DeWayne Wise doesn’t accept AAA assignment and declares free agency [UPDATE]

whitesox.com:

The Chicago White Sox announced that outfielder Dewayne Wise has declared free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment to Class AAA Charlotte. Wise, 31, hit .225 (32-142) with two home runs and 11 RBI in a career-high 84 games with the White Sox in 2009. In two seasons with the Sox, Wise batted .236 (64-271) with eight homers and 29 RBI. The White Sox 40-man roster is at 36.

Wise: .225/.262/.366/.628 with 27 K / 3 BB and a perfect game saving catch.

How about the guy the Sox chose to trade and keep Wise: .243/.328/.347/.674 with 54 K and 23 BB.

Ozzie on the 2010 Sox team

Gonzales:

Nevertheless, Guillen said he would take his chances with his current squad heading into 2010. “I don’t know if we’re going to live with this team next year, but if this is opening day, yes. We win the division if this was opening day. When you got (Alex) Rios, (Jake) Peavy, Freddy (Garcia) throwing well, (Gordon) Beckham playing well, we got a good club. Yes we do.”

Not to mention benching Alex Rios in favor of Dewayne Wise or Scott Podsednik 2 times a week. BTW, Wise wants a chance to get 400 or 500 at-bats in a season.

In which the Josh Fields for Felix Pie rumor appears again

Sox  Net:

Bruce Levine is reporting that Ken Williams is seeking a top-flight defensive outfielder for the pennant race and that one of those options is former Cubs phenom Felix Pie. Evidently the Sox have been scouting Pie for over six weeks and the Tribune’s Mark Gonzalez is further substantiating the rumor, indicating on Wednesday, that the White Sox, will try to trade recently demoted infielder Josh Fields for Pie. …

Kenny is seeking a top-flight defensive outfielder? LOL! Let’s trade for Brian Anderson!

Mark Buehrle’s Top Ten list (video)

Video: http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=5781065

whitesox.com:

“You guys want to talk to me?” said Buehrle, addressing a couple of Chicago media members as they approached his locker. “Sorry, I only talk to David Letterman now.”

Mark Buehrle’s Top 10 (text)

Mark Gonzales:

Facing the cameras before a national television audience appeared more nerve-racking than participating in a perfect game for the White Sox’s Mark Buehrle and teammates Dewayne Wise and Josh Fields. …

Mark Buehrle, Dewayne Wise, and Josh Fields to read Letterman’s ‘Top 10′ tomorrow

Scott Merkin:

When Mark Buehrle asked Dewayne Wise on Friday to appear with him in reading a Top 10 list on the “Late Show with David Letterman” this Monday, Wise quickly accepted the offer. … Buehrle and Wise will be joined by Josh Fields, whose grand slam provided all the offense the southpaw would need to hurl his second career no-hitter Thursday against the Rays. Their reading of the Top 10, which is sure to center on benefits derived from being part of a perfect game, will be taped at the Metrodome prior to Monday’s series opener against the Twins. …

Videos from Mark Buehrle’s Perfect Game

Beckham preserves perfecto (0:23)

Wise robs homer, saves perfecto (0:45)

Buehrle seals perfect game (0:40)

Buehrle’s ninth inning (4:21)

Buehrle’s 27 outs (5:31)

Buehrle discusses perfect game (1:30)

Network talks to Dewayne Wise (4:31)

Buehrle and Guillen on perfecto (3:16)

Ozzie on Buehrle achievement (2:07)

Sox players (Gordon Beckham, Dewayne Wise, Ramon Castro, A.J. Pierzynski) on Buehrle perfecto (2:14)

President Obama calls Buehrle (0:28)

White Sox Extra (2:02)

Game Recap: TB 0, CWS 5 (2:36)

Fields’ grand slam (0:42)

Ramirez’s RBI double (0:34)

Burrell nearly breaks it up (0:27)

Buehrle chats with MLB Tonight (6:25)

MLB Tonight looks at Buehrle (1:54)

Fantasy 411: Buehrle’s perfecto (2:01)

Breaking down Wise’s catch (2:24)

27 up, 27 down, a perfect game for Mark Buehrle

whitesox.com:

When Mark Buehrle arrived at work Thursday morning, making a little baseball history with Ramon Castro and Dewayne Wise and then having a chat about it with the president of the United States probably wasn’t on the agenda. On what turned out to be a legendary day not only in the life of the White Sox left-hander but for baseball as a whole, Buehrle took everyone along for the ride of his life at U.S Cellular Field. He did it with Castro catching him for the first time. He did it by watching Wise enter the game in the ninth and save the day with a circus play of which sandlot dreams are made. And he finished it all off by fielding a call from a certain White Sox fan who lives in the White House, President Barack Obama. So it’s safe to say that, while this might have been the 18th perfect game in Major League history, there hasn’t been a perfect day quite like the one Buehrle shared with baseball Thursday. For Buehrle, basking in the glow of going 27 up, 27 down was hard enough to comprehend, though he’d done it once before. Getting a grip on the perfection and understanding the enormity of the accomplishment, he admitted, might take awhile. …

What a catch by Wise. He made me look stupid!

Brian Anderson vs. DeWayne Wise

Joe Cowley:

Guillen said the main reason the move was made was because Wise gives him a speed guy off the bench that can pinch run late in games and brings some speed off the bench.

As far as the organization is concerned, there is an underlying feeling that while both players played the game hard, Wise played the game hard to stay here, while Anderson was playing hard in hopes of playing somewhere else.

What is more valuable late in games, speed or defense? I think defense. Steve Stone says the Sox didn’t want to expose Wise to waivers. Why? Were they afraid someone would claim him? And if they did, so what?

Carlos Quentin is back and he’s playing tonight!

Mark Gonzales:

Carlos Quentin is returning to the White Sox’s lineup Monday night and will play left field and bat sixth against Tampa Bay. Outfielder Brian Anderson was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. Quentin was 15-for-40 (.375) with four doubles, one home run, 10 RBIs, seven walks and 10 runs scored in 14 combined rehab contests with the Knights and Class A Kannapolis. Quentin hasn’t played since May 25, when he tore a tendon in his left foot. Anderson, 27, has appeared in 65 games with the White Sox this season, batting .238 in 185 at-bats with two home runs and 13 RBIs.

I’m thrilled about Q!’s return! If Carlos is healthy, the division is ours. But why did they send Brian Anderson down and not DeWayne Wise? Anderson has a .322 OBP. Wise has a .243 OBP. Plus, Anderson plays better D. I don’t get this…