Time to buy a Wilson Betemit jersey!!!

Nick Swisher, we hardly knew ye.

The Dirty Thirty era has ended after one up and down season. It started bad, got better, and ended worse than it began. It wasn't entirely his fault, but he nonetheless failed in his first and only season on the South Side.

I was excited last year when the Sox brought him in. While he was in Oakland, I was witness to many a game when Swisher beat the Sox with clutch hitting and an annoying, gamer attitude. So when they brought him in, I was on board.

The only thing he really brought was that annoying attitude. He did provide some solid power numbers, and was the most patient hitter the Sox had. But his batting average was atrocious. And his defense in centerfield was even worse.

Things got better when PK went to the DL for awhile. Playing in his natural 1st base job, Swish improved his hitting, and his defense was solid. But when PK came back, Swish went back to the outfield, where his Sox career died. He was shuffled in and out of the lineup, playing multiple positions, and just never seemed to get comfortable. By the time September rolled around, he was a bench player and barely played in the playoffs.

Maybe he tried too hard. Maybe he wanted to make such a good impression that he pressed too much. And maybe as the season went on, he couldn't get the slump out of his head. Who knows. But the bottom line was he had no place on the '09 Sox. 1st base is PK's. Thome is the DH. Dye (for now) and CQ are the corner outfielders. And he wasn't going back to CF.

Truth be told, I would rather they kept Swish and traded PK. Swish is younger, cheaper, and a better defensive 1st baseman. But PK has an almost full no-trade clause. So that wasn't happening.

I also felt Swish tried too hard to promote his blue-collar, grinder attitude. He tried to seem like the grinder type, the one that plays hard and gets clutch hits and does the little things to win games. He didn't really do much of any. So in the end, he just seemed like another vaguely douchey guy. And really, a team can't have a lot of those guys on it's roster. AJ has that distinction locked down anyway.

But at the same time, I feel the need to rip on Kenny a little bit here. Wilson freaking Betemit? Seriously??? That's the best you can do??? He traded an everyday player for a middling utility infielder. I don't get it. I know a couple young pitchers were also received, but as the saying goes, prospects are always suspects until they prove otherwise.

The offseason is still young. I'm hoping Kenny does better than this...

All I ever wanted... all I ever needed...

Is here... in my arms...

Please forgive me for breaking out the Depeche Mode, but a very special part of my life has returned to me.

For those unfamiliar with the story, here goes. At the end of September, I returned home to Chicago for a pair of Sox-Indians games. After the Saturday night game, in which the Sox had lost their second straight against the Tribe, I set out for a night on the city with my best friends. Because I was furious at the Sox for losing both games, I refused to wear my Sox hat out. Instead, I grabbed one of the few hats I had stashed in my closet at home, and pulled out an old LA Dodger cap.

I'm not a Dodger fan, and this had nothing to do with the fact the Cubs were very likely to face the Dodgers in the playoffs. I have briefly discussed my baseball hat fetish in a previous post, and several members of my collection are of teams I have no rooting interest in. I just liked how the hat looked when I bought it. For some reason, this only realtes to baseball, as I refuse to have any football team hat other than the Bears, refuse to have any basketball hat other than the Bulls, and cannot wear any hockey hat other than my beloved Hawks. But baseball? For some reason I have no problem sporting a Mariners, Pirates, Marlins, or in this case, Dodgers hat. I guess the reason is the history of baseball team logos is richer and deeper than in any other sport.

So back to the story. I had caught some serious grief from JM about wearing it, and he was relentless throughout the night. Several bars and many drinks later, we were cabbing it to the last bar destination of the night. I made a joke that involved JM, and without any hesitation, he grabbed the Dodger hat off my head, and threw it out the moving cab.

JK just laughed. JM felt immediate remorse. I felt nothing. The hat meant nothing to me, as it could have easily been replaced. But JM felt really guilty. He apologized profusely the following day, and offered to buy me another. I refused. It wasn't necessary, and truth be told, I wanted to guilt trip him for eternity.

No such luck. JM bought me not just a replacement Dodger hat, but also a Phillies, Brewers, and White Sox hat. This was done under the agreement that I could no longer guilt trip him.

So now my teasured ballcap collection has increased by four. I'm happy to have the Dodger cap back as it does look really cool. The LA Dodger logo is timeless, one of the most recognizable in all of sports. And the Dodger blue just pops off the hat. Really, a beautiful hat.

But you know what? The hat is too clean, looks too new, and doesn't fit quite as nicely as the old one did, wherever it may be...

Words are very unecessary... they can only do harm...

A new man, a new hope, a new tomorrow

A memorable, historic night. One we'll be telling our grandkids about. In a country built by slavery, a country not far removed from the horrific civil-rights era of the 60's, a country that for so long (and still to this day) has looked down upon minorities, a black man has been elected as the 44th President of the United States.

I remember in junior high, sitting in history class and reading about Martin Luther King, Jr. While I certainly appreciated how far blacks had come, I never expected this day to come. None of us did. I casted my vote this morning after waiting in line for close to an hour. But it was well worth it. I would have waited a week to cast my vote for Mr. Obama. This is a man of hope, a man of change, a man that will lead us into the promised land.

I understand that there will be bumps in the road. He's not going to correct things overnight. This country is beyond screwed up, with economic turmoil, wars, and the constant threat of terrorism. The whole world is in an era of chaos, where gas and food prices are through the roof and everyone has job uncertainty. Nobody has seen so much tension and anxiety with the way things are going.

But I believe he can lead us out of this mess. He has the vision, the work ethic, and the determination to get it done. We as a country have shown that we are not one of wealthy, old white men. We are a country of hope, tolerance, and change. It will take time, yes. But it will happen.

Trust me, we'll be building statues and naming high schools after him. I am standing with him. We can get out of this mess.

Yes we can.

Well, if you insist...

A funny thing happened to me this weekend while visiting home. I had THREE people tell me my blog needs to be updated. You know what that means? The SDMBTA Nation has grown to 4 people now!!!

I was perfectly content with giving the blog a rest after the Sox season came to an end, and then apply the defibrillator to it come Spring Training. I honestly didn't think I would have anything really interesting to say until then (not that I ever do). But lately there have been a number of things that have come about that I could write about.

I could write about my substitute Chicago teams. How the Bears do not resemble the Bears, with a competent QB and a shitty defense. How the Bulls are going to suck this year, yet why I'm going to be naming my firstborn son Derrick Rose Anderson. How the Blackhawks have been equally frustrating and exciting in the early stages of their season.

I could write on how I might be the only person outside of Philadelphia NOT rooting for Tampa. And trust me, it has nothing to do with the Rays beating the Sox. Simply put, their stadium and fans suck and they don't deserve a baseball team.

I could write about this past weekend, and how thoroughly disappointed I am in myself for not putting JK in the hospital with alcohol poisoning. How several weeks ago, while blind drunk I got my ass kicked on the dartboard (I'm not good at many things, but this is one of them). And how this past Friday night, I redeemed myself by whipping out the 45 jersey and dropped 55 points on the previous victor. Or why steak fijitas are a bad idea after a rousing night of drinking. Or why booze and catching cell phones off a second story balcony don't mix (the Razr literally exploded, but my new phone is cooler anyway).

I could write a long overdue homage to Paul Newman, one of my all-time favorite actors and the main star of two movies in my top 5.

I could write about some promising developments in the female department (one of them is a tall brunette). How I have a sick fetish for ballcaps and my collection has now grown to 27, but is missing a certain LA Dodger cap. Or how my Skoal addiction is getting out of control.

I could write about how this semester is thoroughly kicking my ass, and making me poor in the process. Why buying new PS3 games during said semester is a very bad idea. Or why GH World Tour (T-minus 4 days!!!) might be my ultimate downfall.

I could write about my new house I'm moving into in January, and how it might be the coolest house ever built. On second thought, that deserves it's own post, and will be done closer to move-in day.

So there are a lot of things I could post about. But I'll pass on all that for now. Frank TV is on!!!

The days are bright and filled with pain... Enclose me in your gentle rain... The time you ran was too insane... We'll meet again, we'll meet again

So my lone blog reader got on my case yesterday about slacking on my posts. This statement stunned me.

I have a reader?

Anyway, I know I've been slacking. School, work, and Call of Duty 4 have been taking priority post-Soxtober. On top of that, I really haven't had anything profound or interesting to say. The Sox simply got beat by a better team that deserved to punch their ALCS ticket. When Game 4 ended and the Rays stormed the field, I wasn't angry or heartbroken. I knew going into the series that the Sox would have to play out of their minds to beat Tampa. It just didn't happen.

Having watched this team all year long, especially when all the injuries hit, I knew what this team was. An overpaid softball team that somehow made the playoffs. They relied way too much on the long ball, and it was their undoing in the playoffs. When they couldn't hit any home runs, they had to string together multiple hits just to score a run. And they proved that throughout the series. To be honest, I was glad they at least took one game, showing the same heart and fight they did all year.

Those last three games of the regular season were like the playoffs to me. Intense, full of drama, and exciting. I was too hungover and napped through most of the Cleveland game, but the Detroit and Minnesota games were the most exciting games any of my Chicago teams had played in 3 years. It's highly likely they just expended too much energy in those games and just ran out of gas.

It was a thrilling, unexpected year. Full of plenty ups and downs. I'm proud of them for exceeding expectations, and for showing heart when their backs were to the wall.

But this isn't to say I was content with them losing in the ALDS. In fact, I was little disappointed. Sackless couldn't have possibly thrown a better game in Game 1, so that was a lost cause. But Game 2 was theirs. They had Kazmir against the ropes in the early innings, and they repeatedly let him regroup. It was frustrating. Tampa didn't win Game 2, the Sox lost it. But had they won it, and then Danks followed with his Game 3 gem, who knows what happens. Pink might have pitched better in Game 4, the hitters might have relaxed and hit more, and Tampa may have shriveled under the pressure. But we'll never know.

But this year's club taught me many things. Among them:

1. Ozzie is a much better manager than he gets credit for.
2. TCQ and Alexei are absolute studs.
3. While I will certainly miss Crede, Uribe earned the 3rd base job next year.
4. John Danks is stealing my heart from Mark Buehrle.
5. They desperately need a centerfielder/leadoff man.
6. I'm actually looking forward to seeing more of Clayton Kerosene.
7. Paulie's best days are long gone and Swish deserves the 1st base job.
8. AJ is a douche but wins games.
9. Pink is the ace of the staff.
10. My next big Sox purchase will be a Danks jersey.

So that's it. The playoff beard has been shaven. My lucky Ozzie jersey has a date with the wash machine. Ratty hat deserves a break. It was a fun season, I was glad to witness it. Kenny will make some moves, and the key pieces are there for another run next year.

And the Sox exiting the playoffs are a good thing. School is getting tougher, the Bears are leading a very winnable division, the Hawks drop the puck tomorrow (which I am downright schoolgirl-giddy about), the Derrick Rose Bulls are around the corner, and Guitar Hero 4 drops in 16 days. Oh, and one more thing.

134 days until Sox pitchers and catchers report for spring training.

And while I'm bitching about Sackless Vazquez...

In addition to watching most of the Sox game today, I've been watching a lot of the other games too. You know what I love the most?

Watching 37 Frank TV promos during every fucking commercial break. TBS is making a grave mistake by force-feeding viewers so much of this shit. Do they really think we'll want to watch his stupid show after all those promos? There's a thing called backlash. If the public gets too much coverage of something, they inevitably turn against it and stop paying attention. It's not once in awhile. It happens every fucking time.

There's no question this guy is funny and good with his impersonations. But does he deserve a fucking sitcom??? Impersonations are funny in stand-up routines. But not 30-minute sitcoms.

During the last commercial break, TBS opened it with a Frank TV promo, showed a Dish Network commercial with Frank, and then closed the break with another god damn Frank TV spot. I'm getting really fucking sick of this.

Fuck off, TBS.

ALDS Game 1: Rays 6, Javier Vazquez's testicles 0

Let me just come right out and say this. I never want to see Sackless Vazquez pitch another game in a Sox uni. Ever. Never, never, never, never, never, never. NEVER AGAIN.

I've had it with that sackless, choking, overrated, shrinking loser. He sucks. Need a pitcher for a meaningless Spring Training game? Javy's your man. Big, important, critical game? Javy should be reglegated to cheerleading duties. Or at least batting practice pitcher. After the game, Sackless said: "I thought I threw the ball much better than the past three games, but still I didn't get the job done and that's the bottom line."

Really, dickhead? Guess what? I've heard that same response for FOUR FUCKING GAMES IN A ROW. And not just any four games. THE FOUR MOST IMPORTANT GAMES OF THE SEASON.

Here's hoping Vazquez stays in Tampa and never finds his way back to Chicago. Go away, and don't ever come back, jackass.

What pisses me off is that Buehrle, Pink, and Danks pitch the games of their lives this past week, and this is what we get for that effort?

Not that the Sox had much of a choice. The big three were obviously out of the question. They manned up so hard earlier this week, they deserve a four day rest.

I listened to some of the postgame on the radio, and a lot of Sox fans were saying Clayton Kerosene deserved the start. I find that statement a little amusing. I understand that Clayton is lefty, and Tampa has struggled against lefties, but are you really going to trust a 25 year-old rookie with the Game 1 start? That's asking a lot. Yes he pitched well today in long relief, and his saving of the bullpen was admirable. But starting is a completely different ballgame. He came in the game when it was already 6-3, and Tampa likely laid off the accelerator at that point. Clayton can afford to be a little more aggressive in that situation. But when it's 0-0, completely different.

The game wasn't terrible. The Sox got some hits, briefly rallied, and might have tied it had they gotten a clutch hit or two. But once again, the clutch hit was nowhere to be found. They relied on the long ball too much. Give credit to Tampa's bullpen, in particular Balfour and Howell, who were completely unhittable. Had Sackless actually performed like a major-league pitcher, and had a decent outing, we might have had a chance. But that's like asking a dog to quack. It will never happen.

We still have four more games, two at the Cell, and three pitchers who actually don't shrivel on the big stage. It's not over.

The Rays knocked you guys down today. Pick yourself up, and go kick their asses tomorrow. You're good at that.