Griffey Jr. To Sox; Good Move? **UPDATE**

After flirting with the idea of bringing a man with one of the sweetest swings in the history of baseball for a few years, Kenny Williams has finally landed Ken Griffey Jr., pending his approval. While the deal awaits a thumbs up or down from Jr., a few things can already be concluded from this unexpected move.

A: Enjoy your vacation, Paulie.
B: Aaron Poreda, Jack Egbert or Lance Broadway will be leaving the system.
C: Kenny is convinced Jose Contreras will be able to regain his form for the playoff push and thereafter.

Contreras threw off the mound for the second day in a row on Wednesday, and Sun-Times beat reporter Joe Cowley said he's heard Contreras has been able to throw all of his pitches well.

Are you stunned as I am with this move? It's been pretty obvious that Konerko is thinking way too much in his at-bats, and the weight of the whole situation for him is negating what progress he has been able to make at the plate. Paulie has been hitting the ball pretty hard as of late, but unfortunately right at the defense.

Contreras' health is going to be a major cog in the White Sox wheel if they are to hold off Minnesota and win their third division title in eight years. The starting rotation has not been as reliable recently as they were in the first couple months, and the same can be said for the bullpen.

Boone Logan has had some issues, and Linebrink doesn't appear to be heading back to the squad until mid-August. That leaves alot of responsibility on Matt Thornton, D.J. Carrasco, and Octavio Dotel to get the job done.

As for Griffey, there's no way he can be expected to play everyday centerfield. Not a chance. Could you imagine how horrible it would be to have Griffey blow out his knee two weeks in? This move will undoubtedly lead to even more playing time for BA. In Konerko's vacated position, it looks like it will be split between Nick Swisher and...Jim Thome. Yikes.

Jimmy has played first base 4 times since arriving in 06', and has yet to this year.

That will change.

This move is definitely an upgrade over Konerko. While Griffey is only batting .245, he has 15 HR's, 53 RBI's, and would be bringing along a 12 game hitting streak. Two things that worry me: his durability at 38 years of age, and who the Sox will be giving up.

UPDATE: The Sox will be trading 2B Danny Richar and LRP Nick Masset, and will not have to touch any of the pitching prospects I listed.

This is an even better trade for the Sox. Richar wasn't going to be coming up anytime soon with Alexei playing the he has, and Masset hasn't been doing much of anything lately.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

If you've spent any amount of time reading this blog, I'm sure you're aware of how critical I am of all the shit that Kenny Williams does. From Todd (I thought a 6 ERA was a good thing) Ritchie and David (Feed my fat fucking face NOW!) Wells to David (well my work here after a month is done) Aardsma and Andrew (the no strike) Sisco kid.

But, the man also done many things right (ie Freddy Garcia, Scott Podsednik in 05'). The latest thumbs up? Carlos Quentin. A first round draft pick that didn't materialize in Arizona A guy who came in off of shoulder surgery that no one had in the starting line-up before spring began, let alone be in the top five of almost every statistical AL hitting category. Just look:

BA: 12th
HR: 1st
RBI: 2nd
OBP: 6th
SLG: 2nd
OPS: 2nd

I think you can account at least 7 wins alone because of Quentin. Outside of him, Crede's good start in April and Jermaine, you're pretty much looking at the same offensive production as the 07' White Sox all over again. Thome couldn't hit a beach ball right now and is 4th in the AL with 52 strikeouts. There's absolutely no reason for him to be in the line-up when the Sox are facing a lefty. Konerko's hand has been hurt, and can't do much of anything with it. New additions Nick Swisher and Orlando Cabrera haven't done jack shit. Juan Uribe is...Juan Uribe. The same piece of shit he has been in the past 3 years.

While I'm off on a tangent here, you know I'm sick of hearing? "These guys will come around..they're professional hitters."

Save me the guff, you fucking apologists. Konerko is on the down side of his career, and Thome is pretty much done. After this year, be rid of them.

Alright, where was I? Ah yes, Carlos Quentin is a fucking champ. Even though some of the White Sox scouts have been eyeing the team's bank account more then the talent, they definitely got this one right.

Kenny, as much as I get pissed off at you, and probably will again soon; hats off to you pal. Bravo.

Apparently Being In First Place Is Not Enough

moar funny pictures

In life, I think one of most important things is to be modest. While it's good to have high expectations, you should understand that sometimes things don't work out like you want them to. Did I want to be a all-pro runningback at the age of 11 and play in the NFL? Sure I did! What happened that year? Some little prick from Carol Stream broke my fucking femur on a counter play. End of NFL dreams for Dr. C.

I mention this story to you because before this season began for the Chicago White Sox, I was cautiously optimistic. I knew bringing in Nick Swisher and Orlando Cabrera would make the team better, but good enough to win the division? Certainly not, I thought. Still, a better year than last year was all I hoped for. And to this point, I have not been disappointed at all. Here they are, 24-20 and in first place none the less.

Now, there is a flipside to this. There are certain people who are greedy. They like to believe that no matter what happens, there's always something that needs to be fixed. Two people that quickly come to mind: my ex-girlfriend and Kenny Williams. While the obvious physical comparisons go out the window fast, their mentality on life is one in the same. Here's what Kenny has to say about the season so far: For example:



"I can't stop thinking about what is now 10 [more] games we should have won," he said. "And I'm not talking about anything extraordinary, I'm just talking about playing the game the way it should have been played. The positive thing is we are where we are, but it is far less than where we should be."

Shit happens, Kenny. Move on.

"I guess it's better than second," Williams said. "Seriously, congratulations. But it's still far short of where we should be.

Maybe so, but this team was picked to finish where they did because of how they performed last year, and the fact that their old asses are getting older everyday. Start fucking enjoying this shit, Kenny.

That's why the picture above is up there. Has nothing to do with anything. I just enjoy it for what is. Now it's your turn with your product on the field.