I Like the White Sox: Bring the Big Guy Back Home

As we get ready to begin the baseball season (and I am very excited about that), the White Sox look like a bad ass team.  The starting pitching on paper looks strong, the infield should be better than last year, Quentin hopefully will be healthy and return to 2008 form, and I like the Jenks, Thornton, Putz combo in the pen.  However, I like many Sox fans, have one issue.  It's a small one, but could lead to a big problem.

This whole rotating DH thing, yeah, I'm really not liking it.  Sure if you had some reliable help, maybe.  I don't know if Mark Kotsay can be the everyday first baseman, with Paulie stepping back to take DH duties.  Andruw Jones?  Sure strong start to last year, but ended with .214, and hasn't hit past the .250 mark in the past three seasons.  You can't trust a guy like that to be your DH.  Back to Kotsay, sure he hit .278 last year, and seems like a good contact hitter.  However, DH=power, not average.  You want your DH guy to have pop, and I don't mean Pepsi or Coke either.  Quentin DHing?  Yeah, but he has shown improvement in the outfield and I for one thinks he should stay out there.  Otherwise, Jones becomes an everyday player.  Don't know about that shit.

So, there's JD and Jim Thome.  The two guys we let walk away.  Well, Thome didn't walk, Kenny sent him to Hollywood.  Now, both guys seem to be having trouble finding a new home.  Rumors have Dye going to the Padres or the Cubs (eek); and a few teams have shown interest in big Jim, but reports say the Rays are the only team that we know about.

Jermaine Dye still thinks he can be an everyday outfielder/possibly first baseman.  The Sox aren't buying.  However, Jim Thome.  Hmmm.  I think Thome may be an option.  Will he be aiming for number 600?  Of course.  I would love to see that in a Sox uniform.  That's just the Sox fan in me talking.  However, who do we have on this team that can hit for power?  Paulie?  Well last year he got started right away, unlike the last few years before that when we're all waiting around until July for him to start knocking balls out of the park.  AJ?  Well, he's OK.  However, I don't think of AJ as "the power guy."  I think he brings a lot to the table with his batting.  However if you want someone who will give you 30 to 40 home runs and lots of RBIs, Jimmy is your guy.

I have heard many people say that Jim Thome is the "most selfish player on Earth" because he wants to reach 600 home runs.  Who the hell wouldn't?  It's a hell of an accomplishment and a short list?  However, he wants to do it with the Sox.  People talk about speed, speed, speed.  Thome isn't the fastest guy on the planet, but I do see him hustle and occasionally take an extra base on a base hit.  However, the important thing here is when guys like Pierre, Ramirez, and Beckham get on base; Jimmy will be there to drive them in.  He's a dependable hitter and I can remember on many occasions how his long ball or clutch hitting has bailed out the Sox in the 8th or 9th inning when they were behind 2-3 runs. 

Look, he's a great guy for the organization.  His teammates love him, we love him, and he does strike out, but he makes up for it with some timely hitting, and those clutch home runs.  If you're like me, you will always remember his homer in the tiebreaker versus the Twins in 08 and one of the biggest moments of Sox baseball.  Since not too many teams are going after the big guy, perhaps he will come to the White Sox for a low price, which takes any element of risk out of the equation. 

I think we owe it to ourselves as Sox fans to get behind this move, and welcome the "gentleman masher" back to the south side with open arms.