SOX BLOW GAME ONE

The White Sox took 'small ball' to a new low last night and wasted an excellent performance by Jose Contreras to lose game 1.

Getting to the blunders:

-- A.J. Pierzynski trying to steal second in a tight game. Why he should ever be stealing is probably the first question to clear. But in a tight, late-inning playoff game? If it was a hit-and-run sign that Crede missed, then how do you account for missing signs in the 166th game of the year? And if it wasn't, A.J. is the type of playoff-tested veteran who should not be committing such blunders.

-- The Bunts. I'm going to argue until I'm proven wrong that poor offensive teams should not be sacrifice bunting. When they are on top, to get an insurance run, yes. But overall? No. Aaron Rowand looked like he was a cricket player in his 1st baseball game when he was trying to bunt. It certainly didn't help that he was showing bunt in the on-deck circle. He got it down--and ended up on 1st base as they nailed the lead runner. Terrible baseball. Jermaine Dye trying to lay one down? This was ironic becuase several times through announcing or graphics they mentioned how Dye led the AL RFs with 31 homers. He also had left 2 men on base by fouling out to the Erstad earlier in the game. Memo to Ozzie: you need his guy's bat to win. Let him swing. Podsednik looked bad on 2 attempts. It's bad baseball especially considering everyone knew they were bunting. So they did not get any good buntable pitches. The White Sox hit .416 in the ALDS. Let it rip.

--Baserunning. Uribe must give Ozzie chest pains. He should have taken 2nd on the play where the ball sailed past Erstad. Then he almost gets picked at 2nd after he was indecisive about going to 3rd on a single. Podsednik got nailed--great call by Scioscia on the pitchout. AJ in the 7th.

--Fielding. Crede freaked a bit on the play where he double clutched. There is no time for thinking on that play. It's instinct. You have to know on a ball hit that slowly that it's one or the other. He got neither. Contreras, while he pitched brilliantly, goofed on a play trying to get 2 when the out at home in front of him was right there.

Too many mistakes. On to game 2.