I can’t hit and I can’t pitch–not at the major-league level–and so all this department can do for the sagging White Sox is offer some unsolicited advice:
Hang in there!
Al Lopez, the last manager to guide a Chicago team to a pennant, understood yesterday’s game has no bearing on tomorrow’s. He wouldn’t allow any sniveling. Win or lose–and he led the league in second-place finishes–he refused to concede until the moment of mathematical elimination.
Chances are Sox third baseman Robin Ventura hasn’t had the pleasure of meeting Lopez, but it was comforting Wednesday to discover he is a disciple.
“We’ll keep playing hard,” Ventura said, “until they tell you there is no way you can win.”
The temptation is to kiss the White Sox off, to bury the season, but history tells us patience is a necessity. In professional baseball, there are no guarantees.
The 1964 Phillies had a six-game lead with only 12 to play and blew the pennant. The ’69 Cubs were 9 1/2 games ahead on Aug. 13 and finished a distant second. The 1978 Red Sox were 14 ahead of the Yankees on July 19 but lost to them in a playoff.
Because of the expanded playoffs and the wild card, it now is easier to qualify for a postseason adventure than ever before. The struggling Sox still have a good enough chance to pass Baltimore and qualify.
Before Wednesday’s 2-0 victory over Milwaukee, the Sox had lost eight of their last 10 games and 11 of the last 14.
“We’re good–I know that,” said outfielder Dave Martinez. “We just haven’t been playing good.”
Then why haven’t they been playing better?
“I can’t answer that,” Martinez replied.
Seconds later, he provided an answer: “We just haven’t been able to put it together. One day we get good pitching and we don’t hit. The next day we hit and the pitching isn’t there.”
Wednesday, the Sox had shutout pitching and timely hitting.
“We can do it,” insisted manager Terry Bevington. “But we’re going to have to get more than two runs. That’s too close to the belt.”
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Was this a big game?
“They’re all big now,” Bevington said. “Each and every game is a big game. But they’re more magnified now.”
To win consistently, everything must be in sync, as it was against the Brewers.
There have been indications that what the Sox need most is considerably more rah-rah from some of the veteran players. This is a time when Frank Thomas and Ozzie Guillen must step forward and help motivate the troops.
Milwaukee manager Phil Garner emphasized the manager, no matter how expert, needs help.
“A manager can only do so much,” Garner explained. “He can chew the players out, but you can’t go to the well every day.”
Garner revealed the Oakland A’s, when they won three consecutive World Series in the mid-’70s, had the benefit of several players who constantly were exhorting their teammates, pushing them to the limit.
“We had 14 (player) fights in those three years,” Garner said. “But what a lot of people didn’t realize is we had guys like Sal Bando, Reggie Jackson and Joe Rudi–veterans. They were on everyone’s tail.”
This is the time of the season when team “chemistry” comes into play. But chemistry, alone, is overrated. If a team wins, there is always a good mix.
“I suppose you can say there was a lot of dissension on those Oakland teams,” Garner said. “A couple of players disliked each other enormously–in the clubhouse. But once they walked on the field, there was a common goal. Guys who didn’t get along were always making diving catches. They did everything possible to prevent a run.”
This shouldn’t be construed as an indication there has been significant discord in the Sox clubhouse. They are men, not boys. Because of the long season, some disputes are inevitable. I saw the Cubs close up for many years and marveled how well the players got along. But they also had a lengthy succession of second-division finishes.
After Wednesday’s victory, when Martinez was submitting to postgame interviews, he wore a T-shirt imprinted with the words:
“Be the best at what you do.”
“I think we have a real good chance,” he said. “I really do.”