Ending(s)

All bad things must come to an end, including fourteen-game losing streaks. White Sox 7 Red Sox 2. Garrett Crochet was pretty much unhittable over six innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks against ten strikeouts. Extension, please. Clare texted while we were watching Jeopardy! to pass along that Mark Buehrle was in the broadcast booth, so I would know when to slow down TIVO and unmute the sound when he came on. As my daughter said later, sad. Buehrle said he was happy away from baseball and didn’t much follow it, instead busying himself with handyman jobs. He also let it be known that he went to the front office after the Marlins made him an offer following the 2011 season and offered to re-sign for less. Thanks but no thanks, Jerry Reinsdorf and Kenny Williams said in effect. Put aside, if you can, the pairing of Buehrle and a young Chris Sale in the same rotation and consider what the Sox did. At age 32, Buehrle pitched four more seasons, going 53-41. In 2016, his last season, he went 15-8 for the Blue Jays with four complete games, a shutout and 198.2 innings pitched. He was 36. The Sox thought they could do better with lefty John Danks, six years Buehrle’s junior. Over the next five seasons, Danks went 25-48, with ERAs between 4.71 and 7.25. Dumb bet, that. Buehrle was in the perfect situation in Chicago, close enough to his home in Missouri (interestingly, he didn’t sign with the Cardinals or Royals when he had the chance) and comfortable to the point of winning 161 games on the South Side. That includes a no-hitter and a perfect game. But the White Sox were in the midst of transitions, from Ozzie Guillen to Robin Ventura, Buehrle to Danks. Stupid is as stupid does.