By now most of you have heard the rumblings that the Chicago Cubs may be calling U.S. Cellular Field home during the 2013 season. If the Cubs want to renovate Wrigley Field and make the necessary repairs to bring the stadium into the mid-20th century, they're going to need to shut the place down for at least a season. Which leads to an interesting dilemma. Where will they play?

The fans who honestly think it's feasible for the Cubs to play in Milwaukee are lying to themselves. That's far too much of a headache for the schedulers and not entirely realistic for the fanbase. Even more humorous is the "Let's play our games at Fifth Third Ballpark (home of the Kane County Cougars)" contingent. Do you know how many seats there are? 14,000! That's a lot of money that the team would lose playing in such a tiny stadium. There is only one realistic option for the Ricketts if they finally decide to stop trying to "fix" every problem with duct tape and actually update their shrine to mediocrity: become temporary tenants of our Chicago White Sox.

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Not long after hearing that they were the only team to not sign a free agent this winter, Kenny Williams and the White Sox went out and signed former Cub Kosuke Fukudome (h/t to 67WMAQ for knowing about this before anyone). The lefty will earn $500K in base pay this year with a $500K buyout or a $3.5MM club option for 2013. This move all but ensures Jordan Danks will start his season in the minor leagues again this year. That being said, I do find this move a little bit puzzling.

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Did you know the White Sox haven't produced a legitimate position player out of a first round draft pick since using the 35th pick of the 1998 draft on Aaron Rowand? Go ahead and look, I'll wait. Gross, right? There are multiple reasons why the farm system seems unable to produce anything but cannon fodder and former college QBs: we rarely if ever go over slot, we draft safer players with lower ceilings, injuries and washouts happen. Another key component may be that only once in the past twenty years have the White Sox had a top 10 draft pick. What players came from the previous four drafts? The drafts where the Sox picked fourth, seventh, tenth, and fifth? Alex Fernandez. Frank Thomas. Robin Ventura. Jack McDowell. Maybe this is why the eighth pick of the 2008 draft, Gordon Beckham, feels like such a bust to the fan base.

I'm pretty sure we're all at fault here, but no one really wants to take the blame: Kenny Williams, Ozzie Guillen, Greg Walker, us writers, Dan Johnson, and of course Gordon Beckham. For the first time since I was able to form memories, we had a shot at a true impact homegrown bat. A hitter worth following through the minors. Someone we could dream on. And so we started dreaming. And he didn't let us down. His lowest OPS in the minors was .862! He only batted under .300 at one level and only by .001! He was a doubles monster! And then we brought him up and he kept hitting. A 22 year old infielder with an .808 OPS! The stands were already full of his jerseys and shirts in July of 2009.

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It's not exactly a secret that the White Sox have the worst farm system in baseball. John Sickels recently said that very thing. What piqued my interest was a combination of a conversation I had with Colin and this line from the esteemed Mr. Sickels.*

Hitting is a disaster. I like Tyler Saladino but I have huge doubts about their other hitting prospects.

Colin brought up the excellent point that the washout rate for pitchers in the White Sox farm system seems to be much lower than that of other teams, but for whatever reason we can't develop hitters. With that in mind, I would be thrilled if the White Sox focused more heavily on hitting this June. Since the team hasn't used their first pick on a high school player since local product Kris Honel back in 2001, it seems reasonable to expect them to draft from the college ranks yet again. That lets me use this fantastic list that Matt Garrioch put together. Since the Sox have the 13th pick, there is little to no chance that Deven Marrero or Michael Zunino will be playing on the South Side any time soon. So since we miss out on the current top two hitters (and do keep in mind this is very early and things are bound to change), here are a few players I would be excited to hear have their name called on my birthday.

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Well this certainly isn't good. In case you haven't heard yet (shame on you for being a bad fan or a responsible adult), Prince Fielder agreed to a 9 year/$214MM contract with the Detroit Tigers today. Remember a week ago when Victor Martinez tearing his ACL slightly opened a window? Consider that window slammed shut, locked, boarded up, and bars installed over the frame. Detroit now has the two best hitters in the division. While anything can happen during the season, it's pretty safe to say that if the Tigers weren't already the odds on favorite to win the Central, they damn well are now. So what does the biggest contract in the 18 year history of the division mean for everyone else?

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Yeah, I know technically Ron Santo will also be enshrined this summer, but dead people can't give induction speeches. Larkin managed to appear on 86.4% of the ballots. This is pretty impressive seeing as he was only on 62.1% of them last year. Hall of Fame voters, you make tremendous sense.

Jack Morris looks like he'll be sneaking his undeserving self in before everything is sad and done. Morris is up to 66.7% with two years left. Jeff Bagwell is up to 56%, a good improvement on the 41.7% from last January. Tim Raines gained 11.2%, reaching a new high of 48.7%.

The only new candidate who received enough votes to stay on the ballot another year was Bernie Williams (9.6%). The rest, and Juan Gonzalez, are all now cast aside. With the glut of great players soon to be eligible, it won't be shocking to see Rafael Palmeiro (12.6%) fall off the ballot in two years or so.

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Since there seems to br a slight demand for a separate RRRR thread to encapsulate all non-baseball sporting goodness, I made this.

Want to talk about how lame the NFL playoffs will be this year? Neat!

Or how about those Bulls, being on top of the NBA? That Carlos Boozer fella sure has turned it around. I would laugh if he wore a Rip Hamilton mask. And not a protective one, like Hamilton wears, but an actual mask of Hamilton's face.

RVP has been a goal scoring machine. I like soccer.

Throwback jerseys: I think more teams should wear them. Unless they involve teal. What a terrible color for sports teams. Honestly, probably the worst.

Tennis is weird.

Hockey is just crackerjack though.

Who has the worst jerseys in basketball currently? I would have to say Charlotte. Those things are hideous. Though Toronto's are pretty ugly as well. Screw Flanders.

More productive

Comfortable

Not drinking too much

Regular exercise at the gym (lifting bats in the offseason)

Getting on better with your associate contemporaries

At ease

Eating well (no more Red Baron pizzas and frozen lobsters)

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It seemed like a decent enough time to do another one of these (also known as U-God is having writer's block and feels bad about not creating any content in two weeks) so here we go. Today's rotating guest chair belongs to friend of the site and fellow White Sox blogger Tom Fornelli of South Side Asylum. We'll cover such interesting topics as the Danks extension, the hottest new thing out of Cuba, hatred, and the impending new year.

1. What is your initial reaction to the John Danks extension?

Tom: Shock, then anger, then confusion. Shock because when the rumors first surfaced on Twitter it came out of no where. Anger because after spending a few hours chasing down more on the story Chuck Garfien beat me to it 5 minutes before I could publish my story. Then confusion set in because I'm just not sure what this means. Were the trade offers just not enticing enough? Did Jerry see a decline in ticket sales so far and put the brakes on this rebuilding business? Is this move solely to get a larger return on a Danks trade? By actually signing Danks I think the Sox managed to create even more questions.

Tdogg: Pardon my French, but I told you mother turkeys.... (editor's note: not his original word, but replacement word of choice). :-) I like it, I love it. Williams is really not the rebuild type. Danks in my eyes is still underrated and I think this deal will ultimately be a steal.

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And then there were eleven.

Eleven little ball players,

all powerful men.

One forgot how to pitch.

And then there were ten.

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It's that time of the year again. The GM meetings are coming up this week, so I think it's high time for a little rosterbation. You may remember from such pipe dreams as obtaining Mike Napoli for Carlos Quentin last winter or picking up Marlon Byrd for the hole in center field before the 2010 season. This is usually one of my favorite posts to write each season, as I get to pretend I have some sort of actual authority and ability to make things happen. This year's post was a little less fun. The combination of poor attendance and $43MM tied up between the likes of Adam Dunn, Jake Peavy, and Alex Rios, there's no true way to be active on the free agent market. Payroll is going down, and if you believe larry (I am usually inclined to), we're talking about a payroll around $100-105MM or so. Unlike last year, we're not emptying the coffers. Oh, and I'm just going to call every league minimum contract $0.5MM for easy math.

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There is a problem. It has existed for a while. Part of me wants to blame Alex Rodriguez, but it's not really his fault. Maybe it's more fair to blame his ancestors, most specifically the first ones to name their son Rodrigo. But really, the blame lies with us. And by us, I mean both the media and and the fans. For the most part, baseball nicknames are horribly lazy abominations. "Oh, his name is Alex Rodriguez? We shall call him A-Rod. We shall continue this overall execrable practice with other talented hitters. Hanley Ramirez? Ha! More like Han-Ram. Manny Ramirez? Man-Ram (which actually kind of makes me giggle. His nickname is like the lamest Master of the Universe ever)".

Those nicknames are horrible. Recently my classmates have decided to give me the moniker "Primi". Their Kansas accents tend to contort it into sounding like I was a baby born too soon (I was not. I stayed in late). I always wanted a nickname, but now I know how Evan Longoria feels. Shortening your last name sucks. Whatever happened to the days of Death to Flying Things or Old Aches and Pains (You're starting to sound like Andy Rooney. Stop sounding like Andy Rooney)?

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The World Series has started. Awards season will soon be upon us. Sure we can expect the White Sox to garner some minor accolades in the forms of a Gold Glove for the incumbent Mark Buehrle and perhaps a long overdue one for Alexei Ramirez, but that's probably all we're going to see. It's fairly safe to say that yet another season has gone by on the south side without a member of the Pale Hose winning one of the big three: MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year. The last time a White Sox to win these awards were Frank Thomas in 1994, Jack McDowell in 1993, and Ozzie Guillen in 1985. That's right, the White Sox have not had a player win Rookie of the Year in my life time. The last time they had a player win either of the other two major awards I was just starting to lose my baby teeth.

This depressing fact made me wonder where our current cold streak stacked up with the other 29 teams in the league. Using B-R, I compiled a list of the last candidate to win each award for their team. A few facts and interesting tidbits before delving into the lists and charts. The MVP award has been around since 1911. The Cy Young began as one award for both leagues in 1956, eventually becoming an award in both in 1967. The Rookie of the Year began in 1947. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the Diamondbacks, Marlins, and Rays have never had a player win MVP. Surprisingly, the Mets and the Nationals (obviously I am including their years as the Expos) are in that same club. The Reds, the Rockies, the Marlins, the Rays, and the Rangers have never earned a Cy Young. And my personal favorite never-had: the Diamondbacks are the only team in Major League Baseball to have never had a Rookie of the Year.

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So we get another CST zone World Series and another chance to hear about how low the ratings will be. Rangers vs. Cardinals. Rock on.

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Word on the street is that our most recent World Series foe, the Houston Astros, are on the verge of getting a new owner. This would be some rather dull offseason filler news though. "Oh, a National League team is getting a new owner? Nifty. What channel is football on again?". I'd be inclined to agree with you, except that apparently Bud Selig is attempting to force Jim Crane into agreeing to move the Astros over into the American League as a condition of the sale. Wait...what?

This isn't like the Seattle Seahawks switching over from the AFC to the NFC after the 2001 season when the NFL added the Houston Texans. No other major professional sport in the country has different rules depending on which arbitrary league your team is in. The last time Major League Baseball experienced such a restructuring was when the Milwaukee Brewers jumped over to the National League central in 1997, creating the current 16-14 team imbalance between the two organizations. So now everything is going to be evened out by moving the Astros into the four team AL West? If this seems strange and unwieldy to you, you're not alone.

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I did not expect to be putting up the second roundtable so quickly, but Kenny Williams likes to keep us all on our toes.  Our fearless leader has dropped his knowledgeable opinion on you, our loyal readers, already but what of the rest of us you say?  Well worry no more!  My newly self-appointed offseason duty of roundtable scrivener assures you of an easy collection of thoughts in one place (and plenty of rambling sentences, much like this one).  Sitting with me today at the table are KenWo, E-gus, larry, Tdogg, Colin (he made it!), more from Jim, and esteemed friend of the blog J. Jonah Stankevitz of Beerleaguer.  And keep an eye out in your inboxes, I've already singled a few of you out for the next few.

1.  Well this was unexpected.  Are you upset the White Sox didn't go with someone more experienced?

KenWo: A little surprised that he went with someone who has less managerial experience than I do, yes.  I am not surprised, nor should anyone else be, that he hired someone with no MLB managerial experience.  Dave Martinez and Sandy Alomar obviously never managed either. I do think that Ventura needs a bench coach that has been there... what is Jeff Torborg up to these days?  How about Carlton Fisk as a bench coach?  He's been mentioned for 20 years. 

E-gus: Not at all. I tend to believe that half the regulars on sss, if not more, could do a good job managing the team. The only disadvantage one of us might have would be not having the players respect since we never played professionally, that won't be a problem here.

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To save you, the ever important reader, from having to read a feature length article by each of our esteemed writers/moderators/internet folks, I decided to put together a roundtable discussion involving four questions about some major White Sox topics from the past week.  This may become a semi-regular feature throughout the winter to help bide the time.  TDogg, KenWo, Jim, larry, and E-gus were kind enough to answer my mass email, so I will now treat you to their (and my) opinions.  Colin, of course, missed out.  Way to be Colin.

1.  Do you agree with the team's decision to get rid of Ozzie Guillen?

TDogg: Yes. Though allowed to walk away might be a better way of describing it because according to Williams they would not have necessarily fired him. I've defended Ozzie Guillen for a long time. His handling of the pitching staff was enough to erase his obvious lineup and game strategy flaws, elevating him to a Top 10 manager, but lately Ozzie's tendencies and allegiances to veterans have become even more maddening. I believe his 2nd half (more like from June) management of the squad this year was his worst job since taking over. Either he's gone completely mad or succumbed to indifference which is just as bad. Winning a World Series in Chicago carries a great deal of weight and it is certainly a fact that Guillen made the Sox relevant but how much is enough? He will always have a special place in the hearts of most Sox fans but every coach has an expiration date.

KenWo: Absolutely.  In my opinion, Ozzie Guillen checked out on the Sox long before he finally got his release.  He made that official when he mentioned in his Marlins press conference that he and his family have talked about this move for a few years.  Ozzie has cemented his spot in team lore with his World Championship and length of his coaching tenure, but it was clear that the current arrangement was not going to work.  I also believe he let the team down with the timing of his request for a contract extension.  The Sox were in the midst of a winning streak and heading into a crucial series against the Tigers when he made his request.  It was at best "bad timing" and at worst his final attempt to sabotage the season and eventually get to the job he had coveted for "a few years". 

larry: Yes.  I would have fired him two or three months ago.  He certainly should not have lasted past the Yankee series debacle in the first week of August.

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It's not even Halloween yet (which as I've already told Rhubarb, is my favorite holiday), yet we're already being subjected to numerous rumors and suppositions about the fate of one Oswaldo Jose Guillen Barrios.  It's all but certain that the longest tenured manager of the White Sox since Al Lopez (1957-1965) is on his way out of Armour Square.  Baseball being baseball, it's not like he'll be without a job for long.  Thing is, wouldn't it be nice if the team could actually get something for him?

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I am not Prince Fielder.  This perhaps the most obvious statement I've ever written on this site.  I am not a talented baseball player.  I do not weigh more than 200 lbs.  I am not African-American.  I did not come from an unstable family.  But most importantly when it comes to the point I am trying to make in this article, I do not seem to have good years in the odd numbered seasons.

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Yeah girl, pick up that pencil.  Mmm...

 

Someone just brought up the Boise State-Georgia score again.

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• Narwhals don't actually exist.  Somewhere along the line a taxidermist got bored and attached a whittled down elephant tusk to an ugly whale.  The fact that museums present these as actual animals amuses me to no end.
• Shia LaBeouf is a believable and likeable leading man.
• Dustin Pedroia can dunk a basketball.
• Kansas is a wonderful state and a great place to live.
• Professional basketball is fun to watch all the time, not just in the playoffs.
• The majority of things you learn in elementary school classes is vital to your adult life.
• Jeff Dunham is hilarious.
• Millard Fillmore is the most underrated president in American history.

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The season is quickly coming to an end.  Barring a miracle run that has to include sweeping the Tigers out, the undertaker is currently sizing up the 2011 season.  And I can't help but feel a little cheated.

Come on in now, wipe your feet on my dreams again.

It all feels like a bad relationship.  I'm not pigeonholing it into a romantic one, but a bad relationship in general.  This version of the team is that guy who grew up down the street from you or a "work buddy".  You became friends out of geographic convenience or because there was no one else to talk to at your job.  They give you something slightly better than boredom, but nothing incredibly rewarding.

You take up my time like some cheap magazine.

When I could have been learning something, oh well you know what I mean.

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