They're dirty and grass-stained but not rusty
By NANCY ARMOUR
AP Sports Columnist
CHICAGO _ The White Sox
wear every smidge of dirt that
comes near them and pick up
grass stains easier than lint.
But they're obviously immune to
rust.
If Chicago was sluggish from
its lengthy layoff before Game
1 of the World Series, it didn't
show Saturday night. Playing
their unique brand of Ozzie Ball
to perfection, the White Sox
mixed another solid outing by a
starter with sound fundamentals,
a couple of home runs and the
dazzling return of their bullpen
for a 5-3 win over the Houston
Astros.
"Everybody came ready to play,
and we should. This is the World
Series," Jermaine Dye said. "We
told everybody to just go out
there, have fun and keep doing
The winners of Game 1, the Chicago White Sox celebrate their victory over the Hous
ton Astros. The White Sox have previously won 14 of the last 17 World Series.
what we've been doing all year."
The White Sox have done far
more sitting than hitting lately.
After playing what seemed like
every day after the All-Star break,
they've had only eight games in
the last 19 days. In case anyone
forgot, they beat the Los Angeles
Angels last Sunday to clinch the
AL pennant.
While St. Louis was taking the
Astros to six games, drawing the
NL championship series out until
Wednesday night, the White Sox
were lounging. Manager Ozzie
Guillen could have brought his
team in for busy work, but he
gave them Monday and Tuesday
off instead. Sure you've got the
biggest games of your life coming
up, but what the heck, go play for
a couple of days.
As he's shown time and again
this summer, though, there's
a definite method to Guillen's
madness.
When his players showed up for
work Wednesday, they were as
loose as if it was spring training.
The rest of Chicago might have
been worrying about rust and
layoffs and whether the bullpen
remembered how to pitch, but the
White Sox couldn't be bothered.
They played simulated games,
took extended batting practice
and trusted it would be enough.
It was. When the White Sox
took the field for their first World
Series game in 46 years, they
were ready to play. It was the
Astros who looked like they'd
needed an earlier wakeup call.
"We hadn't played in so long, I
just wanted to get out there and
play," A.J. Pierzynski said. "This
is fun time. It's the World Series.
What else can you ask for?"
Three more victories and their
first title since 1917 sounds pretty
good.
When general manager Kenny
Photo courtesy of chicago.whitesox.mlb.com
Sports
Williams reshaped his team last
winter, he wasn't simply trying
to replace power hitters with
small bailers. He was looking for
good clubhouse guys, blue-collar
players who would hustle, grind
and play with the enthusiasm of
a Little Leaguer.
Guys who wouldn't be thrown
by playing 21 straight days
as they did in late August and
early September. Or by taking
an offseason-like break in the
middle of the playoffs, and having
to face Roger Clemens and his
seven Cy Young awards when
they returned.
Dye set the tone early, fouling
off four pitches before sending
The Capital Times, October 24, 2005
No. 9 over the right-field fence
in the first inning, and the White
Sox chased Clemens after two.
They turned singles into scores
with hit-and-runs and heads-up
baserunning, and Joe Crede
put them ahead for good with a
homer in the fourth.
Then Guillen turned the game
over to his bullpen in the eighth
inning, and that's when everyone
held their breaths. If anyone was
going to be off, it was the bullpen.
Neal Cotts was the only reliever
to pitch in the ALCS, and he
threw a whopping seven pitches
in Game 1 _ 11 days ago.
When Cotts gave up a single to
Lance Berkman, putting runners
at the corners, it looked as if all
that rest was going to catch up to
the White Sox.
Oh, no.
Cotts made Morgan Ensberg
and Mike Lamb look silly with
strikeouts, and big ol' Bobby
Jenks finished it off in blazing
fashion, striking out three of the
four batters he faced with pitches
that hit the 100-mph mark.
"Pitching in the World Series,
Game 1, that opportunity alone
will fire anybody up," Jenks said.
When he fanned Adam Everett
to end it, Jenks thrust his arms
in the air and his teammates
sprinted toward the dugout.
And there's still no sign of rust