White Sox News

"There was finally a run, but still no win, for a Mariners team that was punchless in every way imaginable Friday night. A day after at least going down swinging against the Texas Rangers, the Mariners barely put up a fight against the Chicago White Sox, losing 4-2 in front of a subdued crowd of 27,169 at Safeco Field, their ninth defeat in their last 10 games."

"Taking two of three from the Minnesota Twins was enough to allow the White Sox at least a deep breath. But it wasn't enough to keep manager Ozzie Guillen from toying with an ineffective lineup. Before the game Friday against the Seattle Mariners, Guillen put Nick Swisher on the bench until possibly Sunday. That's no surprise, considering the switch-hitter, who started the season so well, has struggled recently."

"It was an article that interested Don Cooper. ‘‘Let me hear about it,’’ the White Sox pitching coach said, hours before Friday night’s 4-2 win over Seattle at Safeco Field. The premise was a story he and the organization have heard before, but one that doesn’t get old for Cooper. Highly regarded pitcher falls on hard times until his team finally gives up on him, and then he has a rebirth with the White Sox. This time it was a Philadelphia newspaper reporter writing about Gavin Floyd."

"After a rough start, Octavio Dotel has embraced his expanded role with the White Sox. Dotel's two scoreless innings Thursday against Minnesota were just a sampling of his new duties. "Sometimes I warm up and sit down, and it takes me a while to get going again," said Dotel, who struck out five Thursday and hasn't allowed an earned run in his last five appearances. "I understand how [manager] Ozzie Guillen is trying to get the most out of our staff because the starters are doing a great job."

"After manager Ozzie Guillen hinted of more lineup changes, Paul Konerko and Jim Thome each made cases Friday night to stay in their respective spots in the White Sox's lineup. Konerko hit a two-run double to highlight a three-run third-inning rally, and Thome launched a home run as the Sox beat Seattle 4-2."

"White Sox righthander Gavin Floyd took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Twins this week. Last month, he had a no-no going into the eighth against Detroit. And you just know that's causing some indigestion down at One Citizens Bank Way. Floyd, of course, is the former Phillies No. 1 draft choice (fourth overall in 2001) who was disappointing in pinstripes and gladly traded to Chicago for Freddy Garcia before the 2007 season."

"The Twins got manager Ron Gardenhire back Thursday, then lost him in the sixth inning when he was ejected for the 37th time in his career. They lost Pat Neshek to a right elbow strain in the eighth, and they lost to the Chicago White Sox 6-2 in the finale of their three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field."

"The Twins lost a fifth-inning lead, lost a game -- 6-2 to the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field -- lost a series, and lost top setup man Pat Neshek to a potentially serious elbow injury."

"Rookie Alexei Ramirez became the fourth player to bat in the leadoff spot for the White Sox this season, and he went 1-for-5 with his first career stolen base in their 6-2 victory against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. Orlando Cabrera, who was given the day off, will return to the leadoff spot tonight when the Sox open a weekend series in Seattle."

"Manager Ozzie Guillen said Buehrle's snap was the talk of the clubhouse Thursday morning. And with the Sox in the midst of a May funk, Guillen had no problem with the show of emotion. ''Especially coming from him,'' Guillen said. ''I think he sent a message to his teammates, maybe saying this thing is getting old. We have to have a fire, we have to start playing better. ''I don't mind when the players do that, as long as they don't get hurt.''"

"Perspective is a strange thing at times. See, back in 2005, we never thought having a second child was possible. Heck, I didn't think seeing 2006 was possible. I had just finished up with my last batch of chemotherapy, and we were waiting to find out if the flip-of-the-coin prognosis of my Stage 4 Follicular Lymphoma was going to come up heads or tails... Three years later, I'm supposed to be appalled by the sight of blow-up dolls in a baseball clubhouse?"

"When the week began, speculation centered on the White Sox pushing their sometimes-maddening second baseman overboard. By Thursday, he provided the kind of snapshot moment that can turn a season around. Uribe broke up a potential double play by completely taking out Minnesota Twins second baseman Brendan Harris to keep alive a key two-run rally in the eighth inning of the Sox' 6-2 series-clinching victory at U.S. Cellular Field."

" Jermaine Dye is making up for lost time. The White Sox right fielder has regained the power stroke that deserted him, especially after suffering a left groin strain that caused him to miss four games in late April. After an 0-for-14 slump in which Dye felt rusty, he has rebounded with four home runs in his last seven games, including one in each of the last three."

"Robin Ventura will replace Steve Stone this weekend on WSCR-AM 670's White Sox broadcasts. Can he fill those big shoes? "I don't know," he replied. "I am taller." The impossibly laid-back Ventura subbed for Hawk Harrelson in 2005 and has called College World Series games for ESPN. Could this eventually be a full-time gig?"

"The dented dugout heater was bent back in place Thursday when White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said he has no problem with any of his players displaying their emotions as ace Mark Buehrle did after Wednesday night's tough outing. "I think he sent a message to his teammates, maybe saying this [losing] is getting old," Guillen said Thursday of Buehrle's temper tantrum in which he whacked the heater and a dugout bench with teammate Juan Uribe's bat."

"For one hour and 44 minutes, Carlos Gomez waited. The rain came down hard and fast before, finally, the Twins' leadoff hitter stepped into the batter's box and took an 86-mph cut fastball from White Sox starter Mark Buehrle for ball one at 8:55 p.m. That rain delay created pent-up energy in the center fielder, because once Gomez got going in Minnesota's 13-1 win, he never stopped. "

"If the rest of the players at U.S. Cellular Field were groggy Wednesday night after a 1 hour, 44-minute rain delay, Carlos Gomez certainly wasn't. The Twins' leadoff man hit the third pitch from White Sox starter Mark Buehrle into the left-field seats and then sprinted around the bases. Forget the home run trot. This was a home run blur. Gomez didn't stop hitting or sprinting all night, becoming the eighth player in Twins history and first in 22 years to bat for the cycle, as they cruised to a 13-1 victory."

"Slumps — and the hysteria that surrounds them — make ballplayers do strange things. The Chicago White Sox, for instance, offended sensibilities Sunday by bringing two naked female dolls into their clubhouse and arranging bats around them in an X-rated display. Actually, not all of the bats were around their inflatable guests. One of them was ... oh, never mind. Anyway, this is how the White Sox, last in the American League in hitting at .232 (going into last night), tried to get their offense going again — with some unconditional love from a couple of blown-up Baseball Annies. To complete the picture for you, each wore a sign over her breasts bearing an, uh, inspirational message. Call it a Shrine to the Mendoza Line. If the dolls had any effect on the team's fortunes, it was delayed. The Sox managed only four hits that day and four the next before "erupting" for seven runs and 11 hits in a win over the Twins."

"Gavin Floyd was trying to remember Wednesday how many times he has flirted with no-hitters during his brief career when he finally gave up. ''This is the fifth time. Fourth time? Something like that. I don't know,'' Floyd said. ''I could care less. I just love winning. If I get a no-hitter, great. If not, I try to stay in the game as long as possible and try to keep the team in the game.''"

"When it comes to promoting speedy center fielder Jerry Owens from Class AAA Charlotte to help solve the White Sox' leadoff problem, press the pause button. Yes, Owens was projected to be the leadoff hitter entering spring training, until injuries derailed that plan. Yes, Nick Swisher wasn't the answer. Yes, Sox leadoff hitters entered Wednesday with an AL-worst .208 batting average. But the time isn't right yet to bring on Owens, manager Ozzie Guillen said Wednesday."

"During a five-run sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins -- a team he has dominated during his career -- the usually mild-mannered Buehrle became unglued. The left-hander stomped off the mound, headed directly toward a corner of the dugout and grabbed one of Juan Uribe's bats. Buehrle went ballistic, whacking a dugout heater about five times with a bat that hadn't seen this much action all season. When he was done, Buehrle calmly returned the bat to its spot, plopped himself on the bench and folded his arms. Then he sat steaming through the rest of the inning that put the game away during the first-place Twins' 13-1 romp at U.S. Cellular Field."

"In 2001 a vote in Baseball America named him the high schooler who was second closest to making the major leagues. By 2006, the Phillies figured he wasn't close to staying in the major leagues and traded him to the White Sox for sore-armed pitcher Freddy Garcia. Today Gavin Floyd, the fourth pick overall in the 2001 amateur draft, may be closing in on becoming one of the major leagues' best pitchers."

"The White Sox have shared a good laugh this season over sporting various types of facial hair with different colors. They took that measure one step further for a worthy cause, as Nick Swisher, Bobby Jenks, Toby Hall and John Danks had their facial hair painted pink for Mother's Day and to raise awareness of breast cancer. "I'd like to take credit, but I have to give it to [Hall]," Swisher said. "This is something we've been planning for several weeks now. My mom and grandmother, they're the reason I'm here. I think Mother's Day should be almost every day.""

"• Naked Dancers: Peep Show, $20 for 1/2 Hour" • X-Treme Body Massages with 'Hotties' " • Hot, Wild, Fun—Blonde or Brunette?" — Ads that ran in Wednesday's sports section of the Chicago Sun-Times. Awwww, isn't it sweet of the Sun-Times to go to bat against Ozzie Guillen's bad language and the sexism of the White Sox? My friend Elliott Harris' column ran on a Sun-Times sports page Wednesday with photographs of supermodel Gisele Bundchen in a backless dress and a pair of Playboy Playmates with deep cleavage and bunny ears. Richard Roeper, one of my favorite columnists, concluded his Wednesday column in the Sun-Times with a headline he found on a Web site: " Scarlett Johansson is Engaged, Busty." "Sometimes the headline really does tell us all we need to know," Roeper wrote. It sure does, Rich."

"Guillen contemplated leaving the Sox after they won the 2005 World Series. But he has no regrets about staying, even though he has experienced his share of turmoil before and since. That would include his 2005 spat with Magglio Ordonez and a 2004 long-distance quarrel with former Rangers skipper Buck Showalter. "Magglio, he deserved that, and me and Magglio are friends," Guillen said. "Showalter, I never started anything." Guillen reiterated he regretted calling Alex Rodriguez a hypocrite in a Sports Illustrated issue after Rodriguez was undecided on whether to play for the United States or the Dominican Republic in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. "That was bull about me, that's low-class," Guillen said. Despite his share of controversy, Guillen isn't ready to bail as a manager."

"When manager Ozzie Guillen pleaded with White Sox fans to maintain their patience last weekend, he didn't envision the elements Wednesday night. Mark Buehrle couldn't hold back his frustrations after a poor performance led to American League Central leader Minnesota thrashing the Sox 13-1. Moments after rookie Carlos Gomez hit a two-out RBI double to cap a five-run sixth-inning rally, Buehrle already was off the mound when he gave Guillen the ball."

"By the time Joe Mauer stepped into the batter's box for the fourth time in Minnesota's 7-1 loss Tuesday night, Gavin Floyd had no-hit the Twins for 8 1/3 innings, and the 23,480 at U.S. Cellular Field were on their feet screaming for the White Sox right-hander. They had watched the 25-year-old flirt with no-hit brilliance once before in 2008, when he held the Detroit Tigers hitless for 7 1/3 innings on April 12. On this night, after 103 pitches and with just two outs left until Floyd was the owner of the first no-hitter in the major leagues this year, he offered Minnesota's catcher a 91-mph fastball. "

"One word sums up how the Chicago White Sox felt when they arrived at U.S. Cellular Field on Tuesday: embarrassed. They were coming off an 0-6 road trip and trying to explain a lewd clubhouse gimmick involving blow-up dolls this past weekend in Toronto. White Sox righthander Gavin Floyd pushed all that talk aside, coming two outs from the majors' first no-hitter this season in a 7-1 victory against the Twins."

"Ozzie Guillen didn't deserve to be bailed out by a classy, polite kid with hair combed across his forehead, low on his brow. It isn't news, of course, that Guillen is the clown doofus of sports, a disgrace to a city, a franchise, intelligent humanity and those of us who must chronicle his arrested-adolescent b.s. to the point of ad nauseum. I'm just wondering how he's still employed. If this was bad standup comedy, I'd understand why a trashy nightclub might hire him to humor drunks for $5.50 an hour."

"Officials from commissioner Bud Selig's office contacted the White Sox on Tuesday to discuss the team's controversial display of two inflatable dolls in their clubhouse over the weekend in Toronto, but no punishment is expected to be handed down, according to team and Major League Baseball sources."

"It was a busy day for White Sox general manager Ken Williams on Tuesday. He didn't accompany his team to Toronto for a four-game series against the Blue Jays, but he dealt with the fallout upon their return to U.S. Cellular Field. Much of his day was spent handling the controversy over the two inflatable dolls displayed in the team's clubhouse Sunday. The day before, manager Ozzie Guillen made headlines with a profanity-filled pregame tirade, lashing out at fans critical of his lineups."

"Right-hander Gavin Floyd allowed one hit -- yielding only Joe Mauer's double that landed just beyond the outstretched glove of center fielder Nick Swisher with one out in the ninth inning -- and the Sox' slumbering offense came alive, snapping a six-game losing streak with a 7-1 victory over the first-place Minnesota Twins at U.S. Cellular Field."

"While the White Sox believe the brouhaha over their clubhouse blow-up doll, so to speak, has been blown out of proportion, they were mostly apologetic about the incident—except for manager Ozzie Guillen. "If people think we did something wrong, wow. I'm not going to apologize, I'm not going to say I'm sorry," Guillen said. "I don't know what to say. I can't come up with the words because as soon as I [apologize], that means I'm guilty of something. I'm not. I'm not guilty.""

"Before the Great Doll Controversy there was manager Ozzie Guillen's profanity-filled rant in Toronto, one that was almost inaudible on radio and television because of bleeps but had to do with the Cubs getting more attention than the White Sox. Guillen already has been to sensitivity training and general manager Ken Williams has had to voice his regrets over his manager's language. "I've never tried to censor Ozzie in terms of anything other than making sure that whatever the message he wants to put out there [that] people are going to be able to hear," Williams said. "

"Do you want to know the saddest part of the Great Blowup-Doll Scandal of 2008? It's that the hitting-challenged White Sox tried to seduce the two female inflatable sex toys and struck out. I don't want to sound like a mother demanding her child eat all of his food because of the starving children in China, but 22,000 people died in a recent typhoon in Myanmar, and we're worried about two blowup dolls in a major-league clubhouse?"

"Gavin Floyd figured out a way to win a game, even with that anemic White Sox offense: Pitch 8 1/3 innings of no-hit ball. Floyd was so good Tuesday it almost went unnoticed that the Sox's offense scored its most runs in almost two weeks in a 7-1 victory over the Twins that broke a six-game losing streak and moved them to within one game of first place in the American League Central."

" The Blue Jays got one for the thumb. After winning four in a row and looking to snooker the Chicago White Sox in a four-game series to stretch it to five, the Jays rode the strong right arm of Dustin McGowan to seal the deal. McGowan simply was outstanding last night as he blanked the White Sox on four hits over 71/3 innings to help deliver a 1-0 victory over a fading White Sox squad. Over the four games, the Jays staff limited Chicago to five runs and 14 hits. "

"Toronto's 1-0 win over the struggling Chicago White Sox gives them the four-game sweep and their fifth victory in a row. Three of those wins have been shutouts. This continues Toronto's roller-coaster early season. Coming off one of their worst road trips in recent memory, the Jays now stand on the cusp of a six-game winning streak, something they haven't managed since May, 2004."

"If anyone was offended by the White Sox having a pair of inflatable dolls surrounded by bats and a sign encouraging players to "push" in their clubhouse before Sunday's game in Toronto, don't expect an apology from manager Ozzie Guillen. "I'm sure it wasn't done to disrespect anyone," Guillen said Monday. "Everyone in the clubhouse, 100 percent of the people in the clubhouse, they are 18 years old and that's a private thing. If the players do it in the dugout so everyone in the public could see it, or did it in the hotel lobby . . . we did it in the clubhouse. A lot of worse things happen in the clubhouse. I don't really know why people are making it a big deal. If people got their feelings hurt because of that . . . they don't really know much about baseball.""

"As if the slumping bats weren't enough to give the team headaches, its latest attempt at a slump-buster is now under scrutiny. Before Sunday's game, an unnamed player positioned two nude female blow-up dolls in the clubhouse with bats belonging to most of the players fanned out around them, almost resembling a voodoo ritual to get the club going and loosen up a suddenly uptight clubhouse. Several Toronto newspapers made it a big deal, and the Sox were feeling the backlash by Monday afternoon. If those offended were expecting an apology from Guillen, however, they must not know him very well."

"A four-day weekend up in Canada with the boys, some drinking, a few heads getting shaved and, of course, blow-up dolls -- well, that's usually nothing more than a good time. Leave it to the White Sox to make a train wreck out of it. Totaling a whopping four hits in the latest offensive fiasco Monday night was a fitting end to an 0-6 road trip to Minnesota and Toronto. The 1-0 loss to the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre gave the Sox nine runs in those six losses. "

"A calmer Ozzie Guillen pleaded with White Sox faithful to remain patient, one day after the manager aimed a profanity-laced tirade at those he accused of jumping off the bandwagon or making lineup suggestions in the wake of the team's slump. "I don't blame them," Guillen told a crowd of reporters Monday night. "I just tell the fans to be patient, that's all. Be patient. The only ones who can believe in this team are me and them. That's why they're fans. I don't blame the fans to say, 'Here we go again,' because I'm a fan also. "I'm a baseball fan, a Chicago White Sox fan. Be patient and make sure those guys out there aren't panicking. I know we've got a good club."

"Who's hot: The Twins have won five straight to move into first in the AL Central. Joe Mauer has hit safely in 14 of his last 15 games, batting .404 during that span. Left-handed reliever Dennys Reyes has limited opponents to four hits in nine innings covering 12 games. Closer Joe Nathan has converted all 11 save chances. Sox reliever Scott Linebrink hasn't allowed an earned run in five of his last six outings."

"The Nick Swisher experiment temporarily ended Monday with Swisher looking deeper than his .210 batting average as a measuring stick of his performance at the leadoff spot. "Everyone always worries about batting average," said Swisher, whose drop to sixth in the order was more a reflection of the White Sox's overall struggles. "Yeah, batting average is a huge thing, but it has to do a lot with driving in runs and scoring runs. The name of the game is scoring more than the other team." Despite his recent struggles at the plate, Swisher still had a respectable .351 on-base percentage after Monday's 1-0 loss to the Blue Jays."

"The distance from third base to home plate is only 90 feet. But it seemed much longer Monday night for the White Sox as they completed six games of indoor hell with a 1-0 loss to the Blue Jays. Their winless trip to Minnesota and Toronto was punctuated when Pablo Ozuna grounded back to struggling closer B.J. Ryan to start a game-ending double play with the bases loaded."

"The 4-3 effort over the struggling Chicago White Sox also marked the first win since April 12 for Roy Halladay. And Halladay (3-4), for the first time in five outings, was not around to finish what he started. "That has never been a focus for me," Halladay said of going the distance. "I'd rather go five innings and win than pitch nine and lose (which happened his past three starts). It's just good to get back to winning.""

" Nick Swisher admitted he's searching -- not only for the obtainable, but also the impossible. That's what a 7-for-52 (.135) slump before a fourth-inning double Sunday can do to a man. ''Look, you go through your ups and downs,'' Swisher said. ''You're not going to do well all the time. As much time as you put in, and as much as you want to do well, sometimes that just doesn't work. Sometimes it's the luck of the draw. It's frustrating, but you have to try not to think about that stuff.'' Easier said than done for the switch-hitting Swisher."

"Five consecutive losses, something had to give. It was manager Ozzie Guillen. Tired of ''all the managers in the press box and at home, watching the game on TV and spilling food on themselves,'' Guillen became the story after a 4-3 loss Sunday to the Toronto Blue Jays, making his feelings known about the perceived treatment he and his organization get in the Windy City."

""We won it a couple years ago, and we're horse[bleep]," Guillen said sarcastically before the Sox (14-15) lost to the Blue Jays 4-3 and fell below .500 for the first time since April 3. " The Cubs haven't won in [100] years, and they're the [bleeping] best. [Bleep] it, we're good. [Bleep] everybody. We're horse[bleep], and we're going to be horse[bleep] the rest of our lives, no matter how many World Series we win. "We have the worst owner (Jerry Reinsdorf). The guy's got seven [bleeping] rings, and he's the [bleeping] horse[bleep] owner.""

"Manager Ozzie Guillen acknowledged Sunday thinking about switching Nick Swisher and Orlando Cabrera to shake up a run-thirsty White Sox lineup. But Guillen continues to stick with his regular alignment in hopes the Sox will break out. "I don't think we can do too much," Guillen said before the Sox were limited to four hits in a 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays that extended their season-high losing streak to five games. "We have the same type of players if we made a change. Everybody is struggling."