In Tatters

White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf once said a major-league baseball team was close to a public trust, so owning a team carried certain responsibilities.  Apparently, that includes running said trust into the ground.

Yesterday afternoon, Sox ace Chris Sale literally cut up the throwback uniforms the team was supposed to wear that day.  You could argue it was immature of Sale, or wait for his explanation.  Unfortunately, the latter is unlikely to occur.  The White Sox rarely comment on team controversy, and, when they do, they employ a form of English that muddles far more than it enlightens.

Kenny Williams, the team executive vice president, often acts like the general manager he used to be.  Rick Hahn, the general manager, acts like someone who lacks full authority to do his job.  Put those two together, and you get an organization that goes round and round in circles while hemorrhaging fans.  Why MLB allows this situation to fester is anyone’s guess.  You gotta love property rights in this country, at least if you’re rich and don’t engage in borderline hate speech.

The consensus among sports’ journalists—and we’re talking people with their own Mendoza line when it comes to average IQ—is that the White Sox should start all over and trade their biggest asset, viz., Sale.  In other words, the front office that made the mess in the first place gets to start over.  Trust us, they say.  Why should we?  Sox fans would like to know.

This is sports in Chicago.