2005 AL Central Champs

Knowing that there was no collapse, that we're going to the playoffs...and that I can breathe again.

Although the Crede home run in the 10th last week is a close second.  Pierzynski's winning homer and the Rowand game winner (dont have the time to look up exact dates on those) were also great.

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Opening Day...

Garland's first few starts where it went 6 IP, 3 ER, 7 IP 2 ER, 8 IP 1 ER, and then back to back CG shutouts and we all started to realize that he had turned the corner...

The 4 game sweeps of the Indians & Orioles

Yankees series in NY where Contreras began his domination...

Garcia's 1 hitter (even though it was an L)...

What makes this the best moment for me was the fact that I was at the game and it was a complete emotional roller coaster. Right before Crede's homer the crowd was silent because we were exhausted from constantly cheering sox threats that cam up short (and the few that didn't). Then complete bedlam!

Being out here in Baltimore, I've watched more Gametracked games on my laptop this season than I have my entire life.  My poor wife has had to live with me carrying my laptop to dinner, to the couch, everywhere.  

With this in mind, the most dramatic moment has to be the Crede homerun  last week.  I'm F5'ing like crazy for the last couple of innings, and then they put up the homer.  Whooping and hollering ensued, with me making my wife watch the replays on ESPN-News for the next 10 minutes.

Others:  AJ's homer against LA; breaking the "games with starting off with a lead" streak at the beginning of the year; the series in NY where each game was 2-1; Buehrle starting off the year with a 1-0 masterpiece.

Let's hope we make some more favorite memories over the next few weeks...

August 26, 2005, Sox at Seattle.  Sox were a putrid 9-12 in August up to that point.  (Does anyone remember how awful August was for the Sox?  August was unbearably bad.)  Cleveland was starting to make serious noise, having gone 17-5 up to that point in August and shaving the lead down to 7.5 games...

And then Rookie Brian N. Anderson, who is from Tucson (which is important, as I live in Tucson, and those of us who know Tucson love Tucson) hit two home runs to keep the Sox in the game, and Iguchi hit one in the top of the 12th to win it, providing some much needed relief.

The 9th inning home run by AJ against the Dodgers.  It was nearly a perfect baseball experience.  The weather was perfect and the game was played crisply.  I had my two daughters (age 6 and 9) with me and they were into every at bat.  Bottom of the ninth and we're all just dying, down 3-1 and looking at a loss.  But Iguchi worked that lead-off walk (which my 9 year-old will still tell you was the key to the inning) and Carl Everett drove him in.  Willie pinch-ran and stole second.  With two strikes, Aaron drove in Harris to tie the game and the place goes crazy.  My girls were standing on the seats and screaming.  (Having permission to make as much noise as you want is a big deal when you're a kid.)  Then, AJ.  You have to understand that Pierzyinski is my 9-year old's favorite and when he went deep to win it, her joy may have been greater than anyone else in the park.  You just can't love baseball any more than a 9 year old who's seeing her team win for the first time.  Then, to top it all off, it was fireworks night, so I sat with my family literally basking in the glow of the victory and knowing, absolutely knowing, that this was one of the moments you remember your entire life.  Someday when I'm old and fading and my girls come to spend my last days with me, we'll talk about that game and how much baseball meant to all of us.  We can lose every game for the rest of the year and it won't matter as much as that night meant to me.

That's a great story, glad you shared.  

My goodness, so many memories...  

The memory that sticks out from this season, right off the bat -- Jon Garland vs. Miguel Tejada.

A 3-2 changeup to Tejada, low and in.  I remember saying it right there in the LF bleachers -- "This is a changed pitcher".  Tejada, IIRC, fouled off several pitches.  That changeup, in my mind, was the ONLY pitch he was going to get him out on, and he got it.

It was such a great moment.

Congrats, White Sox -- you guys have given us all heart problems, and, as a result, White Sox fans' life has been shortened by at least five years, but that's fine -- you got the job done.

YES!

I was unable to watch the AJ home run game...which is a shame.

My 3 favorite moments

a)  First Experience at The Cell
b)  Garland Striking out Tejada
c)  Uribe's play in the field that led to Crede's home run.

Are those cubans?

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at wrigley when konerko hit the single off of corey's mitt.  i went beserk.

Does Chicago have AL Home Field Advantage?  Or is the Magic # 1 for that to happen (with the Yankees).  

IE.  If Chicago gets Swept and Yankees sweep Red Sox...would New York have Home Field?

Also, What needs to happen for a 3 way tie to occur between Red Sox, Yankees & Cleveland?