I am coincidentally going to be in Charlotte on Thursday-Sunday.  I immediately thought of going to a Knights game, I checked if they were playing at home, and then I suddenly remembered Jake Peavy!  Peavy is set to pitch Thursday, and I am most likely going.  Peavy is just a real special bonus to being able to go to my first Knights game.

Does anyone have any recommendations for what all to experience or do at a Knights game (other than watch it, of course)?  Also some players to specially look out for?  How is it to sit on the grass hill? Any advice at all would be appreciated.  

Is Mark Buerhle the best White Sox pitcher of all time with his no hitter, perfect game, and playoff and world series victories?  He certainly should be in consideration.

Also can anyone give me a good description of why Buerhle is so good?  He does not have overpowering stuff.  I would think that batters would eventually figure him out, but that does not happen.  

No matter what, Buerhle is one of the most underrated pitchers in the major leagues.  The White Sox and us fans are so blessed to have this man pitch for us for so many years.  He is a great player and a great individual.  You won't find many people like Mark whose composure is never affected despite how intense the situation is.  On top of that he is an outstanding pitchers.  Many athletes with more talent would falter under high pressure situations.  Mark never does.  He occasionally has a bad outing, but whenever there is a lot on the line, he comes through.

Not to get ahead of ourselves, but with Thome slowly creeping up to 600 homers, I can't help but think whether or not it will happen in a White Sox uniform.

Thome is currently at 554 homeruns with 13 this year.  Thome will have more at bats in the second half of the year with no interleague play so it is reasonable to predict that he will hit at least 15 more home runs barring injury.  That would put him at 569 career home runs total.  So going into next year he would need 30 home runs +/- 3 to get to 600.  The possibility of that occurring is good, again barring injury. 

Thome will be a free agent at the end of this year.  Would it be worth resigning him with the extra incentive of him hitting #600 in a White Sox uniform?  I don't think the possibility of getting 600 should factor into Kenny William's decision.  It is just an interesting scenario.  His chase of 600 would bring in some money.  Maybe if he got 600 in a White Sox uniform, he would decide to go into the hall of fame as a White Sox considering the relationship he currently has with the Indians and their fans.  

Also, would there be any teams out there willing to trade for Jim Thome since he is only signed for this year?  I have not heard of any rumors of Thome being traded, so I am not sure if it is even a possibility.

With Quentin coming back, the outfield situation becomes tricky.  Even if Podsednik comes down to earth a little offensively, he should remain an everyday starter as a leadoff hitter.  But where would he play in the outfield with Quentin playing left field?  Moving him to centerfield is risky given his spotty defense.  I don't think Kenny or Ozzie would be up for doing that.  With JD though, there is no other option.  

So there will be a logjam in the outfield unless a trade is made.  Both Pods and Dye would have good value.  Pods does because he is a rare leadoff hitter with no contractual obligations.  JD does because he is a darn good hitter.  Pods is less reliable than Dye, but Dye has a $14 mil player option (if traded) which is unappealing.  I would hate to see either of these players traded because they are both White Sox heroes and they are both contributing a lot to this current team.  But is there any way that we can not trade one of the two?  Also, could anyone comment on how well of a right field Pods or Quentin could play?  

Also is it realistic for the White Sox to keep Beckham at third base the rest of the season and expect to make the playoffs and possibly go further?  I do think so, but isn't it worth considering moving him to shortstop and moving Alexei to second with Fields playing third and Getz on the bench?  Coming off the bench, Fields is performing better offensively.  If Getz (.247/.305/.344) is not a significantly better hitter than Fields (.234/.317/.366) than why not go with the safer defensive formation?  I know that Getz adds a left handed at bat, but Getz is not hitting righties any better than lefties.  I don't know who will be better in the long run, but I don't think either player will offensively outperform the other this year.   

Let me first just say that the 20 year old that we have on the Bulls is a man!!  I'm going to call him Mr. Rose.  Nothing fazes this man who just two years ago was winning a second straight IHSA championship.  Not only did he tie the record for most points (36) in a player's first playoff game, he also had a double double.  There's more though ... he was perfect from the free throw line!  This is a man who shot 79% at the line during the regular season. 

Mr. Rose clearly stepped up his game now that it is playoff time.  Usually it is veterans whose games improve in the playoffs because they are already proven and don't need to be stellar during the regular season if their team is a for sure playoff team.  That was not the case with Mr. Rose who had to prove himself and fight to secure a playoff spot for the Bulls.  Yet he still managed to show us another level of his game come playoff time.  Heck, even Paul Pierce missed a big free throw.  

Defensively is where the 20 year old side of Derrick Rose may come out.  Rondo also had a terrific day.  Nevertheless, with Ben Gordon and John Salmons not having their best games, Mr. Rose came through when needed.

I knew that Mr. Rose would be a stud.  But after watching the game this afternoon, Mr. Rose may be more than just a Hall of Famer, but also the second best player to ever play for the Bulls (no disrespect to Pippen), and if he is the second best to ever play for the Bulls, then he will probably be one of the 50 greatest NBA players ever.

I don't think anyone would have expected this from Mr. Rose.  Yet he still acts like it's nothing.  All of us Bulls fans are so incredibly lucky to have won that lottery with a 2.4% chance if I remember correctly.  With Mr. Rose being from Chicago, all of his accomplishments are that much sweeter.  

Nobody could reasonably expect Mr. Rose to be so mature and poised, I don't even know if MJ was as poised when he was a rookie.  When Mr. Rose went to the free throw line for the last time during regulation, I was reminded of the 1989 Bulls Cavs series where Jordan missed a free throw which lost us the game and then the next game he had that famous shot over Ehlo.  I envisioned that situation with Mr. Rose, and was sure he would miss one free throw.  But he didn't and guess what Bulls fans, Mr. Rose is not as talented or athletic as MJ, but he may have that same champions attitude that MJ had.

I would say that this is a game that Bulls fans should never forget.  But the thing with Rose is that, you think he can't play any better, but he does.  So who knows?  In Game 2, he may just have a triple double.

If you don't know, not only is Chicago loaded with basketball talent, but the suburbs have equally impressive talent. The northern suburbs which are 1.5-3 hours away from Madison should be a hotbed for Wisconsin scouts. The Illinois colleges' basketball programs are not too good except for the University of Illinois.

Illinois is locking up prospects like Brandon Paul (best senior in IL) and Jereme Richmond (2nd best junior in the nation from Waukegan) in their sophomore or junior years. These players are not going to Illinois so much so because they live in Illinois. It is that Illinois offers them scholarships at a young age which would hard to turn down for 15/16 year olds. I don't think I'm in the minority when saying that I would rather be coached by Bo Ryan than Bruce Weber. More so Wisconsin's basketball program has been more successful recently. Other northern suburbs of Chicago players are going to other Big Ten schools. Matt Vogrich (all-state guard) is going to Michigan. Everybody know Evan Turner who is from Chicagoland (not the north suburbs) and is at Ohio State.

Illinois is one of the top 5 states in high school basketball and most of the talent is located in northern Illinois.  With UW-Madison's proximity to the area, we should have our fair share of players from that area.  Looking at this year's roster we had nobody from Illinois.  

Ben Gordon is a prolific scorer.  With Pooh he has become even better.  It was a mistake (one of the many by Paxson) to sign Deng to a long term contract instead of Gordon.  

There are not that many Ben Gordon's out there.  We must resign him.  It seems like he wants out, but if we give him an offer that overwhelms him, he might decide to come back.  We have the money to sign him.  It will not be a bad investment.  I don't ever remember Gordon getting injured.  He always show up to play (at least offensively).  Giving him a big long term contract would be a good, safe investment.

With the Bulls and Bucks pretty much tied for the 8th spot in the East, this game is huge.  We have a 2-1 record against the Bucks so winning this game will secure us the advantage in case of a tie.  

Lately we have been going one win one loss.  We got to break that spell.  Vinny stay out of the way and let Skiles wish that Rose was on the Bulls when he coached them.  

I would not call this game a must win by any means, but it would be a boost of confidence for us.  Despite how atrocious this team has been at times, getting into the playoffs would be good experience for the young players even if we get raped by the Cavs/Celtics.   On the other hand making the playoffs could be a bad thing because it could give Paxson a false sense of confidence/hope that this team is on to something.  Then he will not fire Vinny or himself.  That would be much worse than not making the playoffs.

Let me first say that if it were not for Norm Van Lier, I would think that basketball is a wimpy sport.  Norm told me what the Bulls have been doing wrong for these last ten years.  Most of the time he just pointed to his heart.  Too bad the Bulls didn't listen.

For all these years that the Bulls have been terrible disappointing fans year in and year out, we all found solace in Norm Van Lier who would speak the truth about the Bulls and express the feelings that we shared. The players, the coaches, and certainly the management seem to not have cared about winning for a long time. Norm was the one guy associated with the Bulls who did. Now he is gone, and who do we have? The Bulls had plenty of opportunities to honor Stormin' Normin'. They did not have to retire his number. But Norm always seemed to be left out. The latest example is the Johnny Red Kerr ceremony. Even when the Bulls switched from FSN to CSN, he was left out of the post-game crew initially. There was no appreciation for this man. He played harder than any of the guys currently on the team. Of course no one expected this, but the Bulls should be embarrassed for never showing any appreciation for him. But I personally don't know how much more the Bulls can be embarrassed.

While the topic of fashion is up, I have always wanted to know whether during the championship  years and even before that did a lot of fans dress up when they went to Bulls games.  I'm not old enough to know the answer.  I have noticed from watching Bulls championship DVDs that it seems like many men wore suits.  

At Bulls games in this decade, most everybody is casually dressed.  I am just curious if some older fans know the answer.  It is interesting to me that fans seemed to dress up so much.

By the way, I don't care about fashion.  It is just an observation that I want to know if its true or not.

If Michael Jordan doesn't care about the Chicago Bulls anymore, he should not bother coming to events like the one we just had for Red Kerr.  Going from three pieces while exiting the locker room to wearing jeans to a formal ceremony, Michael has become full of himself.  He thinks he is better than everybody else so he doesn't have to dress up.  His commercials just have him making a two second appearance laughing at someone. 

He hasn't done anything for the Bulls organization since his retirement.  Not that he has to, but it would be nice if he would show some Bulls pride.  I can't believe there was nothing this decade to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of 72-10 or the last championship.  They probably would not turn out too well anyways because MJ would ruin it.  During Pippen's retirement ceremony, he dressed in jeans and took the attention away from Pippen.  

Jordan was just laughing during the entire ceremony this time, acting like this was a comedy club.  This was a tribute, but he barely showed any appreciation.  

I love MJ.  I have posters of him all over my room ( I was a kid during the dynasty).  But to me it seems like he is a different person now.  He was a man who always looked for a challenge.  A man who wasn't challenged enough in the NBA so he left for a different sport.  He inspired millions to achieve beyond what they thought possible.  Now the only stuff I hear about him is his new favorite cigar or motorcycle racer.

If he ever wants to come back to the Bulls, he should be more appreciative.  Jordan and Phil Jackson act like the Bulls organization was their b_____.  I don't think Jordan and Jackson care about the Bulls anymore.  Their contributions to the Bulls will probably never be matched, but I feel more joy and pride when I hear the name of a guy like Red Kerr.

With steroids news coming out (always seems to happen around the beginning of spring training every year), here are two option HOF voters have regarding steroid era players:

1) Everybody from that era is banned from the Hall of Fame because even if a player did not take steroids (i.e. Curt Schilling), his statistics are still affected by the use of steroids because Schilling had to pitch against Bonds so much.  In that case the use of steroids in baseball hurt him.  Another example using Moises Alou demonstrates how steroid use helped a non steroid user's statistics.  Alou batted behind Bonds for the Giants.  Obviously his RBI and runs totals were greatly increased because he batted behind Bonds.  So in conclusion nobody's statistics from that era are legitimate.

2) Have a steroid era wing for all the players who played in the steroid era or at least put an asterisk by players who played during the steroid era because regardless of whether or not they took steroids, their statistics are affected.  If players from the steroid era get into the Hall of Fame (some already have) there needs to be the recognition that they played in an era where there were so many cheaters that nobody's statistics are legitimate.

To those who argue that players who played in the steroid era, but did not take steroids should not be punished, I say too bad.  Those players are also at fault because they did not report the rampant steroid use taking place in MLB.  I know it was not illegal until late in the era, but it was still wrong.  Those clean players could have tried to clean up baseball to avoid the mess we are in now with an illegitimate home run king and even illegitimate championships (the Yankees would not have won all those championships without Roger Clemens).  

For us White Sox fans, it would be a double standard if clean players from the steroid era go in because of Shoeless Joe Jackson.  Shoeless Joe is only guilty of knowing about the Black Sox scandal but not revealing it.  He refused the gamblers' money that was forced upon him.  What he did is the equivalent of what all the clean players did during the steroid era by remaining quiet about the issue.  If any players from the steroids era get into the HOF (some already have), Shoeless Joe Jackson ought to be in there too.

Every one of those players on the 2005 championship team deserves a tribute once they leave the Southside.  Juan Uribe is gone ... finally to some.  I know that Uribe always seemed like the weak link in the lineup, and fans were always waiting for someone to replace him.  But for some reason he was never replaced. 

Of course the biggest memory White Sox fans will have of Uribe is his incredible catch in the stands during the World Series.  Uribe was at the third base side of the stands when he put his glove in the middle of a bunch of Astros fans arms.  Somehow, someway he caught the ball.  A really good catch by Uribe, and a really pathetic effort by Astros fans.  Nevertheless, that moment defined what Uribe was all about: defense.

At shortstop, Juan Uribe was reliable, and that was what we needed him to be.  Alongside Joe Crede, that left side of the infield was impenetrable.  One of Uribe's best defensive attributes was his ability to turn the double play.  His versatility became evident in 2008 when he played some 3rd base and 2nd base.  He performed well at third base.  

Offensively, Uribe was a free swinger.  The small guy always aiming for the fences it seems.  When he swung his back leg would bend down so much that his knee would nearly touch the ground.  He for sure swung the bat a lot.  He could not take too many pitches.  Still like many others during 2005, he was able to make some clutch hits.  His bunting ability was on and off.  He did not have that much speed.  

Like I wrote above, something about Uribe kept him on this team.  I can confidently say that he was an important part of our 2005 championship.

Thank you Juan Uribe.

Obviously there are not too many third base champions in White Sox history.  Joe Crede is one of those few.  But he wasn't just the third baseman for that great championship team, he was much much more.  

Here is a brief tribute to Joe Crede for the 2005 championship season.

His offensive statistics are deceiving.  Around  a .250 average during the regular season.  But man was he clutch, earning him the nickname Clutch Crede.  In the late innings in close games you could always depend on Joe.  If men were on base, he wouldn't leave them there.  The one playoff game I went to during the 2005 season was ALCS game 2.  People forget how important of a game that was.  If we had lost that game, momentum would have been on the Angels side going back to L.A.  And that White Sox bad luck as usual mentality would have spread like a virus.  But thanks to one of the best pitching performances I have seen by Mark Buerhle and a historic heads up play by A.J. (and a stolen base by Pablo Ozuna), Joe was given the opportunity to win the game for us.  He stood at the plate with his usual smug facial expression and his lower jaw moving up and down with the piece of gum in his mouth. Next thing you know the ball has hit off the left field fence, and the Cell goes crazy.  I remember for the next 20 minutes people were chanting Let's Go White Sox nonstop.  Going down the ramps and into the parking lot was the same thing.  All because Crede came through as usual.

That was what Crede was all about-- coming through for the team.  He was for sure an underrated player but his stats never accurately displayed his ability.  He came through for the pitchers game in and game out with his spectacular defense.  He came through at the plate when it counted.  As I like to say it is not how much you hit but when you hit.  

It is too bad that injuries have plagued Joe.  If that didn't happen and he stuck around with the White Sox, he may have had his number retired.  That probably will not be the case, but White Sox fans should for ever remember him.  Not the best Joe we have ever had, but a great one indeed.

The last request I have for Joe Crede is to please not go to the Minnesota Twins!

Thanks Joe Crede

White Sox fans all over wish a very happy birthday to our great manger Ozzie Guillen.  He has done wonders for the White Sox.  His personality and managing style always keep him energetic and fun.  He knows how to manage championships and he is a true Southsider.  5 more years and he will be fifty years old.  Hopefully for that birthday he will get another championship. 

Happy birthday, and as he said during the 2005 playoffs: "Let's win this thing!"

A day after Angelo appeared on both the Mully and Hanely show on 670 the Score and the Mac Jurko Harry show on ESPN 1000, he is jumping for joy.  Why? Because ESPN has canned Dan McNeil (Mac).  If you haven't heard both interviews I would suggest going to the websites and listening to them.  On the Score Angelo is given lollipops instead of questions by Mulligan and Hanely.  Mulligan is a Bears writer and reporter and needs to stay on the good side of Angelo.  So he attempts to ask the tough questions but phrases them such that Angelo does not look bad.  On the other hand on ESPN, Angelo is questioned rightfully so about controversial decisions.  Of course he denies much and ignores the rest, but in the end he is the one looking bad.  It was Mac who was asking him the tough questions, the ones fans want answered.  Angelo barely appears on that show (Paxson despite having been good friends with those guys, won't come on).  Because of the show's high popularity, these GM's are pressured into appearing, and they for sure do not enjoy it.  But what do fans want a suck up reporter who is afraid of getting on the bad side of an interviewee asking the questions or a guy who is a regular fan and a master radio personality asking the questions.  The removal of Mac is a sad thing for Bears fans, excluding the Bears GM.  Another example of how Mac was one of the few Chicago sports media people to be real with the public is his criticism of Brian Urlacher.  Nobody else dared consistently criticize the #54 who Bears fan never heard speak except maybe during a commercial.  

By dumping Mac from the Mac Jurko and Harry show, ESPN 1000 has gotten rid of the sole White Sox fan on their major shows.  Silvy, Jurko, and Harry are Cubs fans.  While Carmen DeFalco who is replacing Mac is a Sox fan, he is no Mac.  The White Sox are in need of fierce defense on that show, and Carmen isn't the type to deliver it.  Plus Mac was on of the few radio guys to ask the tough questions to people.  

Not to be a downer, but I knew Mike Brown would not last a complete season.  Despite persistent injuries all throughout the season, it seemed as if he would finally be able to make it through the season without being placed on the injury reserve.  What a foolish thought.  Brown is placed on the IR today, so he will miss the Texans game.  Brown had a disappointing year until he started playing closer to the line.  Even then Mike Brown is a faint resemblance of who he used to be.  I love Brown as a player, but his time is past, as is Urlacher's.  Unfortunately Da Bears opportunity to win the Super bowl did not occur during their primes (2000-2004).  I beg Angelo not to resign him again with the stubborn hope that he will not get injured.   Despite playing for most of the season, he had injuries that made him less effective.  Thank you Mike Brown for all you did for Da Bears.  You will always be in Bears lore as that hard hitting safety with a knack for the ball especially in overtime. 

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Da Bulls season starts tonight, which means the beginning of the Derrik Rose era and beginning of the probably short Vinny Del Negro era.  That is not a shot at Del Negro, it is at Paxson for being so indecisive.

            There is a good amount to look forward to this season, but winning is not one of them.  I have not seen one prediction that even has da Bulls making the playoffs.  I predict we will win 40 games and sneak into the 8th seed of the playoffs and then quickly be swept in the first round.  Making the playoffs will not make the season a success.  I have the goal at winning one playoff series.  Making the playoffs will be much better than not making them.  This is assuming the most of the players like Thomas, Sefolosha, Noah, Deng, and Gray improve.  Deng needs to become an all-star this year for him to impress me.  He needs to show more leadership.  Noah needs to show more responsibility.  Thomas needs to show more consistency.

            We probably have the goods offensively, it is defensively where I worry.  That is where I will judge Vinny Del Negro’s coaching ability and performance.  So far it does not seem that Del Negro is anything special or different.  He stresses the same hard work values as Skiles.  The only difference I have heard between the two is the Del Negro is a better communicator. 

            John Paxson is also going to be on the watch list.  His draft picks of Thomas, Noah, and Hinrich over guys like Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldrige, and T.J. Ford are all questionable.  Paxson made a great trade with New York for all those draft picks, but those picks still have to come through.  Paxson better not be scared to pull of a big trade like he was with Garnett and Gausol. 

            Most Bulls fans are not expecting much, but we always expect dedication and character from the team.  As Norm Van Lier would say, Da Bulls need to show some heart.

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Week 7, Bears vs. Minnesota:  A battle of two 3-3 teams for the division lead nearly mid-way through the season has arrived.  This matchup has been highly anticipated ever since the terrible loss to the Falcons.  Quite frankly, being a home game, this game is a must-win for the playoffs.  We have already lost to three NFC South teams who could be competition for a wild card.  It is already really important to bounce back from last week’s loss.  We must do it.

            The offensive line will have to do the best they can versus the killer Vikings D line.  This will be a test of how good Forte really is.  Forte will not have that many openings, and they certainly will not be open for long.  We still have to give him atleast 25 carries, no matter how ineffective the running game is.  It is astonishing that Bears fans can take a good performance from Orton as a given.  Everyone is counting on him that he can deliver if given the chance, and I believe in him too.

We will need max protection on the offensinve line, so our tight ends and half back won’t be involved that much in the passing game.  This means our receivers, whoever is playing must show up.  Lloyd is not playing.

            Defensively we are in a predicament.  We cannot overly attack the QB because of Peterson.  He will run full speed down hill.  Our secondary lacks Tillman, Vasher, and Daniel Manning.  So we can not count on our secondary to hold the dangerous receivers for long.  Our defensive line has an advantage over the Vikings O line.  They will have to provide most of the pressure, and they should be able to.  I think the play of the defense will come down to how GREAT the linebackers play.  Briggs needs to keep up his play level, and Urlacher needs to play like he is known too.  That is who I am watching today.  This is the game Urlacher needs to prove he was worth the new contract he got in the offseason.

            On special teams, Hester better return.  The Vikings are one of the worst on return defense.  We should have good field position for most of the game.  Robbie Gould, the NFL’s highest paid kicker needs to get his act together.  He better be able to make field goals 50 yards and longer, we might need it this game.

            Of course, playing at home we have the 4th phase.  We are wearing our orange alternative uniforms and the crowd is supposed to be wearing orange too.  They need to be in this game for its entirety.

            So, my prediction is a Bears victory.  Defensively I am scared, but playing at home hopefully we can “shake the lake.”  But Downey did pick us to win, so I would not be surprised if we lost.  But no, we will win.  The players sure need to leave it all on the field.

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             It has been 22 years since Da Bears last championship.  That is not even a quarter of what the Cubs drought is, but it sure feels like it is as long.  That is because unlike the remedies the Lovable Losers have for their fans year after year, Bears’ fans live and die with their team.  An entire week can be ruined by a loss, while an entire year can be filled with happiness by a sweep of the Packers.

            Da Bears were close to winning a championship just two years ago.  Now we are farther than ever from grabbing that Lombardi trophy and displaying it by the George Halas mural so that Papa Bear can rub it in to Vince Lombardi that he has the trophy with his name on it.

            I predict that we will finish 7-9 this year, which is more optimistic than most predictions I have been hearing.  We will win seven games only if the defense stays clear of major injuries, if Matt Forte proves to be what the coaches see in him, and if Devin Hester remains the Windy City Flyer. 

            The biggest problem with this team is that the offensive line is bad.  It is so bad that we may have to bring back Fred Miller, another old lineman.  John Tait is worried about having to switch positions, which has already screwed up his training camp.  Olin Kreutz, whose number should be retired one day, is on the down side of his career.  Terrance Metcalf and John St. Clair are mediocre lineman.  Forget about Chris Williams for this season; he probably would have struggled even if he was not injured this year.  A fact of this offensive line is that if two or three of the lineman are bad the whole line suffers.  This offensive line is pathetic, and it will cost us the season.

            Even if the offensive line was tolerable, it is not as if our offense scares anybody.  Our receivers are either unproven or old, same with our running backs.  There will probably also be a quarterback controversy the whole year.  The only good aspect of the offense is our tight ends.  The latest news though: Clark is injured and probably will miss a couple of weeks.

            The defense on the other hand is pretty solid as long as injuries do not plague the team like last year.  If Anderson improves, the defensive line is one of the best in the NFL.  The linebackers are happy and ready.  If Vasher, Tillman, and Brown are on the field, the secondary looks good too.  The defense will have to score points.

            Another great year for the special teams should happen because of mainstays Hester and coordinator Toub.  We should not overuse Hester to the point where his return game is negatively affected.  It is kind of sad to write this, but Hester must have at least 5 returns for touchdowns for us to be successful this year.  Gould better be good as gold for the amount of money he received.  The loss of Ayanbadejo should not hurt that much.  Otherwise it would be great if we continue to be as good as we were last year in blocking kicks and punts especially against Green Bay.

            As we look past this year, I do not really see a good plan for the future.  By the time we can fix our offensive line and either develop or get some playmakers, our defensive players will be going south.   Urlacher and Brown are already past their prime.  Every team in all sports has bad seasons.  Bad seasons happen, and I can tolerate them.  But I hate bad seasons when there are veterans playing.  If the team is going to struggle, then make sure some young players are developing.  We do not have that many young players who will be playing this year.  Greg Olsen, Daniel Manning, and Matt Forte are pretty much the only ones.

            This year will be a good test of the coaching staff.  Good coaches make their team and players achieve more than what is expected of them.  Both coordinators jobs could be on the line, and even Lovie will face some challenges.  The expectations are low this year, lets see the coaching staff and the players defy them.

For the last week or so Southsiders have been debating what do once Paul Kornerko comes back.  There are many situations that have to be dealt with.  First, someone must be sent down to the minors.  Second, someone must move out of the starting lineup.

There is no one on the roster that I want to send down.  I like the depth that Uribe supplies and both Anderson and Wise have proved to be valuable.  Also with the recent success of the White Sox, many fans do not want to mess with the starting lineup.  But having Kornerko in the lineup is a must.  He will turn his season around and help the team.  The man we do not need in the lineup is Jim Thome.  Thome really limits the team because he can not play in the field.  His season has been well below average so far and it will finsih below average.  Not only are his hitting statistics down, but I have noticed that he is not a clutch hitter.  The White Sox have a ton of homeruns nearly double than the Twins who are close to us.  We can cut down on the number of homeruns we hit and instead add some speed which will help us hit better in the clutch.  Basically, the point is that the White Sox do not need Jim Thome..  Instead play Kornerko at DH, keep Swisher at first, and play Wise or Anderson at Center.  That way our defense is better and even our overall offense.  We will not have as many homeruns without Thome but we will have more speed, more clutch hitting, and less strikeouts.

I always here that Thome gets too much money for him to be benched.  This makes no sense.  We have to pay him no matter how well he plays or even if he plays.  So if our team is better without him than his salary is no reason not to bench him or even release him.