ChicagoSportsBlogs : Non Compete

The Cubs came to play. There is no denying it. They came to PLAY against the White Sox. I am not sure if they were sending a message to the Sox (or the league) but I heard them loud and clear. This team is not a fluke. It took the best pitching staff in the AL deep 9 times. They made the Sox look silly. I can't find a single thing the Cubs did wrong against us. They stole bases, they crushed homers, and they pitched us into the ground. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they beat us at our own game. I'm positive the Cubs will eventually lose the Cardinals. It didn't take this ass-whopping of the White Sox for clarity to arrive. I'm just as sure that the Twins are going to pass the Sox.

I'm always nervous when the cross town classic comes up on the schedule. It typically goes one sided, and the team on the losing end usually stumbles their way to the bottom of their division. I know it is harsh. But is it too early to throw the towel in if you are a White Sox fan? Yup. We still have next weekend Sox Fans. It is the best we can do.  Time to hope for a sweep of the Cubs at the Cell next weekend.

The most disapointing thing about the White Sox being swept by the Cubs is that we gave up a ton of ground to the Twins. Both teams will leave this series still in first place, but the Sox are only going to be a game and a half in front of the Twins. The offense continued to struggle in this series, and the Cubs turned our once solid pitching into a joke. From the walk off home run in Friday's game off of Linebrink, to the 8 run 4th inning Contreras threw yesterday. It was a pathetic effort all around. When you lose a series like this, you start to second guess what the managers and coaches are doing. There was a lot of arm chair quarterbacking going on this weekend. The first complaint was why Denks didn't stay in the game on Friday. Further, why would Ozzie pick 2 former NL pitchers that the Cubs own (Dotel and Linebrink) to replace Denks? It made no sense and the Cubs took advantage of the situation as a result. I heard a lot about Coop not doing his job and telling Ozzie that the matchup wasn't to their favor. The next point of contention White Sox nation had with the coaching this weekend was why didn't Contreras get pulled in the 4th. (sooner) What was it going to take? 12 runs? 5 back to back home runs? Shit, Ozzie didn't even get anyone up until it was too late.

Take a deep breath. I agree that Denks should have been pulled, but I disagree with the moves of Dotel and Linebrink. Face facts, their history on the Northside isn't a good one. I did disagree with the non action against Contreras. Would it have been bad to go out there and talk to him? Perhaps Coop could have taken a slow walk out there and reminded Jose that this game isn't over...

Really? It was over. We all knew it. We all felt it on the Southside. The tone was set with the walk off on Friday. The 0-2 count to Marquis, which eventually turned into a slap single to extend the inning and force the offensive onslaught, was the cherry on top. Tough breaks? No. Tough opponent. It seems the Cubs are going to tear through the rest of this baseball season like a White House shredder. The Sox, well...the White Sox are going to battle. I'm just not sure if they battle to stay afloat or to win it outright.

Shake it off White Sox fans. This series meant nothing. At least not yet.