Manager Ozzie Guillen was let go by the Chicago White Sox last week, but the man who should have been cut was GM Kenny Williams. Williams has made so many bad trades, and HORRIBLE free agent signings that he was the one who really deserved to be cut.
Why? He wasted all that money on Adam Dunn, Alex Rios and Jake Peavy– all ludicrously overpaid underachieving wastes of space that you can squarely point the finger at for what a pathetic season it was on the south side.
“All in” my ass! We’ll touch on all these individuals, but let’s focus on the big FAT ASS Adam Dunn. Showing up horribly out of shape in spring training (after signing a four year $56 million contract) is one thing, but being unable to streamline your lard ass even though you’re a professional athlete with access to the best exercise equipment and nutritionists every day?
July and August was so hot and humid in the Chi, that if you’re someone who runs around in the heat everyday, you’ll 10-15 pounds of water weight without having to really do anything. But Adam Dunn doesn’t play the field, as his switch from the NL to the AL meant a change to DH. But Dunn never worked at his conditioning and this is what he had to show for it. These are his season numbers:
.159 BA, 177 K in just 415 AB, 11 HR, 42 RBI, .277 SLG
.064 versus lefties, .077 slugging versus lefties.
His .159 average is the lowest batting average by a qualified player since Bill Bergen hit .139 as a starter for the 1909 Brooklyn Superbas. And no, I haven’t a clue who the Superbas were, or even what that word means.
But I do know Dunn was named AL Least Valuable Player in a recent New York Times column. No argument from anyone there, as Dunn’s season was nothing but an overpriced pile of excrement. The article points out how Dunn had the worst season ever for a player with at least 450 plate appearances. Rob Deer was the next closest as he hit .179 for the Detroit Tigers, however he did at least hit 25 HRs.
After each award, the paper of record mentions a few “honorable and dishonorable mentions.” The only team to have two players in a category was, you guessed it, the White Sox. And you know who the second player listed was- Alex Rios.
Yes, the $15 million five tool waste of space, has often been a target for criticism. It’s understandable since he has all the natural gifts and perfect physical tools to be a superstar. He just doesn’t care. Rios is a total pile of crap because he doesn’t have any desire to work. And with his paycheck…don’t expect anything to change next year.
Here’s more on how much/why Rios sucks.
Next year’s slogan may as well just be “All in- only because we have no choice.” As both of these busted contracts will be on the books, and we have to wonder how much money the Sox lost this year as attendance sagged. And it should, because Sox fans are smart fans, they know right away when they hate don’t like a team. And there’s a lot to dislike about this team- especially Dunn, Rios and Peavy.
And those three acquisitions, among others, are the reason Ken Williams should be axed. This season was so dismal that there will be hangover until next year. Dunn and Rios played so poorly that if they start off well in 2012 (a huge if) anyone with a brain will be extremely skeptical about how legit the hypothetical ht start is.
Basically, the Sox are the new Cubs.
I asked David Kay why he went on baseball hiatus, and one of the primary reasons is “how can you like/root for a bunch of overpaid, underachieving guys with severe issues.” He mentioned Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano. The former can’t field his position to save his life- therefore he’s terrible at half his job. He’s a terrible person with character issues off the field, and these days you can describe his hitting with the euphemism “streaky at best.”
And Big Z is just a complete psycho with the temperament of a two year old. And his ERA sucks too.
So congrats White Sox organization, and their fans, you ARE the new Cubs. Dunn and Rios are your Zambrano and Soriano.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site that generates millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports
He does regular weekly radio spots in Chicago and Cleveland and has appeared on live shows all across the world from Houston to New Zealand. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.