When the Chicago White Sox look back at their season in October, they may look at last night's game as either a turning point or the one they wish they could have had.

Battling back after going down three in the bottom of the ninth, the Sox tied the game at 6 and almost won it as pinch runner Dewayne Wise was thrown out at home plate with the potential winning run.  Scott Linebrink entered the game in the top of the tenth and served up a gopher ball to Miguel Cabrera, sending the Detroit fans home happy.

The Sox had several chances earlier in the game against a gimpy Dontrelle Willis, but chose not to cash any of them in. Mark Buehrle pitched well enough not to lose. 

Gordon Beckham got his first hit in the bigs and you would have thought that he broke Pete Rose's record by the response he got.  For just a minute, I was embarrassed to be a White Sox fan.  I really believe that there are Sox fans that think Beckham will be spotted walking across Lake Michigan in order to get to Milwaukee for the weekend series against the Brewers.  Puh-Leeze. Give the kid a year or two, okay?

It's a huge start for John Danks tonight.  Danks has struggled recently and needs to have a Gavin Floyd like rebound very soon.  If the Sox can win tonight and tomorrow, they come out of the series with the Tigers three games under .500 and 3½ games behind.  It's not what the Sox wanted, but they have only themselves to blame.

Lightning Round

• That whole A.J., Gerald Laird thing was a big joke.  I even got a text on my cell phone: White Sox/Tigers delayed fight.  That wasn't a fight, it was a picnic.  It started out like two male dogs sniffing each others butts. For the umpteenth time, Major League Baseball,  please limit the number of combatants to those on the field.  You are the only major sport that doesn't have a fine and suspension for someone coming off the bench to enter a "fight."  Please, please change this.  Watching all those guys on the field is a big joke.
• The White Sox draft a speedy center fielder who was formally a football player as their top pick.  They say Jared Mitchell is a raw talent, which translated means he needs more seasoning than one of Sandra Lee's semi-homemade recipes. Sounds like an upgraded Jerry Owens to me.
• Ozzie plays Captain Obvious to Josh Fields' Cluelessman.
• Here's a blog entry written by a Tiger or Twinkie fan.  What other excuse is there? (The Big Lead)
• How do you hide a 400 pound white elephant?  On the DL.
• We told you recently we thought the Big Skirt might go into broadcasting.  It will be interesting to hear how honest his comments are and if he ruffles the feathers of his former teammates. 
  
• A former Sox player deals with tragedy.