No matter the outcome of this World Series, this Sox team has burned itself into the cultural memory of White Sox fans forever. In 2075, grandparents will still remember and talk about the starting rotation and the lineup for the 2005 White Sox. Fantastic sports weekend by the way, with NU pirate-raiding Michigan State, and the Bears "beating" the Ravens.Game-Changing Break (TM) - Dye's HBP, loads the bases, Paulie's spanks one into the misty night. The new Sox drinking game is taking a swill every time an ump blows a call and the Sox cash in. The other one involves when AJ pisses someone off (like calling time and stepping out of the box when Clemens was in his windup). Double bonus if AJ's the one that drives in the run. Speaking of which, I think Clemens is done for the series. That's three series in a row that the Sox have missed the other team's top starter (altho, I'd probably put Oswalt ahead of Clemens).
Shut UP - Bubba, don't tell the world, including Jeff Bagwell and the Astros, that you were trying to throw high heat to Bagwell at the end of Game 1 because that's what the scouting report said to do at 0-2. Game 2, Bagwell faces Jenks in the 9th, singles. The man's not a Hall of Famer because he's an idiot.
Smartball (TM) - Been noticing that if Ozzie has a runner on first with Podsednik at bat with two outs, he generally sends the runner, figuring that if the runner gets thrown out, Pods still leads off the next inning; if not, a runner moves into scoring position. Thus Uribe stealing in the 2nd inning against Pettitte, the best pickoff pitcher in the game. Smartball (TM) is also calculated risk-taking like that, and also like Podsednik, a slap hitter all year, looking to pull the fastball from Lidge when he got the count to 2-1.
The menta' game - Pujols beats Lidge on a bad slider, Pods beats him on a fastball. I didn't think he'd be fazed, but maybe he's still shaken up?
Crede - Local media were making a big deal of Joe's defense, comparing him to immortals like Brooks Robinson or Graig Nettles. He reminds me more of Scott Brosius from the championship Yankees of recent vintage, right down to the quiet demeanor, steady glove, and late-inning/bottom-of-the-lineup thunder.
Oswalt - is going to be flat-out untouchable. He's going to give up 1 run, if any. I like Garland's sinkerball stuff to keep the Astros out of the Crawford Boxes, but I don't see him shutting them out, not with how Berkman is swinging the bat.
