The White Sox second game loss to the Yankees seemed like a microcosm of the entire season.  Missed opportunities.  Bad base running.  Sloppy defense.  Making an opposing pitcher, in this case Chien-Ming Wang, look like Pedro Martinez.  Letting a team that also is having issues run roughshod over them.  It was a disgusting game to watch and several things concerned me.

It's the fourth inning, the Sox trail 2-0, thanks in part to an error by the usually sure handed Juan Uribe and a misjudged fly ball by Darrin Erstad.  Ozuna walks, Dye singles him to second. Now, you've got Konerko, Mackowiak and Crede coming to the plate. Rather than advance the runners, Konerko flies out to center field.   Then Mackowiak pops out and Crede ground out, inning over.

In the sixth, Erstad and Ozuna got on.  After Dye and Konerko made outs, Mackowiak came through with a single to center, scoring Erstad but getting Ozuna hung up between second and third for the final out.  So, here we are in a close game, on a team that can't score and Ozuna is trying to advance an extra base on a center fielder with a great arm (Melky Cabrera.)  What exactly does Razor Shines do down at third base?  And what was going through Pablo Ozuna's mind thinking that he could beat this guy with a cannon arm?

The seventh was the most critical inning of this game and the most telling.  Two outs, two on for Bobby Abreu.  Even though Jose Contreras had struck Abreu our three times, it was obvious that this was a key situation.  Boone Logan, a lefty was warming up in the bullpen.  At this point, wouldn't it make sense you bring in a lefty to face a lefty and get the rapidly tiring Contreras off the hook?  Wouldn't it make sense that in a game where you aren't scoring any runs, you would make a change here, in a critical situation with the game on the line?  Um, no.  And Abreu thanked Ozzie Guillen by spanking a single, scoring Cabrera to make it 3-1.  To further the indignity, Contreras stayed in to pitch to Derek Jeter and gave up a triple making it 4-1 before he was taken out of the game. 

In the bottom of the seventh and the bottom of the eighth, the White Sox had even more opportunities but couldn't get a key hit when they needed it.

And in the top of the ninth, Andrew Sisco, who is rapidly becoming this years "Bryan Ward Award" nominee for most useless pitcher out of the bullpen, surrendered four runs, two of them on homers and the Yankees won running away 8-1.

Now, what do you do if you are Ozzie Guillen?  First, put Uribe back in the two hole, he seems to be the only guy that can hit there.  Start Ozuna at third today and give Crede a day off.  Start Erstad at first and give Konerko a day off.  Put Sweeny in left, Terreo in center and Dye in right.  DH Mackowiak.  Put Sisco on a bus to Charlotte and recall Adam Russell.  Three left handers is extreme anyway and the Sox can survive with Logan and Thornton.  If you absolutely have to have a lefty, try Paulino Reynoso, Carlos Vasquez, or Ryan Wing. 

The sands of time are quickly slipping through the hour glass.  The Indians and Tigers are setting a torid pace in the AL Central and if these issues are not corrected by Memorial Day, Kenny Williams will be hawking Dye, Buerlhe and Iguchi on EBAY by the middle of June.

You can't fix a team slump and God knows Ozzie has made out his lineup card every possible way except drawing names from a hat (he can talk to Lou Piniella about that tomorrow at Wrigley.)  This team needs some energy, fast.  I wonder what Seattle would take for Carl Everett?

Lightning Round

• The Milwaukee Brewers have lost 5 of 6.  The starting pitching seems like it has plateaued a little bit.  That and the constant mentions in SI.
• In the chase for Lord Stanley's cup, Gary Bettman, in a tribute to his hero and role model David Stern, has Chris Pronger suspended just long enough to give Detroit a chance to win their series with Anaheim.  Why?  Because with Ottawa on the cusp of knocking out Buffalo (although the Sabres showed up big last night),   Anaheim-Ottawa isn't sexy enough for NBC, who specifically ordered a Detroit-Buffalo final so the TV ratings would beat one of the cooking shows on PBS.  And Buffalo would probably be in the finals by now if it weren't for you meddling kids from Ottawa. In case you missed the play that got Pronger suspended poof:


• Brett Favre, who has succeeded polarizing his employers and teammates will attend Packer mini-camp and not his daughter's grade school graduation as first planned.  I think the Onion says it all here.
• The Chicago Blackhawks proudly announce the signing another player who shortly will be disgusted by losing and blot from the franchise.  How about that ABC line, boys?  Great future, eh?  And that Tummo Rutu, what stud he is.  And while I'm at it, WHAT THE &#$* DOES BOB PULFORD ACTUALLY DO?
  
• Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson visited NFL commish Roger Goodell yesterday.  No verdict was returned.  Goodell asked Tank if he had been working out because he heard Tank had great guns.
• Alex Brown wants a trade?  Huh?  I guarantee by the weekend mini-camp it will be like "I was misquoted.  I love the Bears.  I'm very happy here."  Lovie, take the steel toed boot and give Mr. Brown a rectal exam he'll never forget.
  
• The NFL may shorten the length of time a team takes in making a first round pick from an eternity to a millennium.
• Major League Baseball is thinking about having pre-season games in China.  I guess they'll go there because North Korea turned them down.
• This is one of the most creative promotions I've ever head of.  Let's hope Bob can bring his wife Lotta.
• Mets outfielder Lastings Milledge is in trouble after a record company he owns released a "vulgar song" including disparaging remarks about women, gratuitous N-word references and explicit sexual content.  And Al Sharpton is where?  And Jesse Jackson is where?  Paging Viv Stringer and Myles Brand. Keith Olbermann, where are you? Yeah, that's what I figured. 
  
• For a state with a governor who is a body builder and who loathes people who look like me, you sure are enabling people.
• Back in the day, we'd go behind the school and settle it like men and not have Mama, Daddy and Johnny involved.  No wonder we're such a weak society.
• A little song, a little dance, a little porno in your pants.
  
• Askmen.com presents the best sports brawls.  I think the 1965 row between the Giants and Dodgers should be ranked higher as nothing says fight like a guy getting a bat upside his head.