At Spring Training with SoxManDan

Hope everybody enjoys the new layout - it’s been a long time coming and will only make the podcast more interactive and better going forward, which hopefully will directly correspond with an increase in wins for the White Sox. That’s why 2007 was such a bad year - Soxcast was woefully behind the times as far as the internet revolution goes!Anyway, as we get closer to the March 31 opener in Cleveland, spring training takes on even more importance. Who’s going to step up and earn those precious few open roster spots? And what kind of greatness must it be to enjoy major league baseball in picture perfect Arizona? SoxManDan,our resident Arizona correspondent, has all the answers. Here’s his latest report, from the Sox-Rangers game last Tuesday:

Another great day in God’s country out here in Surprise, AZ, 85 degrees, sunny and happy. Long game today, extra innings, interesting ending. Had to endure Gavin Floyd, but it wasn’t TOO painful…4IP, 3H, 2R on 2 homeruns in the 2nd innning.   

Here’s the scoop:

Hitting

Ramirez- 2 doubles looks very comfortable at plate…Anderson HR in 2nd…Thome took 2 walks…Fields 3 strikeouts…Konerko 1-5, double (could have been an inside-the-park homerun for Owens) 

Fielding

Quentin reminded me of Ron Kittle in LF bouncing fly balls off his head (bad play in late innings)

Pitching

Floyd gets a pass, I guess…MacDougal (UGH, AGAIN) 1 IP throwing 95MPH, did manage to balk a man over to 2nd base…Massett picked a man off 1st, nice!…Adam Russell threw hard, looked OK after loading the bases on a HBP, single and walk…Anderson came in for the 10th: slowest pitch 93MPH, last pitch 99MPH hit for a LONG game winning home run by Texas over the concourse in left field. I saw it coming (and so did Texas, I guess).

Overall great day, and really appreciated that homerun in the 10th  turning around Anderson’s 99MPH pitch. I had been commenting around me that he might want to throw something off speed…..that ball was out of the park in a flash.

Here’s one of Dan’s photos from Surprise: