26

The White Sox failed to make hay while the sun shined. With Detroit mired in a losing streak until Sunday, the Sox could have picked up significant ground upon the Central Division leader. But they didn't -- losing two of three to the Angels. The first place Tigers hold a 6.0 game lead over the back-in third place Sox and the handwriting is on the wall. Any combination of Tiger wins and Sox losses that adds up to 14 will eliminate the Sox from the Division title. By contrast, the Sox have a Magic Number of 26 over Detroit.

The sad thing is that the Sox could have done some damage in the post-season. The Good Guys held their own against the likely contenders other than Detroit: the Yankees, Red Sox and Angels. But it doesn't appear that we'll find out how they would have fared. It's still not mathematically over, but the harsh reality is that the last best chance slipped away this weekend.

We'll keep counting the Magic Number for the rest of the season, because that's what we do and because our attachment to the Sox is one of emotion, not logic. But our heads tell us it's time to stick a fork in the Sox. One last hurrah, which we'll score as one for the heart. Go Sox!