Chip Shots: Quickshots: Don't Take A Nap Or The White Sox Will Break Your Heart

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: Quickshots: Don't Take A Nap Or The White Sox Will Break Your Heart

Quickshots: Don't Take A Nap Or The White Sox Will Break Your Heart

As some of you know, I get up at 3:15am, so falling asleep late during a White Sox game is pretty much the norm for me. Last night, I started falling asleep in the bottom of the sixth with the Sox leading 2-1 and Gavin Floyd finally deciding to show up. Imagine my disgust when I woke up this morning and found they lost 7-2. I'm about done with these guys because it has become obvious that they can't put a consistent performance together. When they get pitching, they can't score runs. When they need help from the pen, the other team mounts a rally. You keep waiting for the streak and it finally dawns on you, you may not get it.
What idiot decided to put Chris Pronger in a skirt? Does Randy Michaels have his sticky little fingers on the newpaper too? Don't waive a red flag in front of an angry bull and don't disrespect a future hall of famer. What's next? Todd Bertuzzi in a cocktail dress?
If the Hawks want to get it done tonight, they need the same game plan as game 5: Attack early and often. They are in Michael Leighton's head. Knock him out and the head is off the snake. Plus, if they get a lead, Philly is going to get desperate and start hacking. Then the Hawks can take advantage. I'd hate to see a game seven for more reasons than you can imagine.
I watched some of Steven Strassburg's debut last night. Don't get me wrong, he's very impressive, but he had a lot of help, mostly from the Pirates. There were several times early in the game where he was behind 2-0 and 3-0 and rather than wait for the kid to throw a strike over, they helped him by swinging, even at pitches out of the zone. I will be interested to see how he does against a team like Atlanta, St. Louis or the Dodgers. Then I'll declare him a legend.
Boy, the way Bob Costas, Jim Kaat and John Smoltz were drooling all night leads you to beleive that first and foremost those MLB branded broadcasts are there to push product. MLB obviously needs some new, young stars and the Nats need some national love, so why not convince the public that here is the next big thing. Again, i don't doubt the kid will be a star, but I also think he won't always be this dominant.
Loved all of the call ins last night on Hawk night. The best one by far was Wimpy.
So, with hockey two games from being over and the NBA four games from being over (not that I care) the next big thing will be the World Cup. Since ESPN has the rights to it, they will ram it down your throat. It makes me glad I don't watch Sportscenter any more. Please wake me when it's over.
How about Seahawks receiver Golden Tate being caught inside a donut store at 3am and issued a trespass citation. I would expect that kid of behavior from Homer Simpson. I can also imagine every guy who lines up across from him this season will be saying "mmmmm donut."
Nebraska and Colorado look like they are ready to bolt the Big 12 for the Big 10 (which would become the Big 10+3). The bigger question is will Texas bolt the Big 12 for the Pac 10 or the SEC? And if the Big 12 loses Nebraska and Colorado, would they extend offers to TCU and Boise State. You heard me. Boise State.
The biggest loser in the above scenario is a man I got to know well while covering the OVC in Nashville, Big 12 commish Dan Bebe. Dan is a good man, but there is no way he can stop this. Unfortunately, he'll go down in history as having it happened on his watch.
For those of you that don't speak Hawk.
Finally, as I've mentioned, last night was Hawk Harrelson night at the ball park last night. Love him or hate him, he's a Sox fan. And, I want to go the same way he does.