By Roger Wallenstein

Ted Williams is credited with the proclamation that “the hardest single thing to do in sport is to hit a baseball,” which makes sense since Teddy Ballgame was arguably more skillful at it than anyone who has ever lived.
Most probably Williams’ comment was intended to boost his already substantial ego, although as far as anyone knows he never had to elude a charging 300-pound lineman while trying to throw a pinpoint pass to a downfield receiver. Nor did the venerable Williams ever have to sink a three-point buzzer-beater while being guarded by a 6-10 defender.
But Williams had a point. Hitting a baseball clearly is an acquired skill that few of us have mastered. The same could be said of fielding a hard-hit ground ball, as the White Sox too often demonstrate.

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Posted on September 13, 2015

By Roger Wallenstein

So this is what it was supposed to look like. Now I get it.
Heading out for the week for three games against the Twins followed by another trio in Kansas City, Robin Ventura’s bedraggled crew appeared poised to return home with its collective tail between its legs. The only positive aspect was that no one would be watching because of the Cubs and the start of the football season.
And after dropping the first two to the Twins including a limp 3-0 shutout on Wednesday, Jeff Samardzija fell right into his August doldrums on Thursday in his initial September start. Given a 1-0 lead, Samardzija served up a waist-high fastball to Twins’ rookie outfielder Eddie Rosario in the third inning with the bases loaded. The kid deposited the offering high into the right center-field stands. Here we go again!

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Posted on September 7, 2015

By Roger Wallenstein

Last Wednesday’s White Sox 3-0 loss to Boston wasn’t a total defeat. No, it was a near-perfect opportunity to sum up this exasperating, forgettable season.
For openers, Chris Sale was on the mound, opposed by Rick Porcello. The Red Sox starter hadn’t pitched since July 29 when the White Sox pummeled him for 10 hits and five earned runs before Porcello departed after three batters in the top of the third inning. Adam Eaton led off that game at Fenway Park by hitting one into the right-field seats, and Alexei Ramirez started the third inning with another four-bagger.
After that game, Porcello was placed on the disabled list with what was termed a “right triceps strain,” not a good situation since he’s right-handed.
Despite Porcello’s recent hiatus, apparently he has been healthy for much of the season since he’s made 21 starts, but the results haven’t been good. The guy was 5-11 with an ERA of 5.81 going into Wednesday’s contest.

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Posted on August 31, 2015

By Roger Wallenstein

What is it that Sox fans really dislike about manager Robin Ventura?
In this fourth season of Ventura’s tenure, the typical fan’s patience for losing has been sorely tested, and the result is not pleasant. Cries of “It’s not the manager’s fault” are rarely heard. Most observers are quick to point their finger at Ventura and his staff because of lack of execution. We groan at the inability to hit the cutoff man or when one of our athletes tries to go from second to third on a grounder to short. The assumption is that the team hasn’t been schooled in the fundamentals that successful clubs master and execute.
However, we have little or no access to what goes on behind the scenes. We are not privy to clubhouse protocols and procedures on the part of the manager and coaches. The media provide little or no information about the day-to-day preparation. Transparency doesn’t exist so that it is difficult to assess Ventura’s managerial qualities.

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Posted on August 24, 2015

By Roger Wallenstein

Spending the past week in northern Wisconsin at the summer camp of my youth meant cooling off in a clear, sand-bottomed lake; canoeing down the Brule River, a truly pristine trout stream flowing north into Lake Superior; scaring the beejeezus out of my granddaughter, who was a passenger in the sailboat which I was doing my damndest to keep upright; and enjoying the company of family and friends.
But try as I might, the thought of completely blocking out the so-called Crosstown Classic proved to be too much of a challenge.
Men who haven’t set foot at Camp Nebagamon for decades usually utter the same sentiment: “The place looks the same,” they declare as they investigate the environs of their youth.
Of course, despite that reaction, there have been notable changes. As a kid, I enjoyed camp, but similar to last week, part of me was back on the South Side wondering how the White Sox were doing.

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Posted on August 17, 2015

By Roger Wallenstein

The differences weren’t huge, but they were to readily apparent. They defined a ballclub that knows how to execute just well enough to win against a team that finds a myriad of ways to manufacture frustration and failure.
It all added up to three one-run ballgames in Kansas City last weekend as the high-flying, talented Royals edged the fading White Sox 3-2, 7-6 and 5-4.
We can begin with key hits as Kansas City, the division-leaders with an American League-best record of 66-44, came through seven times in 20 opportunities with runners in scoring position. The Sox were 6-for-24 in the same department. Go no further, and you can explain in three tight games how our local club was swept.

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Posted on August 10, 2015

By Roger Wallenstein

In the week that former Sox pitching legend Billy Pierce died at age 88, it was fitting that the Yankees were in town.
When “Little” Billy Pierce, the 5-foot-10, 160-pound lefty, led the White Sox staff throughout the 1950s, it was a big deal when the New Yorkers invaded. Between 1949 and 1964, the distasteful, despised, agitating Yanks were American League champions all but two seasons. Cleveland interrupted the streak in 1954 but had to win 111 games to do it. And, of course, in 1959 the White Sox went to the World Series while the Yankees finished third.
But throughout the decade the White Sox fought to remain in contention, which created high expectations and anticipation and huge crowds almost every time Casey Stengel led his crew to the South Side.

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Posted on August 2, 2015

By Roger Wallenstein

At 3 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, this silliness known as the Trade Deadline will be behind us. It can’t come too soon.
Not that there is a problem with players being dealt to new clubs. That practice has been part of Organized Baseball since the beginning.
Granted, until 40 years ago with the ascension of the Players Association, the athletes were completely at the mercy of the owners in terms of where they would be performing. Nowadays free-agents-to-be like Jeff Samardzija simply need to be patient and pitch where they are told until they can entertain offers from anyone.
What is redundant and bothersome is all the blather about buyers or sellers, who is going where, who are the best prospects, and which rent-a-player is most likely to make a difference. I have a lot of company from those who much prefer the action on the field to all the rumors and conjecture.

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Posted on July 27, 2015

By Roger Wallenstein

I didn’t want to fall for the hype, but when the succession of convertibles carrying members of the 2005 World Champion White Sox rolled in from center field on Saturday, my interest was piqued.
I mean, that was a decade ago, a piece of history. I’m mired in the present, trying to digest this latest dismal edition of the South Side team. The short speeches by Aaron Rowand, Jermaine Dye, Orlando (El Duque) Hernandez, Jon Garland, Scott Podsednik, Paul Konerko, and Ozzie Guillen were not particularly unique. All of them thanked the fans for their support and said how happy they were to return to the scene of their greatest success.
I watched on TV, including the ensuing 7-6 13-inning loss to the front-running Royals. The Sox made a gallant effort, staging a ninth-inning rally after two outs to tie the game at 6 on J.B. Shuck’s two-run double, before Lorenzo Cain’s home run decided things.
But evidently Saturday’s scene made an impression because Sunday morning I was glued to the video highlights of the playoffs and World Series from 10 years ago. A.J. “stole” first base; Paulie smacked the grand slam; and Scotty Pods’ walk-off sunk the Astros. Geoff Blum lined an unlikely homer in the third game in Houston, and Juan Uribe flew into the seats to snag that pop-up. All were delicious moments, hurling me back in time to when it felt really special and good to be a Sox fan.

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Posted on July 20, 2015

By Roger Wallenstein

Are we to believe that the White Sox recent streak of nine wins in 12 games, including taking two of three at Wrigley Field over the weekend, is a portent of a drive to postseason contention? Improbable but not impossible. This puzzling group has shored up its defense while the pitchers have led the charge in close, low-scoring, nail-biting games. Meanwhile, hits still are few and far between, let alone runs.
But we must remain calm. This is not the time for hopes to rise because most teams continue on a similar pace in the season’s final 80 games like they performed in the initial 80. Lest euphoria reign, let’s pause this week for the four-day All Star break. It comes at an opportune time. We can relax along with the entire Sox roster sans Chris Sale, who will be the team’s lone representative Tuesday night.
It’s also a good time to take a peek at history.

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Posted on July 13, 2015