There’s a lot of fretting about the White Sox offense for the coming season. The team has lost a few power hitters and it isn’t the kind of lineup we’re used to seeing on Chicago’s South Side.

But what Sox fans really ought to be worrying about is the team’s defense. Last year, the defense was horrendous, which is a big reason why the Sox lost 83 games in 2009.

The Sox committed a total of 113 errors as a team last year, the second-most in the American league. Only the Kansas City royals committed more errors than the Sox with a total of 117. By contrast, the AL Central champion Minnesota Twins committed a league-low 76 errors last year.

The Sox certainly tinkered a lot with their defense in 2009 with guys playing in new positions and a couple of rookies in the lineup.

The biggest error culprit was Alexei Ramirez last year, which should come as no surprise. Shortstops can easily lead any big league team in errors, and Ramirez had 20. It was his first year playing the position at the Major League level, and he certainly had his struggles.

Ramirez had a brutal start to the season, but by the last six weeks, he had really calmed down at shortstop and actually began to play the position well. I’ve read in the papers that he’s been talking to Omar Vizquel a lot down in Glendale, Ariz. this spring getting some new tips as to how to play a better shortstop. He also went to a weekend-long defensive camp with bench coach Joey Cora this winter to work on his defense.

Ramirez needs to step up his defense this year, and all indications show that he might do just that. He probably won’t be a Gold Glove candidate, but he cannot play as poorly as he did last year at shortstop.

Gordon Beckham also had problems with his hands last year. Again, this should come as no surprise given that he never played third base and was a rookie to boot. He made 14 errors last season in 107 games.

Combine that with Josh Fields’ eight errors in 57 games at the hot corner, and you’ve got a combined 22 errors at that position last year. That’s bad for any singular third basemen in the big leagues.

For the 2010 season Beckham will move to second base, and I expect he will have his struggles there early in the season, especially turning double plays. I don’t expect him to rack up the errors like he did last season, and he should acclimate to the position rather quickly.

However, he will be replaced by Mark Teahen at third this year who committed 11 of his 12 errors last year in 107 games at the position. Granted, he was bounced around from position to position last year. It’s a nice excuse for him look at that errors total, but he needs to step up defense as well.

There is no doubt Sox brass thinks he’s capable of doing just that, or I don’t think they would have given up on Chris Getz and Josh Fields to bring his here this year.

Other big time Sox butterfingers in ‘09 include Jayson Nix (13 errors in 86 games), who will see very little playing time, if any, in the infield; Chris Getz (seven errors in 106 games) who has been traded and even Jermaine Dye had five errors out in right field. Jose Contreras committed four lousy errors in 114.2 innings of work last year!

The outfield might see marginal defensive improvement, if for the only reason is that Scott Podsednik won’t be prancing around center field this season. But with Alex Rios, Juan Pierre and Carlos Quentin doing the yeomen’s work out there, I’m not exactly inspired.

This scares me more than the offense. Although the Sox’s rotation is loaded, none of them, with the exception of Jake Peavy, are big strikeout pitchers. So they need a good defense to help out the rest of the rotation.

The infield looks like it could be serviceable to good. The outfield is downright frightening, looking at it four weeks from Opening Day.  But maybe I’ll be surprised.

When pitchers and catchers from Chicago baseball teams report to Spring Training each February, it’s a big deal around here. It means spring isn’t too far away, and we can say good-bye to cold weather and snow for a while.

We’re down the home stretch.

It’s especially exciting for White Sox fans this year with pitchers and catchers reporting to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz. Saturday, as we are getting a first look at what could shape up to be baseball’s best starting rotation. From ace to fifth starter, this squad is going to be tough.

Last year, the Sox went into Spring Training with Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd and John Danks returning. Danks and Floyd had one year of experience with the Sox at the time, and their arrow looked like it was pointing up. They didn’t disappoint in 2009, as both had solid seasons.

Then we had Bartolo Colon, an injured Jose Contreras and handful of minor leaguers looking to get a job.

This year, we have a new ace in Jake Peavy joining Buehrle, FLoyd and Danks. Peavy made just three starts with the Sox last season. He was recovering from an ankle injury when he was acquired at the trade deadline, and he took a line drive off his elbow in what was supposed to be his last rehab start last August, which delayed his return to the big leagues. He looked good in those three starts, and with a full offseason to prepare, Sox fans are eagerly awaiting a big season from him.

The Sox also acquired Freddy Garcia last season, who put together a nice run of nine games, considering he recovered from an injury too. When Freddy Garcia is your fifth starter, I think you’ve got a nice rotation.

Think about it. If Garcia regularly faces back of the rotation pitches, he could rack up a lot of wins this year.

And who has a better righty/lefty combination than Peavy and Buehrle in the Major Leagues?

The great thing about this rotation is that any one of these guys can step up to be a stopper, and that means few prolonged losing streaks for the 2010 White Sox.

Of course, in today’s game, you need a good bullpen to have a successful season, and the Sox should be OK in that department.

Bobby Jenks gave up a career-high nine home runs last season, and battled nagging injuries and kidney stones as well. he blew six saves, but still collected 29 of them. His 3.71 ERA was also uncharacteristic.

General Manager Kenny Williams called Jenks’ conditioning into question last November, and it looks like Jenks got the message. He was reported to be in the best shape of his career when he attended the annual SoxFest at the downtown Palmer House Hilton last month. Hopefully, he can return to form in 2010.

As insurance, the Sox picked up J.J. Putz during the offseason, and they still have Matt Thornton. With these two setup men, it should help take the load off of Jenks this year. It also gives skipper Ozzie Guillen two good options in case Jenks falters.

Their long relievers look suspect, as the hot and cold Scott Linebrink returns, along with Tony Pena, and Randy Williams. Jhonny Nunz will probably compete for a bullpen role this spring, and the Sox could consider using Daniel Hudson, although he might benefit from being a starter at AAA Charlotte next season as opposed to a long reliever in the big leagues.

Those problems should work themselves out, and I’ll bet a lot of Major League managers wish they had the same issues to face coming into Spring Training. Sox fans should expect big things from this rotation, and they had better deliver to give the Sox hope of taking the American League Central this upcoming year.

Frank Thomas announced his retirement Friday, and although it is no surprise to hear he’s hanging up his cleats, it is a nice chance to say good-bye to one of the best hitters to come around in the last 25 years, if not one of the best of all time.

Thomas was one of those guys who could stop the show when he came to the plate. People put down their beers and hot dogs. The vendors would stop in their tracks. The ushers would have their eyes glued to home plate instead of ticket stubs.

That was the kind of awe he would draw when he stepped up to the plate.

Some who are not very familiar with the Frank’s career might think I’m crazy to compare him to Ted Williams as a hitter. But we have not seen a man with the combination of power and patience at the plate, with the ability to hit for average for a very long time.

If you try to find another right-handed hitter like him, it’s going to take you a little while.

Most of us think of Frank as one of the “clean” players in the steroid era. He was an early and outspoken proponent of drug test testing when it was a pretty unpopular idea among the players’ union. Plus he came into the league as a big man at 6′5″ 250+ pounds.

But, all are suspects in this era of baseball. You could look at Frank’s career, see he had two shortened seasons in 2004 and 2005 due to injury and that he blasted 39 home runs and drove in 114 in 2006 wearing an Athletics uniform. You might ask, “How did he get so healthy?”

Well, Frank had a broken ankle in ‘04 and probably came back too soon from it. A big man like that has a hard time healing small bones in his lower extremities and he should have been a bit more patient in returning to baseball. Plus I’ve never heard of anyone using steroids to come back from broken bones. Maybe it has happened, but I’ve never heard of it.

If it comes out one day that Big Frank did use the juice, I wouldn’t be shocked, but at this point in time, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.

Holy smokes! It really sucks to question a man’s power numbers because of this rotten environment that was created by everyone involved in Major League Baseball.

But back to Frank’s incredible career. He is one of four men to play Major League Baseball who collected more than 500 home runs, 1,500 RBI, 1,000 runs scored, 1,500 walks and hit for a career average better than .300. The other three are Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Mel Ott.

That’s why he is considered one of the best hitters of all time.

Frank’s final career numbers look like this: 521 HR  1,704 RBI  .301 AVG  2,468 HITS  1,494 RUNS  1,667 BB

He holds White Sox records for all major offensive categories and it has been announced that his number 35 will be retired in August, for what that’s worth.

Frank never endeared himself to the fans or the media, and he said a lot of dumb things. He also had some nasty things to say about the White Sox organization after the club bought out his option after the team won the World Series while he sat as a spectator. His antics earned him the nickname “The Big Skirt” among media types and frustrated fans.

Since he was so cold to the media, and considering it’s the writers who vote for the Hall of Fame, I’d be surprised if he is a first ballot inductee. Writers can be like that. I mean, look at how long it took Jim Rice to get inducted because he acted like such a jerk toward the media. It shouldn’t take Frank as long to get that honor, though. He won two American League MVP in 1993 and 1994. He should have won a third in 2000, but came in second to a juiced Jason Giambi.

But take a look at the numbers between those two in the 2000 season:

Frank - 43 HR  143 RBI  .328 AVG  .625 SLG  191 HITS  44 2B  115 RUNS

Giambi - 43 HR  137 RBI  .333 AVG   .647 SLG  170 HITS  29 2B  108 RUNS

Yeah, Frank got screwed. It must have been tough to vote for a DH over an everyday first baseman, I guess.

The Big Hurt gave South Side baseball fans plenty of great memories and it’s going to be a long time before we see another like Frank Thomas. So long, Frank, and thanks for the good times.

The White Sox announced earlier this week that the team will take number 11 from its list of retired numbers in order for Omar Vizquel to wear it next season. The number is retired in honor of fellow Venezuelan Luis Aparicio, the first from that country to be enshrined in baseball’s Hall of Fame

Vizquel has worn 13 throughout his career, but that number is worn by skipper Ozzie Guillen, He wore 13 as a player on the South Side, and still wears it today. Guillen made it very clear that he is not willing to give up his number.

Vizquel, with the blessing of Aparicio himself, instead will take number 11 when he joins the White Sox on the field.

Aparicio’s playing career ended before I was born, so I can’t say I knew a whole lot about him, except he played a mean shortstop for the Sox a while ago. So I decided to do a little looking into his career to see just what I could find and understand a little about the number that’s being unretired for Vizquel.

Aparicio enjoyed a long, 18-year career. Ten of those were spent on the South Side between 1956-62, and then again from 1968-70. During his first stint with the Sox, he teamed with fellow Hall of Famer Nellie Fox at second base to anchor a fearsome middle infield. He and Fox also formed a tough one-two punch at the top of the White Sox batting order during that time.

He was a member of the Go Go Sox of 1959, which won the AL pennant after chasing the Yankees for years. The Sox lost the World Series that year, but Aparicio himself earned a world title with the Baltimore Orioles in 1966, when they swept the Dodgers.

Aparicio was a heavily scouted shortstop by the Cleveland Indians in 1954 when he made his debut in the Venezuelan Winter League playing for the Tiburones de La Guaira. He took over the position from his father, Luis Aparicio Sr., who was a premiere player in that league for 25 years and known as the best to play shortstop in that country.

White Sox General Manager Frank Lore signed Aparicio before the 1954 season for $5,000 down and a starting salary of $5,000 for the first season. It is said Lore scouted Aparicio on the recommendation of fellow Venezuelan and starting White Sox shortstop Chico Carrasquel. Maybe Carrasquel would have kept his big mouth shut if he had known that two years later he would be traded to make room for Aparicio on the White Sox roster.

Aparicio started at shortstop for the Sox during his rookie year in 1956 and he never played another defensive position in his career.

As a rookie, he made his presence known by stealing an American League leading 21 bases. He led the league in that category for the next seven seasons in a row, swiping 50 or more in the 1959, 1960 and 1961 seasons. He reintroduced speed to the American League game, and it was a successful baseball philosophy for the White Sox during his tenure there.

When the Sox won the pennant in 1959, the team led the league in base stealing. It was dead last in home runs. Hard to image that it once happened on the South Side.

Aparicio was also the Rookie of the Year recipient from the American League in ‘56.

Aparicio’s speed was his biggest asset. He was also a respected defender, winning nine Gold Gloves. When he retired, he held the record for the most double plays turned by a player. It’s certainly a credit to his skills, and the second basemen with which  he played, including Fox, as well as Jerry Adair and Brooks Robinson in his Baltimore days.

Offensively, he hit a career .262, but collected 2,766 hits. He was not known for taking walks, as he took more than 50 free passes in just four of his 18 seasons. He also holds the dubious record of the longest hitless streak for a non-pitcher when he went 0-44 during a stretch in 1971 wearing a Red Sox uniform.

His number 11 was retired by the White Sox in 1984, the same year he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. He is still alive, and thew out the first pitch at Game 1 of the 2005 World Series, the first World Series game held on the South Side since his 1959 Sox made it.

So you can see why Vizquel should be thrilled to wear number 11 in a White Sox uniform. He said he wants to help younger generations of Venezuelan ballplayers to remember Aparicio and his accomplishments. Well, Omar, you’ve helped me learn a little about the man.

All that being said, I still think it’s weird to go unretiring numbers. If you do that, then what’s the point of retiring them in the first place?

All the buzz before SoxFest last weekend at the Palmer House Hilton downtown was whether Jim Thome was going to don the black and white uniform again for the South Siders next season. It would have whipped the White Sox faithful at the annual fan convention into a mad frenzy if Thome walked as out the newest member of the Sox.

But, after a brief Kabuki dance with skipper Ozzie Guillen and General Manager Ken Williams, Thome went elsewhere and will now swing his big stick with the Twins next year.

Make no mistake, it was Ozzie’s decision to let Thome walk. It’s rare that a general manager would defer such a decision to the field general, but that’s what Williams did. And now it will be Guillen’s neck in the noose if the Sox don’t score runs next season.

I don’t think Williams was afraid to take the chance. He likes Thome. A lot of the players on the club like Thome. The fans love Gentleman Jim. Hell, I think even Ozzie likes Thome, but he just doesn’t fit into Guillen’s philosophy as to what a designated hitter should be.

Guillen’s plan is go with DH by committee. Who’s got the hot bat? Who’s going to match up best with the opponent’s starting pitcher? Who needs a day off from the field? The days of a giant slugger who can’t take the field at all will not be a part of the White Sox squad under Guillen’s new team. Guillen wants options.

Thome brings a big bat on the left side. He also eats a roster spot while sitting on the bench all season, except when he strides to the plate. He also clogs the basepaths. These are the attributes in which Guillen now detests in a designated hitter. He wants everybody on the roster to be able to play baseball on any given day.

Thome could have fit in well with the Sox next year. The Sox are losing a lot of power without Thome or Jermaine Dye. But for the last 25 or 30  years now, Sox fans have expected to see a likeness of a softball team take the field each night - sit around and wait for the home run. Well, Ozzie wants to change all that.

Now, Ozzie has got guys like Andruw Jones, Omar VIzquel and Mark Kotsay to play with in the lineup. These guys can play the field and still swing the stick. No doubt guys like Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin will need nights off from fielding duties, and Guillen has the guys who can fill those spots.

It will be interesting to see how it all works out. I don’t know if there has been a trend in the American League to try DH by committee, but Guillen seems to think it is the new wave of AL ball.

That’s why Thome will not fit in with the 2010 White Sox. With that being said, I think just about any lineup is going to benefit with Thome’s bat in it.

It looks White Sox brass has finally ended talks with Scott Podsednik on a permanent basis - at least when it concerns the 2010 season - since General Manager Kenny Williams acquired Juan Pierre from the Dodgers in a trade last week.

Pods had a nice season with the Sox last year. Who knows where the offense would have been without him. But he wanted more years and more money than the Sox were offering, so Williams and company went elsewhere.

The problem is although Pods had a nice season last year, he never in his career stayed healthy for five straight month like last season. He isn’t a very good fielder, and he can really kill a rally while running the bases.

Sure he is known as a speedy guy on the basepaths, and is an aggressive runner. Well, he will tell you he’s aggressive. I’d say he’s downright reckless at times.

He’s a nice player to have on your team, but as I said before, he is unreliable because of his history with injury.

I don’t begrudge Pods holding out. He had a very good year last year, and at age 34, I’m sure he’s thinking he won’t be offered too many more jobs. When your legs are your best asset, and you’re approaching your mid-30s, that asset isn’t going to be very special for much longer.

I think Williams made a nice move by getting Pierre here. He’s got a good track record of health, and he can cover more ground than Podsednik in left field. Plus he doesn’t prance around the outfield like Peter Pan as Pods was apt to do.

There were other names bandied about to take Scott’s place, but I think this move is clearly the best of the options I heard.

I will take Pierre over Coco Crisp and his mediocre batting average any day. I’ll take Pierre over Brett Gardner, if only Pierre has proved more as a Major Leaguer. Gardner might be a longer-term solution than Pierre, but I think the Sox are looking for Jordan Danks to make this squad in the next year or two to fill both an outfield spot and the leadoff batter roll.

Pierre had his best year in a long time with the Dodgers in 2009, playing in 145 games and averaging .308. He’s consistently been at the top of the majors when it comes to sacrifice hits and he knows how to bunt - which skipper Ozzie Guillen is going to love.

He isn’t the best at stealing bases, but I think I’d rather see good, aggressive base running than having a lot of stolen bases.

Not only can Sox fans get excited about watching him play this summer, they also can congratulate Kenny Williams for convincing the Dodgers to pay $10.5 million of his $18.5 million due during the next two seasons. Way to go Kenny!

Oh, and Sox fans, don’t listen to Cubs fans neighbors who will try to convince you Pierre’s a bum. They couldn’t wait to see him go after the 2006 season. All he did  that year was lead the majors in hits, played every single game, batted .292 and drove in 40 runs from the leadoff spot. I’ll take that bum if you don’t want him.

It’s easy to see that White Sox GM Kenny Williams and the rest of the front office has cast aside it “youth movement” that it touted during last year’s offseason, as the team signed Omar Vizquel and Andruw Jones last week.

These acquisitions, combined with the Mark Kotsay signing, clearly show the Sox brass has switched its philosophy this year when considering how to build the team’s bench for the next campaign. Instead of trying out youngsters in the farm system, the Sox have added guys who have many miles on their legs and plenty of experience under their belts.

Earlier I wrote how displeased and puzzled I was about the Vizquel rumors, but now I see how it fits this new philosophy. Instead of bringing up young guys you don’t have to pay, you sign old guys you don’t have to pay.

There is one big difference, however, when bringing on veterans to fill your bench - they’ve been there, done that and know how to do it again.

As much fun as it is watching young players come up to the big leagues, go through their growing pains and blossom as professional ballplayers, there is something to be said about experience.

There is also another commonality between these three vets the Sox have acquired - they are very versatile. Jones is guy who can play both corners of the outfield, and might still have enough get-up-and-go to patrol center on occasion. Vizquel can play both middle infield spots and third base. Kotsay is the obvious choice for back-up first baseman and can play corner outfield positions. Kotsay might even spell as a DH every now and then if he’s on a hot streak.

These moves might also help some of the farm system guys in the long run. All three were signed to one-year contracts, giving the young guys an opportunity to play minor league ball every night. If they made the big leagues, they certainly would have the reps or plate appearances to really improve on a nightly basis.

These three signings aren’t going to set the White Sox on fire in 2010, but they do give the White Sox a flexible, strong, powerful and experienced bench, which isn’t a terrible thing.

There are still plenty of holes to fill on this roster, and I’m sure Kenny Williams isn’t through yet.

There are some horrifying rumors floating around that White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams is looking to sign Omar Vizquel to a one-year contract with the club, and I’m thinking if this is a runaway train-type Internet rumor or a another Williams smokescreen?

I don’t think its a BS rumor, as both newspapers in town are reporting it as fact, and one paper quoted Skipper Ozzie Guillen as saying he’s personally talked to Vizquel about the possibility. Newspaper reporters here in Chicago are pretty good at spying a garbage rumor and ignoring it.

Vizquel played 62 games last year for the Rangers, so it’s obvious to me the Sox would sign him to make their bench deeper. He can play three infield positions, and with Alexei Ramirez, Gordon Beckham and Mark Teahen with seemingly secure jobs for 2010, it’s the only explanation.

So why clog up a roster spot with a 43-year-old veteran instead of trying out some of your younger talent? What does this say about some of the younger talent like Tyler Flowers or Jordan Danks or Dayan Viciedo? What is Jayson Nix’s future with the White Sox? Does Nix hold any value as trade bait if they make this signing?

Vizquel’s accomplishments as a Major Leaguer are well known, and quite impressive. The Sox would be signing an 11-time Gold Glove shortstop and a three-time All-Star. He could be a valuable mentor to Ramirez and Beckham, and he is known as a stabilizing clubhouse presence.

If the Sox are looking for a mentor, wouldn’t he serve the team better as a coach? Isn’t there someone on the coaching staff who could be a mentor to those two just as effectively without taking up a roster spot?

Let me think. What coach on the White Sox staff played a mean middle infield position, was a stabilizing clubhouse presence and knows how to win ball games? There must be somebody.

Oh wait! There is. Ozzie fricking Guillen!

Now maybe it’s not cool for a manager to be a mentor, as it might offend the fragile egos of some other players. But I’ll bet Guillen could be a mentor like that crazy Kung Fu geezer from Kill Bill who kicks your ass every time he sees you, just to take you down a peg and let you know who, exactly, the master is.

Looking from the outside of the relationship you might think to yourself, “Man, is he hard on them,” but if you’re in it, you’d know the mentor deeply loves his apprentices.

This just seems like an odd signing by a team that has emitted a yearning to get “younger and more athletic.” My fear is that the “younger and more athletic” mantra really means “getting guys for less money.”

The 2009 baseball season has been put to bed as of Wednesday night, and the Chicago White Sox have wasted no time in making a deal with the Kansas City Royals.

General Manager Kenny Williams has sent Josh Fields and Chris Getz packing to bring in Mark Teahen.I’m not surprised to see Fields traded away, but I think the Sox are giving up a bit too much in this deal by sending Getz along with him.

As a rookie, Getz played a serviceable second base, and I suspect his defense will improve as he get more playing time in the Big Leagues. He also showed a good amount of speed on the bases, which Williams and skipper Ozzie Guillen have pined for in recent years.

Fields does not fit in with the current White Sox. With the meteoric rise of Gordon Beckham, and the addition of Mark Kotsay (who agreed to a one-year with the Sox on the same day), Fields is man without a home on Chicago’s South Side. I think could develop into an everyday Major Leaguer, but he can’t keep striking out one out of every three at-bats and hope to keep a steady job.

Meanwhile, the Sox get a fairly mediocre player in Teahen, whose production has significantly dropped since he had his career year back in 2006 when he hit. 290 with a career-high 18 dingers and 69 RBI. Last year, his average improved to .271 from 2008, knocked a dozen balls out the park and drove in a scant 50 base runners.

It will be interesting to see what Guillen decides to do with Teahen. He can play third base, or right field. If you consider this trade, and the Kotsay signing, it’s easy to conclude that Jermaine Dye’s days with the White Sox are over.

If Guillen puts Teahen in right, your 2010 White Sox outfield looks like this: Carlos Quentin in left, Alex Rios in center, and Teahen in right. For a team with defensive woes in 2009, this is not a very comforting outfield. In fact its frightening.

Or, Guillen could put Teahen at third, move Beckham to his natural position at shortstop, and put Alexei Ramirez back at second base.

A third possibility is that Teahen gives Guillen another guy on the roster with a lot of flexibility to play around with his lineup. He can put Teahen in the outfield or third, as well as play around with Kotsay at right and first base.

I don’t like that scenario, as I would rather see Guillen keep other players at regular positions, especially Beckham. Beckham is guy who will need stability at one position to be an effective defensive player.

In all, this trade doesn’t excite me. I would have rather waited to see what Chris Getz can give you next year, as the arrow seems to be pointing up with him. Teahen on the other hand, at age 28, is what he is - a jack-of-all-trades with a mediocre bat.

Hopefully this is just the beginning of Williams’ work this offseason.

The 2009 Chicago White Sox are finally dead and buried, but the fact is this team’s heart stopped beating a long time ago.

That rotten road trip in late August which took them to Boston, New York and Minneapolis is what killed them. They played terrible ball on that trip and came away with just a couple of wins. The Sox never played well after that. It gives me rot gut, since the Tigers did everything they could to give away the division, and the Sox weren’t able to capitalize on it.

The Sox were also just short of playing the spoiler during the last series in Detroit over the past weekend. They won just enough games to send Jim Leyland’s crew packing for another game in the Metrodome this afternoon.

Coincidentally, the Sox hosted the Tigers late last season for a makeup game to see if the southsiders could tie the Twins to force a play-in game. The Tigers looked like they wanted to be on the beach, or the golf course, or even the gym - anywhere but U.S Cellular Field that night. The Sox beat them badly, then squeaked by the Twins and then damn near got swept by the eventual American League champion Rays.

Yes, that season ended much more favorably than this year.

As I write this obituary for the 2009 White Sox, I  feel a sense of relief that the season is over. A summer spent following mediocre baseball is not a lot of fun. This team never hit on all cylinders, with the exception of about a two week stretch entering the All-Star break.

The back end of the rotation was a mess. Hitting was inconsistent. This team played the field exceptionally poorly all year long.

In some ways it what I had expected. But seriously, this squad did not play to its potential. They could have played much better. This is a team in transition, and it will be again next year. But I believe next year they will have more to work with than they did this season. Those musings are for another day, however.

Someday soon, I have the sense that I will look back on this season with hate and rage, but for now there is a sense of calm and relief. I won’t have to watch this team play again, and there is a good five months before spring training gets started. Time to take a break and try to enjoy postseason baseball.