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Losing yesterday and the day before and for months straight.
And losing some more.
Making losing an art form.
Losing even when you try not to.
All the time. Day after day.
This is the story of the 2024 Chicago White Sox.
They won 41.
They lost 121.
Good rhyme.
Bad season.
Winning percentage: .253.
Finished 45 games out of first place in their division.
So far out of the race they didn’t have to worry for four months about playing in any games that mattered.
How bad was it?
The worst record of any modern major league baseball team. The infamously inept 1962 Mets only lost 120. They won 40 and tied one. That tie now is huge but at the time I’m sure it didn’t matter at all.
A battle between two horrible baseball teams for eternal ignominy.
Imagine the offseason meetings coming up.
“We need to get better,” says the general manager. “Gotta win more games next year.”
“How about we shut down the organization?” the president says.
“I think we’ve got a good nucleus to build upon,” says the coach. “We’re one trade away from contending for the playoffs.”
“First thing we need to do is fire both of you, then I’m stepping down to reflect on how my career ended up this dark and lame,” said the president. “I think I’ll get a dog or something.”
I once read in some business book that it’s good for people to fail miserably at something because it helps you understand what abject failure feels like. You learn from being bad at something.
I can relate. One time in JV football my team lost 35 to nothing to Carroll High School. They were faster, stronger, tougher, more athletic, and hit much harder. Other than that we were pretty even with them.
I once coached a 7th-grade girls’ team to a 9 and 20 record.
I know what those White Sox players are feeling right now.
They want to get away. They don’t want to talk about the season. They want to watch TV shows that don’t make them think about baseball, like “Gomer Pile” or something.
Failure on a fantastic scale.
Where do they go from here?
Get in the batting cages would be my advice. If a player on that team hits 50 balls a day this season, starting today they should hit 250.
No off-season rest. Breaking an all-time losing record is grounds for no time off between seasons.
Whacking 250, muscle memory will improve, and that will lead to more wins next season.
If – and this is a big if – the team cuts almost all its players and starts over.
As for pitching, I’m not sure what to say. I was a wild pitcher. Hit batters with rocket pellets too often. In sixth grade, this got out of hand. I did not know where my ball would go when it left my fingers; I just heaved it as hard as I could.
Last thing: Get out of America because if you stick around and someone finds out you played for the White Sox this season it could get ugly.
Go to New Zealand or something. Seeing all that natural beauty you may come to realize you don’t like baseball anymore.
In that case, announce your retirement.
Go out while on the bottom.
Somebody has to
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Sammy Sportface, a sports blogger, galvanizes, inspires, and amuses The Baby Boomer Brotherhood. And you can learn about his vision and join this group's Facebook page here:
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