The News In A Nutshell

Before I get to the list of things that are making the White Sox collapse upon themselves this week, let’s start with some good news.

Gordon Beckham finally got his first hit! Make that his first 2 hits. His average is only at .100, but it’ll keep going up once he makes some adjustments.

John Danks looked great today. After some terrifying innings in his last outing, Danks was finally in command and gave the Sox a chance. Thank goodness!

Brian Anderson is getting his power back. I don’t know what they told him or stopped telling him, but a homer yesterday and a double today are making me feel a whole lot better. I was getting tired of him taking pitches and grounding out.

Okay, those were all the positives I could think of. Now it’s time to panic. Why? Well, Quentin’s time on the DL was supposed to be up today, but he is not ready. In fact, his goal is to return around the All-Star Break. He can swing, but can’t run, he says. While Pods and Dye are keeping the outfield in check, I really miss Quentin’s bat. He might be the unluckiest guy since… Chris Getz.

More news to panic about: Colon to the DL. Reminds me a lot of Contreras’s “elbow tendonitis” from last year. The problem is that Aaron Poreda was brought up. I don’t know much about what’s going on there other than a good ERA in AA, but Ozzie was quoted as saying that he wasn’t promoted because he earned it, but out of necessity. I am paraphrasing of course, but that’s the gist and that’s not good news.

Speaking of injuries, Paul Konerko and some sort of loose ligament in his finger. The same one which was bothering him last year and made him so unproductive at bat. This means he will be out for awhile, and Josh Fields will get another chance to work on his batting and try his hand at first base. Speaking of Josh Fields, his tantrum about being replaced by Beckham must be a real cheery addition to the atmosphere in the clubhouse. I understand why he is upset, but he should have learned back in 2008, when he threw a similar fit over Joe Crede’s presence in the starting roster rather than his, that a feeling of entitlement won’t get you the starting job. Just ask Brian Anderson. He’s still suffering the repercussions of his big mouth.

And, as if things couldn’t be any worse, the Sox will be playing the Cubs soon. They could not have chosen a worse time to play these fellas. I hate the cross-town classic more than any rivalry in baseball, and I will like it even less if the Sox embarrass themselves during this extended slump.

It’s been a rough day for Sox fans, what with all of the above going on. This gives me an idea. E-mail me, reply to this post, my latest twitter update, or my facebook status with suggestions about “the bright side of things” and I will get a really long list going that we can all print out and read on bad days like these. They can be funny or serious, as long as they don’t further endorse the makers of Prozac.