Utter Frustration Mixed With a Hint of Optimism

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Two straight heartbreaking losses did more than serve notice that the Sox might be an also ran very soon. It highlighted why I have a very deep, underlying frustration with the organization that I don't see being relieved any time soon.

Tuesday's loss was a bit more emblematic of what I'm talking about - the Sox and Tigers played a fairly even game, with similar mistakes and successes. The only glaring difference - the Tigers executed in their small ball situations and the Sox did not. When an opportunity came to bunt, Tigers manager Jim Leyland took it every time, and his players nailed it every time (even once getting a bunt single out of the deal).

On the flipside, Ozzie has been sitting on his hands for years, thinking of new and interesting post-game rants to excite the media, but has done nothing to upgrade the fundamental skills of his ballclub, nor has he been at all committed to playing that type of game even when he has the chance.

Similarly, Kenny has been hugely successful at the absolute hardest part of a GM's job - assembling talent - but has failed miserably at the easiest part - ensuring that the entire organization, from the greenest prospects to the biggest superstars, can execute the fundamentals at the highest level.


The reason I'm so frustrated is that I don't see this changing. Kenny has been a strong GM - his track record is undeniable, both in looking at the particulars of the moves he makes and in assessing the success he's had. Because of that reason, he's not going anywhere. And honestly, I really don't want him to. I'd much rather hope that some day Kenny wakes up and realizes just how important all the little things in the game are, and decides to re-dedicate the entire organization to mastering the fundamentals.

Really, that's all it would take. If Kenny said it had to be so, within a couple of years it would be so. These players will do whatever it takes to succeed on the club - so if they know playing time and advancement and big paydays are only coming if you can bunt, hit behind runners, drive in guys from third, run the bases, hit the cut-off guy, etc etc, then that's what they'll be busting their hump on.

Even more so, so much of fundamentals is simply taking pride in it. Bunting is NOT hard. Tons of horrendous hitting NL pitchers lay down key bunts every day. If those guys can do it, then paid professional hitters can. But unless your coach and organization are constantly in your ear about it, most big leaguers aren't going to think or care about bunting. Conversely, if it's a constantly stressed necessary ability, then the players will both make it part of their mental focus and develop a pride in it, which is really all these skills require. Focus and pride.


But while I'm willing to wait on Kenny because of the clearly strong GM he is (some day here I'll do a long list of the talent he's brought in and what he's let go, and the plus-minus will be off the charts in his favor), I'm steadily losing such patience with Ozzie. Sure he pushed all the right buttons in 2005, but a lot of really, really bad managers have one good season (see Manuel, Jerry, 2000).

Since then Ozzie let an ultra-talented team completely implode on him in 2006, allowed a decently talented team to be one of the worst in baseball in 2007, and needed 163 games to win one of the worst divisions in baseball with a highly paid, extremely talented group last year. Now this year in another winnable division, he can't even keep yet another talented team above .500.

On top of that, Ozzie's clashed with a number of productive veteran players, failed to develop any of his own prospects into even decent big leaguers, and stuck by a number of lost causes for far too long. Making it all the worse, the team has often lacked any real fire or attitude on the field, has never hit up to its potential, and has failed repeatedly to play solid fundamental baseball on every level.

The fact is that I don't think Ozzie really brings that much to the table. It's clear from the team's execution that he isn't a great teacher of the game. And it's clear from watching other teams come into town and exploit our weaknesses while we wait around for 3-run homers that he's no great strategist. The above-mentioned flat teams and clubhouse clashes show that Ozzie's not even truly a "player's coach."

So what is Ozzie's value, besides enjoyable post-game antics and an admittedly refreshing honesty to his interviews? I'm not seeing a whole lot. And while people love to make excuses about how the manager can't hit, field, and pitch for the guys, I think it's asinine to believe anything but that a good manager makes a HUGE difference for an organization.


It's all too bad, because if Kenny had this organization focused on fundamentals for the last five years (i.e. when it became clear the softball team approach wouldn't work after 2004) and Ozzie was a plus manager, then I think the Sox could have been in a real dynasty era (at least relative to Chicago baseball). I think we could have made the playoffs in 2006, even made some noise there. I think we could have remained respectable in 2007 and come back in 2008 with another real threat for a title. And this year, we'd definitely be pacing the Central division.

The talent is there this year. The starting pitching hasn't been amazing, but it's been capable and getting better. The pen has been absurdly good. The fielding has been good enough. And the hitting has actually been better than it seems. The problem is that the hitting isn't getting it done when it matters - the Sox are the 2nd worst team in the entire AL in hitting with runners in scoring position, despite having a ton of good hitters, many of whom are having good seasons.

Some of that poor average w/ RISP is bad luck, but some of it is Walker for not preparing these guys to hit as they should be able to in various situations, and some of it is Ozzie for not doing more to put the hitters in the position to succeed by calling for and executing better in the small ball facets of the game. Because of the coaching failures, this team is starting to look like a lost cause.


But, before we get too Northsidey here, keep in mind that there's still plenty of hope this team can turn it around. This homestand, this series, and now CQ's extended stay on the DL don't really suggest such, but it's true - there's a lot of season left. The fact is that the pen is still nasty and the starting pitching might just be coming around. Floyd and Danks are starting to consistently resemble the guys they were last year, Buehrle is Buehrle, and both Richard and Contreras have shown signs of having some dominant stuff.

That sort of pitching alone is easily enough to get a team rolling, to reel off 10 of 12 and be right back in it. And don't think that's a pipe dream - plenty of clubs go through bad stretches early and then turn it around later. Plenty of teams yo-yo up and down before settling into their groove and contending. The Sox have the pieces, including the most difficult to find ones - starting and relief pitching - it's just a matter of it all coming together.

And if you assume that the bad luck of their poor RISP numbers will be offset by some future good luck to bring it in line with their overall hitting numbers, you start to realize why all this throw in the towel stuff is WAY too premature. I know we're Chicago fans who expect the worst, but we're not Cubs fans. We can be optimistic without being naive, and we can weather tough times without claiming that the sky is falling.

Fueling this white flag fury is the media, who never has bought into the Sox. They didn't think they were much last year, and despite being a defending division champ, were given no chance to contend this year. My hope - the clubhouse starts to read all these clippings about giving up and uses it as motivation. Few things in professional sports these days are more potent than a genuine "no one believes in us" team mentality. Hopefully the Sox can grab that, make it an "us against the world" situation, and charge back into contention.


But even if we do make a run, get back into it, even win the division (all things I still believe are very possible), I'm still gonna feel a bit cheated, knowing that if the Sox would just take the absolute easiest step toward having a regularly successful organization - stressing fundamentals above all else - that whatever success they've had could be even greater, happening even more often, and with far fewer doubts and frustrations along the way.

Man it's exhausting being a diehard.
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