Calm Before the Storm

We’re a week away from Super Bowl Sunday. Next up are the media interviews with players; a rundown of commercials; stories on betting; and human interest pieces, all with a goofy angle. The Chicago media will be mildly dismissive because their beloved Bears aren’t there, and haven’t be in seventeen years. Then, after the last commercial has run and the final score is posted, we’ll be less than three days away from the opening of spring training, pitchers and catchers arriving first. With the White Sox, all eyes will be on free-agent signee Mike Clevinger, he of the MLB investigation. Wait, there’s more. At some point, reporters will get around to noting that Lucas Giolito is a free agent at season’s end while teammate Dylan Cease has switched over to Scott Boras for representation. In case anyone hasn’t noticed, Jerry Reinsdorf doesn’t like paying for pitching, (See: Mark Buehrle). In other words, we’re less than a month away from the first story on how bad off Sox pitching will get if the front office doesn’t want to pay to keep it. This is what the story/stories will look like—GM Rick Hahn talking in circles; Giolito and Cease will shrugging their shoulders, saying how much they like Chicago, but it’s a business; and Reinsdorf unavailable for comment. I can hardly wait. On second thought, I can.