Sports column: No change of Sox

By Jeff Feyerer

As the Cardinals and Cubs both prepare for playoff runs, the White Sox will continue a familiar trend.

Sitting on their couches for the playoffs.

Not that we all haven’t gotten used to it by now, but this year was supposed to be different.

It was supposed to be, as Hawk Harrleson said, the year of “Ozzieball.”

It was supposed to be the return of fun and excitement to the South Side as Ozzie Guillen, a fan favorite during his time as a player for the White Sox, pried the reins out of the hands of the stoic Jerry Manuel.

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They would go from a manager that took naps in the dugout to a boisterous Venezuelan bundle of energy that could rev a team’s engine.

They would go from a team with no direction to a team with the road map to the promised land.

But all Sox fans got this season was the same uninspired, flat, boring team they’ve been treated to every year since 2000.

There were some positives, like the emergence of Aaron Rowand and Juan Uribe, the resurgence of Paul Konerko and the Gong Show provided by closer Shingo Takatsu.

But there were more steps backward than forward.

It looked as if the Sox understood what it would take to win during the first two months of the season as they jumped out to a four-game lead at the end of May.

However, that lead would soon be disposed of, as would the star power of Magglio Ordonez and Frank Thomas, who both succumbed to injuries in mid-season.

After that, the Sox rolled over and died.

No more pulse. No more heart.

And that’s where the difference lies between the White Sox and the Minnesota Twins, who have clinched the Central Division for the third consecutive season.

The Twins’ energy, enthusiasm and desire are a constant. Their focus doesn’t waver at the slightest sign of adversity.

They’re not spectacular, but they are solid. They understand how to play like a team and move toward a common goal.

They are the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion personified. Heart, courage and brain mixed with athletic ability and baseball sense is the perfect recipe for a baseball team.

The perfect recipe for the Minnesota Twins.

Starting pitchers Mark Buehrle and Freddy Garcia have stated publicly that they are unimpressed by the Twins.

Buehrle went so far as to say he’ll enjoy watching them lose their first postseason playoff series again and he’s tired of hearing how good the Twins are.

You know what, I’m tired of you, Mark.

I’m tired of watching you give up home runs, especially the 32 that flew out of the park this year.

I’m tired of you pitching like an ace one day and then looking like the batting practice pitcher for Manny Ramirez the next.

And I’m definitely tired of the entire team underachieving.

General Manager Kenny Williams and Guillen have both said that the team on the field now is not the one that will be there next year.

Guillen has always wanted a team centered around speed and defense, not the lumber company currently residing in the Sox dugout.

Rumors have floated about that Ordonez, Thomas and either Carlos Lee or Konerko all could be gone next year.

Even supposed young cornerstones pitcher Jon Garland and third baseman Joe Crede could be moved after their disappointing 2004 season.

Players like the Astros’ Carlos Beltran, Cardinals’ Edgar Renteria, Marlins’ Carl Pavano and Dodgers’ Odalis Perez could be pursued by the White Sox this offseason. But it’s hard to see owner Jerry Reinsdorf opening up his wallet to aid such a historically under-performing team.

It pains me to eat crow and watch the Packers get beat by the Bears, but it pains me even more to change the channel and watch the White Sox get shellacked by the Twins.

Here’s hoping the White Sox use the Twins’ celebration on their own field as motivation.

Here’s hoping these aren’t the same Sox we see next year. They need a change.

Jeff Feyerer is a senior in applied life studies. He can be reached at [email protected].