Highland

What was more astounding was the hire in the first place. Otherwise, JR likes to keep people like Ventura and LaRussa even when it's obvious things are not working. Meanwhile, the situation gets more and more embarrassing.

This is not what the Sox needed. Regardless, the problems the team has can't be solved at the trade deadline.

I'll be surprised if the Sox make a dramatic move. I don't think they are in a position to make a big move. Maybe they pick up a reliever.

The White Sox, for some reason, always have trouble with KC. They should win this series, but I'm not assuming they are going on some tear. They scored 10 runs against the A's and one came on a wild pitch. And, as of game 101, they are only one game over .500.

If Eloy and Robert can get on their games, the offense will look much better. He's swinging the bat well. Time to move him up in the lineup. Pollock should not be hitting third if Eloy is playing. Should never be in the third spot if both Eloy and Robert are both playing.

I am not one for thinking ejections spark a team. The White Sox have been mired in third place, and they should be embarrassed by that. If TA wants to inspire the team, have a big day at the plate or play some solid defense. Show some leadership. Getting suspended is not showing leadership.

I don't know what is going on with Robert, but the Sox desperately need him in this lineup. Without him and Eloy contributing, this team will have a hard time winning a bad division. This offense is awful.

Should be because I can't see the A's breaking through against Cease unless he has a real bad day. But this offense just isn't very good so this can be a close game.

This team can't hit. Seems like every game the Sox are lucky to get one hit during the first time around. Glad for the win, but the offense still looked anemic.

For me, it is not a matter of giving up. It is a matter of having little expectations. This FO has shown it cannot build a consistent winner. And nothing is going to change on that front.

We shouldn't be salivating about the "easy" schedule ahead. The Sox are not a winning team yet.

No way I would ever trade Robert. But I wish the Sox could find a way to make this deal. Face it. The team is going nowhere this year unless they do something dramatic to shake things up. And unless they change the face of this rebuild, the team won't go anywhere next year, either.

Sox fans hoped the Sox would take of their own business during their current stretch against the AL Central. Right now, they're 9-9. That's not really taking care of things. Tough game today even with Cease on the mound.

I am truly glad the Sox won this game. They had to have the win. But I don't get a good feeling watching them. Third inning, bases loaded, one out, and only one run. No one took a good cut. Been happening all season.

I see your point, but the Sox need to do something dramatic. They just don't have the capability to do it.

So much for that great run through the AL Central.

With a lousy division and a diluted playoff system, the Sox are a contender of sorts. World Series contender? No, they are not that.

Josh has been hitting better, but he's not a lead-off hitter. And Garcia is not a shortstop. I just don't get why Anderson isn't playing unless he has some injury we don't know about.

This team can't be considered a real contender until it gets over .500 and stays there.

LaRussa isn't going anywhere, and if the White Sox get their act together and win the AL Central, he'll be back next year as well. When it comes to many things, JR doesn't care about public opinion one bit. If fans want to vent, fine. Otherwise, dwelling on LaRussa is a waste of time. We can only hope that the "statement" series was really a statement.

I understand the frustration about Cease, but people don't need to dwell on it. The Sox had the "statement" series against the Twins, but they are still in third place, and their record is an average .500. And this kind of stuff happens almost every year regarding the All-Star game. Some deserving player gets snubbed. The All-Start game lost its luster a long time ago. Time to focus on important things like getting over .500 and then winning the division.

Okay, so Cease got passed over the ASG. Just win the Cy Young and it won't make any difference.

For the past couple weeks, Josh has been taking healthy cuts. Looks like a totally different hitter. What a difference if he can continue to produce.

The lovable loser stuff has faded, but the Cubs situation is different than any other franchise. They don't have a fan-base; they have a cult. In pure numbers, the Sox can compete with that. Secondly, the attendance situation took decades in the making. It would take a long time to reverse the effects. And to actually change things would take long-term planning. I don't think the Sox FO is into that. I doubt the Sox will ever outdraw the Cubs, and in a sense, that is not important. What is important is to build a stronger and wider Sox fan base regardless in comparison to the Cubs. Attendance will always decrease during bad seasons, but if the team had a stronger base, the drop in attendance wouldn't be as bad. I hope attendance will increase to give the franchise a deeper economic base. Brooks Boyer did some great things. Haven't seen much from him lately. But he did give impression that he understood Sox fans. That is a rarity in the Sox organization.

Hoping for a sweep, but that doesn't mean Tony will suddenly become a good manager. Hopefully the team can overcome his bad ways and keep playing well.