"Gur-ta"

In yet another baby step at re-whatevering, White Sox GM Chris Getz signed lefty sidearm reliever Tim Hill to a one-year deal. Either out of belief or necessity, Getz has given manager Mickey Mouse someone who gets outs from the movement of his pitches rather than their speed. Good. Not everyone needs to throw 100 mph out of the pen. Too bad the move cost rookie reliever Declan Cronin his spot on the roster. I have a soft spot for Cronin dating to his performance in a video on the team website last season, about the correct pronunciation of Chicago street names. Cronin was the only player able to say “Goethe” correctly. The 18th century German poet-playwright and author of “Faust” would’ve said “Gur-ta,” just like the twenty-five year old righty out of Holy Cross did. Most Chicagoans say, “Gur-dey.” Cronin most likely was DFA’d because his 9.00 ERA over eleven innings with the Sox indicate he has a 4-A fastball. Declan, search out Wilbur Wood or R.A. Dickey, and learn how to throw a knuckleball. Mix your other pitches in with a good knuckler, and you’ll be back in the bigtime.