As a White Sox fan, all of last year I was subjected to the nonsensical notion that the entire lineup was in a slump. Whether it was Ozzie Guillen telling me, Kenny Williams, or Hawk Harrelson, it was the only logical explanation to anybody who works with the organization.As a fan with half a brain, I wasn't buying it. So this off-season when the team kept saying that it was some kind of magical slump, and then made no drastic improvements to the lineup, I wasn't exactly pleased. I was more in line with everybody else that it was just a case of veteran hitters getting older, and deteriorating as they did so.
Well, maybe the White Sox brain trust knew what they were talking about. With their 7-4 victory over the Twins this afternoon in their home opener, the Sox have scored 45 runs in their first seven games. They've also now won five straight games, which they never managed to do last season.
Though I still don't really think last year could be blamed on a six month slump. The biggest difference I've seen in the White Sox lineup this season compared to last is that they're not trying to hit every single pitch 550 feet. The approach the team seems to be taking this season so far is to go the other way, and look for base hits, not home runs.
It's working so far.
We're only a week into the season, but the Sox are looking a lot more like the 90-win teams we saw in 2005 and 2006 rather than the anemic 2007 version.
