Sports

The White Sox Report

By Andrew Reilly

Losing four of your first six games isn't really that big a deal, so long as a team isn't doing it:

A) in a park in which they should dominate.

B) against teams they really, really need to beat.

C) in a fashion that suggests the team's vulnerabilities are even greater than previously imagined, including an alarming number of strikeouts by the batters, an offense so hilariously one-sided it's launched seven home runs yet plated only 21 runners, not to mention the reliance on players performing amazing feats of glovework that, in all likelihood, will never be repeated ever, as long as any of them wear a White Sox uniform, and this nagging idea that yes, this season is going to be one long series of gems tossed by the starting staff ultimately squandered by a shaky bullpen and a lumber company that simply cannot deliver.

But it's only a week into the season, and there is much baseball to be played against teams worse than the two to have already come to town, and all is not lost until all has actually been lost. And meanwhile, somewhere in Cleveland and Kansas City, someone is pontificating for the Parkview Post and the Davey's Uptown Ramblers Club Digest that their team still has hope as well, so long as the team in Chicago keeps doing what it has been doing.

Week in Review: Preliminary. A 2-4 start is terrible, but two other teams in the division fared the same. Sadly, one of those was the Sox-shaming Cleveland Indians.

Week in Preview: Great Lakes-y. Four in Toronto (which usually spells death) and three in Cleveland (which usually spells at a sixth-grade level).

Hawkeroo's Can-O-Corn Watch: You know, something I've learned in my five decades in the game is that winning and losing has nothing to do with the number of games a team wins, but it has plenty to do with winning the game of winning. I've seen some teams win 100 games and finish in last place, and I've seen some teams that won 75 and went on to win the World Series. But you take a team like our Sox, I don't care if they lose four of six, eight of nine, 130 out of 162, they're still gonna go out there every day and play, and that's what separates our Sox from the teams that aren't still playing in October.

Gordon Beckham Hall of Fame Update: Gordon Beckham home runs through 109 games: 15. Babe Ruth home runs through 109 games: 7. Advantage: Beckham.

Alumni News You Can Use: Former Sox knuckleballer Charlie Haeger struck out a dozen Florida Marlins in only six innings Sunday.

The "H" in "DH" Stands For: Home run, as Mark Kotsay has thus far been responsible for 100% of White Sox DH bombs.

The Q Factor: With the shot to his elbow Sunday, Carlos Quentin leads all of baseball with three hit-by-pitches. After hitting Quentin, Twins pitcher Nick Blackburn called catcher Joe Mauer to the mound. "What's up?" Mauer asked. "Give my love to Minnesota," answered Blackburn. Late in the seventh inning, Blackburn was taken out of the game by manager Ron Gardenhire; Carlos Quentin smiled a mischievous grin, and Blackburn has not been seen or heard from since.

The Guillen Meter: His team off to a horrible start, the Guillen Meter reads 7 for "Yeah, well how the !@#$ is your team doing these days?"

Cubs Snub: Alfonso Soriano, who the Cubs will pay $18 million this year, bobbled a routine pop fly on Sunday's game allowing two Cincinnati Reds to score. Unbelievable.

The White Sox Report: Read 'em all.

The Cub Factor: It's funny because it's true.

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The White Sox Report welcomes your comments.

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Andrew Reilly is the managing editor of The 35th Street Review and a contributor to many fine publications.

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