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| 2005/12/29 21:48:18瀏覽522｜回應0｜推薦7 | |
| First, I would like to recommand a 1988 movie, "Eight Man Out", in my mind, the greatest movie ever made about pro-baseball, period.
So, after the great 1919 White Sox lost in the world series, White Sox has never been a true contender. The name of Baseball in South Side of Chicago was tarnished. Shoeless Joe was how I based my baseball game on, the bat speed, base running, hit for average and hit for power when the team needs it kind of approach and his amazing fielding. As one of the best players available in the 1910's, Shoeless Joe, Joe Jackson, never got to play another game in the Major two years after the story broke out about how they threw the fall classics in 1919. The evil sports empire built by Charles Comisky stayed. 8 players were banished from the major. The poor guys lost their job, but there is/was a ball park still called Comisky. People have short memory, and the focus has been shifted to other teams, rivalries, and even centered with some sluggers who got NO ring. I wanted my boy to know the good way to play baseball. Five years into the century, the history decided to give us, or them, some breaks. White Sox deserved to win, from how the team were put together, how Ozzie Guillen managed the team, and how players responded in the game. I can't even re-call who won the MVP of the World Series, but I would like to talk about three key players. Most importantly, they win with style. There are few people who can tell you who are the stars in White Sox. Mark Buehrle, an All-Stars who is famous about how short he can finish a game instead of how good a pitcher he is. Couple Yankees outcasts, Jose COntreras and Orlando Hernandez. They have only one legit big bat in Paul Konerko. In the field, they have two speedsters, Scott Podsednik and Ta Iguchi. Two strike out prone sluggers Juan Uribe and Carl Everett. I am going to write about Jermaine Dye, Jon Garland and Joe Crede. Jermaine Dye, I would like to tell the story about how a players missed a ring by coming to the big one year too late, went full circle and finally win a meanlingful game for his team. Jon Garland, he is a player who was crusing in the first half of season, then won only three games after August 1. Joe Crede, is a player never got enough playing time until White Sox shipped Joe Randa to San Diego and cleared up his way to be a everyday player, and secure White Sox playoff berth while established himself as the best crunch hitter during White Sox late season run. I only have time to write about Jermaine Dye today. Ok, he was the one who won the MVP. However, Dye's contribution actually was not on the numbers you can tell from the stat sheet, or at least the regular stat sheet. His success, especially in the playoff, was taking the pichers to the deep pitching count, and smack a single in that at bat. Dye broke out with the Braves in 1996. He batted .281 with 12 homers in 98 games for the team that eventually lost to the Yankees in the world series. Followed that successful season, he was shipped to Kansas City, and struggled with injury, 2 out of the 4 seasons, then was acquired by the great Billy Beane, check the book "Money Ball", as the corner stone that Oakland A's needed for their world series push. Jermaine's Oakland run fell short after he fouled a ball their broke his leg, the least used fibula, and killed Beane's plan. Dye finally was shipped out to White Soxs even his batting improved 93 points from 2003, and played 72 more games. In 2005, Dye played the most games in 6 years, 145, with 31 home runs. I like to call Jermaine Shoeless Jermaine now. That simple ground ball he hit into the center field off Brad Lidge forever wiped away the Black Sox image. I has strong sentiments for the Astro's killer B's, Biggio, Bagwell, and Berkman, and wanted them to win, or at least push the series to the end. The sweep ruined my hope, especially while I was listening to the radio on game 4, driving back home from Half Moon Bay. I cancel my plan to watch game 5 live in Houston because I knew those were the game I like to watch live, and seeing them played for the ring was even more meaningful. Giving Astros credit, this is the closest 4-0 sweep in the World Series history. The differential of the four games were 6 runs. Even more, several games are decided either in extra inning, or on crucial pitch late in the game. That further proved the 2005 White Sox team is the best executed baseball team in the league. Jermaine Dye was the one threw the knock out punch on the Astros, especially their bullpen. Tina and I went to many A's game especially after the starting of the 2002 season, just the first full season for Jermaine, and of course departure of Jason Giambi. I have more stories about how players despised Giambi in the Southern California baseball circle, and how people in the development league I played in speculated him taking steroid when he was in the minor. But I am not going to shadow the story about the great 2005 White Sox. Tina and I went to A's game more regularly after we moved up to the bay ared, especially after the starting of the 2002 season, just the first full season for Jermaine, and of course the departure of Jason Giambi, who I really hated to see. I have more stories about how players despised Giambi in the Southern California baseball circle, and how people speculated him taking steroid in the development league. But I am not going to shadow the story about the great White Sox. Jermaine Dye does not play baseball nicely. He does not run well, his fielding is clumsy, yet effective. His best asset is his patience in the batter's box. Hitting mostly in the fourth hole, Jermaine Dye saw average 4.1 pitches per at bat in the A's unifrom, topped 4.25 in 2004. That was when I felt he was coming back to shape. Unfortunately A's couldn't afford him, or afford to pay him that much money with that much risk of him getting hurt. I met a guy in the bar who used to played with Dye. He told me that Dye was a smart player. He usually have a game plan in his mind. When he gets it right, he is going to be on fire hitting. He does lots of home work before the game. Compared to Paul Konerko's grand slam in game 2; Joe Crede's glove work and game 1 & 3 homers; or even the two saves in four games by Bobby Jenks, who I also saw a lot when he was in Angels's farm system. Dye silenced my family room when he hit the home run off Roger Clemens in the first inning of game 1. Guys were shocked that Clemens was taken deep yet again after dominating the first two batters. Again, in the game 4, he was the only consistent hitter in that line up, getting 4 hits in his final 5 at bats. Dye was hungry. He spent all his career finding a chance to play his second world series, and winning his first ring. That hit meant a lot to the players, to the franchise, and to th city of Chicago. I really feel a great players is not the one with the greatest physique, the best speed, the best arm, or anything. They are all about adjustment, learning about themselves, their teammates and their opponents. |
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