A Tale of Two GM's
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by LMedina86
In a game where it’s “one…two…three strikes, you’re out” White Sox general manager Kenny Williams might be getting a break, it looks like the umpires have forgotten the count.
The 2007 Chicago White Sox were a far cry from the team that won a World Championship only two years ago. At that time, Grinder Ball Fever swept the Bridgeport area and any White Sox fan was ready to pronounce Chicago as a White Sox town after they acquired designated hitter Jim Thome.
Unfortunately for White Sox fans, their ownership has failed them and the team has fallen flat on their face.
Yes, the White Sox won over 90 games in 2006 but missed the playoffs because of a poor second half, which has seemingly become tradition with Ozzie Guillen’s teams. In 2007, they were terrible while posting a 72-90 record.
After the ’07, Kenny Williams vowed to bring the White Sox back to 2005 form, and with the available free agents who wouldn’t believe him? The Sox had several holes to fill and the players to fill them were readily available.
First, the Sox were blown out of the water in the Torii Hunter sweepstakes. Williams had been drooling over Hunter since the news came out that Hunter would not be signing an extension with the rival Minnesota Twins—and at one point the Sox were rumored to be days away from signing Hunter.
Then, on the eve of Thanksgiving, Arte Moreno and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim swooped from nowhere and signed Hunter to a $90 million dollar deal. That was the first notion that the Sox weren’t going to win a bidding war this off-season.
Nothing to fear, Ozzie Guillen raved about how great Andruw Jones was and how great of a fit Jones would be on the South Side, only to be undercut by Williams who wouldn’t dare get in a bidding war for one of the best center fielder’s of this generation.
Then Guillen would rave about his other son Miguel Cabrera, but again Williams would scoff at depleting an already depleted farm system. Then when one of their top rivals, the Detroit Tigers, did blow up the farm system for a future MVP candidate and a 26-year-old former Cy Young candidate Dontrelle Willis. Williams would go on to say that the Cabrera trade put the Tigers in a better position to battle the White Sox.
For what, I ask. With a line-up that has Curtis Granderson, Placido Polanco, Pudge Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield and now Carbrera, the Tigers should be the odds-on favorite to win the NL Central.
But wait, there’s more. It’s not over for Kenny, who would lose out on Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome for two reasons: he wanted to play right field and the Sox wanted him to play center field. Had Williams not been stubborn and held onto Jermaine Dye, the Sox could be welcoming Fukudome.
And then with this set of breaking news, White Sox icon Aaron Rowand signed a five-year $60 million deal with the San Francisco Giants. So the one guy that you would have figured the Sox would have brought back at all costs just to appease their fans was signed by the Giants—the gosh-awful Giants! And for $12 million, are you kidding me?
By all accounts, the Sox offered a similar deal years and dollars-wise to Fukudome. You’re trying to tell me that the Sox wouldn’t be willing to add a year and bring back one of the franchise’s most beloved players. Really? Kenny Williams has failed the White Sox organization and his fans.
He talked the talk when the off-season began, but has failed to walk the walk.
As for the other side of town, Cubdom is elated about winning the Fukudome sweepstakes. Williams has been one-upped by his cross-town counterpart who seemingly always gets his man.
In fact, the only time Jim Hendry has not gotten his man was when then-president Andy MacPhail closed the Tribune Co.’s vault which put a halt to a deal that would have brought the Cubs shortstop Rafael Furcal.
And to think, Hendry has really kept a low profile this off-season. Yes, Kenny Williams has the World Series that Cubdom desperately wants, but who’s to say that the Cubs can’t throw a 100-year anniversary celebration of their own.
Maybe Kenny should shut his mouth and take notes on what general managers do.
