Good point by Rozner...

[Wanne]

They ran out to a huge lead, got bored and lost their edge. They weren’t used to being targets everywhere they went, unlike the Yankees, who know teams like the Royals eye them as their World Series and they’re prepared for every game.

 

So the Sox go into a stadium with like 158 people, in the rain, and don’t play it like it matters. The result is they scored 14 runs the last two days and lost two games.

 

But these big series with Minnesota and Cleveland might be just what the doctor ordered. They’ll need to focus and mentally prepare, and they should be ready for the challenge.

 

If not, the Sox are in danger of suffering a monumental collapse, but it’s not the ’69 Cubs, a great team that never fulfilled its destiny.

 

Yes, the 2005 Sox will forever be known as chokers, but in reality they’ll have been a good team that forgot how to play great.

 

That wouldn’t be a disaster.

 

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/rozner.asp?id=95169

[Balance]

Please, oh please, let this be true!

[beck72]

That about sums up how the sox have played as of late--it's a good team that's forgotten how to play great.

[elrockinMT]

The Sox need to play like Champions is what I hear from this story. We have never been able to do that and they don't know how yet. Hope the Sox learn they are Champions and act like it before the Tribe takes over.

[spiderman]

The good news is that the White Sox still have a 4.5 game lead, and despite the easy schedule Cleveland has remaining, it's up the Sox to close this out from here on in.

[greg775]

Yes, the 2005 Sox will forever be known as chokers, but in reality they’ll have been a good team that forgot how to play great.

That wouldn’t be a disaster.

 

It would be a disaster but only in baseball terms.

If we blow the lead and don't win the division we will be included in some of the biggest collapse mentions in the history of the game.

If the team wants to live with that, then get swept in the Twinkiedome fellas.

[spiderman]

Yes, the 2005 Sox will forever be known as chokers, but in reality they’ll have been a good team that forgot how to play great.

That wouldn’t be a disaster.

 

Are you insane ?

 

Blowing a 15.5 game lead on August 1st is a disaster.

 

There's no way to sugarcoat that, it's a disaster - should that happen.

[CWSGuy406]

That about sums up how the sox have played as of late--it's a good team that's forgotten how to play great.

 

Gosh, I hope that Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday series is filled with Sox fans, 35K+ for each of the games. I don't care how they've played in front of bigger crowds, you can't tell me that Freddy Garcia won't turn up his game in front of a sellout crowd.

 

We'll be sending the pitchers who have pitched best for us lately in B-Mac (so scratch Garcia above) and Garland, along with a pitcher who ought to have a chip on his shoulder in Buehrle.

 

But today is the key. El Duque vs. Santana. We shouldn't win that game. Yet, that's a game that rights the ship (if last night wasn't it). They win later today, and man... I don't know how this team can't be confident.

[Balta1701]

I'll bet they got a good celebration in tonight for Bobby's first ML win.

 

Just watch...I bet tomorrow you'll see us looking 10x as loose as we've looked the last week.

[southsider2k5]

I'll bet they got a good celebration in tonight for Bobby's first ML win.

 

Just watch...I bet tomorrow you'll see us looking 10x as loose as we've looked the last week.

 

Finally someone else said it. To me that is the HUGE difference between April-July and now. All of the players look like they are trying to win a game on every pitch, on every swing, and every defensive chance. They are soooooo uptight it is scary. It isn't that this team has quit, or isn't playing hard, they are trying to hard. Heck they have all gotten that Paul Konerko syndrome where they are stressed out of their minds during a slump. They need to relax, take it one pitch at a time, and if it doesn't work, get 'em the next pitch.