Sox plenty positive after loss

CLEVELAND -- The White Sox got precisely the start they wanted.

For 26 minutes.

After that, following a Jim Thome homer and Mark Buehrle's 8-pitch first inning, 2008 looked -- in some ways -- to be far too much like 2007.

But responding to Buehrle's horrible second inning that sent him to the showers and left the Sox gasping, down 7-2, the Sox fought valiantly and at all times ferociously, and despite the best efforts of the Indians and the umpires, the South Siders clawed all the way back to tie it at 7-7 in the seventh.

"If this game was last year, we lost the game right there in the second inning. We would have packed it in," Buehrle said. "But we battled back and the feeling in the dugout was unbelievable.

"It was different than anything from last year. It was loud and there was energy and we knew we were never out of the game.

"I'm not happy we lost and I'm not happy about what I did, but we feel really good about how we came back."

Though the Sox did fall 10-8 to the Indians, you've never seen a clubhouse so upbeat after an opening-day loss.

It wasn't false bravado or some concerted effort to fool the masses.

From one veteran to another, from one side of the room to the other, and in different languages, the Sox liked what happened Monday at Progressive Field.

And they really like their team.

"One great thing you take out of this day is we will fight and we will battle and no game is over with this offense coming at you," Nick Swisher said. "I love what we've got going here. I love it."

There was too much of that to dwell on the negative, which included concern over Buehrle's mental state, assuming he's physically fine.

But you couldn't miss the middle infield play, which looked nothing like advertised in spring training, and its inability to turn double plays cost the Sox plenty -- specifically Buehrle in the dreadful second inning.

Paul Konerko also failed to scoop a tough throw, Alexei Ramirez looked confused in center field on three plays, and expensive reliever Octavio Dotel gave up 3 runs in the eighth to lose it, despite coming within a strike of escaping a two-on, none-out jam.

And then there was the top of the eighth inning, when back-to-back doubles gave the Sox runners on second and third with nobody out in a tie game.

With the bases loaded, Orlando Cabrera grounded to third, and Joe Crede appeared to be in safe with the go-ahead run when the throw pulled catcher Kelly Shoppach off the plate, removing the force.

Home-plate umpire Gerry Davis first pointed to the plate, as though the force were alive, but then after calling Crede out, he changed his mind and said Crede had been tagged on the arm.

The replays seemed to indicate Crede was safe on all accounts, and it was the second incorrect call of the day that cost the Sox a run.

"I would have felt it," Crede said, shaking his head. "There's no way it was a force, either. I have to be careful what I say, but I know what I know."

So up stepped Jim Thome, already owning a pair of 2-run blasts and another line shot that would have doubled in 2 more if not for a great catch in left.

Thome hit a chopper to second that was too slow for the Indians to turn the double play. Shortstop Jhonny Peralta already had conceded the throw to first and the run when Cabrera, sliding into second and out on the force, reached out and grabbed Peralta's leg, bringing an interference call and a 4-6-3 end to the threat.

"The umpire was right," said manager Ozzie Guillen of the illegal slide by Cabrera, who was a postgame no-show. "We couldn't do nothing about it.''

The flip side is, Nick Masset was brilliant in 4-plus innings of relief, the offense was good, and it will get even better.

Everyone but Ramirez had a hit, Crede felt great and nearly homered, Jermaine Dye had 3 hits, and the Sox had 5 walks, 2 of which scored.

Perhaps more telling was that the Sox showed genuine emotion on the field and in the dugout and simply looked more engaged than they've been since 2005.

"If we continue to play like this and don't give up in any games," Guillen said, "we're going to win a lot of games this year."

For that to happen, the Sox will have to play better, and they should as Cabrera and Juan Uribe get a better feel for each other, Crede finds his old form, and Buehrle remembers that he's Buehrle.

But if Guillen means the Sox are going to play a lot of games that look like Monday's, they'll most certainly be the most exciting team in baseball in 2008.

And they'll lead the league by miles in at least one category: heart attacks caused.