Well, the season is over. And even though the Good Guys were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, it was farther than anyone expected, so I consider the season a great success. While there were a few low points (injuries, extended slumps, etc.), the good definitely out weighted the bad. We even have reasonable belief that 2009 should be another fruitful season.
This season I attended nine home games (a total of 91 innings) at The Cell and watched countless others on the Tube and the radio. Below are a few observations about the 2008 season:
1. My favorite attended games in order:
1) April 28, Sox vs. Orioles – Despite a long rain delay and freezing weather, this ranks at the top because it was a birthday gift from my wife. That, and because it was an exciting game that went 13 innings before being suspended due to rain. In the 11th, the Orioles scored a run, making me believe that the game was lost. And then, Juan Uribe came into the game hitting a solo home run to tie it up. Unfortunately, the Sox wound up losing the game when the game was resumed 4 months later in Baltimore.
2) May 4, Sox vs. Royals – Because the Orioles game couldn’t be completed in Chicago, we were able to exchange our tickets for free upper deck seats during the upcoming series against the Kansas City Royals. Since Apryl was busy with school, I used the tickets for two different games against the Royals. The one that ranks the highest is the game on the 4th which lasted 15 innings until Paul Konerko hit a two-run home run to win the game. I had an early day at work the next morning, so I had debated sticking around for this one. Even though I was tired the next day, I can’t even recall the shoot I worked on. But I sure remember that Konerko blast!
3) October 5, Sox vs. Rays – The playoff win! And my first sold out game at the Cell. Of course, the only reason I was able to attend was because I was working for TBS. Thankfully, I was able to watch the first six innings before getting back to work. When the Sox won, we were the first on the field. It was quite a feeling being surrounded by 40,000+ screaming fans.
2. My favorite games that I didn’t attend:
The best games had to be those towards the end of the season, including our must wins against the Detroit Tigers where Alexei Ramirez hit a grand slam and the 1 -0 tie breaking win against the Minnesota Twins to take the Central Divison. My favorite game heard on the radio was the Sox win over the Yankees when Joe Crede won the game with a single in the 9th inning.
3. The Players:
This was a fun bunch. The boys were often seen joking around with one another in the dugout. From the 40 man roster, my favorites are still Joe Crede and Brian Anderson. But, let’s not forget Carlos Quentin, Jim Thome, Alexei Ramirez, Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko, and A.J. Pierzynski. Ah, heck, all of them are great!
4. Ozzie Guillen
There is no one quite like the Sox tell-it-like-it-is manager Ozzie Guillen. He might not always make the right coaching decision (really, Bobby Jenks again), but he never fails to entertain. Here are some of my favorite Ozzie quotes from the 2008 season:
– “I guess I’m lucky. Every time I get a little upset, the team reacts. But I don’t want to get a heart attack just to win a game.”
– “Anybody who pitched in this big-league game should be embarrassed. This isn’t big-league baseball. We have people who paid a lot of money to watch this circus. People making a lot of money out there to have a game like that. Both sides, not just my side. It’s embarrassing.”
– “Who am I going to blame if my team is not hitting? My wife?”
– “He just had a cramp. I thought he pulled a muscle, but he doesn’t have any muscle. Maybe it was a cramp in his bone.” (on the very skinny Alexei Ramirez)
– “Our guys are taking batting practice with the rats. The rats are bigger than pigs. The rats are llifting weights.” (on conditions at Wrigley Field)
– “Lou Piniella does two things better than me. Managing and eating. It took them three weeks to find a body double for Piniella. For mine, you just go to a model agency.”
– “I could care less about the Cubs.”
4. U.S. Cellular Field
Okay, while I detest naming rights which allow for stadiums to be named after companies, the Cell is a nice ball park. It’s aesthetically pleasing, clean (including the bathrooms) with great views and tasty food. And it’ a mere block away from the train stop.
However, the best part about The Cell is Nancy Faust, the Sox organist for the past 38 years! Nancy’s renditions of popular songs throughout the game help keep a classic baseball tradition alive on the South Side. She apparently started the phenomenon of playing Steam’s “Na Na Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)” during sporting events. My favorite songs from Nancy are her renditions of “Just Because” and “Kodachrome”. Unfortunately, these days Nancy limits her time at the ballpark for only the day games.
5. Stats
Since baseball is a statistical game, I thought I would share a few stats that I’ve collected from the games I’ve attended in 2008. Here we go:
Totals:
Innings – 91 (made possible by extra innings)
Doubles – 12 (most provided by Jermaine Dye)
Home Runs – 9 (fittingly, most of them by Jim Thome)
Double Plays – 10
Strike Outs – 71 (of the 15 pitchers I saw the most strike outs from Javier Vazquez)
Errors – 8 (fair enough, I guess)
Sox record when I attended:
Won – 4
Lost – 4
Tied – 1
(I’m counting the April 28th game against the Orioles a tie.)
My record when I attended wearing my Sox T-shirt:
Won 4
My record when I attended without wearing my Sox T-shirt:
Won 0
So there you go. Perhaps the final word on the Sox until next year. Thanks for the great season, Good Guys!
For all my photos from the Sox 2008 season, click here.
And for the funnest breakdown of the the season, check out the Sox comic “An Illustrated History of the Sagacious Don Guillote”.