The Last Thirty Seasons Of Payrolls: MLB Vs. The White Sox

I have read all too often in posts from WSI to mlb.com from White Sox fans that the Sox do not spend money.  I have read about the Sox not signing free agents, and not being big spenders when it comes to the market and paying for a solid team to take the field.  I wondered, is this true?  Have the Sox spent the majority of the last 30 seasons spending below market value on their teams?  I created the line graph above to chart the trends for MLB's average payrolls against the White Sox' payrolls over the last 30 seasons.

As you can see, the Sox payroll stays around the league average mostly.  The biggest gaps are from 1985-1992 when the Sox payroll was below league average; 1992-1998 when Sox payroll was above league average; 1999-2005 when Sox payroll was again below league average and 2006-2010 when you can see the Sox payroll is far above the league average.  This pretty much averages itself out.  Let's break this down season by season.

Catfish Hunter was the first player to make $1,000,000+ dollars in a single year of a contract after he was signed by the Yankees, since the contract included a $1,000,000 signing bonus.  Another player, though, was first to make a million dollars a year over the life of a contract.  After the 1979 season ended Nolan Ryan signed a free agent contract that made him the first player in MLB history to make $1,000,000 a year outright.  Dave Parker had signed a contract in 1978 with the Pirates which paid him $1,000,000 a year; however, the Pirates worded this contract in such a way that it did not appear he was making a million a year so that nobody would know.

Compare this to the White Sox entire team payroll for 1980:  $1,810,375.  Average player salary?  $72,415.  The Sox ranked 24th out of 26 MLB teams that year in payroll.  So how have the White Sox kept up with rising payroll trends since that first $1,000,000 a year player?  Let's take a look at the progression of the top player contract vs. the White Sox payroll and top paid player.  Payroll statistics are limited for the 80's but once we hit the 90's and 2000's, they're readily available.

In 1981, the White Sox brand new owner Jerry Reinsdorf decided to spend more money than the previous year, and Carlton Fisk was signed and became their highest paid player.  He made $580,000 that season which was well above even the average player salary for the highest paid team.  In 1981, the Sox payroll was $4,816,450 with an average player salary of $192,658.  Average MLB payroll was $4,679,177.  Jerry Reinsdorf also tripled the promotional budget.  He made sure that his team was spending money, as Veeck had gutted the team over the previous few seasons and taken spending in a downward spiral.

In 1982 and 1983, the Sox payroll was 11th and 12th respectively.  In 1984, the Sox payroll made a large jump to the second highest in MLB behind the Yankees.  The Sox had several players making over $500,000 for that season including Floyd Bannister($950,000), Harold Baines($787,000), Britt Burns($750,000), Greg Luzinski($750,000) and Carlton Fisk($580,000).  The Sox total payroll was $11,182,025, with an average player salary of $447,281.  Apparently, the Sox wanted to pay their players for the team's results from the previous year, but it did not lead to success in 1984.  The team only managed to go 74-88.  The average MLB payroll in 1984 was $8,201,494.

In 1985, the Sox scaled back a bit and fell to 19th in team payroll.  The Sox did have two players making over one million dollars that season:  Julio Cruz and Tom Seaver.  The highest paid player in the league was Mike Schmidt, who made $2,130,000.  The average MLB payroll was over $10 million.  In 1986, the Sox payroll moved up a spot to 18th.  In 1987, the payroll was scaled back again and fell to 21st.  In 1988, it fell again to 24th out of 26 teams at just $7,736,952.  In 1989 and 1990 it remained around 24th.

It should be noted that 1985-1987 was the collusion period in which owners conspired together to keep payrolls and player contracts down because they had been rising rapidly.  During two different offseasons, most free agents were not signed by other teams and were forced to resign with their previous teams for less money.  MLBPA filed collusion grievances three different times and in all three instances, MLBPA won.  The final tally in payments owed by MLB owners was $280 million.  After this ruling and payment in 1990, salaries and payrolls began to rise rapidly again.

In 1991, the Sox payroll rose to $18,092,979, which ranked 21st.  In 1992, with more good players on the payroll like Tim Raines($3,500,000) and Bobby Thigpen($3,166,667) and players the Sox felt they should spend on like George Bell($3,650,000) and Steve Sax($3,575,000), the team's payroll shot up to $30,180,333 and an average player salary of $1,049,456.  This was the first year in team history that the average player salary was over $1,000,000.  In contrast to the league, the highest paid player was Bobby Bonilla($6,100,000) and the highest team payroll was the Toronto Blue Jays ($49,427,166).

In 1993, the Sox payroll shot up to 5th($42,115,723) and they had 15 players making more than $1,000,000.  The top payroll that season belonged again to the Toronto Blue Jays($51,935,034).  The top player salary belonged to Bobby Bonilla again at $6,200,000.  The highest paid player on the White Sox was Jack McDowell at $4,000,000.  In 1994, the Sox payroll fell a little to 8th($40,144,836).  In 1995, the Sox payroll stayed the same at $40 million.  In 1996, payroll jumped back up to 5th($44,827,833) which put them well above the league average of $33,690,148.  That season, Frank Thomas' salary jumped to $7,100,000.  Individual player salaries around the league were climbing higher and higher per season.

In 1997, the Sox signed Albert Belle and paid him $10,000,000, a team record for a single year and for MLB.  Frank Thomas made $7,150,000.  The team's payroll, despite these high contracts, actually declined to $41,849,500, which was 14th in baseball.  The top payroll that season was the Yankees' $73,389,577.  In 1998, Gary Sheffield($14 million) soared past Albert Belle($10 million) to become the highest paid player in MLB history for a single year.  Sox team payroll dropped to $37,880,000, which ranked 17th.  Average team payroll in MLB in 1998 was $40,691,972.

In 1999, Albert Belle moved on to the Orioles and a pay raise to $11 million.  The White Sox highest paid player was Frank Thomas at $7 million even.  The team payroll fell dramatically to $24,535,000, which ranked 25th out of 30 teams.  The Sox only had five players making more than one million dollars that season.  The highest payroll in MLB was the Yankees at $91,990,955.  There was a sizable gap between the Sox payroll and even the average MLB payroll of $47 million.

In 2000, Sox spending got back on track rising to 21st and $36,944,286.  Their highest paid player remained Frank Thomas at $7,100,000.  The average MLB payroll was $55 million.  The highest payroll in MLB was again the New York Yankees, who became the first team to have a payroll over $100 million at $113 million.  That season, there were fourteen players making over $10 million.  Three of them were on the New York Yankees roster.

In 2001, payroll climbed dramatically to match the rise in payroll across the league.  The team payroll was $62,363,000, and the highest paid player was Frank Thomas at $9,927,000 and David Wells and Ray Durham also made $9 million each.  The Sox had thirteen players making a million dollars.  Across MLB the average payroll was $63 million.  There were 22 players making over $10 million.  Alex Rodriguez set a new record for a single year, making $22 million.  In 2002, the Sox scaled back to $57 million while the MLB average rose to $67 million.  In 2003, the Sox payroll dropped to $51,010,000 while the average MLB payroll rose again to $69 million.

In 2004, the Sox payroll climbed back up dramatically to $65,212,500, which was close to the MLB average of $67 million, which had dropped for the first time since 1987.  The White Sox highest paid player was Magglio Ordonez at $14,000,000, and four players made more money than Frank Thomas.  The Yankees' payroll had grown dramatically over the past few seasons, shooting up to $182,835,513.  This was partially due to taking on Alex Rodriguez' contract.  I attribute this giant rise in payrolls from 1997-2004 as a direct result of the steroid era.  The higher the players' statistics rose, the more they demanded to be paid.  This put GMs and owners in a bind, and tied their hands.  They were forced to pay to play.

In 2005, the White Sox won the World Series with a payroll of $75,178,000.  The highest paid player was Paul Konerko who made $8,750,000.  Four players made at least $8,000,000.  The Sox and Padres were the only teams that made the post season in '05 without having a $10,000,000 player.  Average MLB payroll that year was $73 million.  The Yankees again set a new milestone record for payroll becoming the first team to have a $200 million payroll($208 million).

In 2006, the White Sox payroll jumped dramatically due to the World Series and the desire by the fans and the team to contend and repeat.  The Sox had three players making over $10 million after picking up Thome and Vazquez.  Konerko's new contract paid him $12,000,000 in 2006.  The team payroll was $102,750,667.  The average MLB payroll was $77 million.  The Yankees payroll dropped back below $200 million at $194 million.  In 2007, the White Sox payroll was $108,671,833.  The highest paid player was Jim Thome at $14 million.  The Sox had four players making over $10 million with another two players making $9 million.  The average MLB payroll was $82 million.

In 2008, the Sox payroll jumped $11 million dollars to $121,152,667 to rank 5th.  The highest paid player was still Jim Thome making $15 million.  Other players' salaries rose significantly, such as Mark Buehrle who made $14 million.  The Sox now had six players making $10 million.  The Yankees top payroll climbed to new heights at $209 million.  The average payroll around the league was $89 million.  In 2009, MLB payrolls dropped across the board by a combined $47 million.

The average team payroll fell to $88 million.  The Sox payroll fell dramatically to $96,068,500.  Teams were worried about the economic situation of the country and were cautious about their payroll situations.  It appears that Sox contracts worked themselves out in such ways to pay the players less money in this season as well, being a contributing factor in the much lower payroll.  The highest paid player was Mark Buehrle at $14 million.  The Sox had five players making over $10 million but no other players making over $5 million.

In 2010, the Sox payroll rose back up to $108,273,197.  The Sox highest paid player was Jake Peavy who made $15 million.  The Sox only had four people making $10 million but had twenty players making at least $1 million.  The average MLB payroll last season was $90 million.  The Yankees payroll around $206 million, still significantly higher than the second highest payroll in the league.  The 2011 season projections have the Sox payroll at somewhere between $119 million and $123 million.  The Sox are estimated to have five players making $10+ million, with Jake Peavy being the highest paid at $16 million.  Newly acquired Adam Dunn will make $12 million.

I believe after looking at all the trends and figures, the Sox have at least averaged the league average payroll over the last thirty seasons, if not outspending it a little bit.  From 2006-2010, the Sox have outspent the combined league average payroll of $430 million by almost $107 million dollars.  I think Jerry and Kenny are on the same page, and that page is you need to pay to play.  They have certainly come under the idea of spend to contend, and I believe it has also been smart spending.  Intelligent spending is the key to success in any sport, especially in baseball.


Payroll statistics were gathered from the websites baseballchronology.com, baseball-reference.com, cbssports.com and usatoday.com.

Who Will Replace Adam Wainwright?

Big news was announced today; Adam Wainwright has a significant injury that might require Tommy John Surgery which would shut him down for twelve to sixteen months.  He will be re-evaluated, but most sources say it doesn't look good for him pitching any time soon.  So in the meantime, who will replace the empty starting pitching spot after the top four pitchers move up spot?

Well, the best option for most teams in a situation like this is a trade.  I don't know who the Cardinals could trade for really, but they may look to make one to fill the spot.  An option I can better guess at is the idea of signing a free agent pitcher.  Most of the free agents starting pitchers have been signed, but a few still remain.  The guys that remain really didn't have very good numbers in the last few seasons.  

One of these guys is Kevin Millwood.  He went 4-16 with a 5.10 ERA.  He was on a bad team, but you can't blame the team for his poor pitching season.  Millwood from 2007-2010 put up a line of 36-50, 4.72 ERA and 1.51 WHIP.  He was supposed to be a K pitcher, but has had a big drop off, averaging only 126 Ks a year over that stretch.  He is really the best name on a list of less than stellar pitchers available.  If Wainwright's injury had been detected back in November, a few better names to take a chance on would have been available like Carl Pavano, Hiroki Kuroda and Jon Garland.

So if they don't trade for anyone or sign any free agents, they will have to look within their own organization for options.  Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, Kyle Lohse, Jake Westbrook and PJ Walters are the only pitchers on the Cardinals' 40 man roster who started at least 1 game last season.  Brad Penny, Jeff Suppan and Blake Hawksworth left for new teams.  Adam Ottavino was removed from the 40 man roster after the 2010 season.

PJ Walters would be the only pitcher who could start the season at the fifth starter position that has had experience.  He didn't have a very good 2010 in limited appearances.  In 7 appearances(3 starts) he went 2-0 but with a 6.00 ERA, giving up 20 ER in 30 IP.  He also gave up 5 home runs.  He doesn't have a good stat sheet so far, but really he's only been able to barely get his feet wet with the big league club.  If I were the Cardinals, though, I would look deeper in the Minor League pool of talent.

They have a pitcher with a reputation as a solid starter at the Single A level who they could bring up if they want to rush him out of necessity.  His name is Shelby Miller and he sports a 98 mph fastball.  In 2010, he went 7-5 with a 3.62 ERA in 104.1 IP.  He also posted 140 strikeouts.  His K/BB was over 4-1.  Being a strikeout pitcher with a strong fastball, he still managed a 46% ground ball rate.

He is young, and he came straight from high school when he was drafted in 2009 with the 16th pick.  However, the Cardinals might be desperate and call him up.  I don't know if they want to rush him, they may sacrifice this year to have a better future.  Their fans always expect their team to compete for the division title, so they will certainly hear it if they throw this season away to map out a future.  It will be interesting to see what road they go down in the Adam Wainwright roster situation.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see, but they don't appear to have very many good options.

How The MLBPA Protects Players

Collective bargaining: Collective bargaining is a type of negotiation used by employees to work with their employers. During a collective bargaining period, workers' representatives approach the employer and attempt to negotiate a contract which both sides can agree with. Typical issues covered in a labor contract are hours, wages, benefits, working conditions, and the rules of the workplace.

Collusion: An agreement between two or more persons, sometimes illegal and therefore secretive, to limit open competition by deceiving, misleading, or defrauding others of their legal rights, or to obtain an objective forbidden by law typically by defrauding or gaining an unfair advantage.

Baseball Collusion:  Refers to owners working together to avoid competitive bidding for player services or players jointly negotiating with team owners. 

Now that we've had a brief vocabulary, lets see how the history of the Major League Baseball Players' Association(MLBPA) has affected Major League Baseball.  Before the MLBPA, there were four attempts by players to create unions in baseball that really didn't get much done: The Brotherhood Of Professional Baseball Players(1885), Players' Protective Association(1900), Fraternity of Professional Baseball Players of America(1912), and National Baseball Players Association of the United States(1922).  MLBPA was created in 1953.

In 1966, MLBPA hired Marvin Miller who worked for the United Steel Workers Of America to be the Executive Director.  In 1968, he negotiated MLB's first ever collective bargaining agreement(CBA) with the team owners.  It raised the minimum MLB player salary from $6,000 to $10,000.  The CBA in 1972 added arbitration to allow disputes between players and team management to be resolved.  Also in 1972, MLB saw it's first player strike, over the owners' refusal to increase player pension funds to match cost of living increases.

Over the first 10 years of Marvin Miller's run as Executive Director, MLBPA became one of the strongest unions in the nation.  The Seitz decision was a ruling by arbitrator Peter Seitz on December 23, 1975 which declared that Major League Baseball players became free agents upon playing one year for their team without a contract, effectively nullifying baseball's reserve clause.  Reserve clause:  An agreement allowing teams to renew a contract for a period of one year following the end of a signed contract.  This was used to keep players on a team for life, as well as keep salaries low by eliminating market competition.

In 1968, the original CBA stated: "Players shall not act in concert with other Players and Clubs shall not act in concert with other Clubs."  This was an anti-collusion clause.  In the 1980s, MLB owners violated this at least three times.  They are known as Collusion I, Collusion II and Collusion III.

Collusion I involved free agents after the 1985 season.  Only four of thirty-five free agents changed teams, and some star players did not even receive offers from other teams such as Kirk Gibson.  These players normally would have garnered much interest in the FA market.  In one case, Carlton Fisk was offered a contract by George Steinbrenner, who withdrew his offer after a call from Jerry Reinsdorf.

The MLBPA thought something was up and filed a collusion grievance in February of 1986.  They won this decision after the arbitrator decided that the owners had violated the basic agreement of the CBA.  After the 1986 season, the MLBPA filed a second collusion grievance, alleging more collusion among owners to not sign free agents.  For the first time in 18 years, free agent salaries had dropped, in contrast to MLB stating revenue was up 15%.  MLBPA won this second grievance case.  In 1987, MLBPA filed a third collusion grievance, which they claimed was due to owners creating an "information bank" to discuss offers they had made to players.  MLBPA won this grievance case as well.

When the three separate collusion cases damages were announced, they resulted in the owners paying out $280 million to the union in 1990, which divided out fairly the money among all of the free agent players who had been affected.  The owners had used this collusion in the mid-80's to attempt to keep player salaries from reaching millions of dollars.  MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent stated of this situation: "The single biggest reality you guys have to face up to is collusion. You stole $280 million from the players, and the players are unified to a man around that issue, because you got caught and many of you are still involved."

In 1994, MLBPA went on strike after they felt an assault by owners on their rights was taking fold.  Their biggest complaint during the strike was the owners willingness to enforce a salary cap.  Prior to 1994, the owners had voted to take away several powers of the Commissioner in order to "preserve the best interests of baseball."  The owners proposal stated that they would raise average salary from $1.6 million to $2.1 million over 7 years.  In June of 1994, the owners had decided to withhold money owed to player pension funds as a negotiating tactic.  This failed to force the players' hand, and was another leading cause of the strike.

On August 12th, 1994, the players struck and did not play for the rest of the season.  No CBA could ever be agreed upon, and MLB lost all of it's post season for the first time in history.  There were many ramifications for players and teams as far as seasonal results were going.  The Montreal Expos were in first place and having their best season in team history.  One wacky result of the strike involved Dave Winfield.  He was traded from the Twins to the Indians for a player to be named later.  Since there was a strike, no player could be named.  The two teams went out to dinner and the Indians picked up the tab, which means Dave Winfield was traded for a nice dinner.

In December, the MLBPA and MLB owners had attempted to have talks for a new CBA, but they quickly broke down.  President Clinton got involved in January, telling the owners and players they had to begin negotiating again by February 6th.  This deadline came and went with no new CBA.  A deal proposed during these talks had included an owner concession, revoking salary cap.  The owners decided to move forward with their teams without the striking players.  Replacement players were signed to play in games.  Some of them had been former MLB players who were not under contract in 1994.  One such player was Oil Can Boyd.

On March 29th, 1995, the players and owners agreed to use the expired CBA rules for the 1995 season until a new CBA could be put in place.  The players agreed to play a 144 game season beginning on April 25th.  Fans, who were furious over the strike and felt the players had been greedy, showed their frustration when baseball returned.

At New York's Shea Stadium, three people wearing shirts that read "Greed" jumped on the field, ran up to players and threw $1 bills at them.  In Pittsburgh on Opening Day, fans threw things onto the field and caused a 17 minute delay.  After being told that their actions would result in a forfeited game, they conceded from throwing things onto the field, but kept booing throughout the game.

At Yankee Stadium on Opening Day, Donald Fehr, President of the MLBPA, was in attendance.  Fans brought signs to tell him how they felt.  One read "$HAME ON YOU!"(yes with the dollar sign S), another fan yelled repeatedly at him "You ruined the game!"  At Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, a person piloted a plane above the stadium with a banner reading "Owners & Players: To Hell With You All!!"  Fans were soured on the process of arguing over money when players and owners alike had been making far more money than fans could even imagine.

Another ramification of the strike, is the toll it took on the Montreal Expos.  Not only did they lose their best start to a season in team history, they lost their fan base and much needed revenue.  They were forced to lower team payroll to make up for losses occurring from the strike.  The Expos never recovered.  It took MLB at least three years to start seeing a recovery in attendance and revenue.  The 1998 season and it's summer of home runs brought many fans back to the game.  This leads to another blemish on the MLBPA's record.

We now know that many players hitting all of these home runs were using steroids.  MLB waited a while to begin working on any kind of meaningful drug testing changes and penalties for players who used illegal or banned substances.  When MLB finally did decide to install stricter drug testing, MLBPA fought against it.  They claimed that it violated players' privacy.  After a lot of negative publicity, and the BALCO scandal coming to light, the MLBPA changed their position to pro-testing programs.  In 2005, after pressure from Congress, MLBPA agreed to a stronger drug testing program as well as 50 & 100 game suspensions for the first two positive tests, and lifetime banishment for a third positive test.

As you can see, the union has helped in many aspects of baseball including guaranteed salary increases, better pension plans and standing up to the owners for collusion against players.  Their work to get a better free agency market that gives players more control over their future and salaries has definitely made baseball better.  However, there are also times when the union has hurt baseball, including the strike in 1994.  Their anti-drug testing stance in the early 2000's was also a dark moment with fans.  The union, however, is necessary because it protects the players from the shady business practices that would accompany any entity making millions of dollars a year.

Another aspect of what the union has done with salaries over the years, is that they have installed things in such a way that owners have to pay higher prices for top players each season.  The CBA and the MLBPA are being blamed for Albert Pujols' 2011 offseason in which he will be guaranteed to make $30 million a year on his next contract no matter where he signs.  They may not directly have been involved in Albert Pujols feeling he has to be an example of how the top player should be paid, but they certainly indirectly influenced this outcome. 

This is mostly bad for baseball, as it eliminates small market teams from not only signing free agents of A-type status, but it also makes their chances of keeping great players they drafted beyond their initial contracts.  If this were the NBA, any team who could afford the "max contract" price could negotiate with a player.

New MLBPA Executive Director Michael Weiner has stated that he wishes to have talks on a new CBA before the 2011 season begins.  He states that he has watched as the NFL talks have gotten nasty and the NBA talks have stalled.  He doesn't want this to happen in baseball.  The current CBA ends on December 11th, 2011. 

This season will undoubtedly have two major "what will happen" headlines:  Where Will Pujols Sign?  When Will A New CBA Deal Be Struck?  I for one care a whole lot more about the latter than the former.  The good news is that he is speaking about the matter as if both sides are really on the same page, which could lead to a calm re-upping of a similar CBA with little disagreement on it's terms and conditions.  THAT is what is best for baseball.

Twenty Years Of New Comiskey Park

The 2011 season will mark the 20th anniversary of New Comiskey Park, now known as US Cellular Field.  The Park has seen a lot over it's 20 years.  It has seen two no hitters, a four home run game(by an opponent), an All Star Game, a World Series title, three MVP players(one a World Series MVP), a Cy Young winner, and three managers of the year.  It has gone through several changes and renovations since it was opened.

Old Comiskey as it has come to be known, saw it's last game on September 30th, 1990.  The Sox won 2-1.  The next season, Opening Day for New Comiskey Park was not such a good day for a game.  The White Sox had to wait 10 days after the season started to play their first home game.  They got trounced by the Detroit Tigers 16-0.  The Sox could only manage a 0-7-1 box score.  The starting lineup for the White Sox in the first game of the new stadium was: C - Fisk, 1B - Thomas, 2B - Fletcher, SS - Guillen, 3B - Ventura, LF - Snyder, CF - Johnson, RF - Sosa, DH - Raines, SP - McDowell.

The White Sox kept some features of Old Comiskey, such as the exploding scoreboard, but overall the ballpark looked completely different.  Many people complained about how this park looked and initial reception was that it was an eyesore.  To me, looking at the old photos, it looks like a big blue spaceship.  Not the cool spaceships like the one E.T. came and left in, but the crappy spaceships from some 1950's B-Movie.  It had no character, no feel.

Since 1996, there have been several rounds of upgrades and renovations to the stadium.  One of the nicest changes was adding the multi-tiered batter's eye.  This is now one of the best parts of the park, allowing for a cool vantage point for watching a few pitches of the game as well as the monument statues we have erected for various players and Charles Comiskey there.  Another nice change was to add a better video screen to the scoreboard, and the addition of LED ribbon boards around the upper deck area.  During these changes, the bullpen was also moved to a better location, allowing for more seats to be installed and a better view of pitchers warming up.

Probably the best change to the overall feel and look of the ballpark was to replace everything that was cheap "Walmart" Blue, to a solid Green color that made our park look much nicer.  Each outfield section has an archway to each set of steps leading down to seats.  The archway has flowers hanging from each side.  Little changes can really spruce up any place, and US Cellular Field finally has a look today that gives it much needed character and life.  

One of my favorite parts of the park is the outfield concourse.  The park is completely accessible.  You can walk around the entire park and get a view of each vantage point.  Most parks do not allow you to walk around the park, as you would normally be inside walking around each section in the outfield before reaching your section and walking out to find your seats.  US Cellular Field makes the most of the outfield concourse, putting up things to do such as a pitching speed booth and other activities.

Another one of my favorite aspects of this park is the gigantic parking lot.  Most parks have little parking or even no parking at all.  I have been to many ballparks and at most, you have to walk a bit from where you park to reach the ballpark.  The parking price is a little bit steep ever since the Sox won the World Series, but basically it's worth it for us of the out of town variety driving our cars around town.

One of my least favorite additions to the park is the Pontiac Fundamentals Deck.  It was built to give kids a small ballpark with which to come up and have a little bit of fun before or during the game.  It may be fun for the kids, but it takes a little bit of the fun out of the game for the fans in their seats.  If you are sitting anywhere beyond third base down the left field line, you will have parts of the video boards in left field obstructed from your view.

A good addition to the park for the 2008 season was located outside of the park.  That year they unveiled the Legacy Brick Plaza and World Series Monument.  The Sox offered fans the chance to purchase a brick to be placed in the legacy brick area with a brief message.  I purchased one of the basic bricks and it is pictured above.  As part of my purchase, they also sent me a brick in the mail that is exactly the same as the brick in the legacy plaza.

An aspect of the park that can go overlooked but should not, is the food.  Comiskey has great food.  You can get anything from typical ballpark food, to fajitas, deli sandwiches, cheese quesadillas, barbacoa and carnita nachos, and even PB&J's for the kids.  One of my favorite things to take advantage of is the Buy one get one free hot dog deal before the games.  Those hot dogs are Ball Park brand, but US Cellular Field introduced me to Kosher Hot Dogs, which are definitely my favorite kind.  I have also ordered several slices of Connie's Pizza, especially when I went with my dad to three games in 2005.  They even have gluten-free beer.  Overall, out of all the ballparks I have been to, I would rate the food an A-, which is definitely good enough.

The Sox announced that they would be building a multi-level restaurant at US Cellular Field, opening in April 2011.  The Sox have stated that it will be named "Comiskeys", and serve a variety of food.  It will only be open for the baseball season, but they plan to at some point have it open during the offseason as well.  I welcome this, and think it's a great idea.  Many ballparks are starting to have restaurants attached to parks that are open year round.  New Yankee Stadium has a few restaurants, one of which is a Hard Rock Cafe.  This will be a great thing for the stadium, and I plan to eat there at the next home game I attend in the future.

The outfield wall is one of the aspects of the park that really stands out.  When the park was first built, it was an ultra bland blue wall that only posted a few foot numbers on it.  Now, it has been replaced by a really nice looking wall with a yellow stripe on top.  The fence covers the bullpens on each side of the park and features the picture of each player who's number we have retired.  Billy Pierce, Luis Aparicio, Minnie Minoso and Luke Appling's portraits are pasted across left-center.  Frank Thomas was added last year at a ceremony on Frank Thomas day.  The words "The Catch" appear on the spot near the top of the fence where DeWayne Wise made his amazing catch to preserve Mark Buehrle's perfect game in 2009.  Jackie Robinson is also retired(by all of MLB), and appears on the wall in right center.

New Comiskey/US Cellular has seen some pretty good moments over the years as I stated before.  On April 18th, 2007, Mark Buehrle threw the first no hitter in New Comiskey Park history.  He allowed one walk, then promptly picked off Sosa whom he'd given a free pass.  On July 23rd, 2009, Mark threw a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays, highlighted by an amazing catch made by DeWayne Wise.

One of the greatest moments seen at New Comiskey was made by a player of an opposing team.  On May 2nd, 2002, Mike Cameron tied a Major League record by hitting four home runs in a single game vs. the White Sox at New Comiskey.  In his fifth at bat, he hit a fly ball that reached the warning track, coming up just short of setting history.

In 2005, the White Sox made a run to the World Series, giving New Comiskey its first World Series game to host.  Both games were dramatic, exciting games.  In Game 2, Paul Konerko hit a grand slam.  After blowing the lead late, unlikely hero Scott Podsednik hit a walk off home run to win the game.  The White Sox now have a World Series banner raised at the park which was actually won in games featured at the park.

Two times since it opened, a White Sox player has hit for the cycle.  The first was on July 6, 1999, when Chris Singleton hit for the cycle.  The second was Jose Valentin on April 27th, 2000, against the Baltimore Orioles.  Jose Valentin's cycle was natural, tallying his single, double, triple and home run in natural order.

Overall, I believe the park is a lot better than when it opened.  It has a lot of renovations that make it look like a real park with its own character and features that make it unique.  It has features of the old and new in baseball ballpark trends.  The seats are more comfortable and spaced out than most parks I have been to and the vantage points from anywhere are unobstructed, which is always a plus.

Being 26 years old, and not growing up in Chicago, this is the only park I've known associated with the team.  I can't imagine having any other park to call the home of the Chicago White Sox.  Here's to another twenty years of great baseball on the Southside in our great park, US Cellular Field.

Will Albert Pujols Be > Lou Gehrig??

Many people have already stated their opinion that Albert Pujols is on pace, if not already achieving this, to become not only the greatest first baseman ever, but the greatest player in MLB history.  Some other people will argue that he is not there yet and has a way to go to reach that level.  Tim Kirkjian of ESPN says he thinks Pujols can become the greatest first baseman ever when it's all said and done, but does not think he will reach the level of excellence held by Babe Ruth or Willie Mays.

I am on the fence on the matter.  I think Pujols is doing things I have never seen(Let's just leave Bonds out of it since he doesn't count), and the matter of consistency with which he is putting up his statistics is mind boggling.  With most good or great players, when you look at their stat sheet, you see some inconsistencies at the beginning of their careers.  Maybe they got called up late in a year and didn't get to put a lot together in that first year.  Maybe they had sophomore slump and didn't really find it until that third season.  Maybe that player gets hurt and misses time that limit their statistical output.

Lou Gehrig only played in 23 games in his first two years with the Yankees, and only hit 1 home run while hitting pretty well in limited plate appearances.  There is a story, which has been proven false, that Gehrig only got to play because Wally Pipp sat out a game with headaches and lost his spot in 1924.  In reality, the manager benched Pipp and other veterans to shake things up, and Gehrig played well.  Pipp did play more, until one month later when Pipp was hit in the head by a practice pitch which fractured his skull.  He was traded to Cincinnati before 1925, and Gehrig was the new starting first baseman.

Albert Pujols did not have the typical rookie season.  Instead of getting limited at bats, or having to make adjustments, he came right into the league swinging like a veteran.  He started the season and played in 161 games in 2001.  He spent time playing outfield, third and first base.  His rookie year, he hit .329/37/130 with a 1.013 OPS.  He blew away his rookie competitors for the Rookie of the Year award and finished 4th in MVP voting.  That began a streak of 10 straight seasons of .300+/30+/100+ to start a career. That has NEVER been done before in MLB history.

Gehrig's first ten seasons vs. Pujols' first ten seasons look like this:

	Games	AB	RS	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	OPS
Lou Gehrig	1232	4542	1075	1558	321	113	267	1146	.343	.444	1.084
Albert Pujols	1558	5733	1186	1900	426	15	408	1230	.331	.426	1.050

So when dealing with players from drastically different eras, it should always be taken into consideration that Gehrig played 154 game seasons while Pujols plays in a 162 game season.  You can see that Pujols played in 326 more games than Gehrig due to the fact that Lou was not a starter his first two years and the 154/162 game season differential.  This is a major reason Gehrig's stats have a shortfall here.  Still yet, you have to judge as-is, and cannot really say that we should start with Gehrig's third season when he became a full time starter.  That wouldn't be fair to Pujols, who only has 10 seasons to work with.  A statistic not presented in the chart is total bases.  Pujols has 3500 while Gehrig at that point had 2900.

Another statistic not presented that looks great for both players was their BB/K at the plate.  Lou Gehrig over this time was 806/508, while Pujols was 914/646.  Power hitters walking a lot more than they strike out are a very rare breed, and both guys are pretty much equally good in this aspect.

Next, let's compare Lou Gehrig and Albert Pujols' best season in their first ten years below:

	Games	AB	RS	SB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	OPS	TB
'27 Gehrig	155	584	149	10	218	52	18	47	175	.373	.474	1.240	447
'09 Pujols	160	568	124	16	186	45	1	47	135	.327	.443	1.101	374

As you can see, Lou Gehrig had an astronomical 1927 campaign that dwarfs what I think was Pujols' best season as a pro.  He leads him at every category except stolen bases, and they tie at home runs.  Look at the numbers though, there are clear differences in runs scored, hits, triples, RBI, batting average, OBP, OPS and total bases.  Lou Gehrig's 1927 for "Murderer's Row", is considered one of the best seasons ever.

He had these statistics despite playing alongside another player leading the discussion for greatest hitter of all time:  Babe Ruth.  Ruth's 1927 was unbelievable(and record setting): .356/60/164 with a 1.258 OPS.  Pujols' partner in crime was only on the Cardinals for the second half of the season.  Matt Holliday was traded to the Cardinals, and only played in 63 games.  He went .353/13/55 though with a 1.023 OPS.

The reason I discuss the other great player beside these guys in the order, is because it affects how they are pitched to.  Lou Gehrig batted fourth, behind Babe Ruth.  This did not allow pitchers to intentionally walk Ruth, since he had more than adequate protection.  Albert Pujols bats third, and could be intentionally walked because people believe less in Matt Holliday than they did in Lou Gehrig obviously.

Pujols lead the league in '09, being IBB 44 times, and the last three seasons has lead the league in intentional walks.  IBB was not kept in 1927, but after reading a lot of information on Gehrig's season and career, he was rarely if ever intentionally walked because Babe Ruth was on base so often.  You can see that Gehrig had more at bats in five fewer games when comparing these seasons.  It should be noted that both players were awarded a MVP for their efforts.

Finally, lets discuss the two players' post season statistics. Some people say if you can't do it in the post season, you can't be one of the greatest players. Below is a chart of the post season statistics each player accumulated during their first ten seasons in the league:

	Games	AB	RS	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	OPS	TB
Lou Gehrig	19	64	17	27	6	2	7	25	.421	.530	1.436	58
Albert Pujols	56	199	39	64	10	1	13	36	.322	.431	1.009	115

It should be noted, of course, that Division Series and League Championship Series were not around in Gehrig's time. You just won your league and made the World Series from regular season results or you didn't. So all of Gehrig's stats are in the World Series. Pujols has played in two World Series. You can see here that both players are/were great post season batters as well as regular season. They certainly didn't choke when the pressure of the post season was on. Gehrig is maybe the best hitter in World Series history, but Pujols has also proven that he can play at a high level under pressure.

Pujols had one moment that will always be remembered. In the 2005 NLCS, Game 6 with the game on the line, he hit a Brad Lidge pitch so hard, people wondered if it was ever going to come down. It is still the hardest home run I have ever seen personally in my years watching baseball. It traveled to the very top of the outfield of the stadium. That home run wrecked Brad Lidge as he would go on to give up another home run to Scott Podsednik in the World Series, not being able to shake that previous home run.

Another interesting statistic is career grand slams. Lou Gehrig is the all time leader in MLB history with twenty-three career. Albert Pujols has eleven. This statistic is pretty team dependent. I mean three guys in front of you have to get on base just for the opportunity. Since Gehrig leads MLB at this statistic, I decided to include it but more or less just because. I know this statistic is not one that you should look at to base a lot of judgement on a player. Everyone, though, will agree that a grand slam is awesome. In fact, Denny's named their most famous breakfast after it. They're just plain cool.

Lou Gehrig played in what would be a record 2,130 consecutive games from 1925-1939,; he took himself out of the lineup and was replaced by Babe Dahlgren on May 2nd, 1939 in Detroit to end the streak and would never play another game. Cal Ripken is the only player to have a longer streak of consecutive games. I do not think this is something Albert Pujols will, or will attempt to break. So Lou definitely has that over him. Sadly, as we all know, Lou Gehrig's career was cut at least five years short by ALS, which has come to be known as Lou Gehrig's disease. 

Here's a look at how the last seven seasons of Lou Gehrig's 17 year career went:

	Games	AB	RS	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	OPS	TB
Lou Gehrig	932	3459	813	1163	213	50	226	849	.336	.451	1.074	2154

You can see that Gehrig finished his career strong before ALS took him out of the game. He remained consistent and managed to have some of his best career seasons in the latter part of his career. In 1934, he had a very similar season to his outstanding and legendary 1927 Murderer's Row season, posting statistics that came very close to the same out put. From 1933 to 1937 he posted 30+ HRs and in 1938 he hit 29 HRs. From 1933-1938 he posted 100+ RBI each season. From 1933-1937 he kept his batting average above .329.

Simply put, he never slowed down until ALS took control of him. If Pujols is going to be anything like Gehrig, he will need to remain consistent over the next 7-10 seasons. This is the key argument in his contract negotiations: Will he or won't he be able to put up these numbers over the next 10 years??

Hopefully no serious medical issues shorten Albert Pujols' career.  When his career is over, if he remains healthy, he can be the all time home run leader and the all time RBI leader.  He needs 1,068 RBI to pass Hank Aaron's all-time mark, and 355 home runs to pass Barry Bonds(asterisk!), although that home run total could be higher if Alex Rodriguez reaches a higher mark.  It will be hard, I think for ARod to hit another 150 home runs, but not completely out of the question.  There will also be an asterisk by his name with his admission that he took illegal substances in 2003. Pujols has never been linked to steroids, and it is only fair to take him at his word that he did not use.

In 1999, MLB fans got to vote for an All-Century Team, and Gehrig received the most votes.  It was clear at that time that Lou Gehrig had been the best first baseman in history.  Albert Pujols has definitely gotten himself to the top of the conversation, and many people say right now he is better than Gehrig was.  This is a flawed argument, though, since most people alive today did not see Gehrig play in person.  I just don't think at this point that we can say with certainty, but there's a good enough sample size now to see what it will take as I noted above. 

We'll just have to wait and see, I think Pujols can pass his numbers, but will that make him better?  That's for fans, writers, players and managers to decide for themselves.  He certainly could end his career with the highest statistics at major categories, and that would be quite an accomplishment, no matter what people think of it. The fact that we're even having this conversation in baseball as Pujols' looming free agency is upon us is evidence that he is truly one of the greatest players this game has ever seen.

The "All In" Season Official Begins

Today, February 17th, 2011, could go down in White Sox lore.  If the White Sox have the kind of season many people believe they can have, today will be the start of the magic.  The "All In" season has officially begun, with pitchers and catchers reporting.  Before I start, I will note that I will not be making any standings and playoff predictions until much later on.

Moving on, today was not the first day that Sox players began preparing for next season.  Joey Cora held his annual training time in January that has become known as Camp Cora.  In attendance this year were Alexei Ramirez, Gordon Beckham, Dayan Viciedo and Brent Morel.  Some of the players including Beckham and Pierzynski showed up before the official reporting date to the Spring Training site this week.  This team is definitely primed and ready to go right out of the gate.

Gordon Beckham is one of the players who realizes last year was a failure when it should have been a success.  He has stated that he wants to focus everything in his life on baseball this season.  You probably won't be seeing Beckham on any more commercials this year like the one below.  I hope everyone goes into the year with this kind of focus.

Beckham couldn't have been too happy with his sophomore slump, a line of .252/9/49 with a low .695 OPS.  His numbers were down from 2009 levels across the board.  He knows he can do better and he has been working hard most of the off season to get back to where he knows he can be.  This guy was a 28 home run hitter in college and I at least expected 20-25 home runs out of him at the Major League level.  A line for him that is realistic and solid would be .285/22/75 with a .875 OPS.  I would welcome that and consider it enough production to lead to wins.

A big question for this season will be when, and how will Jake Peavy pitch after recovering from surgery?  I think he will come back sooner than later, to my dismay.  I would be ok if he didn't come back until June if it meant he would come back 100%.  However, his competitive nature seems to be getting the best of him.  In a recent article, Jake said he hopes to come back soon, and that he was feeling 70%.  The Sox should be able to manage two months without him.  I want him to come back strong so that he doesn't further injure himself and possibly jeopardize his whole career.  If Peavy comes back and just goes 12-6 with an ERA around 3.20-3.50 i'll be happy.

The addition of Adam Dunn has everyone in Chicago buzzing.  He's a solid hitter, who despite striking out a lot, has always had a high On Base Percentage as well as racking up home runs and RBIs.  You take the good with the bad from him, and there is more good than bad.  If he hits .260+ you consider that a win.  At US Cellular Field, one would imagine he could go .265/42/115 with a .977 OPS.  One small issue with Dunn is that he is absolutely atrocious in the field.  He will most likely be fielding mostly from first base if he is not DHing, and his career UZR at 1B is -30!  He has also stated he would play outfield if asked, where his career UZR is a staggering -90!  No matter where he plays, he will be a defensive liability.  I am hoping he plays a lot at the DH spot.

The Sox also brought back Konerko which makes every Sox fan feel special in their secret places.  Konerko will probably not have as good a year as last year, but coupled with Dunn in the middle, he should be more than productive.  If Konerko bats .280+/25+/85+ with a .900+ OPS, that will be a win for sure.  Konerko's fielding is a lot better than Dunn's, at -16, but he makes a lot more plays than Dunn could.  I would argue with anyone that out of all the first basemen in the league, Konerko can start the first to second back to first double play as well as anyone.

The White Sox also brought back AJ Pierzynski, who had a pretty good comeback last year as far as where he was and where he ended up.  He ended up batting .270.  AJ's most important contribution, though, has always been behind the plate, not next to it.  He gives us just enough offense to survive, while calling a great game most nights and playing solid defense.  Sure, he doesn't throw a lot of guys out, but he also doesn't make errors and pitchers rave about him calling a game.  The best thing is, we don't have to go with a rookie, and will have veteran leadership at the position.

A major concern going into the offseason was to address the bullpen.  The Sox needed a few more arms in the pen, and it looks like they did alright.  They added Crain and Ohman, and this should help out a lot.  The Sox also managed to shed Scott Linebrink, arguably the most frustrating bullpen guy since Billy Koch.  After getting rid of Randy Williams, the Sox bullpen will be markedly better this season.  It can't be worse.

Bobby Jenks is gone as closer and I was one of his biggest fans.  He had few left, I still believed in him from time to time.  With his departure, the Sox will need to find a closer, but there are candidates who can get it done.  Matt Thornton is the guy many people believe will eventually take over.  Some are arguing for Chris Sale but that's only if he isn't in the rotation.  Still others have said the Sox will go with a rotating closer position.  We'll have to see what they do.

If Matt Thornton does take over as the regular closer, he clearly has the stuff to put people away.  The last three seasons his ERA has been below 2.75 and his K total has averaged 81.  His WHIP over the last three seasons is 1.025.  He is probably our best choice for closer, and I would welcome him taking the job.

Speaking of Chris Sale, he is a big question mark this year.  Everyone knows how much talent he has and what he can do on the mound, but nobody knows how he will be doing that this year.  He could be a starter and he could be a reliever.  The latest reports I have read have stated that Sale will be "groomed as a starter" this season.

I hope that is true, because he has his highest value in the rotation.  Kenny Williams said today that he will be in the bullpen, but that is really subject to change as need becomes an issue.  I think Chris Sale will find his way into the rotation this season.  He lead all of NCAA in strikeouts in 2010.  I hope he can make the seamless transition to the Major League level in his first full season with the big league club.  If he does what he is capable of, he should have minimal problems.

Two potential early season fifth starters who could make spot starts to alleviate the four man rotation would be Lucas Harrell and Philip Humber.  Harrell is a young player who has not had much time up in the big leagues, so a lot about what he could do cannot be judged.  He was 1-0 last season with a 4.88 ERA, he had some good moments and some really bad moments.

Philip Humber has only made two starts in his entire career and posted high earned run totals in his 24 other appearances.  He has failed to get players out, posting exponentially high WHIPs in his appearances.  He has not had a large body of work, and maybe Cooper can work his magic once again and turn him into a serviceable pitcher like he has with others who had a bad wrap coming in.

The rest of the rotation looks alright.  Danks will be solid again this year, putting up consistent statitics each of the last two seasons.  In the last two seasons, he has put up 15-11 and 13-11 records, 3.77 and 3.72 ERAs, 1 CG each season, 149 and 162 Ks, 1.28 and 1.21 WHIPs, and finally 200.1 and 213 IP.  He is the height of consistency, you really can do an accurate job of predicting how he will pitch.  John may finally have enough offense to back him up in his quest to put together a really great season.  It would be great if he could hit marks of 16-9, 3.50 ERA and 175 Ks.  We'll just have to see if he makes it to his full potential, and if he can finally break through and pitch an entire season strong.

Another question mark is Mark Buehrle.  That should be his new nickname: Question Mark, because you never know what he will pitch like when he goes out there.  He can be great: 8 IP 6 H 0 ER; he can also be terrible: 4.2 IP 11 H 7 ER.  Hopefully Mark Buehrle can find his old form and remember what he can bring.  He has not had a great season since 2005, and despite throwing a no hitter and perfect game in 2007 and 2009, he has not had the kind of winning or lower ERAs that have marked his great years.

Mark has played gold glove defense, essentially locking up the pitching Gold Glove award on the first day last season with one of the best plays seen in many years.  I would just like to see him with a lower than 3.75 ERA and at least a winning record, something around 15-11.  He also needs to have better second halves of the season.  The last two seasons, he started off alright and tanked in the second half.  In the first half of 2009 he was 9-3, in the second half he was 4-7.  In the first half of 2010 he was 8-7, in the second half he was 5-6 with higher statistics.  He is very consistent however in the number of innings he will give you.  He has thrown 200+ innings each of the last ten seasons, which are all of the full seasons he has had in the majors.

Gavin Floyd had a great 2008, but 2009 and 2010 have been disappointing.  He has really never reached his full potential.  Floyd could be a 15-17 game winner every season, but he cannot stay consistent.  At times he looks unhittable, and other times he can't get an out.  He does give the Sox a healthy number of innings each year, but they need to be good innings.  Like Mark Buehrle, he needs to find the magic he had and capture it and remember what kind of pitcher he can be.  He needs to get his ERA below 4.00 and he needs to put up a winning record.  Hopefully he can turn it around this year with the improved lineup backing him up.

Edwin Jackson had a good stint with the White Sox last season after being traded by Arizona for Daniel Hudson.  I did not like the trade, but it happened and I am over it now.  Jackson is coming in to his first full season with the Sox and lets hope he picks up where he left off last season.  Last year he went 4-2 in 11 starts with a 3.24 ERA and 77 Ks to just 18 BBs.  If he can be solid in the rotation, he'll give us the much needed extra arm that we not only need while Peavy is out, but will need when Peavy comes back for a stretch run to a division title.  His 4.28 K/BB and 9.2 K/9 for the Sox last year were both the best of his career.  I am not worried about Jackson this year, I think he will be just fine.

Alexei Ramirez has become one of the best fielding short stops in baseball.  Last year his +10.8 UZR last season was the best for any short stop in MLB.  He was awarded the Fielding Bible's best short stop honors.  He also was fine at the plate, hitting .282/18/70 with 83 runs scored.  Bill James has given the prediction that he will put up .280/18/78 with 80 runs scored.  If he puts up that number or something around it, he will be a great help to the cause.

Third base was all but locked up by Morel in the mind of most Sox fans during the off season; that is until Ozzie Guillen informed us that Teahen was fighting hard for the position.  Now that position is up in the air and I don't like that.  I think Teahen gives us minimal contributions while making some really bad plays in the field.  Brent Morel can hit and field.  His fielding really stands out.  He really had limited at bats last season, so we do not know how he would play in a full season.

I really don't want him to be another Brian Anderson, a hyped prospect who can field but can't hit at all.  I was all for giving the kid a chance, but I can see Ozzie wanting a team of veteran players to go forward with this season.  I just don't think Mark Teahen adds much over what Brent Morel could do out there.  Teahen's numbers last year were .258/4/25, but he was limited in action because he got injured.  I don't think his numbers would have been much better playing a full season.

I have very little faith in Teahen's ability to contribute positively to the team at this point, and that leads me in the direction that it would be ok to let a rookie take the reins at third base.  I hope Morel comes out of Spring Training as the starting third baseman, but I have a feeling Ozzie will go with the veteran unless he gets hurt or plays really terrible baseball.

The outfield looks the same as last season, with Pierre, Rios and Quentin.  Pierre was a good surprise last season, with a league leading 68 stolen bases and 21 hit by pitches.  He scored 96 runs and had 179 hits.  He only struck out two more times than he walked.  Alex Rios had a much better 2010 than 2009.  He put up a line of .284/21/88 and stole 34 bases.  He scored 89 runs.  He played solid defense.  If Rios can contribute again this year, we'll have a great year.

Carlos Quentin had a second straight disappointing season coming off a 2008 which saw him almost land a league MVP award.  He hit .243/26/87 with a .821 OPS.  His numbers were up from 2009, but were not close to getting him back into MVP form that he had in 2008.  His defense is highly suspect, so he really hurts us over in right.  I really hope Quentin has a better year, but I am not looking for it.  If he struggles, I would consider batting him low in the order, maybe seventh.

One final note is the sad departure of everyone's favorite White Sox player, Mark Kotsay.  It will be really sad to see him go and I know every Sox fan called Kenny Williams and let him know just how disappointed they are in the fact that he was not re-signed for 2011.  Ok, all jokes aside, the lineup will be improved with the subtraction of Kotsay.

Despite having his moments last year, and having that one stretch of consecutive games with a RBI, he really disappointed everyone over all.  When he came to the White Sox, I really had no expectations.  In his first year he hit .292 and I thought he'd be a good pinch hitter.  Then he got a lot more playing time last year and really put up some bad numbers overall: .239/8/31 with a .683 OPS.  I will not miss him, but I will miss getting to make all of the jokes about him.

So there is my full report on each player and position and what I think we can do this year as a team.  I hope that everyone realizes their potentials and the Sox can get it together for a complete season of winning.  If everyone comes together and we are truly all in, leaving it all out on the field, not only will a division title be possible, but a World Series can be a realistic goal.  The next milestone in the "All In" season will come on February 28th at 1:05, when the Sox are set to play their first Spring Training game vs the Los Angeles Dodgers.  All I can say is...Play Ball!

Mark Buehrle & A Tale Of Two Concepts

Mark Buehrle has been my favorite White Sox player for a while now.  I have been the biggest advocate for him to remain the Opening Day starter each season.  I can quote all of his statistics, and have based some of my life off what he brings to the Sox.  The #56 is very important in my life.  56 was the page number of a short White Sox quotes book that stated: "When your heart says one thing and your mother says another, go with your heart."  

That statement is important between my wife and I for personal reasons.  I have also based some of my email addresses on Buehrle's name.  I called in to work so I could watch his 2005 World Series start, and I skipped a college class to watch his playoff start in 2008.  I possess over 80 Mark Buehrle cards.  I have his framed picture hanging up in my house.

All of that said, he recently made some controversial remarks.  Opening up about the Michael Vick situation in an interview posted on mlb.com briefly, he stated that he and his wife Jamie watched Eagles games this year wishing Vick would get hurt.  He said: "I know it’s bad to say, but … everything you’ve done to these dogs, something bad needs to happen to these guys."

The powers at be at mlb.com decided that it was not the kind of quote or story that should be posted to the site, and took it down.  I cannot defend this statement.  No one should ever wish harm on anyone, regardless of what they do.  That's not only bad karma, it's basically a classless thing to say.  Up to this point, he had been one of the nicest, most mild mannered guys I have ever seen in MLB.  He had caused little or no controversy in his career.  This is really out of character for him, but that doesn't excuse him.  He said it, and it was wrong.

Buehrle and his wife are big time dog lovers.  They own dogs, and they run a charity that supports dogs.  He even paid the medical bills for a dog that was shot by an arrow near his home in Missouri.  You can't let your emotions get the best of you sometimes, and you should definitely try to let your ego sort between your id and super-ego as Freud would state.  Buehrle definitely let his id come out, completely unfiltered.  MLB.com was right to take down the story because of the quote.

Another question is raised by many over this topic: How can Mark Buehrle say this about Michael Vick, when he is an avid hunter who hunts for sport??  Mark has gone on several hunting trips for animals ranging from deer and bears, to squirrel and fox.  Above is a photo of Buehrle standing next to his 2007 Ford F-650 Dominator.  His truck he says is not for cruising around Chicago, but to be used for hunting trips.  He apparently needed a really big truck to haul all of his carcasses from his hunting excursions.  

He went on one such bear hunting trip in 2007 along with teammates Jim Thome, AJ Pierzynski and Jermaine Dye.  Mark was the only one of the group to make a kill; hitting a bear at 20 yards with an arrow.  According to Mark's own re-telling of the story for a mlb.com article, the bear was hit and scrambled about 30 yards away before succumbing to it's fate.  Mark told mlb.com that he planned to mount its head on a wall in his house, and make its claws into a necklace.

Many people will tell you there is a vast difference between hunting and killing dogs in dog fighting rings.  Is there a lot of difference though?  This is not a PeTA rant that will denounce hunting as completely evil and illegal in every facet.  Lets put politics aside for a moment and just think about the concept of a hunter telling a dog fighter that what they do is wrong.  In hunting and dog fighting alike, an animal is hurt by a human against its will until it dies.  To put it that cut and dry, they are one in the same idea.  

There are subtle differences, such as the fact that some hunters can kill a deer with a "kill shot" which instantly puts it down.  Most hunters, though, cannot and you literally follow the trail of blood through the woods to locate the corpse.  Most dogs which are killed outside of the ring in dog fighting situations, are tortured.  It was stated that Michael Vick himself was involved personally in the murder of pit bulls with such tactics as electrocution.  However, in the same way these hunters will say there's a drastic difference between hunting and dog fighting, I would argue that there is a drastic difference between hunting for food and hunting for sport.  I would venture to say that the bear was not on a walk in the park the last 30 yards of its life.

I do not condone dog fighting in the least and Michael Vick is a vile person.  I am not saying Mark Buehrle is a vile person for hunting deer and other animals that live out in the wild.  It's legal in the United States, and some deer hunting is necessary to prevent over-population.  We don't exactly have a pride of lions out there hunting deer down for us.  We would have a lot more car accidents related to deer, with certainly higher mortality rates due to the fact.  I have lived in Arkansas and West Virginia, and both states have been in the top five in the US the last two years for car accident claims related to deer.  Many states have laws that limit how many tags a person can buy in a season to hunt and kill deer.

However, if you hunt for sport --- killing animals such as bear, deer, fox, rabbits and squirrel, and take these animals to a taxidermy business to be mounted or stuffed --- then you really can't speak out on other animal killings just because the animals being killed are domesticated and often kept as pets.  It seems hypocritical, and until he no longer hunts animals he has no intentions of using for food, he should really just keep quiet on the matter.  Sorry Mark, I just can't defend this one.  You lost a little respect from one of your biggest fans with this unprovoked outburst.

Albert Pujols: Once In A Generation Talent On The Move???

Football has officially ended and some of the most exciting baseball news in years has finally hit the front burner of the sports world.  Albert Pujols, first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals, who is considered the best player in MLB, has been in on going negotiations with his club to sign a long term extension.  He has one year remaining on his contract, and will be a free agent at the end of 2011.  The breaking news this week was announced:  Pujols rejected the Cardinals' offer, and has set a deadline for negotiating with them for Wednesday.  Pujols is reportedly asking for 10 years and upward of $300 million on his next contract.

Pujols is considered by some as the best player of all time through the first 10 years of a career.  His line after 10 seasons is .331/408/1230 with a 1.050 OPS.  He also has 428 doubles, 1186 runs scored and 1900 hits.  He has 914 walks to just 646 strikeouts, an amazing number for a power hitter.  Pujols has won 3 MVPs, 2 Gold Gloves, 6 Silver Sluggers and is a 9 time all star.  His numbers rank 1st among active players in career BA, OBP, SLG, and obviously OPS.  Many teams covet him, and many will try to work the numbers to pursue him if the Cardinals cannot reach an agreement.

Part of the problem for the Cardinals lies in the fact that they gave Matt Holliday a $120 million contract before the 2010 season.  Matt Holliday has said he would be willing to defer money to the end of his contract to allow the Cardinals to re-sign Albert Pujols.  The Cardinals also have to deal with Adam Wainwright's expiring contract and decide on the team options and what to do there.  His contract ends in 2011.

There are many teams who want Pujols, but only a few are realistic options to meet his demands.  So, who would these teams be?  Lets start with the Royals.  Yes, the Kansas City Royals, this is not a typo or a sick joke.  The Royals minor league system is the best in MLB.  They have six of the top 100 prospects.  They could definitely put together the trade package to land Pujols.  Albert Pujols spent most of his life in Kansas City, graduating from an area high school and attending an area Junior College before being drafted.

What could Kansas City package into a trade worthy of the greatest player of a generation?  Lets start with Eric Hosmer(8, Scouting Book).  The 21 year old plays first base, so he could be an instant replacement at the position.  He hit .338/20/86 with a .977 OPS last year between A+ and AA.  He bats and throws left handed, which is always nice to have.  Next, we look at Michael Moustakas(12, Scouting Book).  The 22 year old hit .322/36/124 with a .999 OPS, playing third base between AA and AAA.  Another player who could be packaged is LHP John Lamb(14, Scouting Book).  Between A, A+ and AA last season, he went 10-7 with a 2.38 ERA.  He posted 159 K's in 147.2 IP with a 1.131 WHIP.  Another pitcher to look at is LHP Mike Montgomery.  The 21 year old went 7-5 with a 2.61 ERA between Rookie level, A+ and AA.  In 93 IP, he posted 88 K's and a 1.151 WHIP.  If the Royals had to trade MLB level players, it would probably be Billy Butler or Alex Gordon.

The first problem for the Royals is that David Glass is one of the cheapest owners in MLB.  He has traded most every player with a potential for a larger contract, or let them become a free agent.  I believe this will play against their prospects of landing Pujols, because he will not want to sign a player for 10 years demanding more than $300 million dollars.  The Royals current payroll seems to be even slightly above where he normally has liked it in the past, at $72 million.  I do not think that Glass will want to do this deal, and will probably not, even though his chances are probably the highest of any team in MLB to land Pujols via trade.  Probably the more important problem with all of this, though, is that Pujols has stated he will veto any attempt by the Cardinals to trade him.  That's a huge road block in the Royals process, which probably takes them out of a realistic chance at Albert.

Another team rumored to be in the mix for Pujols with a chance is the Chicago Cubs.  According to anothercubsblog.net, a good estimate on Cubs payroll including Pujols in 2012 would be $124 million, and that is only if they allow Aramis Ramirez to become a free agent.  Otherwise that number jumps up to $140 million.  The problem they point out is, the Ricketts are $400 million in debt after purchasing the Cubs, and may not have the money to get the deal done.  The Ricketts have also vowed to renovate Wrigley to the tune of $300 million.  The blog makes a good point that this would put the Ricketts $600-$700 million in debt.  This all but eliminates the Cubs as a realistic contender to sign him.  In their own words, it's too bad he is not a free agent after 2012, they could easily afford him then.  In 2012, their only guaranteed contracts would be Soriano and Marmol currently.  In my own words, it's always next year for the Cubs isn't it???

Lets move on to the Giants.  The Giants won a World Series on the backs of their pitchers.  They had no difference making batter to speak of, but still pulled off a title run.  The team knows they need to land a guaranteed difference maker in the future.  Pujols would likely, though, not want to play in a huge pitcher's park like AT&T.  Furthermore, Barry Zito and Aaron Rowand's contracts are really hurting them financially in this hypothetical situation.  If the Giants do decide to pursue him, not only will they have a lot of competition, but they will have to find a way to make serious cutbacks in payroll just to afford the deal.

Next, lets take a look at another team, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  The Angels have Kendry Morales, who is a great hitter and can be a MVP candidate in the future.  Arte Moreno is in a quandary, having to deal with not automatically entering each season as the number one team in the AL West now that the Rangers have reached an elite level.  The Rangers are still going to be serious competition for the Angels, even minus Cliff Lee.  Need will be high but I don't think the Angels have the money to pay Pujols what he wants.

The Mets are rumored to be in on the Pujols idea.  The biggest problem for the Mets is that their owners got taken for a ride by Bernie Madoff.  If they do not sell off part ownership of the team, they will definitely not be able to afford Pujols.  If the Wilpons sell part ownership to a person like Mark Cuban, who has wanted in MLB ownership for years, they would certainly have the capital to pursue Pujols and pay his large contract.  It will be interesting to see how their process of sell or don't sell goes.

The Yankees are always in on any top player.  They always have the capital to land anyone.  It seems like they have a zillion dollars, and Cashman can always squeeze out a zillion and one to beat out any other team for a top player.  Teixeira could move to DH and allow Pujols to play 1st.  Pujols could DH a few times to get a day off from the field.  No matter what people think about the Yankees, there are still baseball players who still think NYY is the ultimate destination of any Major League career.  I do not know if Pujols has had a life long dream of playing there, but he has definitely had a dream of making the money they can pay him.  With New Yankee Stadium, Pujols could rake.  Every fly ball seems to travel an extra 50 feet in that short right field.  He could hit 50 home runs there no sweat.  The Yankees missed out on Cliff Lee this year, and that might work out to their advantage with Pujols.  I think the Yankees would have the best chance of the non-Cardinals teams to land him.

I still believe the Cardinals can work something out with Albert to keep him.  I think the Cardinals will get desperate before the Wednesday noon deadline.  They are in a situation that is dire for them.  The fan base might never forgive the ownership for not keeping around the face of the franchise, the best player in a generation, the one player who can lead them to greatness.  He is so popular in St. Louis, that the city will most likely lower flags to half staff if he does not re-sign.  The Governor of Missouri will probably declare St. Louis a state of emergency after the fans go berserk and destroy the downtown area.  If Pujols hasn't inked an extension at 12:01 central standard time, the Missouri National Guard better be ready to guard the Arch and Busch Stadium.  There's going to be a riot on the Mississippi.

If a deal is not reached, the Cardinals will have to spend the entire season in the shadow of Albert Pujols and every team hoarding in on their best player like the choicest slab of beef at a meat market.  Although Albert says he will not discuss the subject during the season if no deal was reached, virtually everyone else involved in baseball will most certainly churn out scenarios and news on the situation all season long.  If Pujols ends up somewhere else, that team will not only become an instant division favorite, but also a World Series contender overnight.  The team will probably come close to selling out every home game if they didn't already.  Pujols merchandise for a new club will sell like McDonald's $1 cheeseburgers.  Of course, Pujols could change his mind and extend his own negotiating deadline with the Cardinals.  We'll just have to wait and see what happens by Wednesday, when all hell might break loose.