I'm sitting here at my computer, completely avoiding writing a recap. It's not as if getting swept by the Cubs was a shock -- I was surprised they didn't get swept last meeting. I've been way down on this team for pretty much the whole season -- and it's not as if the sweep even hurt. The sheer number of losses this season has anesthetized me to the pain of tough loss, or even an embarrassing sweep to second rate team in a second rate divison.
The last month, the 5-22 stretch, the ridiculously ineffective bullpen, the inevitable Podsednik groin injury, the half inning between Erstad's DL trips all have combined for what might be a best case scenario for the long-term health of this franchise. If the Sox had some healthy outfielders and league average bullpen, they'd probably be hovering around the .500 mark falsely believing that they had a shot at the playoffs both this year and next. Instead, I sit here waiting word on which player(s) will be shipped out for future help.
While I'd certainly rather be writing about White Sox winners, I want the Sox to get back to competing for division titles as quickly as possible. And thanks to a ridiculously unproductive farm system, that meant the Sox had to lose, and lose a lot, in spectacular fashion to (hopefully) finally get some youth and players worth building around into this franchise.
So I'm not the least bit upset that the Sox got swept this weekend. Today is the first day of the next White Sox division title run.
Because I'm a spiteful ass
The following email from "Kirk" entered my mailbox on May 17 in response to this entry.
Readers were recently offered this insightful sentiment on southsidesox.com:
"It was just more lifeless baseball from a lifeless team inexplicably treading water above .500. "
That "lifeless" team just won its 4th straight series and played 2 of its most complete games of the season in the past 24 hours.
If your gonna write a column, don't admit you didn't even watch the full game, blogboy.
If you ever want a quality columnist from the actual dedicated fanbase let me know I'd be happy to contribute.
And now, with the Sox days or weeks away from being dismantled retooled, there isn't any reason to watch. I'm going to take a little break from the games. I'll resume watching when there's some new blood on the field. So for now, feel free to write your own game recaps. I'm on vacation, though I'll do my best to be all over the impending trade speculation.
I'm gonna talk to Studes tomorrow to see if I can write an anatomy of what went wrong with the Sox for THT; an attempt to highlight how the Sox went from perennial contenders and World Series champions to one of the worst teams in baseball in such a short period of time. If it doesn't end up there, I'll post it here for sure. It'd be hypocritical of me to tell you to skip Phil Rogers back patting since I did a bit of it myself here, but he nails a few reasons in the last few paragraphs of his latest column.