I hate to admit it, but I am developing quite the man crush on Chicago White Sox pitcher Jake Peavy.  After the Sox phoned it in for six innings against Colorado yesterday before rallying to win 6-4, Peavy had some terse words for his teammates. 

“I didn’t think we came out with a lot of intensity early,’’ Peavy said. “We’ve got to start playing hard and laying it on the line from Pitch 1. “This team has a lot of talent. We have to find the fire inside us and have all nine guys who take the field empty the tank every day.’’

Finally, somebody has figured out one of the most frustrating things about this team.  Too often, they play flatter than Indiana. 

Even Sox outfielder Juan Pierre noticed it yesterday. We had no energy, it looked like. It looked like we were down for the count in the first inning."

Much has been made of the Sox good guy persona, players who are not only talented but model citizens who will comport themselves with dignity and honor on the field and off.  But what this team really needs are a couple of players to stir the pot, like Peavy does, and call out teammates for giving less than their best effort.

For a team with perhaps the most passionate manager in baseball, this team lacks both emotion and passion. You can't tell if they are down three or up three.  And when a player like A.J. Peirzynski injects some of his passion in the game, he is scoffed at by fans and the media as being an ass. 

If this team is going to pick themselves off the mat and contend, we need to see more fire and less ice.  The Cubs series is a great place to start because there will be big crowds all weekend and the series is at Wrigley.  What better way to show you give a damn then to go across town and wipe out your intercity rival.  And then, mow down the Royals afterwords. 

One other note, this is the weekend the Big Donkey snaps himself out of it.