Greenberg: Can Grady Sizemore Save the White Sox from Disgrace?
CHICAGO — Early in his first press conference as interim manager, Grady Sizemore was asked lightheartedly if he ever imagined managing the Chicago White Sox when he was an All-Star outfielder for a division rival.
Of course, that would be an oddly specific career goal for a kid from Seattle playing in Cleveland, but who knows, maybe he really did like the smell of grilling onions and the jibes of angry, drunken fans.
Anyway, that’s where his life has taken him: as manager of the White Sox, trying to escape the infamous world of baseball.
Next to him was Sox general manager Chris Getz, who was drafted and debuted with the White Sox. I don’t think he ever dreamed of taking over Kenny Williams’ job when he was still a second baseman for the club.
But now that the Chicago Cubs and White Sox have entered Game 2 of their crosstown series, the reality is that Getz is in charge of the worst team in baseball and Sizemore is in charge (while Getz searches for someone with more experience to take on the job full-time).
It’s not ideal, but hey, the South Side isn’t all milkshakes and hot dogs.
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Sizemore’s tenure began much as Pedro Grifol’s ended — with a loss. When Sizemore made his first pitching change in the third inning, the Sox were scoreless and trailing by six runs. The Sox came back, but the Cubs went on to win 7-6.
With 44 games remaining, what do the Sox (28-90) need to accomplish this season? Well, that’s easy. Win 15 games.
Some teams strive to make history. The White Sox must avoid that.
The 1962 New York Mets hold the modern baseball record for futility with 120 losses, and the Sox need to finish with (at least) one fewer loss. They don’t want to tie with the Mets, and they certainly don’t want to finish with 121. Sure, 119 losses would tie them with the 2003 Detroit Tigers for worst record in the AL, but no one uses that Tigers team as shorthand for “worst ever.” Many people outside of Chicago (and Houston) forget that the White Sox won a World Series in 2005. No one is going to forget this team if they lose 121.
The Sox are much-maligned, both locally and nationally, for their many, many embarrassing failures. But avoiding historical ridicule should be the goal for the final seven weeks.
Going into the fourth inning the score was 7-0.
Will the Chicago White Sox win this game? Of course not.
photo.twitter.com/cirPuv4uET— Miserable 24 White Sox (@SultanOfClout) August 10, 2024
They already avoided the all-time record for consecutive losses in a season. Now comes the avoidance of the single-season record.
They didn’t start out great silencing their haters on Friday, but after this two-game set with the Cubs, they get… uh-oh… the New York Yankees. Yeah, it’s not going to be easy.
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Before Friday’s game against the Cubs, Getz reiterated what he had said the day before after mercilessly firing manager Grifol following a slower-than-expected start to his managerial career (89-190) — that he is not explicitly targeting the ’62 Mets. However, …
“I don’t think anyone in this organization wants to be associated with any record that we might possibly own,” Getz said.
So while it is not an organizational mandate to avoid 120, it is not a goal either.
“There’s always something to play for in this game,” Getz said. “Grady and I have talked about that extensively. We want our players to play for something bigger than themselves.”
In theory, a 15-29 run over the last seven weeks isn’t much to ask. But for this Sox team, it could be.
After all, they’ve won just 28 times in 118 tries. There’s not much to suggest they can make even a modest run. After starting 3-22, they went 12-12. But then they lost a franchise-record 14 straight games.
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Given the state of the team — with Erick Fedde in St. Louis, Garrett Crochet playing fewer and fewer innings, a non-scoring lineup and an often-disastrous bullpen — it’s hard to imagine they’ll ever spark, let alone catch fire.
But then again, 15 wins in 44 games. It’s not like you’re asking them to even have a winning month, something they haven’t found themselves doing this season.
Can Sizemore, who dropped a fly ball as a Cleveland player in late September 2005 that helped the White Sox win a division title, be the spark the team needs? Judging by his career record of talking to reporters, he’s not going to be giving Knute Rockne speeches. But the players know Sizemore was a gamer and an All-Star. He’s 41, but he looks 10 years younger. They seem to respect him. Imagine if they knew about his history as a Cleveland sex symbol.
“Great attitude, great energy and we’re excited,” said veteran first baseman Andrew Vaughn.
In reality, it’s not about what Sizemore specifically brings. Change itself, a new voice, a wake-up call, could help this team finish the season with some dignity. That’s the idea, anyway.
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Getz fired three coaches along with Grifol, but Sizemore has two bench coaches and incumbent pitching coach Ethan Katz to help him finish the season. This is all new to him. He was a $15-an-hour intern for the Arizona Diamondbacks at this point last year and used his connections with Josh Barfield, now Getz’s assistant GM, to land a job on the Sox coaching staff this year.
He went from intern to major-league coach in a year. Now he’s a big-league manager. What a year.
“It still hasn’t really sunk in,” Sizemore said before the game. “I didn’t get much sleep last night. Just too excited, too anxious. It still doesn’t feel real.”
I’m sure it felt a little more real after watching Crochet blow four homers in 2 1/3 innings. That’s the White Sox version of a cold shower, and if there’s a counter to the Sizemore Effect, it might last a few games.
Neither Sizemore nor the players I spoke to would take the bait to try to stave off infamy. And of course, if they knew how to win, we wouldn’t be talking about this streak.
Do you know how weird it is to ask about the 1962 Mets? Losing 100 games is tough for even the worst teams. Imagine losing 120 in one season.
The trade deadline is over. Grifol is out. There is nothing left to do but win those 15 games.
“Just like when you’re playing, you can only focus on what you can control,” Sizemore said. “I don’t focus on outside factors or other teams’ records, I focus on the guys. What can I do to put them in the best possible position to succeed? Focusing on or worrying about outside factors is just a waste of time.”
That was the case this season for the White Sox. The least they can do is not end it as the worst team in baseball history.
(Photo: Griffin Quinn/Getty Images)
