By The Soxman and Paul Schmidt
(Paul Schmidt) – It’s time for round two! The Red Line series shifts south to U.S. Cellular Field, where this Friday, Saturday and Sunday the Cubs and Sox will once again take each other on in a battle for city supremacy.
Now, that really sounds like I’m fired up about these games, doesn’t it? However I’ve always, as a Cub fan, felt like these games are nothing more than games against, say, the N. L. East in terms of importance – Sure, they are baseball games and they are obviously important to win, but nothing like games against your division-mates.
Just because we’re both in the same city doesn’t add any more drama to these games for me.
Is it the same for most White Sox fans, or am I barking up the wrong tree by bringing this up?
(Soxman) I think the rivalry means a great deal to most Sox fans because if it didn’t, the White Sox would not have a special 
ticket pricing bracket for this series only. Personally, I believe the depth of the energy and passion is relative to the season both teams are having. In 2006, the Cubs were playing with a chip on their shoulder. So I wonder why Michael Barrett threw that punch at AJ? This season the weather in Chicago has been about as extreme as both of our teams play, so I think fans are stoked, but not as stoked.
Honestly, neither team is exactly dominating in their division, so for me personally, I wish you guys would just do you your job and beat up the Tigers for us like we beat up the Brewers for you.
(PS) – In all seriousness, we wish we could have beaten the Tigers a couple of times for you, too…
Let’s dish a little on your team. Jose Contreras is one of those guys that Sox fans love to hate. His relationship with the team and their fans reminds me a little of the Red Sox and Derek Lowe, a guy that Red Sox fans quit on roughly 250,000 times in his career there. Is everyone back on board the bandwagon of the Sox’s Friday starter, and can he keep up his absolutely torrid run since coming off the DL?
(SM) Jose came back to reality a little bit in his third start since being re-called from AAA, although it seems like he was on the disabled list or at least was limited to pitching batting practice for the first two months of the season. Despite a more human start last week, he still has posted a 1.23 ERA in three starts and appears to be throwing pitches with more confidence. While Sox fans are excited, I believe that he was never going to be counted on as more than a 4th or 5th starter this season anyway. More encouraging is Gavin Floyd’s 1.25 ERA over his last three starts.
Now it’s time for our hitting to come off the DL. We are hitting an appalling .217 at home this season, second worst in major league baseball only to the San Diego Padres. See, there was a reason Jake Peavy turned that trade down.
(PS) – Floyd is finally looking like the starter I envisioned him to be when I drafted him as an end-game starter in most of my fantasy leagues. Too bad I dropped him prior to the good run.
You also bring up something interesting – the White Sox’s struggles to hit the ball at US Cellular. Couple that with the Cubs’ road struggles (after being swept by the Tigers, they have one of MLB’s worst road records at 13-22), and we may have a series no one can win!
Moving on, since sometimes it’s difficult to diagnose problems with your own team without rose-colored glasses, I’d like to get your opinion on ’09 Cubs issues. If you were Jim Hendry, what’s the move you make at this point? Do you stand pat? Is this just a season where bad luck with injuries (after two extremely injury-free, division-title seasons) is going to derail things?
(SM) Jim Hendry really only has himself to blame for his team’s troubles. First, they have minimal payroll flexibility (the Cubs have the 3rd highest team payroll in MLB). They have large sums of money tied up in players with either minimal trade value (Fukudome, Bradley), or to players who are injury prone or attitude prone (Big Z, Soriano, Harden, etc.).
Soto has had a massive sophomore slump and Kevin Gregg was never the most stable closer in the game. He wanted a left-handed bat who could get on-base, which is why he brought in Bradley, and in essence took away a team sparkplug in Mark DeRosa. While he really has no choice but to stand pat, I’d dismantle and try again.
The fun thing about the Cubs has always been the heart they play with. While I truly like guys like Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot, who is the true leader on this team? Where is that heart and passion? Big Z water cooler episodes aside? You have more egos to manage than ball players. The only hope they really have is to not be passive. Play whoever performs and ignore the dollar signs next to their names. How about you, what would you do with the White Sox?
(PS) I agree with most of your assessments, although today we learned that Geovany Soto is so fat this season because he’s got the munchies and is getting high. Awesome. Have I mentioned how much I love this Cub team?
For the White Sox, get out your dynamite. There are a lot of pieces that could be valuable come trade-deadline time,
and the Sox could go a long way towards building for the future if they’d just eat some salaries. Send Thome and Konerko out to any teams needing a DH (Seattle, or perhaps even someplace like Kansas City). Send Jermaine Dye to, well, anyone needing a perennial, fringe-MVP candidate. Send Mark Buerhle (yeah, I said it) to the Cardinals. Last but not least…see what Carlos Quentin can get you, assuming he can return to the field 100 percent. I get that he was a revelation last season, but his trade value will NEVER be higher than it is now, and the more he gets hurt the less he’ll be worth to the rest of the league. Again, I’m not saying they will do it, but they should. The future of this team rests with Alexei Ramirez and Gordon Beckham (who may have one of the strongest arms I have ever seen).
(SM) Ok let’s play Maybe or Mirage, where we hit 5 quick points on the White Sox (and Cubs) and offer our opinion whether it is a sign of things to come or something likely to fade quickly? Remember, no answer can be longer than 20 words! Let’s play ball…
The Cubs need this series more than the Sox.
(SM) Mirage, The White Sox are hiding their white socks in fear of a white flag.
(PS) Maybe. This answer was different prior to being swept by the Tigers.
The Cubs are in 1st place with Mark DeRosa on the team.
(SM) Maybe, a true sub for A-Ram, and a spark plug.
(PS) Mirage. I love DeRo, but he had an awful start to the season, only coming on of late.
Alfonso Soriano will turn it around in the 2nd half.
(SM) Mirage. Even if he boosts his numbers the 2006 player appears gone forever.
(PS) Mirage. Coughcough PEDs Coughcough
The Sox bats will come alive at the Cell this weekend.
(SM) Maybe. They better or the only player who walks might be Greg Walker.
(PS) Mirage. The only thing the Cubs have going for them is their rotation right now.
Scott Podsednik patrols CF when Quentin returns.
(SM) Maybe. Unless Brian Anderson suddenly becomes the true reason we traded Aaron Rowand.
(PS) Mirage. Unless Ozzie wants to attempt to field one of the worst fielding outfields in history…