I want to thank all of you who reached out with birthday greetings. The mark of a great life lived is how many people you touched in a positive way. My love of this wonderful game is what keeps me coming back. You fans have been a constant reminder that what I do has meaning.

Bobby Jenks was on the mound when the 2005 World Series ended. He won a lot of battles that year and the Sox won it all. Sadly Bobby lost his last battle but he’ll always be in the hearts and minds of his teammates and Sox fans. He was a big man who was impervious to pressure RIP.

The choice might come down to Shane Smith or Miguel Vargas to represent the Sox as an All-Star. Shane is a rookie and that might work against him. I believe both players deserve a trip to Atlanta. I played in 1 ASG. I’ll never forget that game. Fingers crossed they take 2.

My father never went to college. He went to war in the Pacific. He was kind and patient. He was a Teamster who became a jukebox repair man. He taught me how to become a man. I think about him everyday. The World lost him 12 years ago. He was special to everyone he met. What a guy.

Shane Smith was the first pick in the Rule V draft. He is having a remarkable season. He cost the Sox $100,000. His ERA is 2.37. His WHIP is 1.17. Shane is throwing like a #1 starter. Cudos to the Front Office. No 1 starters are tough to find. Maybe he’ll be a Sox All-Star.

At 2pm I was on the Spiegs and Holmes show. Pinch hitters Mark Grote and Anthony Herron did a great job of asking meaningful question and insightful observations. We covered a lot of ground and urge you to go back and experience this show. Learn and laugh. Maybe make some money.

I won’t be on this Texas trip. This is a scheduled week off. I’m in Arizona with Ruby Lucky and Dave. My dogs are canine stress relievers. They believe I’m smart loving kind and caring as long as I give them regular snacks and feed them occasional carrots. I love these hounds.

The Sox had a good homestand. What you might have not noticed is the Will Venable effect on this team. He and his Dad played in the Big Leagues. His knowledge and feel for the game is extraordinary. He gives autonomy to his coaches. His players like and respect him. He is a star.

Long term deals to pitchers is a very risky. The Diamondbacks spent 210 million over 6 years for Corbin Burnes. He’ll have Tommy John surgery next week. Burnes will be lost for approximately 14 months if all goes well. Jacob deGrom is great but hurt a lot. I prefer shorter deals.

The Royals were built around Salvy Perez. The Giants were built around Buster Posey. The Big Red Machine had Johnny Bench. The Phillies built around J.T. Realmuto. Yadier Molina lead the Cardinals. You can NEVER have too much catching. The Sox have a lot of catching. That’s good.

You saw the Sox split with the Tigers in a 4 game series. The boys battled. The bullpen was pretty good. Kyle Teel is up and will start tonight. You’re seeing the future. All Access Friday is the best local broadcast in baseball. Meidroth and Vargas are the real deal. Tune in.

Thanks to Dan Plesac for a fine job. He’s a true pro. I’ll be back for the homestand which starts with a 4 game Detroit series. The pitching was strong in Baltimore but as we saw 5 runs in 3 games makes it tough to win. Staying in games late is the 1st step in development.

Baseball lost another member of it’s very exclusive club. Walt Jocketty passed away a few days ago. Walt was a great General Manager and a brilliant baseball mind. Our lunches were thought provoking and entertaining. He touched a lot of lives and we’re smarter for knowing him.

Baseball has lost a giant in our sport. Bob Uecker spent 54 years with the Brewers. He did the Johnny Carson show over 100 times. Going to Milwaukee and sitting with Ueck was a joy. He was unique and funny in a self deprecating way. Baseball will miss him. He was a friend.

Our announcement has been moved back until the 2nd inning.

For those of you who are interested in a small part of next year please watch the beginning of our game tomorrow at 1:00pm. There will be something that some of you are interested in hearing. Till tomorrow I bid you adieu.

This historic season is coming to an end. There is a great deal of work to be done this offseason. As most of you know I am an employee of the White Sox and I’m also a fan of our Sox. I want to come back and we’re working on the details. I want to be here when we’re good again.

Our season is almost over and what a tough year it’s been. Through every loss and every poorly played game some of you fans have stayed the course. The highlights were few and the disappointments many. We’ll depend on pitching next year. I want to thank you for you’re loyalty.

There are many misconceptions perpetuated by this medium so I’d like to put one to rest. Chris Getz wasn’t ignoring me in our interview. Because of a side camera and a 3 man shot it’s difficult for the person in the middle to turn and talk to the guy behind. Chris and I are fine.

I’ll be on 670 The Score tomorrow at 10am. For those who might like a more in-depth look at the Sox and what happens going forward I’ll try to give you a detailed picture of the ballclub and the organization. Talk to you tomorrow.