The 35th Street Review

A first-place softball team, a black hole at the back end of the rotation and questions about Jose Contreras. The 2004 AL Central race is going to be an interesting one.

Are regular shellackings really the answer? One White Sox general manager says “yes.”

A salute to the White Sox’ All-Cuba team.

What counts is not the total of five runs surrendered with two outs to the Royals that ultimately spelled the difference between winning 6-2 and losing 7-6.

What matters is not new acquisition Mike Myers sporting an ERA with the Sox of 18.00, a number only slightly better than the combined ERAs (18.31) of Dewon Day (11.25) and Gavin Floyd (7.06).

What matters is not Jermaine Dye going 5-for-20 since signing that contract extension.

What matters is not Jose Contreras moving into second place for most hit batsmen in baseball (13) and claiming sole possession of first in losses (16).

What matters is not that the Good Guys are now only an entirely plausible 6-30 run away from the century mark.

What matters is not the rejoicing in Kansas City, knowing that they now are no longer the worst team in the Central.

What matters is not that tickets for today’s game were going for 25 cents on StubHub.

What matters is the Sox inching one step closer to October 1st, the day this whole wretched season will finally be over.

Awful. Just awful.

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In sunnier news, let’s wish a happy South Side birthday to “D.J.” Darrin Jackson, who turned 45 today.

In which your editor is right and everything else in the baseball world is horribly, horribly wrong.