Obama and Ozzie in 2012

I'm a big fan of Hawk, and I don't like the new rules regarding home plate collisions. But yeah, I have a big problem with his "skirts" comment. I have a daughter, and I don't care if it's just generational sexism. People should grow and evolve every day, and even seemingly benign comments degrading men by using female stereotypes has a harmful effect by reinforcing the notion that women are weak. And considering my girl is a promising boxer (and not alone in that regard), perhaps the unenlightened should rethink their views. I've met a few women in the gym who could beat the sexism out of most guys. Sorry for the rant, just an issue that I take seriously. Let's get back to Sox baseball now!

While I respect that KW doesn't want to hit the panic button too soon, it's pretty apparent that the Sox (1) don't have the talent to compete this year and (2) are poorly positioned for the next few years. There really aren't any impact prospects or young players in the entire organization, with the possible exceptions of John Danks, Beckham, and Mitchell. I think Beckham will bounce back, but even if all goes right for him, he will never be more than a Craig Biggio type player (I know, Biggio's a probable HOFer due to 3,000 hits, but he was never really an impact player, and not the guy you want to carry your team). Who knows how Mitchell will bounce back from the injury, although I'm still intrigued by his speed/power potential, and love that the Sox finally took a chance on a high ceiling draft pick. And I think Danks can be one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball for the next several years (of course, there's always a significant risk for overnight drop offs with pitchers). As for other prospects like Jordan Danks, Flowers, and the rest, I'm not too optimistic that any of them will ever develop into anything other than mediocre big leaguers. To make things worse, I would put the Twins up with the Rays for having the best young core of major league or near major league talent in all of baseball. With Mauer, Morneau, and the new stadium cash, I think the Twins can go on an extended run of dominance in the Central, and with the lack of resources and reinforcements, it would be stupid of the Sox to keep applying band-aids in the form of under-the-radar or over-the-hill free agents and low ceiling minor leaguers. Instead, waive the white flag, reload the minors, take a beating for a few seasons, and prepare to take over when the Twins run is over (I know easier said than done). But I remember the lean years of the late '80's, and with good scouting and drafting, the organization minimized the damage and built a franchise that has been a consistent contender since 1990. I'd rather see an organization with a solid plan go through a couple of 90 loss seasons to quickly rebuild a long-time contender than watch an extended run of mediocrity.

Just wondering how long Danks is under contract? Looks like a lot of Sox fans either aren't sold on him, or wouldn't mind trading him for a big bat. Unless there is zero chance we are signing him to a long term deal, this makes no sense to me. With all due respect to Beckham, John Danks is the only player in the White Sox organization with a legitimate chance at being a superstar in this league. Even if we go into a prolonged rebuilding period (which, frankly, we should with the lack of elite level talent at any level of the organization), Danks is the closest thing to an untouchable player we have. Maybe I'm drinking the Kool-Aid, but his combination of stuff, peripherals, and progression in the bigs gives me confidence that he could be the Sox' best starting pitcher since Black Jack.