Quick Shots: White Sox Roster Still Up For Grabs
- Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen hoped to make some decisions on his roster by now, but he's been pleasantly surprised by some developments in the last few days. In the battle for third base, Mark Teahen has been hitting the cover off the ball and his defense has picked up a bit. This doesn't make him any less a butcher, but if he can play even average defense, his bat may be enough to get him in the lineup. The question is can Brent Morel pick up his hitting enough. If you are Ozzie do you value offense in a offense heavy lineup or do you value defense? That is really the burning question. Teahen will make the team provided they don't trade him. His contract makes that pretty problematic.
- In the race for the final outfield spot, Lastings Milledge is making a lasting impression. Chances are he will be sent to Charlotte and the Sox will select Alejandro D'Aza who is out of options. That mean Brent Lillibridge is the odd man out. He is also out of options, so if someone wants him for the waiver price, they will get him. If not, he goes to Charlotte.
- It's pretty clear Matt Thornton is going to be the Sox closer. I've put some thought into this and I think it's the right move. Chris Sale is good, but that's a tremendous amount of pressure to put on a kid in his first full season of pro ball. That puts the Sox setup corps as Jesse Crain, Sergio Santos, Will Ohman and Sale. That's pretty impressive.
- Jake Peavy starts again for the Sox this afternoon against the Padres. They're all big starts for him. Everyone keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop and for Peavy to have one of those horrific Dave Dravecky incident, but so far, everything has been better than expected. Let's hope it continues that way.
- Phillip Humber has pitched well for the Sox thus far. He might have a chance to make the roster if Peavy isn't ready on opening day or they just want to hold Jake back. Humber, like Lillibridge is out of options.
- What's up lately with Gordon Beckham and all the errors. This concerns me and should concern Ozzie.
- Air Canada, a big NHL sponsor and provider of transportation for several NHL teams is barking that they want something done about head shots in the NHL. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but isn't that the tail wagging the dog? I've never, ever heard of a sponsor publically demanding rule changes in a sport they invest in. The good part is NHL Commish Gary Bettman, who recently signed a contract extension (sigh) has told Air Canada to pucker up and kiss the NHL's backside. That's probably the first good move he's made in his eighteen years on the job.
- The NFL lockout is now in place. The union de-certified so they could claim anti-trust violations in front of a judge. The funny thing is the teams and the league are telling the fans how much they love them. The only thing the owners really love is fans named Abe, Andy and Benjamin. If there is no NFL season this year, the owners are confident that fans, sheep that they are, will come back. Unfortunately, it's true.
Posted by Chip Ramsey at 3/14/2011 8:22 AM 
Categories: Hockey, Chicago White Sox, Ozzie Guillen, Pro Football, Baseball
Tags: Brent Lillibridge Cuban Sandwich Gordon Beckham Spring Training
Categories: Hockey, Chicago White Sox, Ozzie Guillen, Pro Football, Baseball
Tags: Brent Lillibridge Cuban Sandwich Gordon Beckham Spring Training
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