Are White Sox going to be burned, again, by MLB's labor issues?
The White Sox are in the wrong place at the worst time. Again.
During major-league baseball's last work stoppage - it started in August 1994 and dragged all the way until March 1995 - the Sox were two-time losers.
First, they were on top of the AL Central when play stopped on Aug. 11 and never resumed. The White Sox didn't get a chance to compete in the playoffs that season and they had a team capable of advancing to and winning the World Series.
Second, when the game did return in late April 1995, the White Sox were a shell of their former selves.
Despite having a solid core of returning players on the roster, headed by Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura, Tim Raines, Alex Fernandez and Wilson Alvarez, the Sox came out of the long layoff flat and uninterested.
In late May, chairman Jerry Reinsdorf traveled to Cleveland for a four-game series against the erstwhile Indians. The White Sox were swept, dropping their record to 11-20.
The Sox headed home to play the Tigers after losing four straight to Cleveland, but Gene Lamont never returned to the dugout.
Despite going 247-190 over his first three seasons and winning AL Manager of the Year honors in 1993, Lamont was fired and replaced by the eminently forgettable Terry Bevington.
Instead of picking up where they left off in 1994, the White Sox went 68-76 in '95 and finished 32 games behind a high-powered Indians team that would rule the AL Central for the rest of the decade.
In the current lockout, which has stretched into its fourth month with no end in sight, the Sox are seemingly in better shape.
Even though they've been eliminated in the first round each time, the White Sox have made back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time in franchise history.
They have twice as much talent, at least, than any other team in the Central, which is far and away the weakest division in baseball.
That could all be moot because as the lockout lengthens, the possibility of the entire season being wiped out increases. After talks broke down again Wednesday, MLB owners announced Opening Day has been pushed back to April 14.
The way things are going between the owners and players, that sounds like wishful thinking.
If there is a season, however long, the White Sox are going to be favored to repeat as AL Central champions.
That doesn't mean they'd roll through the reduced schedule and get to the playoffs, which are likely to be expanded from 10 teams to 12 or 14.
A lengthy delay could adversely affect Michael Kopech, who missed the entire 2019 season recovering from Tommy John surgery and opted out in 2020 before returning last year and pitching 69⅓ innings, mostly out of the bullpen.
Kopech is moving to the Sox's starting rotation and the last thing he needs is another long layoff.
The same goes for outfielders Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert, who were just getting back up to speed late last season after each missed long stretches due to injury.
At age 35, Jose Abreu would like to get back to swinging the bat as soon as possible.
All-star closer Liam Hendriks thrives on work, not sitting around waiting for the lockout to be lifted.
Players are in much better shape now than they were back in 1994-95, so maybe the down time won't be so bad for the White Sox.
But after years of rebuilding and finally getting the competitive window open, a strong Sox team is again in danger of being derailed by the brutal business of baseball.