After losing 12 of 16, including a four-game sweep at the hands of the upstart Blue Jays (in which they scored a paltry eight runs), I was preparing myself to write an epitaph for the 2009 Chicago White Sox. However, two consecutive wins against the rival Twins kept me merely toeing the precipice of beautiful indifference--that stressless, liminal void of rooting indolence and langour usually reserved for fans of the Pirates, Marlins, Nationals and Twins ('71-August '87, '89-'90, '93-'00, '07) organizations. Still, I was ready to succumb at the first sign of discord, to hurl my mortal fandom into this Utopian abyss of desensitization. That is, until a heavenly chorus, under direction of archangel Peter (Gammons), lifted me from the proverbial ledge and--with tidings of Peavy--laid me softy to rest on the outfield turf of U.S. Cellular Field.
The Kenny Williams regime has a history of making "big splashes," usually front-line pitching acquisitions that have done little more than generate pre-season buzz amongst the fanbase. First was Toronto ace David Wells, the overweight, gregarious crapulent, fresh off a 20-8, 4.11 ERA (123 ERA+) season in which he logged 226.1 innings and a retro-fabulous 9 CG. Perhaps Boomer succumbed to arm fatigue in 2001, his first and only in Chicago, as he managed only a 5-7 record and 4.47 ERA in 100.2 innings. Still Wells, renowned for his "rubber arm," was back to his old tricks in 2002, winning 19 games during the first of four consecutive 200+ inning seasons...for the Yankees. (Mike Sirotka, on the other hand, was not so fortunate, as the majority of his right arm musculature had been surgically excised prior to the consummation of the initial Wells trade.) Undeterred by the events of '01, Williams returned to the phone-lines in the offseason of '02, managing to land Pirtates' ace[ish] Todd Ritchie. At the time, the shrewd move was actually lauded by pundits despite Ritchie's solid-but-unspectacular 2001 campaign in Pittsburgh (11-15, 4.47 (102 ERA+)), and a certain young boy's incessant, profanity-laced tirades to the contrary. Ritchie rewarded the confidence of scouts and prognosticators alike by delivering a 5-15 record in 23 starts, all while finding time to post a 6.06 ERA (74 ERA+) and a truly abysmal 1.706 WHIP. That was the beginning of the end for the lefty, as Ritchie mustered only an unsuccessful stint as a spot-starter for the '03 Brewers before being evacuated from the league through long-time American League sphincter Tampa Bay.
And so it came to pass that in the year 2003, White Sox management would make yet another bold maneuver, acquiring current five-starter and Buffalo Wild Wings Wall-of-Famer Bartolo Colon. Unlike Wells, endurance did not prove to be a problem for Barty, as he logged a career-high 242 innings and a Wellsian 9 complete games (including a bevy of sub-45 degree, short-sleeved, bad-assed expositions). Tenure with the team did prove to be a problem, however, as Colon departed the following off-season for Anaheim, whereupon he recorded 39 victories and a Cy Young Award before (i) breaking down, (ii) resurfacing with Boston (with noticeably reduced velocity and a noticeably more elephantine physique), and (iii) re-signing with Chicago for the 2009 season (yip-ee). Finally showing signs of discouragement, Williams' next major move was of the relatively unpublicized variety: the extension of a non-roster invitation to Mexican starter Esteban Loaiza in spring training of 2004. Loaiza, to his credit (and that of Don Cooper who, not surprisingly, added a cut-fastball to Esteban's repertoire), went on to reward the Sox with the best season of his career, a 21-9 effort, highlighted by a stellar 2.90 ERA, a career-high 207 strikeouts and a second-place finish in AL Cy Young Award balloting. Regardless, Loaiza was gone by the following season's trade deadline (9-5, 4.86), shipped to the Yankees in exchange for 59 year-old Cuban expatriate Jose Contreras, who would go on to become Chicago's de facto playoff ace in 2005. Before that could happen, however, Williams fetched himself another discount gem in '04, Seattle's former-ERA champion Freddy Garcia. Together with Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland and El Duque, the quintet lead Chicago to the 2005 World Series title (with a sparkling 11-1 postseason record), their first championship in 89 years. 2005 offseason acquisition Orlando Hernandez, while not needed as a starter in the '05 playoffs, did provide the Sox with a truly iconic moment, pitching out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the ALDS-clinching game in hostile Fenway Park. His reward? The following off-season, he was dealt (along with CF prospect Chris Young) to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Javier Vasquez. The rest, they say, is history. And by that, I mean that my doctor has advised me not to speak of Vasquez again, as doing so would put me at high risk of supraorbital vein rupture. (In case you're interested, he's in Atlanta now, and frankly, I don't give a sh*t.)
Youngsters John Danks and Gavin Floyd aside (as their 'prospect sheen' had worn off far prior to each of their respective acquisitions), Jake Peavy constitutes the latest development in the Sox's ongoing search for high-profile pitching talent. Now the only question is, will he waive his full no-trade clause and green-light the deal?
Jake Peavy will earn eleven million dollars this season. He lives in San Diego, CA, where Acuweather.com projects the average temperature to be exactly 64 degrees for the next four days (until a spike to 67 on Tuesday); each day is expected to be mostly sunny, and why not? From a baseball perspective, Peavy's ERA is nearly one whole run higher away from cavernous Petco Park, and Qualcom Stadium before it. Peavy has spent his entire career with the Padres, and currently stands at 41-27 at home, with an ERA of 2.77 and a BAA of .219; on the road, he is 45-35 with a 3.80 ERA and a BAA of .246, still very good, but not as transcendently great as his home splits. However, things may not be as ballpark-dependent as they initially seem. Yes, Peavy's HR rate nearly doubles on the road, but more importantly (discounting balls put in play), Peavy strikes out fewer hitters and walks more on the road (9.52 K/9 @ home, 8.32 on the road; 2.59 BB/9 @ home, 3.27 BB/9 on the road). Perhaps this is wishful thinking, but I'd venture to say that much of this is likely unrelated to stadium dimensions and the psychological implications/emboldenment considerations resulting from pitching half of one's games in a noted pitcher's park. Rather, other intricacies of road baseball--differing mound anatomy/slope, novel air conditions (effecting pitch break/control), hostile crowd noise, and generally less-familiar surroundings both leading up to (i.e sleep quality) and during the game--likely play prominently into this disparity, which (upon examining the sample set of all pitchers) is not uncommon, in-and-of itself. No doubt a pitcher with a career GO/AO (ground-out to air-out) ratio of 0.98, although with a respectable HR/FB of 7.6%, will be justifiably nervous committing himself to pitch in the bandbox that is "The Cell" (Derek Lowe, by comparison, has a career GO/AO ratio of 1.73, HR/FB = 7.4 %). Additionally, Peavy is a career .178 batter, .233 and .265 the past two years respectively, and has expressed (via his agent) a strong preference to remain in the National League. So will he waive the no-trade clause? The Padres are going nowhere, they have very little help in the pipeline, and their offense (save Adrian Gonzalez) is as anemic as any that has come along in the past decade. Peter Gammons has reported that a call was placed to former-Friar and current ChiSox RP Scott Linebrink, who gave a ringing endorsement of both the organization and his polarizing manager. If I had to put odds on it right now, I'd say 3:2 in favor of staying, although I hope I'm wrong. If for no other reason, than so I can say:
"Mmm, the tears of unfathomable sadness...Twins fans, your tears are so sweet and cool on my tongue...drown me in the misty waterfalls of your sorrow, yes...YESSSSSS..."
