Thursday, August 26, 2004
Hard To Keep The Interest Level Up
It's becoming harder and harder to keep my interest level up in the White Sox now that they are hopelessly out of first place. One of the reasons is that it's hard to like the team on the field. Right now, the Sox have exactly two regulars - Paul Konerko and Willie Harris - who have a walk rate of .1 BB/AB or greater. The team is really just hacking away right now.
Moreover, there aren't any new young players to watch develop. Joe Borchard is up, but he seems to be moving in place. I like Borchard a lot; he's reportedly one of the hardest workers on the team and a dedicated professional. I wish that hard work was paying off. Willie Harris has been around a while, so it's hard to see him as a new exciting player. Joe Crede is in his third season. There isn't a lot of new blood on this team.
And the pitching has been awful. Jon Garland has been infuriating. He keeps getting beat on his fourth best pitch - his changeup. Freddy Garcia is giving up a lot of longballs, Buerhle has not kept up his hot 9-2 start, and Contreras just had a 7-walk performance. And the 5th starter situation is horrific, punctuated again tonight by Josh Stewart.
I'd love for the Sox to play September in a way that will get me excited about 2005. But if Guillen puts out a lineup including a Ross Gload, a Timo Perez, a Roberto Alomar or a Juan Uribe, it's just hard to watch.
