Hello and happy Wednesday! I hope you survived the work day yesterday if in fact you were back at work. Fortunately, I was able to get a late start at work, which helped the day go faster.

As for news in White Sox land, not much happening. The news of the day was all about the Chicago Bears. If you are a Bears fan, congratulations. Yesterday must have felt like a late Hanukkah / Christmas present for you. with Jerry Angelo and Mike Martz departing Halas Hall for good.  Just be patient and maybe eventually, you will have a football team that resembles some of the ones you are envious of because they have good front offices, drafts and players.

As for baseball, the annual announcement of who will make up the 2012 Hall of Fame Class is coming next week. Chris Jaffe at The Hardball Times has an article up where he looks at predictions for who will and won’t get in this time. Of course we were all disappointed in the Golden Era committee for not putting Minnie Minoso in. However another former White Sox player, Tim Raines, is on the ballot again. Whether he gets the call remains to be seen.

Are the White Sox rebuilding? That is the question that everyone is asking these days and no one really has an answer. The Sporting news had the following to say about last season:

Everything that could have gone wrong for the White Sox did go wrong. It got so embarrassing that the organization decided to bench Dunn toward the end of the season so he wouldn’t break the franchise strikeout record in his first year with the club. But, thanks to some injuries that forced him into the lineup, he did it anyway.

We all know last season was monumentally bad for some players and the team as a whole. Particularly one that had a slogan of “All In.” We can only hope next season is better. Presumably, it won’t get worse, but you never know.  » Continue reading “Happenings At 35th & Shields: January 4, 2012 White Sox News”

Happy Monday! Or at least as happy as a Monday can be when you may be more ready to get into the holiday spirit than work. This week (actually today), the Winter Meetings will take place / begin. There could be some stuff happening with the White Sox. We know they have plenty to work on and the Meetings are a time when wheeling and dealing will begin. While we wait for them to begin, here are a few stories to keep you occupied and in the know about Sox news.

 Minnie Minoso will find out today if he is getting a phone call regarding the Hall of Fame. I hope the committee got it right this time.

 Has Mark seen his last days at 35th & Shields? Maybe not.

 Beyond the Boxscore has more on the Traditional Manager Index. You may be surprised at who topped the list.

 What if Mark and John are gone next season?

 Look who wants back in baseball after disgracefully going away.  » Continue reading “South Side Hits: December 5, 2011 White Sox Links”

Oh Sunday. How you taunt us with the end of the weekend and the prospect of Monday. Monday isn’t bad in general, but it *is* the star of another work week. And for some it can suck. Especially if your job is awful, yet you stay because you have to. If only we all had jobs. And had jobs that we enjoyed rather than just put up with to pay the bills.

Never fear though! I’m here to give you some news about the White Sox as well as give you something to perhaps help the day be less mundane. Later in the week, I promise to have something that will put a smile on your face for certain as well as warm a potentially cold, cold heart. Cold from the lack of actual MLB happening right now.

 Now, for the ultimate n time suck. I promise this is good. But if you’d like to test your knowledge on various things, such as naming all MLB teams, go here. Sadly, I have to admit that my friend who introduced me to this wonderful time suck remembered the one MLB team that I had forgotten about. This is unfortunate considering said friend only really knows about baseball at the moment because I talk about it. And no, I will not tell you which team (there was only one) I forgot.

 In more amusement for you, Southside Showdown has a post about which Sox player fits with which Taco Bell food item. Personally I haven’t had Taco Bell since I was in college forever ago, but the post is rather amusing.   » Continue reading “South Side Hits: December 4, 2011 White Sox Links & News”

Happy December. The year has flown by and with it being December, it means we are that much closer to spring training and baseball being back. I don’t know about you, but I am dying for some news and things of note with the White Sox. There have been some things happening but nothing earth shattering and worthy of stopping the presses to discuss. In that vein, here are some things you might have missed the past few days.

James and Jim both have stories about the ticket prices for Sox games for the 2012 season. There have even been reductions for prices to Spring Training games for both the Sox and Dodgers. As you may or may not know, I have a full season ticket plan and needless to say, I was quite surprised with how much my ticket price had dropped for 2012. However, from what James and Jim have figured out, there may not be much savings for the casual fan or those who have the new Pick 14 plan. Or at least savings will be hard to determine. In any event, it is nice that the team is FINALLY lowering prices instead of raising them despite economic conditions and the product on the field.

Yahoo has a look at the top five First Basemen in White Sox history. If you have followed this team even remotely, most of the names on this list will be of no shock to you. And yes, the Big Hurt and The King make the list.  » Continue reading “Happenings At 35th & Shields: White Sox News for December 1, 2011″

The weekend! Finally it is here. I don’t know about you, but I am so glad it is the weekend. The work week for the most part was just not fun this time. Though, Thursday’s forum about Minnie Minoso was definitely a week highlight. In any event, the weekend will be a chance to recharge and of course, watch some other sports and root for some other teams. Sorry to all you NBA fans. The stuff going on with the lockout truly sucks and I feel for you.

As for White Sox news, well it’s the usual. Lots of rumors floating around and as usual, until something solid happens, it’s just that: a rumor. To get your Saturday started off right, here are some stories you might have missed.

 It’s GRAND OPENING DAY! The Chicago Sports Depot is now open. This morning between 10 am and 1 pm you can get 25% off your purchase. Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks and of course White Sox gear is available. If you need to get someone attire from that other team in town, you can get it here as well.

 The White Sox are honored for their philanthropic work.

 Another person has plead guilty and will be sentenced for his role in the Latin American kickback scandal that helped to devastate the White Sox farm system.  » Continue reading “South Side Hits: November 19, 2011 White Sox Links”

Today, the White Sox held a forum in support of the Hall of Fame candidacy of Minnie Miñoso. The words that rang with me: Excellence. Perseverance. Everyone had great things to say about Minnie (which is not shocking at all) and now I am supremely jealous I never saw him play.

This forum was so amazing to attend. The purpose, to let people know why Minnie should be in the Hall of Fame. It also served to peak my curiosity further about one of the most personable and important members of the Chicago White Sox.

The event was moderated by Pedro Gomez of ESPN. Mr. Gomez, who is also Cuban began by explaining how as a child growing up, he was always hearing about this great player, Minnie. Pedro said that hosting this was a huge honor for him given how much Minnie is revered in Cuba. In making his opening remarks, Pedro compared Minnie’s play and numbers to those of Roberto Alomar, who most in the room had seen play. Essentially, if Alomar is in then Minnie HAS to be a Hall of Famer.

The forum was broken up into panels the Pedro moderated. The first was with Adrian Burgos, Jr., a professor at the University of Illinois. Mr. Burgos discussed the role that Minnie had as the Latino version of Jackie Robinson in breaking the color barrier for Latino ball players. If you didn’t know, Minnie was the first black player to play for the Chicago White Sox. He is also Cuban. Like many black players, Minnie played in the Negro Leagues and had played in many MLB parks before he was “officially” allowed to as a member of MLB. » Continue reading “Do You KNOW White Sox Legend, Minnie Miñoso?”

Ah off season. How you kill us fans waiting for news and yet there may not be anything to tantalize us. Sure, there are the various rumors about where players may go. But until things actually materialize, we just won’t know. We can relish in the rumors, but that could hurt heads.

In the meantime, here are some stories you might have missed that are relevant to Sox fandom.

 The Carlos Quentin is completely healthy. So says his agent.

 Notes about a soft-tossing lefty.

 As each day passes, the prospect of Mark Buehrle returning grow dimmer.

 From the GM Meetings taking place in Milwaukee.  » Continue reading “South Side Hits: November 17, 2011 White Sox News & Links”

First, thank you to all the veterans! I know Veterans Day was yesterday, but honestly, I feel the need to say thanks all the time. And I am so glad the White Sox recognize members of our military during the third inning of games at the ball park. Really, there aren’t any words to express my gratitude for what you have done for me and everyone else.

I don’t know about you, but the temps the past few days have made me really miss baseball season. Spring cannot get here fast enough! In any event, here are a few stories you may have missed:

 Seems the Miami Marlins are serious about getting better this off season. They’ve reportedly made an offer to Mark Buehrle.

 Ken Rosenthal has an article on the gamble teams take in using new mangers.

 Information on the organizational meetings that took place recently. » Continue reading “South Side Hits: November 12, 2011 White Sox Links”

Howdy loyal White Sox fans! Not much happening at The Cell of late, but the big talk has been of Jeff Manto’s comments regarding walks. It’s enough to have people who are very big into numbers up in arms because walks can be a great thing. Personally, I prefer them over giving up unnecessary outs (like bunting does oh, 99% of the time). However, I prefer to let things shake out a little bit more than they have. At least the coaches are giving us fans something to contemplate in this off season that so far has been rather dull for Sox fans.

In case you missed these stories, Jim and James have some good recaps and takes on what Manto said. Whether the comments are something to be concerned about, remains to be seen. As for other news, Hawk Harrelson is apparently prognosticating on what the Sox will don in the future. As much as Hawk annoys me in the booth when watching games, he does entertain me when he gives his opinions on what he thinks will happen or what he thinks about things in the past. Some of the things that Hawk says just really make me shake my head. Almost as much as he does when he broadcasts a game. » Continue reading “Happenings At 35th & Shields: November 7, 2011 White Sox News”

Ah the Hot Stove season. When your team is not going to change much from the prior season, it can be really boring. It can also be really boring when your team isn’t in a position to do much to better itself for the next season. Of course, when your favorite team is trying to shed salary, well then the Hot Stove season can be just a pins and needles experience. You’ll sit wondering which players from the team you know will be sent away. Either by a trade, declining of arbitration or just letting them walk away via free agency.

The White Sox are going to be dealing with all of these things. Some players are probably on the trade block. A couple of guys are arbitration-eligible. Whether the team offers them arbitration or lets those players walk. However with John Danks and Carlos Quentin, I seriously doubt the team would just let them go without some sort of arbitration. Of course, the big person would be Mark Buehrle who might just walk away because he is a free agent.

A pins and needles stove it looks to be. Now for the news:

 Minnie Miñoso is on the Hall of Fame ballot for 2012! He will be considered by the Historical Overview Committee.  » Continue reading “South Side Hits: November 4, 2011 White Sox News”