Cali

Bringing back Wimpy is the only logical option. I can stand Hawk so much more with Wimpy around. Also didn't the Sox play better with Wimpy in the booth this year? Rally Wimpy! 162-0 in 2013!

If they were 10 games up, everyone was healthy and hitting/pitching and suddenly fell apart THAT is a collapse. This team kinda stumbled into a division race based on a very weak division. They never looked great but hung on do to some good bounce back years and rookie pitchers stepping up. But the injury bug to some major vets and pictures getting gassed and the the Tigers finally playing better ball has lead to this situation. This is just a tight division race that they are gonna lose. Simple as that. No collapse, just gonna lose more games than the team in front of you.

The biggest reason this hurts: The Tigers suck. If they didn't take 150+ games to finally click this team would have probably fallen out of the race awhile ago. Konerko, Dunn, De Aza, Youk all hurt for massive chunks, playing through it most of the year. A rotation with 2 rookies running out of steam. An inconsistent Peavy. A hurt and inconsistent Floyd and Liriano et al trying to find it. A revolving door of rookies in the pen most of the season. They shouldn't have been anywhere near first place. Think about it, a Tiger offense mashing all season. Verlander pitching like the MVP he was, Scherzer not starting off with an ERA close to 7, Valverde being lock down again? The Sox would probably be at least 8 games back. But because they sucked most of the year the Sox were able to hang onto first despite the fact that the Tigers kicked their ass head to head all year.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 27, 2012 -> 09:56 PM) Thing is, you said it "faded down the stretch." I think it did more than that. It collapsed. Or choked for those who prefer that word. I mean the team has lost 8 of 9 with more agony sure to come. A collapse is what the Braves and Red Sox did last year. The Tigers and White Sox fumbled their way through September never getting more than a few games up and the Sox ran out of gas with injuries and I'd guess some pretty tired arms. Not a choke or a collapse as far as I'm concerned.

Never had that big of a lead or that great of a record for this to be the worst ever. Sucks for sure but this team never really clicked on all cylinders on a consistent enough basis for this to really sting. You never got the feeling watching these guys play that they were world beaters. Just some real good timing: a struggling Detroit team helped. Also major comeback years from Dunn Rios and Peavy with some timely hitting and solid pitching... But it faded down the stretch. Also, the team had zero expectations going into the season, that dulls the lack of playoffs. They played with house money in a weak ass division. Not epic by any stretch of the imagination.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 27, 2012 -> 12:39 PM) I'm so sick of people saying this. They're good enough to have just swept a team that kicked the Sox ass since the ASB. Tigers were also good enough to dominate the Sox the last few months as well. They aren't. AT ALL. They were supposed to run away with this terrible division and have stumbled all year long and JUST YESTERDAY topped a White Sox team many predicted to lose 90 games. They're AL Central Good. That's it. They;re finally getting it together for the final 8 games and will take a miracle to get to 90 wins The defense, inconsistant play on the road, and questionable back end of the rotation and closer will shine though in October. Guaranteed.

The Tigers are truly terrible. They will not show well in the playoffs, and in all honesty the White Sox wouldn't have either, but no doubt in my mind they would match up better vs. Texas or New York than Detroit....

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Sep 26, 2012 -> 10:05 PM) I should specify.... Numbers of stats I don't understand (or care to learn about haha)

QUOTE (whitesox901 @ Sep 26, 2012 -> 09:59 PM) Dude has an ERA+ of 107 since becoming a full time starter. If that is your #5, that's pretty solid. Don't really care about his numbers, it's painful to watch any game he pitches. I can't deal with this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Floyd routine every god damn year. #5, #4, #2... Doesn't matter where he is he's a mentally weak pitcher.

QUOTE (whitesox901 @ Sep 26, 2012 -> 09:52 PM) I think the rotation has potential if its, in no order, a healthy Danks, Sale, Quintata (again, assuming those two are for real), a solid RHP (with money saved from Peavy) and Floyd. Bring back Youk and Myers. Try to sell Rios' high. Give Flowers a try as a full time starter. Try to get another arm for the pen if possible. No way in HELL do I want Floyd to pitch for the White Sox again. EVER. not even if he specially gave ME money to watch him pitch.

QUOTE (flavum @ Sep 26, 2012 -> 09:40 PM) I'm ready to move on from the AJ/Konerko Era. AJ this year, Konerko next year. I never really thought about it before but wow, so am I. It's time.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 26, 2012 -> 09:26 PM) I would trade 2 of 3 out of Q, Viciedo and Reed for MLB ready, cost-controlled talent Q I'd trade, but I'm hanging on to Viciedo and Reed. As frustrating as Tank has been vs. Righties and not taking pitches I'm still damn impressed by his first full season at 23.

All I mean are heavy work loads on rookies pitchers in general. More for Sale and Quintana certainly, but Jones and Reed (assuming either or both aren't sent packing) might be a little gassed next year.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 26, 2012 -> 09:06 PM) I was going to post something similar to what you just said. 2012 has been way better from a PR standpoint than 2011 was. Who knows, maybe they'll make some exciting acquisitions this offseason that generate interest in the team. As negative as I was pre-2012, I see no way the 2013 team will compete. Too many pieces of this team will be gone, health concerns for Danks, Jones, Reed, Sale and Quintana (thought I think Hahn/KW will trade him in the winter) and its an odd numbered year so Rios should go in the tank. I'm not gonna say 100 losses but easily a .500 team.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Sep 26, 2012 -> 09:02 PM) Funny will be seeing the crowds next year. Doubt I renew my season tickets after this debacle. If they lost 100 would you have renewed?

Honestly is this the WORST close division race in MLB history? Both teams are TERRIBLE (no matter how much a lot of people on here want to talk up Detroit --- they suck) and stumbled their way to a tie with 8 games to go.

FYI in the apartment on New Girl there is a painting of Old Comiskey on the wall...

Anyone else wanna just wake up in 8 days and see what happens instead of watching all eight games? (In this scenario all eight games are on the DVR to watch later)

Was it Mitch Williams who said the Tigers would win the division by "at least 8 games" in like August?

Dunn may have just saved the season with that bomb...

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 23, 2012 -> 08:20 PM) Really really hope I'm wrong. No you don't.

Both teams 0-10 haha

QUOTE (buhbuhburrrrlz @ Sep 21, 2012 -> 06:42 PM) will be made up in a Sunday doubleheader Fantastic.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Sep 21, 2012 -> 05:12 PM) Quote from Kansas City Royals slugger Billy Butler, after beating the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night: "If we take care of business against Detroit, those (Sox) have a good chance to be in the playoffs." Glad they have the spoiler mindset. I bet they will play them tough. I hope Butler blasts a bomb off Verlander or Scherzer.

Ozzie, your job at ESPN Deportes is waiting...