Is there hope?

Sox Record: 30-34; The Sox have a -27 run differential. 

Place in the A.L. Central and Games back:  Third place and 4.5 behind the Tigers. 

Most annoying person in the Sox organization: Still Josh Fields.

Member of the White Sox I love the most at the moment: You hit a home and keep the Sox in the game on the mound, you become my favorite player for the moment.  Come on down, Mark Buehrle!  Yesterday's game was crazy... featuring a pitcher who scored the winning run as a pitch runner.

Rhetorical Question of the Day: Okay, I was way off.  Konerko won't be out for a while.  Missing only Friday's game, Konerko was back in the line up on Saturday and also played Sunday.  The Sox had one big inning on Saturday and a great pitching performance from Contreras leading to an easy win.  Then yesterday enough went right for them to pull out a win.  Add a bad weekend for the Tigers and the Sox are all of a sudden 4.5 out with 98 to play.  So... do the Sox have a chance?

Let's do some easy math.  Last year, the Sox won the AL Central with 89 wins.  In order for the Sox to win 89 games this year... well they have to go 59-39 (.602).  And seeing how this team has played thus far I don't think that's going to happen.  The run differential alone says that this team isn't going to get it done unless the offense finds another run a game.  And in order for that to happen St. Carlos has to get healthy, Pods has to keep it up, Beckham has to keep hitting like he hit this weekend, and probably get someone else (Anderson? Nix? Getz? Fields?) to start hitting much better than they are.  I'm not holding my breath.

HOWEVER, the Tigers are on pace to win 87 games and that means the Sox only need to go 57-41 (.582).  Oh wait, that would still require the Sox offense to turn things around and Carlos... Pods... Beckham... Someone else...

In other words, one weekend set against the Brewers isn't changing my opinion about the Sox.  I still think they're an 80 win team.  

But it's also nice to take two or three from the Brewers--former rials turned now sort of Great Hopes for Sox fans who want the Cubs to lose.  I'm not sure what to make of the Brewers now a days.  They've been out of the American League for over ten years now and in that time my dislike of them has abated.  But I still find it hard for me to root for them... let's go Reds... maybe one of these days I'll be able to get behind the team that represents the fine people of Wisconsin.

Tomorrow... Cubs preview.

The Writing is on the Wall

Sox Record: 28-33; The Sox have a -29 run differential.

Place in the A.L. Central and Games back: Third place and 5.5 behind the Tigers.

Most annoying person in the Sox organization: I am openly rooting for Josh Fields to strike out every time he steps to the plate. I'm not sure I've ever rooted against a Sox player like I've started rooting against Fields. I want him to fail... which is really weird considering he's going to be playing first base a lot over the next month with Konerko hurt.

Member of the White Sox I love the most at the moment: Pods. Seriously, I can't get enough of Pods right now. I said it and it feels good. I have no clue where he came from or why he's good, but he is and I love it. I love it like a high school crush or a spring song.

Rhetorical Question of the Day: The Sox went the inverse of what they needed to do on their longest home stand of the season (4-8) and in the process loss St. Carlos of Quinten and Konerko for the next month. They weren't scoring runs before and they'll probably be scoring less in the next month. So what to do?

If nothing else, for the first time since early May, I'm sort of excited about the Sox again. Weird, but true... so why am I pumped about a Sox team that's going to lose more than it wins from here on out?

Because it's the Sox are going to reload. The 2005 team will be a distant memory by April of 2010. Dye and Thome should start telling Kenny where they want to play the last two or three months of the season. Bobby Jenks could easy be dealt assuming he stops blowing saves. Dotel is all but gone at this point. If Jose Contreras has a few more good starts, I could see a team taking a flyer on him come July.

The only two guys I can't see the Sox trading are Konerko and AJ. AJ stays because they don't have anyone else who can catch four or five times a week this year or next year. Plus AJ's the kind of guy who's more valuable to the Sox than he is to any other team. Konerko isn't going any where because he's a 5 and 10 guy (meaning he has to okay any deal) and the Sox can't take the PR hit of trading away a fan favorite.

Shockingly, even if the Sox unload all those guys... they should be in good shape in 2010. Beckham will move over to second at some point (I pray). Hopefully, Cuban#3 (Dayan Viciedo) can take over third next year. Alexei stays at short and Konerko at first. And with so much money coming off the books, the Sox can make a run at an outfielder (Holiday? Jason Bay? Carl Crawford if he some how hits the open market? Chone Figgens?) to replace Dye next year. And the starting pitching is pretty much in place (they'll need to find a fifth, but that shouldn't be too hard to fill). Plus who knows what the Sox will pick up from the Thome/Dye/Dotel/Jenks?/Contreras? deals.

Of all the guys the Sox have to deal, Dye probably has the most value since he's a hell of a player and can hit. He makes too much sense for the Red Sox or the Mets. And if you're the Rays, don't you take a look at Thome? Same goes for the Angels and Rangers.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out... I'm sure I'll have more thoughts as time goes on...

When Shitty Baseball Players Cry: The Josh Fields Story

Sox Record: 27-32; The Sox have a -29 run differential.

Place in the A.L. Central and Games back: Third place and 5.5 behind the Tigers.

Most annoying person in the Sox organization: Josh Fields, who sucks but is upset that the White Sox brought up Beckham to replace him at third. Some advise for Josh Fields: if you could hit and field and this wouldn't be a problem. But Fields has been absolutely atrocious. The best you can say about his play this year is that he's been sort of getting on base. But everything else has been fat bellow major league quality. He hasn't hit for power or average and he can't field at third base. His error on Monday ended up costing the Sox the game [more on that in a second]. That Fields went public with the Sox calling up Beckham only means one thing... I can't wait until they cut/trade/sent him down to the minors again. If Josh Fields never plays for the White Sox again I'd be happy.

Member of the White Sox I love the most at the moment: Jared Mitchell! The Sox first round pick yesterday is an outfielder with LSU who the scouts say has a ton of 'raw' 'talent'. Apparently fast and eventually will have some pop and should be able to play center in the majors. However, since Mitchell played football at LSU also (back up wide out) he isn't as far along as most college players. If Mitchell pans out, I wouldn't expect him to reach the Sox until 2012 because he has such a long way to go.

Also big ups to the White Sox's next Great Jewish Hope: Aaron Poreda who was called up yesterday. The world found out via his Facebook status... is this the first time somebody's Facebook status made news? I know Twitter has already done so... but Facebook?

Rhetorical Question of the Day: I sad the Sox had to go 8-4 over this home stand. Right now they're 3-7. This home stand has been a disaster. And to top it off, they should have taken the first three games from the Tigers in this all important five game set. But of course, they blew the first game and lost a heart breaker last night. On Monday, in the first part of a double header, the Sox come back to tie the game only to lose it thanks to Josh Fields inability to play baseball. Last night, they score three in the ninth only to lose in part because:

1) In the bottom of the ninth, down 2, Konerko doubles down the left field line. Pods and Alexei score with ease. Wise, who was on first, is thrown out at the plate by a hair... if he was out at all. Just an absolute killer to not win the game there.

2) To lead off the 10th, Cabrera hit a solo shot off Linebrink to give the Tigers a 7-6 lead. Sox can't do anything in the 10th... game over. As South Side Sox put it, bad teams find ways to lose to okay teams.

I don't know where the Sox go from here. Even if they win today and tomorrow they stand 3.5 out and three under .500. The Sox run differential isn't very good. Even with Pods and Alexei sort of saving the season over the last three weeks, the pitching hasn't been enough and the bottom of the order blows. I don't know where the Sox go from here in 2009.

They get a steady diet of the National League over the next few weeks. This is a good thing. But the Tigers, Twins, and Indians also get to face the NL over the next few weeks. Odds are the Sox, who also have the tougher of the interleague schedules due to the Money Making Series also known as playing the Cubs twice, won't pick up that much (if any) ground. So July comes around and the Sox are within striking distance, but probably have a negative/barely positive run differential and are floating around .500. So sure, they could lie to themselves and hope that this old Tiger team who is getting some career years out of guys to flounder. And then hope the Twins don't make any moves and the Tribes pitching continues to suck... But that's hopelessly hoping.

I'm about ready to bail on 2009... but hey if Pods can turn into a borderline All-Star, then why can't Gordon Beckham start hitting, AJ starts driving in runs, and the Sox find a second baseman?