| Rank | Player | +/- |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yunel Escobar | +13 |
| 2 | Orlando Cabrera | +7 |
| 3 | Troy Tulowitzki | +7 |
| 4 | Marco Scutaro | +7 |
| 5 | Cristian Guzman | +5 |
| 6 | Erick Aybar | +5 |
| 7 | Stephen Drew | +4 |
| 8 | Miguel Tejada | +3 |
| 9 | J.J. Hardy | +3 |
| 10 | Jason Bartlett | +2 |
- Monday, Chris De Luca ran a blurb about Cabrera calling the clubhouse and took a couple of shots about his "leadership."
- A mini-controversy ensued, as Ozzie Guillen responded.
- Cabrera didn't feel like he had the support of his manager (or at least that's what we're told.)
- Kenny Williams chimed in.
- And Cabrera issued a code of silence against the Sun-Times.
- By Friday's news cycle, it seemed to be over. Everything is copacetic between Guillen and Cabrera, more or less.
Oh, but it's not over, not by a long shot. De Luca and Cowley still have column inches to fill, and if they can't fill them with boring cliches about 'taking it one game at a time' and 'giving it 110%' they're going to go the full-blown hatchet job route. But, you know, they won't actually put their names to it.
While your standard recap contains a byline, there's none to be found on this piece (at least online). The URL, however, tells me it's almost assuredly a Cowley joint. Though I doubt your average reader is going to be able to figure that out. [Note by The Cheat, 05/30/08 1:30 PM CDT ]: As of this afternoon, the first time I've checked since last night, the article is listed with a Cowley byline. Jim gives us some perspective on how newspapers work, and explains why the byline may have been slow to show up.
Who can blame them though? Would you put your name on something when, after a few hundred words of being unable to make your point through character assasinsation, you resorted to ignoring facts in order to extend your own personal grudge?
The fact is, he has been a disappointment, not only at the plate but also in the field, where he is the fourth-best shortstop on the Sox behind Alexei Ramirez, Juan Uribe and his 44-year-old manager.
Didn't Cabrera used to have range?
For those of you who bother with petty things like facts, Cabrera is the second ranked SS in baseball according to John Dewan's +/- (table at right) rating this year. He leads all of baseball in defensive win shares. He ranks 4th among shortstops in RZR. But, you know, he's the 4th best shortstop on the White Sox...
Because he won't talk to the Sun-Times.