Sox Sentinel.
BLACK TIMES FOR BLACK SOX
The 59 wins scraped together by Chicago in 2001 seems a feat of Herculean proportions to bewildered and frustrated Black Sox fans as the team limps through the 2001 season. Since starting the season 7-4 the wheels have come off the wagon and Chicago are a woeful 17-46, effectively losing nearly 3 of every 4 games. When trying to decide why Chicago are so bad it’s difficult to know where to start. On the pitching front their starters rank 12th in the JL and their bullpen 11th.Their only starter with a winning record is 33 year old George Fagg who has a 7-6 record, an era of 4.78 and has walked 55 striking out only 36. Yes he really has their best record. That said Closer Masatake Hirose has been a rare bright spot The youngster has a 92% save record blowing only one. The problem is Chicago are so awful he rarely gets the opportunity to save anything but himself from having to walk to the mound.
The team hitting isn’t much better ranking rock bottom in everything bar stolen bases where they are a mighty 3rd. Last years team leaderCF Steve Faulkner has struggled to match the heights of 2001, although he leads the team in homers and RBI’s. Asdrubel Fernandez and Hector Fernandez have been steady but there has been little else for Sox fans to shout about.
So how are Chicago going to shake things up? In reality there options are limited with all of their affiliates struggling too. They do have some good young pitching prospects and the temptation to call some up to the Majors must be tempting. There is however a balance to be drawn between blooding them early and on the other hand throwing them to the sharks, or in this case the Wolves. Of the prospects Mike Hall and reliever Dennis Charette look the closest to stepping up.
Things are unlikely to turn round anytime soon and the recovery if it ever happens looks like being slow and painful. Team morale is rock bottom and even the fiercely loyal Chicago faithful are deserting in their droves. GM Brown cuts a melancholy figure at the training ground and according to unnamed sources is dealing with a steady procession of trade requests on an almost daily basis. When approached by reporters he had this to say “Trade requests? If I had any offers to ship any of the slackers out do you think I would be here talking to you? As to their morale I’m fed up of being told how unhappy and angry they are, if they’d actually perform now and again at least I’d cheer up. To be frank I’m fed up of the whining”
As most seasoned observers have commented it’s difficult to see any way for the Sox to dig their way out of the hole. Only Hawaii has a worse record and that’s down to their dreadful start. At their current pace the Sox look a dead cert to be picking first in 2003.
You need to get Fernandez & Fernandez, Ltd some rest. Longoria (!) ain't gonna spell for those guys if he's scheduled to start. Assign some other guys as back ups for F&F before they get injured.
away at us!
