Winter and Baseball

30 Day Baseball Challenge

6. Your favorite ballpark

I’ve really liked every stadium I’ve ever been to. Every one is unique, but they all offer that same view of the grass in the outfield when you walk in. U.S. Cellular Field has become so familiar me, managed by the best groundskeeper in baseball. Camden Yards is some sort of baseball heaven. Nationals Stadium is beautiful. Miller Park is a cathedral. Fenway… well, all I remember about Fenway when I went at age six or so was that there is a big green wall across the grass. 

That’s it for the major league stadiums I’ve been to, but I have to mention Camelback Ranch out in Glendale, AZ, the Spring Training home of the White Sox and the Dodgers. I went there for ST in 2010, and everything about it was awesome. So, I can’t really choose a favorite. I love them all, and I eagerly await the opportunities to see even more stadiums.

Camelback Ranch. What I’d give to go back.

30 Day Baseball Challenge

5. A player you wish your team DIDN’T have

If I had been answering this a year ago, there would have been some pretty clear answers. As it is now, I don’t think there really are a lot of players on the Sox that I don’t want to have. There are some that aren’t very good, but they have their strengths and I would be content to wait for a turnaround. Beckham, for example, is killing this offense, but he has Gold-Glove caliber defense. The same goes for Alexei. I think at least one of those has to warm up at some point. 

Then there are guys like Ohman and Stewart, who aren’t very good, but it would be a little pointless to waste good bullpen arms on mop-up duty. They’re good for pitching in blowouts and saving other pitchers. 

Also, if I had been answering this a year ago, it’s Rios. 

(Photo from here)

30 Day Baseball Challenge

4. A player you wish your team had

Well, this is pretty broad. There are a ton of players I wish the Sox had. Kershaw, Cain, Kemp, Wright, the list could go on and on. If it were just for this year, though, and if the player was healthy the whole year, I’d go with Josh Hamilton. White Sox starting pitching and bullpen is good enough to get by; they just need more offense. Hamilton and Konerko are neck and neck in batting average and OBP and having a lineup with them and Dunn would be awesome.

(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images North America)

I’d go with someone else long-term, maybe Trout or Lawrie or someone, but if this is for a “now” impact, Hamilton’s it. 

30 Day Baseball Challenge

3. Your favorite player from any team

This is sort of a tough one. There are a lot of players that I really enjoy watching. Many are on the White Sox, just because I see them more often. Konerko is awesome, I love how Dunn is hitting, and AJ is a favorite as well. Off the Sox, I really like Todd Helton, who I think is criminally underrated. I have to mention Mark Buehrle as well and try to ignore that hideous uniform he now wears. 

(Photo by Sarah Glenn/Getty Images North America)

Ugh. 

30 Day Baseball Challenge

2. Your least favorite team

I sort of have to go along with the bandwagon here and at least mention the Yankees and Red Sox (who basically are the Yankees, just in a different city), and I’m obligated to say the Cubs, but those are so common to hate that I’ll talk about my other two.

1. The Twins. I hate the Twins. I hate their “grinder” mentality. I hate that the White Sox can’t beat them, no matter how bad the Twins are (yesterday being a prime example). I hate how they beat you with their smallball and it’s so frustrating, and I hate how they beat you with a home run and it’s even more frustrating because they don’t even have many guys that hit a lot of home runs. I hate how every time it seems like the Sox are going to make the playoffs, the Twins swoop up from behind and win the division. I don’t mind the other teams in the Central, but I just can’t stand the Twins (as a fan, that is— professionally, I think it would be fascinating to work for them). 

2. The Orioles. I hate the Orioles for much the same reasons as I hate the Twins. Mostly because the Sox can’t beat them. When I lived in Northern Virginia, my only chance to see the White Sox was when they came to Baltimore, and so I went every year from 2006 until 2009. I never once saw the Sox win. I don’t know what it is about them, but it’s the most frustrating thing in the world. Although, again, I think it would be awesome to work for them, and I guess I’m sort of rooting for them to keep doing well? 

That all said, the Blackout Game from 2008 is still my favorite Twins-related memory, and it hurt so much seeing Jim wear a Twins uniform a couple of seasons later. What an atmosphere. I remember watching this game live and being amazed. Johnny Danks with the 8 scoreless; Ken Griffey Jr. making up for his entire crappy season with us with that amazing throw that A.J. clotheslined Cuddyer on at the plate; Thome’s shot that was the only run in the game; Brian Anderson’s diving catch to end it. Oh man. I miss those days (sort of). It also led to some of my favorite baseball pictures ever, most notably this one.

(photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images North America)

Oh, Jim. We miss you. 

Here’s the link to that Griffey throw, by the way. Take a second and watch it. It’s incredible.

30 Day Baseball Challenge

1. Your favorite team

My favorite team is, of course, the Chicago White Sox. Why? In recent seasons it’s been hard to explain. My dad is a Sox fan, as is his dad. We all live in or around Chicago. We like it when our team wins, so that rules out the Cubs. Boom. White Sox. 

They do exasperate and frustrate me at times, of course, but I’ll still root for them at the end of the day. Also, there’s nothing sweeter than beating the Cubs (other than winning a World Series, of course). 

(Picture by David Banks/Getty Images)

30 Day Baseball Challenge

Alright! Finals are over, I’m home for the summer, and the sad places in my mouth where my wisdom teeth used to be have stopped throbbing to the point of distraction. That means I can stop merely reblogging pictures and actually add content of my own! Sort of. I though I’d ease back into it with this fun thing, starting tomorrow.

Fun Baseball-Reference Fact of the Day

Carl Miles only appeared in two games in his career. He managed to give up 12 runs in only 8 innings, although he did go 3-4 with a double at the plate.

…Ok, it’s been a while. I’ll get used to it again before long.

Check out the other, probably more interesting Facts of the Day here.