It's easy to forget how close the White Sox were to dynasty status in the early '90s.
The youth movement of the mid- to late-1980s was maturing in the form of Ozzie Guillen, Frank Thomas, Alex Fernandez and Wilson Alvarez, not to mention Robin Ventura. The new Comiskey Park (a shrewd move by Jerry Reinsdorf) had kept the Sox from moving to sunny Florida. The American League was wide open; there was no great team holding all the cards.
The Sox went to the ALCS on the strength of Frank Thomas' MVP season (.317, 41 homers, 128 RBI, 54 strikeouts), and though they lost to the eventual champion Blue Jays in six games, the foundation seemed to be in place.
The next year was it. The Big Hurt posted otherworldly stats (.353, 38, 101, 34 doubles, .729 slugging percentage, 109 walks in 113 games) and the Sox were leading the division. 1994 was going to put the White Sox on top of the baseball world.
Then, the strike killed the season.
The White Sox have never really been the same since 1994. They've never had consecutive seasons of being a hungry, contending team, a "team to watch" like the Rays of the last few years.
Now with Ozzie Guillen having taken his talents—I won't even finish that thought—the Sox needed a fresh face at the helm for the 2010s. So naturally they chose Robin Ventura.
Wait. Robin Ventura?
Come again?
Robin Ventura was secretly my favorite player growing up. Big Frank was the guy I wanted to be like, sure. A power hitting first baseman with a great eye at the plate, it's what every kid dreams of. But Robin was left-handed (like me) and wore #23 on my other favorite team during the Jordan Era. There's not much more he could have done to get me to like him.
In August, the Sox hired Ventura to be a scout in the minor league system. I thought, Great, Robbie's back. He'll be great as a scout.
As. A. Scout.
I did not think Kenny and the brass would hire Robin to be the new White Sox manager. Not for one second. A guy with no experience? A volunteer high school hitting coach?
I've detailed in my past writings that White Sox fans are a scrutinizing bunch. We love our former players, especially the ones who contributed, but we'll be skeptical until the wins come in. Robin is going to be under the microscope from jump street and with Kenny unlikely to make any big moves this offseason, he'll have the same team that underachieved HARD last year.
Tough situation to throw a first-year guy into, don't you think?
The Return of Bat Man?
The idea has been bandied about among the masses that Frank Thomas could come in and be the new Sox hitting coach. Personally, I love it. There is absolutely no chance that a man with Big Frank's hitting pedigree could tell hitters the wrong thing to do. Imagine Frank going just a month with Gordon Beckham, imagine it. We'd have the Beckham of 2009 back.
Besides, as Lee Pikelny pointed out, they could start putting out "Bat Man and Robin" t-shirts again. Who wouldn't want to buy those?
Unfortunately, Frank coming to the Sox dugout isn't going to happen anytime soon. Not because he has no coaching experience (they just hired Robin Ventura, for goodness' sake), but because he's been cutting his teeth as a broadcaster for the past few seasons. Any Sox fan has seen Frank on Comcast SportsNet telecast in pre- and post-game segments, and he's said that he wouldn't mind getting into the broadcast booth soon.
As much as I'd like to see Frank teach Alex Rios how to hit a baseball, it won't happen for a long while. Kenny's not that smart.
The road ahead
The Sox aren't in a tailspin after last season, but things are unorganized. The manager's green, the GM's in the unusual position of not knowing his next five moves, and the division's getting stronger. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Sox hanging out in the cellar the next five years or so.
However, there are bright spots. The pitching staff is still young and hasn't hit their ceiling yet. There is potential up and down the lineup (maddening and frustrating potential), and Brent Lillibridge is the new Pablo Ozuna. Another losing season within two years is guaranteed, but who knows? Adam Dunn could discover the Orb of Cyttorak and become the offensive juggernaut he was supposed to be this season. If the pitching maxes out, the Sox could be like the 2010 Giants.
No one could have dreamed that we'd all be saying Robin Ventura is our new manager a month ago. Now, that's all we can do: dream.
It's supposed to be one of the coldest winters in recent memory, Chicago. Better start dreaming of spring training now.
See you in the cheap seats.
JS
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