Sully Baseball Honors JERMAINE DYE

It looks like Jermaine Dye’s days with the White Sox have come to an end.

Chicago declined to pick up his option and Dye goes into the winter a free agent.

He’s 35 years old, had a HORRIBLE second half and the days of sluggers miraculously getting stronger in their late 30s seems to be over for some strange reason.

The White Sox need to get younger and bringing Dye back would be purely an emotional decision.

Now I am not a White Sox fan, but I have a soft spot in my heart for them. But I hope that the White Sox blogs are firing 21 gun salutes for Jermaine Dye.

In his 5 seasons in Chicago, he delivered big. An MVP caliber season in 2006. All Star numbers in 2008… and of course the World Series heroics.

His first inning homer in Game 1 of the 2005 World Series off of Roger Clemens set the tone for the series.

His phantom hit by pitch in Game 2 set up the Paul Kornerko slam.

His RBI single in Game 3 helped the White Sox come back from behind, setting up the 14 inning marathon.

And of course he drove in the only run of Game 4, singling off of Brad Lidge and gave the White Sox the title.

Think about how a Chicago pennant, let alone a World Series title, seemed so elusive.

White Sox fans who want to feel all warm and fuzzy inside should thank Dye for delivering the title that so many generations craved.

And petty White Sox fans should salute Dye for making sure a White Sox title arrived before a Cubs title. (And with the Lou Piniella era sputtering to a close, Sox fans might have that bragging right for a while longer!)

So let’s see those blogs sending out love.

Jermaine Dye… get ready. Your number will be retired in Chicago before long.
(Just don’t sign with the Cubs.)

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Some strange World Series facts are still true

The World Series has been over for a few days now…

And yes, Johnny Damon and Eric Hinske have indeed joined Ramiro Mendoza as the only living players with World Series rings with the Red Sox and Yankees.

But there are some other odd World Series facts that came true as well.

Assuming the NL Cy Young winner will be either Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter or Tim Linecum and also assuming the AL Cy Young winner will not be a Yankees… then once again we have another World Series without a Cy Young winner.

The last World Series to feature a Cy Young winner was 2001… which actually featured both Cy Young Winners (Randy Johnson of Arizona and Roger Clemens of the Yankees.) That was one of only 4 World Series in history to feature both Cy Young winners.

Also Albert Pujols is a lock for the NL MVP, so the World Series still hasn’t featured the MVP of the AL and the MVP of the NL since 1988 when Kirk Gibson’s Dodgers beat Jose Canseco’s A’s.

Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter have outside chances at the AL MVP. But if it goes to Joe Mauer, then the AL MVP will once again not be featured in the World Series. Rickey Henderson was the last AL MVP to play for a pennant winners (although Albert Belle got robbed in 1995 by Mo Vaughn.)

And when the Rockies were eliminated, any hope for the first “All Expansion Team World Series” was squashed.

Oh I am sure I can come up with some more facts… but I’ve got to get some sleep.

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