Can This Man Be Trusted?

It's a fair question. Certainly, he is enthusiastic enough and talks a good game. He did put together a championship team in the 2004 off-season, but is that enough? We'll have to see in July 2008. If the Sox are in contention, his Plan #863 worked.

It's a bit painful to see Kenny Williams swing and miss so often this off-season. You can't control what players do, but this is getting a bit ridiculous. Torii Hunter taking the Angels offer without seeing if the White Sox will match or best it is one thing. That's out of Kenny's control. Missing out on Miguel Cabrera is quite another.

Miguel Cabrera and Ozzie Guillen have a great friendship outside of baseball. Miguel has expressed his desire to play for Ozzie and Ozzie has expressed his wish to manage Miguel. How on Earth do you screw up a situation like that? My guess is the Marlins didn't take into consideration what Miguel wanted, for very long or at all. But he's not a free agent, so Miguel doesn't have a lot of say in the matter yet. I don't pretend to know what goes on in negotiations or what other teams try to pull on each other. I'm not paid to know these things, Kenny Williams is.

I can only sit back and marvel at all the possibilities and wait to see what pans out and what doesn't. I see what teams settle for for some of these trades and wonder why Kenny couldn't beat that. The White Sox have better prospects than that. I know Kenny is taking it a little too personally about not getting Torii Hunter. I'd be frustrated too. That was a pretty rotten thing to do to the White Sox, Rangers and Dodgers. Plus when there are quotes from Torii saying he would have accepted less from the Angels, that has to really hurt.

Teams put in fake offers and spread rumors to drive up the price. Kenny used to be very good at sniffing out the BS. This season he seems to be way off. Considering what some low level starting pitchers are commanding, Kenny could have gotten some bullpen help from the Angels too in exchange for Jon Garland. Some of these mediocre pitchers are commanding three or four top prospects just to start the talking. That's unreal!

Orlando Cabrera, Carlos Quentin and Scott Linebrink is a great start, but it's not a good finish. They still need an outfielder, a leadoff man, a starting pitcher, and another bullpen arm. Not to mention getting rid of at least one outfielder, a shortstop and a third baseman. Unless Kenny pulls Johan Santana out of his butt, I don't see him making a big splash, like he says is coming. I don't see that happening, since the Twins are in the same division. I also see the Cubs overpaying for Fukudome, not the White Sox. Kenny may even lose out on Rowand, which would be a last resort from what I'm hearing.

As teams hold the White Sox hostage, instead of the other way around, I see the off-season as a C+ so far. An upgrade at shortstop and an upgrade in the bullpen and more holes to fill. It stands at a C+ as of this writing. C'mon Kenny, prove me wrong and bump up that grade.

He Longs To Be Close To You

How close was Kenny Williams to landing Torii Hunter? A lot closer than you think. Check this story out. There was a lot of admiration between Torii and the White Sox it seems. A deal was set to sign and be announced when Los Angeles swooped in and snapped up Torii with an unbelievable offer.

With all the figures and perks that were extended to Torii, by each team, out in the open, it's scary to see just how close he was to signing with the White Sox. It's nice to know that Kenny Williams is very business-like in his pursuits and doesn't take anything personally with Torii's signing. Hopefully, Kenny is in hot pursuit of Plan 1B, as he likes to put it.

It's also nice to see the lengths to which the White Sox and its players will go to in improving the team. I hope this kind of presentation goes on to all the potential big signings.

The Halos Hunted By Cover Of Darkness

Torii Hunter got a contract from the Los Angeles Angels for $90MM over 5 years. That's $18MM per year. News of this leaked out in the wee hours of the morning today. The Angels are taking a page out of Kenny Williams book. I never heard a word about their interest.

What does this mean to the Sox? It means that the Sox will concentrate on "The Legend" Aaron Rowand, Andruw Jones, Kosuke Fukudome, finding a scrap heap bargain, finding a rookie bargain, trading for a center fielder or staying with what they got. I know, that's a lot to digest. Fortunately, that's why it's Kenny Williams job to sort that out.

As evidenced by my favorite card of Torii Hunter, he's shocked that someone actually gave him $90MM. I'm a bit shocked too. That's about $3MM more per year than he really should be worth. If the Angels want to overpay for him, that's their business. It smells a bit like a Scott Boras move though. Wine and dine and promise alliances, only to use those teams as bait for a bigger paycheck.

I am a bit disappointed that I won't be showing the 2007 Allen & Ginter card of Torii to friends. I like to show off cards of White Sox acquisitions with former teams. You know, to get the fan base used to what the players look like and what they do. That would've been a sweet card to show around.

I like Torii and I think he would've made an excellent addition to the Sox outfield. When Jim Thome and Paul Konerko are reported to have texted Hunter on the benefits of the Chicago White Sox, it seems like desperation. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. Only time will tell on that though. With that said, I can't wait to see what the Sox do with centerfield this year! I want to know who's series two card I can look forward to collecting next year.