For the past 12 years, one of the worst-kept secrets in Chicago sports was that Mark Buehrle had enjoyed a few cold ones before recording a save in the 2005 World Series.
It was talked about among sportswriters, mentioned on Chicago White Sox fan message boards and even confirmed by his pitching coach Don Cooper in a TV appearance two years ago.
But while Cooper said there was "no telling" how many beers Buehrle drank before closing out the Houston Astros in the 14th inning of Game 3, Buehrle as set the record straight.
In a piece for the Players' Tribune, Buehrle said he drank three beers "max" before entering the game at Minute Maid Park.
Buehrle had thrown 100 pitches over seven innings in a Game 2 victory just two nights earlier. The White Sox held a 2-0 series lead, and it seemed like there was no chance the Sox would ever need Buehrle's services that night.
"I would've bet my house that I wasn't going to pitch a day and a half later," he wrote. "Anyone would have. So, that being the case, you better believe that I was gonna do what came natural to me -- grab a few beers during the early innings, kick back and enjoy the game like everyone else.
"And it was just like one or two beers. Every time I grabbed one, I'd go over and check in with the coaches. 'Hey, you guys are sure you're not going to need me, right?'
" 'No, Mark. You are not pitching today. You just went.'
"So I'd hear that and grab a beer.
"It was only like three beers ... Max. Definitely no more than three, though. I swear."
The Astros tied the game at 5 in the eighth inning, and the longest game in World Series history (five hours, 41 minutes) ensued.
"By the 11th, I began to get the feeling that something strange might be taking place, Buehrle wrote. "At that point, I started to bear down and prepare. And I was ready to pitch when my name was called.
An unlikely home run by Geoff Blum in the top of the 14th inning gave the White Sox a 7-5 lead. Damaso Marte, Chicago's eighth pitcher of the night, started the bottom of the inning. But with two outs and a runner on third, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen signaled for Buehrle.
He ended up throwing just three pitches, the last of which induced a game-ending pop out from Adam Everett.
Crying LeBron
Kalen Gilleese concedes LeBron James is one of pro basketball's greatest players, but he still believes the Cleveland Cavaliers' superstar is not in the class of Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, who is Gilleese's favorite player.
After the Cavs were beaten in the NBA Finals by the Golden State Warriors, Gilleese -- who already has a body full of tattoos -- added a crying LeBron James face to his right calf.
"I think LeBron is in the top five of all time, but he's not Jordan," the Salt Lake City resident told ESPN. "I just get ticked off by everyone saying that. And I absolutely hate how LeBron flops."
Gilleese said he bugged his friend, tattoo artist Preston Schooley, to do the tattoo for the past two months.
"After the Warriors won, I convinced him to do it on me," Gilleese said.
"He likes to be a troll, and this does the trick," Schooley told ESPN.
Gilleese said that whether people like or despise James, they are impressed by Schooley's work.
"I've heard from a lot of people that have seen it," Gilleese told ESPN. "No matter what they think, they end by appreciating how well done it is."
SPORTS TRIVIA
Who was the MVP of the 2005 World Series?
ANSWER
Outfielder Jermaine Dye, who was 7 of 16 with 1 home run and 3 RBI in the sweep
Sports on 06/25/2017