Expect little, and Junior might surprise

Never did I think the names of Geoff Blum and Ken Griffey could wind up in the same story, let alone the same paragraph.

But there they are, in the same sentence, separated by a mere conjunction.

And that may be how you have to view the White Sox' trade for Junior Griffey, who, like Blum, was a July 31 acquisition.

He's a guy who will be worth his considerable weight in gold if he delivers just one hit, or makes one play, that helps the White Sox win the World Series, as did Blum in 2005.

That was the home run of the new century for the White Sox, the Game 3 World Series winner, and it would be unfair to expect Griffey to match that heroic effort on such a grand stage.

Still, the Sox have Griffey now, have to find a way to play him, and as my grandfather used to say, "We should all have this kind of tsuris.''

If this is the only trouble the Sox have the rest of the way, they'll cruise into the postseason.

Now, to say they gave up nothing isn't quite accurate, as Nick Masset has a fine arm and could absolutely someday be a respectable starting pitcher if he absolutely someday gets to start for a respectable team that isn't named the "Reds.''

But the Sox didn't give up a lot, and they shouldn't expect much more than that from Griffey.

When we've seen Griffey the last couple years, he has looked old, slow, and very big, but there is that whole lightning-in-a-bottle theory and he could be reinvigorated by a pennant race.

There's also that fact that he carries a still potent bat capable of many more home runs, and in the middle of the Sox' lineup, he could frighten teams into throwing better pitches to Griffey's teammates, especially in the postseason.

So are the Sox better with Griffey than they were without him?

Yes, but a lot depends on how manager Ozzie Guillen finds a way to rotate Griffey, Jim Thome, Nick Swisher and Paul Konerko.

The best the Sox have played this year was in the series with the Cubs on the South Side, when Dewayne Wise and Brian Anderson handled center field, while Swisher was terrific at first and looked as comfortable at the plate as he has all season.

As for center field, the Sox are a better team when Swisher doesn't have to run pass patterns out there, but he's still better than Griffey, who will look like he's in slow motion - because he is.

So assuming Guillen decides to cut Konerko's playing time, you'll get better defense at first with Swisher, but less in center with Griffey, so that's a wash. However, Griffey's bat should produce much more than did Konerko's.

In that context, there's no downside here for the Sox, and it's easy to see the upside if Griffey can stay healthy and find some magic in that bat, while adding another feared stick to the heart of the order.

It's interesting to note that GM Ken Williams tried very hard to convince Griffey to accept this trade in 2005, and only after he did, the Reds nixed the deal because it was going to cost them too much money.

It was around that time in '05 that Williams made sure Griffey knew this was a team game and that he expected Griffey to act accordingly, after reports surfaced that Griffey had teammate issues.

That's not likely to be a problem in Chicago as the South Siders have about as loose a clubhouse as you'll find, and often it's the manager who makes sure everyone's laughing.

In this case, someone's going to lose playing time and it may be someone who's very popular with his teammates, which is no laughing matter.

It makes it that much more important that Griffey produce, and produce quickly, in order to maintain order.

So Griffey's got some work to do and maybe a bit of pressure, but when you add it up, this was pretty much a no-lose deal for the White Sox, and Griffey should make them a better club.

Then again, as my grandfather used to say, "He's no Art Shamsky.''

But, when you think about it, who is?

brozner@dailyherald.com