High-five Mr. Danks

Newly-aquired White Sox pitcher John Danks has seperated himself from the pack and been named the 5th starter. Knuckleballing wonder-kid Charlie Haeger has been reassigned to Triple-A while Gavin Floyd is continuing to fight for a spot in the bullpen.

Danks was the darkhorse candidate for a rotation spot this year, having just come over from Texas in the trade that sent former heir-apparent Brandon McCarthy to the Rangers. It should also be noted that Danks has exactly zero innings experience in in the Big Leagues. The competition was never really that heated, as for the most part nobody seemed to want the job. I hate to be mean, but for the majority of spring training I could have pitched as well as these
"professionals."

It seems, however, that Danks does not want the competition to end...

The rookie who was previouly lauded for his ability to throw strikes walked six batter in barely four innings of work.

Very promising...

It's been 20 days since our last confession

So much has been going on in our collective lives that its been hard to keep this poor attempt at a blog rolling.

But it's spring training and no one cares about spring training. So forgive us.

But here's what we've missed in the world of Chicago baseball:

• Cubs have officially announced that someone who has never played centerfield before will be starting there this year. Which is great because no one ever hits fly balls in Wrigley.
• The Sox have some pitching issues: No one has stepped up to take the 5th starter spot. Not sure if I wrote this before, but I knew as soon as the Garcia and McCarthy trades happened that they'd have trouble finding a 5th starter. Supposedly the talent is there with Danks, Floyd and Haeger, but apparently no one wants it.
• The Sox have some pitching issues II: Closer Bobby I was paid for the McDonalds commercial in cheeseburgers Jenks has been getting roughed up. Worst part is his velocity is down to the low 90's. Let's be honest, he can't throw a breaking ball for a strike, so if he's not throwing 97+ he'll be useless to the Sox. Fantasy players could be picking up MacDougal by the second week of the season.
• Ozzie hasn't announced a starting centerfielder yet, only noting that Erstad has been the best so far. Word from the Chicago Tribune today has Brian Anderson fighting for a spot on the Big League roster. It would really suck to be him right now, going from the heir apparent to fighting for the last spot on the team.

I know we're probably missing a few items, but we'll get to them as we get closer to Opening Day

Cubs start off early

Seven unearned runs in a 9-2 loss to the giants yesterday. Wow.

On the bright side, if the Cubs keep this up, fans won't have to worry about choking as the summer wears on. They could be mathematically eliminated by the end of the spring season.

In other news, Lou Piniella was seen last night rocking back and forth in a corner of HoHoKam's locker room, head in hands, moaning "Why... why?"

A new year for the faithful

The Cubs begin their spring training season today against the San Francisco Giants and their newly overpaid ace, Barry Zito. A few thoughts as we begin another year for the most tortured fanbase in baseball:

• Pinella's staff - The revamped starting rotation headlined by Jason Marquis (starting today's game) and Ted Lilly. Did the Cubs overpay for 2 of the worst pitchers in baseball last year, or is he a genius?
• Center field: Can Soriano handle playing center field. Yes, he led the league in outfield assists, but was that because he could not get to fly balls that average outfielders could, or because his speed allowed him to get to more balls than an average fielder?
• Health - Bottom line, if this lineup stays healthy, it's one of the best in the National League. But given the overall track record, that's a big IF

Update: The Cubs are currently down 1-0 in the 3rd inning. But again, we're talking spring training, and as we've discussed, I'm the only person dumb enough to write about it.

Umm... Spring Training doesn't matter right?

Only the first spring training game, so there's no real reason to even write any of this. But for those who missed it...

Mark Buehrle and Jon Garland combined to give up 11 runs on 14 hits to the Rockies.

Bobby Jenks left the game without getting an out, after a walk and a hit batsman.

The Sox stranded 11 men on base.

But, again, it doesn't really matter. That's the beauty of spring training - the Sox player could come out wearing gorilla suits and throwing underhanded, and it still wouldn't matter. But, as always, there's someone dumb enough to write about it.

Like me.

One note about Jenks: he's been experiencing stiffness in his shoulder since reporting to camp, and has been having trouble with his mechanics. On the plus size, er, side, he's in better shape than this time last year.

Welcome to your new hangout

What better day to begin than today, when the Chicago White Sox will play the first spring training game of the year. The Cubs begin their spring season tomorrow, so we'll focus on the Sox for the moment.

We can go more in-depth later, but here are a couple key issues to keep in mind as the Sox camp continues.

• 5th Starter - The Sox traded away 2 starters this off season, Freddy Garcia and Brandon McCarthy, leaving a host of question marks as options for the final rotation spot. Gavin Floyd looked to be the front-runner until he rolled his ankle in his first mound appearance. Personally, I'm hoping we start the season with knuckleballer Charlie Haeger, because really, what baseball fan doesn't love a good floater?
• Center Field - Newly aquired Darin Erstad will get the start today (and bat leadoff), but it appears that Brian Anderson will have every opportunity to win the spot again this year. For anyone who wasn't paying attention, his fielding was fantastic last year, but it looked like he stepped up to the plate with a wiffle ball bat half the time.
• Sluggers' health - The Sox have been lucky with the health of their big boppers the last couple years, and everyone's hoping it continues. If Konerko, Thome and Dye can all stay relatively healthy, this could be another record-setting offensive year. At the very least, I wouldn't want to have to be the one getting the bill for all the fireworks they'll need at The Cell.

If you're near a radio in Chicago this afternoon, check out today's game on The Score, 670AM.