July 18, 2014: P.A.S.H.

Chicago Hope… it’s always there.  When winning, hope runs rampant.  We believe the sky is the limit.  We believe we can win it all.  When losing, we always hope for a turn around.  Sometimes we have to dig really deep to find some of that hope; we have to really look for that silver lining.  That’s what we’re going to have to do post all star game, as we hope our baseball teams can give us something to cheer for.

Let’s start with the Sox.  The good news is that they’re only 6.5 games out of the wild card.  The bad news is that they would have to pass 5 teams in get in.  Do they still have a shot at the division?  At 10.5 games back, that may even be a tougher pull.  They’ll need Abreu firing on all cylinders.  How will the American League adjust to Abreu this second half?  I’m throwing a lot of soft stuff, mostly out of the zone.  He’s been hitting any pitches in the zone hard.  He’s been crushing any mistake pitches.  Will Jose be able to adjust back?  That’s the key for any young player; how they adjust once the league adjusts to them.  That’s one 2nd half story to watch.  The other is Chris Sale.  A recent Sun Times article talked about him becoming a Hall of Famer.  We’re a long way from that, but when he is on the mound, he is pretty awesome.  The key is staying on the mound.  With a slight history of arm troubles, his herky, jerky motion, his thin build, injuries may plague him.  The Sox are starting off this weekend’s series without Sale as a probable pitcher.  I think that’s a smart move.  You have to pick your spots when to rest him, even if it’s as little as that move.  More important, is the in-game management.  Knowing when to pull him out, and knowing when to keep him in, will help as well.  Don’t ride this horse to hard Robin.  The bad news:  he IS the horse.  The starting pitching has been getting better, in particular Danks, but that’s really the key to the 2nd half for the Sox:  their pitching.  I think they’ve blown upwards of 15 saves this year.  That will sink any team.  That plus their record in Saturday games, which is an astonishing 2-13, with both wins coming in the past 3 weeks.  What will it be for the Sox?  Post All Star Hope or Post All Star Hoax?

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Chicago baseball requires a lot of hope, on both sides of town.  It requires us fans to stick by our teams through decades of failure.  Sox fans were rewarded back in 2005 with their first World Series title in forever.  When will they win another?  Meanwhile, us Cubs fans continue to wait, and hope.  It’s not easy, but we dig deep.  We make ourselves believe that it will happen.  Next Year is our team slogan.  Maybe that will actually pan out one year.  Is next year the year for this Cubs team?  I’m not sure, but through it all, hope remains.  I’m pretty confident we’ll win ours before the Sox ever sniff another.  Well, sort of confident…