superdad

With Halloween right around the corner an old teammate and friend to many of the White Sox will be taking the mound. Freddy Garcia.

What a story, it kind of reminds me of an old horror movie where the bad guy just will not die. Or when you here that name you may even say Garcia, what is the last members of Greatful Dead coming to town.

Nope it is the one and only and most favorite of all Garcia’s at least on the southside of Chicago, who helped the 2005 White Sox win a World Series. Garcia was just one of those outstanding pitchers from that year that put on a show during the whole run to the championship,but then the following year he was off to the Philadelphia Phillies and now he is back in Detroit given another shot with the Tigers.

Freddy Garcia has always played us tough regardless of his record or team he is on and I do not see him taking anything off or letting the White Sox just play batting practice against an old friend and teammate. This one does count and is the Detroit Tigers World Series game that can eliminate a division foe. This game will be tough to win and I am sure the White Sox are aware of the challenge ahead of them. The last thing this team needs to do is think about tomorrow, when you got get the job done first today.

Regardless what happens I will be proud of the White Sox this year and all fans of them should be too, when this team was doubted so much early on by many critics. Everyone was talking about Cleveland and Detroit winning the central. This team has shown resilience and should not be remembered just for this last month. They have shown all year that they will go down fighting, even if it take beating an old friend who relishes in the big moments. He was not “big game Freddie for nothing.”

“Go White Sox and lets get Freddy back in the boiler room and not let him ruin our dreams with a nightmare of his own. Where is Jason when you need him.”

On Sunday the Philadelphia Eagles one of the best team’s playing right now is coming to Soldier Field. Donavan McNabb looks as healthy and in early MVP form. However, lets give that rock to Forte on the Bears and lets hit these guys in the mouth.

If you want pure smash mouth football you will see it Sunday night. John Madden is going bonkers, already over this game. Both teams have great players that will knock you down and not let you back up. Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs will lead the Bears defense and for the Eagles they will present their bend but not break Jim Johnson coached defense. On offense, there will also be a lot of running the ball.

For the Eagles no one is as tough to stop than Brian Westbrook. While the rookie from Tulane, Matt Forte will be getting a lot of runs as well. Forte looks good and always seems to be moving forward even if he does get hit. I look for another 100 plus yards rushing from the number 22.

We also have some exciting players that can change a game with one step. Deshawn Jackson the versatile rookie and Devon Hester if healthy can light up the scoreboard if given enough attempts. These guys are the game breakers that will most likely affect the outcome of the game.

In the end the Bears will keep it close as they usually do but I believe Donovan McNabb will make more plays than Kyle Orton. The big key for me is if Forte has 100 plus yards if not the Bears will be in trouble. As a fan I do for see that the Bears fans in attendance will be ready and crazy as ever on Sunday Night. Go Bears!

With one game down and two to go in Minnesota we shall see if the White Sox can make the playoffs. After last night’s performance where Javier Vasquez got rocked and then the rest of the pitching staff got rocked we will see for sure if this White Sox team is for real. Much like how Paul Konerko stated the other day ” If we can not handle the Metrodome and handle these hard places to play then we do not deserve to be in the playoffs because the road gets much harder in the playoffs.” The White Sox are now 1 and 6 in the Metrodome after last night’s performance.

Now it is time for the ace of the White Sox, the same ace that has won a world series ring, and that is Mark Buehrle. The White Sox season might be in Mark’s hands tonight but, that is alright because he is the stopper and this is not the first time he has had to stop the bleeding. However, if we can not hit offensively and put pressure on Minnesota’s less than perfect defense then, Mark Buerlie can pitch all he can and it may still not be enough. We have got to hit tonight! If you can not hit Minnesota pitching which is no better than are pitching staff then the post season will be a far shorter experience than in 2005 in which we were 11-1.

This all may sound depressing and really a bad sign for the Sox but that is why baseball is so great. You can get beat badly one night and then the next night shut them out yourself. This next game is key if the White Sox do not want to be scoreboard watchers the rest of the season. A team’s chances to get in the playoffs are so much greater when you are beating the team that is in your rear view mirror.

With a win tonight we can breath a little better and not be like those New York Mets which have blown first place leads twice in the last two seasons in the last two weeks. There is just too much more experience and talent for the White Sox to lose this fight with Minnesota even thou the winner of all of this AL Central battle still might be at death’s door with the Tampa Bay Rays being the possible match up for both of these teams. Both the White Sox and Twins have had loosing records this year against Tampa Bay and I know they are a first time participant but they have been the most consistent team all year long and they have had the defending champion Red Sox nation on their heels for most of the year.

Here is the prediction for tonight I say the Sox win and the magic number will be pushed to three and we will clinch Friday night at home against Cleveland. We as all Sox fans in Chicago still got your back and we know you can get the job done. If we fail we know it was not meant to be and the better team will move on, that is how baseball works at the end, the best teams always win.

Just a few years ago when the White Sox won the 2005 World Series a number of players were contributors and in this year we are seeing a similar pattern. With only less than a dozen games left in the season and the Sox leading the division by 2 1/2 games some new faces are taking advantage of their playing time.

Of course the White Sox would be no where this year without the two young pitchers John Danks and Gavin Floyd who have been tough as nails all year long. Including a must win and a quality start out of Gavin yesterday in a 6 to 2 win over the Yankees. No pitcher especially young, like Gavin, usually have much success pitching in New york Stadium and it was clear that Floyd is an exception to all of that nonsense.

Moreover it has been nice to see players like Jerry Owens, Brian Anderson, and Dewayne Wise stepping up on offense and contributing on a consistent basis which has filled the void of injuries to Konerko, Crede and Quentin. Even Juan Uribe an old asset from the success of 2005 Sox has been reborn and looks like a completely different player since taking over at third base replacing Joe Crede.

No doubt the best story of this Sox team is the cuban missile, Alexi Ramirez. Even thou he has cooled off lately Ramirez has kept the Sox in this pennant race with not only his fearless batting but his wide range at second base. As a matter of fact he and short stop Orlando Cabrera have been a good tandem turning big plays all year long, up the middle for the Sox defense.

Will Carlos Quentin return? We may not now until the last week of the season, but even if he is only at 85 percent I am confident his presence will be felt. Quentin was leading the American League in many statistics although most importantly he provided another clutch bat that can be relied upon in the late innings. Who knows he may only be a pinch hitter or a less than full time player, however his energy and hustle alone will be felt by his teammates.

A big hero in all of this is general manager Kenny Williams who in the beginning of the year was questioned many times if this team had enough talent to compete with the likes of the pre season division favorite Indians, Tigers and Twins. We now are being showed by Ozzie Guillen and the gang of new stars on the Sox that Kenny will not be questioned again about his ability to evaluate a team’s talent level and ability to get back to the playoffs.

We are not in the playoffs yet, but with the team we have on the Southside, Sox fans should not be weary of a let down. There is just too much talent both young and experienced on this team to fail. The bullpen will hold up these last two weeks and we are pulling for a division title in Minnesota next week. As long as we keep playing the way we are currently even with a shaky bullpen the lead should still hold.

A day after the Anaheim Los Angela’s Angels captured their American League West title, we now begin to ask who is next in line for the playoffs. It is now official, the playoffs are approaching and 7 other teams will represent major league baseball’s premier teams.

2 of those could come from the city of Chicago, and two from the city of Los Angelas with all three teams the Dodgers, Cubs and Sox still claiming first place leads. Only one New York team and not the one form the Bronx. You said what? It could happen with the Mets in first and the Yankees needing their best stretch of games all year and a lot of help along the way. Wouldn’t that be different when we always seem to see the Yankees there so often.

The Wild Card is getting wild as well in the National League. The Brewers are leading but the Cardinals, Astros who have been red hot are within striking distance. Plus with the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks still in the mix in their respected divisions they too are capable and not eliminated.

In the American League East those young inexperienced Tampa Bay Rays are giving the defending champion Red Sox a real title fight. Will the lack of inexperience in a stretch that the Rays have never seen in their franchise history be the downfall? Although do not tell that to the Rays, as they beat the Red Sox twice in a row in Fenway Park the last two days. The AL East also has two of the most under achieving teams this year with the Yankees and Blue Jays possibly the biggest party crashers that could make a difference in the playoff picture as they both play playoff bound teams down the stretch.

Lastly, we are all walking on stilts in Chicago as both teams have not played their best ball their last ten games. Plus with the enemies from the north, the Twins and Brewers, are still playing good enough in which they are lurking and looking to spoil the red-line World Series potential match up. We can only expect that the Sox and Cubs will overcome their recent struggles and turn a bad beginning of the month into a new optimistic end and a date in October and the post-season. Let’s just relax and watch an exciting last two weeks, the best teams will win and rest will fall.

Starting from Friday, what a weekend in Chicago sports!. The White Sox took two of three away form the Angels, the Cubs finished their worst week this year but still remained in first, and the Bears spoiled the Colts home opener. The most impressive for everyone should be the Chicago Bears.

Everyone on television and radio had been bashing the Bears that they are a bad team, they will be lucky to be a five hundred team and that they are just a far cry form the team that went to the super bowl. Well they beat up the Colts pretty good as they made big hits on defense, ran the ball with effectiveness, and controlled the ball and possession without making mistakes. There was a few bad plays but for the most part those analysts and radio personalities that have bashed the Bears the last four weeks ate their words just a little. Now this win will me nothing if we fail to show up for the Carolina Panthers next week and get blown away there because the Panthers are a much better team this year after they too upset San Diego this weekend.

The White Sox should have swept the Angels but two out of three against the team with one of the best records in baseball is nice to see as the Sox try to reach the playoffs since 2005. The most impressive win was the Saturday game where the Sox rallied late and pushed the Angels to extra innings. Jim Thome would then be the hero in the fifteenth as he hit a home run deep to right field and the rest of the team malled him at home plate as if he just hit a world series walk off home run.

The Cubs had a rough week, as they only won game all week but the team only lost a half game lead as the trailing Milwaukee Brewers lost just as much as the Cubs. It just seems no matter how the Cubs play the rest of the way that they should still make the playoffs. Although they might be making a lesser of an impact on the rest of the league and not as dominant as appeared less than a month ago when they were winning every series they played.

Lastly, the top three performers from the weekend in Chicago have got to go to as followed from bottom to top. #3 was Dewayne Wise sacrifice fly to break up Frank Rodriguez save in the ninth on Saturday. #2 The rookie performance of Matt Forte and his first career touchdown. #1 Jim Thome’s big home run in the fifteenth that pushed the White Sox their biggest lead in the AL central in more than a month. Some notable mentions from the weekend was Alfonso Soriano’s three home run game in the Cubs only win and Juan Uribe’s two home run game in the rout on Friday’s 10 to 2 finish.

In less than 30 days in Chicago sport fever will be at an all time high. The Cubs and Sox could still be in first place and both in the playoffs. The Chicago Bears will either be a shot out of a cannon or more like a fighter never even landing a punch. While the Bulls and Blackhawks will be returning for another optimistic look for the next season upon us.

The time has come for Chicago to return as a dominant sports town. We see the Sox and Cubs leading off, and I am hoping the rest of the teams will follow with a contagious spirit to win. If you really look at all of the Chicago teams there is real no terrible team. The Hawks are climbing out of the seller and will be a a playoff contender this year. The Bulls can only get better with the additions of the draft and free agency and the Bears, well they are always under the most scrutiny.

The feeling is more positive about the Bears more than last year thou after all that pressure of trying to return to the Super Bowl. New York can have that and let’s see how they handle it now. We all know Orton is not the next Tom Brady but with the mix of some new faces and the cast that still remains how bad could they be. If you really look at the team on paper, yes the offensive line may be the most over criticized and perhaps a bad group overall, but most of that is from the bad taste from last year. It all depends on how well two players can steal the show. The rookie running back Forte and our own “primetime” Devin Hester. Hester will be a better receiver this year and with two solid tight ends in the middle of the field the offense might be a little more vertical than you may think. The defense will be good but as long as they are not averaging 45 minutes a game on the field. This team can be good, it has the talent to win, it just needs a few good things to happen right off the bat. A win against the Colts on Sunday night at the opener is a good place to start.

With all of that said most will still say, “I still cannot get enough baseball.” If you are not a fan yet, then what are you waiting for as both of Chicago’s teams could be on the verge of something historical. There is a good feeling stirring in the winds of fall in Chicago. Yes, I know the Sox are struggling and fighting to remain in first and with the Cubs we all have been hurt many times before just like an old bad relationship that never goes away, however this rarely happens in this town where both teams are regarded as Championship contenders. You said what!

It is a great time to be a Chicago sport fan and if you have yet to get on the bandwagon then what have you been waiting for? Strap on in and let us see something in this town that has not happened historically. Two baseball pennants, a super bowl win, a NBA title and a Stanley Cup is not too much to ask when the teams that are laid out before you can get it done. You just got to believe it will happen and even if it does not happen you at least took away some good memories of a time when Chicago was on top of the sports world again. “What a great way to get the Olympics here in 2016 just win baby and good things will follow.”