Driven to Extremes

I can see why fans do it, press the numbers on their phone, make the call.  They don’t even care if it’s one of those shows where the host loves to bait callers.  When professional sports’ teams go really bad, there’s not much else the paying public can do.

Witness my White Sox. Since 2013, they have the second-worst record in baseball, second only to the Phillies (who are about to have a new front office).  The team made four major offseason acquisitions—pitchers Jeff Smardzija and David Robertson, first baseman Adam LaRoche and left fielder Melky Cabrera—with only Robertson coming anywhere close to performing to expectations.

Yesterday, Samardzija coughed up a four-run lead in the eighth to the Tigers, then spouted gibberish about having to do better; the thing was, he sounded more resigned than upset.  LaRoche is downright creepy the way he strolls back to the dugout after a strikeout, staring at the pitcher.  And Robertson must wonder why the manager didn’t bring him in at any point in the eighth or ninth, especially given that the Tigers’ closer pitched the ninth to get the win. 

Seven months ago, White Sox executive vice president Kenny Williams wanted to take a job in the Toronto front office but was denied permission.  Too bad, at least for Sox GM Rick Hahn, who is being subjected to all sorts of second-guessing by Williams, now travelling with the team to get a feel for how they’re playing.  (Kenny, all you need to do is look at the box score and watch the game on TV; Hawk Harrelson has stopped making excuses for the bad play.  In fact, Hawk goes entire stretches without saying a word, it’s gotten so wretched.)   Williams doesn’t like what he sees, outside of the manager.

And he doesn’t like the criticism of Ventura.  He wants to know why he should care about the opinions of people “who have never run baseball teams” and “it’s here-today-gone-tomorrow for them?”  You see, those people have “had no internal conversations [with team officials] to formulate” their opinions.  By that definition, only politicians can have opinions about politics.  Taxpayers and fans should shut up and be grateful for the little things.

Wait, there’s more.  Pitching coach Don Cooper took offense at a reporter asking about Robertson’s recent travails.  “I applaud all you [sports people] for always looking for the head of the man that’s [expletive deleted] causing the problem,” Cooper was quoted in today’s Tribune.  “Your pursuit of that is relentless, but he’s done a good job for us.”  And to think the Sox rank next to last in the AL for team ERA.  Good job, Coop.

No one loses their job, and fans should mind their own business.  Like I said, this is why people take to sports’ talk radio.