The White Sox’s lone representative has only one request — to have a photograph taken with President Barack Obama , who is to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
“I’ll try to get a picture with him,” Buehrle said of the opportunity to pose with the No. 1 Sox fan. “I’m big on getting pictures.”
July 11, 2009
Ozzie talks about trades
Here’s Ozzie:
If we’re going to make a trade, is the player going to make the difference? Like I always say, when you make a trade for a big-name guy, it doesn’t give you any guarantee you’re going to win the division. That’s why you have to be careful. You have to notice what you want in the future, what you’re future is going to be and how much you’re going to win it. That’s a different thing to go through for that idea. …
more Ozzie:
“We have to (know) for sure what’s coming next,” Guillen said Saturday. “I don’t think we’re going to give up three or four players, key players, for the future, just to rent a player for year. I don’t think that works. But that’s Kenny (Williams’) job, that’s Kenny’s call. And I don’t see that happening if he wants to give up many players.”
More at both links.
Pirates sign Dovydas Neverauskas (Lithuania)
According to Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburg Post-Gazette, the Pirates have signed 16-yr old righthander Dovydas Neverauskas of Lithuania. The 6′-3″, 170 pounder is the first European amateur the club has ever signed. …
Do the Sox have any scouts in Eastern Europe? I think they signed a guy from the old Soviet Union in 1944 (pdf).
Minor league updates
Speaking of Jonathan Sanchez’s no-hitter
The scorekeeper sure was excited: Look at the ‘Game Notes’ towards the bottom of the picture:
Jonathan Sanchez rumor from last year (UPDATE)
In the wake of Jonathan Sanchez’s no-hitter, it bears mentioning that his name was mentioned in the spring of 2008 when San Francisco was looking at third baseman Joe Crede. The two sides never came close to compensation, which was a moot matter because Crede didn’t play well in spring training after season-ending back surgery in 2007. But a Sox source said last year that they were interested in Sanchez, a left-hander who has yet to pitch with any semblance of consistency, along with. The Sox, according to the source, intended to acquire Sanchez with the plan to trade him as part of a bigger deal - for a leadoff batter. The Sox’s target was Brian Roberts, who went on to sign an extension with Baltimore last February.
UPDATE: Comments by Juan Nieves on Sanchez’ no-hitter. Here too.
Noctilucent Cloud Storm Panorama
“Explanation: Noctilucent or night-shining clouds lie near the edge of space. From about 80 kilometers above Earth’s surface, the icy clouds can still reflect sunlight even though the Sun itself is below the horizon as seen from the ground. Usually occurring at high latitudes in summer months, the diaphanous apparitions are also known as polar mesospheric clouds and may be connected to global change in the lower atmosphere. This impressive 360 degree panorama made from 34 separate images captures an impressive display of noctilucent clouds all over the sky. It was recorded last month from Vallentuna, Sweden. The photographer reports that the display was like a noctilucent cloud storm, one of the best he’s ever witnessed. (P-M Hedén (Clear Skies, TWAN))”
That picture is beautiful.
Sox attendance down 9%?
Many numbers out there. Here’s one from the AP via SI/CNN:
Attendance drops in some places are trickling down to the field. The Chicago White Sox have seen average attendance fall nearly 9 percent this season and might not be able to make a trade that adds significant payroll.
Carlos Quentin update
Carlos Quentin’s hitting during his injury rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte has shown that particular part of his game is Major League ready. With one hit and two walks as the Knights’ designated hitter on Friday, Quentin now is batting .353 with three RBIs in six games. But Guillen wants to make sure the All-Star left fielder really pushes his running on the left foot bothered by plantar fasciitis before his return after the All-Star break. “I hope after the All-Star break we have a better idea about his running,” said Guillen of Quentin. “He’s the one who’s going to say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ We have to believe in him. Have faith in him. I hope he comes back because that could be the big trade we need. That guy is going to make our lineup better, and we’ll see what happens.”
