*OFFICIAL* 7/20/21 Tony’s Boys Don’t Quit, Either SOX 9 MIN 5 Postgamer

[Dumpjerry]

It's hard to have a "heartbreak" with a big lead in the division though isn't it? Memories by the way are made in late September or October...not in July.

Let's not make this out to be bigger than it was, as someone else posted they were only down a run (to a garbage team). I mean its not like they pulled off a Cubs tonight right?

I was at the "Robin Ventura Game" shown above. Most definitely took place in July, it was a warm night.

Mark Buehrle's No-no and perfecto were not in Late September or October (hell, his first one was in April!). I don't think anyone is forgetting those.

[Dumpjerry]

Any questions folks?

I have one.

What is the parade route? I need to get my chair set up soon before it gets too crowded.

[notjimrose]

I was at the "Robin Ventura Game" shown above. Most definitely took place in July, it was a warm night.

July 31, 1991. I was up in those high upper deck seats that don't exist anymore. I think this is still my favorite regular season home run that I've seen in person.

[Harwar]

It was great to see Moncada and Abreu leading the charge again . really looking forward to the Brewers series.

[longtimefan]

Beating the Twins will never get old. It doesn’t matter how. Beating them late in the game makes it sweeter.

Doing this a few times every season will help me forget some of the nightmares I’ve witnessed when the the Sox play in Minnesota.

A win today sends them out of town only 19 games out.

I agree 100%. I lived in Minn and had to take all kinds of abuse from Twins fans. I want to PUNISH them. Sorry, I'm calming down now.

[Lipman 1]

I was at the "Robin Ventura Game" shown above. Most definitely took place in July, it was a warm night.

Mark Buehrle's No-no and perfecto were not in Late September or October (hell, his first one was in April!). I don't think anyone is forgetting those.

Keep in mind the Sox trailed in the Ventura game 8-6 with two out when Ventura hit his walk-off, right in front of noted Cub fan Bill Murray in case you forgot.

As optimistic as you are (sometimes in my mind beyond reason just to stir things up) I hope you aren't disappointed in about 10 weeks.

[longtimefan]

The team is running on all cylinders and playing great. So I was thinking what is key for them from now until they start the playoffs. You might say staying healthy but I suspect most injuries are not something you can control. But another key to me is keeping our pitching staff "fresh". Rodon is coming off TJ surgery, Cease is still young and new to the major league grind, Kopech hasn't pitched much up to this season. So the question is how do they make sure our pitchers are ready to go? It might be to limit innings but then someone has to make up those innings. Maybe that is why Hahn brought up Lopez. I'm not sure. Your thoughts?

[thomas35forever]

Keep in mind the Sox trailed in the Ventura game 8-6 with two out when Ventura hit his walk-off, right in front of noted Cub fan Bill Murray in case you forgot.

I don't think anyone cares about anything other than that grand slam.

[shingo10]

I don't want to get this off-topic but just a thought that I have had during these past few exciting games is that I miss Hawk on the call when the Sox are winning. I've appreciated Stone being more into it and excitable this year but still having a hard time coming around to Benetti. An aquired taste I guess. That aside last night was such a great win. Felt the familiar doom during the later innings as the Twins crept closer and it just seemed like one of those games the Sox were destined to lose until they blew it open in the 8th. So refreshing for a change.

[Kobo]

The team is running on all cylinders and playing great. So I was thinking what is key for them from now until they start the playoffs. You might say staying healthy but I suspect most injuries are not something you can control. But another key to me is keeping our pitching staff "fresh". Rodon is coming off TJ surgery, Cease is still young and new to the major league grind, Kopech hasn't pitched much up to this season. So the question is how do they make sure our pitchers are ready to go? It might be to limit innings but then someone has to make up those innings. Maybe that is why Hahn brought up Lopez. I'm not sure. Your thoughts?

They will skip starts for some of the starters. Having a lead as big as they do right now provides flexibility. I don't see any team in the division being buyers at the trade deadline other than the Sox, which means the division could get worse after July 31. As far as Kopech goes, they are going to start using him more in 2 inning+ situations to build up his arm strength.

[JazzyCyclist]

Lip's right, though: this bullpen right now cannot be entrusted to protect a 1-run lead against terrible teams like Baltimore or Minnesota. In the playoffs where runs are scarce, the bullpen will need to potentially protect 1-run leads against much better lineups, against teams whose bullpens are not going to surrender 5 runs in the 8th inning. The Sox need bullpen help.

Then everyone else is right as well, since no one disputes any of this. But that is not the point.

That doesn't make last night's win any less thrilling to me, but neither does last night's win make it untrue.

Again, no one disputes that, but that is true no matter how yesterday’s game played out.

Fangraphs now has the Sox playoff odds at 99.2% (division at 98.9%), wouldn't it be nice to go deep into the playoffs? They need a dominant setup man or two to do that.

Who among us doesn’t agree?

[Dumpjerry]

Keep in mind the Sox trailed in the Ventura game 8-6 with two out when Ventura hit his walk-off, right in front of noted Cub fan Bill Murray in case you forgot.

As optimistic as you are (sometimes in my mind beyond reason just to stir things up) I hope you aren't disappointed in about 10 weeks.

We did not care that Bill Murray was there.

The other extremely notable thing about that games was it gave birth to a legendary White Sox nickname. "The Big Hurt" was uttered by Hawk for the first time ever during the broadcast.

[TDog]

Then I'll do my best to forget this moment (which is coming up on its 30th anniversary) because it happened in July.

I very nearly referenced this memory earlier in the thread. I didn't actually see the game, but saw ESPN highlight it with the introduction "tonight the White Sox won a game they had no business winning." I've watched it numerous times over the years and marvel at the reactions to the fans I've seen in various shots, one including the late actor and Sox fan John Candy. And the Rangers fans must have complained about their garbage bullpen, trying to close out games with Rich Gossage

With a couple of exceptions, baseball has been the soundtrack to my summers since I the year I turned 13. I've said Nancy Faust scored the soundtrack to my teen years. Even the 1972 games I had to listen to on the radio, in particularly the West Coast games against the A's and Angels, lived sharply in my memory through Harry Caray's calls. I told my mother I was sick on the last day of the season to see Gossage start in a meaningless game against the Twins because I didn't want to let the season go. Decades later, I was part of a group that provided community memories for the 2005 season. It probably wouldn't surprise anyone that my chapter was the longest even though I hadn't actually seen a game live, only Mark Buehrle inducing a pop up from my editors office before walking into the dark ice fog at the end of a long work day feeling the adrenaline rush of knowing the White Sox were on the verge of winning the World Series. A baseball season isn't just about October. It's a tapestry of memories.

It's a long season, but that the point. I can complain that Sheets isn't ready for the majors when he strikes out with the tying run at second in the last inning of the first game of Monday's doubleheader, but in the last inning of the second game he crushed a ball deep into the night for a win, although his lasting memory of the pitcher his previous strikeout. I could label Engel worthless on the bases after a play in Sunday's game that haunted me and Engel can come back Tuesday with an incredible slide around the catcher, tagging a corner of the plate.

Obsessing over Kopech (who part of the bad bullpen night) and Burr combined to lose the lead, obsessing over having to lose the DH at the end of the game when the pitcher's spot created in the lineup was irrelevant to the game isn't insightful analysis . Watching Vaughn confidently jump out of the dugout against a tough right-hander and tie the game with a hit to right center with the help of some terrific base running, watching Hamilton, one of those players I've read here doesn't belong in the majors, who replaced Monday's hero, slash a pitch past Donaldson with two outs to give the Sox the lead and set a Hendriks ninth before Abreu pounced in a way the Twins didn't on Burr when they had their chance in the top of the inning.-- that's the story of this game.

I've been critical of the bullpen all season, but Tuesday's bullpen failings don't make this a somber victory.

[Lipman 1]

We did not care that Bill Murray was there.

The other extremely notable thing about that games was it gave birth to a legendary White Sox nickname. "The Big Hurt" was uttered by Hawk for the first time ever during the broadcast.

I'm sure you didn't I just wanted to bring up the point.

[Hitmen77]

Keep in mind the Sox trailed in the Ventura game 8-6 with two out when Ventura hit his walk-off, right in front of noted Cub fan Bill Murray in case you forgot.

As optimistic as you are (sometimes in my mind beyond reason just to stir things up) I hope you aren't disappointed in about 10 weeks.

Murray is shown at the 57 second mark of the clip I posted.