Series Win! But Losers All the Same.

I would really like to say it was a good home stand for the White Sox, but seeing how they eeked out only two wins from five games I just can’t bring myself to do it. The non-existent White sox offense wasted an awesome effort by John Danks, only giving up three hits and two earned runs. That proved too much for the anemic Sox bats that pulled to within one in the ninth on Paul Konerko’s solo home run. What I find just incredible however is the rumble from some fans who called Konerko’s home run a waste, and too little too late. Let’s see, Konerko was the first guy up in the ninth, no one on base and he got a great pitch to hit. No, those folks are right; he should have hit a single and let his team mates drive him in with their deft situational and clutch hitting. Oh, wait they haven’t done that all year and after Paulie’s dinger, they rest of the inning went 1, 2, 3. Look, I’m sure Konerko would love to have guys on base every time he hits a home run, but if they can’t get there, don’t blame the guy for hitting the ball well. If there is one universal about baseball players, even pitchers, they love to hit the ball hard. Hell, I love to hit the ball hard. If given the pitch a batter is going to crush a ball as hard as they can, no matter what the situation and a guy can’t be faulted for doing so.

I got to take in the Thursday game with my pal AJD and it was, as always, a great time. To quote Stephen Fry, “there was a breeze and we shot it; there was fat and we chewed it.” Good thing too, because the game was pretty boring, rainy, and a little cold. Jake Peavy looked like the April Peavy and the Angels pretty much teed off. We did get to witness an interesting sociological phenomenon and a late inning rally from the Sox that fell just short. The other interesting part of the evening was when we switched our seats to right behind home plate. We were still in the upper deck but the sounds and sights of the game were markedly different from our seats down the first base line. We could hear the pop of the glove on pitched balls, read the strike zone at least in and out and we got much better reads on batted balls. It was a great way to see the game. As the attendance drops throughout the summer I’m sure AJD and I can take advantage of those seats again.

The Marlins came in for the weekend and it was amazing to listen to talk radio on Saturday and Sunday (morning, alas) and hear how positive two wins can make a fan base. Sure, Buerhle looked great and Floyd finally had a good outing, but let’s face it: The National League teams suck. Winning two of three from them just isn’t that impressive and when Freddy Garcia looks like the Freddy we were kind of expecting, a two game winning streak isn’t enough to get me thinking about a run at the Twins. Thankfully all talk on sports radio was surrounding the Blackhawks and very little with the Sox which is probably for the best. As the Hawks journey to the Stanley Cup, taking hockey into mid-June, the Sox can descend into obscurity without so much as a blink from the media or casual fans that are only looking for Bears training camp. It means I can sit in prime seats for less, not have to wait in line for food and use relatively clean bathrooms for the rest of the year.