The pile of bodies on the disabled list -- and a few aches and pains for active players -- has caused many to develop a jaundiced eye toward Herm Schneider. And he used to fix those, too!
A quick tally of those on the DL:
- John Danks: Shoulder
- Leyson Septimo: Shoulder
- Angel Sanchez: Back
- Gordon Beckham: Hamate
- Dayan Viciedo: Oblique
- Gavin Floyd: Elbow
And then you have the guys on the roster who are battling or recently overcame ailments:
- Jake Peavy: Back spasms
- Jeff Keppinger: Back spasms
- Dewayne Wise: Stiff neck (guy needs to invest in a pillow)
- Jordan Danks: Bruised knee
(Hey, Jordan -- gross us out for a second:
"There’s no pain at all," Danks said. "Really it’s just kind of range of motion. We tried to drain it yesterday and the stuff in there was too thick to drain."
Thanks, Jordan!)
Even high-profile prospects aren't immune:
- Nestor Molina: Shoulder
- Jared Mitchell: Oblique
- Courtney Hawkins: Shoulder
- Keon Barnum: Hamate (and now knee)
But then you watch the Bulls essentially play six men, some not even at 80 percent, in Game 6 against New Jersey thanks to ...:
- Joakim Noah: Plantar fasciiitis
- Kirk Hinrich: Bruised calf
- Taj Gibson: Flu
- Luol Deng: Flu (but not meningitis)
- Nate Robinson: Flu
- Derrick Rose: Haven't heard why he's out
... and maybe this goes higher than Herm. If I'm Jerry Reinsdorf, I'm hiding in a blanket fort until this whole thing passes over.
Terrerobytes
Lance Berkman is one of the more candid interviews in baseball, so Hector Santiago should feel pretty good about what Berkman said about him after his strong effort on Thursday night:
"That guy is really good," said Texas switch-hitting slugger Lance Berkman, who went 0-for-2 with a strikeout as Santiago pitched 5 1/3 innings of two-hit ball to lead the Sox to a 3-1 win. "I don't know why he's not in their rotation. He should be."
- Gillaspie earns a fan in Konerko - whitesox.com
- Will Conor Gillaspie Continue His Torrid Pace? - Swing Analysis
Paul Konerko likes the cut of Conor Gillaspie's jib, but to my disappointment, only about his hitting style, and not about severe pragmatism. Also, I posted the swing analysis link in madvillain's FanPost about Gillaspie, but it's worth watching if you didn't see it there.
With Matt Thornton now the only lefty in the White Sox bullpen, the righties are going to get more cracks against opposite-handed batters, with Jesse Crain leading the way.
Fun piece that's been passed around in the comments (official h/t goes to gbrocketman) about the sounds that stick out for players. The White Sox get a lot of face time, from Peavy's self-reflexive profanity to Adam Dunn's chattiness to Viciedo's bat.
- Flowers, Thornton cross awkward paths with Pierzynski - chicagotribune.com
- Flowers prevails in battle of new vs. old - ESPN Chicago
It sure is interesting to compare Thornton's comments about facing Pierzynski...
"Weird, for sure," said Thornton, who played with Pierzynski from 2006 to 2012. "He caught me for seven years. He's a good friend. I know he knows what I'm doing. I got him strike one. I was surprised he didn't swing at that one. I knew he was swinging the next pitch and got it in and up, and he pulled it out of the stadium foul (before flying to center).
"It was just an awkward situation. A friend, you put it behind you. He's trying to get a hit, and I'm trying to get him out."
... against Santiago's:
"It felt like we made a good decision [to go with Flowers]," said Santiago. "Everybody knew it would be tough to replace A.J. But tonight, A.J. went 0-for-4 and Flo got the home run that won it for us. A.J. was here a long time, but a lot of us came up with Flo. It was a great night for him."