Chicago White Sox turnaround a pleasant surprise

Guess what sports fans? The White Sox might just be a second-half story.

The organization was under siege in the first half, but as bad as things looked, we heard this team was good enough to compete and it wasn't manager Robin Ventura's fault or any of the other coaching staff.

No, it was because of under performance by the players and it looks like maybe they were right.

The starting pitching has been outstanding, and Jeff Samardzija, whom I deemed strictly a National League pitcher, has proved that he's more than that at 8-5 with a 3.94 ERA.

Now it was brought to my attention that they are defeating bottom feeders Cleveland and Boston.

Maybe that's true, but if they were losing to those two teams, we would be beating up the organization. The Sox have continued to play hard and managed to climb to within 2½ games of the second wild card.

That's a testament Ventura. A little more than two weeks ago, he was being fired and the rumor mill was flying.

But the Sox chose to stick with him, and, whether you like it or not, Ventura is staying put.

Now can the White Sox continue? I'm not sure, but while everybody was watching the Cubs except a few media members and a handful of fans, the pendulum swung and everything shifted.

This Sox ballclub deserves another look. If they make the playoffs, it will be one of the most unexpected occurrences in Chicago sports history.

We'll hear the usual clichés like: "We knew we could do it." "We never lost hope." Or, "It was us against everyone else."

Maybe it's time to get ready for playoff tickets. There are people who consider the second wild card not real postseason play. Yeah, but those are the same people whose teams have no shot.

Andy Furman, my pal and co-host on Fox Sports Radio, says he hates the second wild card. But that's because his beloved Cincinnati Reds aren't it. If they were he would tolerate that second wild-card spot very nicely, but I do see his point.

Honestly, I never entertained the thought the White Sox would make the wild card, even if there were four spots.

So it's time to give credit to the Sox for not giving up and taking the bull by the horns.

At the end of the day they may not make it, but they are now doing what they were expected to do.

Much of the credit should go to the players and, yes, their manager.

Upcoming event:

Johnny O'Bryant of the Milwaukee Bucks and an all-American college player at Louisiana State is hosting a skills-development clinic at Joy of the Game Gym in Deerfield on Friday, Aug. 7. The camp is open to all ages and will feature Pro Trainers Cody Topper and Pat-the_Roc. For more info, contact info@job3camp.com or call 202 409-0745.

Program notes:

Follow me on Twitter@ north2north, and listen to Fox Sports Daybreak with Andy Furman and myself from 5-8 a.m. Monday through Friday on Fox Sports radio, and check me out on iHeart radio or Foxsportsradio.com.

• North's column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.