Sox Scribe Reminisces About '05 Wonders
My favorite storyNo team ever has played better under-the-gun baseball for as long as the 2005 White Sox, who won the World Series with arguably the best postseason run in history. Their 16-1 stretch against Detroit, Cleveland, Boston, the Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros was mesmerizing as it unfolded and still stunning in reflection. Watching friends and White Sox fans like Chris Devane and Joe Mirabella experience the thrill of their lifetimes was priceless.
Best game I coveredYou can't beat a 14-inning World Series game. Geoff Blum's home run came in his first at-bat in three weeks, and the sight of Mark Buehrle coming in to nail down a save was a goose-bump moment.
But the story of Game 3 was all the big outs delivered by White Sox pitchers when a Houston hit would have won the game. Orlando Hernandez, Luis Vizcaino, Bobby Jenks, Damaso Marte and Buehrle held the Astros hitless in their last eight at-bats with men in scoring position.
Best interviewJay Straight, easy. I got a chance to go outside my niche to write a profile and Straight made it worthwhile with his candor. Born into poverty in the Robert Taylor Homes, the running buddy of Eddy Curry and Luther Head left Chicago to play basketball for the University of Wyoming, where it was so quiet at night that he had trouble sleeping after he arrived. Straight earned a communications degree and now is playing pro basketball in Israel. His frankness was amazing as he described life at the Taylor Homes, saying "it was so fun" because there was always something going on. He admitted it was tough to steer clear of the gang lifestyle. "It was so tempting," he said. "Being in that environment, it made you want to go sell drugs, it made you want to go out gangbanging. . . . It was strong. Man, that temptation was strong." Good guy; a story worth telling.
Most telling off-the-field momentOrlando Hernandez, dressed as stylishly as royalty, enjoying a late-night cigar on the steps of the Vinoy Hotel in St. Petersburg, Fla., in May. There's just something about the way "El Duque" carries himself that suggests success. He's going to be missed.
A road trip I won't forgetBecause the White Sox were involved, I occasionally got to sleep in my own bed, but the time from Sept. 29 through Oct. 25 was a blur. I caught 20 season-deciding games in seven ballparks. In addition to the Sox's 12 playoff games, I covered Yankees-Red Sox to end the season and the last two games of both the Yankees-Angels and Cardinals-Astros playoff series, traveling by plane, train (from Boston to New York) and automobile (Chicago to St. Louis and back).
I covered a lot of games this year, but I wish I had seenMore of the Cubs' Ronny Cedeno and Matt Murton. These guys have the potential to grow into the second coming of the Shawon Dunston-Mark Grace tandem, assuming they aren't traded this winter or given up on when they have their first bad months.
Second-guessing myselfIf I was going to make an outrageous pick after spring training, I wish it had been White Sox to win the World Series, not Zach Greinke to win the AL Cy Young Award.
Story line on my beat for 2006With the White Sox positioned for another playoff run and the Cubs coming off a losing season, can the Sox cut into the Cubs' box-office advantage? The heat's on Dusty Baker.
Funniest quote I got"That's a good point. I didn't realize that. . . . Maybe it's the whole city of Chicago that has the monkey."Hall of Famer Wade Boggs, who was reminded about the White Sox's 88-year drought after he had said that the Red Sox's 2004 championship left the Cubs as the only team with a "monkey on their back."
Best game I coveredYou can't beat a 14-inning World Series game. Geoff Blum's home run came in his first at-bat in three weeks, and the sight of Mark Buehrle coming in to nail down a save was a goose-bump moment.
But the story of Game 3 was all the big outs delivered by White Sox pitchers when a Houston hit would have won the game. Orlando Hernandez, Luis Vizcaino, Bobby Jenks, Damaso Marte and Buehrle held the Astros hitless in their last eight at-bats with men in scoring position.
Best interviewJay Straight, easy. I got a chance to go outside my niche to write a profile and Straight made it worthwhile with his candor. Born into poverty in the Robert Taylor Homes, the running buddy of Eddy Curry and Luther Head left Chicago to play basketball for the University of Wyoming, where it was so quiet at night that he had trouble sleeping after he arrived. Straight earned a communications degree and now is playing pro basketball in Israel. His frankness was amazing as he described life at the Taylor Homes, saying "it was so fun" because there was always something going on. He admitted it was tough to steer clear of the gang lifestyle. "It was so tempting," he said. "Being in that environment, it made you want to go sell drugs, it made you want to go out gangbanging. . . . It was strong. Man, that temptation was strong." Good guy; a story worth telling.
Most telling off-the-field momentOrlando Hernandez, dressed as stylishly as royalty, enjoying a late-night cigar on the steps of the Vinoy Hotel in St. Petersburg, Fla., in May. There's just something about the way "El Duque" carries himself that suggests success. He's going to be missed.
A road trip I won't forgetBecause the White Sox were involved, I occasionally got to sleep in my own bed, but the time from Sept. 29 through Oct. 25 was a blur. I caught 20 season-deciding games in seven ballparks. In addition to the Sox's 12 playoff games, I covered Yankees-Red Sox to end the season and the last two games of both the Yankees-Angels and Cardinals-Astros playoff series, traveling by plane, train (from Boston to New York) and automobile (Chicago to St. Louis and back).
I covered a lot of games this year, but I wish I had seenMore of the Cubs' Ronny Cedeno and Matt Murton. These guys have the potential to grow into the second coming of the Shawon Dunston-Mark Grace tandem, assuming they aren't traded this winter or given up on when they have their first bad months.
Second-guessing myselfIf I was going to make an outrageous pick after spring training, I wish it had been White Sox to win the World Series, not Zach Greinke to win the AL Cy Young Award.
Story line on my beat for 2006With the White Sox positioned for another playoff run and the Cubs coming off a losing season, can the Sox cut into the Cubs' box-office advantage? The heat's on Dusty Baker.
Funniest quote I got"That's a good point. I didn't realize that. . . . Maybe it's the whole city of Chicago that has the monkey."Hall of Famer Wade Boggs, who was reminded about the White Sox's 88-year drought after he had said that the Red Sox's 2004 championship left the Cubs as the only team with a "monkey on their back."
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