Anybody Smell Colon?

First the curve ball and now him, Bartolo Colon has disappeared. Should I be concerned?

I think we hit about 18 balls to the warning track today. (approximately) If it was 20 degrees warmer we'd be in business (so they say) but I'll take the nice weather, thank you very much.

Jose Contreras continues his greatness. I think we should all be a little bit more like Jose. (Harness your inner Contreras)

I can't really remember how we scored any of our runs, but somehow we managed to push across 5 runs and I'm sure they were all terrific...

Notes From Out of Left Field

• If Jose Contreras was a Transformer, he would have to be Blackout. (huh?)
• J. Mitchell signed and will join his fellow Intimidators. (greatest name ever)
• Scotty Linestink is slowly losing his odor.
• If only we could play the Indians every night, my life would be so much happier...

After writing this, I found out that they found Bartolo Colon. You can call off your search parties.

Paulie, Paulie, Paulie

An interesting day in the life of a Sox fan. I'll start with the Tony Pena deal. If there is one thing that I know about Kenny Williams it is that I know absolutely nothing about what he will do, and I like that. I am probably one of the few who likes the trade, giving up highly touted prospect Brandon Allen. Obviously this trade alone is not going to win us the division, but I think any chance we have at bolstering our bullpen is worth taking. I am assuming that Gobble will be the one to go, and Pena can help solidify the seventh and eighth innings. I guess I was never as high on Brandon Allen as some but I think we got very good value for him.

Now to today's game. What a game for Konerko! Three home runs and seven RBI sounds pretty good to me. Buehrle pitched a pretty good game to validate his all-star bid.

Notes From Out of Left Field

• What happened to the Poreda power fastball? He appears to be topping out at 92 mph from what I saw and the gun seemed pretty accurate.
• The Hawk has upped the anty on his home run call, adding a "hell yea" after it.
  
• Gordan Beckham utilized the off-day to get a much needed hair cut.
  

Hey Now, You're An All-Star...

In all likely-hood the Sox will only get one all-star, but the question is who will it be. I got four names that I think would be worthy: Dye, Buehrle, Jenks, and Podsednik. Here is why:

Jermaine Dye: Among American League outfielders, he ranks third in home runs, (18) fourth in RBI, (48) and twelfth in average. (.295) Plus he leads the White Sox in home runs and RBI, and is second in average. I think his most impressive stat is he ranks eighth in the entire American League in slugging. (.570) And he has done all of this while playing at less then 100%.

Mark Buehrle: He ranks tenth in the American League in ERA (3.26) among starters and seventh in WHIP. (1.16) He has a very solid 7 wins (leader with 10) and he is certainly the ace of our staff. I think his most impressive stat is that 78.1% of baserunners never score on him.

Bobby Jenks: He ranks fifth in the American League in saves (18) and has only blown two. Enough said.

Scott Podsednik: His stats are not all-star quality, but what can you expect when you miss the first month of the season. He is batting a very respectable .313 and has swiped 12 bases but that's not why he deserves it. The MLB gives each team at least one all-star, and so hypothetically, each teams all-star would basically be their MVP. And thus far, I have Podsednik about even with JD for our team MVP. The thing we were lacking the most at the start of the season was a lead-off hitter and he came in and filled that role and then some. He also made the Quentin injury much less soul crushing. So if you look at making the all-star team as being the most important player for each team, I would have no problem with Podsednik representing the Sox in St. Louis.

You could maybe throw Konerko's name in the group, but first base is a loaded position and his numbers just don't compare with the likes of Morneau, Pena, Teixeira, and Cabrera. My guess is that Dye will be our lone all-star but I would have no problem if Buehrle, Jenks, or Podsednik got in also.

Here are Ozzie's thoughts on who deserves to go to St. Louis:

"Right now, Carrasco, Right now, J.D. has a great year. Bobby always has a good year. Thornton. I think between Thornton and Buehrle should be out there. I don't know what they need. I know how that thing goes. I don't know how crazy it is, but I think Thornton is the one who really has the best numbers so far." As far as Scott Podsednik, Guillen said that would be a great story. "I wish he could, that would be great news, great for baseball, for him and for us. But with so many outfielders out there, the chances are narrow. I think he plays like a superstar. He deserves to be there? Yes. Is he going to be there? I hope he will."

I love how Ozzie asks himself his own questions...

Today's Game
Another good game for the Sox today. What did I think Gordan Beckham? I think he is continuing to gain confidence and we are now seeing what he is truly capable of. Do I think he could be an all-star someday? Yes. (I am really enjoying this) How did I feel about Contreras today? I felt that he was excellent once again, giving us eight strong innings. Do I think Castro's three-run home run was the biggest play of the game? Yes, I certainly do. Is Alexei's finger going to be okay? I hope so. (I'm done now)

Notes From Out of Left Field:

• The Contreras/Castro battery is still going, even though Ozzie said he was done with it.
• Beckham tried to lay down a bunt in his first at bat. In his next at bat, he hit a double. I'll let you be the judge.
  

From the Mouth of Ozzie:
Ozzie's response to Lou Piniella admitting he used marijuana once, but did not like it:

"He's lying, You grow up in the '60s and '70s ... I never did because I'm so crazy, I might do that, I might be in jail already. He did try it? Good for him. Everyone does try something once. A lot of people think I'm in the (bleep). I'm not. I never did in my life. Thank God. One thing about it, if you got money, you don't kill anybody or threaten anybody, you can do whatever you want."