More Dues-giving

The White Sox won a game yesterday they would’ve lost any number of ways in seasons past. Reliever Grant Taylor took the mound in the bottom of the ninth for a second inning of work and a 4-0 lead. Taylor failed to cover first on an infield single by Jackson Merril and then proceeded to walk the next two batters. This brought up ex-Sox Gavin Sheets in a lefty-righty matchup in Sheets’ favor. Key the fireworks for grand slam. No, check that. Sheets was called out on strikes after catcher Edgar Quero challenged a ball call by plate ump Sean Barber on a 2-2 pitch. Exit Taylor for Seranthony Dominguez. Keep those fireworks ready. No, check that. Dominguez recorded a flyout and strikeout to preserve the win while earning his eighth save. What’s going on here? Obviously, the new regime is making headway. Winning starter Sean Burke threw six shutout innings. This is the same Sean Burke who pitched himself back to the minors last season. Pitching Coach Zach Bove must be doing something right, though I couldn’t say what; ditto hitting coach Derek Shomon. And, yes, manager Vibes Venable seems to be pulling the right levers more often than not lately. If, by some miracle—another two-hit game from Sam Antonacci wouldn’t hurt—the Sox pull off the sweep today, they’ll be at .500, cause for celebration, indeed. I’ll keep the fireworks ready.

Additions

The White Sox started a six-game road trip last night with an 8-2 win over the Padres. Four players contributing to the win weren’t on the team this time last year. Three are from the Sox farm system while the other may be from another planet, and, if not that, another hemisphere. That would be Munetaka Murakami, who clubbed his major-league leading thirteenth homerun, good for three of seven runs scored in the second inning. That was all that Noah Schultz, one of those farmhands I mentioned, needed. The 22-year old recorded his second career victory with six innings of shutout ball, at one point retiring sixteen straight San Diego batters, with a little help from a double play. Did I mention Colson Montgomery and Sam Antonacci? My bad. Montgomery started the second by walking; two batters later, Antonacci drove him in with a single. Montgomery also homered in the fifth while Antonacci had two hits on the night with a run scored and RBI. More, please. Now, to give the devil his due. Schultz and Montgomery were both drafted by the old regime headed up by Rick Hahn (or Hahn-Kenny Williams, the uncertainty of which was a big part of the problem). So were starter Hagen Smith and infielder Jacob Gonzalez, both of whom are putting up call-up worthy numbers at Triple-A Charlotte. Hahn deserved to be fired. That said, if this rebuild—I forget which number we’re on—starts taking off, Hahn deserves part of the credit. You have no idea how much it pains me to say that.

Market Discipline

I saw a survey not too long ago that found baseball fans are warming to the idea of a salary cap. So, maybe I should get onboard, too. In fact, I will just as soon as owners can spell out how savings for them will be passed on to me. In the meantime, I’m still inclined to point out how well the market works on its own: The Dodgers get what they’ve paid for. The Mets, not so much. After blowing the rubber game to the Nationals at home yesterday, the Mets have themselves a 10-21 record to go with a $357.6 million payroll, the highest in baseball for a 40-player roster (per USA Today from 3-25-2026). Francisco Lindor is hurt; Juan Soto has been hurt; and free-agent acquisition Bo Bichette is hitting .230 with fourteen RBIs. Guess who has fifteen? Miguel Vargas. Speaking of ex-Sox players on the Mets, Marcus Semien is looking every bit of 35, with a .218 BA and nine RBIs in 110 at-bats. And Luis Robert Jr., who not too long ago was saying how nice it was to play in front of a lot of fans for a change, just went on the—wait for it—IL with “lumbar spine disc herniation.” Bet that clears up real fast. The only way for things to improve is if everyone starts to play up to the stats from the back of their baseball card. If they don’t, the Mets end up like a Rick Hahn team. Wait, wasn’t Hahn the one who told Sox fans to chill because it was only a matter of time before Yasmani Grandal—wait for it—played up to the stats on the back of his baseball card? Only it didn’t happen. Mets’ owner Steve Cohen spent recklessly and is paying the price. Why let a salary cap protect a fool from his folly?

By Way of Comparison

And the young shall lead them. Rookie Sam Antonacci tripled in the tying run with two out in the bottom of the ninth yesterday afternoon against California. One inning later, second-year player Colson Montgomery delivered a walk-off single. White Sox 3 Angels 2 for a Sox sweep. Antonacci isn’t setting the AL Central on fire, but he exhibits an intriguing skill set, heavy on contact and hustle. He has nine hits in 40 at-bats for a .225 BA, with four walks; five runs; and six RBIs, including yesterday. He also has a double, two triples and an inside-the-park homerun. Did I mention a .347 OBP? Now, compare that to Fernando Tatis Jr., the one who got away. Tatis is hitting .250 in 112 at-bats with eleven runs and thirteen RBIs. The thirteen walks help elevate his OBP to .323, but the 32 strikeouts are more than a little concerning, especially when you consider Tatis has yet to homer. Tatis is averaging just south of $24.3 million a year, part of a fourteen-year deal with the Padres worth $340 million. The Sox travel to San Diego for their next series. This could be interesting.

History

“That’s interesting,” I said watching the White Sox game from the couch last night. “What?” asked Michele. The dog didn’t say anything. “Drew Romo homered, again.” The 24-year old catcher, called up from Triple-A Charlotte three days earlier, had already gone deep in the fourth inning against Angels’ ace Jose Soriano, who came into the game sporting a 5-0 record and 0.24 ERA (!) over 49.2 innings. Impressive, given that it was Romo’s first-ever major-league homer. Wait, there’s more. Romo is a switch-hitter. He batted lefty against Soriano, then righty against reliever Brent Suter. Yup, another homer, this one to the stands in left field. The history that I sensed was Romo being the first-ever switch-hitting catcher to homer from both sides of the plate in Sox history. I later found that he’s just the third player in MLB history to record his first two career homers switch-hitting in consecutive at-bats. There was a TV show back in the 1960s that opened with the voiceover, “There are seven million stories in the Naked City, and this is one of them.” Something like that applies to Romo, who was a first-round draft pick out of high school by the Rockies in 2020 and who made his debut for Colorado in 2024. He showed some pop in the minors, but apparently not enough to keep the Rockies from releasing him last December. The Orioles picked him up, then released him. The Mets then picked him up, only to release him in early January. Then the Sox signed him; released him; and re-signed him. Either I’m missing something here, or other teams are. The only possible problem I can see with Romo is a so-so arm. Maybe he goes down as a one-game overachiever for the Sox like Merv Conners, who hit three homers and a double in a game against the A’s in 1938. Or he could turn out to be a steal, like Nellie Fox or Billy Pierce. Time will tell. In the meantime, it sure was fun to watch.

Awaken, Remember

I went to bed last night around 11:15. The last time I checked, the White Sox were losing to the Angels by a score of 4-0. Why they were even playing was beyond me. A three-hour rain delay could only mean one wet, muddy field. Then I got up this morning to find the Sox had rallied from a 5-1 deficit with a seven-spot in the seventh and hung on for an 8-7 win, highlighted by a three-run homerun off the bat of Munetaka Murakami, who now leads the majors with twelve long balls. Now, if the Sox would just stop pretending that Anthony Kay—four innings, four earned runs on seven hits and two walks—is a major-league starter, there might be cause for hope. Funny thing about the weather. It was the same fourteen years ago today, only colder. We were in Appleton Wisconsin for a doubleheader between Elmhurst College and host Lawrence University. Clare had a forgettable two games until her last at-bat, when she hit a ball a good 260 feet or more to give her Blue Jays a sweep. Six days later, she hit a ball maybe 20 feet further in the conference playoffs. A prophet of power to come.

Good Pitching, Bad Hitting

If good pitching stops good hitting, the White Sox have one and not the other. Nationals 2 Sox 1 in ten innings. I don’t want to get too excited, but rightie Sean Burke does seem to be figuring things out on the mound. Yesterday, he threw 7.1 scoreless—and walk-free—innings, only to have his teammates strike out thirteen times. And that’s actually an improvement over Saturday, when they whiffed fourteen times in ten innings. We turn our lonely eyes to you, Braden Montgomery. Speaking of which, the Luisangel Acuna watch continues. Acuna’s BA has hit .179 and shows no signs of stopping its downward spiral there. Did I mention Derek Hill, with his one RBI in 34 at-bats or Tanner Murray, with 3 in 28? Murray most likely will be the first of this trio to exit, but only because he hurt his left shoulder making a diving catch in the tenth inning yesterday. The Sox being the Sox, expect them to promote Jarred Kelenic, batting a robust .190 for Triple-A Charlotte. The late, great Bob Newhart used to do a bit about how a roomful of chimps at typewriters would produce the works of Shakespeare over the course of eternity: To be or not to be, that is the @@!#. That’s the White Sox front office, bringing up Noah Schultz, finding a way to tap into Sean Burke’s potential, along with signing Anthony Kay to a two-year deal, even though he has no real future on the South Side. @@!#

Full Circle

White Sox rookie lefthander Noah Schultz had himself a very nice third start in the majors, six innings pitched, two earned runs, eight strikeouts. Too bad Vibes Venable went with Jordan Leasure to open the tenth inning. Nationals 6 Sox 3. Not that I watched the game in real time. No, we had to be at our grandson’s t-ball game, where his mother made her coaching debut, subbing for the absent head coach. Where my daughter found the patience is beyond me. Clare didn’t start t-ball until she was six, and here she was dealing with a bunch of four-year olds, some of whom found it hard to stand up for any length of time. As for hitting, they made more contact whacking the tee than the ball. And there was my daughter, getting little knees to bend and eyes to concentrate on the ball in front of them. This from someone who is very much like her father, someone who doesn’t suffer fools gladly and considers way too many people to be fools. Leo at least drove the ball and knew to touch the bases; no doubt, Mom will work with him about standing in the field. A glove doesn’t do much good when you’re lying down.

Baby Steps

By beating the Nationals 5-4 last night to begin a six-game homestand, the White Sox improved their record to 11-15, which is better than eight other teams, the same as the Giants and a half-game behind the Angels and Mariners. Who knew? Sam Antonacci hit what proved to be the game-winning sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth. The sort-of left fielder now has four RBIs in 28 at-bats along with three walks vs. two strikeouts. To me, Antonacci looks to be a keeper. The question, though, is what happens once Austin Hays comes off the IL? At that point, Chris Getz and Vibes Venable may find themselves facing a difficult choice. Who do they want at second base, Antonacci or Chase Meidroth? In 91 at-bats, Meidroth has managed all of two RBIs; the twelve walks turns his .253 BA into a .340 OBP, as opposed to .343 for Antonacci. Meidroth plays a nice second base, but Antonacci bats left-handed and looks to be faster on the basepaths. I know who I’m leaning toward. But it’s Getz and Venable who’ll have to decide, and probably sooner than later.

Like a Good Team

Wow, a three-run homerun by Andrew Benintendi in the ninth to break open a tied game and give the White Sox a 4-1 win over the Diamondbacks along with a series’ win. This must be what good teams do on a regular basis. If only. But maybe I’m being too hard. At 10-15, the White Sox have a better record than six teams—oh, I wouldn‘t want to be the Astros, Mets, Phillies or Red Sox right now—and are half-a-game behind three others, one of whom will be in town for a three-game set starting tonight. Beat those Nationals! There’s just enough hitting and pitching on the major-league level to make me wonder why GM Chris Getz isn’t moving the minor-league talent up sooner. Or maybe it’s a tomato/tomahto thing, my slow is his fast. In which case, I can’t wait. I’ve already mentioned the minor-league pitching talent. There’s also hitting, starting with Braden Montgomery in Double-A. The 23-year old switch-hitting outfielder is batting .354 with eighteen RBIs for the Barons. Teammate Alec Makarewicz is also worth watching. The 25-year old undrafted third baseman has come out of nowhere to hit .364. Triple-A outfielder Caden Connor and first baseman Ryan Galanie could also hit themselves into a callup before too long. All I know is, this sure beats 2024.

A Waste of Pop

Last night in Arizona, Munetaka Murakami homered for a fifth straight game; Colson Montgomery a fourth; and Miguel Vargas a third, but the White Sox still lost to the Diamondbacks, 11-7. Given the pitching, it could’ve been worse. Oh, the organization has pitching, only GM Chris Getz won’t promote it. No, instead of bringing up talent from their minor-league system, the Sox insist on using retreads. Last night, they started Anthony Kay, who pitched, as my father would say, like Mickey the Mope. I mean, eight earned runs in 3.2 innings on eight hits (two of them homeruns) and three walks. After the Sox pulled to within 8-5, manager Vibes Venable brought in Lucas Sims, and he gave up two runs in an inning of work. This is both depressing and, I’d argue, self-defeating. Let the kids—Hagen Smith, Tanner McDougal, Shane Murphy, Duncan Davitt—take their lumps with the parent club. Why? To see what they have, which can’t be any worse than what Kay has shown. He’s 1-1 on the season with a 5.57 ERA. For his career, the 31-year old is 5-3 with a 5.59 ERA. Tell me that’s going to get any better.

This and That

Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas and Colson Montgomery hit back-to-back-to-back homeruns in the second inning last night as the White Sox beat the Diamondbacks, 11-5. I wonder if Billy Donovan was watching? Each homer was important in its own way, as was Sam Antonacci’s inside-the-parker in the ninth inning. Murakami can point to his ninth homer in this young season to quiet the doubters (like me) while Vargas needs to put up the best stats possible as the new Lenyn Sosa. The better he does, the better his new team will be (see Sosa, Toronto Bluejays). Short of a miracle, Vargas will be gone sooner than later. The Sox have 20-year old third baseman Caleb Bonemar tearing up High-A pitching; odds are Bonemer will be in Double-A before long and/or Triple-A. In addition, the Sox will draft first come June. The consensus best player is UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky. If the Sox take Cholowsky, somebody has to move, either to third base or centerfield. Like I said, Vargas can only help himself find a good team by producing now. Montgomery also needs to produce, even if he won’t be switching teams anytime soon. The doubters (like me) keep looking at BA (.213) and strikeouts (30 in 80 at-bats); the six homeruns and sixteen RBIs make a strong case for the glass being more than half full. We’ll just have to wait and see. Ditto for Antonacci, who also had a triple in the first inning to go with three RBIs for the game. My, that kid can fly. The more he hits, the more he quiets the doubters (for once, not me). We’ll just have to wait and see. Which brings us to now ex-Bulls’ head coach Donovan, who announced yesterday he wasn’t coming back even though Jerry and Michael Reinsdorf clearly wanted him to. Who can blame Donovan? He’s seen Reinsdorf dysfunction up close for six years. He can pretty much have any head-coaching job in the pros or college that he wants. Good luck to the only New Yorker I’ve ever liked.

Relief

In the bizarro world that is stadium politics in America, the Illinois General Assembly is scrambling to keep those lovable Munsters on this side of the state line with Indiana. The focus is on “tax relief.” Legislators know any kind of deal with the team risks charges of favoritism. When Virginia McCaskey was the face of the Bears, it was hard to say or think nasty things. With her son George in charge, it gets a whole lot easier. So, a billionaire handout is being disguised as “megaproject” legislation that will allow corporate entities to get tax breaks because, otherwise, local property taxes can be such a drain on quarterly profits. But fear not, little folks, you too will be offered some sort of tax relief. And how much will that cost? Correct me if I’m wrong, but lower taxes mean budget deficits if the affected taxing bodies don’t lower spending. Which Illinois communities are going to cut back on teachers and first responders? Which ones are going to rush to privatize municipal services or slash library hours? Of course, tax relief could be tied to some sort of millionaire’s tax, an idea of growing popularity with anyone not a millionaire. Question, though. Do you think George McCaskey is going throw his support behind any such effort?

Hear Me

I speak, and people listen, sometimes or only in my mind or not at all. Whatever. But White Sox players do seem to perform right after I call them out. Take Miguel Vargas (please), who homered and singled in yesterday’s series-clinching 7-4 win over the A’s (should’ve been a sweep, but, well, it’s the White Sox). Guess what I never realized until I slowed down Vargas’ swing, courtesy of TIVO? We have ourselves a disciple of Walt Hriniak, that’s what. Vargas may have no idea who the former Sox hitting coach is, but his top hand left the bat on his follow-through in every at-bat yesterday. Whatever works, if it works. Or consider Munetaka Murakami. Another game, another two strikeouts. Also a homerun for the third straight game, this one a real moon shot to right field. Murakami has his BA up to .208, with eight homers and sixteen RBIs. All I can say here is, more across the board, please. And let’s not forget Colson Montgomery. Another game, another strikeout, another…homer, his fifth of the year. Montgomery has his average at exactly .200. Sixty points more, and I’ll be happy, just like I am with his defense. Fifteen games started at short and four at third, 66 total chances without an error. More, please. Last and certainly not least (other than Sam Antonacci pinch-hitting a single), a tip of the cap to Noah Schultz, whom I didn’t criticize but who still bounced back nicely from his so-so first start. Schultz gave up a run, a hit and a walk in five innings of work while striking out six A’s. It was a dominating performance marred only by the 22-year old needing 82 pitches to get his first major-league win. Efficiency, young man, efficiency; pitches well outside the zone will only tire you out. There, I criticized him.

Not Good

A good baseball team builds on a second-inning, 5-0 lead. And it sure as all whatever doesn’t strand fourteen runners or go 3-for-17 with runners in scoring position or fail to score with the bases loaded and nobody out in the 11th inning or roll over and play dead the way the White Sox did yesterday against the A’s in an eleven-inning 7-6 loss. Then again, the White Sox aren’t a good team. And they don’t have a good manager, if managing means more than telling reporters after the game, “Some chase above the zone in big spots [Colson Montgomery and Everson Pereira both whiffing on high pitches out of the strike zone]. Whether guys were trying to do too much, I don’t think that was the case. [Then, what was the case?] That’s not really what I saw. [Then, what did you see?] Just weren’t able to make it happen.” [today’s online Trib] Just? You’re the manager, Vibes. It’s your job to make things happen, and your coaches’. If players aren’t producing, you diagnose the problem and fix it. If it can’t be fixed, you give other players a shot. Instead, Vibes and company, well, I haven’t a clue what they’re doing with Miguel Vargas and Sam Antonacci. After going 0-for4 yesterday, Vargas is batting an anemic .153, with two hits over his last 29 at-bats. He’s hitting off his front foot; lunging; taking a hand off his bat on his follow through. But he keeps playing. Either he’s not getting advice or not following the advice he’s getting. He needs to sit. Alas, so does Antonacci. After recording a hit in his first major-league at-bat, the 23-year old has gone 0-for-14. The good news is one strikeout in nineteen plate appearances. The bad news is contact softer than a Dreamsicle left out in the August sun. The kid is obviously pressing. What I want to know is, who’s helping him calm down? Vibes? I doubt he knows how.

If Just for One Game

If I didn’t know better, I’d think the White Sox took my complaints to heart yesterday and responded accordingly. Why not? Whatever the reason, Sox hitters woke up and pounded out fifteen hits in a 9-2 road win over the A’s...in Sacramento, of course. Now, let’s see if there’s any carryover. I hope so. Andrew Benintendi and Munetaka Murakami had three hits apiece while Colson Montgomery had two, along with Edgar Quero, Chase Meidroth and—wait for it—Luisangel Acuna. Murakami’s third hit was a monster grand slam in the seventh inning to dead center field, over a 50-foot high batter’s backdrop. It sure looked to go further than the announced 431 feet. But the real hero was starter Davis Martin, who picked up his third win with seven innings of one-run ball. How good was Martin? The 29-year old needed twelve pitches to get through the first two innings and 20 over the first three. For the game, the Sox best starter right now threw just 89 pitches. Compare that to A’s starter Aaron Civale, who got the hook after 4.2 innings and 103 pitches. By losing, the Mets and Royals have tied the Sox for worst record in baseball. Which of this lot will climb to the top of the pile? We’ll know soon enough.

Garbage, and not the Band

Three times yesterday, the White Sox had the lead over the Rays, and three times Tampa tied the game. Naturally, the third time proved a charm, with the Rays scoring three runs in the ninth, two with two out, to win 5-3 and sweep the series. What a load of…garbage. Where to start? Let’s start with the hitting, or lack thereof. What Casey Stengel once said about catchers and passed balls applies—in spirit—here. You don’t hit, you don’t win, and the Sox don’t hit. It was another day, another bunch of whiffs for Munetaka Murakami, as in three. Murakami has now struck out 26 times in 60 at-bats. Somewhere, Dave Nicholson shakes his head in disbelief. Signing Murakami was one of GM Chris Getz’s big offseason moves. The other was taking the money he saved from dumping Luis Robert Jr. and using it to sign Seranthony Dominguez to close. Now, not only does Getz’s team lack a centerfielder (how long until Luisangel Acuna gets sent down?), they don’t seem to have much of a closer, either. Dominguez fell behind 3-1 to Junior Caminero to start the ninth before delivering a sinker right in Caminero’s wheelhouse, thank you very much. Wait, there’s more. After getting an out, Dominguez gave up a single and a walk. Wait, there’s more. Then, he hit a batter. Wait, there’s more. Manager Vibes Venable brought in Lucas Sims, who apparently was so excited over striking out Jake Fraley he faced, he walked the next two. Game over. But, yes, you have to wait, because there’s more. After the game, Venable offered to reporters, “I think it was one of those [days] where he didn’t have his best stuff. He wasn’t able to command the ball.” [today’s Trib] Ya think? Now, tell me this, Vibes. Isn’t it the job of the manager and his coaches to get his closer ready, and, if he isn’t, to move quickly to minimize the damage? Only Vibes decided to go with an opener again, this time Jordan Leasure. Maybe one day Commissioner Rob Manfred will change the rules and allow a pitcher to return after being lifted, like in spring training. But, until then, you use a reliever to open, and you can’t bring him back in the ninth. Anthony Kay followed Leasure and went just 2.2 innings. Why didn’t Kay start? Maybe because this organization is clueless and content with garbage results. Right now, they have the worst record in baseball at 6-13 and are on a pace to lose 111 games, which would be the fourth straight season of 100-plus losses. Maybe they think a new stadium in the South Loop will fix everything. Yeah, that’s it. Only 10,128 showed up on a beautiful Thursday afternoon on account of location, not performance. What a load…

This is Progress?

Ask, and ye shall receive. Not really, but the White Sox did call up Sam Antonacci yesterday, and he responded by going 1-for-3 in his major-league debut, with a run scored in an otherwise dreadful 8-3 Sox loss to the Rays. Dreadful why? Because that one hit meant Antonacci ended up with a higher batting average in the lineup than Andrew Benintendi (.178); Munetaka Murakami (.179); Miguel Vargas (.155); and Colson Montgomery (.175). It’s hard to say which of this group looks worst, but Montgomery’s four strikeouts does stand out. Vargas at least makes contact. Did I mention Luisangel Acuna and his .170 BA? My bad, and Chris Getz’s for thinking Acuna is a major-league hitter. Nope. And neither is Tristan Peters, while we’re at it. But these guys continue to see playing time. Why? Speaking of head-scratching moves, Getz sent down Brandon Eisert and replaced him with fellow lefty Tyler Gilbert. Nothing says, “Thank you, Jesus, for this chance,” more than giving up four earned runs in 1.2 innings of work. Just kidding, about the Jesus part. But this team sure could use some divine intervention.

So-so

It could’ve been worse, it could’ve been better. In his big-league debut last night, lefthanded giant Noah Schultz went 4.1 innings, giving up four runs (three earned) on just three hits to the Rays in a losing effort. All four of the walks, though, scored as Tampa Bay coasted to an 8-5 win. Down 1-0 with runners on second and third and one out, Schultz fielded a bunt from Ben Williamson on an attempted suicide squeeze. At 6’10”, Schultz got to the ball in plenty of time for the out at home, only to throw it away. Take away the two runs that scored, and who knows? The good news is that Schultz won’t be going anywhere, as in back to Charlotte. He’ll see if he can steady his nerves in his second start, against the A’s or D-backs. The bad news is GM Chris Getz insists on staffing his bullpen with retreads; last night, Lucas Sims and Brandon Eisert let in four runs over 2.2 innings. Meanwhile, any number of promising pitchers await in Triple-A. Go figure. In another bit of Getz-second-guessing, I see he didn’t see fit to promote Sam Antonacci, a move that paid off in the short term. Instead of bringing up Antonacci, Getz activated Everson Pereira from the IL, and Pereira repaid the move by hitting a three-run homerun that put the Sox to within a run at 4-3 (see bad bullpen, above). Antonacci got two hits in his game, by the way.

Stuff

There’s stuff going on with the White Sox right now, but it’s tough to get a good read on the extent. What I do know is #2 prospect Noah Schultz, all 6’10” of him, will be making his major-league debut tonight against the Rays. That in itself is news. No waiting to make sure the 22-year old lefty is absolutely, 100-percent ready. Instead, both a leap of faith and an expression of confidence by the front office; how unlike the Sox. Rumor also has it that Sam Antonacci, all 5’11” of him, will be joining Schultz from Charlotte. Only this is where the new Sox are being just like the old Sox. No official word until around two hours before game time. With nothing better to do, I might as well dream, that Schulz will dazzle and Antonacci come through in the clutch. Perchance…

Back to the Future

By rallying yesterday to beat the Royals 6-5 on a wild pitch, the White Sox “improved” to 6-10 on the (thankfully, still young) season. Hmm, 6-10, sounds familiar. Back in 2023, then rookie manager Mickey Mouse posted the very same record. A year later, with Mouse working his magic, the Sox fell to 2-14 before Mouse was shown the door in August. His successor, Vibes Venable (Note: I will be using this moniker until Venable gets the team to ten games over .500), had a 4-12 record after sixteen games last season. You could say that progress is in the eyes of the beholder here. I’ll leave it to my daughter Clare to assess that progress. “At least they’re doing things,” she said yesterday. “It’s not like before, when they’d lost 80 games by July, and then said, ‘Ooh, what happened?’ Now, they’re doing stuff.” More on that “stuff” tomorrow.

No Change

Chase Meidroth, Munetaka Murakami and Colson Montgomery went a collective 0-for-11 in yesterday’s 2-0 White Sox loss in Kansas City. But, hey, the guys grinded away and actually doubled their hit total, from two on Friday to four. Even better was this nugget of wisdom offered by manager New-Mickey Venable. “As tough as it has been offensively, these guys remain positive,” Venable told reporters. “The vibe is good.” [today’s Tribune] And here I didn’t know teams make the postseason based on their vibe.

Help!

Davis Martin threw seven innings of two-run ball last night in Kansas City and still lost 2-0. Why? Because his team can’t hit. The “projects” went a collective 1-for-9 while everyone else managed 1-for-20 plus a walk. Not one batter in the Sox lineup is hitting better than Chase Meidroth’s .224, and I’m not convinced Meidroth is a major-league hitter, as evidenced by his three strikeouts last night in the leadoff spot. Speaking of strikeouts, take Munetaka Murakami and Colson Montgomery (please); Murakami went down flailing three times against KC pitching while Montgomery did it twice. Murakami is 8-for-45 with nineteen strikeouts vs. 9-for-48 with another nineteen strikeouts for Montgomery. If these guys don’t hit, who will? Meidroth? The Sox rank 29 out of 30 with a team BA of .196 and 29th in runs scored (43). The Astros lead the majors in runs with 85, by the way. I wouldn’t panic, but I would be concerned, very concerned.

One and Counting

The White Sox did something last night in Kansas City they haven’t done since April 4, 2024. Yup, beat the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. A shutout, no less. Sox 2 Royals 0. If nothing else, 5-8 tops 4-9. But how bad must the Royals be if an opponent with only six hitters in the lineup—again—beats them? Those six hitters generated all of five hits, two by catcher Edgar Quero and a run-scoring double off the bat of Colson Montgomery. As for the three, let’s call them “projects,” a single from Dustin Harris and a sacrifice fly from Luisangel Acuna, who now has two RBIs in 39 at-bats. Right now, the pitching both stinks and looks promising. Last night, Anthony Kay went 5.2 innings giving up three hits and two walks against six strikeouts, all good enough for Kay’s first win since June of 2021. (Not a good idea to hit two batters, though.) Manager New-Mickey Venable actually used Grant Taylor out of the pen for a change, and Taylor went 1.1 innings before yielding to Jordan Leasure, who did no damage over an inning, while Seranthony Dominguez managed not to blow the save despite a leadoff walk in the ninth. Did I mention Noah Schultz is 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA for Triple-A Charlotte, or that he has nineteen strikeouts in fourteen innings? Some stats are worth repeating.

Trite but True

With sports, you get what you put in. So, yet again yesterday afternoon, the White Sox fielded a lineup with just six hitters and ran out more journeyman relievers, turning yet another two-run lead into a 5-3 loss. Until they’d signed him last week, I’d never heard of 31-year old Lucas Sims, who picked up the loss (and a shoutout to Bryan “Who He?” Hudson for blowing the save). By the way, last night Noah Schultz ran his record to 3-0 for Charlotte. Speaking of just desserts, the Sky traded power forward Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for two first-round draft picks. If the Sky invested anything beyond a paycheck the two years they had Reese, I sure as heck missed it. At the risk of comparing forwards to guards, Reese is a whole different ballgame than Caitlin Clark. This is all speculation on my part, but I’m willing to bet that Clark has been a family enterprise since her mid-teens. She’s reserved but (sort of) approachable for the media, and she knows how to translate her talent into endorsement deals. The second she stepped on the court for the Fever, odds are she was backed by top-notch representation. Reese is more a one-person operation, which is where the Sky needed to step in with all sorts of support. The organization should’ve partnered with Reese in any and every endeavor, demonstrating their commitment to her on- and off-court success. From what I can see, they did absolutely nothing in that regard. The way things are going, don’t be surprised to see the announcement of a Sky/Sox partnership any day now. Because birds of a feather and dysfunctional organizations flock together.

Half a Roster

Right now, the White Sox look to be stuck in the teardown phase of their rebuild. Yesterday, they blew a 2-0 lead to lose 4-2 to the Orioles. By my count, they had six real hitters—and that’s ignoring early-season slumps—in the lineup while employing at most one major-league pitcher out of the six used, and that’s granting Jordan Leasure major-league status. Sorry, Jordan Hicks and his hittable 100-mph fastball don’t count, as evidenced by his 9.00 ERA. Wait, there’s more. Brooks Baldwin, who was expected to see plenty of action in the outfield, is out for the season with surgery on his right elbow. In his absence, we have the likes of Luisangel Acuna; Dustin Harris; Tristan Peters; and Derek Hill. How many RBIs has that quartet managed in eleven games? One. Still not done. Shane Smith started, threw 3.2 shutout innings but got sent down to Triple-A Charlotte. Why? Because he needed 99 pitches to record ten outs. It’s never a good look when you send down your Opening Day pitcher after three starts, but that’s your 2026 White Sox. The longer GM Chris Getz waits to promote the talent that he does have (starters Noah Schultz, Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal along with newly-minted left fielder Sam Antonacci), the deeper the hole he digs for his team and the more he risks alienating the fanbase. But it’s been said many times, may ways. What do I know?

Bullseye

Holy Cow, Jerry Reinsdorf and son Michael actually fired Bulls’ v.p. of basketball operations’ Arturas Karnisovas and team GM Marc Eversley, and they only waited two years too long to do it! Who says old dogs can’t learn new tricks? It must’ve been excruciatingly hard for father and son to act. I mean, Karnisovas is the perfect Reinsdorf hire, both arrogant and tight-lipped, while Eversley spent his time in Chicago doing a spot-on impersonation of the Invisible Man. Has anyone seen him, let alone heard, from him? And a tip of the cap to now ex-Bull Jaden Ivey, whose social media attacks on Catholics and the LGBTQ community forced the front office to act. Too bad Karnisovas and Eversley didn’t feel the need to address the media regarding Ivey. Maybe that was the proverbial straw that broke the old regime. The last man standing here appears to be head coach Billy Donovan, and good for him. The HOFer is in the driver’s seat and should have no problem getting a job elsewhere, pros or college. If he stays around, it may be further proof that the old dogs on Madison Street finally have a clue about cleaning up the mess they let fester for way too long.

Sweep

Whenever a team with the third-lowest payroll in baseball sweeps the team with the fifth-highest, the little folk get to celebrate. White Sox 3 Blue Jays 0. It’s early, and that three-game sweep only gives the Sox a 4-5 record, but it sure beats the last three years. Right now, Davis Martin is pitching more like a #2 starter than a #4. The righthander threw six shutout innings on just 85 pitches to go 2-0 in the season. Some players labor to express themselves, Martin possesses the gift of gab (though not yesterday). A good season from him would mean an abundance of quotable lines. But it would be nice if the Sox started to field a lineup with nine established major-league hitters; yesterday, they got by with six. Tanner Murray (shortstop); Luisangel Acuna (centerfield); and Derek Hill (right field) don’t qualify, though Acuna looks he’ll get plenty of chances given that he can steal a base—four so far—when he gets on. Oh, but all the groundballs off his bat. At age 30, Hill is the quintessential journeyman while Murray is a callup for injured outfielder Everson Pereira (ankle). Off the play he made in the third inning with the bases loaded and two out, I hope the guy can hit because Murray ranged far to his left on a groundball by Addison Barger and bounced an accurate throw to first to beat a lefthand hitting Barger charging down the line. That said, I still want Colson Montgomery in there as my shortstop. Seven real hitters in the lineup is better than six.

Better

For better or worse, the White Sox have tied their fortunes to Munetaka Murakami. Yesterday, they got both, with the good outweighing the bad in a Sox 6-3 win over the visiting Blue Jays. Murakami butchered a groundball that led to a one-out, bases-loaded situation in the fourth inning. But Anthony Kay—who knew?—managed to wiggle out of it. Then came the sixth inning. Murakami absolutely crushed a ball off of reliever Brendon Little to dead center for a two-run homerun to give the Sox the lead for good. Two batters later, Colson Montgomery, in full feast-or-famine mode, launched a ball over the fence in right. Wait, there’s more. The Sox being the Sox, they had to give Toronto a chance to get back in the game, which they did by loading the bases with one out in the seventh. That’s when Murakami did his part in a sacrifice fly/double play. Nathan Lukes flied out to Tristan Peters in right, with a run scoring. Murakami then cut Peters’ throw and nailed the runner trying to advance from second to third. End of threat and pretty much end of ballgame. This was the second straight game Grant Taylor opened, pitching an inning. The logic here escapes me. Taylor is more valuable recording four outs late in the game than three in the first. But a win’s a win.

Smart Money, and Not

The White Sox won their home opener yesterday afternoon, topping the Blue Jays 5-4 in ten innings. Neither team’s big offseason free-agent signings did much to distinguish himself, starting with Toronto starter Dylan Cease. The onetime Sox enigma, signed to a seven-year deal worth $210 million, pitched just like he did on the South Side, which is to say not well enough. Cease needed 93 pitches to get through 4.1 innings. Against any other team, Cease would’ve exited on the short end of a score considerably worse than the 3-1 deficit he faced. And then we have Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami, he of the two-year $34 million contract. The question going into the season concerned the 26-year old slugger’s ability to adjust to MLB pitching. So far so good there. Fielding is the greater concern. We’re not talking range, arm or hands; it’s more the feel for playing first base. Twice in six games Murakami has had his foot off the bag taking a throw. Yesterday, it happened with two out in the tenth of a tied game, which allowed the go-ahead run to score. This is something that did not happen with Andrew Vaughn at first. But you take the win and appreciate Sean Burke’s six innings of one-run ball. On another team, Burke would’ve had a good shot at the win. With the Sox, Jordan Leasure could—and did—relieve him, and you know what that means, right? First two batters, a single and a homerun. Bye-bye two-run lead. But Tristan Peters, that alum of the Savannah Bananas, drove in the winning run in the bottom of the tenth, and all ended well. Dylan Cease? Not my concern anymore. Munetaka Murakami? We need to find him some foot-stretching exercises.

Why Bother?

I checked the Tribune hardcopy sports’ section this morning, all six pages of it, and guess what? No mention of the Chicago White Sox, a professional sports’ team that plays within the city limits. But there was space enough for an AP story on how Indiana quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza did Wednesday performing for pro scouts. Pretty good, apparently. And here I thought the Bears had themselves a quarterback. At 11:20 AM, I checked the Trib website to see if they posted a Sox story. Nope, nothing since Wednesday. Interesting priorities.

Teetering

Six games into the new season, and the White Sox are teetering on the brink. Nothing says “disaster” like your pitching staff giving up nine or more runs in four of five losses, including yesterday’s 10-0 embarrassment in Miami. What to do? I say, panic. I don’t know what GM Chris Getz was thinking when he assembled his pitching staff, but it wasn’t anything smart. He’s already cut ties with Jedixson Paez, a Rule 5 pickup from the Red Sox. If Shane Smith, another Rule 5 alum, doesn’t get his act together, he may be joining Paez before long. The team’s purported top starter got clobbered in his second start of the season, just like he did in his first. Against the Marlins, Smith yielded seven earned runs in three innings. Add up what he did against the Brewers, and Smith is 0-2 with a 19.29 ERA. If nothing else, that makes Sean Burke (6.75 ERA) and Erik Fedde (5.40 ERA) look good in comparison. While its parent club struggles, Triple-A Charlotte is off to a 4-1 start in large part because, yes, the Sox do have talent in the minors. The question, how long are they going to wait to bring up players? Sam Anronacci looks like a better fit than three outfielders I could name while Noah Schultz, Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal could do just as well as three starting pitchers I could name. Then, again, what do I know? The Sox have lost 100+ games three seasons in a row without following a word of advice from yours truly.

Get Numb To It

Another spring day, another round of Bears’ stories in the papers and on TV. You have to get numb to it in order to survive. Outsized Munster coverage is the default setting for Chicago media, no matter how bad the team. The only way to change that is by other teams winning consistently. In Chicago? Not likely. Once upon a time, Michael Jordan and the Bulls grabbed attention away from the bumblers of the gridiron, but that happened in a century now 26 years past. Jordan is long retired and long gone, a 63-year old millionaire devoted to his NASCAR team. But Jerry Reinsdorf, the owner who ran Jordan and coach Phil Jackson out of town, is still around, finding yet new ways to humiliate an organization. The Bulls are in the midst of a public-relations nightmare because Reinsdorf and his son Michael hired Arturas Karnisovas to run the team six years ago, only Karnisovas is clueless. The latest example of his ineptitude involves now ex-Bull guard Jaden Ivey, who went off the deep end in a series of social media rants targeting anyone who wasn’t his kind of Christian. According to Joe Cowley of the Sun-Times, talking to Ivey was pretty much to face the kinds of questions best left to St. Peter. Bye-bye, Ivey, but not Karnisovas. How come? Because Jerry Reinsdorf does what he wants, no matter the cost to his White Sox or Bulls. In a different market, the attention would eventually shift to other teams. Alas, in Chicago it’s just an excuse to heap more coverage on a team that doesn’t deserve it in the least.

Deliverance

Deliver me, oh Lord, from the plague known as professional football. I fear that those who call the land around Lake Michigan home will devolve into creatures capable of speaking only in a series of “Huts!” and “Omahas!”, with the occasional grunt thrown in. And our media is leading the way. The hard-copy Sun-Times sports’ section went four pages deep in football coverage before offering anything on the Cubs or Sox. A team that won’t play its next regular-season game for close to six months got equal coverage with the two teams just four games into their 162-game season. Mercy. The hard-copy Tribune sports’ section is next to worthless. The Sox started their game against the Marlins at 5:40 our time, and they still couldn’t do a story or box score; for that, I have to wait till tomorrow. I could—and did—go online for said story, but electronic Trib sports is just as Bears-focused as the hard-copy Trib, which had a front-page story on Coach Ben Johnson. Last I checked, Johnson still lost the last game he coached his team, and it wasn’t the Super Bowl. Miguel Vargas had a grand slam and six RBIs in a 9-4 win, in case you were wondering.

Bargain Hunting

White Sox general manager Chris Getz looks to have himself a real bargain in first baseman Munetaka Murakamit, who’s hit three homeruns in his first three career MLB games. If only Getz had the same luck with pitching. I figured it would be a rough start to the season with the Sox opening on the road against the Brewers. Getting out of Milwaukee with a 1-2 record would’ve been OK by me. Blowing a four-run lead in the eighth only to lose by two, not so much. But that’s what Getz’s rebuilt bullpen did. Chirs Murphy loaded the bases with one out before giving up a one-run single. Murphy then exited, to be replaced by Seranthony Dominguez, who did manage to retire the first batter he faced on a popup. Oh, but what happened nest. A two-run single on a full count followed by a three-run, pinch-hit homer courtesy of Christian Yelich, this on a 2-2 pitch. To state the obvious, Dominguez didn’t attack the zone, and he showed the reflexes of a sloth on the single, hit to his left. He fields it, inning’s over. He slows it down, maybe inning’s over. Just not good. Next up, the Marlins, who’ve started the season 3-0, followed by the Bluejays, also 3-0. Not good, indeed.

L.A. Goodbye

Spend 5-1/2 days in Los Angeles (Santa Monica, actually), and you notice things, like traffic. It’s different, not worse. Here, people drive the taxis and Ubers. There, the taxis drive themselves. But an L.A. freeway could pass for a Chicago expressway, easy. The one thing that did impress me was the sports’ scene. In Chicago, it’s Bears, Bears, Bears, 24/7 365 days a year. In Los Angeles, no one seems to care that the Rams beat the Munsters in the playoffs to get to the NFC Championship game; that’s old news, if it was ever news at all. I could be wrong, but people look to be in Dodgers-Dodgers-Dodgers’ mode, 24/7 365 days a year. More interesting yet, we’re not talking celebrity fandom, either. In fact, the Dodgers’ fan base looks as varied as the White Sox, and more working-class, if that’s possible. L.A. may be home to two basketball and two football teams and a hockey team, but you’d never know it from walking around. The only “gear” that counts comes in Dodger-blue. I can respect that.

This I like, That I Don't

With the start of the season just four days off, here are your White Sox story lines. Good news first—Edgar Quero had himself a very nice spring. Counting yesterday’s 1-for-4 performance against the Reds, the 22-year old, switch-hitting catcher is hitting an even .300 with fourteen RBIs in 50 at-bats. Do the math, and that comes out to 110 RBIs in 500 at-bats. A regular season along the lines of that, please. Of more concern is Colson Montgomery with his .180 BA with four RBIs in 50 at-bats. Do the math, and that comes out to 40 RBIs in 500 at-bats. Good thing spring training doesn’t mean anything. Right? A Sox minor leaguer gave up a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth to the Reds, so I don’t want that to be some sort of bullpen omen. As for prospects, a group belonging to the Sox group squared off against the Dodgers in a 11-10 loss. Noteworthy: William Bergolla Jr. going 3-for-3 (Colson Montgomery, ignore at your own risk); Braden Montgomery driving in two; and George “Paul Bunyan” Wolkow homering. Two out of these three I hope, I expect, to see with the parent club before long. As for the 20-year old, 6’7” Wolkow, anything in the neighborhood of a .250 BA will earn him a promotion to the next level. You don’t want to stay at low-A Kannapolis, my friend. There you have it, the good, the bad and the maybe.

Cutting Down

Clare never had to worry about making a team, not really. The first travel team she tried out for, before the formal switch from baseball to softball, she didn’t make, but I later heard the organization didn’t field a team in her age group that summer. Then, a team she was on in eighth grade collapsed, and the older coach didn’t want her, but she found another team without a problem, even though—maybe because—she hit one of the coaches with a line drive. High school and college, though, she was pretty much a lock from day one of freshman year. So, I can only guess what players in White Sox camp are thinking right now. What I do know is there won’t be any Jarred Kelenic feel-good story short of someone getting injured and the Sox needing an outfielder; ditto for local-kid reliever Ryan Borucki. Either might have made the team in 2023 or ’24 or ’25 but not now. Bad for them, good for the organization and for anyone who considers themselves a Sox fan. What Clare does know about is dealing with a career that ends abruptly. In softball, that’s pretty much a given except for the .001 percent or so of college players who want to live an itinerant existence following a pro dream or fantasy For Kelenic and Borucki, along with a lot of people whose names appear in the Transactions’ announcements the next few days, retirement maybe closer than they’d like. But there’s no escaping it. As for the Sox, if they’re not going to stock the roster with a bunch of free-agent veterans, who makes the trip to Milwaukee for Opening Day? Stay tuned.

Waiting

The White Sox open their season six days from now in Milwaukee, and the 26-player roster is still taking shape. Regardless who makes the team, you have to wonder how set positions are going to be. Today’s lineup includes rookie infielder Sam Antonacci, and I’m inclined to ask, why? Chris Getz has flat-out said Antonacci will start the season in the minors. The 23-year mustn’t have gotten the message. He went 1-for-3 with an RBI last night against the Padres, which gives him a .313 BA and five RBIs for the spring. Oh, and three stolen bases to go with seven runs scored. How long does the 23-year old sparkplug languish in the bushes, Chris? The same question could be asked of outfielder Braden Montgomery, who also had himself a nice spring, hitting .348 with three RBIs and four runs scored. It felt like Getz couldn’t send the switch-hitting Montgomery down fast enough, lest he improve on those stats. Maybe the Sox wouldn’t have a muddled outfield picture had Getz decided to make a bold decision or two. I’ll hold my tongue on pitchers Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith, till June. If they’re struggling in the minors, keep them there. Otherwise, they should be up. I mean, it’s not a successful rebuild without proof of progress. Let these players prove themselves ASAP.

Other Springs, Past Summers

Last Saturday, we went to the Berwyn Rec for early voting in the Illinois primary. Talk about stepping into a time machine, or out of one, I guess. Old fogies went one direction, parents with kids in another. An electronic crawler announced Pony Ball signup, and I began to float through time. The father with the girl who wanted to play baseball. Which she did spring after spring through seventh grade. Then, Sunday, I started clearing out the area around the trainset in the basement; my hope is to get everything up and running by my grandson’s fifth birthday come August. If I know Leo, he’ll want full access to every side of the layout. And, if I know me, there’ll be some purchases of very old Lionel equipment on eBay to spike his interest, and mine. Know that, both by inclination and by profession, I am a collector of things past. If the thing tells a story, I’m inclined to keep it. The trainset? That’s pure Ed Bukowski. A man with three kids always in need of stuff found the money to buy a slightly used Lionel set and built the table to put it on. I have all of that to remind me. The story boards Clare used in grade school and high school do the same. They were piled in a far corner, where Leo is sure to be standing before long. All products of one history fair or another. My daughter said I could pitch everything. “I didn’t even know you’d saved them.” But I did, and I’m not quite ready to let go of one in particular, “Mustang Madness!”. It tells the story of one of the summer Morton teams Clare played on; for three years, she a Mustang not actually in high school. All I can say is, the kid could hit. Anyway, she imagined the team—which won the summer league championship, such as it was—as part of a “Field of Dreams”-like movie, with Clare being played by Amber Tamblyn. Jessica; Jezebel; Alyssa; and one other girl were played by other young actors at the time. The photos pasted on the board are of achingly young kid-athletes, posing, smiling, trying to project confidence. There are two of Clare, one in catcher’s gear (that experiment didn’t last long, trust me) and the other showing her ready to hit. The stance that launched a career’s worth of long balls. Those onetime teammates have all gone their separate ways. My contribution to that long-ago team has two children of her own now, and one of them will be starting t-ball in another week or so. Time flies. I’ll show Clare the story board. Depending what she says, I may find a place for it in the basement.

Just Stay Put

According to Jon Greenberg in today’s The Athletic, the private-equity firm owned by Justin Ishbia has purchased a 47-acre site in the South Loop literally the other side of the Chicago River where Jerry Reindsorf wanted all of Illinois to build him a new stadium. Greenberg intimated Ishbia, White Sox owner in waiting, may want to build a stadium at the soon-to-be former Amtrak rail yard. As if Sox fans care. They don’t want a new facility; the current one is fine. What they want is new ownership and a commitment to winning. If Ishbia can provide that, fans will line up to watch games while standing on one foot. I know I would.

Is This Anything?

As my good friend David Letterman would ask. In this case, does Matas Buzelis scoring 29 points and Josh Giddey recording another triple-double mean anything? I ask because it happened last night in the Bulls’ 132-107 win over the Grizzlies. Impressive, but maybe not. You see, Memphis is in strict tank-mode. They went into the game with four fewer victories than their hosts; make that five. Outside of the stats for Buzelis and Giddey, what does the win do for the Bulls? It certainly doesn’t improve their chances in the draft lottery. No, the odds are they’ll land low enough so that all the top talent is gone and/or Arturas Karnisovas will be tempted to go after another “project” like he did this year with eighteen-year old Noa Essengue. Talk about your nine circles of sports’ hell. The sooner NBA Commissioner Adam Silver moves against tanking, the better. That would definitely be something.

Everything or Nothing

Spring training can mean everything or nothing, depending on the player and/or the team. Right now, the White Sox must be thinking their 13-10 record in Cactus League play means they’re going to be competitive-plus come Opening Day while the Cubs’ Jameson Taillon has to be telling himself his 22.18 ERA in 9.2 innings doesn’t mean anything. For his sake, I hope not. Taillon inadvertently let slip the dangers inherent with the analytics’ approach to baseball. He admitted in today’s Tribune online story to always “tinkering” and that he “tinkered a little bit and messed myself up” and now needs to tinker himself back to a good place. Maybe shutting off the gizmos would be a good start. Unlike Taillon’s ERA, spring injuries count. Kyle Teel hurt a hamstring in the WBC while Mike Vasil came away from his start Saturday with right-elbow soreness. I think Teel’s injury would have happened regardless the venue. The question here is conditioning. What, the Sox want to lead the world in muscle pulls, again? Vasil’s injury comes with the territory; every pitch risks time on the IL, whenever it’s thrown. But Seiya Suzuki’s injury to his right knee, now that’s something that could’ve been avoided. Suzuki slid into second on an attempted steal in a WBC game Saturday and limped off the field after being called out; the extent of the injury is still being evaluated. Here’s a thought—don’t risk injury by stealing. Even if you succeed, it doesn’t count for your career stats. Wait, here’s a better idea—don’t play in the WBC at all.

Waste of a Good Tree

Newspapers are hanging on by a thread. Consider that the Sun-Times not too long ago sold for one dollar. By that I mean a kit-and-kaboodle transaction down to every last computer terminal, not the cost of a single copy (it should be so cheap). Read either Chicago daily, and you come away with a sense they’re both circling the drain. Hard-news coverage keeps on shrinking; arts’ coverage verges on non-existent; and sports are on a strict diet. The Sun-Times has people who happen to be in Arizona filing Sox spring training stories while the Trib enforces a six-page format for sports, day-in day-out. Who needs NBA or NHL box scores? Once upon a time, both papers would offer their own baseball previews. No more. The only things “local” about the insert included in today’s Sunday Tribune are a front-page photo of Pete Crow-Armstrong and a Trib columnist included among the eight sportswriters making their 2026 predictions. Not one of the seven feature stories is local, and the one advocating a salary cap comes from where you’d expect, a Dallas paper. Each team gets a player photo and some miscellaneous information. Too bad nobody bothered to check for accuracy. Last time I looked, Colson Montgomery played shortstop, not “designated hitter.”

More

The White Sox beat the Cubs 4-2 yesterday, their third win against the North Siders this spring. More of the same come the regular season, please. An acquaintance of long standing—he’d be more of a friend if not for his questionable team loyalty—complained to me this morning how the Cubs used a “crappy” lineup against the forces of good. Truth be told, he was right. His team had at most three starters in the lineup, and, if that’s their pitching staff, look out below. But, hey, the Sox were playing maybe four of their regulars—does Korey Lee count?—and, yes, those four guys who pitched are all probably going to make the staff. But, if you can’t hit Jordan Hicks or Sean Newcomb, that’s on you. It’s twelve days to Opening Day in Milwaukee. Today, the 12-9 Sox play host to the 14-6 Dodgers. That should be a good test of how the spring is going. Depending who plays, of course.

Winning, Losing and Teaching

The purpose of tanking in the NBA is to lose games, thereby improving draft position. So, of course, the Bulls are 2-2 over their last four games. Part of the problem is the front office. Also, in a way, Billy Donovan. Don’t ask a Hall-of-Fame coach to tank. It’s like asking a fish not to swim. Donovan, bless him, insists on giving his all, which includes teaching his young players to be better. Take Matas Buzelis. Tuesday night, Buzelis scored a career-high 41 points in an overtime 130-124 win against the host Warriors. With his team up by five points with 32 seconds to go, Buzelis launched an errant three-pointer. Great idea, if you want to tank, but bad idea if you want to win. And for Donovan, a teaching moment. Coach and second-year forward had a postgame heart-to-heart, in keeping with their mentor-mentee relationship. Or, as the 21-year puts it, “I’m riding with Billy forever. He tells you the truth every time. You can appreciate that when somebody tells you what you need to hear instead of hearing all the other talk which isn’t true.” [quote from story in yesterday’s Tribune] Billy Donovan and Matas Buzelis—the stopped clock of a Bulls’ front office getting it right. I hope. And Josh Giddey? That one’s still up in the air. Only Giddey could find a way to tarnish his triple double, committing five turnovers to go with 21 points, thirteen rebounds and a whopping seventeen assists. Learn how to the handle on the ball, young man. Maybe Donovan can have a(nother) heart-to-heart with him, and bring in Tre Jones while he’s at it. Jones scored 22 points with four rebounds and five assists (and, yes, two turnovers) off the bench against Golden State. Then, in last night’s 142-130 loss to the Lakers, Jones tallied eighteen points, four rebounds and six assists (plus no turnovers) in a starting role. Giddey? The 27 points, eight rebounds and fifteen assists were nice, the six turnovers not so much.

Worth It?

The good news about the WBC is it can serve as a continuation of spring training, with a dash of regular-season pressure thrown in. Produce here, and you have a chance of producing in the bigs come June. Bad news? Injuries. Kyle Teel homered and doubled Tuesday night for Team Italy, only to suffer a hamstring injury running to second; he’s expected to be out four-six weeks. The hamstring’s a hamstring, and it could just as easily have been pulled in Arizona. Still, what happens when an MLB player suffers a knee injury for Team Whatever? Which leads me to Bryce Harper’s stated desire to play baseball in the Summer Olympics one day for Team USA. Yeah, the injuries won’t count, right? And MLB won’t be tempted to switch the World Series to a neutral site because the season shuts down for two weeks. Game Seven on Thanksgiving, anyone? But, like I said, at least the WBC offers a plus-version of spring training. Sam Antonacci, Teel’s teammate on Team Italy, has a homerun to go with three RBIs. He also performed an Oscar-worthy deek last night at shortstop, diving for a flyball that centerfielder Jakob Marsee made an easy catch on. Baserunner Joey Ortiz was off with the pitch, and the deek convinced Ortiz to keep running to third. Marsee threw the ball back in for an easy double play. White Sox GM Chris Getz said he was proud of how well Teel and Antonacci have done, but I wonder. Getz keeps saying Antonacci won’t make the Opening Day roster. Why not? Because starting him at second would constitute an admission that he overvalued Chase Meidroth’s talent in the Garrett Crochet deal? Perish the thought.

Chance Encounter

Michele went clothes’ shopping yesterday, and I tagged along. Just for fun, I wore my Mitchell &Ness 1934 White Sox team jacket. Let me just say, to wear this article of clothing is to be transformed. The jacket is green with a logo consisting of a white S-O-X on a diagonal over a large red C, with lots of white and yellow outlining throughout. The first time I wore it, someone followed me up and down the aisles at Jewel to tell me how great it looked. Yesterday, somebody at the mall did the same. And, yes, I know, it’s the jacket, not the person wearing it. Anyway, she was arranging stock only to stop and stare as I sat waiting for Michele to come up of the dressing room. My new friend knew the jacket represented something old. One thing led to another, and she informed me, “I’m both a Cardinals’ and White Sox fan.” Well, enemy of my enemy and all that. She even saw a Cardinals-Sox game in 2014 when A.J. Pierzynski subbed behind the plate for an injured Yadier Molina. So, I asked, did you ever see a game at Sportsman’s Park, long-ago home of the Cardinals and Browns? “Oh, yes,” she answered, her whole face brightening. “My first game, we went there, but it was to see the Browns, and I couldn’t understand why.” The answer came years later when she learned her parents wanted to see Satchel Paige pitch, most likely when the ageless wonder toiled for the Browns, 1951-53. On the way out, I wished my new friend a good season for both her teams.

Make It Stop

The White Sox won again yesterday, scoring eleven runs in the fourth inning on their way to a 12-3 thumping of the Rockies. The win pushes their record to 11-7, impressive given what they’ve done the last two seasons. Meanwhile, on the North Side, the Cubs are a blah 7-10. I bring this up because I’m a Sox fan, and I know there are Cubs’ fans out there ready to tell me what I can do with that proffered information. In those ancient times before the NFL conquest of the sports’ world, Chicago’s sports’ media would’ve reported both on the disparity in records and the friction it was causing between local baseball nations. Alas, no more. What I got this morning was more Bears’ coverage in the Tribune than the Sox and Cubs combined. The Munsters added some guys on defense. I mean, one of them had 3-1/2 sacks last year for the 8-9 Colts! Stop the presses!! The Sun-Times played copycat to the Trib, and both read the way TV and radio sounded. Listen to Jarrett Payton on WGN Ch. 9, and you’d think the clock was winding down to opening kickoff. It’s not. It’s March. Opening Day is fifteen days off.

Upon Further Review

With Opening Day a little more than two weeks off, the White Sox have the second-best spring-training record among American League teams at 10-7, trailing only the Yankees at 11-5. Interesting. I’ll just say there are a lot of good young players in camp, and leave it at that. As for a neither young-nor-old Jarred Kelenic, his chances of making the Opening Day roster may have turned on a reversed strike call yesterday against the Royals hanks to the Automated Ball-Strike System. Per today’s Sun-Times, Kelenic appealed a called strike three in the first inning and won. The 26-year made good use of his new life by hitting the next pitch for a 438-foot homerun. He went 2-for-3 on the day, lifting his BA to a decent .261. If that were his career average, Kelenic would be an established player somewhere, given his power and defense. I wonder, how many players before him were in the same situation, a pitch away from making the team, only to be victim of a bad call by the plate umpire? The pride of Waukesha, Wisconsin, should thank his lucky stars for ABS intervening on his behalf.

Old School

What can technology do? Well, last spring, it enabled me to check box scores every morning at breakfast while we were in London and Paris. What can’t it do? Preserve the value of page one. I can read stories online anytime, only one story doesn’t relate to another; it’s just a list of headlines. “Above the fold” means something, or once did. That was the most important story on the front page of the paper. You were well-advised to take a look. And, Yes, you can read the paper online in traditional format, but I wonder how many people bother? Regardless, supporters would have you believe the internet has “democratized” the news. Back in olden times, someone decided what stories qualified for page one and where while other pieces went inside the paper. Said who? Somebody I didn’t know but implicitly trusted. This makes me a Hamiltonian, I guess, suspicious of all the “new” news’ sources; give me the old-time rules of journalism, thank you very much. And forget the Bears, while you’re at it. Today is Sunday; we still get hardcopy papers; and I value the front page of each section, especially sports. You could see the echoes, if that’s possible, of the old ways at work on the front page of the Tribune sports’ section. Three stories and a column. Classic composition, which, taken together, worked to perfection. Almost. I learned that Troy Murray, Blackhawks’ star-cum-announcer, had died at the age of 63 and how various women sports at Northwestern University are achieving success. Paul Sullivan also stuck his neck out with his latest “In the Wake of the News” column. Sullivan went after the Trump administration for using MLB and NFL clips in tweets highlighting the U.S. aerial assault against Iran; something about connecting a homerun or hard tackle to an act of war rubbed Sullivan the wrong way. Agree or disagree, Sullivan was doing his job by providing thought-provoking content. But there was another story, sharing “above the fold” status with Murray’s obituary, about the Bears’ “biggest needs.” You see, there are just “46 Days until the NFL Draft on April 23 in Pittsburgh. The Bears have the no. 25 pick.” Thanks, and who gives a crap?

Coach Mom

Some daughters turn into stage mothers, but not mine. No, Clare is destined to be Coach Mom. She already has her 4-1/2 year old son in winter soccer, playing with and against kids as much as two years older. Last night, Leo scored a goal left-footed. No doubt, Coach Mom was happy. Heaven knows what she’ll do when my grandson hits his first homerun in t-ball. Then we have the eighteen-month old sprite known as Maeve. Lately, she insists that the two of us go on the back porch so she can play with wiffle balls and the same plastic bat her big brother uses. Granted, she uses the bat and ball as if she were playing lacrosse or field hockey, but, still, she’s putting bat to ball. Grandpa’s impressed. Wait, there’s more. Last night, said sprite tried to get in on the soccer action by running onto the court (they play in a gym because outside is one, big, muddy, March mess); Dad had to go catch her before she could join big brother. Coach Mom had twice the reason to like what she saw.

No Thanks

The Bears traded wide-receiver DJ Moore to the Bills yesterday in exchange for a second-round draft choice. The Munsters also gain about $16.5 million in cap space. Two things here. First, Moore. I wish I acted as mature at 28 as he did this season. Moore made himself available to the media on a regular basis, and he preferred a minimalist approach to touchdown celebrations; his reaction to catching two game-winning touchdown against the Packers back in December were a study in understatement. I liked that. In what proved to be the Bears’ last game of the season, Moore was out of position for a ball that ended up an interception, which led to a game-winning field goal for the Rams in overtime. Moore took a lot of heat for that but handled it better than most 28-years olds would. A good guy, he will now provide an inviting target for Josh Allen, one of the best quarterbacks in the game. Two, cap space. The Bears also released linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and are coping with the sudden retirement of center Drew Dalman, two moves that mean more cap space. How I hate that term. Until the owners win out (and I don’t think they will), baseball operates free of anything resembling a hard cap, which is nothing short of a straitjacket. No cap, and Moore and/or Edmunds could stay, providing depth in the process. But with the cap, a football front office turns into a high-stakes accounting firm. I can do without it. So can baseball.

Behind the Mic

The one thing that White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf did that I had no problem with was letting go of announcer Harry Caray, a backstabbing frontrunner if there ever was one. I wonder, how many old Cardinal and Sox players attended Caray’s funeral? For that matter, did Ron Cey? The problem with Reinsdorf is that he’s always better at firing people than finding replacements. Not that he thinks so. I’m sure he considers Ken “Hawk” Harrelson the perfect replacement for Caray, and, in a sense, he was. Nobody ever sucked up to Reinsdorf like the Hawk did year after year. When it finally came time for Harrelson to retire, the Sox got it broken-clock right with his replacement, homegrown Sox fan Jason Benetti. Only, like any South Sider (technically, Benetti is a South Suburbanite), Benetti comes with attitude, which showed in his highbrow brand of humor and a very un-Harrelson-like willingness to criticize—as opposed to Caray, who brutalized—Sox players. The Chairman no like, with Benetti gone to Detroit. And, now, to NBC, where he’ll handle play-by-play on Sunday night games. The Sox didn’t want Benetti to do anything but Sox broadcasts. In contrast, the Tigers released a statement saying the team is “incredibly proud” Benetti got the new gig. Crickets so far from Benetti’s former employer. But, hey, we’re about to start season three of the embarrassment known as John Schriffen. Stand up, South Side—and reach for the mute button.

Logjam

The White Sox just updated their top-30 prospects’ list. All I can say is, don’t get attached to anyone in the infield. Two of the top ten are shortstops; one a third baseman-shortstop; and another as a second baseman-third baseman. Oh, and the eleventh-ranked prospect is a shortstop-second baseman. Got that? In addition, two of the Sox top ten—shortstop-third baseman Caleb Bonemer and shortstop Billy Carlson—are on the top 100 prospects’ list put out by MLB Pipeline. Got that? Also, the eleventh-ranked Sox prospect, shortstop-second baseman William Bergolla Jr. is having himself a nice spring, going 6-for-13 so far. Bergolla is not to be confused with ninth-ranked Sox prospect, second baseman-third baseman Sam Antonacci, who was 4-for-13 with two homeruns before leaving to play for Team Italy in the WBC. Got that? Oh, I forgot to mention the White Sox have the number-one pick in the upcoming draft. The consensus top player in said draft is UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky, who happens to be—wait for it—a shortstop. Cholowsky is hitting .341 so far this spring with seven homers. Got that? Good. Now tell me what the above means for Colson Montgomery; Chase Meidroth; Miguel Vargas; and Lenyn Sosa. If the Sox do in fact pick Cholowsky, they’ll have five prospects all capable of playing shortstop. Odds are, they all won’t be a bust. Like I said, don’t get attached to anyone in the infield just yet.

Good News, Bad News

Points to White Sox rookie outfielder Braden Montgomery for aiming high and thinking big. The homerun and triple he hit against the Cubs Sunday didn’t lead him to think he could just make the Sox roster at some point this season. The almost 23-year old has his sights set on Cooperstown. Montgomery told reporters after the game, “My overall goal is to make the Hall of Fame. I’ll take it a game at a time, and we’ll see what happens at the end of it.” [quote from story in today’s Sun-Times] Well, good to hear, and, from what Montgomery’s shown so far, not out of the question. But I wonder, what hat he’d wear at his induction ceremony? If Jerry Reinsdorf makes it to 100-plus years on this planet, there’s a good chance it won’t be a Sox cap. The team has had two homegrown talents worthy of the Hall since Reinsdorf took control of the team in 1981, Frank Thomas and Mark Buehrle. The Big Hurt is in, Buehrle should be and one day perhaps will be. But neither of them played their entire career on the South Side. Then-GM Kenny Williams let Thomas walk after the 2005 season and called him an “idiot” in the process. Granted that Thomas was a man-child, but so was Ted Williams. One team was good enough for the Splendid Splinter and should’ve been for the Big Hurt, too. As for Buehrle, he took the ball; pitched a perfect game among his two no-hitters; and never made waves. But he got the boot as well. Reinsdorf doesn’t like paying big bucks to pitchers, even HOF-worthy ones offering a hometown discount to stay, as Buehrle did before leaving for the Marlins in 2012. I don’t put Paul Konerko in the same group as Thomas and Buehrle because, technically, he wasn’t homegrown. For some odd reason, both the Dodgers and Reds gave up on Konerko, maybe because they tried him at third base and left field instead of first base. Their mistake turned into our gain, and I’m pretty sure “Paulie’s” sixteen years on the South Side would mean he’d wear a Sox cap at his induction ceremony in the not-too-distant future. Konerko was like Buehrle, quiet and dedicated to his craft. Montgomery looks to be more vocal, a la Thomas or even A.J. Pierzynski (who I also think is HOF-worthy, whichever of the possible seven caps he’d choose). In Reinsdorf Land, it’s never a good idea to express opinions. Heck, it doesn’t always help if you stay quiet and mind your own business. Montgomery is an outfielder, not a pitcher, so, there’s that. But I wouldn’t hold my breath about his staying around if he is in fact worthy of Cooperstown.

Stay Calm and Carry On

I know. It’s only spring training. Get a grip. But it’s always fun to beat the Cubs, which the White Sox did yesterday by a 5-1 score. Better yet when your team hits three homeruns off of starter Shota Imanaga. Nice when the other team has to worry about its starting pitching. Second-year catcher Edgar Quero connected off Imanaga in the first, followed by rookie outfielder Braden Montgomery in the second and veteran Austin Hayes in the third. For me, Quero’s and Montgomery’s homers are the clouts that count in particular. Young guys hot, that’s what you want in spring training. Not that Lenyn Sosa is old; the 26-year old added a homer of his own while 25-year old Brooks Baldwin stayed hot with a single and run scored. I still think Sosa gets traded by Opening Day, but good for him and good for the Sox if he keeps on hitting. Somehow, I can see him hitting a ton at Yankee Stadium. Now, back to Montgomery, who also tripled; that gives him two to go with the homer in a 5-for-14 spring so far. How long does Montgomery stay in the minors, or Sam Antonacci, for that matter? Good questions to have and the kind of questions the Sox haven’t had for way too long.

No, Thanks

The Sun-Times quoted some Cubs’ pitchers today about how great it would be to pitch for the United States in the Summer Olympics, if only baseball were a recognized sport. To which I say—No, thanks. I may be the only person in all fifty states to think that the Dream teams of the 1990s made up of American NBA stars was an embarrassing example of Ugly Americanism, but I do. I’d also argue it verges on big-time hypocrisy to lionize the Dream Teams, the antithesis of amateurism, and the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” men’s hockey team, the quintessential example of amateurism. But that’s just me. On a more practical note, I don’t see how NHL fans can stand having their sport shut down for over two weeks so players can to their respective national teams. I’d like to see that happen in the NFL. And I want to know how fans and teams will react when a star player gets injured. I don’t like the World Baseball Classic for how it messes with getting ready for the regular season. What if Tarik Skubal and/or Paul Skenes gets injured? It wouldn’t be any better if the injury happened on the mound at the Summer Olympics.

One More Day

One more day, and it’s March. That used to mean a whole month of spring training, but, now, you can throw in Opening Day, too, depending on weather conditions. Nothing says spring baseball in the Midwest like snow flurries across the infield. What do I want? Well, I read where White Sox head groundskeeper Roger Bossard said team owner Jerry Reinsdorf told him he wants to stay on the scene until he’s 99. So, definitely not that. But the makings of a good, young team would be a start. Think what ex-GM Larry Himes did back in the day with Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura and Jack McDowell. When Himes got the axe in September of 1990 for insufficient loyalty, his successor Ron Schueler did a decent job of keeping the team young; think Mike Cameron (later traded for an even younger Paul Konerko); Aaron Rowand and Mark Buehrle. Schueler also had a scouting department that knew to sign the likes of Carlos Lee and Magglio Ordonez. Then came Kenny Williams, and the Sox would never be that interested in young players again. So, what do I want? Reinsdorf into retirement sooner than later. And a roster full of prospects that will allow me to dream and compare: You know, he reminds me of…

Just Wondering

The McCaskeys finally found themselves a chump in the state of Indiana, which passed legislation yesterday creating a stadium authority to bring the Munsters over the state line. This is no longer a news story for Chicago media, but a tug-of-war with local bragging rights on the line. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: How sad. One thing I’d like to know, though, is would the cost of a personal seat license vary state to state? For some reason, nobody in McCaskeyland seems interested in bringing the subject up. Maybe the answer is hidden away in one of those blob buildings that make up so much of the stadium-complex renderings.

Hidden Treasure

The White Sox play the Dodgers today, so this should be a good test, given that LA has started spring training with a 5-0 record. The Dodgers’ lineup includes ex-Sox farmhand Alex Call, a third-round pick in the 2016 draft. The right-handed hitting outfielder was traded to Cleveland in 2018 for first baseman Yonder Alonso. Bad trade, that. Call is a nice glove and bat off the bench. Playing for the Dodgers is a testament both to his ability and the acumen of the Sox scout(s) who identified his talent. The same holds for current Sox Brooks Baldwin, a twelfth-round selection in 2022. The switch-hitting Baldwin struggled through the first half of his first real season last year (he also had 114 at-bats in 2024). Then, something clicked in early July with a pinch-hit homerun against these same Dodgers. Baldwin batted .253 in the second half of the season vs. .227 in the first half. He also hit eleven homers overall in 300 at-bats. Guess who’s 4-for-7 with a homerun this spring? Yup, the twelfth rounder. Again, a testament both to the player and the scout(s) who found him. It’s almost enough to make me think the Sox know what they’re doing. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself quite yet.

Clueless, and not the Movie

The Bulls lost their tenth game in a row last night , rolling over 131-99 to the visiting Hornets. Wait, there’s more, or less, depending on how you view things. Despite their embrace of tanking, the Bulls have only the seventh worst record in the league. Shame on you, Billy Donovan, for taking a blah roster and making it competitive, at least until the injuries started piling up. So, if the Bulls can’t win the race to the bottom, what can they accomplish? Outside of showing that Patrick Williams will never develop beyond a journeyman—if that—no matter how many minutes he plays, I’m not sure. Arturas Karnisovas acquired some guys who, once upon a time, were promising, but they were slowed by injuries. Guess what? They’re injured again. I’m looking at you, Jaden Ivey and Anfernee Simons. And let’s not forget big man Zach Collins, out for the season with a big-toe injury that limited him to ten games. Wait, there’s more. Tank time is when you let young talent develop, only in the Bulls’ case, it’s questionable talent, or the talent merits questioning with more playing time. Last night, Josh Giddey had eight points with five assists…and five turnovers. In his last ten games, Giddey has scored in the single digits four times while tallying eleven or fewer points six times. Plus he’s turned the ball over four or more times in five of those games. And Matas Buzelis, even more of a building block than Giddey? The second-year forward is nothing if not a human roller coaster. Last night’s 32-point performance was nice but hardly enough to erase recent two- and four-point performances. Like Giddey, you never know what Buzelis is going to show up on any given night. Long story short, this is a team that stinks too much and not enough all at the same time.

Balls and Strikes

MLB will start using its Automated Ball-Strike system come Opening Day, and I’m wondering about consequences. I mean, what if Angel Hernandez was still around? A team starts with two challenges and can keep going until and if the challenges prove unsuccessful. With Hernandez behind the plate, teams would probably be right challenging each and every pitch. At some point in the season, I think umpires will start complaining that they’re being shown up; I’m looking at you, C.B. Bucknor. Either someone like Bucknor cleans up his act, which is doubtful given that he’s been around since 1996, or they’re going to be driven from the game courtesy of ABS. I don’t like the pitch clock because it should be unnecessary, and was up until Mike Hargrove, “the Human Rain Delay,” started doing his shtick back in the 1970s; that’s when umpires needed to step in. And don’t get me started on extra innings or the pitcher only getting three throws to a base per at-bat to try to catch a runner. But ABS I see as necessary. See Hernandez, Bucknor above. With luck, the great majority of umpires will get with the program. If not, they can always resign, at which point MLB might consider another fundamental change, as in women umpires.

Gold Glove

Pirates’ HOF second baseman Bill Mazeroski died last week at the age of 89. It only seems like he earned three of his eight Gold Gloves against me. I started playing Strat-O-Matic Baseball in the spring of 1966. I was the American League, a sad person I knew from St. Gall was the National League. The game is based on a complete season’s worth of stats, so it’s always a year behind. The sad person especially liked to play the Dodgers (Koufax and Drysdale); the Giants (Willie Mays with 52 homeruns); and the Pirates. If Roberto Clemente wasn’t hitting homers against me, Mazeroski was turning double plays. The best fielding rating in Strat-O-Matic is a one, and that was Mazeroski. I’m guessing that at some point the Pirates faced off against the White Sox, a 90-win team against a 95-win team. The Pirates scored 675 runs with a .265 BA to 647 runs for the Sox and a.246 BA. Pittsburgh had a team ERA of 3.01 to 2.99 for Chicago. We would’ve played on somebody’s front- or back-porch, rolling dice and yelling just short of an adult telling us to “Quiet down!”. Clemente homers, Mazeroski turns two but Johnny Romano goes deep in the eighth for a 3-2 Sox win. Really, 89 seems awfully young.

Still Early, But...

I’ll try not to buy World Series’ tickets just yet. A 2-0 start by the White Sox in spring training is nice, but I don’t want to go overboard quite yet. Still, an 11-2 win over the A’s beats an 11-2 loss. In ascending order, Brooks Baldwin homered; Miguel Vargas had a hit and two runs scored; William Bergolla Jr. went 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI; and Edgar Quero collected two two-run singles as part of a 3-for-3 day. What’s not to like? I mean, outside of the A’s using nine pitchers and the Sox seven?

It's a Start

The White Sox kicked off spring training Friday with a 8-1 win over the Cubs, which is always nice. I’m especially happy with who did what, and not just Munetaka Murkami with two hits. It’s the rookies. Second baseman Sam Antonacci connected for a two-run homerun off of starter Jameson Taillon; always nice to go long on an established pitcher. Fellow infielder William Bergolla Jr. went 2-for-2 with two doubles and a run scored. Antonacci is ranked the eleventh-best prospect in the system, with Bergolla right behind at twelfth. Let me count the ways I want them to succeed. First off, they’re smallish, Antonacci standing an even 6’ and Bergolla 5’9”. Second, they’re fast. Antonacci stole 48 bases across three levels while last year, and Bergolla swiped 40 bases for Double-A Birmingham. It doesn’t get any more old school than a speed-first White Sox infielder. And from all accounts, they’re smart, and smart people are the ones who find a way to get to the majors. Yeah, I know, the first day of spring training. But you have to start somewhere.

Chicken Little

The Bears announced yesterday they intend to focus stadium efforts on Hammond, Indiana, an April Fool of a location if there ever was one. But Lou Canellis of NBC 5 Sports went full Chicken Little. Oh, how his family has held season tickets since the Munsters—hey, why not a location in that Hoosier burg?—played at Wrigley Field, in addition to Soldier Field. Apparently, now the Canellis Clans will fire up the GPS to find the new place. Oh, please. The McCaskeys spent how much to buy 326 acres in Arlington? Oh, right, just north of $197 million. Along the way, they’ve jerked the chain of just about every local official from the Loop to the northwest suburb in question, not to mention Gov. JB Pritzker and members of the General Assembly and some school districts in and around Arlington Heights. Way to make friends, guys. I seriously question if the McCaskeys have ever driven to Hammond; they’d remember, because of traffic (and industrial odors). Let me put it this way—the interstates that cross northwest Indiana have the worst truck traffic I’ve ever had the misfortune of driving in. It ain’t gonna get better on a Sunday night in November. But, hey, it’s the Bears, and stupid is their game. With lemmings like Lou Canellis in tow, they can do whatever they want.

A Different Approach

I see where the Mets are taking a go-slow approach with centerfielder Luis Robert Jr. They think—or hope—that a gradual gear-up during spring training will allow Robert to avoid the injuries that plagued him throughout his years on the South Side. Good luck with that. I’m serious. If they can find a way to help Robert avoid the hamstring and hip issues he’s been prone to, then everyone else in baseball should take note. If only they mentioned what kind of program the training staff was going to implement. Instead, it sounds like they’re borrowing a page from the Tony La Russa playbook, ca. late 2021. That’s when La Russa announced his players weren’t going to go 100 percent in order to save themselves for the playoffs. We lost to the Astros anyway. Analytics have turned baseball into a function of size and muscle, an approach that practically guarantees injury; Robert is just susceptible sooner than others. Less muscle, more flexibility, I say, but what do I know?

Rain or Shine, Win or Lose

After the Bears went 5-12 in 2024, they still found a way to raise season-ticket prices by an average of ten percent. What do you think happened after they went 11-5 last season and actually won a playoff game? How about 13.5 percent, on average? Good ol’ Kevin Warren announced the news in a letter to season-ticket holders. If the team president mentioned the disparity between the increase and annual rate of inflation (2.7), I missed it. I keep thinking of the character in “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” who, when asked to show his badge, responds. Well, you know what he said.

“For Smart Fans”

Who says there’s no reward for taking your 94-year old mother-in-law grocery shopping? I found Lindy’s Baseball 2026 Preview on the magazine rack at Jewel. Oh, and my mother-in-law’s an angel, pretty much. After a quick look through Lindy’s, I was impressed. They’re against a salary cap, and they see the White Sox headed in the right decision. That’s all I ask. OK, not really. I want a lot, starting with a new owner and…

Obsolete?

The NBA had its All-Star game yesterday, or was it three? No, four? Who knows, who cares? It doesn’t matter the sport. All-Star games just don’t matter anymore. It’s reached the point where NFL Pro Bowlers play a game of flag football. Whoopee, and no, thanks. Baseball is a little different. The NBA has its slam-dunk contest, MLB Home Run Derby, which is probably the more popular. Still, the game doesn’t generate the interest it once did. Again, regardless the sport, players basically don’t want to risk injury for an exhibition contest. In the olden days before free agency, the respective sports had distinct personalities, e.g., AL vs. NL or NFL vs. AFL. American Leaguers really disliked National Leaguers and vice versa. The one non-stupid move Bud Selig made during his time as MLB commissioner was to give homefield advantage in the World Series to the league that won the All-Star Game. No more. I don’t blame the players for wanting to protect themselves. That said, I miss the intensity of the old MLB All-Star games. Maybe next life.

Priorities

In a world I’m not part of, Casey Wasserman is a big deal, or he was until a few days ago when he announced he was selling the talent agency he named and headed. Wasserman acted before his business turned to ashes after his name was connected to sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein in the latest Epstein documents’ release. According to emails Wasserman sent, he—how to put this politely?—expressed a keen interest in Epstein procurer-of-underaged-females Ghislaine Maxwell. People don’t want to be represented by people who associate with the likes of Epstein and Maxwell. Or, maybe I should say, they don’t anymore. Though Wasserman is selling his agency, he’s staying on in his capacity as chair of the authority for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The board’s executive committee found no indication that Wasserman had any dealings with Maxwell other than what was spelled out in the emails, which were sent years before Epstein’s and Maxwell’s convictions. So, the board is saying one of two things, that Wasserman is too important to be sacked or that it’s only sports. It looks bad for all involved either way.

Cap This

Evan Drellich did a story in The Athletic the other day about a possible salary cap in baseball. The crocodile tears shed by owners is nothing short of hilarious: Good of the game, competitive balance, blah, blah, blah. If small- and mid-market teams were starved for revenue, they would be dusting off blueprints of the old Yankee Stadium, which early on after its 1923 opening could seat over 80,000 fans. Instead, the A’s are building a stadium in Las Vegas with a capacity of just 33,000. Why not go after those extra fans as a way to close the revenue gap with the big guys? Because a salary cap is so much easier for the lazy set, that’s why. Drellich quotes Rockies’ owner Dick Monfort, who told the Denver Gazette last season, “The only way to fix baseball is to do a salary cap and a floor. Something’s got to happen. The competitive imbalance in baseball has gotten to the point of ludicrosity now. It’s an unregulated industry.” Beware rich people calling for regulation of their business. Forget for a moment that the Rockies are a terrible organization and have been for a long time; they last finished over .500 in 2018. What I really find amazing is how owners think they bring something of value to the game, that fans go to the ball park to see the people in the owners’ suite and not the players on the field. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times. No salary cap in baseball without a windfall profits’ tax on the sale of teams, with that money going to the players.

A Lottery to Get Behind

Eric Koreen had an interesting article in The Athletic today on the practice of tanking by NBA teams. Apparently, the league fined the Jazz $500,000 and the Pacers $100,000 for sitting players without cause. Utah is 18-38 and Indiana 15-40. Team fines are like pulled punches; neither should be confused with the real thing. Want to make a statement? Fine both teams $5-$10 million. But no commissioner, in this case Adam Silver, is going to do that because team owners don’t like their employees—which is what Silver is—levying fines that hurt. Koreen went on to make a suggestion I found interesting, to say the least—abolish the draft and substitute a lottery for all non-playoff teams. My God, that’s brilliant. Not only would this work in the NBA but MLB and the NFL as well. It makes so much sense you know it won’t happen.

Tanking

I took a peek at the Bulls-Celtics’ game just before halftime last night, and hats off to Arturas Karnisovas, whose tank job is working according to plan. Karnisovas’s newly reconstructed team headed into the locker room trailing 72-44. Final score, Boston 124 Chicago 105. This gives Karnisovas just what he wants, a losing streak. Right now, it stands at six, four since the tanking decision was made. One problem, though. In all likelihood, it’s come too late. As late as January 31, the Bulls were within one game of .500, with a whole lot of other teams already in tank-mode. Right now, the Bulls’ record stands at 24-31, way too good to give them anything more than a Hail Mary of a chance to net the top choice in the draft. Why? Because there are five teams with fifteen or fewer wins and another two with nineteen or fewer. In all, nine teams have worse records than the Bulls. How many of them do you think will try to put together a win streak that hurts their draft chances? I mean, other than the Bulls?

Not So Fast

We’re in the extreme feel-good phase of spring training, before a single game has been played or the first injury reported. Off of yesterday, everybody is talking about the balls that new White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami launched during batting practice. Not so fast. Hitting soft-toss is no big thing; I seem to remember watching video of Luis Robert Jr. doing it just before or after he signed with the Sox in 2017. It doesn’t count until the pitcher is throwing hard from 60’ 6” and the batter is wearing a helmet. Until then, I’m satisfied with the regular contact.

Of or Like a Gladiator

On occasion, a sportscaster will let slip the comparison of an athlete to a gladiator. It isn’t true, of course, because athletes almost always get to see another day. But the metaphor works as an appeal to our dark sides. Long ago, ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” cleaned it up with the tagline of “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” while showing clips of a skier and motorcycle driver wiping out bigtime. In baseball, nobody really watches to see a batter get hit the way Tony Conigliaro did. But in football and boxing, we sit there watching and knowing that the next hit or punch could be fatal. Whatever the sport, athletes know each appearance could be their last, due to injury or age or both. What goes unsaid but understood by athlete and audience adds to the draw of the game, the competition. Beware the blindside and the left hook. Some athletes take a pass on the gladiator gig. Warren Spahn knew when to hang it up; his body at the age of 44 told him, that and his release by the Giants. But Muhammad Ali kept stepping into the ring until it effectively killed him, or set into motion the bodily reactions to constant beatings that did. And now Lindsey Vonn is carried was airlifted off a slope in Italy. Rather than stay retired, Vonn tried a comeback at age 41. Unlike Warren Spahn, Vonn didn’t see herself as a coach or cattle rancher. Nor did she see an athlete diminished by age. Sunday, Vonn clipped a gate seconds into her run, possibly a result of the torn ACL she suffered nine days before. Pinwheels can be pretty, but not when skiers do them down a slope. Vonn reportedly will need multiple surgeries to repair a broken left leg. It’s not that Vonn made a right or wrong decision. It’s simply that she made a decision with consequences. The highest of accolades or a stretcher for a shield. The latter-day gladiator fell, a worldwide audience watched and reacted in a way that defined them as human beings.

Over

What to say about the Super Bowl LX, other than it’s over with the Seahawks hardly breaking a sweat against the Patriots? A 29-13 score does not exactly make for must-see TV, even with 30 of those points coming in the fourth quarter. If you’re a Bears’ fan, you have to come away thinking Caleb Williams could’ve done better than the Patriots’ Drake Maye (27-of-43, 295 yards, two touchdown and two interceptions, one a pick-six). Williams went number-one in the 2024 draft, with Maye two picks behind. Given my overall lukewarm Bear fandom, it says something that I think Williams has a higher ceiling than Maye. The whole game was so underwhelming I couldn’t help shake the feeling neither the Seahawks nor Patriots will go far in the postseason next year; we’ll see. Thank heaven Clare had good food and my grandchildren were happy to see me.