Forget and Forgive

Still, it was refreshing to see that Sox fans and brass were able to put last year in perspective, and honor a man who made coming to the South Side for a game worthwhile through the many years when he was the only attraction.

A larger portfolio of stars shouldn’t diminish perhaps the brightest one.

And a pile of trophies should never make this organization forget the guy that helped build the case to hold them all.

As Easy as 3-4-5

If baseball was all about pitching, well, then the Detroit Tigers and their nine shutouts and gaudy team ERA would be in first place.

Nevermind.

Still, production out of the middle of the order is also nice.

And though my theory that Derrek Lee really does mean a significantly better Cubs team, and maybe more than handful of wins, because he is the Cubs closest incarnation of Albert Pujols — which, while a lesser Pujols, still is the closest they come to a one-man wrecking crew — there is yet a reason to blame the core of the Cubs batting order, even without Lee.

In the absence of Lee, the Cubs typical 3-4-5 hitters, Todd Walker, Aramis Ramirez and Jacque Jones, have combined for 18 home runs and 61 RBI.

The White Sox, on the other hand, have a 3-4-5 of Jim Thome, Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye that have played to the tune of 42 home runs and 115 RBI.

This is not a fair comparison I realize, because each Sox player is arguably a superior hitter. Still, it’s worth noting, because the Sox haven’t pitched to their potential, with a team ERA well over four, and neither have the Cubs for reasons of both poor health and youth.

Yet one team is contending, the other is off the map.

The point: Sure pitching wins. But offense can in fact carry a team for a time. The Cubs have been dealt a difficult situation, and have risen to few challenges.

Subtracting by Subtracting

Last year the Northsiders led the league in percentage of runs scored by way of the home run. Over forty percent of the time, in fact, the teams’ runs were a direct product of the long ball.

Jim Hendry believed this year he might have at least lessened that problem, putting together a lineup with a little more speed, and a little less pop. They were bound to hit fewer home runs, we knew. Unfortunately, they forgot about the whole “percentage” aspect to that home run “problem.”

Sure, they hit fewer home runs, but the percentage has stayed nearly the same.

Now they just score fewer runs.

Biting Humor

The Score 670 had good timing in more ways that one when they wrapped up a deal to become the Sox’ broadcast partner starting this year.

Not only do they get the defending champs with a revamped, exciting team and growing fan base, they get all the little entertaining and wistfully idiotic moments that covering an Ozzie Guillen-coached team can provide. Well, so they thought. Ozzie has been himself so far this year. Sure, that means quotable, but he has also in some ways become a caricature of himself, so even his quotable stuff isn’t that, umm, quotable.

Still, it is with a certain degree of shock that one of the first “controversies” of the season could arise out of discussions regarding Joey Cora and Ryan Dempster, with, of course, a few Ozzie quotes involved, though essentially just to defend his kids.

To a man, these are two of the most pleasant, amiable, easy-going people in either organization.

Dempster has admitted being wrong on some things and has even apologized to Mike North — not a common theme among current players on either team — and this will blow over, if it hasn’t already.

Go figure.

But who knew sports radio was capable of twisting stories and igniting controversies?