When to say when

It’s common knowledge the Sox season is over, yet 51 games are still left after today’s win against the Tigers. It’s very hard to give up hope in the team when so many games are left. In addition, this uninspiring team has finally begun to show a little in the way of winning games. They are 9-4 in their last 13 and the sweep of the Tigers brings them to within ten games out. It may not be ’51 or ’64 or ’78 or ’95; but who knew this early in those years what magic was in store.

But ,the stress is on “magic”.

Pretty much that is what it will take. Despite the recent upturn, they have sucked all year. The past two weeks could easily have been the high point of the season. They are chasing not just one team in the division, but Detroit, Cleveland AND Minnesota. It would take slumps by all three teams ahead of the Sox for them to have a chance.

But, still:

Both Cleveland and Detroit have hit upon hard times lately. Good teams that are winning sometimes unaccountably go bad: witness the Sox’s second half last year. All three teams could conceivably go under. And, of those 51 games, the Sox have six each with Detroit, Cleveland and Minnesota. A superhot Sox club could take the majority of these games and possibly push those teams to bad runs.

However:

Too many of this teams parts are gone to make a serious run. Crede is gone. Podsednik and Erstad are too injury prone and can’t be counted on. And management has given up on the team by trading Tadahito Iguchi and Rob Macoviak in trade deadline deals. And the team is starting 3-4 rookies on the field each game, usually including Josh Fields @ third, Jerry Owens in center and Danny Richar @ second. This is clearly a team that is playing for 2008 or 2009.

On the other hand:

That early team was not winning. For whatever reason, the team stocked with rookies is playing looser and getting results. Fields and Owens have played well, and Richard shows promise. The team was really not ripped apart, either. Both Iguchi and Mackovik were losses, but reports of John Garland, Javier Vasquez, and Paul Konerko being moved proved false. Although one eye is to ‘08, the other is still concentrating on ‘07. And the players who were so terrible in the first half-- specifically Konerko and Dye-- are now hitting up a storm. It may just be the worst of times for the hitting is over, and the new mix of payers has ignited the offense as a whole. Whatever the outcome, a strong finish will bde well for next year.

But, seriously then, the bullpen?

…………no comment. But being a lifelong Sox fan, to think I’d surrender any season with 51 games left and the team ten out* is crazy.

*=since written, they have fallen to 11.5 out.