Mark Buehrle

Today at work, I have my Nokia E62 and Jeff, who has a nearby cubicle nearby has his Nokia E62. We are both trying to follow the game in the seventh and eighth innings. Jason Marquis has finished six good innings. DeRosa punched a home run. Ramirez has had another three hit day. Life is good.

Then, as we are staring at our phones, the team melts down. A wild pitch is thrown. A passed ball is allowed. Walks are issued. Soon the Cubs go from 2-1 leaders to 5-2 losers. I will not look at my phone for the rest of the year.

That said, let’s talk a minutes about winners. The Sox edged the Indians today for their second win of the season. It was a hard fought game that they can be proud of, unlike the northsiders.

One bad thing happened on the south side today. Mark Buehrle took a beaner off of his arm. Now we have seen this before. Remember a couple years back when Mark Prior had the same thing happen? Shut down Buehrle for the rest of the 2007 and likely 2008 as well.

It is too bad. Buehrle came up with the Sox shortly after Kerry Wood bought out all of the Chicago good will. He is three wins away from 100 major league wins. Wood is still 29 games away from that mark, even with a two year head start. Buehrle has won nineteen games once and sixteen games three times. Wood has a personal high of fourteen wins in one season.

For my money, Buehrle is the money pitcher in Chicago with Carlos Zambrano a close second. Will Buehrle every command the kind of money Z will be getting soon? Not on the south side of town.

The one thing Buehrle has earned that no other Cub has earned wearing a Cub uniform, and may never earn if they play as they did today, is a World Series ring. Mark Buehrle is a winner. Heal up fast, buddy. The Sox are going to need you.