The 2007 Chicago White Sox saga is beginning to take on the tone of one of those poorly acted, cheesy soap operas that Princess likes to watch.  First, there was the drama surrounding Mark Buehrle's contract extension.  Faced with the reality that several suitors were not ready to pony up the right handful of magic beans, Kenny Williams hammered out a four year, $56 million extension for the lefty, securing  heavy innings and  at least 15 wins through 2012.  The drama surrounding  the negotiations and  the outcry among Sox fans to re-sign the beloved icon were enough to make Jason Morgan force the two sides together at gunpoint.

Then, following the break, more drama.  The Sox are 3-4 on a road trip where they could have easily been 6-1.  They blew leads in Baltimore Saturday and Sunday.  They coughed up a game to the Indians Tuesday night.  And then yesterday, to the surprise of  everyone, they won a  game the old-fashioned normal way:  Good pitching,  timely hitting, strong bullpen effort.  Two or three wins like this and fans will assume the ship is righted and back in contention.

The biggest drama is the fate of outfielder Jermaine Dye.  Kenny Williams shattered any credibility he had with Dye by negotiating with Javy Vazquez and Buehrle in season, after Williams said publicly that he would not negotiate contracts during the season.  Dye, who seems like he wants to stay with the Sox, has discovered Williams' dirty little secret: He's not wanted and will be leveraged in a trade to bring the team some much needed farm hands.  While Dye's numbers are way down after two stellar seasons (.230/16/46/.284), he still possesses the potential to go off this year, not to mention his strong arm in right field.  But at 33, he's getting a bit older and certainly, after a career dotted with knee and foot injuries, is not nearly the threat on the bases he once was.  So rather than pay Dye "Carlos Lee money" (somewhere in the neighborhood of $16 Million a year), Williams will put Dye out on the open market and see what he can bring.

The only question is whether or not Williams' demands are reasonable and can he get enough in return to satisfy what he needs?  Is there a team who will give up a couple of "A" list prospects for a 33 year-old outfielder with a history of injuries who may or may not have jumped the shark? 

To add to the drama, Dye has become so annoyed with his whole situation, he has taken to pouting and being distant from his teammates.  The Sox have always been a pretty close knit bunch and Dye's childish attitude and pettiness does not help in an atmosphere of disappointment.  With any luck, Williams will pull the trigger and Dye will be off to San Diego or Arizona or somewhere that he can finish out the season and maybe even get back to the world series.

I appreciate Jermaine Dye's contributions to the White Sox, but I absolutely agree with Kenny on this one.  Jermaine Dye is not worth the money he demands and needs to be traded before he leaves with no return.  It doesn't matter that there is no heir apparent as this year will be written off as a loss anyway.  The problem will correct itself in free agency when a Bobby Abreu or a Trot Nixon can be brought in for less money and less years.

When will the White Sox trade Dye?  Will the bullpen ever have another solid game like it did last night?  Will Scott Podsednik and Darrin Erstad ever come back?  Will Juan Uribe remove his head from his ass focus long enough to realize his true potential?  And, what about Naomi?  For these and other questions, tune in tomorrow for "As the Sox Turn"

Lightning Round

• It's the Sox and the Sawks tonight in Boston.  If there is no room at Fenway, you can pawk you caw in my yawd.
• Derrick Lee, out of the lineup for two or three days, has dropped his appeal of a five game suspension and has begun serving it.  It just goes to show you what a farce the disciplinary policy is in major league baseball.  Lee is actually serving his mandated suspension when it is convenient to him for an incident that happened on June 17, over a month ago.  Has Bob Watson been touring Europe?
• Steroids in golf?  Huh?  Does Tiger use the cream or the clear?
• Being a basketball coach in a pressure filled job like North Carolina is enough to make your head spin.
• I've covered three major leagues and several minor leagues.  I've met a countless number of players formally and informally and never, not once, not ever have I asked a player for an autograph.  Here's why.
• Canada has declared war on Gary Bettman.  It's about time someone did.
• With any luck, a local group will purchase the Nashville Predators and keep them there.  If Craig Leopold didn't care, he would have probably sold the team already to Jim Basillie.
• Hootie and the Blowfish have postponed their summer tour while Darius Rucker recovers from knee surgery.  The bigger news is Hootie and the Blowfish even having a summer tour.
• This year on House, you won't be able to tell the players without a scorecard.  Hey, as long as Hugh Lorrie is on the show, I'll watch it.
• People are so bored with these dumb reality shows, they are flocking to cable to watch first run comedy shows.  Kudos to Bill Engvall on a solid debut.  I interviewed him once and he's a great guy, no different than the guy you see on TV>
• And you thought Chicago politics were nasty.  In Milwaukee, meet the "Annoyed Alderman."
• Here's some new things you can enjoy until the food police take them away: "Hopsicles" which are beer flavored Popsicles and Bacon Flavored Ice Cream.
• Nobody loves a fat girl, but oh how a fat girl can sell movie tickets.
• Don Imus gets Al Sharpton's permission to return to work.  "We never said he couldn't make a living" said Sharpton, beating his chest.  Yeah Al, actually you did.
• Here is the reason, guys like to use corny pick-up lines.  My favorite of all time (I never used it I just heard it): "Hey, baby, my name is Fred Flintstone and I've come to make your bed rock."
• Your winner of who is the new ADA on Law & Order classic: Linus Roache.  I scoured YouTube but failed to find a Roache clip.
• If you have not seen this somewhere else, you are in for a treat.  Barry Bonds as Jimmy Stewart and Bud Selig as Clarence in the baseball version of "It's a Wonderful Life."   Some language might not be suitable for kids, so don't sue me if they hear it, you've been warned.