For Second Consecutive Year, Sox Sweep Series, End Decades-long Drought

You may have heard already, but the White Sox did the Red Sox one better (actually, two, as in years, better), sweeping the Houston Astros and winning their first World Series in 88 years. Boston had the Curse of the Bambino (thank god we don't have to talk about that any longer), but Chicago had the Black Sox scandal of 1919. That scandal was much more harsh than the Bambino ever was - the Pale Hose had only been to one World Series in the last 86 year, that one in 1959. There's not been a lot to cheer about for the Southsiders for a long time, but they deserved it this year.

I'll admit to being a skeptic. I think that Chicago's pitching was a bit over it's head all year long, and that Garland and Contreras, particularly, will suffer a decline next year. And for all the talk about the "Go Go White Sox," Chicago's ability to "manufacture" runs with small ball (stolen bases, hit-and-running, bunting, "moving runners over") was a fallacy. Here was a team that hit one more home run than the Red Sox (200 to 199) on the season, but managed to score 169 fewer runs than Boston. That's one less run a game, despite having some talent for "manufacturing" runs. The bottom line is that the White Sox did not have a very good offense, but they did have excellent pitching and defense. And there's that other mantra: "Pitching and Defense wins championships." More often than not, it's the whole package that wins championships.

The fallacy continued through the playoffs, too. The White Sox stole six more bases than their opponents (13 to 7), but also had six more caught stealings (7 to 1). That stat will be pointed to as being in the White Sox' favor, but in fact they probably hurt themselves with the running game. Where the White Sox did have an advantage, however, was in the power game - an 18-9 home run advantage throughout the playoffs. They also hit .272 to their opponents' .202, which didn't hurt. Yes, the White Sox manufactured their runs with home runs, and won the championship by shutting down the opponents' offense. Congrats to the White Sox, and let's all start laying money on the Cubs in 2006!

Meet the Author

Durham author Jim Baumer will be at the Brunswick Bookland this Saturday, October 8th, from 1:00 - 3:00 pm. Baumer will be signing copies of his book, When Towns Had Teams. This will be a great opportunity to meet the author, talk some baseball, and get your copy of the book signed. It looks like Jim will also be at Longfellow Books in Portland from 7:00 - 9:00 pm tonight. Jim also had a book signing at the Book Burrow in Auburn last week, but that one snuck by me. Click on the news link at RiverVision Press.com for future book signings.

The Brunswick Bookland, located at Cook's Corner, is one of my favorite bookstores. Once a cornerstone of the ill-fated regional chain of Bookland stores (as was Longfellow Books), it is now an independent venture. Unlike many independents, however, Bookland is a huge store with a nice cafe inside. The store has a large selection of books, many with a Maine flavor, and it easily invites you to browse. It has all of the amenities of a chain store, yet your money stays in the local economy. It's good for everybody!

I should also mention that I have read Jim's book, and I liked it. I have written a full review of the book that I intend to post here. However, I am first shopping it to try to get it published in a newspaper or two. Initial signs appear to be positive, which should hearten those of you who also make a point of reading the Air Blog. More to come soon.

And I hope to see you soon, too. I'm going to check out the scene at the book signing (I'm not sure if there will be a reading as well), so if you're there and can figure out who I am, stop by and say hi. And if you buy Jim's book, tell him you heard about it here first. (Unless you didn't hear it here first. I don't want you to lie on my behalf!)

Sox vs. Sox

For the first time in history, we have an all-Sox contest in the playoffs. Boston vs. Chicago. The "go-go" White Sox started fast, slumped for a while, then rallied late to finish with the best record in the AL. The slugging Red Sox had their ups and downs, but were overall pretty steady, hanging in first or second all season. The ultimate disappointment was that they weren't able to shake off the Yankees, though the season-ending Boston victory did send the Yankees on the road for the ALDS. The Hardball Times has a fairly comprehensive preview of the Sox/Sox series. Their pick? Sox in five. Red Sox that is. I'm going to go one better and say Boston in four. I think that the Chicago pitching staff has been pretty lucky all year, and that their luck is going to run out. The Red Sox always pounded first-game starter Jose Contreras when he was with the Yankees, and I don't see any reason why that should change this afternoon. After getting a game up, the BoSox will be able to win the clincher in Boston, regardless of what happens in game 2. Then it's bring on the Angels!

Catch a Home Run at Hadlock

The Sea Dogs unveiled their plans for the new US Cellular Pavilion (who is the favorite for the naming rights in 2010, Verizon or AT&T?) behind the home bullpen in right field. The pavilion will provide 390 additional seats, increasing capacity to 7,365. The seats, which are counter-style, modeled after Fenway's Monster Seats, will carry the same cost as regular box seats (currently $8). Most importantly, however, is the fact that these seats are in fair territory, meaning that for the first time fans will be able to catch a home run ball at Hadlock Field.

I think it's great to have seats beyond the outfield fences, and I'll definitely look into getting tickets out there at least once next season (preferably in warm weather). The architect's rendering of the seats, however, give the impression that they'll be a bit of an eyesore. It's like there's a building growing out there beyond right field. Yuck! Maybe someday there will be seats surrounding the outfield (at least until they reach the CF scoreboard) so these seats won't stick out like a sore thumb. But that's picking nits, isn't it? Any way to give more fans a chance to enjoy baseball at Hadlock is probably a good thing, and I believe these seats will add to the overall experience of everybody attending Sea Dogs games.