A few notes from my recent trip to Progressive Field in Cleveland

As readers of this blog are aware, I recently went on a baseball trip that had nothing to do with the 2019 White Sox.

The main destination, of course, was Cooperstown, N.Y., home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. That being said, it's a 12-hour drive from the Chicago area to Cooperstown, and while that's doable, I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing it all in one shot.

Cleveland is about the halfway point, and we stopped there from two days July 20-21, and of course, we took in a game between the Indians and the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field on that Saturday night.

The Tribe had a big crowd, much to my surprise, and we ended up with seats in the nosebleed section. We were in the upper deck, in the last section down the left-field line. Or maybe they just stuck us up there because the person at the box office noticed my Chicago hat.

Anyway, here was the view:

Yeah, we were way up there. It was about 95 degrees with a heat index of 106 that night, and I give full credit to the ushers in Cleveland: They passed out free cups of ice to anyone who wanted one. That seems like a small thing, but that would never happen at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, where they apparently inventory cups for some reason.

One feature of the ballpark I liked? Well, what's the one thing Sox fans have in common with Indians fans? We both like Jim Thome, and Thome is prominently featured with a statue and a plaque in the Indians' ring of honor in center field:

For the record, the Royals beat the Indians, 1-0, on a home run by Hunter Dozier in the first inning. I wasn't expecting a big pitcher's duel between Jakob Junis and Adam Plutko, but I wasn't complaining about a game that finished in less than three hours on a hot, humid night.

Plutko gave up that homer the third batter of the game, and Junis and three Kansas City relievers combined on a three-hit shutout.

Man, Ron Gardenhire's recent managerial record is abysmal

Ron Gardenhire

At one point during Tuesday night's game between the White Sox and the Detroit Tigers, Hector Santiago walked Gordon Beckham on four pitches. It caused me to wonder whether I was really watching Major League Baseball, or if someone had hijacked my TV to show me some Triple-A game out of Toledo.

The Sox won three out of four vs. Detroit at Comerica Park this week, and honestly, it isn't worth much comment. The two teams began the week a combined 56 games below .500. The Tigers are outright tanking. The Sox are just killing time, apparently, with no real desire to improve a losing team. Both clubs have players on the roster who have no business in the majors anymore -- see the matchup between Santiago and Beckham.

Heck, there was even an article on The Athletic this week where a writer asked if the Tigers (33-78) could be even worse than the 2003 Detroit club that went 43-119. The answer to that is no. Detroit has seven games left with the Sox, seven with the Kansas City Royals and four with the Baltimore Orioles. I think the Tigers have 11 more wins left in them, based on that schedule.

But they likely will finish with the worst record in baseball and add another abysmal season to manager Ron Gardenhire's ledger.

There are some Sox fans who still believe Gardenhire is a good manager. They carry scar tissue from the era in which Gardenhire was beating the Sox and winning divisions with the Minnesota Twins. However, 2004 was a long time ago, and the Metrodome has long since been imploded.

Good ol' Gardy has fallen on hard times. Here are his past six seasons as manager:

2011 Minnesota Twins: 63-99
2012 Minnesota Twins: 66-96
2013 Minnesota Twins: 66-96
2014 Minnesota Twins: 70-92
2018 Detroit Tigers: 64-98
2019 Detroit Tigers: 33-78 (48-113 pace)
Total: 362-559 (.393 winning percentage)

That is too pathetic for words. As much as we question Rick Renteria, I will take him as a manager over Gardenhire any day of the week. Does anyone really believe the Tigers are going to turn around under that guy? Not that the Sox are going to turn around under Renteria, but you know what I mean.

Grinder Bash 2019 at Guaranteed Rate Field: Let's kill the fun!

Remember my post about Grinder Bash 2018? More than a year later, it's still getting some web traffic. We had some fun visiting the home clubhouse at Guaranteed Rate Field and took a few pictures chronicling what we found.

Well, guess what? That's not allowed anymore. When I walked into the White Sox clubhouse Saturday for Grinder Bash 2019, I had at least two people telling me that no pictures would be allowed (even though I had neither camera nor smartphone in hand at the time).

So, the Gestapo has ruined another event that used to be fun for Sox fans, and I must say that wasn't the only disappointment we experienced at Grinder Bash this year.

The event was from 4 to 7 p.m., but we didn't get inside the stadium until about 4:45. The Sox only opened Gate 2, and they had only three people scanning fans in. Thus, the line was wrapped practically around the stadium. In previous years, they had at least two gates open, but I guess Jerry Reinsdorf didn't want to pay too many people to work an event that occurs while the Sox are on the road.

So, the three-hour event was basically cut to two hours for some people. Free food is offered, which is great, but unfortunately, they started closing the food stands at 5:45 p.m. Better eat quick, folks! And they started shooing people out of the stadium at 6:30. We were scolded for wanting to use the bathroom in the Craft Kave at 6:35 p.m. I thought the event went until 7, you know?

I got the impression the Sox wanted their employees to leave the stadium by 7 p.m. If that's the case, tell fans the event is from 4 to 6. And let everyone in on time. Grinder Bash is for season-ticket holders only -- these are the Sox's best customers. Why are we being hurried along and treated like this? Anything for Reinsdorf to save a buck, I guess. Those hourly employees need to go home.

So, no home clubhouse pictures this year, but here are some other notable moments from the day:

I did snap this picture in the tunnel leading from the clubhouse to the dugout, before the guards noticed. Although I agree with the message, the Sox obviously don't do a very good job of "ruthless execution of the basics," nor do they ever seem to improve at the basics. But at least it is emphasized, I guess.

I needed to get a new picture with the 2005 World Series trophy now that I'm a much older man. I look very young in the previous pictures I've taken with the trophy. Too bad it feels as though the Sox will never win another one.

This will probably be the only time I have the chance to sit in the CBIC Fan Box, so I figured I may as well take a picture of the view from there.

And, finally, Jen and I standing on the warning track in straightaway center field. This is probably the happiest we will be at Guaranteed Rate Field this season, because the Sox weren't there to lose another game!

White Sox win three-game series against Philadelphia Phillies

Jose Abreu

The White Sox have won only two series since the All-Star break. Somewhat amusingly, both of them were on the road against playoff contenders.

The South Siders took two out of three from the Tampa Bay Rays (65-48) from July 19-21, and now, they took two out of three from the Philadelphia Phillies (58-53) in an interleague series over the weekend.

Going into the series, I thought the Sox (48-61) had a puncher's chance in two of the three games -- based upon pitching matchups -- and it turns out they won both those games in which I thought they had a chance.

Here's a look back at the weekend that was:

Friday, Aug. 2
White Sox 4, Phillies 3, 15 innings: This was one of the most wild games you'll see. The Sox essentially outlasted Philadelphia, because the Phillies had an outfielder on the mound and a pitcher playing left field when the game ended.

That said, Philadelphia pitcher Vince Velasquez made three spectacular plays in left field. He threw out Jose Abreu at the plate to keep the Sox off the board in the top of the 14th. He made perhaps a better throw in the top of the 15th, but the speedy Leury Garcia was just barely safe at home on an single to left by Abreu.

Velasquez also made a diving catch on a liner off the bat of Eloy Jimenez. Two were on with two out at the time, so if that one falls in, the Sox score at least two more runs in that 15th inning. Alas, the 4-3 lead had to be enough, and it was.

Josh Osich (1-0) worked two innings of scoreless relief to earn the win for the Sox. Outfielder Roman Quinn (0-1) got through the 14th inning unscathed while pitching, but he took the loss after giving up the aforementioned run in the 15th.

The starting pitchers in this game were Ivan Nova and Jason Vargas -- mediocre at-best veterans. I figured this was anybody's game, and the Sox won it.

Saturday, Aug. 3
Phillies 3, White Sox 2: This was the game that I thought the Sox would lose, with Philadelphia ace Aaron Nola pitching against Ross Detwiler. And, in fact, Nola (10-2) won and Detwiler (1-2) lost, although we can give the Sox's left-hander credit for not making a fool out of himself.

The day after a 15-inning game, Detwiler chewed up 5.2 innings and gave up only two runs -- back-to-back home runs by Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins.

Down 2-1 in the seventh, the Sox had runners at second and third with only one out, but a ill-fated safety squeeze killed that rally. Yolmer Sanchez made a decent bunt, but Hoskins, the Philadelphia first baseman, obviously knew it was coming. He easily threw out Jimenez at the plate, from about 50 feet away.

Memo to Sox manager Rick Renteria: Please stop with the safety squeeze bunt. The opposition knows it is coming, and it is foolish to play for the tie on the road anyway. I know the Sox strike out way too much, but the excessive reliance on bunting isn't winning games for this team, either.

Sunday, Aug. 4
White Sox 10, Phillies 5: Coming into this game, the Sox had scored only 44 runs in their previous 22 games, so it was refreshing to see them put some runs up against Drew Smyly and the Philadelphia bullpen.

Garcia's grand slam highlighted a five-run second inning. Jimenez connected for a three-run homer, his 18th of the season and first since July 14, and Tim Anderson added a solo home run in the ninth.

I figured Reynaldo Lopez and Smyly was a fair fight in terms of the pitching matchup, and Lopez (6-9) survived some rough moments the third time through the batting order to pick up the victory.

He went 5.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits. That's where it helps to have the run support. Philadelphia cut the lead to 5-3 in the sixth and had two men on base, but Aaron Bummer entered and got an inning-ending double play to settle things down and end the Phillies best chance to tie or take the lead.

Swag from my recent trip to the National Baseball Hall of Fame

Yes, I left the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown with a shopping bag. I won't apologize for it, because I bought some stuff that I didn't think I could find closer to home.

For example, this Harold Baines Hall of Fame T-shirt:

In fact, the Hall gift shop had a section for each of the 2019 inductees, and I picked this shirt off the shelf dedicated to Baines.

I also thought this shirt was cool; it lists every member of the Hall of Fame affiliated with the White Sox;

And, of course, no trip to the Hall would be complete without the standard T-shirt and hat combination:

I also cleaned out the book shop of anything White Sox-related:

And, of course, the program and yearbook from the Hall induction ceremony:

I bought the yearbook; I won program playing a trivia game, but that's a blog entry for another day.

Recapping recent White Sox roster moves

Nate Jones

The White Sox followed up their 2-8 road trip with a 2-8 homestand. They are now 4-16 since the All-Star break after losing, 4-0, to the New York Mets on Thursday.

It's never a good sign when you get swept at home in a three-game series by the sub-.500 Mets, but that's where the Sox are right now.

Good job, good effort.

If the players were feeling any anxiety about the trade deadline, they don't need to anymore. July 31 came and went with the Sox making only one deal, and it was a minor one at that.

Reliever Nate Jones, who is out for the season with a forearm injury, was traded to the Texas Rangers along with international pool money and cash considerations. In return, the Sox received fringe prospect pitchers Ray Castro and Joseph Jarneski.

It's unclear whether we will ever mention Castro and Jarneski on this blog again. This was a money move. The Rangers were seeking international pool money, and the Sox were willing to send some their way on the condition that they take Jones' contract.

Jones is owed $1.5 million for the remainder of this season, and it will cost the Rangers $1.25 million to buy him out for 2020, which they most certainly will.

For the Sox, this is a cost savings of $2.75 million, should they ever decide to start investing money into the Major League team.

The most notable thing about the trade deadline? The Sox didn't trade either of the high-leverage arms in their bullpen, Alex Colome or Aaron Bummer. I'm taking that as a good sign -- the Sox decided they'd rather have those two men on the roster for 2020 than trade them for "lotto tickets" and assorted other Class-A garbage that will never see the light of day.

The past two years, the Sox have simply sold off any veteran with value to accumulate future assets. Right now, we're seeing a shift in strategy. They held onto a useful reliever in Colome, apparently believing he can be part of a winning team next season.

Now, will the Sox actually spend money to make that winning team happen? It remains to be seen, and given the team's 46-60 record, it's clear that there is a lot of work to do between now and next March.

But general manager Rick Hahn was quoted in James Fegan's article on The Athletic today as saying, "Heading into this offseason, based on the progress of some of these young players, based on the progress of other young players that will be joining this roster over the coming months, I think it’s very logical for us, you’re going to see a heightened level of aggressiveness come this offseason.”

A heightened level of aggressiveness? Good. I want to see it, and I intend to hold Hahn to this comment when I see him at SoxFest in January.

Moncada injured

In bad news, as soon as Tim Anderson and Eloy Jimenez came back from injury, Yoan Moncada suffered a hamstring strain in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Mets. The Sox are expected to be without their third baseman and best overall player for about two weeks.

Outfielder Ryan Cordell, who was just optioned to Triple-A Charlotte at the start of the week, was recalled to take Moncada's spot on the roster. It looks as though Ryan Goins is going to get the majority of starts at third base, with Leury Garcia possibly seeing some infield time when he's not playing somewhere in the outfield

Reed optioned 

A.J. Reed went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts in Thursday's loss, and he was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte after the game. Mercifully. This is one waiver claim that predictably isn't working out.

Reed went 6 for 44 with one home run during his three-week audition. That will pencil out to a robust .136 batting average. Almost makes you yearn for the return of Yonder Alonso, doesn't it?

The Sox will add a man to their roster before starting a three-game weekend series in Philadelphia against the Phillies. I'm hoping they give Zack Collins another shot. There are left-handed at-bats available at designated hitter, and I wouldn't mind seeing Collins behind the plate on days when James McCann is not playing. I don't need to see any more Welington Castillo, thank you very much.

Paul Konerko sticks up for 2005 White Sox

Paul Konerko

There have only been two teams in Major League history to go wire-to-wire in the regular season and sweep the World Series -- the 1927 New York Yankees and the 2005 White Sox.

But even though the 2005 Sox went 99-63 in the regular season and romped through the playoffs with an 11-1 record, you rarely hear that club mentioned when people talk about the best teams in baseball history.

Sure, the Sox were one-year wonders, but for a single season, it's tough to top what that team did.

In an article on The Athletic, written by Tim Britton, the first baseman on that 2005 Sox team made that point.

“I think playing in Chicago for the White Sox, individually speaking, it’s a great town to play in but let’s be honest: It’s a Cubs town. You’re kind of overshadowed a little bit by everything going on with the Cubs,” Paul Konerko said. “It never really bothered me, because I didn’t care about that stuff.

“But the one thing I would stand up for is, when you see a lot of recaps of the best postseason teams or the best teams in history, there’s never any mention of that team. There’s never any talk about that team. It’s almost like it didn’t even happen.

“We just went in and basically kicked everybody’s ass, you know? Anybody who knows me knows I don’t really play the game of trying to argue those types of things or take offense, but I’ve always stood up for that team because I think we deserve better in how people view that team.”

Konerko is right. They did kick everybody's ass. It probably needs to be said more often, so that the 2005 Sox actually get the respect they deserve.