MLB: The yawn heard round the world

By George Heidkamp

Sportsfanatics.net Columnist

Next Tuesday, the Chicago White Sox and the Oakland A's will kick off a three-game set at Comiskey Park, also known as the Mountain Climbing Capital of the Midwest. A month ago, most baseball experts would have been circling the date, jumping up and down, screaming that we could be seeing an early preview of this year's playoffs.

Now the day is coming, and the mood could not be more stained with apathy.

At this time last year, the White Sox owned the best record in the American League, they would go on to win the AL Central with 95 wins, and then lose in the first round to the Seattle Mariners. The A's rocketed out of the gate and took the AL West flag, then gave the Yankees all they could handle before being eliminated in five games. Both had pitching staffs loaded with young guns, a closer second-to-none, explosively dangerous firepower up and down the line-up. They were labeled not only as the top teams of 2000, but as the two teams with the brightest futures.

At this juncture right now they are a combined 6-16.

It is hard to put the finger on just what is wrong with the White Sox. It could be the pitching, since in 11 games they have held the opponent under five runs a grand total of three times. It could be the hitting, which has been inconsistent and has seen outfielder Magglio Ordonez, considered an MVP candidate, hitting below the Mendoza Line. It could be the manager, Jerry Manuel, who has yet to play the same lineup twice two weeks into the year.

It is very evident what's wrong on with the Oakland A's: they're not hitting. Jason Giambi, the reigning MVP, has one home run. The team is hitting, overall, a paltry .234 and has scored just 32 runs, tied with Baltimore for last in the AL. And Baltimore is hitting an overall .201! The pitching hasn't been much better, in spite of having what was proclaimed as the 2000s, AL version of the Atlanta Braves with flamethrowers Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, and rock-solid closer Jason Isringhausen. The ERA as of Sunday was 5.57, up a full run from the 2000 mark.

So what's going on here, exactly?

Well, to be fair, it is still the second week in April. There's a long way to go in this season, and the team currently dumping the Sox and everybody else in the AL Central, the woeful Twins, are in for a cold hard dose of reality as they will meet up with the Indians, White Sox (again), Yankees, and Mariners in the near future. The A'S face a more distinct challenge: what to do with both the retooled Rangers and the Mariners, who are going to be a a lot better than anybody, myself included, believes.

And, to be fair, it is not simply the White Sox and A's who are being left in the dust by the force known as parity. The Mets and Braves, two teams expected to stage yet another epic battle for the NL East, currently find themselves, combined, a dismal 10-15, chasing both the Phillies and the Expos. The Chicago Cubs (yes, THOSE Chicago Cubs) find themselves in first place with an NL-best 8-4 record.

Parity is a strange mistress, as is luck. Neither has been with the top teams of last year, excluding those damn Yankees. The roles may soon reverse - they just havn't yet. So, evidently, there will be some watching (not much) when the White Sox and A's meet next week at Comiskey. You really never know who's going where with the baseball season until about the first week in May, at the earliest.

But next week's game on the Southside of Chicago can go down in the books as the yawn heard 'round the world.

Article courtesy of Sportsfanatics.net