White Sox Week In (P)Review: Coming Back, Looking Up

The slow play. I won a $20 in a poker tournament with my friends on Sunday night, as the White Sox departed for Cleveland after their win over the Cubs. I didn't win any big hands. Probably never more than 40 chips at a time. But after a while, it was the final two and I was leading big. The slow play. It's a killer. The White Sox got out of the gates as if they were climbing a hill covered in molasses. No one on the pitching staff could get a strike except Mark Buerhle and the bullpen, and they were usually pitching with a five-run deficit. The offense was inconsistent, to be polite. Sox fans everywhere were wondering if they could compete in time for the trade deadline. Now, after a win at Cleveland and a 4-2 week, the Sox are back at the .500 mark. And after a Tigers loss late in Oakland, they're only four games back. The slow play.   What clicked? There's no carefully guarded secret to the South Siders' success. It's not a trick question, not something unexpected. ... (link)