Sox Future Makes Present Scary
Random thoughts while wondering what ever happened to Pat Keedy:
Damp Cornflakes Dept.: I hate to keep being the voice of gloom and doom here, but even after 9 days of exhibition games, I have in no way been convinced that this current assembly of Chicago White Sox is going to compete for anything other than the title of "Finished ahead of Kansas City." Their record in spring training is terrible.
Truth be told, the hitting will come around (Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye are too good to hit under .200 forever) but the holes on this club are more glaring then they have been in years.
The outfield, save for Dye in right is a huge issue. Can Brian Anderson play up to his potential? Can Darren Erstad stay healthy for an entire season? Will Scott Podsednik come back and be the Scotty of '05, not '06?
The pitching has even more question marks. What kind of year will Mark Buerlhe have and has he totally lost it? How about the thirty-four million dollar man, Javy Vasquez. Will he be able to pitch beyond the fifth inning this year? Does Jon Garland have a shoulder issue? Will the innings take a toll on Jose Contreras and who exactly is the fifth starter (remember 2004? We thought you did.)
The Tigers got better with the acquisition of Gary Sheffield and the benefits of having Sean Casey in the lineup from day 1. The Twins are the Twins and the Indians solidified their leaky bullpen. Only the Sox, who traded two proven commodities at starting pitcher for a handful of promises went backwards. And if the Sox can't get it done this year, they face next year without three of their most consistent and productive veterans: Burhle, Dye and Joe Crede. In 2008, Sox fans are staring down the barrel of an outfield of Ryan Sweeny, Jerry Owens and Anderson, with Josh Fields at third and a starting rotation of Garland, Vasquez, Contreras, Gavin Floyd and either John Danks, Gio Gonzalez or Lance Broadway.
The Sox strategy is to groom young players with high upsides at the Major League level this year without having to start them or depend on them. The goal is to play well enough to hang in until July, make adjustments (additions, subtractions, etc.) at the trading deadline and be in the mix going into September. In other words, play not to lose. I don't care what Kenny Williams says, now that Jerry has his ring, he's all about making money and rewarding the investors and winning the trophy has now been reduced to a secondary exercise.
The central division is so much better than it was and the days of the Sox kicking everyone's can (except the Twins) are over. The American League is loaded with good teams and many, like the Blue Jays, Mariners and Rangers have improved to the point where they too will be in the mix. The only guarantee to get into the playoffs is to win the division outright. This Sox squad may find problems dong that, let alone grabbing a wild card spot.
Bubble Bubble Toil and Trouble Dept.: If Arkansas wins the SEC tournament, it will really create a mess (did I mention I hate automatic bids?) I think Florida will prevail, but the Razorbacks do win, look for Illinois, Vandy or Texas Tech to be sentenced to the NIT. I still think Texas Tech is going to have problems getting in. I also think Illinois won't make it and I am 100% confident Drexel won't.
Some of the upsets in the conference tournaments have presented some interesting scenarios.
Reboot Dept.: IT Directors beware! You will have zero bandwidth on Thursday and Friday.
Good Guy Dept.: Today's good guy is Tony Cross, women's basketball coach at Belmont who will be making his first trip to the NCAA Tournament. Great coach, great guy. Congrats, Tony.
Trampled Tundra Dept.: It's nice to see the Packers put their turf above their bottom line. Perhaps the Bears could learn a thing or two from them.
Pucked Up Dept.: With Prime Time in reruns, I've been watching a lot of hockey lately. Last night, the New Jersey-Buffalo game was outstanding. Right now, I've got Detroit-Boston on one of the split screens, which on paper is a total mismatch in favor of Detroit. Boston does have a great goalie Tim Thomas, who, at very least, keeps it interesting.
There's also college basketball (SEC, ACC and Big Ten), NASCAR from Vegas and of course the NCAA Tournament selection show. I think there are some insignificant sports on as well like drag racing, poker and NBA basketball.
Time Is On Your Side Dept.: I hope you remembered to spring ahead last night. I had to download the patch for my PDA to get the time to change on it.
Hardened Criminal Dept.: I would like to go on record as saying I am 100% in favor of the death penalty for crimes like this.
God Squad Dept.: It seems that the majority of Americans are fairly ignorant when it comes to the bible. Hey, I thought Matthew was a lawman, Luke was Darth Vader's son, Paul made fish sticks, David was a comic actor, Ruth was a home run hitter, Esther was a swimmer and Moses was a track star.
Damp Cornflakes Dept.: I hate to keep being the voice of gloom and doom here, but even after 9 days of exhibition games, I have in no way been convinced that this current assembly of Chicago White Sox is going to compete for anything other than the title of "Finished ahead of Kansas City." Their record in spring training is terrible.
Truth be told, the hitting will come around (Jim Thome and Jermaine Dye are too good to hit under .200 forever) but the holes on this club are more glaring then they have been in years.
The outfield, save for Dye in right is a huge issue. Can Brian Anderson play up to his potential? Can Darren Erstad stay healthy for an entire season? Will Scott Podsednik come back and be the Scotty of '05, not '06?
The pitching has even more question marks. What kind of year will Mark Buerlhe have and has he totally lost it? How about the thirty-four million dollar man, Javy Vasquez. Will he be able to pitch beyond the fifth inning this year? Does Jon Garland have a shoulder issue? Will the innings take a toll on Jose Contreras and who exactly is the fifth starter (remember 2004? We thought you did.)
The Tigers got better with the acquisition of Gary Sheffield and the benefits of having Sean Casey in the lineup from day 1. The Twins are the Twins and the Indians solidified their leaky bullpen. Only the Sox, who traded two proven commodities at starting pitcher for a handful of promises went backwards. And if the Sox can't get it done this year, they face next year without three of their most consistent and productive veterans: Burhle, Dye and Joe Crede. In 2008, Sox fans are staring down the barrel of an outfield of Ryan Sweeny, Jerry Owens and Anderson, with Josh Fields at third and a starting rotation of Garland, Vasquez, Contreras, Gavin Floyd and either John Danks, Gio Gonzalez or Lance Broadway.
The Sox strategy is to groom young players with high upsides at the Major League level this year without having to start them or depend on them. The goal is to play well enough to hang in until July, make adjustments (additions, subtractions, etc.) at the trading deadline and be in the mix going into September. In other words, play not to lose. I don't care what Kenny Williams says, now that Jerry has his ring, he's all about making money and rewarding the investors and winning the trophy has now been reduced to a secondary exercise.
The central division is so much better than it was and the days of the Sox kicking everyone's can (except the Twins) are over. The American League is loaded with good teams and many, like the Blue Jays, Mariners and Rangers have improved to the point where they too will be in the mix. The only guarantee to get into the playoffs is to win the division outright. This Sox squad may find problems dong that, let alone grabbing a wild card spot.
Bubble Bubble Toil and Trouble Dept.: If Arkansas wins the SEC tournament, it will really create a mess (did I mention I hate automatic bids?) I think Florida will prevail, but the Razorbacks do win, look for Illinois, Vandy or Texas Tech to be sentenced to the NIT. I still think Texas Tech is going to have problems getting in. I also think Illinois won't make it and I am 100% confident Drexel won't.
Some of the upsets in the conference tournaments have presented some interesting scenarios.
Reboot Dept.: IT Directors beware! You will have zero bandwidth on Thursday and Friday.
Good Guy Dept.: Today's good guy is Tony Cross, women's basketball coach at Belmont who will be making his first trip to the NCAA Tournament. Great coach, great guy. Congrats, Tony.
Trampled Tundra Dept.: It's nice to see the Packers put their turf above their bottom line. Perhaps the Bears could learn a thing or two from them.
Pucked Up Dept.: With Prime Time in reruns, I've been watching a lot of hockey lately. Last night, the New Jersey-Buffalo game was outstanding. Right now, I've got Detroit-Boston on one of the split screens, which on paper is a total mismatch in favor of Detroit. Boston does have a great goalie Tim Thomas, who, at very least, keeps it interesting.
There's also college basketball (SEC, ACC and Big Ten), NASCAR from Vegas and of course the NCAA Tournament selection show. I think there are some insignificant sports on as well like drag racing, poker and NBA basketball.
Time Is On Your Side Dept.: I hope you remembered to spring ahead last night. I had to download the patch for my PDA to get the time to change on it.
Hardened Criminal Dept.: I would like to go on record as saying I am 100% in favor of the death penalty for crimes like this.
God Squad Dept.: It seems that the majority of Americans are fairly ignorant when it comes to the bible. Hey, I thought Matthew was a lawman, Luke was Darth Vader's son, Paul made fish sticks, David was a comic actor, Ruth was a home run hitter, Esther was a swimmer and Moses was a track star.
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