It's June 1st and the Chicago White Sox find themselves five games under .500 and 8½ behind division leading Cleveland.  Is that enough to bury them? 

According to SI's Tom Verducci it is.  In his most recent post, Verducci says the odds of the Sox getting back in the race are slim and none and slim just left town.  According to Verducci's research, 95.1% of the teams under .500 on June 1st don't make the playoffs.  And 94.6% of the teams more than five games out don't make the playoffs.  So, basically, you can subscribe to one of two theories if you are a White Sox fan: Either stick a fork in them now or they will make history this year.

Being an optimist and also not wanting to give it up until I see evidence it really is over, I think there is still a chance.  It seems like only now this team is coming together and if the last two games in Boston are any indication, the Sox still have a pulse.  True, they were awful in Toronto, especially on Saturday, but maybe Ozzie Guillen's profanity laced wake-up call the other day will make a difference.

One thing is for sure: A solid weekend series against Detroit is a key.  The Tigers are on the rung of the ladder above the White Sox and a sweep would go a long way to getting back in the race.  I still believe the Indians will fail, but the Tigers are in the best position to take advantage of that right now.  If the Sox can have their typical big June and work it down to three or four games out by July 4th, I think there is a chance.

I know that I sound like I am still drinking back and silver kool-aid, but I think there is a long way to go this year and if the Sox team we've seen Monday and Tuesday can show up more often than the Sox team we saw on Sunday, this season can be successful.  If not, let's look forward to the NFL.  Oh yeah.  Never mind.