Card Spotlight: 12-17-10

2009 Upper Deck First Edition #77 - Bobby Jenks

"A ground ball past Jenks, up the middle of the infield. Uribe has it, he throws... OUT, OUT! A White Sox winner and a world championship! The White Sox have won the World Series and they're mobbing each other on the field!"

Plucked from relative obscurity, Bobby Jenks was dropped into the middle of the most serendipitous season in White Sox history. He dominated and excelled in the closer role and became a legend to a Chicago town that has seen its fair share of disappointments with their baseball teams. His first taste of the big leagues was met with outstanding success.

The fast, meteoric rise of Jenks set him up for a spectacular fall. His fastball, once clocked triple digits on a regular basis, fell to the mid-nineties. The seasons dragged on, with stupendous accomplishments and amazing failures. Then, the dread would set in to each fan, whenever Jenks trotted out of the bullpen. The man could get the job done, more often than not, but you had to come along on a thrill ride which threatened to derail at any moment.

This is in no way meant to be a slight on Jenks, merely a celebration and a sobering reality that Chicago was not a fit anymore. I wish Bobby Jenks, the wide-eyed innocent man-child that perfectly captured the spirit of the '05 team, the best in his future endeavors with the Boston Red Sox. I thank Bobby for all the happiness that he brought to White Sox fans everywhere. I'm saddened that another part of the World Series team is gone from the fold. Yet, I understand that it was absolutely necessary to move forward, for both Jenks and the White Sox.

Good luck, Bobby. And thanks for the wonderful memories that we will have for a lifetime.