What to do with Vazquez?

There may be no more complicated question about the 2009 White Sox than this:

What do they do next with Javier Vazquez?

Rarely have we seen a pitcher so completely lose confidence so quickly, and rarely have his teammates so completely lost faith in one of their best pitchers.

But that's where the Sox are right now with Vazquez.

He said all the right things the last few days about wanting to be back, but perhaps a fresh start is best for all involved.

When asked about Vazquez, GM Kenny Williams offered a cryptic, "I have a plan in mind for Javy that has been in place for a while.''

Knowing Williams, you have to think that means moving him, and that wouldn't be difficult considering Vazquez is a lock to throw 200 innings, strike out 200 and win 12 games every year.

At only $11.5 million in each of the next two years, the bullpen makes no sense because that's extraordinarily cheap for a starting pitcher in today's market, and desperate teams - like the Brewers - wouldn't hesitate to add someone who can eat up 33 starts a year at that price.

With Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, John Danks and Clayton Richard, the Sox have the makings of an excellent rotation.

As for Vazquez, pitching Don Cooper says he's absolutely salvageable, so if he stays, Cooper's not worried.

"This is a guy with a documented record of success for 10 years in the big leagues, and that to me carries a lot of weight,'' Cooper said. "His confidence is down. I don't know any pitcher who can win without confidence.

"But his stuff is still there. That's a fact. He's still a heck of a pitcher.''

Pitching rich

Speaking of Cooper, he didn't get enough credit this year for the work he put in with Danks and Floyd, who had great ability but serious flaws to correct that enabled them to break out in 2008.

"I had my 15 minutes (of fame) in 2005. I don't need it,'' Cooper said. "I'm happy for the kids because they worked so hard to get to where they are. The thing people don't see is the incredible amount of work they put it.

"We shut down Danks last year early, but that didn't mean he stopped working. He had serious delivery flaws to correct, and he did that. That's one very tough young man.

"It's not easy to fix your game like that at the major- league level. That can ruin a lot of guys, but we knew Danks could handle it, so we didn't send him down. That's how tough he is.''

As for Floyd, everyone knew he had the stuff, but it was always a question of living up to it.

"I don't know what happened to him in Philadelphia, and this is no criticism of the people there, but he was kind of lost mentally from being told so many different things,'' Cooper said.

"We kind of had to break him down and get him to think a bit differently, and again, to do that at the major-league level without losing a guy, it shows how tough a guy he is.

"I'm really proud of both of them and they deserve the success they've had. Lesser men could have easily buckled under what they've been through.''

Old home week

Not too many Rays needed more tickets in Chicago than Tampa coach Tim Bogar, the former Buffalo Grove High School star whose parents, Joe and Jan, live in Geneva. Brothers Dan and Mike reside in the area as well.

Bogar is hoping his family will have to travel out of town for an even bigger series down the road.

"The great thing about these kids is they have no idea what they've accomplished, or where they are, so they don't seem to feel any pressure,'' Bogar said of the young Rays. "It's strength in numbers. Guys look around and they don't see anyone nervous, so they just go out and play.''

After a nine-year major-league career, Bogar has worked his way up through the minor leagues as a manager and is now on staff with the Rays.

"We got off to great start in spring training and people say it doesn't mean anything, but that really got us going. Then, we got in that fight with the Yankees and I think we became a team,'' Bogar said. "The fight with Boston was the same thing. We've got 25 guys in this together.''

A.J. OK

While many opposing players and managers can't stand A.J. Pierzynski, Rays boss Joe Maddon confessed that he respects the Sox catcher.

"He's got a brashness about him, and he's ultra calm, so he's been very clutch for them,'' Maddon said. "You have to know where he is at all times. You can't lose track of him or he'll burn you. I have a lot of admiration for how well he plays in big games.''

Just asking

Why not six umpires all the time?

Replay isn't going to solve everything, and if some baseball people get their way, it'll be expanded and more troublesome.

Meanwhile, you watch six umpires work postseason games and they have pretty much the entire ballpark covered, leading you to wonder why they don't just do it all the time if they're really interested in getting the calls right.

Just thinking

Wasn't it refreshing to hear a team admit they simply got beat by a better team? The Sox could have blamed injuries or umpires or take your pick, but all they said was they were proud of each other and tipped their caps to the Rays.

And finally -

White Sox broadcaster Steve Stone, on the Dodgers' three-game sweep of the Cubs: "I'm shocked Los Angeles was able to overcome the Cubs' mystique without having a priest bless their dugout with holy water.''

brozner@dailyherald.com