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.