He's going to find out who quits and who tries.
Kenny talked to the media for the last time this season before the White Sox went out and got swept by the beloved Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night, and in typical Kenny fashion, he sent some warning shots to his players through the media.
It seems that some White Sox players are a lot like me and have quit on the season. Now, I can get away with it because the White Sox don't sign my checks, but for players who are still pulling in the dough whether they're winning or not, Williams wants to see some effort.
And
if you don't......''I know who's quit and who has not, who's willing to sacrifice,'' Williams said. ''It's hard to win. Winning and success, whether it be baseball or any other facet of life, if you're not willing to sacrifice, you're not willing to put in the work, you're not going to be successful. You're just not. ... If you are not willing to do that, I can't have you here, and I will send you to a better place for you.''
Asked if he could detail players who quit or didn't, he obviously wasn't going to go there.
''I'm not going to be accusatory to that sense in this forum,'' Williams said. ''What I will say is that I am certainly looking at it very hard to see who is willing to make the sacrifice to win.''
I wonder if Jermaine Dye was listening because he went out and hit two two-run homers Wednesday night, finally deciding to show up in the second half of the season now that the Sox have absolutely no shot. Of course, Jermaine can try as hard as he wants at this point, I don't think there's anything that's going to keep him in Chicago at this point, whether he wants to be here or not.
When it comes to the White Sox I'm in full 2010 mode as I accepted the reality this team wasn't going to the playoffs weeks ago. Now while I'm not really one of those writers who likes to play the role of deciding which coaches and managers need to be fired, I can honestly say I wasn't that thrilled with the news the entire White Sox coaching staff had signed extensions on Wednesday.
While I'm fine with Don Cooper, Joey Cora and Harold Baines sticking around, I do wonder if the Sox can use a new voice as their hitting coach. Greg Walker has had success with the aging sluggers the team has filled it's lineup with the last few years -- his philosophy obviously being just look for a fastball and try to hit the shit out of it -- but the Sox are going to try a new direction next season.
I wouldn't mind seeing a new philosophy in which the White Sox actually decide to work the count once in a while (except for A.J. because his swing at everything approach is the only way he's ever known how to hit and it works for him). Maybe draw some walks and utilize some situational hitting. I'm not saying I want them bunting all the time, but how about when there's a runner on first or second with an out or none, we look for a pitch to drive to the right side of the field?
As far as what kind of players I'd like to see the Sox go after this season, I wouldn't mind seeing Chone Figgins join the White Sox next season, but I fear that since the free agent class isn't spectacular this winter, he'll command a contract that's much larger than he truly deserves.
Kenny's not all that excited about the market either.
''Well, No. 1, I don't like what I see on the free-agent market, and what I do like, it's going to cost you a No. 1 pick [as compensation]. If we felt like that's been a need for us in the past, we were willing to do that. We were willing to go that extra mile if we have that fit for us. But that fit means a lot of things in a lot of different ways. This is something we really are going to have to take a look at in the various scenarios I just gave you.''
Which, in Kenny speak, means "We've got a lot of money locked up in Jake Peavy and Alex Rios already, and I'm not sure Jerry Reinsdorf is going to give me all that much more to spend this year. So I don't know who I'm going to be able to go after. Oh, and I don't want to lose that #1 pick because I'm trying to rebuild our farm system. And when I say I'm trying to rebuild our farm system I mean that I'm trying to fill it with prospects for me to trade next July because I fucking love making trades. I even make my wife pretend to be Billy Beane or any general manager I may be dealing with at the time while we're in bed and we role play trade scenarios."
Which is probably more information than you needed to know.
While some people around Major League Baseball are losing their job for failing to win games, others around the league are being rewarded for their success. The Los Angeles Dodgers are getting ready to make their third appearance in the postseason in the last four years, and the man who is in charge of putting the team together is about to be rewarded for it.
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