Dorfman: White Sox Need Honest Assessment
By Daniel I. Dorfman--
CHICAGO (WSCR) White Sox general manager Kenny Williams is scheduled to address the media on Monday in New York before the White Sox start their series against the Yankees. I have absolutely no idea what Williams is going to say about the rough start for the Sox, which has featured a leaky bullpen, laughable defense and an offense that hasn't scored a run in the past 20 innings during an embarrassing sweep at Detroit.
I may not know what Williams is going to say, but he is not in New York to address the United Nations about diplomacy. He is there to talk about his team, which has to be considered the biggest disappointment in baseball thus far.
So here is what I wish Williams would say, even though baseball decorum would not allow him to do so.
"Hey Guys. I know you have a lot of questions about our 8-14 record, which looks even worse when you consider we got off to a 6-3 start. This has been a disappointing beginning, so let me address a few things before I take your questions.
"It's absurd to panic just over three weeks into a baseball season. Yes, we have looked awful for most of the past two weeks, but the most important thing I can say is it is only April 25. Boston and Tampa Bay have turned themselves around and there is no reason to believe we can't do the same. I'm not saying this club is going to remind anyone of the '27 Yankees, but there is talent here.
"Despite our record, we have caught some breaks. First, the Twins have been nearly as bad as we have been. Joe Mauer is injured, Justin Morneau has not recovered from his concussion last year and their second baseman has a broken leg. Carl Pavano was very good for them in 2010, but no one expected him to repeat his success two years in a row, and so far he hasn't. I know we've been sitting around for years expecting the Twins to collapse, and maybe this is the year they do it. It is just too bad we didn't take advantage of their bad start.
As for the Royals and Indians setting the pace in the AL Central, let's face it, it is April 25. Stranger things have happened, but does anyone really expect either team to hang around? Detroit might be a problem, they do have some good players and Jim Leyland knows what he is doing. But they have holes as well.
Now we caught another break with Chicago being focused on the Bulls and Blackhawks right now. But that is a double-edged sword. Yes, that takes some of the pressure off us in terms of the spotlight not being shined in our face. However, if we continue to play horribly, we are not going to have the attendance we need to justify our $126 million payroll. Yes, that is a payroll that has an injured Jake Peavy, Alex Rios, who has been lousy so far offensively and defensively this year, and Adam Dunn who is mired in a 4-for-41 slump following his return from his appendectomy. Do I hope Rios and Dunn can revert back to form? Sure. What should we expect out of Peavy? Even if he does return to the majors soon, no one knows if he can stay healthy. There is nothing in his recent track record that says he can avoid getting hurt, and his acquisition is looking like an expensive mistake on my part.
So before everyone starts asking me about Ozzie and the coaching staff, let me say this. We all know about the problems Ozzie and I have had. But we just picked up the option on him for 2012, so I don't think we are going to do anything right now, but that can change. I don't want to fire the coaches, but sometimes change has to be made just for change's sake. Still, at the end of the day, it is not the coaches' fault when a player screws up in the outfield or continually pops up pitches. They can only do so much, but I can't fire 25 players.
I know the schedule continues to be nasty here for a while, so I don't expect a massive turnaround soon, but I doubt we are going to stay this bad. If we do, we all deserve to be fired.
OK, that said, I'm ready to take your questions."
Perhaps Kenny Williams can't say all of those things in public, but it would be nice if he expressed them in private to his team. That speech should start with, "You guys should be ashamed of yourselves!"
Do you agree with Daniel? Post your comments below.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a local freelance writer who has written and reported for the New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer and the Boston Globe among many other nationally prominent broadcast, online and print media organizations. He is also a researcher for 670 The Score. You can follow him on Twitter @DanDorfman To read more of Daniel's blogs click here.
