Nice Ride

Life has meaning when an attractive young woman notices you exercising. Only in this case she said, “Hey, nice bike,” instead of “nice bod.” Oh, well. I was out Tuesday and Wednesday riding my Schwinn Sports Tourer, 1972 model, on the 606. Tuesday’s ride was cut short when the new Brooks Saddle seat I installed came loose and stayed that way despite all efforts to tighten it. So, off to the Lone Gun Men Schwinn shop. No, it’s not actually called that, but it definitely gives off a little of that X-Files vibe with the three guys who are always—and I mean always—there. Someday I might even bump into Scully and Mulder. Anyway, the boss of the Gun Men took my bike and spent a good ten minutes reinstalling the seat. Then he sized it for me; with the bike in a stationary position and your butt on the seat, you should be standing on the balls of your feet. And so I was. We got to talking, and I asked the boss the difference between a Sports Tourer and a Paramount. “The difference between comfort and performance,” he answered. “The Tourer is a Cadillac, and the Paramount’s a Corvette.” Suddenly, it all made sense. I asked if there was any way I could get my Belgian-made rims to shine, and he sold me a tube of special wax made in Germany. The boss also advised me to get a high-performance car wax to protect the frame. “That’s opaque green. Schwinn only used it for one year, and you can’t find any touch-up paint. But people are going to notice that bike.” After I got those rims to sparkle, someone sure did. I’ll be spending the next few weeks trying to decide if I want to switch to a Corvette. Vroom, vroom.

Make It Stop

Another game, another bullpen meltdown, another loss, 10-5 to the Twins. How do you say, 6-25? Oh, I just did. The White Sox bullpen was handed a 4-2 lead going into the sixth inning yesterday afternoon. Five pitchers combined to give up eight runs, six earned. Shortstop Paul DeJong is hitting .216. He really can’t afford to make an error that would’ve allowed Steve Wilson to escape an inning where he’d walked the bases loaded. Then again, it may just have delayed the inevitable. On a positive note, as positive as anything with this team can be, rookie catcher Korey Lee homered and threw out two baserunners trying to steal. It’s getting harder and harder for manager Mickey Mouse to justify playing Martin Maldonado. Ditto for Chris Getz keeping Maldonado on the roster. Consider that ex-Sox first baseman Jose Abreu agreed to go to the minors in an effort to find his swing. Abreu was 7-for-71, with no homers and three RBIs for the Astros. Maldonado is hitting .100, with his three RBIs all coming on his one homer. What a difference .001 makes, I guess.

Take What You Can Get

Michael Kopech, Michael Kopech, Michael Kopech. Another appearance, another run, another loss. The White Sox have now lost six in a row to the Twins. I almost feel bad for manager Mickey Mouse; anybody in his position would call on Kopech, whose fastball is the best it’s been in three years at least. But the old saying, walks will kill you, fits here. Kopech walked the first batter in the ninth inning, and he scored what proved to be the winning run in a 6-5 game. Kopech has walked nine batters in 16.1 innings. Not good. Quite unlike Danny Mendick, who hit a two-run homerun and a double last night. Mendick is 10-for-37 since being called up. Compare that to Martin Maldonado, who started again last night for reasons beyond my comprehension. Maldonado is 5-for-50, and to say his defense is not on a par with Mendick’s would be an understatement. So, it goes, just like you’d expect for a team 6-24

Good Luck, Bad Luck, Good Team, Bad Team

Bad teams have bad luck, it’s as simple as that. The White Sox are a bad team who were done in by a bad home-plate umpire. The pity of it is that Sox starter Garrett Crochet was “on,” with stuff as good as Dylan Cease ever showed. Crochet yielded two hits over five innings; unfortunately, one was a two-run home run that shouldn’t have been. That’s where luck comes in. The Sox actually jumped to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first against the visiting Twins. After striking out the first batter in the second, Crochet walked the second, only he didn’t. I mean, the at-bat pitch chart for Manuel Margot on MLB Gameday shows two of the four pitches called balls were clearly in the strike zone. The Twins should send a thank-you note to Jonathan Parra for his strike zone. By this time, Crochet had already retired two of the first four Minnesota batters on strikeouts, so it’s not as if Parra wasn’t expecting the Sox lefty to be around the plate. Carlos Santana followed Margot with a homer, which tied the game at two, where it stayed until the ninth. That’s an inning where things often go bad for bad teams, and it was no exception here. The Sox give up a run in the top of the ninth, put two runners on in the bottom but don’t score in a 3-2 loss. The only way for a team to change its luck is to get good. But how?

You Talkin' To Me?

In fact, the White Sox could and did sweep the Rays, 4-2, behind 8.1 innings from Erick Fedde; three hits apiece from Gavin Sheets and Eloy Jimenez; and two more RBIs from Andrew Benintendi. What’s not to like? Other than new announcer John Schriffen, nothing. Sorry, but I don’t like what Schriffen said after Benintendi hit his walk-off homerun Saturday: “Say it proud, for all the haters, South Side, stand up!” You talkin’ to me, John? One month of calling games doesn’t give you instant cred, my friend. Unless it’s about sucking up to the person who got you the job in the first place.

Beggars Can't Be Choosers

So, after 27 games, the White Sox finally win two games in a row and take their first series, beating the Rays 8-7 in ten innings. Be still, my beating heart. Yea for Andrew Benintendi driving in six runs, including the game-winner on a two-run walk-off homerun. Boo for manager Mickey Mouse, who insisted on starting Martin Maldonado behind the plate again; Mouse must believe in lightning striking twice. Not last night. No three-run homer again by Maldonado like on Friday. But three Rays’ baserunners did steal on him. I certainly didn’t expect to savor win no. five on the season, not after watching Andrew Vaughn butcher a play at first base with two out that set up a two-run double by Randy Arozarena (beat the runner to the bag, Andrew, don’t toss it to a pitcher late coming off the mound to cover first) and two wild pitches in the tenth inning by reliever Deivi Garcia, one of which let in the go-ahead run. You take your wins where you can get them, I guess. The question is, do the Sox take three?

What's the Plan?

White Sox win, White Sox win, a 9-4 beating of the Rays to up their record to 4-24 on the season. Whoopee! Nothing like adding 36-year old Tommy Pham to the roster or playing 37-year old Martin Maldonado enough so that the law of averages finally takes hold and Maldonado doubles his hit total on the season, to four. What’s not to like, outside of everything? Last August, Jerry Reinsdorf said he stayed in-house and hired Chris Getz as his new general manager so as to make for a quick(er) turnaround. Here’s Getz on the team website today: “This wasn't going to be a quick fix by any stretch. We had a lot of areas that need to be improved. It's my job to do that and make good decisions for the health of the organization." No matter what the owner says, apparently.

Tough Luck

Three pitches after Steve Stone described White Sox starter Mike Soroka’s first five innings of work as “brilliant” and full of “soft contact,” the homeruns started. Eduoard Julien went first, followed by Ryan Jeffers on the first pitch he saw. There would be another three Minnesota solo shots spread over the seventh and eighth innings in a 6-3 Sox loss. That’s a 3-22 record for our streaking Chi-Sox, seven losses in a row with a three-game series with the Rays coming up. Ten in a row, anyone? Mickey Mouse has taken to gibbering about how he welcomes the pressure that comes with his job and his regular conversations with Chris Getz and Jerry Reinsdorf. A cynic would be inclined to say those two could be rubbing off on Mouse in all the wrong ways. I, of course, am not a cynic. Mouse stinks all on his own. Reinsdorf wants a new stadium, with the public picking up most of the tab. The Bears want a new stadium, with the public absorbing around half the cost. The Bears unveiled plans at a news conference on Wednesday, then followed that up Thursday by choosing quarterback Caleb Williams with the first pick in the NFL draft. That’s how you win a public relations’ war, even—especially—if it means the taxpayers lose out in the end. Over that same period, the Sox dropped another two games while their manager gibbered and their owner made like the Sphynx.

Another Game, Another Loss

The White Sox dropped to a god-awful 3-21 after losing 6-3 to the Twins last night. Willi Castro, who came into the game batting .169, clubbed a three-run homer off of Garrett Crochet in the bottom of the second to lead the way. Game over, season, too. The ’62 Mets went 7-17 over their first 24 games; I checked. Sox manager Mickey Mouse is always talking about checking things. Somebody should tell him about this, preferably during his exit interview. Preferably yesterday.

Short and Sour

The White Sox lost again last night, 6-5 to the Twins on a walk-off single from Alex Kirilloff, who’d struck out in his previous four at-bats. The bullpen gave up two runs in the eighth and another two in the ninth. By all means place some of the blame on Michael Kopech—did the ball Trevor Larnach hit come down yet?—and Steven Wilson, but let’s not forget catcher Martin Maldonado. Either pitchers aren’t throwing what he’s calling; he’s calling the wrong pitches; or both. I’ll take door number three. The faith that manager Mickey Mouse has in Maldonado is nothing short of mystifying. Maldonado has two hits in 42 at-bats across sixteen games; that comes out to a .048 BA, by the way. Danny Mendick is 4-for-9 in two games since being called up, in case you want to compare apples to spent catchers. The Sox record now stands at 3-20. Go flush and learn, right, Skip?

Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before

The White Sox lost, again, 7-0 to the Twins; nineteenth time in 21 games, the worst start in team history. The Sox got shut out again, eighth time in 21 games, an MLB first since 1901. Players are starting to throw to the wrong base, a lot, leading to questions about accountability. Sox manager Mickey Mouse channeled his inner Jim Boylen before this latest loss to respond, “I truly care about our fans. But I’m not going to throw out there anything that I speak to our players as individuals or as a team. I’m just not going to do it. That’s how I choose to lead. That’s how I choose to run this club.” [story in today’s Sun-Times] But not for long, I’d say. After watching his team roll over, again, Mouse had more wisdom a la Boylen to dispense: “Today we got our ass kicked. You go home and you reflect and tomorrow is a new day. You can only learn from today and then tomorrow you start the day and that’s it. This day is over.” [story on team website today] But we won’t know what exactly has been learned because that’s private, right? Oh, well. Danny Mendick was called up from Triple-A Charlotte and had a nice game, with two hits and a plus-play at third base. And I got to watch my grandson hit off a tee while the game was on. He made better contact than Andrew Vaughn, Andrew Benintendi and most every player on the Sox roster.

Yeah, Right

Another game, another loss, another record. The White Sox dropped their third straight to the Phillies on Sunday, 8-2, to fall to 3-18 on the season, or 12-38 since the start of spring training. No Sox team has ever done worse in the first 21 games of a season. But there’s manager Mickey Mouse talking Mickey Mouse jibber. Things will get better. “All I can do is learn from what’s happening, teach, continue to have an environment in here where guys can perform and feel free to perform as opposed to creating an environment of pressure. [story in today’s Sun-Times]” Yeah, right. Take catcher Martin Maldonado, please. GM Chris Getz signed the 37-year old veteran to a one-year deal at $4.25 million. In return, Maldonado has given the Sox nothing, nada, zippo, or as close as you can get to in three dimensions. Another 0-fer at the bottom of the order leaves Maldonado with an .053 BA. That’s what 2-for-38 comes out to; do the math, which Mouse seems incapable of. Maldonado could never hit; his game was all about defense. Not anymore, at least where base-stealing’s concerned. Yesterday, four Phillies stole. On the season, Maldonado has thrown out one out of fourteen runners. Unless Sox pitchers can throw perfect games (if only they could face Sox hitters), that’s a stat for disaster. Mouse also said, “I’ve been in this game a long time, and I’ve been part of streaks like this. But I’ve been a part of the other side, as well, the 17-3s and 20-5s, and those are really fun. Why can’t we have one of those?”

Here's a Thought

It’s come to this. Last night, Clare and I were at a family function. When it was over, we got into our cars and went our separate ways. That didn’t stop her from calling. She wanted to discuss the big news: The White Sox weren’t going to get no-hit, not Saturday night at least. Though Zach Wheeler of the Phillies kept them hitless for 7.1 innings. Now comes what passes for momentum with the Sox these days—they scored some runs, five in the ninth, to be exact. Not enough to win, not when Mike Soroka puts his team in a five-run hole before he leaves in the fifth (with a 7.50 ERA, by the way). But they actually brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning. Too bad Andrew Benintendi (.167 BA) grounded out with the bases loaded. Mickey and the band go down, 9-5. As we wait for the helpless and inept to take the field today (and direct said helpless and inept from the dugout), here’s a thought: Sell. The. Team. Now.

Fiddling, II

I wonder who has a firmer grip on reality, Vladimir Putin or Jerry Reinsdorf? I want to say Putin, if only because he punishes any and all signs of dissent, which means deep down he fears what he’s doing isn’t working. Then again, you think Reinsdorf wouldn’t “disappear” his critics, myself included, if he could get away with it? I also wonder how Reinsdorf spent last night. Did he watch his Bulls lay an egg in Miami, or his White Sox put up goose eggs in Philadelphia? Each game was ugly in its own special way. The Bulls went into their play-in game against the Heat knowing Miami would be without forward Jimmy Butler, their heart and soul (and someone the Bulls packaged in a deal for Zach LaVine, by the way). No matter. Just about everybody in a Chicago uniform sleep-walked their way to a 112-91 blowout. The Heat led by as many as 29 points in the fourth quarter. This dog won’t hunt, as the saying goes; ditto this Bulls’ roster. Nobody should be untouchable. Alas, the same holds for the coaching staff. Billy Donovan may have tried to motivate his players, but, in the end, he failed. If the team deserves an overhaul, the same may hold for the head-coach position. Of course, Reinsdorf could’ve tuned into the Sox at Philadelphia, where they were shut out for the seventh time in nineteen games this season and fell to 3-16. Kudos to Reinsdorf, GM Chris Getz and manager Mickey Mouse on making possible the worst nineteen-game start in franchise history. Garrett Crochet gave up two three-run homers to Alec Bohm. Wait, I thought Getz signed Martin Maldonado for his veteran presence behind the plate. Three of the pitches Maldonado called went out of the park (Whit Merrifield doing the honors for number three). Maldonado also saw his batting average dip to .057 (2-for-35), but, hey, his OBP jumped to .108 with his second walk of the season. Mouse, finally, must be feeling the heat, because he’s starting to make general criticisms of his team (calling out players by name being something beyond his capabilities). “We have to execute the game plan,” he told reporters after the game [quote in story on team website today]. Mouse went on to say Phillies starter Spencer Turnbull “did a good job of pitching. But every day in this league, there is somebody out there that is pretty good.” Except if you’re the Sox.

Fiddling

The White Sox absolutely stink right now, to the point where Jayson Stark in The Athletic thinks they have a good shot at losing more games than the 40-120 ’62 Mets. As for the Bulls, they need to win a game on the road tonight against the Heat in order to qualify as an eight-seed in the NBA playoffs, which means their one game shy of mediocre. And what is the owner of the Sox and Bulls doing about any of this? According to a story in today’s Sun-Times, Jerry Reinsdorf is getting reading to launch a regional sports network featuring both his teams along with the Blackhawks. Not one of those teams is playing .500, folks. Maybe Reinsdorf is planning to ask for public funding to get his project off the ground. Nothing would surprise me.

An Ant-sized Step or Two

White Sox rookie righthander Jonathan Cannon—great name, that—threw five innings of one-run ball against the Royals yesterday in the first game of a doubleheader. Oh, the Sox lost (Michael Kopech, two-run homerun in the eighth), but still, pretty nice for a major-league debut. Nick Nastrini threw five innings of two-run ball in big-league debut Monday night. A fan could get excited, if not for manager Mickey Mouse. Mouse isn’t committing to another start for Cannon, in which case, why bring him up in the first place? Is there a groundswell of support for Chris Flexen and Michael Soroka I don’t know about? Cannon, Nastrini, Garrett Crochet, oh my. You’ve got three-fifths of a starting staff there. Throw in Erick Fedde and the soon-to-be promoted Mike Clevinger, and the Sox could have a serviceable rotation. That is, if Mouse can get his head out of the cheese. Nice to see Gavin Sheets drive in what proved to be the winning run in game two with a solo shot. Things are so bad for the hitting-deficient, 3-15 South Siders that Sheets was back in right field. I thought Chris Getz said his team was going to be more athletic this season. Whatever. Just give Sheets the at-bats. And Paul DeJong, five hits on the afternoon. Who knew? Everyone should put a hundred points on their batting average like that. I’m serious. If Martin Maldonado did that, he’d be hitting .161. Oh my.

Terra Incognita

Michele and I were sitting on the couch last night watching “Jeopardy!” when the conversation turned to Caitlin Clark. “I’d go see her play,” I said a little before Final Jeopardy. “But we’d have to get tickets like now,” to which my wife immediately leaped into action. Bad news travelled lightning fast: “I can’t find anything under $200 a ticket.” In all likelihood, scalpers have been buying up tickets for all the road games Clark will be playing with the Indiana Fever, and they likely started before she was drafted even. Your market economy at work. Of course, Clark isn’t going to see any of that money, which leads us to her rookie WNBA salary, in the neighborhood of $76,500. Contrast that to the NBA rookie minimum of $1.19 million. Again, your market economy at work. This disparity sucks if you’re a WNBA player, but it isn’t proof of some sort of conspiracy. The NBA has been around since 1946, the WNBA since 1996. The men “got game” because they’ve been around longer and play a longer season, 82 regular-season games to 40 for the women. Closing the pay gap will require more games and a better TV contract. Right now, the WNBA pulls in $60 million annually, as compared to roughly $2.6 billion for the NBA. Both deals expire shortly. So, things could actually get worse before they get better. Or not. Much of it depends on Clark. I won’t be paying to watch her play, but we will tune in.

Do the Limbo

How low can the White Sox go? After last night’s 2-0 loss to the Royals, they’re 2-14, with six shutout losses. The 1907 Brooklyn Superbas are the only other team in MLB history to equal that level of shutout ineptitude. The good new is, Chris Getz has no choice but to embrace a shock rebuild. The roster he’s put together is so bad, looks so incapable of winning even 50 games, that he’s being forced to make changes. Last night, it was rookie Nick Nastrini getting his first-ever start. Tonight, that honor goes to Jonathan Canon. Wait, there’s more, or soon will be. Did I mention Martin Maldonado went 0-for-2, giving him two singles in 31 at-bats this season? He gone soon, and Max Stassi, another Getz offseason catching acquisition, won’t be replacing him, not after being placed on the 60-day IL. Hello, Carlos Perez and Edgar Quero. And, hello, Colson Montgomery. Paul DeJong was supposed to be holding down shortstop until you were ready, only DeJong is hitting barely a scooch better than Maldonado, at 6-for-34, or .176, if you prefer. Fifteen strikeouts in 34 at-bats is the kind of stat that’ll get Montgomery here all the faster. And, hello, somebody in right field. Maybe you, Tommy Pham, after you play a few games in Charlotte, maybe not. Pham is a ten-year veteran, hardnosed to the point of being abrasive. Putting him in the same dugout with Eloy Jimenez and Mickey Mouse is asking for trouble. Give that mix a couple of weeks before it explodes. Then who plays right? Zach DeLoach? Wilfred Veras? Whomever.

Apocalypse Now

After losing 11-4 to the Reds Sunday afternoon, the White Sox record stands at 2-13, a franchise-worst for fifteen games into the season. What a (deserved) perfect storm. Jerry Reinsdorf wanted Mickey Mouse in the dugout and Chris Getz in the front office. Dare I ask, how’s that working out? Mouse follows up 101 losses last year with this stinker of a start, and all he can do mouth platitudes about one game at a time, having conversations, being there before…Make it stop. Oh, wait, the losing will do just that. Even a mouse can turn into a scapegoat. And Getz might want to keep his resume updated. No, check that. Reinsdorf is loathe to fire anyone who exhibits loyalty (Mouse will go because you can’t get a publicly funded stadium for a team playing .133 ball), so it might make more sense for Getz to resign before things get much worse. In the offseason, Rick Hahn’s replacement talked about speed and defense. I’m guessing he didn’t mean the Reds stealing six bases like they did yesterday or his team having another three-error game in the field. And let’s not forget Getz’s acquisition of Michael Soroka, unless you’d rather do precisely that. I mean, 6.98 ERA in 19.1 innings and all. During yesterday’s postgame show (don’t watch the game, watch the postgame), Ozzie Guillen said he can’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. I can. Mouse is gone, it’s just a matter of when, and the bargain-basement busts will start to disappear one by one to be replaced by prospects, though probably not Jake Eder, at least until he improves on that 7.27 ERA. Youth is coming, sooner than Chris Getz might want and not soon enough for the rest of us.

Bad to Worst

Why get four hits and lose when you can do it on two, the way the White Sox did Saturday, a 5-0 whitewash courtesy of the Reds? That puts the Sox record at 2-12, matching their worst fourteen-game start ever. The first time was 1968. Lucky me to have witnessed both. That’s five shutouts in twelve losses, in case you’re counting. Garrett Crochet took the loss in what should’ve been a 2-0 game, except he got squeezed, which leads us to this question: What good is catcher Martin Maldonado, if he can’t get those calls for his pitcher? It’s not like he’s there for his offense, which so far translate into 2-for-29 at the plate. Any RBIs? Surely, you jest. Yesterday or the day before (you lose count with all the losing), manager Mickey Mouse said something about flushing games like this. Yeah, I know what—and who—I’d like to flush.

Roosting Time

Oh, those chickens are coming home to roost. The White Sox went belly up at home last night to the Reds, 11-1, before a crowd of 11,337 in what passes for nice weather in Chicago in April. General manager Chris Getz told reporters before the game that he understood fans’ frustration but went on to say the team is on the right path. To where and what, I don’t know. Off the early returns and a 2-11 start, making bargain-basement finds in the pitching department is not one of Getz’s strengths. Take starter Chris Flexen, please. Flexen staggered through 2.2 innings, giving up seven runs (six earned) before manager Mickey Mouse pulled him. At least Mouse didn’t call on Bryan Shaw. He gone, and whatever will Sox announcer John Schriffen do? Schriffen said on a recent broadcast every team needs a player like Shaw. Well, now another team can have him and that 9.00 ERA of his. The Sox collected four hits last night. At this rate, the number of hits will equal or surpass the number of fans in the stands by sometime during the next homestand.

A Diference of Opinion

Clare and I had a spirited—you might even say heated—discussion Monday night concerning Caitlin Clark. It started when I used gender to say just how good I think Clark is. To which my daughter answered, “She doesn’t have to play with boys.” Point taken. But, with all due respect, there remains a certain “separate but equal” aspect to women’s sports, especially the pro ones. Women’s basketball, golf and tennis professionals generates less income than its male counterparts. Absent a revolution both political and athletic, that’s not going to change anytime soon. The gulf between the two, though, can be made to shrink. The more women do just what men do on the court and the course, the harder it will be to justify pay differentials, or inequities, if you prefer. Same equipment, same rules, cue Ethel Merman telling Howard Keel, “I can do anything you can do better.” The thing about Clark is she’s been singing that song for a while. Her three’s are three’s anyway you measure them, and her passes are to die for. She could neve play a second in the WNBA and still conduct master classes for NBA point guards: “If you guys want to be really good, be like me, a girl.” Maybe that’s what I should’ve said on Monday.

Wasted

Gavin Sheets had himself a career night in Cleveland, with two doubles and a homerun good for five RBIs. Of course, the White Sox blew a five-run lead and lost 7-6 in ten innings. The honeymoon is over for new GM Chris Getz, if he ever had one and if he ever deserved one. When he took the job last August, Getz signaled he would drink the White Sox Kool-Aid, which holds that pitching is a necessary evil that you don’t want to pay for when you can avoid it, and don’t want to when you can’t. I wonder how many times Getz caught himself burping last night. His ”big” acquisition of Erick Fedde--$15 million over two years—doesn’t look so great, or didn’t last night. The 31-year old righthander has a 0-0 record and 4.30 ERA in three starts totaling 14.2 innings. Fedde was lights-out pitching in Korea last year. Whatever could be the difference? Out in San Diego, ex-Sox starter Dylan Cease had the Cubs eating out of his hands in a Padres’ 10-2 win. Cease gave up two runs over six innings, Fedde five over five, all the runs scoring on three homers. None of the runs against Cease were earned, four of the runs against Fedde were. Since I’m mentioning ex-Sox players, Jake Burger hit a three-run homer to power the Marlins to a 5-2 win over the Yankees. Burger has fifteen RBIs on the season, the Sox have scored 29 runs so far this season. Isn’t that interesting? Back to Getz. His decision to bring back Bryan Shaw hasn’t out worked too well, either. Shaw took a one-run lead into the bottom of the tenth. Five batters later, the Guardians had themselves a walk-off win while Shaw was stuck with the loss to complement his 9.00 ERA. Darkest before the dawn? I can only hope.

The Good and the Bad

Clare called after last night’s White Sox game to ask for the winning Lotto numbers. “I mean, you called Yoan Moncada’s injury.” Yes, I did. Moncada went down with a left abductor strain in the second inning of a Sox 7-5 win over the Guardians; the injury is expected to keep Moncada sidelined for three to six months. Given this is his walk year, that could be it for Yoan Moncada on the South Side. The foundation of Rick Hahn’s rebuild appears to be pulling apart, literally. Given that Moncada, Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert Jr. have been injured so often and for so long, someone needs to ask if team trainers failed to identify problems, especially training and warming up, early on in their respective careers. Well, it’s too late now for at least one the trio. Michael Kopech, however is a different story. Kopech came in the bottom of the eighth and recorded a six-out save on 24 pitches, eighteen for strikes. Fifteen pitches were 100 mph-plus; seven at 99.1 to 99.8; one at 98.9; and one at 90.4. Four of the Cleveland hitters struck out. Dare I hope this is the real Michael Kopech? We’ll find out as soon as the Sox can take a lead into the ninth inning again.

What ’Cha Gonna’ Do?

Dr. Frankenstein created a monster. Chris Getz looks to have settled for a mere monstrosity. The new White Sox GM talked a lot about change this past offseason while trying not to say he was in rebuild mold. Instead, fans heard about the upcoming roster’s improved athleticism and defense. Oops. That defense must’ve been scared off by the eclipse in Cleveland yesterday afternoon. How often does a team register back-to-back three-error games? Well, the 2024 White Sox did on their way to a 4-0 loss at the hands of the first-place Guardians, and who was picking them for the top sport? Did I mention it was a shutout loss, the fourth in ten games, an organization first? Or that the team is now 1-9, one game better than in 1968, when they started the season 0-10? Or that the team batting average stands at .190, that after collecting all of four hits against five Cleveland pitchers? Only the Twins have a worse average in all of baseball, and that should change after they play the Sox the week after next. Speaking of change, what ’cha gonna do, Chris Getz? In case you hadn’t noticed, Andrew Vaughn, yesterday’s cleanup hitter, is batting .171. I saw Vaughn taking pitches in the strike zone as if he were hypnotized. Vaughn looks lost; so does most every hitter on the team. Leaders lead, Mickey Mouse talks. Sad that Getz can’t tell the difference.

Decisions, Decisions

Decisions have consequences, which White Sox manager Mickey Mouse discovered Sunday afternoon against the Royals. One bad decision led to another as the Sox lost 5-3 in a four-game sweep by the Royals. Mouse decided to take out starter Garrett Crochet after five innings of work with the Sox ahead, 3-2; Crochet had thrown 77 pitches. Steven Wilson came in for an uneventful sixth inning, and then, yikes. For reasons best known to himself, Mouse turned to reliever Deivi Garcia to pitch the seventh. Garcia entered the game with a 15.00 ERA and left with a 18.90 ERA. Nothing like walking the first batter, especially if you’re going to give up a homerun to the next batter. Wait, there’s more. First, manager Mouse elected to stay with Garcia, who gave up a one-out single before departing. Next, Mouse brought in Dominic Leone, who actually kept the ball in the park for a change. Too bad he couldn’t take a throw from second baseman Lenyn Sosa while trying to cover first base. In came an insurance run, as if any insurance was needed against the 27th best hitting team in baseball. Let’s do a quick review here on the 1-8 White Sox (not that anyone is saying they’re 10-28 going back to spring training). The defense was supposed to be better, only there were three errors yesterday. The catching was supposed to be better, but Martin Maldonado is 0-for-4 in throwing out attempted base stealers, not to be confused with his 2-for-18 at the plate. And base runners were going to be more aggressive, though the two stolen bases in six attempts would indicate otherwise. When he fired Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn (who hired Chris Getz in the first place, by the way), Jerry Reinsdorf admitted even he found it hard to watch the team. That was last year. What about now?

Mousetrap

Poor, poor pitiful Mickey Mouse. He can suck up with the best of them, only it won’t save his job. Going into the season, the White Sox manager made sure to praise every front-office hire made by new GM Chris Getz, while at the same time letting the world how great Getz is. It’s a time-honored strategy in the Sox organization, where owner Jerry Reinsodrf has always demanded loyalty, skill optional. Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn knew how to play the game, as did Hawk Harrelson, Don Cooper and Daryl Boston. So, Mouse can’t be blamed for copying what’s worked for so many other non-entities on the South Side. Only Mouse is a premier non-entity, as evidenced by a 1-7 record after last night’s 3-0 loss to the Royals. Mouse and company had a terrible spring at 9-20, but those games didn’t count. Maybe so, but they sure warned fans what to expect come Opening Day. For a team that’s last in the majors with a .177 BA and .248 OBP, the Sox have still found a way to be tied for fourth in hitting into double plays; they’ve got ten, eight of them coming in KC. That’s eight in three games, folks. It’s not all Getz’s fault, but enough to make him uncomfortable. No, he didn’t put together the crappy farm system or sign Andrew Benintendi. Kevin Pillar, Paul DeJong and Robbie Grossman, though, are a different story, along with Martin Maldonado, Dominic Fletcher… On top of that, the boss wants a new publicly funded stadium. A team with a .125 winning percentage isn’t exactly going to excite fans, or legislators. The Sox have to, at a minimum, look to be making an effort. Did I mention the .177 BA? Which brings us back to Mouse. Hahn, not Getz, hired him, which makes him a lame mouse, so to speak. He’ll talk about things turning around when Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert Jr. get back, as if wishing will make it so. The fact is, those two are injury-prone; if I’m not mistaken, I saw a graphic on the postgame show listing sixteen trips Robert has taken to the IL since he came up in 2020. Holy Mickey Mantle (if only). And Yoan Moncada is just a sneeze away from joining him. The more the Sox lose, the quicker the fan base will be turned off, the harder it will be for Reinsdorf to get his new stadium. Oh, he can threaten to move alright, but that would be both ugly and hard. Nashville has its own ownership group looking for an expansion team. As ever in the South, outsiders aren’t exactly welcome. And how many owners want to trade the third-largest TV market for the 26th? This isn’t 1988, or 1994. Reinsdorf is probably more isolated in baseball circles than at any other time since he bought the team in 1981. Put it all together, and Mouse is a marked mouse. The only question is when, not if, he goes. I can definitely see early June. Bye-bye.

Boo-hoo

When it rains, it pours, and the White Sox might want to get in touch with Noah, if he hasn’t already floated away. The Sox alternated losing big in Kansas City (10-1, Thursday night) with losing close last night, 2-1. They also lost Luis Robert Jr. to a hip flexor. Before the game, Eloy Jimenez went on the IL with an abductor strain, so I figure he’ll have company today or tomorrow with Robert joining him. The blame here falls on ex-GM Rick Hahn. It was obvious early-on that Jimenez was injury-prone; this will be something along the lines of his sixth visit on the IL. What kind of conditioning program did Hahn come up with to combat the problem? If there was none, the Sox should’ve moved to trade Eloy ASAP. Ditto Robert. It’s worth noting Hahn also wasted a first-round draft pick on now-Cub Nick Madrigal, who could keep a condo on the Il for all the times he’s been on it between both Chicago teams. As for Yoan Moncada, another injury-prone piece of the Hahn rebuild, I’m wondering if he’s changed his conditioning routine in order to stay healthy and generate nice stats in this, his walk year. Speaking of general managers, Chris Getz hasn’t exactly cloaked himself in glory. Consider that Paul DeJong has struck out ten times in 14 at-bats, and Dominic Fletcher, the purported answer to the problem that is right field, is batting a less-than robust .125, although that is 125 points higher than Martin Maldonado, who’s started the season 0-for-13. Andrew Benintendi and his .107 BA, though, is another Hahn mistake. Speaking of mistakes, take manager Mickey Mouse, please. How long until Getz pulls the plug on one of the worst hires in recent team history? Before or after they call up Danny Mendick, who’s now pitched twice for Charlotte? One last question: When both teams are 1-6, which one qualifies as Triple-A?

Behold

Behold the rebuilt and rebuilding White Sox, able to stay close late into a game and then fall apart, taking a 2-1 score with nobody on and one out and proceeding to give up eight runs in a 10-1 debacle on the road in Kansas City. The Sox are supposed to be smarter this year, but you’d never know it from right fielder Dominic Fletcher throwing to the wrong base—I won’t mention Fletcher’s started the season 1-for-15—and shortstop Braden Shewmake letting a groundball go through his legs. Giving up eight runs says you’re bad, and five of them being unearned says you’re not too sharp in the field. I should note here that Fletcher wasn’t charged with an error anymore than first baseman Andrew Vaughn was when he dropped a catchable foul popup. Manager Mickey Mouse says he’s OK with physical errors but not the mental ones. In which case, how can he be OK with himself? For example, last night marked the fourth time Mouse’s used reliever Deivi Garcia in six games this season. Garcia now has given up seven runs (five earned) in his last two appearances, totaling one inning of work. I don’t see what Mouse sees. Ditto Dominic Leone, who followed Garcia to pour more gas on the fire. In four games so far this season, Leone has given up six runs (three earned) in just 2.1 innings of work. And guess who’s given up three, count ’em, three gopher balls? Yup, Leone. Mouse said in his postgame squeak that they’d clean things up, to which commentator Ozzie Guillen noted bad baseball doesn’t resemble a dirty floor that you can mop clean. Love that Ozzie. Meanwhile, down on the farm, Triple-A Charlotte has gotten off to a 1-5 start. Last night, they lost to Norfolk 9-8, which was a whole lot better than the night before, when they fell to the Tides by a score of 26-11. Heston Kjerstad, whom the parent Orioles weren’t willing to part with in any trade for Dylan Cease, had ten RBIs. So it goes for an organization rotting from the head down.

She Got Game

If everything goes according to plan, my second grandchild, and first granddaughter, will arrive early in Caitlin Clark’s WNBA rookie season. The longer Clark plays, the more of an impression she’ll make on little Sasha (part of the Rumpelstiltskin guessing game at our house). The Clark phenomenon of the past two college seasons has been…phenomenal. I basically don’t watch women’s basketball, but her I’ll watch. The “Pistol” Pete Maravich comparisons strike me as spot-on, other than Clark’s socks don’t bag around the ankle. I know that girls don’t have to play with boys, or women athletes compete against their male counterparts. But I’d like to see Clark in a co-ed pickup game. Two regrets, starting with the fact she won’t be playing for the Sky; Chicago could use a new, big sports’ figure. Second, if only Clark had early on decided to hit a ball instead of shoot one. Consider the possibilities. With softball, we’d get to see if talent plus personality could revive the pro ranks, though I doubt it. Part of what makes it fun to watch Clark play is reading her face. Stick that face in a batting helmet with a cage attached, and you can’t do that. Now, let’s say the softball star Clark hit over .500 for her college career with a ridiculous number of RBIs and homeruns, and there’s no pro league. Then what? Baseball has tryouts for a reason. A guy can dream, can’t he?

Glimmers

When your daughter calls to say, “We wouldn’t have played softball in this kind of weather,” you know it’s bad, that Chicago mix of wet and cold that comes in March and April. And still the White Sox played a game last night against the Braves. Not only that, they won, 3-2, behind seven innings of one-run ball by Garrett Crochet. The offense, such as it was, consisted of two bloop-RBI singles from Gavin Sheets and Andrew Vaughn plus a pinch-hit homerun by Paul DeJong. Wow, talk about burning ears for that bunch. Crochet was even better than in his first start, also a one-run effort; that extra inning can make all the difference. I don’t want to get my hopes up too much, but the lefthander threw only 93 pitches, giving up three hits and a walk to go with eight strikeouts. Daddy like. This being the White Sox and Michael Kopech being Michael Kopech, the ninth inning was anything but smooth. Kopech gave up a homer, a single and a walk before getting around to recording his first career save. Oh, and he needed 39 pitches to go 1.2 innings. Still, he did it. I take my glimmers of hope where I can find them.

The Bad, the Bad and the Ugly

Per my prediction, the Braves didn’t play down to the level of the competition yesterday, rolling to a 9-0 win against Mickey and the boys. Good thing they called the game after eight innings, or who knows what the final score might have been. There’s no there here with this team. Luis Robert Jr. hits two homeruns on Saturday, then immediately goes into an 0-for-9 slide, with seven strikeouts. Apparently, until Sunday, Robert had gone through life without once ever encountering a breaking ball. Tip to Luis—you can’t make good contact swinging off your front foot, with only one hand on the bat. Did I mention something about waiting for Godot in relation to Eloy Jimenez? If not, I am, while adding Andrew Vaughn to the list. As for Paul DeJong, whatever he had looks to be long gone, judging by his three strikeouts yesterday, two of them coming on six pitches. Gavin Sheets, paging Gavin Sheets. I’d talk about Sox pitching, if only they had some. When every starter in your rotation is a new guy, you’re in trouble. When you bring back Mike Clevinger, somebody the 29 other teams have taken a pass on, you’re in trouble. When you think Rick Hahn is doing a good job as GM and Tony La Russa is a great (re-)hire, you’re not so much in trouble as getting what you so richly deserve. Your 2024 Chicago White Sox, 0-4 or 9-24. Same difference.

Three Down, 98-Plus to Go

Another game, another loss for Mickey Mouse and Company. On Easter Sunday, it was 3-2, the third straight one-run loss to the Tigers, but who’s counting? I guess I am. Including spring training, the Sox record now stands at 9-23, or 0-3 for the games that count. In his postgame squeak-conference with reporters, Mouse called the losses “heartbreakers.” As ever, not really. Detroit simply played down to the opposition. Atlanta comes to town next, and they’re too disciplined to let up against a bad team, which any team managed by the likes of Mickey Mouse is by definition. Did I mention Eloy Jimenez got his first injury of the season out of the way? Yup, running out one of the interminable groundballs he hits, this one in the bottom of the sixth. Left abductor, tests to follow. No need to bother. Can’t field, can’t stay healthy, shouldn’t be playing even for a team this bad.

Snatching

Yesterday, the White Sox hit three homeruns, including two two-run shots by Luis Robert Jr. and pulled off a kind-of steal of home (Nickey Lopez out at second, Braden Shewmake safe at home but not credited with a steal). They still lot to the Tigers, 7-6 in ten innings. It bears repeating—if you’re going to be bad, go young. The Sox were ahead 6-4 going into the seventh when manager Mickey Mouse brought in 32-year old Dominic Leone, who promptly got the score tied. And something else bears watching, with consequences better sooner than later. Eloy Jimenez batted with the bases loaded, one out in the bottom of the seventh and gave the Tigers just what the doctor ordered, a third-to-first double play. Then, with Detroit ahead 7-6, a runner on second and nobody out, Jimenez popped out to third on the first pitch he saw. That’s four baserunners stranded in two at-bats that generated three outs. All of which is how you snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Play Ball

Leo and his parents came over to color Easter eggs this morning. It’s a family requirement, and the kid did himself proud. After we cleaned up, my grandson ushered everyone into the living room while we headed for the back porch, door closed. From there, it was a combination of air guitar with song accompaniment (“Paw Patrol, Paw Patrol,” repeated ad infinitum); checking on the squirrel in the backyard; keeping an eye out for wolves ( a concern of his right now); and throwing whatever ball he could get his hands on. Oh, and hitting. He teed up the mini-basketball and took a swing. Once was enough. I gently advised that, starting next week, we’d commence hitting in the backyard, squirrels and wolves notwithstanding. I also encouraged him to try and hit everything on the sweet spot, which for this bat was the label. It looked like he understood. We’ll see soon enough.

One Down, 100-Plus to Go

Good thing spring training doesn’t count, or else the White Sox record would stand at 9-21 instead of just 0-1 after yesterday’s 1-0 shutout loss at the hands of the visiting Tigers (with Detroit’s new play-by-play man Jason Benetti calling the game). Trust me, it only goes downhill from here. Starter Garrett Crochet was everything you’d want. In his first-ever start, Crochet gave up one run on five hits over six innings, striking out eight without a walk. Crochet threw 87 pitches over six innings to 24 in one inning of relief for Michael Kopech, by the way. The Sox offense consisted of three singles, with not a runner reaching second base and the last seventeen batters all going down ever so sadly. In case you were wondering, Jake Burger had three hits and three RBIs for the Marlins. But, hey, Yoan Moncada didn’t get injured, yet. The announced crowd was 33,420, nearly 7,000 short of a full house. I’m guessing it’s the largest crowd of the year.

Like I Said

I guess the White Sox got half the message—yesterday, they sent some players out onto the street to pass out hot dogs, but it was the wrong street, as in State. That, or one street too few. Andrew Benintendi and Gavin Sheets manned the corner of State and Lake, which, last time I checked, qualifies as North Side real estate, generating all the goodwill that comes with free food and the presence of pro athletes. But they couldn’t do this on 95th Street? What, not enough players? Last time I checked, Nickey Lopez grew up in the southwest suburbs. Our new second baseman couldn’t put in an appearance? But, hey, a picture and story made its way into today’s Sun-Times, and the Sox will take all the attention they can get, especially if it doesn’t entail losing or counting all the empty seats at Guaranteed Rate Whatever. They probably even liked the story about new Sox broadcaster John Schriffen and the man he replaced, Jason Benetti. Sorry, the guy still looks like a deer caught in the headlights, and I don’t mean Benetti.

Take the Ryan, Exit at 95th

Michele and I went to a St. Patrick’s Day party on the South Side in Morgan Park, which doesn’t sound out of the ordinary until you get a load of my last name and I tell you a few stories about my dad. Let’s just say he wasn’t a fan. But a good time was had by all. We took 95th Street west to Harlem on our way home, through the heart of White Sox country. The number of Sox signs and hats and jerseys on display would make you think we were a only few blocks from Guaranteed Ratre Whatever. And I got to wondering. When was the last time anyone from the Sox travelled 95th Street to gauge the mood of Sox fans? Who in the organization would even know how to get there? When the team vice president in charge of looking out the window let play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti walk, the message was loud and clear—people like him, a South Sider born and bred, don’t matter. The same goes for all those folks I saw wearing the colors. I have a feeling they’re going to be returning the disdain Jerry Reinsdorf on down has shown them since forever, and then some. Play ball.

Ignorance is...Ignorance

This morning, Bears’ president Kevin Warren announced the team’s focus for a new stadium has shifted back to Chicago, the lakefront to be exact and just south of their current home at that. Wait, there’s more. As quoted in today’s The Athletic, Warren exhibited one shaky grasp on Chicago history. “It will set this city up for greatness for the next 100 years,” he said from Orlando, where NFL owners are meeting. “If you go back and look at the Daniel Burnham [P]lan from 1932, you’re talking about a vision. He set the vision for the World’s Fair.” Where to start? How’s this: The Burnham Plan dates to 1909, not 1932. And his mention of the 1933 World’s Fair amounts to gibberish. Yes, the fair was centered around Northerly Island, and Burnham called for the creation of a series of such offshore islands, but how somebody who died in 1912 set the “vision” for a world’s fair twenty-one years later is beyond me. And last time I read the Plan—can you say that, Kevin?—Burnham didn’t mention anything about a World’s Fair. I also happen to have a book about the Century of Progress done as kind of coffee-table book. It notes a connection between the Burnham Plan and the “City Beautiful” movement, with the fair connected to Burnham through a couple of degrees of separation. But you have to take time to read the text carefully. Otherwise, you’re bound to say something wrong. Warren also called the lakefront area around the museum campus the “most beautiful piece of property in the country.” Yeah, and the Bears don’t own it. The people of Chicago do, and they shouldn’t give it away to a bunch of grifting Munsters.

Silver Linings

Well, here’s a real silver lining. After yesterday’s 7-3 loss to the Rockies, the White Sox close out spring training with a 9-20 record, but there’s somebody worse, by winning percentage at least. That honor belongs to the Twins, whose 8-18 record translates into a .308 percentage, as opposed to .310 for the Sox. And the Twins are the consensus pick to win the Central Division. Other glimmers of hope? Not really, although GM Chris Getz did give Jesse Chavez and Touki Toussaint their walking papers (while bringing back outfielder Kevin Pillar. Go figure.). Beyond that, the talent is so bare the Opening Day roster isn’t set three days before the first pitch of the season. And I guess this qualifies as good news of a sort. Catcher Max Stassi is suffering from general soreness from missing last season due to injury. That opens the door to Korey Lee. If you’re going to be bad, be bad with youth. Lee is 25 to Stassi’s 33. Nothing personal, Max.

Countdown

Spring training is supposed to be the time when you can dream about breakout seasons leading to the postseason. Not with the White Sox. Going into today’s game, their record stands at 9-19, which comes out to a .321 winning percentage. Call it the Mark of the Mouse. Last season, Sox manager Mickey Mouse “led” his team to a 61-101 record, with a .377 winning percentage. I don’t know about you, but I see a pattern here. If nothing else, new GM Chris Getz has proven adept at moving deck chairs. With Rick Hahn in charge, I’d expect Mike Moustakas and Kevin Pillar to make the Opening Day roster. Instead, they got released earlier this week. By my way of thinking, this shows Getz is looking to the future, not the past, and that’s a good thing. Mickey Mouse as manager is not. I’m more than happy to be wrong here, to the point I’ll go back to referring to Mouse by his given name if the Sox are over .500 by the end of May. But truth be told, by that time I expect to see either a new manager in place or a list of possibilities to fill what will very shortly become a managing vacancy on the South Side.

How Generous

According to a story in today’s Sun-Times, the Bears are pushing a lakefront makeover via their latest stadium proposal. How generous of them. The Munsters’ plan would include a year-round restaurant and improved public access to Chicago’s Museum Campus just north and east of Soldier Field. These and other great ideas come in at an estimated $1 billion, with the public picking up the tab. Who wouldn’t want to partner with an organization currently fighting its tax bill with school districts in and around Arlington Heights, where the Bears bought property? Marshall Field was a Chicago philanthropist; without him, there might not be a University of Chicago or a Field Museum of Natural History. Julius Rosenwald was a Chicago philanthropist; without him, there would be no Museum of Science and Industry. In comparison, the McCaskeys are just a bunch of poseurs looking for a free lunch at public expense. No, thank you.

Voices

Sometimes, Michele and I celebrate our wedding anniversary over dinner, other times, over breakfast. Today, with a light snow reminiscent of the flurries that met us a couple over 40 years ago, it was breakfast. The thing about this time of year is, there’s always a mix of golf, baseball and basketball on. I’m pretty sure the brother-in-law I didn’t like took control of the TV at my parents to put golf on, just a few hours before we all left for the big event. I can’t remember what tournament it was, I can barely remember him, a man who did not do right by my sister Betty. I drove to the wedding, located in a hotel just behind the Merchandise Mart. That means the radio would have been on to a White Sox game, Harry Caray behind the mic. I can barely remember the sound of the voice of a man who did not do right by all those players he badmouthed. I miss Ed Farmer, whose voice I have no problem recalling, so much I find it hard to listen to Sox games on the radio now. No disrespect intended, D.J. and Len. I seem to recall other anniversary breakfasts, with the radio on, but not like today when I listened to Northwestern play Florida Atlantic in the NCAA Men’s Tournament; college basketball isn’t really my thing. No, right now, it’s echoes of Jim Durham calling a jumper by Scott May. That would have to mean an early Sunday afternoon. I mean, who has breakfast at night? Or maybe it was David Greenwood.

Before My Very Eyes

I went on my computer to check the score of the White Sox-Reds game yesterday. Before I was done running down the box score, a 1-1 tie after six became 2-1 Cincy in the top of the seventh, courtesy of a homerun. Time to check email. That took, oh, 45 seconds or so. After that, I went back to Gameday on mlb.com. Chad Kuhl with a lifetime 4.98 ERA had given up a second gopher ball. Reds win, 3-1, dropping the Sox record to 8-17. No team has lost more games this spring. Can’t wait for Opening Day. Central Division cellar, here we come.

Counting Down

Nine days to the start of the baseball season (Dodgers-Padres in Korea doesn’t count, sorry), and I’m not feeling it. Maybe it’s me. Or not. I need to get a baseball magazine, if there are any still in business. Just a few years ago, I could find Athlon, Lindy’s and Street and Smith nestled among the girlie magazines. Now, only Lindy’s survives, and I’m pretty sure the tending arrow for the White Sox will be pointing down. I can’t even find anything on eBay worth buying. Oh, there was a 1974 Sox picture pennant I could’ve gotten for $31, and this is the first picture pennant I can remember seeing from the ’70s. But it’s not a group photo, just a bunch of head shots. No thanks. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I went on baseball-reference.com a few hours to go to see how many ballplayer pictures I could identify. Only two out of twelve, but, hey, a Sox fan who can name ex-Cub George Altman, who last played for the North Siders in 1967, not too shabby, I’d say. One more thing—today just so happens to be Altman’s 91st birthday. Happy birthday, my man, and many more. Now, I feel better, even about the Sox. From what I can tell, odds are either Zach Remillard or Danny Mendick will make the team as a utility player. Maybe if I’m extra good in the days ahead, they both will.

Growth

For some reason, the Bulls have kept my attention this season. Maybe part of me wants to avoid thinking about the impending disaster that the White Sox promise to be starting next week. But there’s more to it than that. Starting with head coach Billy Donovan. Whatever his X’s and O’s skill level, Donovan is a master communicator; when he talks, he says something. He also holds players accountable, this without recrimination, at least in public. And then we have the development of guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu; I shudder to think what this team would be without them. White looks to be the frontrunner for most improved player in the NBA. Dosunmu is just better. The third-year guard from Illinois let slip this week that he keeps a journal. Let me repeat, he keeps a journal. As Dosunmu explained, it’s helped him chart his progress from last year to this, just as he thinks it will this season to next. Saturday, Dosunmu scored 34 points with nine assists against the Wizards; last night against the Trail Blazers, it was 23 and 10. Oh, and three turnovers combined. More of that please. The Bulls won both games to pull, once again, to within a game of .500, with the Rockets up next. After that, the Celtics. Depending on how those games go, Dosunmu could have plenty to write about.

In the Headlines

I saw a story in today’s The Athletic, “Cubs roster projection: Jobs up for grabs as Craig Counsell challenges front office.” It seems the new Cubs’ manager wants a roster that will allow him to play the game he wants to, as opposed to just accepting the roster given him. Somehow, I doubt there’ll be a story like that written about the White Sox anytime soon. Jobs up for grabs as Mickey Mouse challenges front office? Please. Mouse does as he’s told. Probably always has in baseball and always will. You think Jerry Reinsdorf wanted someone with a mind of his own? That ended when GM Larry Himes got the axe back in 1990. The second headline of note, from today’s mlb.com: “Here’s who’s on top to start the season.” In other words, the power rankings. The Sox come in at 28 out of 30. That’s down one since the last ranking on January 1st. Maybe Mouse will print and post the story in the clubhouse for motivation. In which case, bad idea.

He Gone, Contd.

Well, the obvious finally became official yesterday, when the Bears traded quarterback Justin Fields to the Steelers for sixth-round or fourth-round draft pick, depending how much Fields plays next season. Munsters’ GM Ryan Poles better hope Fields falls flat on his face, because, if he succeeds, this will highlight the difference between the two franchises, both founding pillars of the NFL. Hint: It has something to do with ownership. The Steelers are and always have been operated by the Rooney family in the same way the Bears are a Halas/McCaskey entity. The Steelers used to be hapless back when the Munsters were Monsters, but that all changed since the dawn of the Super Bowl Era, six Super Bowl championships to one. Since 1969, the Steelers have employed three head coaches—Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin. The Bears? Would you believe twelve? Trust me, there’s no need to list them. For my money, what Fields may have lacked in physical skills he more than made up for in leadership. Consider the opening of the statement he released after the trade was announced: ”Can’t say thank you enough to the city of Chicago for taking me in and embracing me.” He went on to thank ownership, the organization and his “brothers,” aka teammates. This is one savvy, just-turned-25-year old. I’m pretty sure his new teammates will have no problem taking to him from the get-go. It’ll be the same player part of two different organizations and systems. Let the comparisons begin.

Sammy, Sammy, Sammy

Ex-Cub Sammy Sosa was back in town for the first time since 2007. And, yes, Sosa still resides in the land of denial. If I heard him correctly in a TV interview, Sosa thinks he has HOF-worthy credentials. He also continues to refuse to bring up PEDs, as if that will make the taint go away. It won’t. In addition, Sosa mentioned that he and the Cubs are moving in the direction of some sort of reconciliation. If true, this I want to see, especially the look on Tom Ricketts’ face when Sosa starts waving to the Cubie faithful. Which leads me back to that “if true” part. I’m not holding my breath because Ricketts isn’t the type to hold his nose.

And One Foot Out the Door?

Yesterday, White Sox GM Chris Getz announced that Michael Kopech will start the season in the bullpen. Kopech says he’s disappointed. Me, I’m more curious. What makes Getz think Kopech will do any better out of the pen? For his career, Kopech is 12-22 with a 4.26 ERA starting and 3-3 with a 4.66 ERA relieving. Moreover, he has a 5.40 ERA in the first inning. Wouldn’t that also hold for him coming into the game in the seventh or later? Two things stand out here, starting with the fact Getz was the one announcing the move. Where was manager Mickey Mouse? Probably deferring to the boss. Expect Mouse to do that all the way up until the day he gets fired. Second, I think Getz is letting Kopech know he has to produce, now. A career 12-22 mark with a 4.26 ERA as a starter doesn’t exactly help the righty’s case that he should continue in the rotation. His career stats in relief pretty much tell me the same thing. We’ll see.

He Gone

Well, Dylan Cease’s feet are somewhere else now, with the Padres, to be exact, as San Diego prepares to open the season in Korea. The White Sox traded the 28-year old righthander for three prospects and a veteran reliever. The names don’t really matter because three of the players are pitchers, two of them rookies. If those two show promise, the front office will try to sign them to team-friendly deals that takes them through their arbitration years. If they don’t agree, they’ll become trade-bait. And, if they do sign and continue to improve, they’ll get traded before their walk year, like Cease. This is how things have gone and will continue to go as long as Jerry Reinsdorf owns the team. For Sox fans, it’s turning into a game of actuarial chicken. Great.

The Mouse That Roared

White Sox manager Mickey Mouse grew testy yesterday when a reporter asked him about Dylan Cease being on the team’s Opening Day roster: “I don’t know. I mean how am I supposed to know that?” [mlb.com/video/pedro-grifol-addresses-dylan-cease-trade-rumors]. Mouse continued along this vein with, “ I don’t know where other teams are, what their urgency is. I have no idea. I leave that to our major-league scouts, our general manager, the front office.” Mickey, what you should have said was, “All I know is I want him here, but it’s not up to me,” and change the subject. I wouldn’t compliment Cease the odd way you did, by saying, “He is where his feet are,” then adding, “I am where my feet are.” Last time I checked, that was true for anyone not the victim of some terrible injury. Cease struck out eight Reds last night over 3.1 innings. A 14-1 win puts the Sox spring record at 5-13. So, obviously, trading Cease would solve all the team’s problems A humbler suggestion for GM Chris Getz, if I might: Make it a monster deal, with Yoan Moncada and/or Michael Kopech part of the mix. And keep working on that list of candidates to replace Mouse, who doesn’t sound long for the job.

Waiting for Godot, and Others

In his first start of the spring, Michael Kopech needed 45 pitches to get through two innings of work. It’s been all downhill since. In his second start, Kopech threw 32 pitches over 2.2 innings, including two hits, three walks and three runs (two earned). Yesterday, it was 2.1 innings, four hits, two walks, four earned runs. Oh, and two of the hits left the park. That gives our projected #3 or 4 starter a 7.71 ERA on the spring with a 1.71 WHIP. All the numbers are clearly trending the wrong way. Either Kopech is a special talent the White Sox so far have failed to develop, in which case they need a new pitching coach, or he’s a player who’s never going to pan out. What worries me even more is he’s starting to do the “I’m all good” thing the way that Dallas Keuchel and other pitchers with diminishing skills resort to when the bad outings start to pile up. A team can wait for only so long. Even the White Sox.

Hold Onto Your Wallets

Without officially turning their backs on Arlington Heights, the Bears announced today their interest in building a domed stadium in the parking lot south of Soldier Field, along with a willingness to contribute $2 billion in private funding. If you’ll pardon the pun, that’s rich. This is an organization fighting tooth and nail to lower the tax assessment on the property it bought in the northwest suburbs; the McCaskeys couldn’t care less about the optics of trying to force school districts into taking less funding. We’re a founding franchise, dammit! And all this talk about the fan experience. The Bears were going to build their own entertainment district on their own property; they can’t do that on public parkland. It’s not even sure they can build a new stadium there. Oh, excuse me. A public body will build it for them, so that makes it all OK. But none of this means the fans have been forgotten, so sirree. How much of that $2 billion will be coming from issuing new personal seat licenses? I’d go so far as to say the team would increased seating capacity just to get more PSL revenue, but I am skeptical by nature. I’d also be careful about any kind of public-private “partnership” offered. The Bears are going to want control of concessions/parking while offering to pay a minimal rent. These guys don’t want to fund schools. You think they’re going to pay their fair share all of a sudden? Of course, the team could go about 1-1/2 miles south on the lakefront to the old Michael Reese hospital site, with 48 acres just waiting to be developed. Yet not a peep about this site. I wonder why. For that matter, if it’s going to be a domed stadium, why does it have to be on the lakefront at all?

So What?

Scott Merkin did a story on the White Sox website today about all the pitching the Sox have. Really? How does a 5.58 team ERA, second worst in baseball, qualify as good pitching? Or a .274 opponents’ BA, third worst? Or a 1.58 WHIP, worst? I wonder if Merkin looked at himself in the mirror after writing, “There is some depth within this mound crew,” a conclusion I certainly wouldn’t reach. But let’s say he’s right. Dylan Cease, Garrett Crochet and Michael Soroka have all looked good so far (part of the inflated ERA coming from Touki Toussaint’s 59.40 and Bryan Shaw’s 27.00). And let’s say Michael Kopech figures it out and/or Eric Fedde proves to be the bargain of a lifetime. Then what? If, by some miracle, the Sox get off to a hot start, trading Cease would stop things, posthaste. And the Sox really don’t want to keep Cease. A., he’s a pitcher. B., he has Scott Boras for an agent. He gone, sooner than later. In this scenario, where GM Chris Getz addresses reporters about the importance of long-term gain over short-term advantage, fans will voice their unhappiness, and Jerry Reinsdorf dislikes fans almost as much as he does pitchers. Nothing here strikes me as cause for optimism. But, hey, I’m a Sox fan.

Goodbye, So Long…

The White Sox sent down twelve players yesterday, including Oscar Colas, who started last season as the answer to a nagging problem in right field only to play his way onto the bench. Manager Mickey Mouse broke the news, telling Colas he had “a good camp.” [story on today’s team website] If true, what a weird way of rewarding a player. Then again, is 3-for-16 really a good camp? The Sox also sent down starter Jake Eder, acquired for infielder Jake Burger at the trade deadline last July. Manager Mouse has called on 22 pitchers this spring; Eder was not one of them. So, unless things change drastically, Colas and Eder will go down as Rick Hahn’s parting gift to his ex-team. To which I can only say, thanks a lot.

How Long Can This Go On?

Well, I almost made it to the end of the Bulls’ game last night against the Warriors. With 6:20 left and Chicago ahead by one, I set TIVO on record and went to bed; call it a bad feeling, plus sleep calling. I mean, the Bulls hadn’t won in Oakland/SF since 2015. Oh, me of little faith. With Satan, the wonder basset, sharing the couch first thing this morning, I watched those last six-plus minutes. Really, a 125-122 win against Steph Curry and Klay Thompson? How the mighty have fallen, or, in this case, slipped to 33-29. You know things are going your way when Draymond Green fouls out with 58 seconds left in the game tied at 116. Not only did Green get called for a moving screen on Alex Caruso, Caruso survived the hit. No mean feat, that. DeMar DeRozan and company have now pulled to within one game of .500 for the first time since game five of the season back in early November. DeRozan was DeRozan, with 33 points in 39 minutes. Somebody 34-years old is going to run out of gas before long, if he hasn’t already but doesn’t know it. Not that head coach Billy Donavan has much choice but to ride DeRozan hard. The Bulls’ bench is pretty thin due to injury and a front office that isn’t exactly an astute judge of talent. Maybe I should mention here the Clippers, at 40-21, are up next. What are the odds for a 4-0 West Coast road trip? I’m guessing it all depends on a certain 34-year old forward.

Neither Nor

Michael Kopech made his second start of the spring yesterday, and it was pretty much like his first, only worse. Kopech went 2.2 innings against the Dodgers, giving up three runs (two earned) on two hits, three walks and a HBP. He threw 32 pitches while facing fourteen Dodgers in an eventual 12-9 loss. Also yesterday, Sox manager Mickey Mouse wouldn’t say Kopech was going to be one of his starting pitchers. Why, pray tell, would you put him in the bullpen? A clean inning just isn’t part of his mindset. Maybe I should mention here that the big Texas righthander is 27-years old. How much longer do you wait for him to put it together? If I were in charge, I’d pretty much make it clear that I wasn’t looking at strikeouts or ERA to make my decision; it would be WHIP. Anything over 1.25 by the end of spring training, and I’d find myself another pitcher. Kopech’s WHIP stands at 1.29 after two starts.

Or Get Off the Pot

The Bulls are off on the West Coast, playing too mediocre and too late for me to stay up. Monday night I checked in before going to bed. They were down nineteen to the Kings pretty late in the third quarter. Nighty-night. Lo and behold, Coby White and company stormed back in the fourth quarter, outscoring Sacramento by eighteen for a comeback win, 113-109. Shame on me for losing faith. Or not. White scored 37 points to 33 for DeMar DeRozan and 20 for Ayo Dosunmu. After that, ick, as in Alex Caruso shooting 1-for-10 on the night, including 0-for-6 from beyond the arc. That’s this Bulls’ team in a nutshell, the good and ugly fighting it out on the floor night after night. Jerry Reinsdorf’s other team is 5-5 over their last ten games, with wins against the Cavs, Pelicans and Kings, good teams all. The losses come against good teams and bad teams, the Celtics and the Pistons. It all adds up to a 29-32 record. It’s either 30 wins or 33 losses after tonight’s game in Utah. The Jazz are basically the Bulls-West, at 28-34. You have to win against an opponent like this. We’ll see.

Yeah, Right

According to today’s Sun-Times, the developer working with the White Sox has reached out to the Bears to create what he calls a “financing partnership.” This I got to see. Would it be a partnership like two wolves hunting, or two lions? Maybe two jackals, but jackals aren’t known to share. And the whole idea here is to share whatever flows into the public trough. Again, this I got to see. The optics also promise to be awful for Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson, if he’s seen as a self-proclaimed “progressive” championing public funding for not one but two stadiums that will only increase the value of billion-dollar franchises. Plus, to make it all happen, the McCaskeys would have to work in tandem with Jerry Reinsdorf. See “jackals,” above. Would they both want entertainment campuses? Are the Bears now thinking of renting their new home? What happens if and when Reinsdorf hints he’ll move the team if the funding isn’t forthcoming? Oh, the questions when jackals partner up.

Club Mouse

When spring training started three weeks ago, everybody mentioned the great vibe the White Sox had in camp. So far, the vibe has translated into a 3-8 record. The Sox are last in all of baseball with a .211 Ba; 25th in runs scored; and 21st in homeruns. About the only part of the offense that’s gone as manager Mickey Mouse wants is stolen bases, where the Sox rank eleventh. Did I mention pitching? The team ERA is 5.90, which comes out to 26th best in baseball! The emphasis on better control is really showing, too, not—the Sox are tied for sixth most in walks. All of which makes it hard to get excited about them being tied for fourteenth in strikeouts, with 88. In contrast, Sox hitters have struck out 99 times, seventh most. All I can say is, if this continues into the regular season, GM Chris Getz better have a list ready of candidates to replace Mouse, starting with Ozzie Guillen.

What's Pitching Got to Do With It?

Dylan Cease made his spring debut for the White Sox yesterday, pitching two scoreless innings. No doubt, Jerry Reinsdorf feels vindicated (and vindictive, too. That’s just part of his nature.). You see, the Sox acquired Cease, back in 2017 along with Eloy Jimenez, in a package involving pitcher Jose Quintana. And Quintana was the textbook free-agent signing for the Sox, a minor leaguer. You see, pitching for pitching, and at some point in the not-too-distant-future, pitching for rainbows and unicorns. Last year, the Sox acquired Gregory Santos from the Giants for pitcher Kade McClure (do you see a pattern here?), and Santos had himself a nice rookie year, with a 3.39 ERA and five saves in 60 appearances. So, they traded him last month to the Mariners for outfielder Zach DeLoach and reliever Prelander Berroa. Berroa is being touted as a possible closer sooner than later. Off of yesterday’s appearance against the Rangers, I’d say, No, unless six earned runs in .2 innings qualifies. Of course, there’s always Bryan Shaw. He went a whole inning and only gave up four runs. Yeah, the Sox have this pitching thing down cold.

Same Old Same Old

First, the good news on Michael Kopech—he struck out five batters in two inning of work yesterday in his first start of the spring. The bad news—it took him 29 pitches to get out of the first. In comparison, the second inning took a mere sixteen pitches. Did I mention Kopech went 3-2 on six batters? Teams don’t win when their starters spend half the day getting six outs, which goes a long way explaining why the White Sox don’t win with Kopech on the mound. Another reason is the team’s pitching philosophy based on the belief pitchers are interchangeable. The Sox will prove this idea even if it kills off their fan base. This is an organization that alienated Jack McDowell; let Mark Buehrle walk; and failed to build a team around Chris Sale, so they traded him. Jerry Reinsdorf doesn’t like committing long term to pitchers, which leads to rotations that are a patchwork of rookies and castoffs and wannabes. Kopech and Jonathan Cannon and Erick Fedde, oh my. The Sox had a 6-2 lead against the Cubs going into the bottom of the fifth yesterday, the North Siders’ two runs coming courtesy of one inning of work by Jesse Chavez, he of the 24.00 ERA. Chavez looked lights-out, though, compared to Touki Toussaint, who gave up six runs, four earned, in .1 inning of work. That comes out to a 108.00 ERA in case you’re wondering. The Sox went on to lose, 10-6. But, hey, it’s only spring. They’ll find out which pitchers can pitch before the month is out. Or they won’t. Either way, it’s only pitching, which is why they can trade away Dylan Cease.

Almost Fun

The nice thing about the split-squad White Sox winning two games yesterday is I can back away from the ledge, if only for a day. On top of that, the people I’m rooting for to make the team all had themselves a good day. Starting with Gavin Sheets. The big guy hit two homeruns against the Royals and looks more comfortable at the plate, something he said he’s been working on. Sheets could be good for, oh, 200 homers in his career if he has in fact put things together. Players with sweet lefthanded swings tend to play for a very long time, provided those swings lead to hits. Zach Remillard and Danny Mendick aren’t so blessed, two righthanded hitters who, at the age of 30, are fighting for a roster spot. Remillard homered, and Mendick drove in two runs against the Mariners, and that’s good, to an extent. Because the odds are stacked against them. Neither is on the 40-man roster, and both of them are tied to the old regime of Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn, though new GM Chris Getz should be quite familiar with the duo from his days as director of player development. Still, that may not be enough to get either of them to stick with the team come Opening Day. Teams talk about grinders, then collect or discard them according to need. That’s baseball, which is a lot like life.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Your Chicago Bulls

If the Bulls were a rollercoaster ride, hardly anyone would get on for fear of injury or worse. From high to low and back again in a corkscrew flash, that’s them. Hang on, or die. Sunday, the Bulls beat a very good Pelicans’ team on the road. Then, at home Tuesday night against the woeful, dreadful Pistons (9-49), they shot 2-for-29 from beyond the three-point in a 105-95 loss. If that doesn’t get you to scratching your head, also consider Billy Donovan’s crew committed all of six turnovers, vs. 20 for Detroit. Then, last night, Cleveland comes to town fresh off a buzzer-beating win against the Mavericks, the buzzer beater coming from a Max Struss—hey, we had him, right?—shot a step or two beyond halfcourt. Going in, the Bulls had a seven-game losing against the Cavaliers. On top of that, the Chicago penchant for overtime, eight times so far this season, played right into a Cleveland strength. The Cavs had won their last eleven OT contests. So, what happened? Yup, double overtime with the Bulls beating the second-best team in the East, 132-123. How does a team that outrebounds its opponent 74-39 not use that dominance on the boards to win in regulation? By being the 2023-24 Chicago Bulls, that’s how. Given that the 2024 White Sox may be a disaster, 1-5 so far in Cactus League play, I’ll take my chances on the rollercoaster.

His Way, Not the Dodger Way

Jerry Reinsdorf wants a publicly funded stadium, which would be his second since leading a group that bought the White Sox in 1981. A reluctance to spend his own money helps explain the constant mediocrity of Reinsdorf’s team. A transplanted New Yorker, Reinsdorf grew up a fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers, the history of which seems not to have rubbed off on him in the least. The Dodgers had Branch Rickey, Reinsdorf gave us Kenny Williams and Rick Hahn. When he finally got around to firing that pair back in August, Reinsdorf announced that he had no intention of going after the likes of Shohei Ohtani; see “reluctance,” above. The Dodgers, though, had no such problem. Consider what the means. A team playing in the third-oldest stadium in major league baseball—a privately owned stadium, at that—went out and signed Ohtani for $700 million. LA also added pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto for $325 million. Back in 2020, they signed Mookie Betts to a $365 million contract. They also have Freddie Freeman. We have Mickey Mouse. Yesterday, the Sox faced the Dodgers in Glendale; the place was packed, courtesy of Ohtani Fever (vs. Nicky Lopez or Paul DeJong fever). Oh, Garrett Crochet fanned Ohtani in his first at-bat, just as he’s fanned him the two times they’ve faced each other in the regular season. But, so what? If Crochet has a breakout season and establishes himself as a number-one starter, all that does is start the clock on his getting traded; look no further than Dylan Cease. Jerry Reinsdorf doesn’t pay for pitching any more than he pays for ballparks.

Gathering Headwinds

In what seems a lifetime ago, I joined a group that tried to save Comiskey Park. Through it all, we faced wave upon wave of useful idiots in service of Jerry Reinsdorf. Whether or not Lenin said it, everyday people and members of the media acted the role. With White Sox Stadium 2.0, this isn’t then. Radio, TV, the press, social media—just about everyone everywhere appears to be against public funding for a new stadium. And I thought the Bears were having a tough go of it. Unlike other owners (the McCaskeys included) who want public funding, Reinsdorf has made next to no effort to engage the public. Politicians, yes, but not Joe and Mary Smith, which has only infuriated the Smiths and their friends. Oh, and the governor of the state of Illinois. You’d think an owner seeking $1 billion in public funds would make the effort, but not Reinsdorf so far. Strange, or lazy or stubborn or some combination of the three. Rarely has anyone been so enamored of his own counsel. If Jerry doesn’t want to put on his leather jacket for a return trip to Springfield, nobody in his inner circle is going to tell him he has to. Which is both good and bad. Good because it further complicates getting a stadium deal done. Bad because I’m sure Reinsdorf is ready, willing and able to go nuclear and threaten to move the team to Nashville. Then what? I honestly don’t know.

Stop Me if You’ve Heard This One Before

I fully expected the Bulls to slip to five games under .500 last night with a game against the Pelicans on the road. Instead, they won, 114-106. Impressive, especially given that New Orleans has a front court with two giants, Zion Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas. To say that opposing players bounce off this duo would be an understatement. Heaven help Alex Caruso, and it did. Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White continue to show this is their breakout season; with Caruso, you get three. Plus DeMar DeRozan and Andre Drummond. Mix it all up, and what do you get? A team that is slowly pivoting away from having Zach LaVine as its foundation. Detroit’s up next, and that should be, has to be, a win. But then come the Cavaliers and Bucks. The Bulls have to take two out of three to get off this treadmill. Since it’s almost spring, I can hope.

Just My Imagination

I don’t try to keep the past out of spring training; let it come. If I can look at a box score and remember the exploits of Manly Johnston and John Cangelosi, so much the better. Tim Elko collected another hit, and Korey Lee added two, three short of what he did with the White Sox last year in 65 at-bats. Edgar Quero hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Mariners, 8-7. Youth will be served. Until it turns into memories of other games, other springs.

Cluck-cluck

Up until yesterday, it was all rainbows and unicorns for the White Sox in Glendale. Everyone looked ready to go; the fielders were fielding, pitchers pitching; hitters hitting. Manager Mickey Mouse even came up with a snappy acronym to embody the new team mentality, FAST, meaning a fearless, aggressive, selfless, technical (???) approach to the game. But then they ruined everything by going out and playing a game. The pitchers didn’t pitch (especially Jessie Chavez, who looked every day of his 40 years while giving up six runs in the first to the Cubs) and the hitters didn’t hit, outside of minor leaguer Tim Elko, who homered in what I think was his first-ever spring-training at-bat. Big guy, right-handed, someone to cheer for until he gets sent down. But a 8-1 beatdown from your crosstown rivals? Not how I’d want to start the season. Way too SLOW: sad, lame, old, worrisome.

A Game of Chicken

Jerry Reinsdorf did an interview with Crain’s Chicago Business this week that may have had the opposite effect of what he intended. Nobody’s buying what he’s peddling. Reinsdorf blamed the team’s predicament on its Bridgeport location rather than team performance. He also said the team would be worth more if sold to out-of-town buyers. He also wants a TIF (Tax Increment Funding) district, which devotes a healthy percentage of locally derived real estate tax revenue to development projects in said district. He also wants the moon. Different critics get ticked by different aspects of the interview. What I see is Reinsdorf playing a game of Chicken 2.0: Give me what I want, or my team walks. The ploy worked in 1988, but that was a long time ago. Right now, the public sentiment for a second Sox stadium is closer to ice cold that cool. The weird thing is, I doubt if Reinsdorf cares. It’s all a game to him, a second publicly funded stadium rammed down the public’s throat. The other side blinked first 36 years ago. Jerry Reinsdorf expects them to cave again before long.

Ahead of Schedule

Clare was three years and ten months when we walked over one day to the Avenue Drug Store on Oak Park Avenue. I wanted the paper, she wanted the wiffle-ball-and-bat set in the toy aisle. How could I say, No? Back home, we went out front so I could pitch to her. The first ball she ever hit came straight at my head. A year or so later, she lined a ball into the gut of a Chicago politician we’re related to by marriage. You should’ve seen the look on his face. Girls weren’t supposed to do that. The homeruns took a few years more. On Monday, I saw a video of my grandson, two years and six months, with a bat in his hand, and his mother pitching. He exhibited a nice, compact swing and made solid contact, though I kind of wish Leo had lined a bal at his mother’s head, so she’d know the feeling. With any luck at all, the homeruns will come before long.

Raining Cliches

The Chicago media couldn’t help itself yesterday reporting on Jerry Reinsdorf’s trip to Springfield: swinging for the fences; hit a homerun; make his pitch. You name the cliché, they used it in talking about the White Sox stadium proposal for the South Loop. Hackneyed phrasing took the place of hard analysis. The state of Illinois faces a budget deficit, and here comes a billionaire asking for a billion dollars (with a billionaire family by the name of McCaskey looking for their own handout). My kingdom for a graph or two showing why the White Sox can build their own stadium without a penny from me. The one nice thing to see, though, was Reinsdorf being Reinsdorf in front of the cameras. How the man hates to have to answer questions. How the media can’t help itself but to ask something, anything, for a sound bite. Who says bad things don’t happen to the right people?

Please Sign

Back in the spring or early summer of 1988, we attended a White Sox game where team employees (I’m pretty sure the idea of unpaid interns hadn’t caught on yet) stood outside Comiskey Park asking people to sign a petition. It was to keep the team in Chicago. Being difficult by nature, I asked why we weren’t being asked to keep the team in Comiskey Park. You’d think I was asking for a million-dollar handout. Next! We’re about six weeks from Opening Day. I wonder if another group of young people, interns this time for sure, will be outside Guaranteed Rate Whatever circulating a petition to keep the Sox in Chicago. Like the first time, that will mean a boatload of public money to pay for a private stadium. And like the first time, dissent will not be encouraged. Because to question means to betray. Or so thinks one owner.

No So Fast

According to reports in the Chicago media, Jerry Reinsdorf intends to ask for an estimated $1 billion in public subsidies for a new White Sox stadium in the South Loop. Go big or go home, I guess. Forbes puts the Sox value at just a shade over $2 billion. So, in other words, Reinsdorf wants a lump sum half the value of his franchise. In exchange for that, he no doubt will offer to sign a long-term lease as favorable to his team as all the other leases have been since the Sox entered the bizarro world of stadium tenants. Ladies and gentlemen, time for pitchforks and torches. Contract law is all about “consideration,” something tangible that each side gets in an agreement. No consideration, no deal. As it stands, all the public gets in a new stadium deal is pie-in-the-sky projections about future revenue while the Sox get new digs they’ll rent for pennies on the dollar. In addition, franchise value will take a shot in the arm, as it has numerous other times. Nope. No can do. This is how it should go down—you want assistance worth half the value of your organization, then the public gets to be a half partner. Deal?

Grasping at Straws

Michael Kopech, that right-handed enigma on the mound for the White Sox, lost twenty pounds in the offseason in an effort to get his career back on track. Funny, but I never confused the 27-year old with Lance Lynn. But if Kopech wants to think being lighter will translate into results, good for him. Check that. Two years ago, Lucas Giolito came into camp twenty pounds heavier because he thought he needed the extra muscle. Giolito then went out and posted a 4.90 ERA on the season. Here’s hoping Kopech’s this isn’t Giolito’s that. The essence of baseball can be reduced to six words: See ball, hit ball; throw strikes. The devil is in the details, how to do it. If I were his pitching coach, I’d tell Kopech to treat every pitch like it’s the first pitch in the at-bat. He wants to get ahead of the batter, right? Let the other guy nibble or waste pitches. He’s Michael Kopech, dab gummit, and he knows how to throw strikes. First, one. Then, two. Then….

Uniform Appeal

Apparently, players are upset with some kind of new uniform MLB is introducing. It’s all about the fit, or lack thereof. I’m so behind the times on “merch” matters that I belong in a museum. Me, I don’t want to see the White Sox in new uniforms. Some old ones, that’s a different story. I read somewhere that the Sox may have changed uniform styles more than any other major-league team. I’d settle on any of these three: the early 1930s, with S-O-X spelled out on a slant, the letters connected by a bat and a ball filling up the inside of the O; the late 1930s, with the O and X fitting inside the loops of a supersized S; or the 1950s, with the Old English S-O-X and blue pinstripes. I could go to war in any of those. Unlike my daughter, I hate the candy-bar wrapper design from the 1980s. That’s the one Chris Sale cut up with scissors rather than wear. Smart man, that Sale.

Is This Anything?

The Illinois High School Authority announced yesterday it was making girls’ flag-football an official sport starting the next school year. Better late than never, I guess. By late, I mean fourteen-plus years, because Clare loved playing playground football with the boys at St. Bernardine’s. Playing flag-football in high school would’ve brought out the inner linebacker in her. TV did a lot of stories last fall about flag-football at local schools. From what I could tell, many of the girls were two-sport athletes; football allowed them to keep active and competing. It also seems that colleges are starting to offer scholarships for flag-football, and that’s fine by me. But beyond that, what? The Bears are big proponents of flag-football, so that makes me skeptical. Would Kevin Warren and company bother if there were any chance of its growing popularity impacting the Munsters? I doubt it. And if the first female general manager in the NFL got her start playing flag football, we’re still a long ways off of her hiring, now aren’t we? So, yes on the expansion of opportunity for female high school athletes, no on the Bears trying to make themselves looks as if they care about cracking the NFL’s glass ceiling.

He's Back

Mickey Mouse is back, battle-tested, humbled and ready to show the world what he’s learned. Yeah, right. The second-year White Sox manager talked to the media yesterday on the eve of pitchers and catchers reporting in Arizona. Mouse is quoted in today’s Sun-Times admitting “101 losses will rock anybody’s world,” the silver lining being “you learn a lot through that.” This is what I’ve learned off of last season. Mouse is testy to the point of arrogant. He says he knows fans are skeptical about his abilities, “But there’s a reason I am where I am, right? You just don’t get handed these jobs, right?” Wrong. Jerry Reinsdorf does it all the time. I learned long ago Reinsdorf likes suck-ups, and that’s what his manager did talking about Reinsdorf pal Tony LaRussa, who’ll be at spring training as some sort of senior advisor. Mouse said LaRussa has been “great. I push him every day to give me more [wisdom, I guess]. He’s got a wealth of knowledge, and it’s not just knowledge.” Huh? Oh, Mouse meant, “He’s got a story for everything.” Except, of course, about Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire doing steroids right under his nose.

Mark the Date

Pinch me, this is too good to be true. The Pirates signed ex-White Sox catcher Yasmani Grandal to a one-year deal, and Pittsburgh comes to town for a three-game series, July 12th to 14th. Imagine the passed balls and wild pitches, the throws to second instead bouncing into the outfield. Only this time, the Sox will be on the receiving, not the giving, end. Wait a second. July? Will Grandal still be on the roster by then? One can only hope, and I do.

Meanwhile, Over at the McCaskeys

I wonder what the McCaskey clan, Bears’ chairman George in particular, was thinking during last night’s Super Bowl, the Chiefs beating the 49ers in overtime, 25-22? Consider these possibilities. First, ex-Bears’ coach Matt Nagy did a great job as Kansas City’s offensive coordinator. Why, look at the plays Nagy called for Patrick Mahomes. Anybody could’ve won with that game plan. Second, people just don’t understand, and they never will—Mahomes didn’t fit the culture. Drafting him over Mitch Trubisky would’ve constituted a rejection of all that George Halas—blessed be his name—stood for. Third, how did the Raiders get the public to pick up nearly 40 percent of the $1.9 billion cost of Allegiant Field? Who cares if it looks like one of those funny little robot vacuum cleaners plunked down in the middle of the desert?

Just My Imagination

Seven hours from the Game of Games; Taylor Swift back from Japan and no doubt in Las Vegas by now; but I’m thinking baseball. Camps open in just a few more days. What if…what if Yoan Moncada gets off to a slow start for the White Sox, or, more likely, hurts his back before Opening Day? Then what? Danny Mendick was actually given an invite to spring training, so maybe him. Or how about 21-year old Bryan Ramos? The seventh-ranked prospect mostly played at Double-A Birmingham last season, hitting .271 with fourteen homeruns and 48 RBIs. If I’m not mistaken, Ramos showed up in Chicago last month, part of a group of players interacting with kids on the South Side. That would be impressive for someone who only came to the U.S. from Cuba as a seventeen-year old in 2019. Now, if Ramos could just hit his way onto the roster. Or Mendick. It's Super Bowl Sunday. I can dream.

Out of Sync

Tomorrow’s the Super Bowl, it’s precise meaning beyond me. But I’ll get to chase my grandson around the living room and stuff my face with “mini bagel dogs” by Vienna. I’ll leave the conspiracies to those so inclined. Some folks are social drinkers; I’m more a social football fan. I don’t want anybody calling me a Communist over a perceived lack of gridiron enthusiasm. Only this year, I feel more out of sync than usual. You’ve got all these people going ga-ga over a combination of TV ads, halftime entertainment (full disclosure: I can’t even tell you who the entertainment is this year. Prince? The Stones?); and an excuse to eat/drink to excess. I might wash my mini bagel dogs down with some Green River, but that’s it. And it won’t get any better the day after, at least for me. The Chicago media can’t seem to help itself—there’s a stadium story to cover, dab gummit, and that’s what every local news outlet is going to do. I wonder how long until a reporter writes or utters those immortal words, “It’s a done deal” in regards a new White Sox stadium? I’d like Jerry Reinsdorf to spend his own money, and I’d like him to build an updated version of Comiskey Park. But that’s not going to happen. The more I want it to, the more I grow out of sync with the state of things.

PECOTA Me This

Baseball Prospectus did its PECOTA projections for the upcoming season yesterday, and, there is was, plain as day: Figures don’t lie, but figurers do. I mean, you don’t need a computer to pick the Twins, Braves and Dodgers to win their respective divisions, or the Yankees, Astros and Cardinals to join them. Once upon a time, a slew of baseball magazines would’ve done the same. I can’t help but think this is the baseball equivalent of generals fighting the last war, plus a dash of Yankees-bias. Put the folks at BP in a time machine and take them to February 1965, what are the odds they’re picking the Yankees and Cardinals in a World Series rematch? I’d say pretty good. Personally, I’m finding it more than a little hard to be a White Sox fan these days, what with the team looking to build a new stadium and no talk of financing, which is a sure sign that a sizable public ask is lurking around the corner. But thank you, PECOTA, for rekindling the fire, if just for one day. Sixty-six wins and last place in the AL Central? We just invited Danny Mendick to spring training. He makes the team, we’re good for 80 wins, minimum.

Off the Shelf

Well, renderings of a new White Sox stadium in the South Loop were made public yesterday, and it certainly wasn’t worth the wait. Unless you like your stadiums designed without a hint of originality. Jerry Reinsdorf and company must think mix-and-match is the way to go. Baseball next to a body of water a la the Giants and Pirates? Check. A homerun porch a la the Ballpark in Arlington? Check. An outfield lawn like just about every Cactus League complex? Check. Oh, and part of the complex is walled in glass. Let’s see, glass and flying baseballs. Hmm. I always thought that was a bad mix. Goes to show what I know. Oh, and nothing about financing. I guess the idea is first to soften the public up with dazzling renderings of Elysian Fields and then start picking pockets. In which case, they need better pictures.

Is This Anything?

On Saturday, the Bulls spotted a pretty good Kings’ team a 30-point lead five minutes into the third quarter before closing to within three points with just under a minute left in a 123-115 loss at the United Center. Then came last night. Our heroes let the very good Minnesota Timberwolves (35-15 coming in) jump ahead by 23 four-and-a-half minutes into the third quarter. But this time, the Bulls came all the way back, winning 129-123 in overtime. Let me put it like this—they beat a team whose front-court would give Paul Bunyan pause. And they started both Andre Drummond and Nikola Vucevic to do it, with Vucevic sliding over to power forward. Daddy likes it when his team thinks outside the box. So, instead of being four games under, Billy Donovan’s squad stands at 24-27. Which leads to the inevitable question: Is this anything? With Zach LaVine out for the rest of the year with a foot injury? With DeMar DeRozan on an expiring contract? Maybe the answer lies with David Bowie. Sometimes, you get to be heroes, just for one day.