Tags
Adam Dunn, American League Central, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Darrin Jackson, Detroit Tigers, Ed Farmer
OK, a word or two about the present-day White Sox who, it goes without saying, are hanging by a thread in first place in the AL Central Division with only nine games remaining. Tonight’s much-needed win, thanks to the home runs by Adam Dunn, kept the Tigers at bay for another day and another game erased from the schedule.
The memory of the just-completed horrific road trip against the Royals and Angels has not been forgotten, but coming back tonight to steal this win from the ever-pesky Cleveland Indians at least allows us Sox fans to breathe again and come in off that proverbial ledge. And the beauty of it all? It all starts again tomorrow afternoon with the next crucial game!
Previously, I wrote about this sort of thing happening through the years. For some reason, the White Sox have never chosen to do anything easy, instead choosing to shoot themselves in the feet over and over again. Some seasons have been mostly forgettable, and then there are doozies such as this one has been. Sure, the World Series season of 2005 was a nerve-wracker every now and then, but the present season is nothing less than gut-wrenching torture many times over.
Just when it seems as though it’s time to pull the plug and tip our hats to the Sox and realize that they provided us with a pretty good season, something comes along (Dunn coming out of his long slump tonight and belting two huge homers; Detroit losing a doubleheader to the Twins yesterday to remain a game behind the Sox while the Sox were getting swept by the Angels) to keep us “hooked” for just a bit longer.
And so I stick with them. After all, most of my nights during the course of the whole season have been given over to the play-by-play of Ed Farmer and Darrin Jackson on my little black portable radio. And if I were to give up now, I guess it would be like leaving a movie or play before it’s over and never knowing how it ends.
As frustrating as it has been listening and watching the failures of the Sox to get the big hit in so many games this season, or the bullpen unable to get the big outs on many nights, I stick around and always come back for more the next day or night because of games such as tonight’s when—FINALLY—something pretty good happened for our team. Is it enough to get them back on track and out of their hellish slump? Perhaps Dunn’s two blasts will be the spark that ignites the fire that will be needed in the last nine games.
The schedule is winding down rather quickly now, and the question is, Can the White Sox stave off the Tigers just a bit longer? With a one game lead, all the Sox need to do is win these last nine games and Detroit can’t do a thing about it, even if they win all of theirs. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful way to cap off the regular season and win the division! I think Dunn’s blasts have me thinking fantastic thoughts…
See you at the ballpark!