North: White Sox in critical condition
Last Friday I saw White Sox manager Robin Ventura pull pitcher Chris Sale after 8 shutout innings against the Texas Rangers. Sale had struck out 14 and Ventura was booed by the fans when he went to closer Dave Robertson to get the deal done in the ninth.
Well, you know the rest. The White Sox lost 2-1 and dropped their eighth in a row, making Ventura the goat.
I know the argument was that Sale had thrown 111 pitches, but he still had gas in the tank and the team needed a big win.
Thankfully, they came back and beat the Rangers in the next two games, including Sunday's victory in 11 innings after a walk-off home run by Gordon Beckham.
I expected acquisitions such as Adam LaRoche and Melky Cabrera to improve the team, but I didn't think they would turn the White Sox into a 90+ win team. Cabrera might have had a 5-for-5 game over the weekend, but he is still hitting just .250 with 1 HR and 23 RBI.
The new players have just not panned out, so who do we blame - the players or the manager?
Well, there is plenty of blame to go around, and I believe this team needs a manager with fire in his belly and a strong will.
I don't think you can pay a lot of attention to the players saying they can still turn it around. From my perspective, they don't have the right frontman.
What's the major difference in the Cubs and the White Sox right now?
The managers - end of story. Joe Maddon is pedigree and Robin Ventura isn't.
While there is an undercurrent of people who think Ventura should be replaced, there is not a lot of buzz behind it.
Remember, the White Sox ownership has a lot of influence with some media outlets and personnel in town so criticism for now is being a little stifled, but sooner or later questions will surface.
Did the GM make bad choices or is the manager unable to get his team to perform at its best?
Look for the White Sox to do a lot of deals when the trading period starts. It won't be a white flag, but the reality will be that this team never was able to put it together for whatever reason.
There might be a lot of chips in general manager Rich Hahn's bag, but who is actually making the calls with Sox president Kenny Williams and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf standing by at the water cooler?
I love the White Sox, but this franchise is in critical condition, and when the Blackhawks outdraw the Sox, something has to change.
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