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So I find out that this law student is from Chicago, and I ask him the all-important question: Sox or Cubs?  Even though his answer was "Cubs," I felt good when I asked him why.  He explained that after he'd moved to the city in 2004, he went to a game at each park.  At the Cell, he said, "I sat next to a woman who was keeping score and listening to the game on the radio.  At Wrigley, I sat next to pretty girls who were just interested in drinking beer.  That made it easy.  I became a Cubs fan."  Just as I've always thought,  Sox fans care about baseball; (except for my friend Bob Shapiro and a few others) Cubs fans care about being at the world's largest outdoor beer garden.

Speaking of caring about baseball, I wish I cared less.  Then it would be easier to stomach this disappointing season.  Thursday, the White Sox lost to the Rays, the best team in baseball, 5-1.  The Sox managed only four hits -- singles by A.J., Pierzynski,  Alex Rios, and Gordon Beckham, and Mark Teahen's third home run of the season -- off of Jeff Niemann, who improved to 5-0.  Sox starter, Gavin Floyd, also has a "5" in his record; he's 2-5, with a 6.02 ERA.  Floyd didn't pitch all that badly -- 7.0 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 5 K -- but when the Sox score fewer than four runs, as they did yesterday, they're 1-21.  Nuff said.

The loss drops the Good Guys back to 7.0 games behind the Twins, who weren't going to keep losing for long.  I wish I could say the same for the Sox.  Maybe it's time to go to a beer garden instead of a ball game.  Nah.  Go Sox!