When a team goes on a four-game losing streak, there is a likelihood that management will shake things up, and the White Sox have done that very well. Ozzie Guillen sat shortstop Alexei Ramirez, but they're smart enough to not really take a flier, like signing Barry Bonds.
With Ramirez, it's not so much his 4-20 batting slump in the last five games, but the way he has slumped. As Ozzie so eloquently puts it, Ramirez needs to, "check [his] ass."
"We talked to Alexei a few times. I don’t mind 0-for-4, I don’t mind struggle, I don’t mind a slump. But how you are in that slump, do something about it. I need some offense, and that’s why I’m going to put Nix out there.’’
Ramirez is being benched for Jayson Nix, a batter who Guillen likes because he fights while at the plate.
That is a sensible move for the White Sox. After all, if Ramirez can't get it done, forcing him to try and do the same thing again and again and expecting different results is insane. The other sensible move that the South Siders are making is saying, "Thanks, but not thanks," to prolific but tainted slugger, Barry Bonds. The Sun-Times asked if Bonds could help Chicago's offensive problems, and Kenny Williams said, quite simply, "No."
Phew. On behalf of all Chicagoans, thanks, Kenny. Bonds hasn't played in two seasons, and with his court cases, steroid allegations and overall bad attitude, he just isn't worth the trouble. A slump in May is something to be concerned about, but it isn't enough to freak out and change the entire dynamic of the team.
Maggie Hendricks is a lifelong Chicagoan who has loved sports since she fell in love with Jody Davis at age three. She also writes for Cage Writer, Yahoo! Sports' MMA blog, and Fourth-Place Medal, Yahoo! Sports' Olympic blog.
