bjm676 Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 Sun-Times today. Carol Slezak. (http://www.suntimes.com/sports/slezak/499619,CST-SPT-carol07.article) Don't look now, but the White Sox seem determined to make things interesting in the American League Central. And I'm trying to put myself in the position of their fans. Do you applaud the effort, or curse them for being a tease? Sure, it's great to see the team playing hard and getting results. But where was this intensity and urgency back in May, June and most of July? After their weekend sweep of the Tigers in Detroit, the Sox woke up Monday morning 10 games out of first place, behind Cleveland, Detroit and Minnesota. Sure, it's tough to climb from fourth to first in the season's final two months. But it's not impossible. With 24 of their remaining 51 games coming against the Indians, Tigers and Twins, the Sox could do it. Most of the city gave up on this team many weeks ago, and rightfully so. It looked as if the Sox had given up on themselves, and if they didn't care, why should anyone else? But now, instead of playing out the string, they're suddenly playing with a purpose. Winners of seven of their last 10 games games, including four straight, they're within seven games of the .500 mark. And I suspect there's a voice inside even the most cynical Sox fan saying, ''What if?'' What if Jermaine Dye, who inexplicably waited until August to remember how to hit, remains hot? What if Scott Podsednik manages to stay healthy the rest of the way? What if rookies Josh Fields, Danny Richar and Jerry Owens play over their heads for the next couple of months? What if Juan Uribe is able to keep his head in the game for the next couple of months? (What if general manager Kenny Williams is able to complete that deal for Miguel Tejada?) What if Gavin Floyd's performance against the Tigers on Sunday wasn't a fluke? What if Mark Buehrle and Jon Garland and Javier Vazquez each has a great August and September? What if Jose Contreras is able to emerge from his season-long funk and make a positive contribution? What if someone -- anyone -- emerges as a reasonably reliable reliever to complement closer Bobby Jenks? That's a lot of what-ifs to overcome, especially when the Sox are still closer to the last-place Kansas City Royals than they are to the third-place Twins. But you can't help but wonder. For one of the few times this season, the Sox are in the midst of a good stretch, and there's still enough time for them to make a run. The push begins tonight at the Cell against the Indians. Fans' lament: Why now? At the same time fans are mulling over postseason possibilities, they probably are cursing the Sox' timing. And who can blame them? Having all but given up on the team until next year, they don't want to get pulled back in. Why have the Sox waited so long to begin playing respectably? While it's true the team has suffered a lot of injuries, that's no excuse. It's certainly not an excuse for the bullpen's ineptitude, or for the complete offensive meltdown that began early this season and lasted far too long. Darn the Sox for not showing definite signs of life until late in July. Kind of makes you wish they could start the season over, doesn't it? While most of the city was focused on the resurgent Cubs during June and July, the Sox were content to trudge along, winning only enough games to stay ahead of the Royals. But now, when most fourth-place teams are beginning to look ahead to offseason golf, the Sox are playing with renewed energy. If they keep it up, they might finish with more wins than the Cubs, who have their own pitching issues and also face the possibility of playing without the injured Alfonso Soriano for a month or more. Who would have thought, even a couple of weeks ago, that for all their problems the Sox might still be better than the Cubs? It's enough to drive fans mad. A puzzling season for sure The Sox have puzzled plenty of people this season, including Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen. While it would be easy to point to the bullpen as the reason for their nearly seasonlong slump, that was only one factor in the team's meltdown. Everything was out of sync, and nobody played well enough. Few would have blamed Williams if he had white-flagged the entire roster. But now they're finally managing to win. And they're drawing you back in. How dare they. But what if? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max power Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 (edited) To answer her question, I applaud their effort. Why in the hell wouldn't I at this point?!?! Edited August 7, 2007 by max power Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 Carol is such an idiot... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamshack Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 QUOTE(Steff @ Aug 7, 2007 -> 11:22 AM) Carol is such an idiot... What if he still pulls off the deal for Miguel Tejada? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 Way too little. Way too late. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claydude14 Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 Well if nothing else the article hyped me up for the Indians series. I'll be there Wednesday night, looking forward to my first visit to the park since it was New Comiskey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 QUOTE(YASNY @ Aug 7, 2007 -> 09:44 AM) Way too little. Way too late. At least it gives us some hope for next year. And the way the kiddies have been playing lately certainly seems to cut down on the # of holes to fill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Aug 7, 2007 -> 10:52 AM) At least it gives us some hope for next year. And the way the kiddies have been playing lately certainly seems to cut down on the # of holes to fill. Wait till next year! Where have I heard that before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 QUOTE(YASNY @ Aug 7, 2007 -> 09:58 AM) Wait till next year! Where have I heard that before? Every year in Chicago until 2005. When next year arrived for 1/2 the city. And in about 30 or so other baseball cities every year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Allen Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 (edited) As long as we are going with what ifs, what if the Sox swept the Cubs at USCF instead of the other way around? The team that allegedly is WS bound and the team playing out the string would have the same record. I sure am glad those games don't mean anything. Edited August 7, 2007 by Dick Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Aug 7, 2007 -> 11:04 AM) Every year in Chicago until 2005. When next year arrived for 1/2 the city. And in about 30 or so other baseball cities every year. Seriously, I never give up hope until the math says it's impossible. But the Sox have to scale Everest 3 or 4 times to actually get to the top this year. Can it happen? Yes, it's possible. Will it happen? I kinda doubt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Critic Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 (edited) QUOTE(Dick Allen @ Aug 7, 2007 -> 12:11 PM) As long as we are going with what ifs, what if the Sox swept the Cubs at USCF instead of the other way around? The team that allegedly is WS bound and the team playing out the string would have the same record. I sure am glad those games don't mean anything. To me, the two Cubs series fall squarely in the middle between meaningless and end-of-the-world. It doesn't matter which series the Sox should have won that they didn't - they f'd up a lot more series than just the Cubs series at USCF. I don't want them to have the same record as the Cubs, I want them to have a better record than the Indians, Tigers, and Twins (and for sake of completenessitude, better than the Royals as well). Edited August 7, 2007 by The Critic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badatbest Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 about all we can do at this point is beat up on the central. in the end i doubt we'd make it, we'd just hand the yanks the wildcard on a silver platter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ginger Kid Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 I'd love it if the Sox dominated the Central in the second half and just let the chips fall where they may. I want Detroit to absolutely DREAD the last three games of the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balance Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 QUOTE(The Ginger Kid @ Aug 7, 2007 -> 01:25 PM) I'd love it if the Sox dominated the Central in the second half and just let the chips fall where they may. I want Detroit to absolutely DREAD the last three games of the season. I'm with Ginger. I want to see the Sox kick some arse for the rest of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wanne Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 Haven't the Sox usually gone on nice stretches at the end of the year when they're out of it? I'll take it. One thing...and let me preface this by saying I couldn't give a s*** less about the Cubs...but I do have a C-note riding on overall records...and up to this point been having to hear this putz gloat...until I nicely said for all your crap talkin' and gloating...there's only a six game difference right now (and no Alfie....). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 QUOTE(Wanne @ Aug 7, 2007 -> 02:34 PM) Haven't the Sox usually gone on nice stretches at the end of the year when they're out of it? I'll take it. One thing...and let me preface this by saying I couldn't give a s*** less about the Cubs...but I do have a C-note riding on overall records...and up to this point been having to hear this putz gloat...until I nicely said for all your crap talkin' and gloating...there's only a six game difference right now (and no Alfie....). Well, in both 05-06, the Sox struggled and faded in August and Sept, although in 05 we finished the year on fire. In 04 we went 12-17 in August and 17-12 in September. 03 was 16-12 in August and 13 and 12 in September, best month was July (17-9). 02 we were better 2nd half, 01 better first half. So last 6-7 years it's almost been split between better 1st half and better 2nd half. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwolf68 Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 Still a long haul, but if we win tonight we are 9.5 games out of first. Not long ago we were 15.5 games out of first. If nothing else, that has to be fueling our team with serious energy. Just remember, we have some champions on this team, guys who know how to WIN. Where I worry are the support/role players, the 4th and 5th starters and the bullpen. I have no doubt AJP, Mark, Paulie, JD, and Big Bobby will bring the terror over the last couple months. it won't be enough unless Thome goes on a tear, Owens/Pods/Grinderstad can wreak havoc on the bases, MacDougal/Wasserman/Logan/Buckvick/Thornton can stone other offense, and Floyd/Jose and Danks give us quality startts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VAfan Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 Before the Sox can think about anything, they have to get above .500. Even if they are torrid, that's going to take at least 11 more games (going 9-2). With 40 left, they would then have to play 28-12 ball and hope the Tigers and Indians both play no better than .500. I think we'll end up winning about 85 games (33-18), but it won't be close to enough. Though it would keep the Sox brass from rebuilding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29andPoplar Posted August 7, 2007 Share Posted August 7, 2007 Though it would keep the Sox brass from rebuilding. Doesn't matter, they won't be rebuilding for 2008, there's a lengthy thread about it today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg775 Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 She should have resisted the tempation to write that article. Two hits is not showing life. If the Sox were serious about getting back in it, they wouldn't have wasted another fine start and get two hits off Westbrook and the like. Dismal game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwolf68 Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 We are still in play if we win this series. NO, I don't think it can happen, but when Gavin Floyd and John Danks pitch back-to-back gems you gotta think something is turning for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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