Sox take Cubs around Wood shed
In the first two games of this series, the White Sox laid the smackdown on the Cubs. The Cubs salvaged the third game of the set, but had the Sox been able to turn a double play in the 8th, the Cubs very well may have been swept. This series really showed how night and day different the franchises are right now. The Sox can hit, pitch, and field and really have earned their status as the best team in baseball. The Cubs, on the other hand, are like Steve Carrell in the first 100 minutes of "The 40-year-old Virgin". They can't score.
They can, however, throw a punch. As I'm sure you've all seen by now, A.J. Pierzynski bowled over Michael Barrett on a sac-fly, slapped the plate, kind of leaned into Barrett as he got up, and Barrett decked him. Pierzynski is the type of guy that you love to have on your team, but on any other team he's a pain in the butt. Think Dennis Rodman without the dress. By all accounts, Barrett's a nice guy, a team player, and a guy you'd like to bring your daughter to prom. But this is the third time he's looked like a fool in a fight, and people are starting to learn what buttons set him off. A.J. obliged with the button-pressing, and it worked like a charm. I don't blame Pierzynski at all, it was a clean play. Barrett's the idiot in this show, and now Cub fans await word on his suspension. You think the offense is bad now, wait till we get Mr. Oh-53 in the lineup for the next 5-10 games.
In other news, Kerry Wood's shoulder is sore and Rich Hill got demoted to Iowa. I'm not surprised by either bit of news. I mean, Wood already made his appearance for 2006, and you can't tell me the Cubs were counting on much more than that for their nine million. And Rich Hill is now 0-7 in 9 career starts with a miserable ERA. He's had plenty of chances to show his stuff in the bigs, so his demotion is well-earned. I'm not sure who's going to take his place in the rotation, and I'm not even sure if it matters at this point.