Mea Culpa

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.  I despaired of the White Sox sending a message to the Indians.  My bad.  By winning 8-0 last night, the Sox took the season series from the Tribe eleven games to eight while handing their playoff chances pretty much of a death blow.  Best of all, Daniel Palka was Palka.

This family’s favorite right fielder hit his first two homeruns of the season in consecutive at-bats, in the fourth and sixth innings.  The first was a line drive, the second-hardest hit homerun by a Sox player all year, the second a moon shot deep to right on a starry night.  As luck would have it, we were all visiting the in-laws/grandparents just before it happened and were on our way home in our respective cars.

Clare called Michele with both of us on the tollway (hands-free technology, no driving statutes broken).  Everyone was home by the time of the second.  In fact, I was on the phone feigning sympathy for my fried the Cubs’ fan, with this, his team’s ninth straight loss (three more games to go in the season, guys.  You can do it.)  Call waiting was made for a time like this.

Of course, Jason Benetti and Steve Stone interviewed Palka after the game.  Who wouldn’t?  You never quite know what planet Palka will be answering from.  But this time was a little different.  Midway through the interview, Palka said “I’m busy.  I’ve got stuff to do,” took off the headset and ran into the dugout to the clubhouse.  I wonder.

Palka and Nicky Delmonico were media darlings at SoxFest and in spring training.  That status didn’t help Delmonico from getting released midseason or Palka from getting sent to the minors, twice.  I gather Daniel also had a podcast that didn’t go the planned ten episodes.  A player is better off not dodging the media; avoiding questions will only lead to problems down the road.  But mixing the role of athlete with that of entertainer is fraught with danger.  A player could think doing well at one will cover for slumps part of the other.  It won’t.

So, maybe we have a wiser Palka on our hands.  The world may not be ready for that, but who cares?