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Fundamental shift for the White Sox — Ozzie's basic instinct: Work on little things to get better for 2010 season
BY JOE COWLEY
September 17, 2009
SEATTLE — The move toward becoming a fundamentally sound team year in and year out has not come as quickly as manager Ozzie Guillen would like.
This 2009 season was just further example of that.
So while Guillen admitted before Wednesday's 4-1 loss to Seattle that the Sox may indeed get a bit more preseason respect heading into 2010 -- surely more than last winter when they were all but written off by many prognosticators -- he called out his players for a season of fundamental mistakes, and laid down the gauntlet on how they plan to turn that around come next spring.
Considering the lack of situational hitting and the number of baserunning mistakes that were further on display in the loss to the Mariners, it couldn't come too soon. Not that it will help much at this point, as the loss dropped the Sox (72-74) 6Â1⁄2 games back of the American League Central-leading Tigers and moved the magic number until elimination -- or in this case tragic number -- to 11.
Starting pitcher Gavin Floyd left the game after three innings with a sore left hip on a night where very little went right. Guillen said Floyd had been pitching through the hip the last few weeks, but he will likely be skipped at least one start now. If the Sox fall out even further, Floyd could be shut down.
''We might get a few steps in front of a few teams, yes,'' Guillen said when asked if his team would be a favorite to win the division next season. ''Because our pitching staff, we got four guys [Jake Peavy, Floyd, Mark Buehrle and John Danks] for sure that are going to be good, and hopefully Freddy [Garcia] figures in the mix and helps us.
''We got a couple guys in the infield back, we're going to have [Alex] Rios every day. Hopefully [Carlos] Quentin has a better year than last year ... I think we're going to have a better year next year, but we got to wait and see to what point we get better.''
The Sox have already done most of their heavy lifting this season, acquiring Peavy at the trade deadline and then grabbing Rios off waivers.
Peavy has yet to pitch because of injuries, while Rios has yet to hit because of just plain being bad since coming over.
Chone Figgins headlines a short list of players the Sox will look to add, and they did get some good news about Figgins while they were in Anaheim, as the speedy third baseman/outfielder told local reporters that he would explore the free agent market, not looking to give any type of hometown discount to the Angels.
But Guillen said that no matter who is wearing a Sox uniform come February, they have to continue to push the emphasis on fundamentals.
''Spring training is going to be a little better because we know what we have, and know what we have to work on every day to play the way we want to play,'' Guillen said. ''We cannot continue to miss signs. We cannot continue to try and hit-and-run and hit a foul ball. We cannot continue to miss bunts.
''That's going to be our main thing in spring training -- make sure we do the little things right day in and day out. If we do that we won't go into slumps like we do this year. We're not going to be in a slump because someone will do something to break it up. We won't have to wait for the big boys to wake up all season long. You learn from it, and hopefully we continue to improve.''
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MLB News Archive Index: 2010, 2009
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Fire Service Leaders From Across the Nation Join NFSA's Sprinklerman© in Major League Baseball Debut, Sprinkler Awareness at Washington Nation
September 17, 2009
Washington, D.C. — The National Fire Sprinkler Association's popular mascot Sprinklerman© made his major league baseball debut at the Washington Nationals' baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies (2008 World Series Champs), September 10, where the Nationals beat the first-place team 8-7.
Sprinklerman participated in on-field photo opportunities with fans, fire fighters and team mascots to show support for Fire Team USA, which sponsored Night Out at the Nationals, and all proceeds benefited the Congressional Fire Services Institute and The District of Columbia Fire/EMS Department. Approximately 100 fire service leaders were in attendance from all over the country, and 18,706 fans saw the game.
Sprinklerman joined Nationals mascots George (Washington), Teddy (Roosevelt), Abe (Lincoln), Sparky (Rube) and Screech in the fun, but also to spread awareness of fire safety in the home.
Almost 90 percent of all fire fatalities occur in the home - the place where we feel the safest! Smoke detectors are no longer enough protection in homes as new lightweight construction and more flammable home contents have created an alarming fire safety threat to our citizens, our fire professionals and our first responders.
FEMA's U.S. Fire Administration recently has endorsed the installation of fire sprinklers in one-and-two family homes. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and other fire service organizations around the country have joined this initiative to make residential fire sprinklers a requirement, along with smoke detectors, to ensure the most effective fire protection in the home.
Home builders are aggressively fighting against these measures, citing cost as the reason to remove the requirement from the 2009 International Residential Code. However, nationally, the cost to install automatic fire sprinklers in a new home is about $1.61 per-square-foot, which is approximately one percent of the value of the home, according to the FEMA benefit-cost analysis on residential fire sprinklers. A recent study conducted by the NFPA found that the installation of fire sprinklers in homes had no negative effect on home sales.
About the National Fire Sprinkler Association
Established in 1905, the National Fire Sprinkler Association (NFSA) is the voice of the fire sprinkler industry. NFSA leads the drive to get life-saving fire sprinklers into all buildings; provides support and resources for its members - fire sprinkler contractors, manufacturers and suppliers; and educates authorities having jurisdiction of fire control matters. Headquartered in Patterson, N.Y., NFSA has regional operations offices throughout the country. www.nfsa.org.
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Rockies host World Series foe in 2010 — Tentative schedule has Red Sox coming to Coors Field
By Thomas Harding
September 17, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO — The Rockies will open the 2010 season at Milwaukee's Miller Park next April 4, but the home schedule has a special feature -- a rematch of the 2007 World Series with a three-game set with the Red Sox from June 22-24.
Next season will mark the 12th time in 18 seasons that the club has begun the season on the road. Opening against the hosting Brewers means the Rockies will have a chance to play under a roof for three games, April 4-6. The Rockies have never opened a season against the Brewers.
It'll be the third straight year the Rockies have opened on the road. They began at St. Louis in 2008 and at Arizona this season.
The Coors Field slate will begin against the Padres in a three-game series, April 9-11. The season-opening homestand will conclude with a three-game set with the Mets starting April 13.
However, the Interleague series with the Red Sox is the highlight of the home schedule. The Red Sox swept the Rockies in the 2007 series. During that year, the Rockies won two of three at Fenway Park.
The American League's Blue Jays will visit Coors Field from June 11-13. Interleague road series will be against the Royals from May 21-23, the Angels from June 25-27 and the Twins at the new Target Field from June 15-17.
The final homestand of the year will be within the National League West, against the Padres from Sept. 24-26 and the Dodgers from Sept. 27-29. However, in a twist, the season ends with a four-game road set against the National League Central's Cardinals from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3.
The Rockies are at San Diego on Cinco de Mayo, at the Dodgers on Mother's Day (May 9), at the Giants on Memorial Day (May 31), at home against the Brewers on Father's Day (June 20), at home against the Giants on Independence Day (July 4), and at home against the Reds on Labor Day (Sept. 6).
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MLB suspends Posada, Carlson
September 17, 2009
New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jesse Carlson on Wednesday were suspended for three games each and also fined by Major League Baseball for their roles in a bench-clearing brawl.
The two were cited for ''aggressive and inappropriate actions'' by Bob Watson, MLB's vice president for discipline, and started serving the penalties immediately. Yankees utilityman Shelley Duncan also was suspended for three games and appealed, delaying the start of any discipline.
Toronto manager Cito Gaston said Carlson was fined $3,000, and Blue Jays catcher Rod Barajas was docked $1,000. Posada was fined $2,500, and Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long and pitcher Edwar Ramirez also were fined.
After a pair of Toronto players were hit by pitches Tuesday night, Carlson threw a fastball behind Posada in the eighth inning of the visiting Blue Jays' 10-4 victory. Moments later, Posada bumped Carlson after scoring a run, and the dugouts and bullpens emptied.
''That is part of baseball, but that's a part of baseball that I don't like,'' Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.
Meanwhile, Yankee Stadium security officials want to determine which fan threw a bottle that struck umpire Derryl Cousins on the knee during the brawl.
Cousins was hit by a bottle full of soda during the melee, and the game finished with just three umpires. Cousins, who said the bottle was thrown from the stands, was back for Wednesday night's series finale.
The Houston Astros decided to shut down ace Roy Oswalt for the last couple weeks of the season. Oswalt (8-6, 4.12 ERA), a three-time All-Star, has been bothered by back and hip pain.
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MLB News Archive Index: 2010, 2009
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