105

In the best of times, being a Sox fan isn't easy -- remember the August-September swoon before the Good Guys fought off the Indians in 2005. In the worst of times, it's really hard. If this isn't the worst of times, it's the next best thing. It's not bad enough that the team has lost 22 of its last 27 games. This weekend they got swept by the hated Cubs, who are nothing to write home about themselves. And they didn't just get swept; they really had no chance to win, scoring only two runs in the three games. The Update's not saying that beating the Cubs would have been enough to make up for the rest of the team's woes, but losing five out of six is totally unacceptable.

Kenny Williams has to do something. This team can't win. It's 14.5 games behind the streaking Tigers, with an Elimination number of 76 (compared to a Magic Number of 105), and is only 1.5 games ahead of last-place Kansas City. There's no point in keeping it together just because a lot of these players won the Series in 2005.

The Update is shocked that guys like Iguchi, Dye, Konerko, Pierzynski, Crede (when he was in the lineup), and Uribe have all forgotten how to hit at the same time. Two of them, sure. Three of them, maybe. But all six of them? No way. And the relief pitchers that Kenny was so fond of collecting over the off-season? Who'd have thought that all of them except Jenks (and he doesn't look as dominating as he used to) would go South together? The starters have looked good only in contrast to the rest of the team. Anyway, be prepared for the new White Sox, since the team we've become comfortable with the last few years is history.

Speaking of history, the best player in White Sox history -- Frank Thomas -- is on the verge of making some of his own. The Big Hurt slugged his 499th career home run on Sunday and goes for Number 500 tonight against the Twins. Go Frank!