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Power Rankings
Date	Ranking	Previous
09/30/2008	7	6
Hello, symmetry, part I: Through 162 games, the White Sox and Twins have the same record (88-74), the same home (53-28) and road (35-46) records, and almost the same number of runs scored (829 for Minny, 810 for Chicago) and allowed (744 for Minny, 729 for Chicago) ... So the White Sox drop five straight final-week games to the Twins and Indians, but they're still "clutch" because they rebounded to win one against the Indians and another against the indifferent Tigers? Whatever.
09/23/2008	6	5
They've got a three-game lead over the Twins in the loss column, but the schedule isn't especially kind. After three games in Minnesota, they play host to Cleveland ... John Danks should be lined up as the No. 1 starter if the White Sox qualify for October. He misses bats (150 Ks in 183 innings) and has served up fewer dingers than his rotation peers (13, versus 30 for Gavin Floyd, 21 for Mark Buehrle and 23 for Javy Vazquez).
09/16/2008	5	6
With every new injury, you think that they're finally going to break, and yet they never do. Now it's Paul Konerko, who only recently awakened, whose status is foggy. ... Thanks to weather-related postponements, they may well have to play every day until the end of the regular season. ... We should have a "bullpen in crisis" battle royale that pits the ChiSox against the Twins, Mets, Phillies, Brewers and every other contender that's in the-ship-be-sinking mode about now.
09/09/2008	6	6
Carlos Quentin's broken wrist -- which resulted from punching the top of his own bat, as opposed to a locker or A.J. Pierzynski -- is a killer. But they still have plenty of punch (pun viciously, horribly intended) in the lineup, especially now that Paul Konerko has roused from his season-long siesta. It'd sure help if Ken Griffey Jr. would make solid contact every so often, too. ... The upcoming stretch of 14 games in 13 days could break their bullpen. ... Possible Ozzie feud of the week: serenading the bat that broke Quentin's wrist with taunts of "balsa breath!"
09/02/2008	6	5
Smart call, giving John Danks a bit of extra rest. Safe-than-sorry, etc. ... It's tough to make generational comparisons nowadays, given the advances in "weight training" and "nutrition" that warp all BALCO-era stats. That said, Jim Thome deserves a hearty slap on the shoulder for pulling even with Mickey Mantle on the home-run list. A career .969 OPS ain't half-bad ... This space is 100 percent politics-free -- unless the discussion turns to my political and gender-relations mentor Bella Azbug -- but I sure loved how Barack Obama trumpeted, rather than muted, his ChiSox loyalties during his sit-down with Stu Scott: "You go to Wrigley Field, you have a beer, beautiful people up there. People aren't watching the game. It's not serious. White Sox, that's baseball." Politician, numismatist, actuary, whoever: Pick a team and stick with it.
08/26/2008	5	5
The bullpen didn't exactly distinguish itself in the two losses to Tampa. That $20 million for Scott Linebrink was sheer folly, the baseball equivalent of paying $199 for one of those "exclusive" Elvis collector plates, but the White Sox will be better armed for the postseason when he comes back in a week or two. ... I try not to make steroid/no-steroid assumptions in the absence of a positive test, but I'll allow myself a grin when Ken Griffey Jr. passes Sammy Sosa on the all-time homer list in a few days. ... Possible Ozzie feud of the week: unfavorably comparing the lasagna fatti in Boston's North End to the arepas in his native Venezuela.
08/19/2008	5	6
They're scoring 52 percent of their runs via homers. This just in: Knocking the baseball out of the park is generally a favorable result for the hitter. ... Let's focus on the pitching for a change. In their past seven games, ChiSox hurlers have allowed only 15 runs. Granted, they've been playing the A's and Mariners, whose hitters appear to be engaging in some kind of no-benefits-no-swing labor action, but that's still impressive for a gutted staff. ... Possible Ozzie feud of the week: Accusing Tampa skipper Joe Maddon of faking myopia so that he can wear fashionista specs.
08/12/2008	6	9
See the starting-pitching comment just above. ... I was against the Jon Garland/Orlando Cabrera trade when it was consummated, and I'm in told-you-so mode now that Jose Contreras is cooked for 2008 with a ruptured Achilles. ... This isn't to take anything away from Gavin Floyd's unexpectedly proficient work this season, but his walk- and HR-happy tendencies have to make ChiSox fans a little nervous. ... Their bats should be enough to keep them afloat through the upcoming K.C./Oakland/Seattle stretch. ... Possible Ozzie feud of the week: incensing the locals by insisting that Caracas, rather than Kansas City, is the true birthplace of barbecue.
08/05/2008	9	3
A bad, bad week, as much for the no-show against the Twins as for allowing frustration to bubble to the surface while getting pasted by the Royals. ... Actual quote from Ken Griffey Jr. about his current level of play: "I don't know if you're going to see the guy from Seattle." ... Possible Ozzie feud of the week: ripping his wife for her TV choices ("that Dr. House guy –- he's a [unintelligible slur in Spanish]") during his inevitable suspension for ump-bumping.
07/29/2008	3	5
Poor Paul Konerko looks like he's swinging underwater most of the time. That the Sox have thrived with no contribution from one of their middle-of-the-order bats says volumes about the underrated Dye/Quentin/Thome core and Nick Swisher's sleek OBP stylings. ... Now would sure be a nice time for Javier Vazquez to cease surrendering two dingers per start. ... Possible Ozzie feud of the week: insinuating that Joe Mauer has a sideburns consultant on call 24/7/365.

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