Right on Q: Memories of Gavin Floyd and so much more

Gavin Floyd is done for the season. But I doubt his White Sox career is over. When he's through with his recovery from elbow surgery, I would imagine the White Sox will be there with a minor league contract.

On Monday, there was a lot of debate in the Sox-o-Sphere about Gavin Floyd's legacy. Colin has been adamant about the fact that Floyd has actually been quite valuable to the White Sox. He's been an above average starter. He eats innings. Then again, I violated the first law of the internet by reading the comments.

Never read the comments.

The comments on Facebook and elsewhere were choked with people who were more than happy that Gavin Floyd suffered a debilitating injury. He didn't have the will to win blah blah blah.

I guess your opinion of Floyd is shaped by your memories of Floyd. If you zero in on the bad starts, then you will believe he is terrible; facts be damned. I probably thought Floyd was more valuable than the numbers indicated, based on a series of games ... and situations. My positive memories of Gavin Floyd date back to that magical year of 2008.

It started on April 12, when Floyd took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers. Floyd flirted with a no-no a month later, when he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins.

Floyd's greatest moment that year came on Sept. 16. In the bottom of the fifth, Floyd struck out Jason Giambi with the bases loaded. But that strikeout requires some context. Giambi hit a home run off of Floyd in the previous inning. The at-bat went on seemingly forever. He fouled off pitch after pitch after pitch. The count went full. He kept fouling off pitches. Eventually Giambi would find a good pitch to hit. Floyd retired him with a curveball, and the Sox went on to win the game 6-2.

The performance was so good, it gave Gavin Floyd a nickname that followed him through his White Sox career.

Floyd had his moment in subsequent years. On June 18, 2010, he outdueled Stephen Strasburg in Washington ... when the nation was gripped with Strasburg mania. President Obama was on hand for the game, which meant the White House press corps spent the game tweeting updates about how "other guy" was going blow-for-blow with the young phenom.

Floyd's injury is the latest misfortune in a White Sox season that required everything to go right. The Sox season has been frustrating, for sure. But they are hardly the biggest disappointment in the American League. That honor(s) belongs to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Toronto Blue Jays. Both teams were supposed to make the postseason, and both teams are at or near the bottom of their divisions (the Houston Astros are the Mississippi of the AL West).

The poor performance of the White Sox so far is easier to take because they weren't supposed to compete in the first place. 80-ish wins would be a triumph. With the talent involved, the Blue Jays and Angels are supposed to be better.

Oh, and one final thought.

With the Sox down another starting pitcher ... how many phone calls has Rick Hahn made to Toronto? I can think of one Jays pitcher who could use a change in scenery.