The third day of the winter meetings brought no news for the White Sox, as a number of teams await Kosuke Fukudome's decision -- first regarding whether he'll actually come to America, and then which team he'll choose if he decides to do so.
On the subject of Fukudome, the Daily Herald reports that
Kenny Williams had no comment, but he did have a grin.
However,
Williams used the silence to sound off on critics:
"It wasn't that long ago that one of the biggest complaints was we were
not going after the major players, the impact-type guys," Williams
said. "Well, since Day 1 over the last seven years we've made a habit
of it. Sometimes you're going to get your guy, sometimes you're not.
"We're going to go down swinging, and if this is the result of it, if
this is the fallout of it, so be it. We can accept it like men and move
on." [...]
He would say only that there has been "dialogue in a number of circles"
relating to possible acquisitions while confirming the negative
reactions "definitely" will affect his relationship with the media.
One of the things I appreciate about Williams, as somebody who follows the team fairly closely, is that he doesn't lie outright (in matters not pertaining to Scott Boras). At most, he'll be less than forward, and at least that's easy to spot -- he'll leave himself outs the size of his Hummer.
The recurring issue that he's often too honest. And this isn't the first time he's painted himself into a corner by being overly blunt about his thought process. He
swore he'd be less candid with the media after the Mark Buehrle flare-up during SoxFest last year.
My guess is that Williams could have spared himself a lot of pain by being more vague about the Sox's specific desires. Sure, it's his job to make public statements that encourage season-ticket holders to re-up, but the Sox were unbelievably lousy in so many ways last year that just about any deal could constitute an dramatic improvement. Hell, you could say that they needed
average players more than anything last year. Two OK outfielders and one more OK reliever probably would've spelled a .500 record.
Somehow, the Sox's entire offseason plan has been pared down to Williams' quixotic quest of two big names instead. Most of that has been through their own doing, and it comes down to one person:
Torii Hunter.Remember when the Bulls stepped up their efforts to find a shooting guard after Michael Jordan retired the second time? Jerry Krause and Co. greeted free agents like Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill with unprecedented fanfare at the airport. I went to a Sox game where Eddie Jones threw out the first pitch during that failed courtship. They whiffed on every single one and signed Ron Mercer, the quintessential "good numbers on an awful team" guy, instead. True to his billing, he didn't help.
This is the scenario the Sox have inadvertently created for themselves with the pursuit of Hunter. They used similarly conspicuous displays of affection to attempt to lure Hunter to the South Side. Instead of pep bands and Benny the Bull, there were
Spider-Man videos and
Ben Wallace. Like the All-Star guards that signed elsewhere, Hunter, too, spurned Chicago.
Unfortunately, the front office has been so noticeably distraught by Hunter's change of heart that it overwhelms the notion that the Sox are much better off without his salary on their ledger. They've been described as
bothered,
upset, and Jerry Reinsdorf said that
he would've been happier with Hunter two solid weeks after Hunter made his decision!
That's what is killing Williams' mojo. Sure, they would've been much better off without the dog-and-pony show, but they had their reasons. Hunter has All-Star talent and the Sox know his game. Hell, one ex-Sox probably still has an imprint of Hunter's shoulder across his chest. They needed a center fielder badly. Combine all those factors, and I could easily understand Williams' fervent pursuit of Hunter, even if I never endorsed it by any means.
The problem is the Sox have allowed that swing-and-miss to linger like a stale fart over the rest of their offseason to date, as Hunter's name keeps returning, and only in a positive light.
Tuesday provided a perfect example in two different ways:
No. 1: Williams cited on-base percentage as
a reason the Sox are steering clear of Andruw Jones, even though Jones' career OBP of .342 is higher than any single-season OBP posted by Hunter. That Hunter profiles as a No. 6 hitter in a lineup full of them has been largely dismissed.
No. 2: Had Hunter's spectre not loomed so large, Williams' failed try at acquiring Miguel Cabrera could've been viewed as a valiant effort. Instead, Williams is framed as punch-drunk, and now he's swinging wildly trying to get back into the fight.
Now, Fukudome is considered a last-ditch attempt instead of the best-fitting option all along, and if he chooses the Cubs or another team, the mob might just break out the torches.
Here's an extra pinch of irony: Williams' most questionable move of this offseason, the four-year contract handed to Scott Linebrink, has ignited the least amount of heat. In my opinion, it's no coincidence that Williams benefited from keeping his pursuit of relief help on the general side.
The bullpen, like the outfield, was a disaster, and the Sox needed an upgrade. Williams stated a desire to acquire a proven veteran reliever. Linebrink is a proven veteran reliever. They met, talked, liked each other, agreed to terms, and the rest is history. Linebrink has some troubling trends and the signing cost the Sox a draft pick they desperately needed, but because the acquisition came out of nowhere, it didn't allow the louder voices much time to dwell on it.
Similarly, the Orlando Cabrera deal talked about the Sox acquiring a heady player well-suited for Ozzieball, and not an aging shortstop who may not be enough of an upgrade to warrant costing one of the Sox's most valuable trading chits.
Williams is past the point of no return this season. It's Fukudome or bust, and going back to Aaron Rowand at this juncture makes it look like he's settling for The Legend, after initial talks left the Sox more lukewarm about the possibility than initially expected.
He's never going to be a spinmaster, but hopefully he'll take a lesson from it -- not to stop talking, but to be a little more ambiguous about his feelings toward specific players both before and after meeting with them. If he finds himself pining for players who are not to be, there's always
the "missed connections" section on Craigslist.
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One of the biggest casualties of the 2007 season? White Sox blogs. The entire franchise did a solid job thoroughly extracting inspiration from its Internet fan base.
However, a new blog appears to have risen from the rubble:
White Sox Cards, which I just found today. From what I've gathered, it takes a glance at Sox cards past and present, along with some thoughts on the players themselves. Whoever's behind it is a blogging fiend -- 21 entries in December, 54 in November. Let's hope it keeps up the pace.