Chip Shots: Matt Thornton Wants Bud Selig to STFU

Chip Shots
A Sports Blog

Meet the Staff

I'm Chip Ramsey a career broadcaster who has been a sports radio program director in Milwaukee and Nashville. I've covered everything from high school and college sports (including the SEC, Big Ten, MVC and OVC) to Major League Baseball, The NFL and the NHL. I have a few things to say, and when I want to say them, I say them here.

I mostly talk about my teams, which would be the White Sox, Bears, and Blackhawks, but I do talk about other things as well. Thanks for dropping by. I hope you will bookmark this site and visit often!

Chip's broadcast career

Chip Shots: Matt Thornton Wants Bud Selig to STFU

Matt Thornton Wants Bud Selig to STFU

There's no doubt Chicago White Sox reliever Matt Thornton can bring it. In what can be described as verbally buzzing one behind baseball commissioner Bud Selig's ear, Thornton, in no certain terms indicated he did not appreciate the comments the commish made regarding Team USA in the recently concluded WBC.

"[Selig] was never around. He wasn't in our clubhouse, he wasn't in our dugout. It was a great experience for everyone. I think everyone in the game was trying to win. … I hear these comments people are making, and it's like 'What are you talking about?' We were going after it."

Nicely played, Matt.

Lightning Round

There are less than two weeks to go before the beginning of the season and not all the Sox roster spots are locked up. The bullpen is almost there with your locks being Bobby Jenks, Scott Linebrink, Thornton and Octavio Dotel. If Jose Contreras and Bartolo Colon are ready to go, that would leave two open slots, most likely going to Clayton Richard and Jeff Marquez. If the Sox decide to go with 13 pitchers, the final slot could go to lefty Randy Williams, who we've been championing here for a couple of weeks.
We have heard tell that if the Sox can't unload him, the Sox might consider Mike MacUseless for the final bullpen spot. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me eight times and shame on me.
I think it's safe to say that most of the young guns are headed for Charlotte. This includes Aaron Poreda, Jack Egbert, Lance Broadway, Adam Russell and Ehren Wasserman (PI).
The centerfield opening is working its way down to a battle of who is the least evil. Brian Anderson will make the team because of his defense. That leaves the race for the final outfield spot between Dewayne Wise and Jerry Owens. Although Wise has a statistical edge at this point, don't count Owens out just yet. Personally, I'd like to see the Sox put Owens and MacUseless on the same bus headed to oblivion.
The odds of the Sox acquiring an upgrade in centerfield are slim and none based on some of the price tags. However, I still believe that if the Sox can limp along with Wise, Anderson and Owens and stay in contention, Kenny Williams will address this at mid-season.