haydenandapryl.com

Let the Dance begin!

(Photo: Nephew Drew sports his moves in Tigers garb.)

On Saturday, the Sox defeated the Cubs during their first televised Spring Training game. The following nine observations are more about the spring training season thus far than about the above-mentioned game:

1. Steve Stone, sportscaster and one-time player for both the Sox and Cubs, has joined Ed Farmer in the radio booth for this season of Sox baseball. I had forgotten who Steve Stone was until I heard his voice, and then I was taken straight back to my childhood and watching the Cubs on WGN. You see, Steve Stone was the color commentator with Harry Caray for 15 years. Stone’s addition is highly welcomed among many Sox fans. Although, many wish he had replaced the television sportscasters.
2. During the game, TV sportscasters Ken Harrelson and Darrin Jackson interviewed Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and general manager Kenny Williams. There was hardly a hard-hitting questions asked between the two. Most of the discussion felt like it was being presented by official PR personnel for the Sox.
3. The best story from Kenny Williams was about how outfielder Jason Bourgeois stuck his baseball glove in the microwave before each game. Kenny cautioned all children watching the game that he didn’t know how long Bourgeois left the glove in the microwave, so it was best not to attempt this at home. One more thing about Jason Bourgeois. He had a great game with a single, two walks, one run, one RBI, and 3 stolen bases.
4. When Ozzie Guillen was asked to comment about how good of a Spring Training season outfielder Brian Anderson was having, his response was “it’s about time.” I mentioned Brian during a previous post, but to sum it up, Brian has been fighting to stay a part of the Sox organization. Many fans speculate that Ozzie doesn’t care for Brian that much and wouldn’t hesitate to trade him or throw him back to the minors. Last season, Brian had only 17 AB with the Sox, spending most of his summer days with the Charlotte Knights. Well, with Brian’s impressive batting and fielding during this Spring Training, Ozzie is going to have no choice but to put him on the roster. Now, he did mention how all the players were really rooting for him, which is nice to hear. Here’s a funny cartoon expressing the Brian/Ozzie relationship. It should be noted that Brian often has great Spring Training seasons that somehow don’t translate to the regular season. I was actually excited to see Brian play, but he apparently had the day off.
5. Oh, Joe Crede. In the last Sox post I mentioned how Crede, one of my favorites, was more than likely going to be traded to make way for the young kid, Josh Fields. Well, it looks like the trade fell apart, and now fans are confused about what’s going to happen next. Ozzie said he can’t keep both 3rd basemen. So, who is it going to be? Crede has been having a rough Spring Training season, although he did get a double and a run during the Cubs game. Fields had the day off.
6. Jim Thome’s homer in the seventh turned out to be the game winner. This was nice to see since Thome hasn’t had the best Spring Training at the bat.
7. Because of the popularity of Cubs’ Kosuke Fukudome, the game was also being broadcast in Japan. His overseas fans got to see him go 1 – 4 with a single as well as collide into back-up 2nd baseman, Mike Rouse.
8. The Cubs were playing without Alfonso Soriano, Derek Lee, and Felix Pie. The less said about Pie’s absence, the better.
9. The next televised game for the Sox comes next week on WGN as the Good Guys take on the Royals.