Healthy Contreras could mean big things for Sox
Kenny Williams is usually ahead of the curve.
So the White Sox GM must have known something in January when he said he was "curious'' to see how Jose Contreras would respond this spring.
Coming off a ruptured Achilles, which could have ended Contreras' career, Williams seemed genuinely intrigued by the possibility of Contreras returning this summer, though speculation centered around the all-star break.
Now, barring a setback, and with their fingers and toes crossed, the Sox are penciling in Contreras for the first weekend of the baseball season, many months ahead of schedule and with many hopes riding on his health.
As was the case a year ago, there is no shortage of skeptics when it comes to the South Siders' rotation.
They say Mark Buehrle is not as consistent as he once was, Gavin Floyd and John Danks need to prove they can do it again, and Contreras and Bartolo Colon are part wing and part prayer.
But an optimist could look at that rotation - if Contreras is healthy and Colon is merely decent - and think the Sox are in much better shape than most teams.
And while it seems dangerous to pin so much on one man, especially one at 37 who has had his physical problems, Contreras might be the key to it all staying together.
This is no ordinary pitcher we're talking about - when he's right. You've seen Contreras when he's on, and there are few better when he gets hot.
Still, the questions surrounding him a year ago even before he blew out the Achilles were easy to find and difficult to answer.
Even now with a healthy Achilles, you wonder about the other ailments he must have had during a frustrating summer that saw him at 7-6 with a 4.54 ERA when his season ended Aug. 9.
Maybe those scars, whether physical or emotional, are all healed with the forced rest he got after surgery, and there's little doubt dropping 30 pounds helped. So perhaps the Contreras we'll see this year is the more like the one who has shown the ability to dominate for weeks and months at a time.
Based on the how Ozzie Guillen was raving following Contreras' outing Sunday, and the way A.J. Pierzynski talked of Contreras throwing all his pitches from all different angles, a style he abandoned last year, it sure sounds like Contreras is Contreras again.
Even if he's not, even if he's the Contreras who can make 30 starts and win 13 games, that's a tremendous contribution from someone the Sox really didn't expect anything from as they looked last fall at 2009.
The Sox didn't make the mistake of counting on Contreras, giving themselves contingencies, but now they have the luxury of watching him get ready for the first week of the season.
Call that a gift, call it a shock, or call him late for dinner, but if the Sox can call his name 30 times, that's the kind of break that can make a season.
And it explains all those crossed fingers on the South Side.
The line
Over-under on wins totals for the 2009 season show - no surprise - the Yankees on top at 96, followed by the Cubs and Red Sox at 94, the Mets at 90, and the AL champion Rays at a whopping 89, just ahead of the world champion Phillies at 88.
The AL Central champion White Sox come in at only 77. The Indians are at a very mediocre 83 for a supposed division leader, with the Twins at 80, the Tigers at 79, and the Royals at 75.
As for the NL Central, after the Cubs it's the Brewers (85), Cards (84), Reds (76), Astros (74) and Pirates (66).
The rest of the NL shows the Diamondbacks (87), Dodgers (85) and Braves (84) above .500, but under are the Rockies (77), Giants (77), Marlins (76), Nats (69) and Padres (66).
Rounding out the AL, you have the Angels (88), Athletics (82), Rangers (81), Blue Jays (81), Orioles (74), and Mariners (72).
Fan forum
From e-mailer the White Elephant: "I am beginning to see the Cub fan slowly coming out of the current Blackhawk fans as soon as they encounter a losing streak. Get over it. It happens in an 82-game schedule.
"You can't accomplish everything in one year after 20 years of total neglect. This team is still a couple years away, and they need to use this upcoming playoff season as a learning experience. They have to lose and find out what it will take to win. Every team has gone through it.''
The good guys
The Wolves will hold a career fair before Friday's game from 4-6:30 p.m. in the Skyline Room of the Allstate Arena.
A $20 registration fee grants participants a ticket to the game and access to the fair, which features more than 30 local sports teams, including the White Sox, Blackhawks, Bears, Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks and more.
For more info, visit chicagowolves.com.
The quote
Tiger Woods on being anxious about a first-round tee box: "The day I'm not nervous is the day I quit.''
The hit parade
One of David Letterman's Top Ten Messages Left On Bernie Madoff's Answering Machine: "It's Michael Phelps. Need something to help you relax?''
And finally -
Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: "Call me unpatriotic if you want, but the only way I'm watching the World Baseball Classic is if Tiger is playing in it."
brozner@dailyherald.com