If you want to know how the 2011 White Sox went from highly regarded to contender to middling also ran on life support, look no further than the ninth inning of yesterday's 7-6 loss to the Minnesota Twins. Here's some highlights:

• White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen trotted out 44 year-old Omar Vizquel to pinch hit for Gordon Beckham.  That speaks volumes for the kind of season that Beckham has had offensively.
• Guillen sent up Adam Dunn to pinch-hit for Brent Lillibridge against Twins reliever Joe Nathan because Guillen liked the matchup between Dunn and Nathan better.  This, despite the fact that Lilibridge had homered off Nathan in his only career at bat against him and had hit a two run homer in the third inning.  Dunn rewarded his managers confidence by striking out.  BTW, Lillibridge has more homers on the year (13) than Dunn (11).
• Alex Rios concluded the festivities with the tying and winning runs on base and his bat on his shoulder.
• Prior to the ninth, there was Jake Peavy, getting shelled for six runs in the first inning.  I was listening to the game on the radio and stepped into the grocery store for ten minutes when the score was 2-0.  Imagine my surprise when I came out

Dunn, Rios and Peavy represent big ticket acquisitions that cannot be moved and are stuck in a Sox uniform for at least two more years.  Like the Cubs with their Soriano issues, bad paper has killed this team.  To say Dunn, Rios and Beckham have been disappointing  is an understatement.  Peavy gets a little slack after coming off major surgery last year.  The bottom line is these guys need to work hard in the off season to be ready to go next year.  I totally get why they signed Dunn, but the trade for Peavy and the waiver acquisition of Rios will haunt Kenny Williams forever.

It's hard to imagine a team so talented on paper being only one game over .500 on September 1.  But here we are.  If not for the efforts of the pitching crew, the season would be lost.  And next year, expect the Sox pitching staff to be younger and less talented as the Sox will try to pare down their payroll by moving players that don't have bad paper, like Gavin Floyd, John Danks and Matt Thornton.  You've also seen the last of Carlos Quentin, who will be traded in his last year before free agency and replaced in right field by The Cuban Sandwich.

In fact, the only unit that may stay the same is the infield, unless Kenny Williams gets really radical and relocates Gordon Beckham.  I doubt that. But then again, at this point, who knows what will happen.

One thing is for sure: The White Sox payroll will be under $100 million next year.  And with four or five players on the roster taking up about 60% of it, there will be a lot of new, young, cheap faces next year.