Carlos Quentin's Injury is the Break Dayan Viciedo, and the White Sox, Needed

For months now White Sox fans have been clamouring for Dayan Viciedo to help bolster the struggling White Sox offense. Now that Carlos Quentin is hurt, they might finally get their wish.

Carlos Quentin, who's no stranger to the DL, left Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers after making a sliding catch in the 1st inning. The White Sox right fielder has been a steady producer for the team this season, and is one of the reasons the Sox have not fallen completely out of contention in the AL Central.

Even though the White Sox are only 5 games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers, they are a team in need of a spark. The offense is schizophrenic, the fan base has one leg hanging over the edge and the team is out of money. Bringing up Dayan Viciedo would cure two, if not all three of those problems. The fans would be excited to see him with the big club and since he is under contract there wouldn't be any additional salary to take on. In terms of helping the offense, as long as Viciedo hits like he has been with Charlotte then he just might be the trigger the offense needs to get going.

Dayan Viciedo has been hitting the ball well with the Charlotte Knights, posting a .294 average with 17 home runs and 72 RBI's. More important than those stats, Viciedo has drawn 43 walks so far (he walked twice in 104 at-bats in 2010 with the White Sox). This shows that he has become more patient at the plate and has matured as a ballplayer.

All Viciedo needed was a chance to make it back to the majors. When the White Sox didn't trade Carlos Quentin at the trade deadline it looked like Viciedo would be relegated to a full season in AAA. But now that Quentin is hurt, the Sox have their chance to bring Viciedo up and see if he can help the team down the stretch and infuse some much needed adrenaline into the lineup.

~Poljak

Of Course They Swept the Twins

One of the most trying and emotionally draining baseball seasons keeps chugging along for White Sox fans everywhere. The team, fresh off a home spanking from the mommies and daddies of the American League, aka the Red Sox and Yankees, boarded a plane to Minnesota to play a Twins team that has completely and totally dominated them over the past 2 seasons. How bad has it been? How about a 28-6 record and 9 straight series wins? Yeah, that's pretty dominate.

Sox fans everywhere were prepared for Ozzie to sing the Twins' praises about how well they play after losing another series to them. They were ready for the all too customary combination of not hitting with men on base/the bullpen blowing a late-inning lead/routine plays turned into errors. For many, this was the weekend for them to break free from baseball and switch their focus to the NFL and, lest we forget, fantasy football drafts.

But wait! This is the 2011 White Sox coming off a six-game losing streak. It makes perfect sense that they would go to Target Field and not only sweep the Twins in a three-game series for the first time since 2004, but they would completely flip the script on how the games were played. What's that you say? You don't believe me?  OK... Over the three games, the Twins committed more errors (five) than runs (four) and drew only one walk. The Sox hit 7 home runs to the Twins none, stole more bases than them (5-1), outscored them 18- 4 and hit .290. I know, I know... where has this been all season!

So where do we, the Sox fans, go from here? The growing optimism has been allowed to crawl back into our minds. The Sox sit a mere 3 games under break-even and 5.5 games behind the first place Tigers. They get to play a bad Baltimore team while Detroit and Cleveland get to beat up on each other. Once again the club has drawn us in and given us a glimmer of hope to believe that they will finally put it together and win a chunk of games in a row. And once again, probably at this exact same time next week, I'll be writing about how the Sox played like garbage during the week and did something over the weekend to make me believe they will come out of it.

Sometimes I wish the AL Central wasn't so bad and the Sox were realistically eliminated last month. It would be so much easier on my sanity and ulcer.

But what fun would that be?

~Poljak

Why Trading Carlos Quentin Wouldn't Raise the White Flag for the White Sox

It's hard to imagine a team trading their second best run producer in a year he was selected to the All-Star team and not saying that they are giving up on making a post-season run. But that's exactly what the White Sox would be doing if they were to unload Carlos Quentin before the weekend is over.
It's no secret that the Sox have been offensively challenged this year despite having the highest payroll in franchise history. They rank in the middle of the American League in most offensive categories and their prized free agent signing, Adam Dunn, hasn't touched the Mendoza Line since May 19th. Then when why would the Sox even think about trading the guy that is second on the team in home runs, and rbi's and leads the team in extra base hits? Because they need to get better, both this year and beyond.

Carlos Quentin, when healthy, can carry a ball club. And as nice as it would be to see him carry the Sox past Cleveland and Detroit, I don't trust that he will stay healthy to do it. The Braves and Phillies, if we're to believe rumors and reports, have been looking long and hard at Quentin and would love to have him in the middle of their lineups, with Atlanta the more likely suitor since Philly is more enamored with Houston's Hunter Pence.

Both teams have strong minor league systems and GM Kenny Williams will certainly want a top level pitching prospect in return for the right fielder. The Sox are in danger of losing a starting pitcher or two in the off-season and will need to stock the cupboard with quality young arms for 'The Pitching Whisperer' Don Cooper to take under his wing. I mean, who's the last 'can't miss' Braves pitching prospect that went the way of Aaron Poreda? The reason they stay so good for so long is because they know how to scout and develop young pitchers.

But how does trading Quentin help the Sox this year? It opens up right field for Dayan Viciedo to come up from AAA and prove he is major league ready. Sure, he won't be able to produce the numbers Quentin can right away, but it brings another young player into the clubhouse that will be full of excitement and a bat that the ball jumps off of like no one else on the roster.

This is a move that Kenny Williams needs to make, whether the Sox keep gaining on Detroit and Cleveland or not. Quentin hasn't been the offensive force he was in the first month and a half of the season, his defense is next to bad and there will always be questions about his health. By dealing him before the July 31st deadline, the Sox will (probably) get a starting pitcher for the next 3-5 years and will hand over right field to their future slugger.

If they truly want to play according to their 'All In' slogan, then moving Carlos Quentin is the deal that has to be made.

~Poljak

It's like the old saying goes... "That's why they play the games"

I really hate old sayings.

I also really hate the way the Sox make me feel.

And I know I should know better by now, but I just can't stop myself from hoping and thinking that every White Sox win is going to be the one that triggers something in their heads and gets them playing the kind of baseball they are capable of playing. On paper, this is a team that should win the AL Central with relative ease and be a serious contender for the World Series. They have quality starting pitching, one of the better bullpens in baseball and enough offensive fire power from top to bottom that should scare opposing pitchers.

So here I am, all excited that the Sox just took two in a row from the Indians, putting them 2 games under .500 and four and a half out of first with a 3-game homestand against the first-place Tigers on deck, and I can't stop my feet from twitching with excitement at the mere thought of being a game and a half out of first on Thursday morning. I believe this homestand will be a winning homestand and the Sox will go on a run from now until September that will lock up the division for the first time since 2008. In fact, if I listen close enough I believe I can hear Journey in the background (and I smile.)

But in the back of my head is my logical, non-fan side yelling at me, calling me an idiot for believing that this year will be different from last. He's telling me that Adam Dunn is going to stay useless for the rest of the year and Alex Rios is going to look as confused at the plate and in the field as Forrest Gump in a strip club. I also can't seem to shake the thought that Jake Peavy is going to pull his best Atlee Hammaker imitation minutes after Edwin Jackson is traded and that the Twins will somehow find a way to win the division with a collection of guys that aren't even household names in their own homes (and then they'll get swept by the Yankees, and I'll smile).

I know I'm not alone here. There are thousands of Sox fans out there that feel just like me. We're hesitant to do what the marketing campaign says, to go 'All In'. The Sox haven't given us a reason to believe that a two-handed winning streak is possible (that's more than 5 games for the slower readers), not when their longest winning streak of 2011 is 4 games. They haven't been able to stay above .500 for more than a day since the season started and the uneasiness of Ozzie and Kenny's relationship has everyone wondering if this really is Guillen's last year on the southside.

Despite all the questions surrounding the team; despite the fact that they have so woefully underperformed through the first 100 games of the season; I still believe the best team on paper will emerge from the muck that is the AL Central and enter baseball's postseason a division winner and legitimate contender for the World Series.

And I'll smile.

~Poljak

If you're going to say it, then be an adult and stand behind it

I am flat out sick of any athlete, be it professional or not, who spouts off during an interview or while sitting at a computer only to come back with a half-hearted apology the next day. Anyone with a brain knows you don't really mean it when you say your comments were taken out of context or that you were just caught up in the heat of the moment and truly regret any harm your words may have caused. Every time an athlete comes out and issues an apology they sound like they just received an A in Crash Davis 'Apology Cliches 101' class.

The latest tough talker turned apathetic apologizer is James Harrison. You know, the guy that is considered one of the dirtiest players in the NFL... the same guy that was fined $100,000 last season for illegal hits... the badass that posed for his Men's Journal interview shirtless while holding 2 of his own guns across his chest... Yeah, this poster boy for toughness and kick assness (I like to make up words) said exactly what Professor Davis taught him:

"It was a careless use of a slang word and I apologize to all who were offended by the remark." And let's not forget about, "...but the handful of words that were used and heavily publicized yesterday were pulled out of a long conversation and the context was lost."

I'm not going to go into whether he was right or wrong for what he said or if he should have apologized for his words. Honestly, I don't care. What he said has no direct impact on me (other than prompting me to write this blog). I wasn't hurt or incensed by what he said; my bank account didn't suffer from it and my friends and family aren't going to look at me differently either. What I would like to see, and I know I'm dreaming here, is for an athlete to actually stand behind what he or she says and not issue the obligatory apology statement that is about as sincere as Cartman when he's being nice. 

If you honestly feel so strongly about something that you are willing to say it to someone with a recorder in their hand, then there is no reason for you to take it back. Be an adult and own up to your comments. Don't backtrack once your words become a national story and you're being slammed for sounding like an idiot.  Being tough is more than physical strength. It involves having the stones to make a statement and not back down from it. Calling out teammates and coaches to the media is the cowards way of venting your frustration. As adults and as professional athletes you should be man or woman enough to go up to that person and let them know exactly how you feel and not have to say you are sorry the next day.

Honestly, how do you look yourself in the mirror and call yourself an adult when you can't even stand behind your own words?

~Poljak

It's the most wonderful time of the year

Last week the greatest phrase ever uttered in mankind was shouted with glee from Seattle to Miami and everywhere in-between: Pitchers and catchers report. Yes folks, baseball season is here and it couldn't have come at a better time.
For most people, those four words immediately conjure up images of hot summer days, drinking cold beers while eating brats smothered with onions and mustard. It's a time spent with friends and family enjoying what is good about life.  It makes them search the backs of their closets for their team's jersey and has kids knocking the dust off their gloves while asking their dads to play catch with them in front of the house.  Baseball is a chance to escape from the daily headaches of work; of checking your emails and worrying about what to make for dinner. Those three glorious hours each game are yours to be selfish; they are there to ease your troubled soul and let you enjoy yourself and be entertained. 
Baseball is a marathon of love.  It is 162 games of bliss and nervousness that is full of history and superstitions.  Every season spawns excitement and surprises, from Joey Votto and the Cincinnati Reds to the improbable and historic World Series run by the San Francisco Giants.  Spring training is the time to evaluate the young players and find the next Buster Posey, Neftali Feliz, Jason Heyward, Danny Valencia, etc.. and for the veterans to find their swings and stretch out their arms. It's the time of the year that every team is fresh with optimism that this will be the their year and the chess match they played throughout the offseason will pay off.   General managers get to show off their new shiny and expensive toys (Adam Dunn, Carl Crawford, Cliff Lee, Jayson Werth) to their fans and hope the money they spent and calculated risks they've made will reward them with the ultimate prize of a World Series trophy.
There isn't a time of the year or beginning to a season that induces feelings of happiness and comfort quite like baseball. And all it takes are four little words to get the juices flowing and the excitement level raised... Pitchers and catchers report. Just typing them makes me smile.
Now I just need to hear one more thing:  Play Ball!

Are today's athletes using Twitter as a means to a second career?

This may be coming from a region of my body that usually only extracts sounds and smells that have been described as not human, or it could be that 5 years of destroying my brain in college has caught up with me, but I can't help but think that athletes today have a hidden agenda when it comes to their use of Twitter.  Sure, there are some that just like to have their business and thoughts out there because they love them some them, and others were told it would be a good marketing move and make them more personable to their fans, but I know there has to be a few athletes out there with the understanding that they will need to make money once they retire and what better way for them to make money than to get paid to talk about the sport they once played.
It's no secret that Twitter isn't going away, and in a society that wants the latest news and updates immediately, with the push for being the first person to crack a story, there isn't anyone closer to the action than athletes.  If someone can tweet something polarizing enough to spark a conversation or be the first to break the news about someone being fired, hired, traded, signed, arrested, injured... the list goes on... then what better source is there than the people that were just there?
I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that people will start to get paid for breaking stories on Twitter and sharing their thoughts throughout championship games and other major sporting events.  Hell, they do it now for free!
But, like I said, I could be just be talking out one of my loud and smelly orifice.

He didn't die? Inconceivable!

I don't have any questions about Jay Cutler's toughness.  The idea that he is a wuss and soft and quit on his team is ridiculous and anyone that believes he took the easy way out should be taken out back and roughed up old school Vegas-style.  He has been sacked 85 times the last two seasons, the most of any NFL quarterback over that span, with 52 of them coming this year (second most sacked QB this season was Joe Flacco with 40).  And let's not forgot the 9 sacks his took in the 1st half against the Giants that led to a concussion and him missing the first game of his 5-year career the next week.  What's amazing to me is this doesn't even include the number of times he has been hit while delivering a pass.  The man has been put on his back more than a college girl when Ben Roethlisberger is around and he is still seen as soft. 
What is most disturbing about the backlash Cutler has received is the amount that has come from current  players around the league.  Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jaguars, Darnell Dockett of the Cardinals and Bruce Gradkowski (yes, he's still in the league and no, I don't know how) of the Raiders all had something to say about Cutler not returning to the game.  MJD tweeted, "...All I'm saying is that he can finish the game on a hurt knee ... I played the whole season on one."  Dockett wasn't as nice with his tweet, "If I'm on chicago team jay cutler has to wait till me and the team shower get dressed and leave before he comes in the locker room! #FACT."  What Gradkowski said isn't worth the time to find and post because, well, he's Bruce Gradkowski; second-string quarterback behind Jason Campbell... but he was damn glad to meet you.
MJD's comment made me chuckle after I read it; not because I thought it was funny, but because this man missed the final two games of the regular season, with his team in playoff contention, because of... wait for it... a KNEE INJURY! Oh yeah, he came out the next day and said he was trying to make a joke and that his comments were taken the wrong way.  Uh huh, and Jack Burton was just kidding when he said it was all in the reflexes. 
What Dockett said is the reason PR people will never be out of work. His tweet was a prime example of someone having the ability to share his thoughts when clearly he needs someone to tell him what to say to not sound like a moron. So much for solidarity and respecting the brotherhood of being an NFL player...
Everyone in the country had an opinion of what Jay Cutler should have done and how he felt with none of them knowing the facts. None knew that, according to his center Olin Kreutz, his leg was shaking during the 2nd quarter after he suffered the injury and yet he finished the half.  Then there was the minor detail of how he talked the training staff to let him give it a go to start the 3rd quarter, even though they told him to not go back onto the field, but I suppose that doesn't count either. Like a friend of mine said, he should have called for a stretcher to be taken off the field instead of trying to man up and tough it out to help his team win.  And apparently Jay Cutler is so disliked around the league that he even caught static for going out to dinner that night and using the stairs instead of taking the elevator.  Because trying to not get your head torn off by very large, very strong and very angry men on the football field requires the same mobility and agility as walking up a flight of stairs and then sitting down to eat dinner. 
In the end, all this has become is a convenient story for the Cutler haters out there to pound their chest in exhalation to proclaim that they were right about him being a bum and that the Bears should have never traded away Kyle Orton (how did Denver fair this year?) for him. Never mind that he has had the best two-year stretch of any quarterback in Bears history; forget the fact that he got a team picked to finish no better than .500 by most people to the NFC title game.  After all, it was all his fault that the Bears lost the game.  It had nothing to do with Lovie Smith and Mike Martz getting out coached, the special teams unit getting beat by an inferior squad, or the Packers being a better and more talented team. Nope... the loss goes squarely on Jay Cutler's shoulders. He quit on the team and that's why they lost. 
It's going to be a long offseason...

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Don't hate the players...

If I have to hear one more person say that they feel bad for Tampa Bay because they won 10 games and didn’t make the playoffs I might puke.  Where is the public outcry for the Giants being snubbed despite also having 10 wins? Is it because no one outside of the Manning family or Ole Miss likes Eli? Ok, it's probably the colossal collapse against the Eagles and the blowout loss the next week to the Packers, but if you say that one 10-win team should be in the playoffs, then you should include all the 10-win teams in that conversation.
Neither the Buccaneers nor the Giants are going to enjoy watching the 7-9 Seahawks host a playoff game while they are home or on vacation, but that’s life in the NFL.  Seattle has the good fortune of playing in the worst division in football, and they shouldn’t be penalized for it.  It isn’t their fault the Niners, Rams and Cardinals all suck eggs and it isn’t their fault that they are representing their division despite not having a winning record. 
If you’re going to say that only teams with a winning record should be allowed in the playoffs then what is the point of having divisions? Aren’t you supposed to reward your division winner by allowing them to advance to the playoffs? Isn’t that why there aren’t just two conferences with the top 6 teams from each battling it out? In a society that loves the underdog more than some members of their own family, shouldn't the Seahawks be embraced for being the first team with a sub .500 record to make the playoffs since the strike-shortened year of 1982? Maybe if they had a few ex-felons on their roster then the public would accept them more; does it help that Pete Carroll was one of the dirtiest college coaches the nation has ever seen? How about that Mike Williams is back after eating himself out of the league?
True, the Seahawks are probably one of the worst teams to ever make the playoffs and would need to win the Super Bowl to even finish with a winning record, but that doesn't mean they aren't deserving of a playoff berth.  They came out and beat the newest golden boy of the NFL, Sam Bradford, with their backup quarterback and a roster that had the greatest turnover from last season.  The Seahawks played one of their best games of the year and did so when the pressure was the greatest.  Their 30th ranked defense held the Rams to under 200 total yards on offense and their franchise record-settingly bad running game racked up over 140 yards.  Plain and simple, Seattle played like a playoff team Sunday night and earned the right to represent their division. 
You wanted parity, NFL? Thy name is Seattle.