Hey, remember when the Joe Nathan news hit, and the conventional wisdom was that the White Sox, with their loaded starting staff and deep bullpen, were now the favorites to win the AL Central?
"Obituaries are supposed to be saved for the dead. In this case, call it working ahead.
On the South Side, you can start picking out the coffin, the plot and the pallbearers."
That's from Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, who was one of those conventionally wise men who picked the Whities to triumph in the Central. He notes that, while it's obviously still early, the Whities' brutal start is compounded by Minnesota's fast one:
"They are an offense that can now beat you with the long ball, as well as still frustrate the hell out of you with small ball. They are a solid starting pitching staff that now has an ace in Francisco Liriano. They are resilient...(t)hey beat the bad teams and compete with the good teams.
Finally -- and this may be the most important thing about the Twins -- the Sox know deep in their hearts they are a second-half team that can chase down the pack."
So, while we have the luxury of bemoaning our inability to sweep a series or our early-season troubles with RISP, remember that it's just that: a luxury.
For discussion: are the White Sox already toast? You have to imagine that their starting pitching will eventually come around, but that line-up isn't nearly as fearsome as it once was--they've scored three runs or less in 10 games, and have an 0-10 record to show for it. Throw in the temptation for the front office to blow the whole thing up (starting with A.J., apparently) if things don't turn around in the near future, the Twins' hot start, the Tigers' decent start, and...well, this should be an interesting stretch for the South Siders, at minimum. Keep the live mics away from Ozzie.