Magglio Ordonez: A Resurrection Of A Career

I am a supporter of Magglio Ordonez. I was a much bigger supporter of Maggs when he played for the White Sox. Certain actions on his behalf before his departure left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm happy he has found more success and I don't mind that the success is with the rival Tigers.

Magglio is one of the reasons that I was drawn back to baseball. I remember listening to radio broadcasts of White Sox games around 1998 and 1999. Magglio always stood out as someone who will be very special when he finally breaks through.

Well, it didn't take very long for Maggs to break through. He started hitting consistently and started to make spectacular plays in right field. He seemed to get a little better each year. You could count on Magglio to hit around .300 and drive in around 100 runs and hit somewhere around 30 home runs each year. He was turning himself into one hell of a player.

On May 19, 2004, Magglio's career path took a nasty turn. He was injured in a collision with Willie Harris on a shallow pop up. He rehabbed it, came back briefly and went out again when complications arose. Magglio was to be a free agent at the end of 2004. That's when the real fun began.

Magglio hired Scott Boras to represent him. The Sox rarely see eye to eye with him, but are willing to work with Boras when needed. Then the Sox were refused a look at medical reports about Magglio's health. These reports would determine the type of offer Magglio would receive and his realistic time table for a healthy return. Then a workout that was scheduled was cancelled because Boras didn't want a media circus. The Sox doctors were barred from examining Magglio before the arbitration deadline.

The Sox got tired of being jacked around and withdrew all offers. I don't pretend to know everything that went on, but just know what has leaked out since 2004. The Sox instead picked up Jermaine Dye and retooled a few positions that drew a lot of criticism. The Sox also won the World Series the next year because of those changes.

Don't cry for Magglio though. He went on to bigger and better things. He made a World Series appearance in 2006 with the Tigers and won the AL batting crown in 2007 with a .363 average. That's 43 points higher than he ever hit with the White Sox.

The departure, although sad for the fans, was the best thing for both parties. Magglio was able to let his hair down, so to speak, and the White Sox ended 88 years of watching other teams win the World Series. It took a few years to realize, but it's a win-win situation for everybody in the end.