to finish the round and begin the 3rd..
Rain delays in golf are odd ... its not like at a baseball game where the home team invariably plays highlights....there literally is nothing to do...
To pass the time, here's some rain delay video...
and what exactly is "brain dead damage" and "heat heating up"??...rain delays throw off even the media people in this sport...
Sure, you can point to current leader Kyle Reifers (9-under) or any of the other guys currently bunched up at the top of the leaderboard on a day great for scoring, but the round of the day belongs to Tee McCabe, without a doubt. (and check out that link - I don't think they have a picture of him, so they just grabbed a clipart golfer or something and put that in there)
The 31-year-old, who finished t9 here last year, carded a 3-under 69, putting him good position to not only make the cut, but contend over the weekend. That's not the story though.....
Coming off a WD last week due to a disc problem in his back, he's out here getting around without much practice, a little sore and not able to capitalize on his strength - driving.
"I normally sit up there and smash it," he said. "I actually drove it pretty well but I feel handcuffed because of my back."
So, he starts off on the par 5 first hole with a snowman. boom. 3-over to start your day.
Then, he catches fire, or, as he says "Making a triple on the first hole actually frees you up though."
hits it to 2 feet on No. 2.
holes a 20-footer for bird on No. 3.
Misses a 5-footer for birdie on No. 5, makes bogey on No. 6.
knocks it to 4-feet on No. 7 - then misses an 18-inch birdie putt on 8!
Then right back to it: Pures it to 3 feet on No. 9, 6 feet on No. 10.
Rolls an 18-footer in on 12, taps in a 2-footer on 13....then two putts from 15 feet for birdie on 14....
then finishes with bogey No. 18
"I came in this week unprepared. To hit shots like I did today, I'm pretty happy," he said.
In all, 8 birdies, 2 bogies and a triple - along with a combined 60 inches of missed putts that would have added 2 more birds.
So how does the man himself sum it up? "It was just crazy. If I was healthy I'd be really pissed right now."
Then he entertained a handful of media and tournament types with some slight of hand...which is pretty damn good.
You cannot make this stuff up. "A veteran sumo wrestler who attacked a junior grappler with a cooking utensil has been ordered to take a salary cut for his violent outburst."
So many things about sports frustrate me - MMA...Juan Uribe...incessant whining (name any player, any team, any sport), countless off-the-field incidents (name any Noah, Bengal or Pacman)...and then this, which counts as an "off-the-mat incident" but is just insanely funny....
Toyozakura, 34, apologized after admitting he used a ladle to hit the apprentice on the head.
"I asked him to do something, which I don't remember exactly, but he couldn't do it," Toyozakura said, according to Agence France-Presse.
The great part about golf is that there is always a back nine, so if you somehow didn't get your fill on the front side - there's always more to be had after the turn. That's what this part of the Beacon News' weekly golf coverage will do for you
This week, we take a look at qualifying for the U.S. Open and Nick Schenk's upcoming qualifying rounds at Conway Farms in Lake Forest....Read on for that, as well as some great U.S. Open video...
Reigning Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year Bob Sanders is coming to Aurora to provide football instruction for third through seventh graders. The Indianpolis Colts' strong safety will be at the first of four weekend camps, June 7-8.
Collaboration by Rodney Davis' L.I.F.E. Support Inc. and the Aurora Superstars Youth Tackle Football League have put the camps together and they're offered at a reasonable price ($25 for league members, $50 for non-members). Sessions will be held at Hupp Park at the corner of Orchard Road and Illinois Avenue.
Interested? Contact Davis at 630-844-1930 or 630-742-8022.
Look - sometimes, it's just over, or as Hawk likes to say 'OVAH!'
If you're an athlete, you get old. That's not good, but you can't avoid it. Back in the day (like the 90's and early 00's) you could stave it off with some well cycled 'roids or HGH. But not now. ... but back back in the day, the ol' school, when you got old, you turned to suck.
That's what happens when you get old in sports. Guys today don't realize this. And for some reason, us media folks don't realize it. So we continue to feed their enormous egos by saying "you should still be playing" or "why don't these old sucky guys have jobs?"
HelllllLOOO - old = bad = no one wants you on their team. Get over it.
why not?
the Cubs are - I cannot believe that the Cubs told their fans in left field to not say anything mean to Alfonso Soriano, or they'd be ejected. I heard this today on the radio and my jaw dropped.
That's the dumbest thing I've heard since I heard the Cubs were going to sign the decrepit Jim Edmonds...oh wait....
Just because 'So can't catch, or because he can't run doesn't mean that the team has a right to tell its paying customers what they can and cannot say when they're at the game. It's absurd.
"":http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/french08/columns/story?id=3411935&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab3pos1these things - my top 10 lists of sports crap that they try and jam down our throats just because we have a day off.
1. Tennis
2. Horse racing
3. Auto racing
4. Lacrosse?
5. Dancing with a Dolphin, some people _still _think this matters...
6. Do you know who Mike Jarvis is? 1...2....3....- ok,i know you don't. that's fine. I barely recall who he is...yet we have to know he's "back" What?
7. A pro athlete procreated...."named the kid after himself":http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=67823...so people know who the kid is...surprised? me neither. so what?
8. more auto racing....
9-10. Golfersdon't play in tournaments're independent contractors. who gives a crap. Let me know when they do play...geez...and then finally, all the people who play fantasy golf that this affects on a weekly basis. Fantasy golf? Look, I love the sport, but that's way, waaay nerdier than fantasy baseball and football...sorry.
something happened in sports that was worth my time - and yours - and its good enough to be three days worth of Daily Dose....
To me, these are the "dog days" of sport. Who gives a crap about the NBA playoffs anymore? The baseball season is still too early to get excited about. Nothing doing in golf. I heard there's some kind of thing where cars drive around in Indy, but with gas over $4 a gallon, that's off right?
It's so bad right now that I heard some people trying to make a big deal about a soccer match overseas. Riiiiiiggghtt.
Then, thankfully, a minor league baseball team stepped up to the plate by dealing a player for 10 baseball bats. And it was John Odom - no, not that John Odom - who was holed up in a hotel because of immigration issues.
This type of stuff used to happen all the time back in the day - guys getting traded for suits, bats, balls, cleats...whatever was needed. It's just that nowadays, we assume teams have everything they need - like bats.
Here's hoping Odom is a good sport and signs the bats that i'm sure will be handed to him when he arrives at his new destination.
Don Davidson is stepping down after 31 seasons as coach of the boys basketball team at Aurora Christian and will be succeeded by his son, Marc.
To honor him, the school is hosting a Don Davidson Night open house at the school's cafeteria and gym at 2255 Sullivan Road on Friday, June 6th from 6 to 9 p.m.
It's a well-deserved honor for the man who started the school's athletic program and will continue to oversee it. He will also continue to teach Bible study classes and coach the junior high team, which is why the school is dubbing it "a coaching retirement celebration." That's well put.
The big baseball schools in the Beacon News coverage area continued winning this evening, with 3A schools Kaneland, Aurora Central Catholic and Marmion and 4A schools Geneva and West Aurora advancing to regional finals on Saturday.
Marmion and ACC will play each other, and the Cadets are winners of nine in a row and 15 of their last 18. The winner will advance into the Rochelle Sectional.
12th seeded West Aurora upset No. 5 Downers Grove North. The Blackhawks will have their hands full in the Hinsdale Central Regional final with No. 4 Lincoln-Way East.
Geneva is hosting Bartlett in its own regional, but though the Vikings are favored, Bartlett is coming out of the very tough UEC - that should be a good game.
Kaneland put 9 runs across the board to come back and beat Dixon tonight, and will face Western Sun Conference rival Sycamore. That should be a great contest.
On the local golf scene, Matt Slowinski of Glen Oak Country Club defeated Hans Larson of Westmoreland Country Club 2 & 1in the final of the Illinois PGA's Match Play Championship at Kemper Lakes.
The great part about golf is that there is always a back nine, so if you somehow didn't get your fill on the front side - there's always more to be had after the turn. That's what this part of the Beacon News' weekly golf coverage will do for you
This week we catch up with local PGA Tour rookie Kevin Streelman, who is learning how to adjust to life on the tour....Read on for more on Kevin as well as some useful links to upcoming golf outings and events.
Spent the weekend out in the Quad Cities to attend the media day for the PGA Tour stop in Silvis, the John Deere Classic.
With no BMW Championship this year, this is the only chance for golf fans to catch the highest level of the sport.
(Now, the Nationwide Tour's Bank of America Open is no slouch either, as the top notch field will include many PGA Tour members that couldn't get into the Memorial.)
But there is something to be said about being at a PGA Tour event, and having covered the JDC for years, it is unique. First, it's a lot hillier than Dubsdread at Cog Hill - so wear comfortable shoes. And you will see really good golf - that's a guarantee.
From out here, the drive is very nice. It's over 2 hours, sure, and with gas prices what they are, that's something to consider. But, you can get a hotel room cheap and you won't find the type of crowds you get at Cog Hill (unless you want to follow Iowa native Zach Johnson). And, it's a simple trek - I-88 pretty much ends right at TPC and a Ramada.
There are casinos down there, and other nice places to visit and golf - definitely worth your time to go out there in July.
I want to thank head pro Kevin Kwak and Crow Valley Golf Club in Davenport, for hosting some of us media folk for a great day of golf on Sunday. The course is fabulous, and the greens were rolling at a mere 10.3. If the name sounds familiar, it is - Crow Valley was the host of the first Quad City Open.
Monday was media day at TPC Deere Run where defending champ Jonathan Byrd made an appearance. Having played this course a handful of times, I highly recommend it.
Speaking of recommendations, if you want to have some fun and have time to kill tomorrow, the first major of the Illinois PGA's season is underway and will finish up tomorrow at Kemper Lakes.
The semi-finals of the Match Play will begin at 8 am with the Finals slated for Noon.
Head out there for some great golf, especially since Westmoreland Country Club's Hans Larson is making a great run. He started the tournament as the 104th seed, after all.
Here's who is left: (104),Hans Larson,Westmoreland CC, (4) Darren Stanek,Oak Club of Genoa, (15),Simon Allan,Westmoreland CC and (3),Matt Slowinski,Glen Oak CC.
I can't believe I just watched the Bulls get the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft.
Normally, I don't give a crap about this type of thing - but the idea of getting Chicago native Derrick Rose to run the point in this new era in the NBA actually got me fired up as a Bulls fan.
This is part of what makes pro sports great - grown men acting like children, but with the funds to act like children in a really, really funny way (and no, there is no blowup doll in this blog)...Griffey Pennies.bmp
1) I need to stay off of any Cubs-related blogs, websites and message boards. The collective intelligence of many of the people I have encountered recently borders on the ridiculous and it is driving me batty. Sometimes I'm wondering if I'm living in an alternate universe from the rest of them. In mine the team is in first place in the division and are on pace to win 99 games. In theirs...
* Lou has no idea about how to put together a batting order, despite the fact the Cubs are one of the one of the highest-scoring teams in the league.
* Derrek Lee never gets hits at the right time, despite the fact he is on pace for close to 40 homers and 120 RBIs. Oh yeah, that even though Kosuke Fukudome is an on-base machine (.426 OBP) and has either started and/or kept alive more rallies this year than any player in recent team history, he is overrated for the same reason.
* Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez need to both be traded, ASAP.
* Jim Edmonds is going to make the team better, even though he is slower in the field and has a lower batting average than Felix Pie, the guy he is replacing.
* Matt Murton is the final piece to the Cubs' World Series puzzle.
* And so on. See what I mean?
The team is actually GOOD! Shouldn't we Cub fans be enjoying this? Even a little?
2) Big Brown might be the coolest name for a horse ever. Maybe it's because he is so good, but the name just screams "I'm going to whip your...". Then again, he is so good, his name could be I'm A Steaming Pile Of Donkey Crap and I would probably think that was cool, too. I'm easily amused.
3) If it rains in Indianapolis Saturday (as is expected), Sunday's Indy 500 time trials -- with 22 starting spots still up for grabs -- could be one of the most dramatic days at the Brickyard in recent memory. Which will then be surpassed by next Sunday's race, the first unified open-wheel 500 in 13 years. My early-line pick to click? Dan Wheldon.
4) If Cedric Benson were a 1,500-yard back we wouldn't be having any of the discussions that have been dominating the sports pages for the last week. Then again, if he were a 1,500-yard back he would have probably gotten off with a warning. And, if he had half as much heart as Earl Campbell, who criticized him yesterday for his actions, he would probably be a 1,500-yard back.
5) If it weren't for the likes of Calvin Murphy (14 illegitimate kids), Travis Henry (nine) and Shawn Kemp (seven), I might think that Lance Briggs is one of the dumbest pro athletes on the planet. Doesn't the guy ever drive past a Walgreens?
The great part about golf is that there is always a back nine, so if you somehow didn't get your fill on the front side - there's always more to be had after the turn. That's what this part of the Beacon News' weekly golf coverage will do for you
But that's not the type of speed you need. You need this kind of speed...
i'll admit, i cruise around espn.com quite a bit looking for sports stories that catch my eye, but there is something that always intrigued me on every baseball page of that site...
at the bottom of each story is an advertisement for ring tones about that particular subject, whether it be "Tampa Bay Devil Rays Ringtones" (yes, that's what it says) .. no word on if the ringtone is actually crickets with an echo...
i'm sure someone is dying for "NASCAR Ringtones" ... I wonder how many rings it would take for one of those guys to run through all their sponsors...
anyway...curiosity finally got to me and I clicked on "Chicago Cubs Ringtones" which is provided by Celly Tonez. but that's as far as I got because I really don't trust companies that take a word, pluralize it, and then add a "Z" at the end to make it sound cool.
Word on the street about the recruitment of Beacon-News Boys Basketball Player of the Year Mark Adams?
Aurora University is still in the hunt and would be a good choice for the 6-foot-2 shooting guard who had a banner senior season for coach Nate Drye.
Intriguing, though, is speculation that new Western Illinois University coach Jim Molinari wants Adams to walk on to the team in Macomb. The bet here is, he'd then earn that D-1 scholarship.
Golf is a sport that can be played a high level until a player is in their early 40's - for both men and women - so to hear her want to pack up the clubs at 37 was surprising.
What's also interesting is that she's exiting like Michael Jordan (the first and second times) - at the top of her sport, as arguably the greatest player ever in her sport, but holding few key records. (click the following to see where MJ ranks in career points, ppg average,field goals and free throws. )
Annika made women's golf watchable. She inspired many of the young players you see now. But she's not the all time leader in major championships or career victories on the LPGA Tour...which may be more surprising to most observers than the fact that she's retiring.
She's third in all-time wins including three wins this year) with 72 - 16 behind Kathy Witworth - and tied for fourth in career majors with 10 - five behind Patty Berg.
What makes this announcement so interesting is that this is the way the game of golf is going to go for those at the very top of the LPGA and PGA Tours in the coming years.
Current women's world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa has said she's going to call it quits after 10 years in the game.
And don't think that Tiger Woods won't hang it up well before he's eligible for the Champions Tour (which is only 18 years away). The guy is already coming off his 3rd knee surgery...
Same goes with guys like Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia.
The money is too great now - and golfers seem to spend (and more importantly, save) it better than their counterparts in other pro sports. They won't need to keep teeing it up in their late 40's or their 50's.
Real quick...
which Jacque Jones tribute is better ....
this one
or this one
...
or this one to Omar Infante
Now, this one is really, really disturbing. There are several tributes to The Fire and The Passion, Aaron Rowand, but none from Sox fans. (which is refreshing, actually)
Now, tell me how in the world this person mixed in some Willie Mays with The Fire and The Passion....well, I actually know how and why...and methinks that posting another pic of Snoop Dogg would fit right in...
with Paul Goydos battlin Sergio Garcia for The Players championship on Sunday.
Too bad that golf announcing is so stuffy on television...you would have thought that in four days, someone, anyone, would have connected Goydos' reppin' Long Beach to Snoop Dogg, and then cut to some Snoop footage - or at least throw up a mug shot of each of them.
So, I was checking out this list of top 10 strange baseball deaths, and then a bit later I checked out the fantastic Baseball-Reference.com sorting tool called "Similar Batters" on Juan Uribe...and I fought it interesting that 2 of the 10 on one list, appeared on the other...
what are the chances?
I also caught the very end of a movie called "Beyond the Law" starring Charlie Sheen in a bad beard. (doesn't this trailer just get you all fired up?)
I turned it on just in time for The Slow Clap scene, initiated by a balding, mulleted man in one of those Party City-brand FBI jackets.
I wonder if in the scripts of those movies the writer's put it like this Charlie Sheen walks in
Cut to bald, mulleted man in Party City-brand FBI jacket.
Bald, mulleted man in Party City-brand FBI jacket slowly rises.
Cut to Sheen, looking out quizzically at the dead silent room.
Cut back to bald, mulleted man in Party City-brand FBI jacket.
Begin slow clap
Cut to Sheen, looking out quizzically at the dead silent room, save one slow clapper
Cut back to bald, mulleted and now clapping man in Party City-brand FBI jacket
Every other extra rises and joins in the slow clap
Clap gets fast and crazy
Cut to Sheen, looking out quizzically at the now clapping room
Anyone else loving The Slow Clap? Got any favorites? This one was pretty good, I must say. I mean, I totally didn't see it coming - especially not from the balding, mulleted man in the Party-City brand FBI jacket. Wow.
The great part about golf is that there is always a back nine, so if you somehow didn't get your fill on the front side - there's always more to be had after the turn. That's what this part of the Beacon News' weekly golf coverage will do for you
One of the best stats you can keep for yourself is your Greens In Regulation, and what it means is pretty simple: the more you hit, the lower your scores. (Or, if you hit a ton of greens in regulation but you're still making bogey or worse, then your putting is your foil.)
I know that this is a little early in the week, but I wanted to take a quick moment to recognize Moms -- like mine -- who had a lot to do with my sports career as a youngster and who helped develop the love for the game(s) that I have today.
My Dad definitely had a lot to do with it, too. I think about him a lot this time of year because it's getting to a time of the year that reminds me of our shared passions -- golf and the Indy 500.
But Moms like mine don't get enough credit. Sure, we recognize them for driving us all over the place, sitting in the stands and cheering for us and doing all of the little things (like washing our uniforms or making sure our equipment was where we could find it) that help make our lives easier. And they are definitely good at that. Heck, I think when it comes to that my own wife, Deedee, is a true all-star. My two guys are lucky to have her love and support.
But there are some that are a little more "hands on", and that was my mom. A great athlete in her own right who if she had come along post-Title IX would have surely been All-Something or another and a Division I athlete, she seemed to like to play almost as much as I did. Growing up in a family of brothers, she could hold her own on the ball field, played varsity tennis and was such a good ice skater she once won a city-wide speed skating competition in her hometown.
We still play golf together at times, and because my dad traveled a lot while I was growing up, she also taught me to play tennis, hit me ground balls whenever I asked, gave me batting tips (like when she told me to stop swinging the bat like I thought I was Johnny Mize!) and would shoot some hoops in the driveway if I asked.
Since my sister and I both started running a few years ago, she has gotten up at the crack of dawn to watch us run races, and last year followed me along on a bike as I put in a 14-mile run in preparation for the Chicago Marathon.
Did I mention that she is almost 71 years old?
An amazing person in every sense of the word, I definitely love her greatly and miss her bunches since she spends most of her time in Florida. Still, I am so thankful that I had a person like her in my life and am grateful for the time and energy she gave me while I was growing up.
So Happy Mother's Day, Mom! Look forward to seeing you next week!
yes, there is a way to play this game where you are literally just happy to swing the club, roll a putt, mark down a score.
In Iraq, playing golf is a fantastic diversion, and lipouts and lost balls are the furthest thing from irritating. This is the latest story I've seen on soldiers playing this great game to pass the time, and here are some others...
I usually like to link to these types of things, but you need to see it here - this is from the Associated Press' Doug Ferguson, one of the best in the business: Make sure to read the whole thing...
NO CADDIES ALLOWED
A half-dozen players not eligible for the pro-am last week on the LPGA Tour were on the putting green, with their caddies standing on the fringe. That's courtesy of a daft new policy that bans caddies from being on the practice green between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Turns out a couple of players were having a putting contest when a caddie was standing in their line. They asked him to move, he did, but that wasn't enough. They went to the commissioner to complain about crowded conditions on the green, and a new policy was enacted.
The fine for a caddie being on the green--to work with his player's mechanics or retrieve balls from the cup--is $500.
The policy even applies to the chipping area, and it's peculiar to see players hit three or four chips, then shag their own golf balls.
Count Juli Inkster among those who think the policy is bordering on ridiculous.
"You know what? It's women," she said when asked for a comment. "If you just put that down, everyone will know what you mean. Just capitalize 'women' and you don't need to explain anything else."
What? Helllooooo all you ladies in the media!!!?? Where are you going to be on that one? To me, that's more disrespectful towards women than anything the White Sox did with an inflatable doll because, well, Inkster is talking about real, living, breathing people!
I saw this on Yahoo! Three hours and 37 minutes ago, which is long enough for people to pick up on it. And I'll be honest - I'll be more than a little disappointed if this gets no play from the same media types that bashed the White Sox...
I wasn't going to see the new Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher movie "What Happens in Vegas," because, quite frankly, it looks too stupid -- even for my tastes. But after hearing Kutcher on ESPN radio the other day I changed my mind.
The question was (paraphrasing) "If you could play any position for any professional team, what would it be."
Kutcher's answer: Middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears. (paraphrasing) "That team has so much tradition and they've had so many great players at that position, it would be awesome to be part of that."
C'mon. No one really cares. Look, if the Sox were +10 games in the standings, we'd invite Ozzie over to serenade our grandmothers.
If Cedric Benson were an All Pro, 1,600 yard rusher, we'd chalk it up to a guy having a little too much fun during the offseason
And if the Sox lineup somehow comes out of this funk to hit .300 the rest of the season, how many inflatable dolls dressed in Swisher jerseys will we see at The Cell? Exactly.
(And don't get me started on the "outrage" over this horse, or horseracing, or whatver...no one cares No one. If I would've won 4 grand on that horse finishing second, or I lost 4 grand because it didn't win- I still wouldn't care less what the hell happened to it.)
This isn't sports people. None of it. So who gives a crap?
maybe it's ignorance born out of frustration, but there is a part of me that thinks I could get a hit at least 24% of the time...which would be better than the White Sox as a team is currently doing.
Flashback to '07, without a doubt.
I'm not one to call for people's jobs, especially those in positions I know nothing about (i.e. major league hitting coach); but the Sox hit .246 as a team last year (.318 OBP); following a .259 performance in Sept & Oct. of 06 when the team went in the toilet..
To me - that's not a slump. That's bad. Really bad. And it may not be Greg Walker's fault. It is entirely possible that Paul Konerko is done in his 12th season. That Jermaine Dye is done in his 13th season. That Jim Thome is done in his 18th season.
These guys are not in their prime anymore, regardless of what their contracts say. Sometimes you just get old real quick.
Look, us Sox fans will always love Juan Uribe for those final two outs of the 2005 World Series. Always. (It is true that if Derek Jeter, or A-Rod, or Mike Lowell or whoever else plays East of Pennsylvania, they'd go down in history and be replayed endlessly.)
But, the cold hard truth is that Juan Uribe sucks. Badly. At the plate, he's not even a black hole. He's a hole that even a black hole gets sucked into.
It's not just the average. It's the OBP. He hasn't gotten on base 29% of the time since '05. That's a level of suck not matched my many regulars that didn't toss the rawhide with Jake Taylor in the Mexican League...
Fret not Sox fans, as of today - May 2 - there are a ton of other guys that suck like Juan Uribe....so many that you have to read on to see them all...
(this is how I found these guys. I only looked at the regular starters for each of the 32 major league teams...then I found guys who had an under .300 OBP so far in '08)
So even though we hate Uribe, trust that fans in these cities are hating these guys just as much...only not really, because they know that they'll get better...which actually gives us no solace at all...
Here's the fun part - save this page and at the end of the year let's see how many of these guys suck like Uribe at the end of the season! Yay!
I just heard on the radio that Cubs fans think that Mark Cuban's "Passion" is right for Chicago and that's one of the reasons they want him to buy the Cubs....
You know who has The Passion - It's the White Sox. Look. Here's the proof. It's on their wall....it's part of their stadium
Although, this picture was taken on the next turn down the concourse, and something is missing..
Obviously, Aaron Rowand took The Fire with him when he left...that's the only way to explain it....and Juan Uribe's on base percentage...
of the White Sox's continual insistence in not dealing with Scott Boras. Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf was on with Mike North this morning talking about a variety of topics and sure enough, the topic of Joe Crede's impending free agency came up.
And that brought up Boras.
And that brought about more whining about how difficult Boras is to deal with and that more than likely Crede will be gone....
Get over it. This is like saying you're not drinking milk because you don't like the cow.... or you won't listen to the radio because you don't believe in speaker wire...or refusing to breathe because you're not happy with the sun that day.
The great part about golf is that there is always a back nine, so if you somehow didn't get your fill on the front side - there's always more to be had after the turn. That's what this part of the Beacon News' weekly golf coverage will do for you
Today's front nine is about hybrid clubs, and what they can do for your game. Most players should switch out their long irons (3 & 4, sometimes 5 & 6) and move to hybrid that is much easier to hit with consistency. (Boo Weekley won the Verizon Heritage, twice, with a hybrid in the bag)
That's the key word here - consistency. Read on for more on hybrids, tips on how to hit them with help from Tanna Farms assistant pro Jeremy Groot and Phillips Park/Fox Valley Golf Club head pro Jeff Schmidt...Also read on for some local golf news and specials!
Rick Armstrong The dean of the Beacon News sports staff, Armstrong covers the boys basketball and Northern Illinois University beats along with general sports coverage.
Jim Owczarski A graduate of North Central College, Owczarski covers the high school football beat in the fall and the local golf beat year around. He also serves as the Beacon News’ main sports features/enterprise writer. He has won several national writing awards and has a weekly column that runs on Sundays.
Mike Knapp A sports writer at the Beacon News for over eight years, Knapp is the Kane County Cougars beat writer.
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About this Archive
This page is an archive of entries from May 2008 listed from newest to oldest.
Rick Armstrong 
Jim Owczarski 
Mike Knapp 
