The White Sox got a rare opportunity to perform for a national audience on the Eastern Seaboard Programming Network and fell down hard 18-7.  The Sox were down 13-1 before they came to bat in the third inning so the odds of them coming back and doing anything were slim and none and slim was on a plane bound for Las Vegas.

The first inning was a nightmare.  The first two Yankee hitters reached via bunt, the second being an awesome example of one by Derek Jeter.  The key play in the inning was a duck snort hit by Curtis Granderson.  The ball should have been caught, but Alex Rios took the wrong route to the ball and got there too late.  What should have been first and second one out was converted into bases loaded, nobody out.  A sac fly by Mark Teixeira made it 1-0 and then Robinson Cano essentially put the game away with a three run bomb making it 4-0.

It actually liked the Sox would compete, at least early.  A double by Juan Pierre led off the inning, followed by a bunt by Omar Vizquel that rolled foul and then back fair where Yankees third baseman Eric Chavez picked it up. Q hit a sac fly and for a moment, you thought "Hey they can get back in this thing."  Of course, that's been the theme for the season.

Adam Dunn flew out and The Missile ended the threat with a ground out.

Another moment of truth occurred in the top of the second.  With two outs, Gavin Floyd hit Brett Gardner in the foot with a pitch.  Derek Jeter followed that up with a single and Curtis Granderson, a Sox tormentor from his days with the Tigers, tripled making it 6-1 and hastening the exit of former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley from, as he called it "the Sox park."

The Yankees would then put up a seven spot in the top of the third and yadda, yadda, yadda. 

We've said it before: You've got to hit rock bottom to come all the way back.  This my friends, is rock bottom.

A couple of random thoughts:

• It seems like Adam Dunn is making more contact lately.  If my assessment is correct, then this could be the calm before a big storm.  I would love to see the Big Donkey go on a tear.
• Alex Rios is horrible.  The Sox would be better served with Jerry Owens in center.  Yeah, you heard me.
• Memo to all of you Sox fans who were giddy when the Sox signed Adam Dunn.  You couldn't wait to have his booming bat in the lineup.  And now, you think Kenny made a big mistake and should be removed from office, taking Ozzie and Greg Walker with him.  Kids, you can't have it both ways.  Nothing is a mistake if it works. But making bold moves is risky.  And sometimes you can't flush the mistakes.  Jake Peavy seemed like a good idea at the time, but he's in obvious decline.  Alex Rios will always be a puzzle because that is one move that no one (perhaps even Kenny) will ever understand.  Dunn was a perfect pick up, but for some reason, he just can't hit. That could still change or next year, he could hit 40 home runs.  Talent evaluation is not an exact science.  You try to make the parts fit together.  Kenny tries to do that, but sometimes the players don't execute the plan.  And make no mistake, it's all about the players.

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