Back in the magical year of 2005, the White Sox unsung and most underrated hero was a rubber armed relief pitcher named Luis Vizcaino.  That year, Vizcaino was charged with the responsibility of keeping the Sox in a game where they had fallen way behind or the bullpen rested in a game that was out of control.  It was a thankless job and I have often believed that he never got the credit he deserved for cleaning up as many messes as efficiently as he did.

The Sox 2008 unsung hero could be left-hander Clayton Richard.  Outside of a disastrous start in Kansas City, the former Michigan quarterback has pitched well enough to earn fifth starter status for a team in contention.  Last night against Seattle, Richard turned around a shaky first inning and shut the M's down for six innings until he made way for the bullpen.

If the kid's confidence was shaken by the bomb dropped on him in KC and his subsequent demotion and recall, he hasn't shown it.  Whether or not Richard goes down in Sox lore as the next Mark Buehrle or the next Scott Ruffcorn is still a matter to be determined, but so far, save for KC, so good.  If Richard continues to grow in his role as a fifth starter, it gives the Sox a solid rotation going into next season and maybe even some trade flexibility for Sox GM Kenny Williams who could move former number one pick Lance Broadway or the maddeningly inconsistent Javy Vazquez for the 2009 version of Carlos Quentin.

Yes, I know what you are thinking.  I've put the cart several furlongs ahead of the horse.  True, but if Richard continues to develop, it gives the Sox another weapon.  The other teams in the division have developed their own pitching.  The Twinkies just keep trotting people out there (Blackburn, Slowey, Baker, Liriano) who can pitch, why can't the Sox?  Add to the mix the high hopes for Aaron Poreda and you might have a pretty solid rotation (similar to McDowell, Alvarez, Fernandez, Bere and McCaskill) for a couple of years to come. 

Besides, having a pitching staff with pitchers named Clayton, Lance, Boone, Ehren and Gavin is so this decade.

If Richard can succeed and continue to grow in his current capacity, it can only help the Sox in their battle against the Twinkies and make Richard the unsung hero of the 2008 White Sox.

Lightning Round

• Let's hope the Sox don't have a hangover from last night.  Of course during the day, the ball travels very well at U.S Commiskey Park, so it could get ugly.  
• For those of us who shuddered to think what life without Joe Crede might be like, we've discovered that it's not nearly as bad as we had feared.  Maybe that's why the Sox are not rushing Crede back into the lineup.  You wonder what he has to come back to.  While Juan Uribe is no Ron Santo, he's done an admirable job of filling in.  With the emergence of Alexi Ramirez, Crede's bat hasn't been missed.  So, even if Joe comes back, there's not much for him to do.  And the big question is will the Sox try and sign him to a one year deal or let him go after this season.  I'm almost of the opinion that you may have seen the last of Joe Crede in a Sox uniform. I'm a lot more comfortable saying that than I used to be. 
• Ozzie Guillen says he doesn't mind the occasional shaving cream pie provided no one gets hurt.  Toby Hall may have injured his shoulder or arm after an attempt to hit Jermaine Dye with one was blocked.  Hall should designate someone else to serve up the pies as he has enough trouble throwing as it is.  I recommend Brian Anderson or Junior Griffey.  If they got hurt, no one would miss them.