50

Even Bluto Blutarsky would say it's over. The White Sox dropped four in a row to the Red Sox over the weekend and were outscored 46-7 in the process. The Elias Sports Bureau reports that it was only the fourth time since 1900 that a team allowed its opponents double-digit runs in each game of a four-game series. The White Sox find themselves in last place, 1.5 games behind the fourth-place Royals, in the A.L. Central. They're 16.5 games behind the Indians and on the verge of being eliminated by the Tribe, whose Magic Number over them is a meager 17! By contrast, the Magic Number for the Sox is almost triple that -- 50.

The Update still doesn't understand how this team got this bad this quickly -- the Sox won 90 games last year with largely the same roster -- but it did. On the other hand, the same players might do a hell of a lot better next year. We desperately need to get this season behind us. And say your goodbyes to another one of the World Series champs roster members. Scottie Pods is likely seeing the end of his White Sox career. Josh Fields is getting on-the-job training in left field in hopes that he can play there next season. We'll see how that works out, but he's off to an inauspicious start, misplaying a ball in the ninth inning of Sunday's game.

The Update will continue to publish, but it will be more like a weekly than a daily blog at this point. It's just too painful to have to relive these games the next day. Go Sox!