Sox Update: New Life

Before this baseball season, I claimed that I was on scholarship, at least emotionally. I thought I would be able to enjoy the euphoric bliss of Chicago’s first World Series win in 88 years so much so that I wouldn’t care that much about this year. Sure, I’d support the team, watch the games, and continue to root for Oz and company. However, somewhere in July, I lost my scholarship and now I’m paying for it. I’m as caught up in this season as any. Things were looking pretty bleak, but the Sox are starting to show new life as they swept the Tigers. Why is this interesting? Because the Sox were ten games out of first place seven days ago with the fourth best record in the AL and have now the second best record in the AL (hello wild card); they’re in striking distance of the AL Central lead (5.5 games, with 46 to play, 7 more against the Tigers); the Sox have own best record against winning teams in this season; and for the first time in a long time, the Sox pitchers look like they can win. The Tigers have only been swept twice this year, both times by the Sox. So, this weekend the Sox concluded a six game stretch against two division winners and won five, losing that lone game by one run. In short, they're primed for the stretch run.

I don’t want to settle for the Sox to settle for the wild card, but feel that it’s theirs to give away at this point. After all of the noise the Minneapolis media made about the Twins catching the Sox, it looks like the wheels are about to fall of the Minnesota bandwagon. Radke keeps providing gutty performances but may soon follow Liriano to the DL. In short, the whole rotation may have a bad case of Bonseria. It looks like the Twins pitching rotation is now Santana, Radke, Silva, with the fourth and fifth spots filled by lottery winners or the winner of the State Fair’s bake-off.

The Sox host KC for four games then it’s up here for a three game set (I have tickets for two of the games) and then off to Detroit for four games… then three games against Minnesota. If the Sox maintain a winning record over the next two weeks, they should have first place.

Go Sox!

(after reading this, I'm sure I lot my scholarship due to poor performance in grammar and my inability to understand multivariate equations).