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Reminder: Chase Utley & Ryan Howard on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”

Be sure to tune in to FX tonight at 10pm EST — or if you a sucker for convenience like me, DVR it – to see Ryan Howard and Chase Utley make a cameo appearance on “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” We all remember Mac’s letter to Utley from last season, so will he finally get the opportunity to confess his love for Chase face to face? Only time will tell. But early reports indicate that their appearance is legitimately funny… [Todd Zolecki]

Chicago White Sox News: Adam Dunn, Paul Konerko/Orioles, Alexei Ramirez, and Bobby Jenks

Chicago White Sox News:

According to Jerry Crasnick’s Twitter, “The Chicago White Sox have jumped in on free agent Adam Dunn, according to sources. Kenny Williams’ interest appears serious.”  He continued, “A lot depends on what happens with Paul Konerko. But the Sox need a bat, & they previously made a run at Dunn in July.” [@JCrasnick]

Along those same lines, Jon Paul Morosi believes that signing Adam Dunn would cost the White Sox one of their icons: Konerko or Mark Buehrle.  It’s important to note that Buehrle is the only one of those players that is under team control. [Fox Sports]

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White Sox News: Konerko Rumors, Fair Trades for Floyd, V-Mart, and Phillies/Thornton

Before the Detroit Tigers landed Victor Martinez, the Texas Rangers were allegedly interested in landing the free agent catcher.  The Rangers, who seem to be looking for an upgrade from Mitch Moreland at first base, now might be interested in Paul Konerko. [Baseball Time in Arlington]

Jim Margalus shares his thoughts on the Chicago White Sox decision to decline arbitration on catcher A.J. Pierzynski.  He also explores the potential outcomes of the White Sox decision, ranging from the “most likely to the most dangerous.” [Sox Machine]

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Pat Burrell Wears Golden Sombrero in Game 3 of World Series

Hits were scarce for the San Francisco Giants in Game 3 of the World Series against the Texas Rangers.  And then there was Pat Burrell.  Pat “The Bat” wore the golden sombrero, turning in an 0-4, 4K performance that included three against starter Colby Lewis, and a final one against closer Neftali Feliz to lead off the ninth.

Against Lewis, Burrell swung through — what felt like — every slider and curveball.  He fouled a couple of them off, but it seemed like he was just delaying the inevitable rather than staying alive.

Neftali Feliz made quick work of the Burrell to lead off the ninth with a series of high 90s fastballs.  After seeing a steady diet of offspeed pitches from Lewis, he appeared overmatched and unable to adjust to Feliz’s heat.

Burrell joins teammate Andres Torres as the only players to notch a golden sombrero in the 2010 postseason.

Voices of the Game Part II: The Best Outside the NL West

Recently, first-team all-Midwest Conference South Division pitcher Ryan Harris wrote his second Golden Sombrero article, where he rightfully rips into beleaguered FOX Sports color commentator Tim McCarver. While I could not agree more with his candid (and rather harsh) account of Joe Buck’s right hand man, I believe that calling baseball games is a difficult job. And while those who have been given the privilege of calling the World Series and still perform poorly deserve every bit of the criticism the heralded Pioneer hurler dishes out, it is equally important to salute those who do the job well game after game, year after year.

There are a select few announcers out there who, by their very presence, make the experience of watching a baseball game on TV or listening to it on the radio more enjoyable. In my June article on this topic, I tipped my cap to Jon Miller, Dick Enberg and Vin Scully, three of baseball’s greatest voices, all of whom I am privileged to hear nearly eighteen games every season while watching my Rockies take on the hated Giants, Padres and Dodgers. In this edition, I look outside the NL West for two other announcers who do more than their fair share to make our game the greatest in the world.

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