Nov 14th 2008 3:45PM by Josh Alper (author feed)
We all know by know that President-Elect Barack Obama is a White Sox fan. We didn’t know, however, the lengths he’d go to in order to ensure that his buddy Kenny Williams wouldn’t have to deal with re-signing Ken Griffey Jr. for the 2009 season.

On Tuesday, Griffey will be named a Public Dimplomacy envoy. Others with this standing include Cal Ripken Jr., Michelle Kwan and, naturally, Fran Drescher of “The Nanny.” The envoys are charged with travelling the world in hopes of improving America’s image abroad. Griffey will likely show the rest of the world that no matter how athletically gifted and fabulously rich Americans may be, they are still as fragile as the thinnest pane of glass.
Other public diplomacy envoys have chosen to focus their efforts on a specific issue close to their heart, though it remains to be seen which topic Griffey chooses.
Personally, my hope is that Griffey takes the lead in the worldwide battle against gigantism caused by cut-rate nerve tonics. The developing world is rife with hucksters looking to make a quick buck by preying on people who don’t know any better.

(H/T )

Nov 13th 2008 4:25PM by Mullet (author feed)
It’s been rumored for a while, but today the Yankees acquired Nick Swisher from the White Sox, along with minor league pitcher Kanekoa Texeira in exchange, reportedly, for righty Jeff Marquez and some others who have not yet been named yet.

Jon Heyman reported on his regular radio spot on WFAN that the Yankees acquired Swisher mainly to play first base. This would mean that signing free agent Mark Teixeira would be pretty much out the window. But the Yankees do have options, as they could put Swisher in the position he played last season mostly, center field, in place of the Brett Gardner/Melky Cabrera tandem if the Yanks decided they had some money left for Teixeira after their pursuit of CC Sabathia. Swisher could also play right field if Bobby Abreu leaves via free agency.

Whichever hole Swisher fills in the field, the Yanks most likely acquired him to be the solid on-base guy he was in Oakland in 2006 and 2007. He had a horrid season getting on base with Chicago last season, but it was more his actual hitting than his batting eye that suffered, as he still waked 82 times last season. Swisher should see more pitches to hit batting behind Alex Rodriguez, so this is a very good get for the Yankees.

For the White Sox, this seems to be the beginning of a very interesting off-season for the A.L. Central champs, as now Swisher’s gone, and the rumors continue to swirl around guys like Javier Vazquez, Jermaine Dye, and Bobby Jenks. There could be more turnover than you could ever imagine for a division champion.

Nov 8th 2008 2:34PM by Tom Fornelli (author feed)
Last winter Kenny Williams and the Chicago White Sox signed a relatively unknown — in the States, anyway — infielder from Cuba named Alexei Ramirez. While most White Sox fans had absolutely no knowledge of the skinny import, Kenny insisted that the kid was the real deal and that he’d play in Chicago for years to come. Kenny knew what he was talking about, as Alexei hit .290 with 21 homers and 77 RBI in his first season in the Majors, and it looks like the Sox have a superstar on their hands.

Now what Kenny Williams wants to know is if he can strike gold in Cuba again. In June we told you about Cuban third baseman Dayan Viciedo after he defected from Cuba to America. Viciedo is the considered the best player the Cubans have had in a very long time, and MLB just gave teams permission to start talking to him. Though they may be wasting their time, because even Viciedo’s agent says the White Sox have the inside track.”[The Sox] have shown a lot of interest,” [Viciedo’s agent Jaime] Torres said. ”It seems they have done a lot of research. To be honest, they do have an edge having Alexei and Jose. If I were to tell you they didn’t, I would be lying. They are an organization that got Alexei and are very happy. Chicago is a very attractive place.”Torres is also the agent of Ramirez and Jose Contreras.

Bringing in Viciedo would make sense for the White Sox because they’re moving on from the Joe Crede era at third base, and though Josh Fields is expected to take over in 2009, having competition around is never a bad thing. It seems far fetched that Viciedo would be ready to contribute this season for anybody, not just the White Sox, but the Sox felt that way about Ramirez as well.

He’s only 19, but he did hit .337 with 14 homers for the Cuban National team at the age of 16, so maybe it isn’t crazy.

Nov 8th 2008 1:05AM by B (author feed)

Last Tuesday, I voted for the first time in my life. And hey, all political leanings and arguments aside, you know what’s going to be nice? Having a confident man as President. I don’t care if he comes to my door and smashes my belongings with a hammer and sickle, if he goes on TV and looks like he means what he’s saying I’ll call it a push.

Obama has appeared in one other Dugout, but we didn’t give him the celebration strip he deserves. Tonight’s unapologetically moderate Dugout is after the jump.Continue Reading

Nov 6th 2008 6:00AM by Mullet (author feed)
There’s a lot of importance attached to a President’s “first 100 days in office”. Looks like one of them may be filled with baseball, as White Sox GM Kenny Williams has invited President Elect Barack Obama to throw out the ceremonial first pitch of 2009 for his favorite ball club: the Chicago White Sox. “I’ll make an executive decision right now,” Williams said Wednesday. “Let this be a formal invitation: If he would like to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day next year, we can find a spot for him. (…)

“Now I not only have to answer to [Chairman] Jerry Reinsdorf about pitching, I have to answer to the president,” Williams said. “It’s one thing when he would ask me about pitching as a senator, but now he’s going to ask the question as president, and I have to say, ‘Mr. President.’

“I have to answer to the highest office now.”

Williams had better rehearse that last one thoroughly.

Continue Reading

Nov 5th 2008 1:25PM by Tom Fornelli (author feed)
While we probably shouldn’t expect any deals to actually go down during the GM meetings going on right now, we can be pretty sure that the foundation for some future trades is being laid down as we speak. Two teams who are looking to make some changes this winter are the White Sox and Mets, and it looks like the two squads could be trade partners pretty soon.

White Sox general manager Kenny Williams made it clear yesterday that both Javier Vazquez and Nick Swisher are on the block, and with the Mets looking to add another starter or two to their rotation, they’re taking an interest in Vazquez.Continue Reading

Oct 31st 2008 3:20PM by Matt Watson (author feed)
It flew under the radar in the aftermath of the Phillies’ World Series win on Wednesday and the monster Mike Jacobs blockbuster (or something) on Thursday, but the White Sox declined their 2009 option on Ken Griffey earlier this week, opting to pay the man a $4 million buyout instead of a $16.5 million salary.

Griffey was both productive (101 OPS+) and healthy (143 games) last year, so he should have no problem finding at least one more job should he choose to do so. And considering it’s the first time in his life he’s a free agent, I won’t be surprised if takes his time deciding where he wants to end his career.

John Hickey of the has an interesting suggestion: why not end it where it all began? The Mariners are woefully in need of run production, and even though Griffey isn’t nearly the same player he was when he was traded in 2000, he still has a bit of pop in his bat. An incentive-laden contract just might work out for both partiesContinue Reading

Oct 31st 2008 8:49PM by B (author feed)
While the Phillies celebrate a well-deserved World Series victory, life (and business) goes on for Major League Baseball. 65 players filed for free agency on the first day of the filing period for eligible players, and it’s a completely normal but somewhat sad thing to see so many building blocks from playoff teams packing up and hittin’ the old dusty trail.

Tonight’s Dugout is a two-parter to give Philly their mad, Hammer-like propers, to find out where the Dugout regulars who didn’t reach the mountaintop might be headed, and to officially end our season with FanHouse. Tomorrow the season starts over again when we find out what the hell happened to the Twins.

Part 1 of 2 is after the jump.Continue Reading

Oct 9th 2008 1:53PM by Tom Fornelli (author feed)
While White Sox and Cubs fans argue constantly over which team is better, and why the other team sucks so much, we still interact with each other. We’re friends, and like friends tend to do, we make fun of each other. We also place bets with one another on whose team will fare better.

That happened between one Cubs fan and a White Sox fan earlier this season, when two neighbors made a friendly bet before the two teams squared off for a three-game set at Wrigley back in June. The Cubs fan said that his Cubbies would sweep the Pale Hose, and the Sox fan told him he was nuts. They decided that the loser of the bet would by the other one dinner.

Well, the Cubs swept that series, and though the Cub fan got his dinner, it wasn’t enough. That’s why he snuck into the Sox fan’s house and hid a broom in his kitchen doorway with a note attached that read “This is just a reminder of who the real team in Chicago is.”

While Cubs fans are just kind of annoying with their smack talk and bravado, Sox fans are smarter. They’re also more devious, and they know the right time to strike.Continue Reading

Oct 7th 2008 12:00PM by Tom Fornelli (author feed)
Now that the season has ended for the White Sox it’s time for the organization to start looking towards 2009. Sure, the team won the AL Central this season, but their series against the Tampa Bay Rays helped expose quite a few flaws that the team had, and some changes will need to be made if the team is going to get back to the playoffs again next year.

Of course, if you’re going to bring in new players that means you have to get rid of the ones you have. Whether or not Ken Griffey Jr. is one of the players to go, or if he’ll be back remains to be seen, but we can be pretty sure Junior isn’t going to retire and make the decision easy.”I’m not retiring. I have things to do,” Griffey said, already at 611 home runs and turning 39 next month.

”I’d like to come back [to the White Sox],” he said. ”It was a great ride. A lot of fun. I’ve had more ups than downs. The city, the fans, it’s been great for me. This team fought all year. They were fun to be around. We’ll see what happens.”Well it’s nice that you want to come back, Ken, but I can’t say I want you back. Seeing Junior play just about everyday for two months helped me see just how far he has fallen from greatness. I knew he wasn’t the same player anymore, but I had no idea how bad things had gotten.

The truth is, Griffey is exactly the kind of player on the White Sox roster they need to replace. They have enough concrete footed sluggers in their lineup, and really, Griffey isn’t much of a slugger anymore anyway.