They say all publicity is good publicity, but the 2016 Chicago White Sox are really putting that axiom to the test. Sensational headlines have been emanating from the South Side since before the season even began, but for all the wrong reasons.
Just when you thought things couldn’t get any more embarrassing for the Pale Hose, they seem to find astounding new ways to lower the bar. Yesterday’s surprise announcement that ‘U.S. Cellular Field’ would become the colossally lame ‘Guaranteed Rate Field’ is merely the latest indignity that had Sox fans rolling their eyes and Sox haters rolling in the aisles.
While their current .480 winning percentage won’t approach the 1932 season’s 49-102 (.325%) mark for futility, the 2016 season will easily go down as one of the most humiliating. And that’s really saying something when you’re talking about a franchise that has thrown as many World Series as it’s won in the past century.
It all started when they unwittingly allowed a 14-year old boy derail their pre-season and create an open rebellion of the team against it’s front office. Little did we know that was just a taste of the series of hysterical missteps to come that would rival any slapstick comedy sideshow.
Next came a disastrous trade for a struggling pitcher who now boasts the worst ERA among eligible starters in the Majors. The perplexing move would prove to be just a symptom of a bizarre power struggle in the front office that eventually led to the public neutering of the GM by their own Executive Vice President. That leadership criss and delusional hubris left them paralyzed at the trade deadline as they blew yet another perfect opportunity to turn their fortunes and fortify their future.
Oh yeah, and who could forget the infamous ugly jersey promotion that drove their star pitcher to insanity?? I didn’t think anything could top that, but yesterday’s announcement will live on in shame for the next 13 years!
The 2016 Sox are the comic gift that just keeps on giving. I’ll be on the edge of my seat for these last five weeks to see what kind of wacky hijinks they can come up with next.
Never change, White Sox. Never change.
Major League A*Holes 