Hopefully this leaves Brian N. Anderson as the starter in center--I'll take him hands down over Damon.

You will find me on the berm at Tucson Electric Park, soaking up the sun and drinking an ice cold refreshment, on March 1 at 1:05 MST to see the Sox kick off what I think will really be a fun ride.

It's not that I know better--I don't.

It's just that, in baseball, payrolls are not zero sum games. It's not like the NFL.

If you look at Paulie's contract in comparison with the Sox payrolls of the last couple of decades, it sure tightens things up.

But remember that, for the last couple of decades, the Sox have drawn poorly and commanded poor broadcasting ratings.

Those things are variables. They are not static numbers.

Now, the Sox play in a major media market and a huge city. They have played second fiddle to the Cubs, but that COULD change.

Will it?

Well, the conventional wisdom is that one World Series won't make Chicago a Sox town. I don't live there any more and, though I remember when the two teams were much more level, I will accept that CW as true. Let's assume that the Sox attendance will climb some next year but they still won't own the baseball revenue stream in the city.

Yet.

And let's assume that, if they fade away after one title their attendance and broadcasting revenues won't be all that much greater than what they are used to.

But what if they play deep into October for the next 3 years? Then what?

If they do that, then, as a major market team, they could see substantial increases in attendance and broadcasting revenue. They are, after all, shown on a nation-wide cable TV system!

3 straight years of playoffs and playoff success will change the town and the income stream.

And if that happens, then the Sox would enter the zone maintained by NY, Boston, and Atl, a zone in which you rebuild on the fly by making aggressive deals. In that zone, one contract like Paulie's will be far from a crippling set of numbers.

So, to me, the question is simple: can we keep this going, consolidate what we have built, and play consistently on those levels?

If we can't, if we slip back, Paulie's contract may constrict us for a couple of years.

But if we keep playing it like a top-level club, I think the Sox economic situation in Chicago has enough potential upside to keep up with the rules of the game played at that level.

Which is what Kenny is thinking. He is playing not only for the window that we have for 1-2 years, but for the chance to extend the push for continued excellence well beyond that.

To which I say ...

Cool.

A last point.

As a post written a few weeks back observes, Reinsdorf does seem to reinvest in the club. Clearly, he has invested most of next year's added revenues back into the team in Paulie and Thome. You have to like that.

If we keep being successful and the financial pie keeps growing, there is every reason to suspect that he will raise the payroll to keep up.

To which I say ...

Very cool. Nice to have an owner who will reinvest rather than instantly holding a fire sale.

All in all, this White Sox fan is pretty dang happy!